Overview

• Routine checks on July 3 uncovered an empty wasp nest near underground liquid nuclear waste tanks emitting radiation ten times above federal safety limits.
• The Department of Energy report states workers sprayed the nest with insecticide, removed it intact and disposed of it as radioactive waste without finding any wasps or detecting tank leaks.
• Authorities attribute the contamination to residual radioactivity from the site’s Cold War–era plutonium production activities.
• Scientific experts continue to puzzle over how the nest became so highly irradiated and are examining nearby waste tanks for potential contamination pathways.
• Savannah River Site Watch is calling for full transparency on nest materials, contamination sources and additional monitoring for other radioactive insect habitats.