FILE - In this Aug. 13, 2019, file photo, a sign at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is posted near Richland, Wash. Officials say an underground nuclear waste storage tank that dates to World War II appears to be leaking contaminated liquid into the ground. The U.S. Department of Energy said Thursday, April 29, 2021, that Tank B-109 holds 123,000 gallons of radioactive waste left from the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. SPOKANE, Wash.
The Hanford site near Richland in the southeastern part of the state produced about two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation's nuclear arsenal, including the bomb dropped in 1945 on Nagasaki, Japan, and now is the most contaminated radioactive waste site in the nation. “There is no increased health or safety risk to the Hanford workforce or the public,” said Geoff Tyree, a spokesman for the Energy Department. “Contamination in this area is not new and mitigation actions have been in place for decades to protect workers, the public and the environment.”
“It’s a serious matter whenever a Hanford tank leaks its radioactive and dangerous chemical waste,” Ecology Director Laura Watson said, adding "this highlights the critical need for resources to address Hanford’s aging tanks, which will continue to fail and leak over time.”
Glowing in the dark should cause suspicion.