0fb 72b c67 304 219 ec0 312 114 c34 21a 8f8 d56 bce 91c 11c c62 cc7 54e 826 ef7 035 3f2 0aa f7f e1f 5d8 f6f 0c2 8a0 149 0e2 d60 61e e47 18f f28 d34 321 a9e 119 87a 315 35d bbf 340 b23 331 0ed 55a 98a 46f 63b 419 b7e d7a 437 19a 1b3 779 d0f fd1 c25 102 b77 78c 1f2 158 ae3 afb d20 052 64c de0 130 f36 484 545 6cc 4c3 8f1 b96 39d 23a e7e cd5 d3a 0a1 2ba db7 9de a28 959 73b d4b 1a4 766 edc 973 b89 60f

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.