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Runit Island

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Some of the US Army personnel who participated in the dome construction and transport of radioactive materials claim that illnesses that developed years later are a result of having been exposed without protection. Some of them have died of cancer and others have become sick. The US government denies
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Concern primarily lies in the rapid tidal response to the height of the water beneath the debris pile, with the potential for contamination of the groundwater supply with radionuclides. One particular concern is that, in order to save costs, the original plan to line the porous bottom crater with
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in November 2019 reignited fears of the dome cracking and releasing radioactive material into the soil and surrounding water. The DOE was directed by Congress to assess the condition of the structure and develop a repair plan during the first half of 2020. The report was published in June 2020.
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However, as the Department of Energy report stated, the released radionuclides will be very rapidly diluted and should not cause any elevated radioactive risk for the marine environment, compared to what is already experienced. Leaking and breaching of the dome could however disperse
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In June 2020, the US Department of Energy released a report stating that the dome is in no immediate danger of collapse or breach and that the radioactive material within is not expected to have any measurable adverse effect on the surrounding environment for the next twenty years.
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However, the soil around the dome was found to be more contaminated than its contents, so a breach could not increase the radiation levels by any means. Because the cleaning operation in the 1970s only removed an estimated 0.8 percent of the total
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repository left by the United States after it conducted a series of nuclear tests on Enewetak Atoll between 1946 and 1958. There are ongoing concerns around deterioration of the waste site and a potential radioactive spill.
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that there is any connection between the work on the island and the health problems and has so far refused to offer any compensation for the illnesses associated with the construction of Runit Dome.
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than the debris of the dome itself, so even in the event of a total collapse, the radiation dose delivered to the local resident population or marine environment should not change significantly.
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From 1977 to 1980, loose waste and topsoil from six different islands in the Enewetak Atoll was transported to the site and mixed with concrete to seal the nuclear blast crater created by the
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test. Four thousand US servicemen were involved in the cleanup from this test, and it took three years to complete. The waste-filled crater was finally
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concrete was abandoned. Since the bottom of the crater consists of permeable soil, there is seawater inside the dome.
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in the Enewetak atoll, the soil and the lagoon water surrounding the structure now contain a higher level of
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Visual Description of the Concrete Exterior of the Cactus Crater Containment Structure LLNL-TR-648143
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In 1982, a US government task force raised concern about a probable breach if a severe
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found that the concrete dome had weathered with minor cracking of the structure.
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Aerial view of the Runit Dome. The dome is placed in the crater created by the "
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This dome in the Pacific houses tons of radioactive waste – and it's leaking
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conducted in the Enewetak Atoll by the United States between 1946 and 1958.
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Deadly dome of gorgeous Pacific island leaking radioactive waste
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Satellite view of Runit Island showing the Runit Dome
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In 1952, the United States dropped the nuclear bomb
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Retrieved 12 May 2017. 1391:Constitution of the Marshall Islands 720: 718: 461: 442: 93: 63: 812:Mizokami, Kyle (27 December 2019). 24: 1642:Marshall Islands War Memorial Park 596:Willacy, Mark (28 November 2017). 25: 1724: 753:Mark Willacy (27 November 2017). 715: 522:Operation Hardtack I, Cactus test 252:) is one of forty islands of the 1017: 913: 901: 513: 497: 434: 225: 92: 85: 62: 55: 1713:Islands of the Marshall Islands 1568:College of the Marshall Islands 1004:Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll 860: 831: 805: 787: 769: 746: 376:An investigative report by the 289: 285:" nuclear weapons test in 1958. 696: 656: 634: 615: 567: 490:Location within Enewetak Atoll 264:. The island is the site of a 13: 1: 529: 272: 76:Show map of Marshall Islands 7: 1708:American nuclear test sites 1670:indicates populated islands 1396:Compact of Free Association 984:Naval Base Marshall Islands 778:ABC News documentary, 41min 399: 10: 1729: 1679:(parenthesis) indicates a 421: 332: 1663: 1627: 1615:Majuro Cooperative School 1561: 1513: 1504: 1477: 1468: 1386: 1377: 1196: 1073: 1035: 1026: 1015: 964: 391:Illness of army personnel 208: 197: 192: 184: 174: 128: 120: 115: 49: 37: 1040:Administrative divisions 818:www.popularmechanics.com 598:"A poison in our island" 314:. The debris stems from 999:Pacific Proving Grounds 343:US Department of Energy 1676:indicate single island 286: 106:Show map of Micronesia 416:Ivy King Nuclear Test 411:Ivy Mike Nuclear Test 280: 1605:Kwajalein Jr./Sr. HS 1573:Public School System 327:entombed in concrete 151:11.5450°N 162.3530°E 1598:Northern Islands HS 1593:Marshall Islands HS 146: /  34: 1583:Kwajalein Atoll HS 1482:Telecommunications 1077:(Sunrise, Eastern) 1065:Towns and villages 1009:Colonial governors 989:South Seas Mandate 873:The New York Times 799:The New York Times 669:The New York Times 555:. 10 November 2019 287: 32: 1690: 1689: 1659: 1658: 1655: 1654: 1500: 1499: 1464: 1463: 1460: 1459: 1431:Political parties 1406:Foreign relations 1373: 1372: 1369: 1368: 1200:(Sunset, Western) 979:German New Guinea 876:. 28 January 2017 757:. 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Index

Runit Dome

Runit Island is located in Marshall Islands
Runit Island is located in Micronesia
11°32′42″N 162°21′11″E / 11.5450°N 162.3530°E / 11.5450; 162.3530 (Runit Island)
Enewetak Atoll
Marshall Islands
Majuro
/ˈrnɪt/
Enewetak Atoll
Marshall Islands
Pacific Ocean
radioactive waste

Cactus
sea level
plutonium-239
nuclear tests
Cactus
entombed in concrete
typhoon
US Department of Energy
transuranic waste
radioactivity
plutonium
toxic heavy metal
Los Angeles Times
Operation Ivy
Ivy Mike Nuclear Test
Ivy King Nuclear Test

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