Hanford proposes “decoupled” approach to remediating former chem lab

[Marlin]

Hanford proposes "decoupled" approach to remediating former chem lab

https://www.ans.org/news/2025-06-13/article-7109/hanford-proposes-decoupled-approach-to-remediating-former-chem-lab/

[Mounder]

Long story short: mostly chemical-free building with no legacy radiological history wants to be torn down by some little 8A contractor with only industrial safety controls. Easy quick job. Subsurface radiological contamination found from unrelated adjacent site, screws up contract plans.
Solution: knock it down to the slab and deal with soil contamination later.

[Marlin]

Long story short: mostly chemical-free building with no legacy radiological history wants to be torn down by some little 8A contractor with only industrial safety controls. Easy quick job. Subsurface radiological contamination found from unrelated adjacent site, screws up contract plans.
Solution: knock it down to the slab and deal with soil contamination later.

Demolition operations were postponed in 2010 after workers detected significant radionuclide contamination in the soil under the building's B Cell. Radioactive solutions are thought to have seeped through a hole in a sump liner and into the ground through an expansion joint in the concrete floor. According to a CPCCo report, radiological measurements approaching 13,000 R/hr were detected approximately seven feet under the expansion joints.