Ocean Dumping of Radioactive Waste

Burial of Radioactive Waste in the USAF

Page 26, section (2), refers to burial of radioactive waste at sea in 2 locations. 1. 72° 43” west longitude: 38° 40” north latitude, 2. 123° 6” west longitude: 37° 40” north latitude

“(2) Burial at Sea
Burial of radioactive wastes at sea has been authorized. Burial in inland lakes is prohibited. Disposition of considerable quantities of radioactive wastes must be limited to areas located beyond the continental shelf and at depths of approximately 1000 fathoms, or in areas established by the U. S. Navy for the dumping of explosives and other hazardous materials. Proximity to areas commonly used for fishing or for submarine cable “shall be avoided”. Two currently approved Navy disposal. Sites are: for East Coast Areas — 72° 43′ west longitude; 38° 52′ north latitude and for West Coast Areas — 17.3° 6` west longitude; 37° 40′ north latitude. Containers must have sufficient weight and density in order to sink; a specific gravity of 1.4 (87 lb per cubic foot or greater) is required. Each container must be weighed and calculations made to insure that it will sink.”

Source: USAF Radioisotope Committee, “Burial of Radioactive Waste in the USAF,” Wright-Patterson AFB, 15 March 1972.

Hundreds of Barrels of Radioactive Waste Sit 30 Miles off San Francisco

Scientists have discovered a radioactively-polluted WWII aircraft carrier sitting on the ocean floor 30 miles off the coast of Half Moon Bay in San Francisco.

The Atomic Sailors U.S.S. Calhoun County (LST 519)

By William R. Levesque, Tampa Bay Times

•  The Atomic Sailors U.S.S. Calhoun County (LST 519)

The Atomic Sailors U.S.S. Calhoun County (LST 519) Navy crew dumped radioactive waste in the Atlantic  Tampa Bay Times reports that “The crew of the U.S.S. Calhoun County dumped thousands of radioactive barrels into the Atlantic Ocean from 1946 to 1960.”

 Fact Sheet on Ocean Dumping of Radioactive Waste Materials

This report documents the dumping of radioactive material into the ocean, from 1946 to 1970, at 28 separate sites.

• 90,543 barrels of radioactive material at 26 sites
• Liquid radioactive material at 1 site
• Unpackaged radioactive material 1 site

Source:  Fact Sheet on Ocean Dumping of Radioactive Waste Materials – EPA – 20 November 1980