Nuclear Waste Accident Caused By Wrong Cat Litter

[Flopper]

A yearlong investigation by government scientists has concluded that a major accident at a nuclear waste dump was caused by the wrong brand of cat litter.

Official Report Nuclear Waste Accident Caused By Wrong Cat Litter The Two-Way NPR

 

[Mr. H.]

It was probably the EPA that required the use of the "organic" cat litter.

 

[Flopper]

I wonder what the yearlong investigation by government scientists cost.

 

[elektra]

Sounds like a phony story..

 

[TheOldSchool]

I wonder what the yearlong investigation by government scientists cost.

Probably not even close to what the Benghazi investigations have cost. A lot more useful too.

 

[Flopper]

Sounds like a phony story..

It seems to be based on the following government report
Technical Assessment Team Report Department of Energy

 

[Mr. H.]

Cat litter is ground clay treated with absorbents and aromatics. Plain ground clay looks like cat litter but is much cheaper and it's used in a host of industrial applications. Someone evidently got on their high horse and decided that "organic cat litter" was more PC.

 

[mamooth]

The barrel that blew wasn't the only one that had the organic cat litter/nitric acid mix in it. So, the WIPP dump has more potential radioactive cat litter bombs in it. Given it's a year later, they won't be going off from thermal runaway. But ... nitric acid and cellulose makes nitrocellulose. An explosive. Shock sensitive. So barrels could go off if handled.

The long range plan for the WIPP dump has always been to stuff it full of waste, then collapse the entrance and pour cement down the vents, permanently sealing it off. They'll just have to keep to that plan, being careful not to bump any barrels as they do so.

 

[elektra]

Hardly a bomb, it split and spilled at best.