Radiation safety

Little-Known US Nuclear Site Is 'Chernobyl Waiting to Happen'

 Experts have called the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington state "the most toxic place in America" and "an underground Chernobyl waiting to happen." In an extensive investigative piece, NBC News sat down with 11 current and former workers at the site, which is currently undergoing a 50-year, $110 billion cleanup. They complained of dementia, nerve damage, pain so bad they "just pass out," memory loss, difficulty breathing, and more from exposure to dangerous vapors arising from leaking tanks containing 56 million gallons of chemical and nuclear waste. Employees say they are discouraged from requesting safety equipment, such as air tanks. "We're told daily that it's safe," one current worker says.

But two-dozen studies have found otherwise, and a watchdog group says at least three deaths have been linked to time spent at Hanford.