BREAKING: Nuclear Emergency In Washington Leads To Frantic Evacuations
Channel: News Today
Date: 2017-05-09

BREAKING: Nuclear Emergency In Washington Leads To Frantic Evacuations, Here’s Who Caused It

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An urgent emergency has been declared in Benton County, Washington, after a tunnel collapsed at the Hanford plutonium uranium extraction plant in Washington state, where radioactive contaminants have now forced workers and residents to immediately evacuate the area. First responders are now actively at the scene, and the The U.S. Department of Energy is advising people in the area to immediately take cover, and refrain from eating or drinking until an adequate assessment of just how much radioactive contaminants have been leaked can be determined.
Right now, authorities believe that a crew doing road work nearby was responsible, after they created enough vibration to cause the tunnel to completely collapse. The Hanford Plant was established as part of the Manhattan Project several years back, and is now home of the first full-scale plutonium production reactor. The plant was later expanded to nine nuclear reactors during the cold war, and has produced plutonium for over 60,000 nuclear weapons. The plant is now the site that contains two-thirds of our nation’s radioactive waste, and is the most contaminated place in the United States.
Thankfully, no injuries have been reported, but that could soon change if it’s later determined that a radiological release occurred due to the contamination of what the plant leaked during the tunnel collapse. For those who were exposed, they should immediately watch for the following signs of radiological poisoning, as symptoms can happen immediately, while other symptoms have a delayed onset. Via CBS News:
Nausea and vomiting
Nausea and vomiting are typically the earliest symptoms of radiation sickness. The higher the dose of radiation, the sooner these symptoms appear – and the worse the prognosis. Someone who starts to vomit within one hour of exposure is likely to die.
Sometimes people with radiation sickness feel bad at first and then start to feel better. But often new, more serious symptoms appear within hours, days, or even a few weeks of this “latent” stage.
Spontaneous bleeding
Radiation sickness can cause bleeding from the nose, mouth, gums, and rectum. It can cause people to bruise easily and to bleed internally as well – and even to vomit blood.
The problems occur because radiation depletes the body of platelets, the cellular fragments in the blood that are form clots to control bleeding.
Bloody diarrhea
Radiation “targets” cells in the body that reproduce rapidly – and that includes cells that line the intestinal tract. Radiation sickness causes major irritation of the intestinal lining, resulting in severe and sometimes bloody diarrhea.
Sloughing of skin
Areas of skin exposed to radiation may turn blister and turn red – almost like a severe sunburn. In some cases open sores form. The skin may even slough off.
Hair loss
Radiation damages hair follicles. As a result, people who get a big dose of radiation often lose their hair within two to three weeks. Sometimes the loss of hair is permanent.