Radioactive Wasp Nest Discovered at Former US Nuclear Weapons Facility in South Carolina
A radioactive wasp nest with radiation levels exceeding regulations was discovered at a former US nuclear weapons parts production facility in South Carolina. The nest was treated as radiological waste after being sprayed to kill the wasps. The contamination was not linked to a nuclear waste leak and posed no threat to the environment or public. The nest was found during routine radiation inspections at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, where no leak from the liquid nuclear waste tanks was reported. The high radiation levels on the nest were attributed to historical radioactive contamination from the site's past nuclear bomb production activities during the Cold War era. The site, which now focuses on nuclear material for power plants, assured that the wasps within the nest had lower radiation levels and posed no risk beyond the facility's boundaries. Savannah River Site Watch expressed concerns about the lack of transparency regarding the origin of the radioactive waste and potential leaks from the waste tanks. The site, which once produced over 165 million gallons of liquid nuclear waste, continues to manage underground tanks for nuclear material storage.