Radioactive rabbit droppings were found recently near the old
Hanford Nuclear Site in southeast Washington.
The radioactive cesium was discovered by contract employees working for the Department of Energy, which produced nuclear materials at the 586-square mile Washington site for 40 years.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency,
cesium is a chemical that can be radioactive or nonradioactive, calling the more dangerous version "very useful in industry for its strong radioactivity."
In the Friday release, the Department of Energy said only one of 18 rabbits surveyed were deemed contaminated.
The Washington State Department of Health tested the surrounding area for any potential spread of contamination and found no public health threat.
Joe Franco, an assistant manager for the Department of Energy, said workers erected fences, removed potential food sources and even sprayed the scent of a predator around the perimeter to prevent any other rabbit contamination.
"While this does not pose a worker safety or public health issue, we take our responsibility to prevent the spread of contamination seriously," said Franco.
A spokesman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODF&W) said the public--for example hunters--would be informed only if the information provided expressed a potential threat.
"We focus on the biology piece," said ODF&W Spokesman Rick Hargrave, "If it was involving a game animal that was hunted we'd take appropriate action."
At the time of publishing, representatives from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife were not available for comment.
In 2009, personnel at the Hanford site handled 26,000 animal control requests. Records for the same year indicate 33 contaminated animals or animal-related materials were discovered.
--Toshio Suzuki
