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Here's a scary phrase: "Twenty thousand barrels of plutonium contaminated waste"

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Stinky The Clown Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:05 PM
Original message
Here's a scary phrase: "Twenty thousand barrels of plutonium contaminated waste"
That's what's right next to the New Mexico wildfire, at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The last report on the evening news had the fire a roadway width away from the lab perimeter,
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nadinbrzezinski Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:11 PM
Response to Original message
1. Oh com'on
now what is wrong with the alarmist talk?

:sarcasm: of course.

This year we have many worst case scenarios
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fascisthunter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:16 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. kinda makes one wonder
if those who fanatically believe in the "end times" are the ones in charge today.
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nadinbrzezinski Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:19 PM
Response to Reply #3
6. Now there is one to mull over
:-)
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Junkdrawer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:13 PM
Response to Original message
2. If I were a Deist, I'd say God was pissed...
Since I'm not, I'll just have to fall back to "We're incredibly careless with nuclear materials."
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fascisthunter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:17 PM
Response to Original message
4. we should send the GOP down there to stomp out the fires...
with their hands and bare feet. Righteous punishment.
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ensho Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:24 PM
Response to Reply #4
7. kick
nt
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Wilms Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:18 PM
Response to Original message
5. From what was reported today on Democracy Now!, those barrels may survive.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/6/28/as_obama_quietly_pushes_for_a

The Lab, another story. But Greg Mello, co-founder and executive director of the Los Alamos Study Group, said the location of the barrels is in an area largely free from fire fuel. He said Murphey's Law would really have to bite to get at it.

Still disturbing.
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Junkdrawer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:26 PM
Response to Reply #5
8. "30,000 55-gallon drums of plutonium-contaminated waste were stored in fabric tents above ground."..
...

The anti-nuclear watchdog group Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety said the fire appeared to be about 3.5 miles from a site where as many as 30,000 55-gallon drums of plutonium-contaminated waste were stored in fabric tents above ground. The group said the drums were awaiting transport to a site in southern New Mexico.

...

http://tucsoncitizen.com/usa-today-news/2011/06/27/vicious-blaze-swells-near-los-alamos-nuclear-lab/

I'm guessing there are better, albeit more expensive, ways to store nuclear waste.
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awoke_in_2003 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:38 PM
Response to Reply #5
11. "Murphey's Law would really have to bite to get at it"...
Murphy has a bad way of biting the people who say things like that in the ass.
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Wilms Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:51 PM
Response to Reply #11
14. I'm making no apologies for his statement. And he IS a critic of the Lab.
And Murphy is widely reputed for showing up at inopportune moments. I think that's why he couched it that way.

:scared:
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ensho Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:27 PM
Response to Original message
9. wonder what the shelf life of the 20,000 barrels is and just what

do/did they have plans for the barrels?

are there tornados in that area?
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pscot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:37 PM
Response to Reply #9
10. Whatever plans they may have had
probably died with Yucca Mountain Repository.
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Junkdrawer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:45 PM
Response to Reply #9
13. Ask Jonathan Turley about burning hazardous waste at Area 51.
Seems the more secrecy, the less concern for safety or the environment. Quelle surprise.
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WillyT Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 07:40 PM
Response to Original message
12. K & R !!! - Did You See This ???
Link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1380998

:shrug:

:hi:

:kick:
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TheMadMonk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 08:36 PM
Response to Original message
15. Very scary, and every single bit as irresponsible as the Freeper shit...
...this site is/was renowned for calling them on.

The waste is encased in concrete inside those barrels.

It might (I stress might) be possible to crack open the contents of one of those barrels with 1/2 a ton of carefully piled and well seasoned firewood.

A running grass fire will barely blister the paint if the barrels are metal. If Plastic, the worst case still only exposes the concrete itself not the radioactives contained inside.

Tents are to prevent weathering of the barrels until they are moved to their final destination.
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proud2BlibKansan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 08:44 PM
Response to Original message
16. A friend of a friend works there
He was told to expect an extended vacation :scared:
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applegrove Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jun-28-11 09:44 PM
Response to Original message
17. Elliot Spitzer was interviewing a scientist on 'in the Arena'. He said the plutonium that could
be released is one of the most dangerous poisons known to man. One spec could cause lung cancer.
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