Radioactive wasp nest found at former nuclear site

A radioactive wasp nest has been found at a site in South Carolina that used to make parts for nuclear bombs, but officials say there is no danger to the public.

The nest was discovered by workers who routinely check radiation levels at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken on July 3rd near tanks where liquid nuclear waste is stored, according to a report from the US Department of Energy.

The nest, which contained radiation levels 10 times those allowed by federal regulation, was sprayed to kill the wasps, removed, and disposed of as radioactive waste, officials said.

“The wasp nest is considered onsite legacy radioactive contamination not related to a loss of contamination control,” the report explained.

The discovery was reported on July 22nd, almost three weeks after it was made. The delay was necessary to investigate “previous contaminated wasp circumstances” and collect additional information, explains the report.

The ground and surrounding area did not have any contamination and no further action was required, it said.

Savannah River Mission Completion, which now oversees the site, said that the nest did not pose any danger to the public in a statement shared with Aiken Standard. It said that no wasps were found in the nest, but individual insects would have “significantly lower” levels of contamination.

Report “incomplete”

However, the report was “at best incomplete,” according to the watchdog group Savannah River Site Watch. The group said it did not explain where the contamination came from, how the wasps might have encountered it, or whether there could be more radioactive nests.

“I’m as mad as a hornet that SRS didn’t explain where the radioactive waste came from or if there is some kind of leak from the waste tanks that the public should be aware of,” Tom Clements, head of the watchdog group, told The Associated Press.

Clements said it was also critical to know the type of wasp nest, with some wasps making nests from dirt and others from different materials, which could pinpoint the source of contamination.

According to Savannah River Mission Completion, the location of a waste tank where the nest was found is “centrally located” within the 310-square-mile site, while wasps generally travel only a few hundred yards from their nests.

Once a Cold War-era bomb factory, the SRS now focuses on nuclear fuel and cleanup.