# Radioactive places in USA?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-places-in-usa/137803>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 20, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-places-in-usa/137803 "2002-11-20T21:25:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-places-in-usa/137803/1 "2002-11-20T21:25:08Z")

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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?

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**Author:** ![andy\_fl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@andy\_fl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andy_fl)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-places-in-usa/137803/2 "2002-11-20T21:35:55Z")

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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”.

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**Author:** ![nth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nth)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactive-places-in-usa/137803/3 "2002-11-20T22:06:12Z")

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Yes, there are radioactive waste sites.

[http://www.cqs.com/enuclear.htm](http://www.cqs.com/enuclear.htm)