Radioactive waste

Radioactive waste is a type of toxic waste that contains radioactive material.

Background[]

Radioactive waste is created as a result of nuclear medicine, research, power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons reprocessing. These materials would have to be disposed of. That requires sophisticated treatment and long term management to successfully isolate it from interacting with the biosphere, such as transformation of the waste into a non-toxic form and long term safe disposal storage.^[1] Governmental regulatory measures were put in place to handle such material and storage facilities were constructed to hold the material, both public and private.

At face value[]

Transported and stored in hazardous waste barrels companies could choose to dispose of said material at private sites, either owned by other companies (such as Greener Pastures*, Jalbert Brothers Disposal, NW Disposal Systems and even REPCONN Aerospace)^[2][3] or in house at their own private sites (such as Mass Fusion). They could also have used public options, such as the one at Emmett Mountain.^[4] In response to an ever growing demand for safe storage the Department of Energy constructed several new nuclear waste storage facilities. To instill and promote institutionalized safety measures, companies could even create their own internal awards, such as Red Rocket's Trashbusters Award.^[5][6][7]

Because this waste can take many thousands of years to break down and become safe, the Department of Energy initiated the 10,000 Years Initiative mitigation program, wherein preexisting facilities were converted to have gigantic concrete spikes, with engravings and pictograms to instill a sense of dread and warn of the danger of the site. Among the first in the Appalachia region to undergo this was Federal Disposal Field HZ-21. Although people would be apprehensive when sites would be constructed near them they wouldn't turn down access to nuclear power, not with all of the petroleum drying up.^[8]

Beneath the surface[]

Not all containment sites would be pinnacles of industry standards, many public and private sites would suffer from corruption and failure. Such as the aforementioned Emmett Mountain disposal site, which was constructed haphazardly, filled rapidly, and when responsible individuals were taking appropriate action to address said issues, they were conspiratorially murdered.^[4] Another example of conspiratorial and institutionalized failure was the Mass Fusion dumping in Massachusetts.

There were two major illegal dumping sites for Mass Fusion in Massachusetts. One direct from their containment shed, wherein the dumping was done from a literal hole in the floor, was sent via pipeline into the local lake, Lake Quannapowitt. The resulting governmental coverups, deaths, and murder of a safety inspector would lead to a high profile pre-War environmental disaster. The other was a burial operation near Lake Cochituate, this dumping site was so compacted that centuries later the pressure has caused the waste to shoot up and out, into the irradiated pools at the surface and leaking into the lake itself. These examples were not alone, another example of private sector failures include Greener Pastures, which became an infamous radioactive dumping ground, waste liberally stored in the open, without any containment or deactivation of the waste. A literal frame of reference for potential future disasters. Some legislators would even claim that the aforementioned safety barrels were leaking prematurely into the environment^[9]...and the basements of selected government-funded middle schools.^[2][3] In some cases it was the employees, and ex-employees, themselves who were doing the illegal dumping.^[6][7]

Legacy[]

With the passing of the Great War and its nuclear devastation attempts at nuclear cleanup ceased. The chaos, lack of resources, and governmental continuity would likewise cease all attempts of cleaning up the nuclear fallout. As for the waste itself, it would continue to leak and contaminate the ground water for centuries.^[10] The sheer amount of radiation and biochemical agents released during, before, and after the Great War led to major changes in the biosphere. New mutated species of both flora and fauna were created almost overnight, the impact of these species combined with the latent contaminants impacting where and when life could grow and heal.^[11][12] The waste itself would even become a weapon of war when a centuries old failed shipment^[13] was used by the Frumentarii of Caesar's Legion to destroy the New California Republic camp at Searchlight, Nevada.^[14]

Locations[]

• Old nuclear test site
• Toxic dump site
• Federal Disposal Field HZ-21
• Powder Ganger camp west
• Vault 34
• Swan's Pond
• Several pools of toxic waste are found throughout the exterior areas of Big MT.
• Significant evidence of toxic waste dumping can be seen throughout Black Mountain.
• The Devil's Throat
• Dunwich Borers
• Several NW Disposal Systems trucks with such waste were on the way to San Onofre when they were diverted to Cottonwood overlook and Searchlight fire station.^[13]

Gallery[]

See also[]

• Nuclear material
• Bulk nuclear waste
• Nuclear waste
• Hazmat disposal site L5
• Waste disposal station
• Toxic waste

References[]