‘Extreme’ levels of plutonium contamination found in Los Alamos

( NewsNation ) — High levels of plutonium have been found around Los Alamos, the birthplace of the atomic bomb, raising alarms ahead of plans by the federal government to restart nuclear weapons manufacturing in the same area.

Michael Ketterer, a Northern Arizona University professor emeritus who analyzed soil, water and vegetation samples taken along a popular hiking and biking trail in Acid Canyon, said that there were more extreme concentrations of plutonium found there than at other publicly accessible sites he has ever researched.

Ketterer has compared the levels to those found at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine.

“This is one of the most shocking things I’ve ever stumbled across in my life,” he said.

“It’s just an extreme example of very high concentrations of plutonium in soils and sediments. Really, you know, it’s hiding in plain sight.”

The Department of Energy’s Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office said that the findings are consistent with department data that has been publicly available for years and that the canyon remains safe for unrestricted use.

But Nuclear Watch, a group Ketterer worked with, said officials need to warn people against coming in contact with water in Acid Canyon.

From 1943 until 1963, liquid and often radioactive waste was dumped down a canyon near Los Alamos National Laboratory, which gave it the name Acid Canyon.

Jay Coghlan, director of Nuclear Watch, said plutonium contamination in the heart of Los Alamos is a concern, particularly as the Energy Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration are slated to begin producing plutonium pits once again in an effort to build up nuclear weaponry.

The federal government began cleaning up Acid Canyon in the late 1960s and eventually transferred the land to Los Alamos County.

Officials determined in the 1980s that conditions within the canyon met DOE standards and were protective of human health and the environment.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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