Radioactive Wasps Found at South Carolina nuclear weapons site

Four different radioactive wasp nests have been found as of August 1st, all at the Savanna River Site, a nuclear plant near Aiken, S.C. This raised concerns over unexpected radioactive contamination somehow coming to the surface.

Workers discovered the first nest on July 3rd, near a tank used to store liquid radioactive waste. The nest was sprayed with insecticide, removed, and disposed of as radioactive waste. 3 more nests were discovered later during routine work activities. Testing showed that these nests contained radiation 10 times higher than the limit set by federal regulations.

The Savanna River Site, previously known as the Savanna River Plant, stands on the sandhills of South Carolina, close to the Georgia border. This facility was built in the 1950s to play a central role in the U.S nuclear bomb production, producing plutonium and tritium during the Cold War. After the end of the Cold War, the production of nuclear weapon materials dropped, with the Department of Energy planning to clean up the site by 2065.

The cause of the radioactive nests is currently unknown; however, the Department of Energy report stated that it was from an “on-site legacy radioactive contamination,” rather than from a leak or “loss of contamination control.” Dr. Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina who has studied radiation at Chernobyl and Fukushima, spoke on how the species of wasp may have been the type to make their nests out of wood, and that they had come across some rotting radioactive wood that was left undetected and used that material to make their nest. Mousseau also spoke on how radioactive bird droppings were found by workers at the site, meaning that birds could have carried the radioactivity and spread it around.

The existence of these nests raised concerns about the environmental contamination at the site, with Mousseau also warning that the nests should be seen as a red flag: “This is an indicator that there are contaminants spread across this area that have not been completely encased and protected.” However, these potentially contaminated wasps pose little to no risk to the public, as officials found that any wasps found in the radioactive nests had significantly lower radiation levels than the nest. Additionally, wasps typically do not travel very far from their nests.

Although there may not be much danger to the public, Mousseau said that these radioactive nests are a sign that there is a possibility of radioactive undetected contaminants, or that there is old radioactive material that is resurfacing. This is important as it needs to be addressed to ensure safety.