I’ve heard that there are places in the former USSR where radioactive waste was simply dumped into lakes, places where you’d recieve a lethal dose of radiation just walking around unprotected. Is there anyplace like this in the USA - where dangerous radiation levels are present at the surface? What are the conditions like at the sites where above and below ground nuclear bombs were tested?
High Level Rad Waste in the US was stored in Underground tanks in most places like Hanford, Savannah, etc. Some have leaked in the past but not “substantial”.
Yes, there are radioactive waste sites.