Two more workers were checked for possible exposure to chemical vapors at the Hanford Site in Washington state this week, bringing the total in recent months to 52. The 52 workers received medical checks because they had respiratory symptoms, smelled a suspicious odor, or were in the vicinity of suspected chemical vapors.
This week two workers reported on Wednesday that they had symptoms potentially related to suspicious odors a day earlier that were not reported then, according to tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions. The odors were outside the C Tank Farm, which has single-shell tanks. Both workers went to the on-site medical clinic and were cleared to return to work.
The workers’ symptoms were not made public, but typical symptoms are coughing, headaches, shortness of breath, or dizziness. Workers are concerned that exposure to chemical vapors from waste held in Hanford’s underground storage tanks could cause serious health problems over the long term.
Owl Death Attributed to Improperly Rigged Signpost
Hanford Site contractor Mission Support Alliance urged workers at the former plutonium production plant near Richland, Wash., to exercise caution when erecting signs on the property following the accidental death of what is believed to be a great horned owl.
The bird’s death was disclosed March 15 in a report the contractor published to the Energy Department’s Operating Experience website: a gathering place for DOE contractors to share lessons learned and best practices.
“Standard sign posts, used on roads and highways across the United States, pose a significant danger to wild birds when signs are attached to them improperly,” Mission Support Alliance wrote. “Signs should be attached above the top of the post to prevent birds from getting their talons or digits stuck in the exposed sign post holes.”
Such was the unfortunate fate of a suspected great horned owl — described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as “the quintessential owl of storybooks” — found dead on a signpost this spring.
To avoid further inadvertent harm to native raptors, Mission Support Alliance said “employees should be on the lookout for these signposts and should report them to the proper authority when found. Road maintenance crews should be informed that improper sign installation will endanger wildlife.”
The great horned owl, which according to the Cornell lab preys upon mice, frogs, and other small animals, is common throughout the lower 48 states. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, which tracks endangered species, identifies the bird as a species of least concern.
