The Obama Administration has funded a major environmental cleanup program across the US. In fact, more than $6 billion in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be given across 12 states to help cleanup the environment over the next few years. The goal is to clean the environment while creating thousands of new jobs.
Three Nevada test sites will get $44 million of that money. It will be used to clean waste out of the soil at the sites. Workers will also install groundwater monitoring wells which will provide more information about groundwater contamination.
Five buildings will also be removed. The buildings include an engine maintenance assembly facility, the Pluto Disassembly Facility, the Reactor Maintenance Assembly and Disassembly Facility, and two ancillary structures. The areas around the buildings are filled with toxic items that can cause cancer and serious diseases. These include asbestos, lead, mercury, cadmium, oil, batteries, and light bulbs.
If the waste is disturbed, it could be released into the air. Airborne asbestos exposure can cause several serious side effects including lung cancer or mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose and has a very long latency. Symptoms can take 20-30 years to appear and, by the time they do, it is often too late to save the victim. Most victims of mesothelioma die within 18 months of diagnosis.
0 comments:
Post a Comment