Recently, in a nuclear materials processing facility in South Carolina, United States, a worker conducting routine radiation checks unexpectedly discovered a radioactive beehive nearby, causing local attention and tension. However, US officials emphasized that this incident did not pose a danger to the public.
According to a report from the US Department of Energy (DOE), on July 3rd at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina, a worker conducting routine checks on the surrounding nuclear radiation levels found a beehive near the columns storing liquid nuclear waste containers. The radiation level in the beehive was measured to be 10 times the federal regulation limit (100,000 micrograms per minute), classified as moderately high contamination.
According to the report from the “Savannah River Site Completion Center,” responsible for overseeing the site, radiation control personnel discovered a beehive on a column near Tank 17 in the F Area of the Savannah Nuclear Processing Site during routine radiation monitoring activities.
They subsequently sprayed insecticide on the beehive, found no traces of bees nearby, and treated the entire hive as radioactive waste. During the process, they conducted tests on the ground and the surrounding area, finding no signs of radiation contamination.
Officials in the report did not mention any injuries to personnel, but noted that the SRS site is located in the vast central area spanning 310 square miles (approximately 800 square kilometers), far from public areas, with bees typically flying only a few hundred yards, thus deeming the incident “poses no risk to the public.”
US Department of Energy officials emphasized that there was no leakage from the nearby waste tank and suggested that the source of contamination was likely due to “site legacy contamination,” with bees using materials with radiation to build their nests. The term “site legacy contamination” refers to the radioactive residue remaining from the site’s history as a nuclear bomb manufacturing site during the US-Soviet Cold War era.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Energy told the media that if the bees were present, the radiation they carried on their bodies would likely be much lower than what was contained in the beehive itself. Additionally, the “Aiken Standard” stated in a declaration that if bees were found, their radiation levels would be much lower than those in their nests.
However, the oversight organization, the “Savannah River Site Watch,” criticized the official report as “incomplete.” They argued that the report failed to explain the source of contamination, how bees came into contact with radioactive substances, and whether there are other undiscovered radiation beehives.
Tom Clements, the Executive Director of the organization, mentioned in a text reply that understanding the type of bees is crucial, as some bees build nests with mud, allowing people to trace the source of contamination through materials.
US Department of Energy officials acknowledged that the report on the beehive incident was delayed due to the need to review past incidents involving contaminated wildlife to comply with strict federal reporting regulations. They stated in the report that “no further action is required on-site. This event has no impact on other activities and operations.”
According to the SRS website, the facility, formerly known as the “Savannah River Plant,” is a federally reserved site in South Carolina, spanning 310 square miles. Initially, the main mission was to extract tritium from lithium for fusion weapons (such as hydrogen bombs) and civilian nuclear fusion reactors, with the production and research of plutonium-239 being the second major activity of the laboratory at that time.
Five reactors were built to produce these materials, along with two chemical separation plants, a heavy water extraction plant, a nuclear fuel and target manufacturing plant, a tritium extraction plant, and waste treatment facilities, before transitioning to environmental cleanup, nuclear material management, and research activities in 1992.
Additionally, the nuclear materials processing facility generated over 165 million gallons (625 million liters) of liquid nuclear waste, reduced to approximately 34 million gallons (129 million liters) through evaporation concentration. Currently, 43 underground storage tanks are in use, with 8 previously closed.