Rivers flowing with nuclear waste!

Not all nuclear energy and waste that is produced is stored carefully - some can also find it's way into rivers and lakes which can have disastrous effects. Despite the London Convention, which was signed in order to prohibit the disposal of radioactive substances in rivers during 1972, developed countries have still failed to stop the leaking or dumping of waste in rivers (Melosi 2009). This historical problem, despite it's consequences, has not been given enough attention as the focus is much more on nuclear waste leaking underground (Plato 1974). Well, I think it should be given more attention! Nuclear reactors regularly emit liquid radioactivity which contains isotopes such as Cesium 137 and Strontium 89. Normally this liquid radiation is stored and taken care of, however many times it has leaked which has led to severe health complications. In her study in South Korea, Lee et al. (2015) explains how radioactive isotopes such as Strontium 89 (which has a half life of 30 years) have been known to spread throughout the body which has led to a reduced sperm count and organ failure in many cases.  Let me show you a real life example where nuclear waste in a river has led to severe consequences...

Hanford Site in Columbia River


The Hanford Site on the Columbia River, which has now been decommissioned, was established in 1943 and was the world's first plutonium production reactor. It has been declared as 'the largest nuclear clean-up site in the Western Hemisphere' according to the Times. Decommissioned in the 1960s, the plant left around 53 million US gallons of radioactive material which had been stored in nuclear tanks and eventually this leaked in 1962 which led to around 0.6-1.5 million gallons of toxic material such as Cesium 137 and nitrates being released into the Columbia River. Water sediments taken by Fredrickson et al. (2004) have shown an increase in river temperature due to the presence of radioactive material which is still present today. The exact cause of this leak has still not been discovered, however the main explanation is that the carbon steel shells which stored the material had cracked which led to the escape of the radioactive liquid.

Selection of pictures taken in 2012 showing the cracks in the carbon steel shells 

Although clean up of the plant and the nearby river started in 1988, construction companies such as Bechtel have been given government contracts to develop water treatment plants amounting to over $12.2 billion. The total cost to treat the area has been reported to have reached $40 billion and further leaks were reported in 2013. Imagine where else that money could have been used! The ecological effects of this disaster are still ongoing as low radioactive concentrations of Plutonium-238 have been reported in the nearby fish and aquatic wildlife which the Native American population relies on (Delistraty et al. 2010).  The sad fact however is that Hanford is not the only place which has seen this disaster. Lake Karachay in Central Russia was used as a dumping ground for radioactive waste during the Cold War. According to 1990 figures, just standing by the lake edge for a few minutes could have given you a dose of around 600 roentgen which could have been enough to kill someone. This shows how crucial it is to have the constant maintenance of nuclear disposal sites to ensure that there are no leaks in the future. Not only that, but I believe that international sanctions and rules should be strengthened to ensure that any negligence or carelessness is dealt with accordingly. After all, these incidents have an impact on generations to come.

Lake Karachay has become more toxic over time