Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Environment

1,800 Chemical Compounds Predicted to Form in Hanford Tanks

November 8, 2004 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 82, Issue 45

A potpourri of 1,800 chemical compounds were found to have formed or have the potential to form and be emitted as vapors from 177 underground storage tanks holding radioactive and chemical waste at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site in Washington state. A report by DOE contractor CH2M HILL identified and characterized 52 chemicals of particular concern and says current worker protective equipment is adequate for these chemicals. However, the report notes that for some 1,400 organic compounds that are likely to be present in the headspace above the tanks, no occupational exposure data exist. The study, the contractor notes, is a first-time effort to assess and characterize these tank wastes and is a work in progress. The study follows criticism by a watchdog group, the Government Accountability Project, that charged that workers had been made ill from exposure to the tank vapors. Subsequent follow-up examinations by DOE oversight panels urged that greater attention be paid to chemical emissions from the tanks, which hold 53 million gal of waste.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.