Radiation leak New Mexico raises concerns

Albuquerque (AP) - radiation exposure of at least 13 workers at a nuclear dump in the salt beds of New Mexico more than 2,000 feet underground has brought new attention to the nation's long struggle to find a place to implement the Cold War era tons of waste. related Stories 13 were exposed to radiation in New Mexico Plant Associated Press Leaking nuclear dump raises questions about cleaning Associated Press Radiation leak discovered in New Mexico NPP AFP More nuclear waste could be buried under the New Mexico Desert The Atlantic Wire Radiation found near the New Mexico site Nuke Associated Press Aboveground release radiation that workers exposed during the night shift two weeks ago shut down the facility as authorities investigate the cause and try to determine the effects on the health of workers . Failure also raised questions about the cornerstone of the Department of $ 5 billion -year program to clean energy waste scattered across the country after decades of nuclear bomb-making . With operations in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant on hold , then all loads , including the last of the nearly 4,000 barrels of toxic waste that Los Alamos National Laboratory was ordered to withdraw from its territory by the end of June. Other wastes laboratories in Idaho, Illinois and South Carolina are also without a home while operations are suspended. The dilemma of what to do with nuclear waste is highly politicized. The government has spent about $ 15 billion on a proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain in Nevada , which has not been completed . Website fiercely opposed Yucca Nevada lawmakers , including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid . On the other hand, the delegation of the Congress of New Mexico is largely supported by the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant , which receives waste since 1999 and employs about 650 people. Site is restricted by law in plutonium waste from the manufacture of weapons , but experts say the salt beds at the site may be suitable for radioactive waste from commercial reactors . Back to the Gallery this February 24, 2014 photo, a member of the community ... In this Feb. 24, 2014 photo , a member of the community talking about February 14, 2014 radiation leak du ... As an example of the dilemma that communities across the country face on nuclear waste , documents obtained on Friday , the Associated Press revealed that there are " significant construction deficiencies " in some storage tanks at Hanford nuclear waste complex Washington State . Taxpayers spend about $ 2 billion a year to clean up radioactive waste at the site . Many scientists believe the unique geology of the site of New Mexico, to be ideal for recycling tainted materials, such as tools , gloves, goggles and protective suits . For many decades , pressure from above ground , salt deposits settle around containers and bury them. Edwin Lyman , a nuclear expert at the watchdog group Union of Concerned Scientists , said the accident may curb enthusiasm on Capitol Hill for the underground site. "I think from a political point of view, this will put a damper on some of the more ambitious expansion plans ," he said . " The story is that the object is a super- safe. Now that they had a serious incident that had no longer valid. " Officials said they do not know what dose of radioactive material absorbed by workers, and it is too early to speculate on what the health consequences can be . Go to galereeEto February 24, 2014 photo shows the Waste Isolation ... This Feb. 24, 2014 photo shows the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad , NM Officials spent ne ... Tests showed traces of the element americium . Once in the body , americium tends to concentrate in the bones , liver and muscle. It can remain in the body for decades and continue to expose the surrounding tissues to radiation , increasing a person's chances of getting cancer . February 5 , the mine was closed and six workers were sent to hospital for treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning after a truck caught fire transport salt . Nine days later , the warning light is activated in a region where newcomers waste is currently stored . Preliminary tests show some 13 workers suffered radiation exposure and monitors, as half a mile away since found elevated levels of plutonium and americium in the air. Analyzes of land and water samples . Officials said they believe the incidents are not related. And while they stress that the levels are not found off-site dental X-rays are not harmful , they have not been able to go underground , and not directly answered questions about how polluted tunnels could be. Don Hancock , director of the Nuclear Waste Safety in the Research and Information Center of Southwest , said that pollution levels will depend on the proximity to the working material. " If you stand on the 55-gallon drum of plutonium and americium , not much problem . But when you get even a small fraction of what is in this drum in the air and the respiratory tract , then you have a problem , " he said . Back to the Gallery this February 24, 2014 photo , Farok Sharif , President ... In this Feb. 24, 2014 photo , Farok Sharif , president of the Partnership for acts of nuclear waste ... Government officials , politicians and contractors who work with mine and all local officials say it is too early to speculate on what the short - and long-term effects of the closure can be , or even where the toxic waste will go. " A lot of people just jump up and down and wanting us to close ," said Farok Sharif , president of the Partnership of nuclear waste , which runs the site. " But this is not the case. We designed this place to look for these types of accidents, and we planned on the fact that we continue to protect our employees, and we protect the environment. And our system worked as designed. " For Peterson, professor of nuclear engineering at the University of California , who served on the presidential panel on nuclear waste , said that from what he had read , the radiation exposure suffered by factory workers was small enough to not be a major health risk. But he said that the nation has a responsibility to clean up the contaminated material from the historic U.S. nuclear weapons program . "It will be almost a national tragedy if we were to disrupt cleanup inherited nuclear weapons complex because of this accident ," he said .