"More than 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste have lain scattered across the Atlantic Ocean for nearly 50 years, a relic of an era when dumping nuclear materials at sea was considered safe. Between 1946 and 1990, European countries, including France and the UK, dumped barrels filled with radioactive materials, sealed in asphalt and concrete. Today, these barrels rest thousands of feet below the surface, in trenches about 13,000 feet deep and hundreds of miles offshore from France."
"Now, a team of French scientists has located 3,355 of the barrels during the first of two missions to investigate the fate of these submerged barrels. Using sonar and the autonomous underwater robot UlyX, the team mapped the Abyssal Plains, roughly 400 miles off the French coast. A second mission, expected next year, will measure radionuclides in water, sediments and marine organisms collected from the site."
More than 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste were dumped into the Atlantic between 1946 and 1990 by European countries, including France and the UK. The barrels were sealed in asphalt and concrete and deposited in deep trenches roughly 13,000 feet below the surface, hundreds of miles offshore from France. The submerged waste could enter the marine food chain and be absorbed by sea life, potentially reaching seafood consumed by millions and posing long-term health risks such as tissue damage and increased cancer rates. A French team located 3,355 barrels using sonar and the autonomous robot UlyX. A follow-up mission will measure radionuclides in water, sediments, and organisms and analyze background radiation to distinguish contamination sources. Disposal practices transitioned from national supervision to coordination by the Nuclear Energy Agency, which introduced test disposals, container regulations, and a designated deep-site in the Bay of Biscay.
Read at Mail Online
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