Los Alamos fire

[Lif Strand <fasterhorses@gilanet.com>]

Here's a scary bit of info for any of you who are downwind from the Los
Alamos fire.  A friend sent me an email with a link to the
government's page for the Los Alamos facility (the page was updated
11/99).  I hope this does not mean what I fear - that the smoke
itself could be contaminated.  

http://www.em.doe.gov/bemr96/lanl.html

> Many of the Laboratory's
> operations required hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials such as
> plutonium and uranium. Use of these materials resulted in the
> contamination of facilities, and in some cases, of the surrounding
> environment. A major source of environmental contamination was waste
> being discharged into the environment or buried in material disposal
> areas. In addition to hazardous chemicals and radioactive materials, the
> contaminants of concern include explosive residues, unexploded ordinance,
> and asbestos. Although it is no longer used, asbestos is generated as a
> waste during facility modification and decommissioning activities.
> In support of the Laboratory's mission, the Environmental
> Management program is also investigating approximately 2,100 sites to
> determine if cleanup is needed. These sites range in size from less than
> 1 square meter to tens of hectares (a few square feet to tens of acres).
> Potential residual contamination may exist at these sites as the result
> of 50 years of Laboratory operation. Contaminants may include
> radionuclides, organic solvents, metals, and high explosives. Residual
> contamination may exist in more than 7 million cubic meters (9.1 million
> cubic yards) of environmental media, primarily soils and
> sediments. 


> Environmental Restoration has
> identified approximately 2,100 potential release sites. The principal
> mechanism for potential release of contaminants is surface-water runoff,
> which can carry potentially contaminated sediments, and erode soil,
> resulting in exposure of buried waste. The primary potential pathways for
> released contaminants to reach beyond the Laboratory's boundaries are
> surface runoff, infiltration into alluvial aquifers, and airborne
> dispersion of particulate matter.

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