American experts have found their own “Chernobyl” on the territory of their country.
Extremely high levels of plutonium contamination have been detected at a nuclear facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
In 1942, a laboratory was built here as part of the Manhattan Project (development of nuclear weapons).
The location turned out to be suitable for the disposal of radioactive waste. Until 1963, the laboratory dumped waste into a local canyon, The Guardian writes, citing American scientists.
Modern measurements have shown that the plutonium content in the canyon and its surroundings is comparable to the levels recorded at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Scientists have suggested that radioactive components could have entered the water that flows into the Rio Grande River.
Additionally, radioactive material could spread across New Mexico in the event of a forest fire.
Los Alamos itself has a population of about 12,000. Until the mid-1960s, the settlement was closed. In 1965, the settlement again became accessible to ordinary Americans.
Author: Dmitry Bobrov
