A radioactive wasp nest was discovered at Aiken, SC, on a defunct nuclear plant
- Charles Reams 1
- Aug 4
- 2 min read
A report published by the U.S. Department of Energy stated a radioactive wasp nest was discovered on July 3 in the F-Area Tank Farm of the Savannah River Site in Aiken.
After the nest was sprayed to kill the wasps, an analysis found its contamination level to be "greater than 10 times the total contamination levels" set in federal regulations, says a leading national magazine. Wasps that were killed were bagged as radiological waste.
What makes these wasps dangerous?
Radiation "has sufficient energy to affect the atoms in living cells and thereby damage the genetic material," which may cause cancer, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
How did the wasp nest become radioactive?
The report said the radioactive wasp nest was due to "on-site legacy radioactive contamination" and not "a loss of contamination control." The ground and surrounding area did not have any contamination, and the incident did not cause any impact to other activities and operations within the facility, according to officials.
What is the Savannah River Site in Aiken?
The Savannah River Site was built in the 1950s and was initially used to produce plutonium and tritium for nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Today, the site is focused on nuclear materials management and research and development, including operations at the Savannah River National Laboratory.
Is there a risk to the public at this time?
We ran a query by AI, asking if the public is at risk in Aiken, SC.
Here’s the answer we got.
No, there is no nuclear risk in Aiken, SC, due to the radioactive wasp nests. While the nests were found to have elevated levels of radiation, officials have stated they do not pose a danger to the public or workers at the Savannah River Site. The nests are considered a legacy contamination issue, meaning they are a result of past activities at the site, not a current leak or contamination event.
