Jami’an gwamnatin tarayya da na jihohi sun ce a cikin watan Fabrairu wasu manyan tankunan karkashin kasa guda shida dauke da bama-bamai da guba na sharar ruwan radiyo suna kwarara a wani wurin ajiyar hanford mai nisan mil 570, a kogin Columbia a Kudancin Tsakiyar Jihar Washington. Hanford watakila shine wurin da ya fi datti a duniya tare da juji 1,000 mara aiki, mil mil 100 zuwa 200 na gurbataccen ruwan ƙasa, da ganguna 50,000 na sharar plutonium a cikin ajiyar wucin gadi.
Shekaru 40, na'urorin samar da wutar lantarki guda takwas na Hanford sun yi plutonium don bama-bamai, kuma a cikin wannan tsari, 'yan kwangilar sun watsar da plutonium, cesium, technetium, tritium, strontium da sauran isotopes zuwa iska, ƙasa, ruwan ƙasa kuma, abin mamaki, har kai tsaye cikin Kogin Columbia - tushen ruwan sha don garuruwan da ke ƙasa.
Hanford yana da galan miliyan 54 na manyan matakan ruwa da sludge a cikin shekaru 177 da tankuna masu raguwa. A cikin 1980s, Ma'aikatar Makamashi (DOE) ta bayyana cewa har zuwa 69 na tankunan lita miliyan 75 suna zubewa. Faburairu ya bayyana XNUMX.
A cikin 1998, DOE ta ce tana tsammanin duk tankunan za su zube a ƙarshe. Shekaru ashirin da suka gabata Newsweek ya bayyana cewa duk "tankuna 177 da ba a yi wa lakabi ba suna zubar da glop na rediyo." An cire galan miliyan da yawa don sarrafawa.
Mai magana da yawun DOE Lindsey Geisler ya ce a karshen watan da ya gabata babu wani hadarin lafiya kai tsaye daga sabbin leken asirin da aka gano. Ana zargin wannan tabbacin tun lokacin da DOE ta ce shekaru da dama da suka gabata cewa sharar tankokin za ta dauki shekaru 10,000 kafin ta kai ga ruwan kasa. Ya isa can cikin ƙasa da 40.
Irin wannan juyi na PR amma na zamani ya zo a ranar 22 ga Fabrairu, lokacin da Gwamnan Washington Jay Inslee ya ce jihar za ta aiwatar da manufar "marasa juriya" kan kwararar sharar rediyo a cikin ƙasa. Idan aka waiwayi tarihin Hanford, manufar “kwanciyar hankali” ta fi yiwuwa.
Tukwici na leaching radioactive iceberg
Leaks na wannan kakar, wanda aka bayar da rahoton ya kai galan 300 a kowace shekara, da alama ba a cika samun labari ba saboda yawan zubar da jini da aka yi a Hanford.
A cikin lokacin da ake samar da plutonium, Seattle Times ta ruwaito, "DOE ta kiyasta cewa kusan 750,000 curies na radioactive iodine, xenon, cesium, strontium, plutonium da uranium mai yiwuwa an sanya su. zuwa kogin Columbia kowace shekara a cikin 1950s."
Mako guda kafin jaridar ta ba da rahoton cewa, "Yawancin abubuwan da aka saki sun hada da zubar da ruwan sanyi a cikin kogin Columbia." Tim Connor na Hanford Watch da ke Spokane ya gaya wa jaridar cewa a kullum ana fitar da curies 430 da aka ambata a cikin rahoton 1946, “daidai da hatsarin Tsibirin Mile Uku kowace sa’a.”
Jami'an DOE sun yarda a cikin 1991 cewa manajoji sun zubar 440 biliyan galan na radioactive taya kai tsaye cikin ƙasa - ta yin amfani da ramuka, gadoji, ramuka da rijiyoyin allura - kuma wannan sharar gida mai haɗari ta "lalata kogin Columbia." Wani rahoto na 1965 daga Hanford a cikin shafuka 19,000 na takardun da aka bayyana a cikin 1986 ya ce an jibge “jimlar abubuwa miliyan 6” na kayan aikin rediyo kai tsaye cikin Columbia. A shekara ta 2000, DOE ta kiyasta cewa tankuna suna riƙe 190 miliyan curies na rediyoactivity.
Barin biliyoyin galan na guba na nukiliya da aka zuba kai tsaye a cikinsa, da New York Times ya ruwaito a cikin Oktoba 1997 cewa, "Idan yoyo daga tankuna sun isa kogin Columbia ta ruwa na ƙasa, kayan aikin rediyo za a haɗa su cikin sarkar abinci kuma suna iya fallasa mutane zuwa radiation. na ƙarni. "
Kuma ko da duk waɗannan miliyoyin curies da aka jefa a cikin ƙasa, wani manajan ruwa na ƙasa a Hanford ya ce a cikin 2000 cewa “mafi muni” sharar gida, gami da technetium-99 da cobalt-60, “wataƙila har yanzu shekaru 20 baya” daga Columbia. .
Shekaru 1987 tun lokacin da aka rufe injina (sun daina yin plutonium a XNUMX) zubar da sharar tankin plutonium ba ita ce kawai hanyar da ake ba da cutar kansar Yakin Cold War daga Hanford ba.
Gobarar daji ta kona kadada 300 na ajiyar a lokacin rani na 2000, lokacin da Sakataren Makamashi Bill Richardson ya garzaya ya ce 1 ga Yuli, "Babu wani gurɓataccen abu." Ba daidai ba Mr. DOE. Ya zuwa ranar 3 ga Agusta, an gano cewa an dauke plutonium zuwa yankuna 10 masu nisa, ciki har da unguwannin birnin Washington guda biyar.
Ko da a lokacin, Jerry Leitch, wani jami'in EPA a lokacin, ya shaida wa Seattle Post cewa adadin plutonium ya kasance ƙasa da abin da ake ɗauka barazana ga lafiya. Da gaske? Kwayar atom guda ɗaya na plutonium idan an shaka na iya haifar da ciwon huhu.
Ƙididdigar farashin tsaftacewa - mafi tsada ƙoƙarin hana gurɓacewar yanayi a tarihi - ya ƙaru a hankali. A cikin 1989, DOE ya yi hasashen zai ɗauki dala biliyan 57 da shekaru 50. Ya zuwa 1997 kiyasinsa ya haura dala biliyan 200.
Hadarin fashewa, tankuna masu fashewa
DOE ta dade tana damuwa cewa tankunan shararta, a Hanford da kuma a kogin Savannah, SC, na iya fashewa saboda tarin iskar hydrogen ko tururin kwayoyin halitta. Tabbas, fashewar 1965 a Hanford ta fashe tanki ɗaya wanda daga baya ya zubar da galan 800,000 na ruwan sanyaya cikin ƙasa. Kuma a ranar 14 ga Mayu, 1997, wani tanki mai sarrafa sinadarai na plutonium ya sake fashewa, ya aika da murfin karfe mai nauyi da kuma tulin iskar gas mai guba ta cikin rufin.
Arjun Makhijani ya ce wani bincike da DOE ta yi a cikin 1978 ya nuna cewa damar hydrogen ta fashe tankunan ruwan Savannah a 1-in-10,000. Damar fashewar tururin kwayoyin halitta sun kasance sama da sau goma, ko 1-in-1,000. Idan aka yi la'akari da adadin tankunan, damar da ɗayansu ya yi fashewa ya kasance ɗaya cikin 50 a kowace shekara.
Tasirin lafiya da aka gani da wuri
A cikin 1986, mai bincike Michael Blain a Jami'ar Jihar Boise. ya nuna cewa mata a Gabashin Washington da Arewacin Idaho sun haɓaka yawan ƙwayar thyroid da ciwon nono kuma sun ce akwai yuwuwar cewa "yawan ciwon daji na iya haifar da sakin iodine na rediyoaktif." An zargi cutar daji, zubar da ciki da sauran matsalolin kiwon lafiya da mutanen yankin ke fama da su a kan gangan tarwatsa 5,500 curies na iodine-131 zuwa sararin samaniya a cikin wani gwaji na 3 ga Disamba, 1949 da ake kira "koren gudu," da kuma tarwatsawa ta hannu. 340,000 curies a 1945 kadai.
A cikin 1974, Dokta Samuel Milham a sashen kiwon lafiya na jihar Washington ya buga bincikensa cewa mazan da suka yi aiki a Hanford suna da kashi 25 cikin 1977 mafi girma na yawan mutuwar ciwon daji fiye da na maza masu kama da juna a wasu ayyuka. Kuma a cikin XNUMX, jarida Lafiya Physics da aka buga Alice Stewart, Thomas Mancuso da George Kneal binciken na kashi 6 ko 7 ya karu da cutar kansa a cikin ma'aikatan Hanford. Game da wannan karuwa Dr. Stewart ya ce, "Ba wani tasiri mai yawa ba ne amma abin da ya firgita shi ne cewa akwai wani tasiri ko kadan tun lokacin da ciwon daji ke faruwa a matakan hasken radiation da ke ƙasa da iyakokin hukuma na rads biyar a kowace shekara. Yana nufin cewa ƙa'idodin aminci na nukiliya na yanzu na iya yin girma har sau 20. "
A cikin 1990, wani bincike na DOE na fallasa hasken iska daga Hanford ya gano cewa jarirai da yara sun kamu da cutar sosai saboda shan gurɓataccen madara. Aikin Sake Gina Muhalli na Hanford ya gano cewa mutane 13,500 na iya samun allurai sama da radis 33 na aidin-131 kuma jarirai da yaran da ke kusa da Hanford sun iya cinye tsakanin rads 650 zuwa 3,000. Ko da radi guda ɗaya na iya haifar da ciwon daji na thyroid da sauran cututtuka.
Kada a sanya ma'ana mai kyau a kai: Sabbin ledojin guda shida na Hanford sune ƙarshen dusar ƙanƙara ta radiation wanda ke yaduwa zuwa Kogin Columbia kuma ya wuce cutar kansa da cututtukan da ba za su taɓa ƙarewa ba.
John LaForge yana aiki ne ga Nukewatch, ƙungiyar kare muhalli da ƙungiyar adalci a Wisconsin, kuma yana gyara wasiƙar sa kwata. (nukewatchinfo.org)