29b bb8 755 017 93c 9f2 2c1 6d0 610 236 2e6 7b8 586 ea1 e29 256 ece e71 f41 bbc 0f0 4dd 49e 571 4bc 3a8 322 51b 070 70a 44c 24f 646 2e4 0dd c6e a79 27d da4 ec7 eb5 47a 922 5d4 69e cbb 13a 6fe e1d 03f 880 e86 22e ff4 33f 940 5f3 79b 47a 7ab caa 00c 139 b7f 0fc 954 a7d f55 747 674 990 72a a1f 71d f4b 1e5 d09 b63 030 440 dd6 1b6 396 139 592 db1 377 6ad 8c7 c18 55d f0b 3f5 cd3 48b fe1 f18 fad 7a5 956

Phase II focused on the cause of the radiological release, with the AIB concluding that the release was caused by an exothermic reaction involving the mixture of organic materials and nitrate salts in one drum that was processed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in December 2013.

How long will the WIPP site actually be radioactive?

10,000 years The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, is the world's third deep geological repository (after Germany's Repository for radioactive waste Morsleben and the Schacht Asse II salt mine) licensed to store transuranic radioactive waste for 10,000 years.

Is the WIPP real?

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the nation's only deep geologic long-lived radioactive waste repository. Located 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, WIPP permanently isolates defense-generated transuranic (TRU) waste 2,150 feet underground in an ancient salt formation.

What kind of waste is stored at WIPP?

transuranic WIPP is the nation's only repository for the disposal of nuclear waste known as transuranic, or TRU, waste. It consists of clothing, tools, rags, residues, debris, soil and other items contaminated with small amounts of plutonium and other man-made radioactive elements.

Where is Waste Isolation Pilot Plant?

Carlsbad, New Mexico The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is the nation's only repository for the disposal of transuranic waste generated by atomic energy defense activities. WIPP is located 33 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico, in the Chihuahuan Desert, far from major population centers.

What happened at WIPP?

On February 14, 2014, a radiation release occurred at the WIPP from a compromised drum of contact-handled transuranic waste emplaced underground in the WIPP facility. The drum contained nitrate salts, processed and emplaced at the WIPP in late 2013.

Can nuclear waste be destroyed?

Long-term nuclear waste can be “burned up” in the thorium reactor to become much more manageable. The world's progress on transitioning to sustainable energy has stalled.

When was WIPP built?

1980s In 1979, Congress authorized the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The WIPP facility, located 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad, N.M., was constructed during the 1980s. Congress limited WIPP to the disposal of defense-generated TRU wastes.

Who runs WIPP?

The DOE The DOE owns and oversees the operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation's only deep geologic repository for defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste and the National TRU Program (NTP).

What happens if you touch plutonium?

There is no health hazard from touching plutonium. Just wash your hands afterward so that any traces of it don't accidentally get inside you. It presents zero risk outside of the body. Plutonium is only a hazard if it gets inside you in large quantities: inhaled, ingested, or absorbed.