Iker
Seeing lots of people say Three Mile Island was the worst nuclear disaster in the USA. I think people need to be more aware of the Church Rock uranium mill spill. It happened four months after the Three Mile Island incident, and was way more of a disaster. The catch is that it happened in a place that is mostly indigenous land, so it's not made up to be a big deal. Read up on it and learn about how it still affects indigenous people.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Rock_uranium_mill_spill
#ThreeMileIsland #ChurchRock #RadioactiveSpill #NuclearPower
Church Rock uranium mill spill - Wikipedia

Sep 21, 2024 at 3:18amWeb
Show threadPoul-Henning KampSep 21, 2024

@igimenezblb

TMI is not even close to the worst, it barely even rates as a disaster, as all that was lost was a nuclear reactor (and the populations confidence.)

Look up "EBR-1", "Santa Susana Field Laboraty", "SL-1", or the nearly thousand atmospheric nuclear tests...

Show threadJaime RobertsonSep 22, 2024
@bsdphk @igimenezblb I’d put the SL-1 at the top of the list, since it directly killed people, particularly as it may have been an intentional murder-suicide.
Show threadSteven SandovalSep 21, 2024
@igimenezblb #ThreeMileIsland was a puff of mildly radioactive inert gasses while #ChurchRock was a diarrhea of bone-calcium-replacing uranium decay products that will continue to contaminate the #NavajoNation groundwater for millions of years. https://www.vice.com/en/article/church-rock-americas-forgotten-nuclear-disaster-is-still-poisoning-navajo-lands-40-years-later/
Church Rock, America’s Forgotten Nuclear Disaster, Is Still Poisoning Navajo Lands 40 Years Later

Residents say they've been ignored even as they struggle with contaminated water and worry about having children.

VICE
Show threadJamesSep 21, 2024

@igimenezblb

"United Nuclear made a $525,000 out-of-court settlement with the Navajo Nation a year after the spill."

How very generous of them. You see bigger penalties for spilling a hot drink in your lap.

Show threadArchangel ZerielSep 21, 2024
@igimenezblb As someone who grew up a few hours drive from Three Mile Island, and who has seen innumerable studies about the long-term effects of the radiation released there (from what I have seen, there were essentially none, and there were significantly more negative effects from the stress caused by hearing about reports about it than the actual radiation release), frankly, I think it's offensive that it gets talked about as a major disaster at all.
Show threadTricot FeelyaSep 22, 2024
@igimenezblb that may have been the worst unplanned nuclear disaster, but there are several other notable ones,, like the Savannah River site which dates back to the 1950s https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savannah_River_Site
Savannah River Site - Wikipedia

Show threadChuck DarwinSep 22, 2024

@tricotfeelya @igimenezblb

#Rocky #Flats operated in the later half of the 20th century as a manufacturing plant for nuclear weapon parts,
but the FBI raided the site in 1989 on suspicion that a private contractor violated environmental laws.

It shut down and was then designated an Environmental Protection Agency #Superfund site, undergoing a clean-up that wrapped up in 2005.

Much of the site is now a national wildlife refuge.

A proposed Rocky Mountain Greenway project in the area would connect Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Two Ponds and Rocky Flats
— all national wildlife refuges
— through a trail system and further open the land up for recreational use.

Watchdog community groups, including the
"Physicians for Social Responsibility",
are seeking a preliminary injunction against construction through the contaminated area of Rocky Flats.

They argue that opening the area to the public threatens “irreparable harm” to neighbors due to the presence of plutonium.

Plutonium exposure can lead to bone, liver and lung cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Once construction begins and people begin walking on the site, the court filing says,
the soil will be more susceptible to erosion and it will be easier for wind to pick up and spread contaminated particles.

https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/plutonium-air-rocky-flats/

Plutonium found in air near former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant • Colorado Newsline

Scientists found elevated levels of plutonium in the air during recent high winds near Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons plant.

Colorado Newsline
Show threadRoadskater, Ph.D.Sep 22, 2024

@igimenezblb One could also learn about the programs recompensing the families of national lab workers who died of cancer. Ask me how I know.

https://www.energy.gov/ehss/energy-employees-occupational-illness-compensation-program

Show threadSocrateaseSep 22, 2024

@igimenezblb

Thanks for posting this article. There is nothing safe about the nuclear energy industry. The only nuclear power plant we need is safely located 93 million miles away. Once again, indigenous people who have lost the most, lose again. This is not right. Our culture is so toxic to long term life.

Show thread@richh has movedSep 23, 2024

@igimenezblb I recently learned about the Moab Tailings Site, where they cheerfully dumped millions of tonnes of Uranium mill tailings next to the Colorado River, which is only like, the key water source for 10million-plus people. 🤦🏻‍♂️ What the actual f-.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moab_uranium_mill_tailings_pile

Moab uranium mill tailings pile - Wikipedia

Show threadAmber (transsexual tech catgirl)Sep 23, 2024
@igimenezblb thank you
Show threadRob LandleySep 24, 2024

@igimenezblb I generally go with Rocky Flats, the reason for Denver's "naturally high background radiation".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_contamination_from_the_Rocky_Flats_Plant

Radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant - Wikipedia