Where the atomic bomb was created
US migration area is contaminated like Chernobyl
A new study shows: Popular recreational areas near Los Alamos in the US state of New Mexico are contaminated with "extreme concentrations" of plutonium. This contamination is comparable to that in Chernobyl, where the nuclear disaster occurred in 1986.
"This is one of the most shocking things I've ever come across in my life," Michael Ketterer, a scientist at Northern Arizona University and lead researcher on the project, told The Guardian. The plutonium levels he measured around Acid Canyon were the highest he had ever seen in a publicly accessible area in the USA during his decades-long career.
The reason for the extreme contamination: the first atomic bombs were developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the 1940s. Until the 1960s, radioactive waste was disposed of in a ravine nearby. This was aptly named Acid Canyon.
By the 1980s, the area had finally been cleaned up for at least two billion dollars and handed over to the Los Alamos district without any restrictions on use. This turned it into a popular recreational area for cyclists, hikers and runners.
Study leader assesses environmental risk as worrying
Despite the high concentration of plutonium, recreational users are not in immediate danger. The environmental risk is nevertheless worrying, as plutonium can enter water supplies and be absorbed by plants. This means that the radioactive substance could enter the food chain - and in the event of a forest fire, it could also be spread far and wide by flying ash.
The extent of the contamination in the affected area is shown here:
The Ministry of Energy stated that the levels were "very low and well within the safe exposure range". Concerned citizens nevertheless demanded that the authorities put up warning signs for visitors to warn them of the toxic waste-contaminated hiking trail.
Expert: "What a terrible legacy"
The research results are "proof that New Mexico will forever be contaminated with a radioactive isotope that has a half-life of 24,000 years", said Tina Cordova from the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium. "This is not at all surprising considering how inefficient the Trinity bomb was and how many pounds of plutonium were not fissioned," she added. "What a terrible legacy."
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