AT THE NEVADA TEST SITE: TRITIUM DETECTED OUTSIDE TEST SITE

摘要

Tritium contamination from decades-old nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site has been detected outside of the test site's boundary for the first time, the National Nuclear Security Administration said last week. Sampling in a recently completed well confirmed the presence of tritium at approximately 12,500 picocuries per liter-below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard of 20,000 picocuries per liter-on federal land about two miles from where nuclear tests were conducted and about 14 miles from the nearest public water source. The detection of the tritium was consistent with Department of Energy models that predicted in February that groundwater contamination would migrate beyond the Nevada Test Site boundary to adjacent Air Force land near Pahute Mesa.