EPA Finds Tons of Radioactive Material in Landfill 1 Mile From Elementary School

Thousands of tons of radioactive material have been discovered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a landfill less than one mile from an elementary school in Oklahoma.

According to the EPA, steps are being taken to prevent exposure of the members of the community,

The radioactive substance was discovered at a former landfill off Kenosha Street, located east of Tractor Supply Co. The landfill is located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

The EPA claims that the necessary steps have been taken to prevent radioactive exposure and contamination, but, understandably, these findings have caused concern in the Broken Arrow community.

Thorium 232

According to David Robertson, the EPA's on-site coordinator, the hazardous material was discovered after a private investor bought the lot and had it evaluated.

An approximately 7-acre radioactive anomaly was found during the assessment.

Robertson said that the radioactive anomaly was only discovered in that 7 acres after the State of Oklahoma looked into both that 7 acres and the surrounding 70 acres.

The radioactive substance was determined by the EPA to be thorium 232.

He claimed that although the quantity discovered during the excavation was too much for them to remove, the initial plan was to remove all of the material.

Robertson says that they discovered thousands of tons, so rather than completely removing the material, they are covering it with clay.

Robertson said that the potential for wind or rain to pick up the material and carry it offsite was the driving force behind the EPA cleanup, but once it is covered, it would no longer be exposed to either. As far as he is aware, it will make the risk null.

According to EPA, Thorium is a naturally-occurring radioactive metal that is present in traces in water, plants, animals, rocks, and soil. Thorium is solid in normal circumstances. Thorium comes in both natural and artificial forms, and they are all radioactive. The likelihood of developing bone or lung cancer may be increased by breathing in thorium dust.

HOA Concerns

Residents across the street in the Timberbrook neighborhood, however, continue to have reservations.

The HOA's president, Keith Deaver, expressed increased concern after learning they would cap and fence the area rather than remove the material.

Deaver said that one of his initial worries is that they have been aware of this since 2012 and are now planning to take action 10 years later.

Residents of Timberbrook, according to him, are also concerned about water and property values.

According to the World Population Review, with a population of 116,478 people, Broken Arrow is the fourth-largest city in Oklahoma and the 272nd-largest city in the United States. It is situated in the counties of Tulsa and Wagoner in the state of Oklahoma.

Actions Taken

Robertson says the EPA is gathering samples from a nearby creek to address the issues, but due to the consistency of the material, no off-site effects are expected.

Robertson said that even though they didn't remove it, the fact that it's covered protects it from being exposed at all because the material already had a consistency that was almost concrete, making it less mobile, to begin with. Since everything is now at least six inches covered, they are not at all concerned about radioactive material.

Robertson anticipates finishing it by the end of the following week and claims the finished cover will extend 12 inches above the material.

The EPA will also be putting up a fence in addition to the clay cap.

Robertson said that the fence will stop people from entering the area, and the cover will stop the wind or rain from blowing the material elsewhere.

According to the EPA, they are still looking for the material's source and determining whether the site needs to be listed as EPA's national priority.

Robertson emphasized that the EPA's ultimate goal is to safeguard human health and the environment and that when they do that, they want to be good stewards of their resources. They simply assess the site's level of danger before deciding whether or not to list it, News Channel 8 Tulsa reports.