CBRN event in United States of America on Fri 1st May 2026

Hanford nuclear site workers have finished retrieving radioactive and hazardous chemical waste from another leak-prone, underground tank, making it the 23rd tank to be “emptied” if Hanford regulators agree. “Safely retrieving waste from aging tanks is one of Hanford’s highest priorities,” said Mat Irwin, Hanford Department of Energy assistant manager for tank waste operations. “This retrieval reflects steady progress, disciplined execution and our continued commitment to protecting human health and the environment.” The Hanford nuclear site adjacent to Richland in Eastern Washington was used during World War II and the Cold War to produce 74 tons of plutonium, or nearly two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation’s nuclear weapons program. Among the waste still being cleaned up from that work is 56 million gallons of radioactive and hazardous chemical waste left from chemically separating plutonium from irradiated uranium fuel and stored in underground tanks. The tanks are made of reinforced concrete with one or two steel liners and buried under several feet of soil to shield workers from radiation. The first of 149 single-shell tanks at Hanford was emptied around the start of 2004, setting a pace of completing waste retrieval from the tanks at about one a year. Waste is emptied into 27 newer double-shell tanks for storage until the waste can be treated for permanent disposal.