Hanford cleanup plant for 53 million gallons of radioactive waste could be faulty

Concerns have been raised that the yet to be completed cleanup facility under construction at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation may not be up to the task. At least 53 million gallons of highly radioactive waste currently stored - and leaking from - aging tanks at the Hanford nuclear complex are yet to be safeguarded. But the facility under construction that is designed to deal with the problem has run into both financial and technical difficulties. Critics say the plant may be dangerous and cause further contamination to the environment and even the government's own tests show equipment might fail or pipes might clog in parts of the facility so radioactive with nuclear waste no human or machine could ever get in and make repairs. More on the challenges at Hanford from the Hanford Challenge website.