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yesterday

Radioactive Wasp Nest Disposed After Discovery at Savannah River Site

The DOE report confirms the nest reached radiation levels ten times above safety limits; it was removed as radioactive waste with no additional contamination detected

Image
Credit: Department of Energy
A paper wasp builds a honeycomb shaped paper nest, made from wood fibers in France.

Overview

  • DOE teams sprayed the nest with insecticide, removed it from the F-Area Tank Farm and disposed of it as radioactive waste after finding contamination levels ten times above federal limits.
  • Officials attribute the radioactivity to onsite legacy contamination from Cold War-era operations and state there was no leak in the liquid waste tanks.
  • Follow-up surveys found no radioactive traces in surrounding soil or infrastructure and confirmed there were no impacts on site operations or public safety.
  • The Department of Energy released its findings on July 22 after reviewing previous wildlife contamination to ensure consistent reporting criteria.
  • Savannah River Site Watch criticized the report for lacking detail on contamination sources and warned that undiscovered radioactive nests could pose future hazards.