Some pumping of the chromium-laced ground water has begun, but questions remain on the eventual disposal. If Indian mustard is used, the question arises on what to do with the contaminated plants, Thompson said. If the plants were buried in a landfill protected by some type of liner, the plants would decompose, possibly shrinking their volume and creating subterranean air spaces, he said. And those air spaces could cause the dirt above the burial site to shift and eventually cause cracks in the protective liners. Still other researchers are looking at sunflowers, which could suck up radioactive strontium that's headed toward the river near the N Reactor.
Strontium is absorbed into the skeleton and can cause bone cancer.
Currently, Hanford is pumping and treating that water, which mostly is above the water table. But pumping the strontium-laced water is not considered a viable solution. DOE is looking at several options, including digging trenches and filling them with filtering substances, building an underground barrier, or flushing the area to force the strontium to the ground water level where it could be easier to remove. Copyright 1997 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.