Current:Home > MarketsWatchdogs want US to address extreme plutonium contamination in Los Alamos’ Acid Canyon -TrueNorth Finance Path
Watchdogs want US to address extreme plutonium contamination in Los Alamos’ Acid Canyon
View
Date:2025-04-18 12:02:35
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Watchdogs are raising new concerns about legacy contamination in Los Alamos, the birthplace of the atomic bomb and home to a renewed effort to manufacture key components for nuclear weapons.
A Northern Arizona University professor emeritus who analyzed soil, water and vegetation samples taken along a popular hiking and biking trail in Acid Canyon said Thursday that there were more extreme concentrations of plutonium found there than at other publicly accessible sites he has researched in his decades-long career.
That includes land around the federal government’s former weapons plant at Rocky Flats in Colorado.
While outdoor enthusiasts might not be in immediate danger while traveling through the pine tree-lined canyon, Michael Ketterer — who specializes in tracking the chemical fingerprints of radioactive materials — said state and local officials should be warning people to avoid coming in contact with water in Acid Canyon.
“This is an unrestricted area. I’ve never seen anything quite like it in the United States,” the professor told reporters. “It’s just an extreme example of very high concentrations of plutonium in soils and sediments. Really, you know, it’s hiding in plain sight.”
Ketterer teamed up with the group Nuclear Watch New Mexico to gather the samples in July, a rainy period that often results in isolated downpours and stormwater runoff coursing through canyons and otherwise dry arroyos. Water was flowing through Acid Canyon when the samples were taken.
The work followed mapping done by the group earlier this year that was based on a Los Alamos National Laboratory database including plutonium samples from throughout the area.
Jay Coghlan, director of Nuclear Watch, said the detection of high levels of plutonium in the heart of Los Alamos is a concern, particularly as the lab — under the direction of Congress, the U.S. Energy Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration — gears up to begin producing the next generation of plutonium pits for the nation’s nuclear arsenal.
He pointed to Acid Canyon as a place where more comprehensive cleanup should have happened decades ago.
“Cleanup at Los Alamos is long delayed,” Coghlan said, adding that annual spending for the plutonium pit work has neared $2 billion in recent years while the cleanup budget for legacy waste is expected to decrease in the next fiscal year.
From 1943 to 1964, liquid wastes from nuclear research at the lab was piped into the canyon, which is among the tributaries that eventually pass through San Ildefonso Pueblo lands on their way to the Rio Grande.
The federal government began cleaning up Acid Canyon in the late 1960s and eventually transferred the land to Los Alamos County. Officials determined in the 1980s that conditions within the canyon met DOE standards and were protective of human health and the environment.
The Energy Department’s Office of Environmental Management at Los Alamos said Thursday it was preparing a response to Ketterer’s findings.
Ketterer and Coghlan said the concerns now are the continued downstream migration of plutonium, absorption by plants and the creation of contaminated ash following wildfires.
Ketterer described it as a problem that cannot be fixed but said residents and visitors would appreciate knowing that it’s there.
“It really can’t be undone,” he said. “I suppose we could go into Acid Canyon and start scooping out a lot more contaminated stuff and keep doing that. It’s kind of like trying to pick up salt that’s been thrown into a shag carpet. It’s crazy to think you’re going to get it all.”
veryGood! (23636)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Crews search Lake Michigan for 2 Chicago-area men who went missing while boating in Indiana waters
- Netherlands into Euro 2024 semifinal against England after beating Turkey
- Jane Lynch Reflects on “Big Hole” Left in Glee Family After Cory Monteith and Naya Rivera's Deaths
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Voters in France’s overseas territories kick off a pivotal parliamentary election
- DeMar DeRozan joining Sacramento Kings in trade with Bulls, Spurs, per report
- John Cena announces his retirement from professional wrestling after 2025 season
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Travis Kelce Joined by Patrick and Brittany Mahomes at Taylor Swift's Amsterdam Eras Tour Show
Ranking
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Think you're helping your child excel in sports? You may want to think again
- Forest fire has burned 4,000 acres in New Jersey but is now 60 percent contained, officials say
- Driver who plowed through July Fourth crowd in NYC, killing 3 and injuring 8, held without bail
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- 3 men killed in weekend shooting at homeless encampment near Los Angeles, police say
- 'Wheel of Fortune' fans are divided over preview of new season without Pat Sajak
- FACT FOCUS: Online reports falsely claim Biden suffered a ‘medical emergency’ on Air Force One
Recommendation
Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
A US appeals court will review its prior order that returned banned books to shelves in Texas
Nightengale's Notebook: Twins' Carlos Correa finds peace after bizarre free agency saga
As ‘Bachelor’ race issues linger, Jenn Tran, its 1st Asian American lead, is ready for her moment
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
Alec Baldwin is about to go on trial in the death of a cinematographer. Here are key things to know
Jessica Springsteen doesn't qualify for US equestrian team at Paris Olympics
Two inmates charged with murder recaptured after escape from Mississippi jail