Nukewatch

Working for a nuclear-free future since 1979

  • Issues
    • Weekly Column
    • Counterfeit Reactor Parts
    • Depleted Uranium
    • Direct Action
    • Lake Superior Barrels
    • Environmental Justice
    • Nuclear Power
      • Chernobyl
      • Fukushima
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • On The Bright Side
    • Radiation Exposure
    • Radioactive Waste
    • Renewable Energy
    • Uranium Mining
    • US Bombs Out of Germany
  • Quarterly Newsletter
    • Quarterly Newsletter
    • Newsletter Archives
  • Resources
    • Nuclear Heartland Book
    • Fact Sheets
    • Reports, Studies & Publications
      • The New Nuclear Weapons: $1.74 Trillion for H-bomb Profiteers and Fake Cleanups
      • Nuclear Power: Dead In the Water It Poisoned
      • Thorium Fuel’s Advantages as Mythical as Thor
      • Greenpeace on Fukushima 2016
      • Drinking Water at Risk: Toxic Military Wastes Haunt Lake Superior
    • Nukewatch in the News
    • Links
    • Videos
  • About
    • About Nukewatch
    • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
    • Action Alerts!
    • Calendar
    • Workshops
  • Donate

October 15, 2015 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

Washington State Sues US over Worker Contamination at Hanford

Nukewatch Quarterly Fall 2015

Federal regulators failed to adequately protect crews involved in the decades-long cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State, leaving workers sickened by exposure to toxic vapors, the state said in a lawsuit filed on Sept. 2.

The 18-page complaint, filed in federal court in Spokane, cited more than 50 instances since January 2014 when workers were exposed to hazardous fumes at the sprawling World War II-era site along the Columbia River.

The main activity there now is removal of 56 million gallons of hazardous waste kept in 177 underground storage tanks, at least 66 of them with known leaks.

As a result of lax safety practices amid leaks and releases of toxic vapors in the vicinity of the tanks, workers have been continually put at risk and left ill from chemical exposure, the lawsuit said.

“Enough is enough. The health risks are real, and the state is taking action today to ensure the federal government protects these workers now and in the future,” State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said.

Watchdog group Hanford Challenge said it believes several hundred workers have received medical treatment or evaluation due to exposures over the last 10 years.

The state is seeking a legally enforceable agreement requiring all tank-area workers to wear respiratory protection, among other safety improvements.

Cleanup began at Hanford in 1989 and is projected to cost almost $115 billion by century’s end, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates.—Reuters, Sept. 3, 2015

Filed Under: Newsletter Archives, Quarterly Newsletter, Radiation Exposure, Radioactive Waste

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Subscribe

Donate

Facebook

Categories

  • B61 Bombs in Europe
  • Chernobyl
  • Counterfeit Reactor Parts
  • Depleted Uranium
  • Direct Action
  • Environment
  • Environmental Justice
  • Fukushima
  • Lake Superior Barrels
  • Military Spending
  • Newsletter Archives
  • North Korea
  • Nuclear Power
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Office News
  • On The Bright Side
  • Photo Gallery
  • Quarterly Newsletter
  • Radiation Exposure
  • Radioactive Waste
  • Renewable Energy
  • Sulfide Mining
  • Through the Prism of Nonviolence
  • Uncategorized
  • Uranium Mining
  • US Bombs Out of Germany
  • War
  • Weekly Column

Contact Us

(715) 472-4185
nukewatch1@lakeland.ws

Address:
740A Round Lake Road
Luck, Wisconsin 54853
USA

Donate To Nukewatch

News & Information on Nuclear Weapons,
Power, Waste & Nonviolent Resistance

Stay Connected

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

© 2023 · Nukewatch