Nuclear Health and Safety: Further Improvement Needed in the Hanford Tank Farm Maintenance Program

The Dept. of Energy (DoE) manages more than 56 million gallons of radioactive and hazardous waste stored in 177 underground tanks at its Hanford Site in Wash. State. Many of these aging tanks have already leaked waste into the soil. Meanwhile, DoE¿s planned process for emptying the tanks and treating the waste has experienced delays, lengthening the time the tanks will store waste and intensifying concerns about the tanks¿ viability during a long cleanup process. This report addresses: (1) the condition, contents, and long-term viability of Hanford¿s underground tanks; (2) DoE¿s strategy for managing the tanks; and (3) the extent to which DoE has weighed the risks and benefits of its tank mgmt. strategy against the growing costs of that strategy. Illustrations.

Describes environmental, safety, and health problems throughout the nuclear weapons complex and what the U.S. Dept. of Energy is doing to address them. Covers: building nuclear warheads: the process; wastes and other byproducts of the cold war (spent nuclear fuel, plutonium residues, radioactive waste, transuranic waste, hazardous waste, etc.); contamination and cleanup; an international perspective; transition to new missions; and looking to the future. Over 100 b/w photos. Extensive glossary and bibliography.