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Pantex Plant Texas's Mistake since |
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World War II |
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| ����������� The Pantex Plant manufactured nuclear weapons during the Cold War.��� Due to its operations, it ultimately contaminated the surrounding environment.�� It has affected the groundwater systems that are underneath it, the soil around it, vegetation that is close to it, and had affected the surrounding freshwater systems. These environmental concerns have caused public concerns of health effects that are due to plutonium, chromium, uranium, and other toxic hazards that were released by the facility's operations. |
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| Brief History of the Pantex Plant |
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| Pantex Plant is owned by the Department of Energy.� The facility is located 17 miles northeast of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle, which is in the semi-arid part of Texas (FONSI Internet).� The plant was constructed in 1942 to manufacture conventional ammunition and bombs for World War II (Protecting Internet; Henke and Speitel 1; Boles et. al 3).� When the war ended, the plant closed.� In 1949, Texas Technological College, now Texas Tech University, purchased the site for $1 and used the land to conduct cattle feeding experiments (Boles et. al 3-4).�� During the year of 1951, the Atomic Energy Commission bought the Pantex Plant, which contained 16,000 acres.�� Following 1951, the Pantex Plants main operation was the assembly and disassembly of nuclear weapons (Boles et. al 3-4; Ackland 56). This is where Rocky Flats in Colorado sent its nuclear triggers to be placed into the actual nuclear weapons (Ackland 114; Closing 20).� Prior to 1975, the Pantex Plant was one of four nuclear weapon assembly plants, but then it became the only one in the country (Draft S-4). |
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| �It was eventually known as the Pantex Ordnance Plant (Carr Internet).� From 1951 until 1974, the Atomic Energy Commission ran the plant.� In 1974, the Atomic Energy Commission was replaced by the Energy Research and Development Administration.� In 1979, the Department of Energy ran the plant (Project Internet). |
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| In 1989, the DOE leased 6,000 acres of the Pantex Plant to Texas Tech.� The purpose of this land was to act as a security buffer zone to part the plant (Boles et. al 4). Also in 1989, the plant released 40,000 curies of tritium into the atmosphere for a day, which was known as The Cell I Incident. As a result one of the workers at the plant is dying from the Cell I Incident (Dubose Internet).� Also, another event impacted Pantex Plant?s operations.�� Due to public and environmental concerns, the DOE Rocky Flats Plant in Colorado ceased serving as a plutonium processing facility.� As a result of this action, Pantex was used as a storage site for the plutonium pits from Rocky Flats (Boles et. al 4).� Now the Pantex plant has five operations: weapons assembly, weapons disassembly, weapons evaluation, research and development of high explosives, and interim storage of plutonium pits; it contains 12,000 nuclear weapon triggers (Boles et. al 4, 8; DOE S-4; STANDPoint Internet).� It is considered to be the largest U.S. facility for the operation of recycling plutonium from used nuclear weapons (Anthropogenic Internet).� In 1994, Pantex Plant was placed on the National Priorities List (Protecting I Internet). |
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| Layout of the Plant |
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����������� Zone 12 is where the weapons are assembled and disassembled, it is located on the southeast portion of the plant (Boles et. al 1998).�� Zone 11 is the experimental explosive developmental area (Boles et. al 1998).� Zone 3 is designated as the wastewater treatment facility (WWTF). The drinking water treatment plant is located in Zone 15.� Zone 4 is set aside as the weapons staging area.�� Zone 16 is the vehicle maintenance and administration area.� The landfills are north of Zone 2, which is designated as the storage area (Nuclear Forces Internet).� There are 476 buildings on the Pantex Plant site (Final Internet). |
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| Environmental & Health Concerns |
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| ����������� The Pantex Plant is affecting a variety of areas in the surrounding environment.� It has been affecting the groundwater systems that lay underneath the nuclear weapons plant.� �It also affects the surface water systems, and soil quality that surround the plant.� By affecting these areas of the environment, there are public concerns of health that the nuclear weapons plant's operations are damaging to the environmental and to human life.� � |
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| Groundwater Systems |
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����������� There are three main groundwater systems that are underneath the Pantex Plant, which includes the Blackwater Draw Formation, the Ogallala Formation, and the Dockum.�� These three groundwater systems include the vadose (unsaturated zone), the perched aquifer zone, the lower saturated aquifer, and the bedrock below the site.� Zone 12 is above the perched water zone in the Ogallala Formation (Protecting Internet; Boles et. al 1998; Final Internet; Protecting-Interim Internet), which serves as the primary source of domestic water for Amarillo and surrounding areas (Pantex Internet; 1997 Environmental 1-8); the Ogallala Aquifer is polluted by Pantex Plant's operations (Toxic Internet) and causing a cone of depression in the aquifer (Pantex Internet).� The perched aquifer has been contaminated by Pantex Plant's operations and about 1.5 billion gallons of polluted water are present in the perched zone with the following pollutants: chlorinated solvents, benzene, high explosives (HMX and RDX), and chromium (Protecting II Internet). |
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| � ��������� HMX and RDX were manufactured for use in nuclear weapons, which has caused public concerns due to their toxicity and the potential for human exposure (Card and Autenrieth 1).�� They have considerably more explosive power than TNT (Card and Autenrieth 2).�� Research Department eXplosive (RDX) is considered to be more toxic to humans than High Melting eXplosive (HMX) is (Card and Autenrieth 6 and 8).�� The effects of exposure to RDX usually occur within thirty minutes to several hours, whereas HMX does not have as strong effects on people's health as RDX does.� The symptoms of RDX poisoning include loss of consciousness, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness; the majority of the people that get RDX poisoning are workers at the plant (Card and Autenrieth 8).� |
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| RDX, TNT and HMX are deposited in a landfill that is located on the southeast side of the plant; Zone 12 (Henke and Speitel 4; Toxic Internet).�� It was determined that the concentration levels of many toxic compounds were well above the risk reduction levels in the perched aquifer and Ogallala Aquifer (Public Internet; Boles et. al 8). The concentration levels for RDX and HMX were 5.00 mg/L and 1.06 mg/L, respectively (Public Internet).� The risk reduction levels for these are 26 ug/L for RDX and 5.11 ug/L for HMX (Henke and Speital 4).� Elevated levels of VOCs, chromium, and other pollutants have been detected in the groundwater systems (Public Internet; Boles et. al 8).� Chromium levels in the perched aquifer were determined to be 198 ug/L; this was caused by the chemicals used in the cooling water process and the levels exceeded the risk reduction levels (Final Internet; 1995 Environmental 4).� On March 2000, trichloroethylene was detected in the Ogallala Aquifer in an amount that exceeded federal drinking water standards.� It is deposited into the aquifer on the southeast side of the plant. Trichloroethylene (TCE) can cause birth defects, childhood leukemia, and kidney damage (McBride Internet; Toxic Internet; Defense Internet; Protecting I Internet).� The concentrations of TCE were determined to be 8.5 parts per billion (ppb), whereas, the drinking water standard is 5 ppb (Protecting I Internet).�� In October 1998, high levels of methylene chloride were detected in the Ogallala Aquifer (Toxic Internet).�� The different sources of pollutants come from different parts of the Pantex plant (1995 Environmental 9). Levels of numerous other pollutants in the Ogallala Aquifer also exceeded the risk reduction levels and these including nickel, hexavalent chromium, which is Chromium (VI), benzene, and tetrachorethane (1995 Environmental 4-9; 1996 Environmental 89-94).�� Hexavalent chromium was what the environmentally controversial movie, Erin Brobevich, was based on in a parallel way. |
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| ����������� Health effects due to exposure of these different pollutants vary from another one.� Health problems due to being exposed to benzene effects the person?s blood system.� It can change the production of red and white blood cells in the bone marrow (Harte et. al 234).�� When nickel enters the body, it can cause a variety of respiratory problems, cancer to the lungs, nasal passages, and the voice box (Harte et. al 355). |
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| Surface Water Systems |
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| ����������� There are no natural surface water systems that run at the Pantex Plant, instead there are ditches and eight playas (Fayer et. al 1.1). �The different playas are affected by several of the buildings at the plant.� Some of the playas are 4,000 feet away from the plant boundary (Final-Environmental 14).� Most of the playas are dry most of the year except for Playa 1, it receives wastewater from the Wastewater Treatment facility (WWTF) at the plant (Fayer et. al 2.3).� Texas Tech uses Playa 4 for irrigating crops and watering livestock (Pantex Internet).� Unlined ditches have been used to contain wastewater (Final Internet).� |
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| In 1974 and 1975, elevated levels of radioactivity were found in the Pantex Lake (Public Internet).� In the lagoon at the plant, excess levels of ammonia, nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon from WWTF caused significant amounts of algae growth (Public Internet; Malina et. al 6-7), which increased the concentrations of biological oxygen demand factor (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) (Malina et. al 4-5).� The levels of ammonia were 48 mg/L in the lagoon during the years of 1996 and 1997, where untreated water at Pantex Plant normally ranges from 1 mg/L to 20 mg/L (Malina et. al 6).�� If ammonia enters a person?s body, it can cause pneumonia (Harte et. al 215). For BOD, the normal range is between 4 mg/L and 29 mg/L but the highest concentration of BOD for the lagoon at Pantex Plant is 94 mg/L (Malina et. al 4).� |
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| In Playa 1, several metals and pollutants were detected from 1991 until 1996.� For instance, the concentration of barium was detected at 0.48 mg/L in 1994 and the detection limit for barium is 0.05 mg/L (1996 Environmental 110-116).� Normally, the concentration of barium is between 0.001 to 0.172 mg/L.� Barium can weaken the person?s muscles and cause paralysis and eventually lead to death (Harte et. al 229-230).�� Also, the levels of volatile organic compounds exceeded the detection limit in the surface waters that surround Pantex Plant (1996 Environmental 113). |
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| Soils and Vegetation |
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| ����������� The region is considered to be semi-arid.� Overall, the Pantex Plant is relatively level. Soil samples have been tested for Uranium-234 and Uranium-238 in 1996 and it was determined that majority of the test samples were above the minimum detectable levels for uranium (1997 Environmental 9-8) samples around the Pantex Plant site, which include various types of explosives and volatile organic compounds.��� |
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����������� The Pantex Plant site includes a variety of different types of vegetation, such as blue grama, buffalo grass, sideoats grama, western wheatgrass, vine mesquite, and silver bluestream (Final Internet; EA-425).� Plants have the ability to take up different pollutants, such as cadmium, plutonium, and uranium, from the soil and excrete them (Hossner et.al 1).� The plants usually absorb these heavy metals through their roots (Hossner et. al 9).� Plants usually do not absorb large amounts of cadmium because of the cadmium bioavailability within the rhizosphere is limited (Hossner et. al 11).�� If cadmium enters a person's body, it can cause a variety of respiratory problems, such as lung cancer and chronic bronchitis (Harte et. al 245).�� |
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| Chromium is accumulated in the plant?s roots.�� Out of the two forms of Chromium, Chromium (VI) is more toxic to people, animals, and plants than Cr (III) is (Hossner et. al 16, 19; Batchelor et. al 1).�� Plants use chromium to stimulate their growth and sometimes it is toxic to plants at about 5 to 100 ug mL-1, especially in Cr (VI) form (Hossner et. al 18, 19).� Chromium affects both the roots and leaves of the plant (Hossner et. al 20).�� Chromium (VI) can cause kidney and liver damage, respiratory damage, and lung cancer (Harte et. al 277). |
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| ����������� Uranium can be absorbed in a plant's roots but it has not shown to be beneficial to plants (Hossner et. al 27). It is usually accumulated in the roots and with concentrations that are 5000 to 10000 times greater than what is in the water supply at Pantex (Hossner et. al 31).� The primary modes of exposure to uranium are by eating plants or drinking water that has been contaminated with uranium; this concentrates in the kidneys and emits gamma rays (Hossner et. al 27).�� |
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| ����������� Plutonium and what it does in the soil is not highly known.�� The concentrations of different forms of plutonium can remain constant in soil for many years.� �Most of the accumulation of plutonium occurs in the seeds and the roots.�� For instance, it has been found that the concentration of plutonium in roots was 3 to 8x higher than in the shoots. The primary mode of exposure of plutonium is by digesting agricultural crops (Hossner et. al 33-36).�� Being exposed to plutonium, genetic mutations and cancers can occur.� Plutonium is distributed by the person's blood to their bones and liver (Citizen's 10). |
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Conclusion |
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| �������� The Pantex Plant, which is located in the Panhandle of Texas definitely is affecting water quality in the Ogallala Aquifer and surface water systems and affecting the quality of the soil that surrounds the nuclear weapons plant.�� It is also definitely exposing the residents of Amarillo with the hazardous pollutants that are caused by the nuclear weapon factory's operations in the past during the Cold War.�� As in terms of the future, there are a couple of possibilities, which include environmental restoration.�� But, the pollutants will remain in the environment for eternality.� |
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Works Cited |
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| Ackland, Len.� A $45 Million Plant.� Making a Real Killing: Rocky Flats and the |
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������������� Nuclear West.� Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.� 1999.� 51-66. |
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| Ackland, Len.� Expect a Fire, but Produce.� Making a Real Killing: Rocky Flats and the |
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������������� Nuclear West.� Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.� 1999.� 111-126. |
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| Anthrpogenic Radioactivity.�� Major Plume Source Ponits-Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas. |
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������������� �Radnet.� Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: February 7, 2001. |
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��������������� http://home.acadia.net/cbm.Rad8b6.html |
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| Batchelor, Bill; Mark Schlautman; Inseong Hwang; and Renjin Wang.� Kinetics of ����� ������ |
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Chromium (VI) Reduction by Ferrous Ion.� Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium.��
September 1998.� Also available online.� http://www.pu.org/ |
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| Boles, Karen Marie; Randall J. Charbeneau; Sara Black; Ken Rainwater; and David L. |
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�Barnes.�� Investigation of Groundwater recirculation for the Removal of RDX from the Pantex
Plant Perched Aquifer.� Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium.�� July 1998.�
Also available online.� http://www.pu.org/ |
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| Card, Robert E. Jr. and Autenrieth, Robin. Treatment of HMX and RDX Contamination.�� |
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Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium.� March 1998.� Also available online.� http://www.pu.org/ |
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| Carr, Bob.��� The History of Pantex.��� Pantex Plant.�� Internet.� Available online. |
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������������ Accessed on: February 8, 2001.� http://www.pantex.com/ds/pxgena2a.htm |
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| Citizens Guide to Rocky Flats: Colorado's Nuclear Bomb Factory.� Boulder: Rocky |
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������������ Mountain Peace Center.� May 1992.� |
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| Closing the Circle on the Splitting of the Atom: The Environmental Legacy of Nuclear |
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������������ Weapons Production in the United States and What the Department of Energy is |
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| Doing about it.� U.S. Department of Energy: Office of Environmental Management.�� January 1995.�� ����������� |
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Department of Energy.� EA; (FONSI) and Environmental Assessment High Explosive |
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| ������������ Machining Facility Project 88-D-125 Pantex Plant Amarillo, Texas.� Internet. |
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������������ Available online.� Accessed on: February 22, 2001 |
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������������ http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/facility/docs/ea0425_1.html |
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| Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Operation of the Pantex Plant |
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and Associated Storage of Nuclear Weapon Components: Summary.� U.S Department of Energy.� March 1996.�� |
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| Dubose, Louis.�� Going Critical at Pantex: Is Safety really a Priority? T Observer. |
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������������� September 12, 1997.� Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: Feb. 8, 2001 |
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������������� http://www.texasobserver.org/subjects/enviro/LD.10.12.7.html |
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| Environmental Information Document.� Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: |
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������������� February 22, 2001.� |
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���� http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/facility/docs/pantex-eid98-ch02.pdf |
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| Environmental Protection Department of the Environment, Safety & Health Division. |
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�1995 Environmental Report for Pantex Plant.�� Batelle Pantex/Mason &Hanger Corporation.�� Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: February 19, 2001.�� wysiwyg://main.231.http://www.pantex.com/aser/1995/index199.htm |
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| Environmental Protection Department of the Environment, Safety & Health Division. |
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1996 Environmental Report for Pantex Plant.�� Batelle Pantex/Mason & Hanger Corporation.��
Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: February 19, 2001.�� wysiwyg://main.231.http://www.pantex.com/aser/1996/index1996.htm |
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| Environmental Protection Department of the Environment, Safety & Health Division. |
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1997 Environmental Report for Pantex Plant.�� Batelle Pantex/Mason & Hanger Corporation.�� Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: February 19, 2001.�� wysiwyg://main.231.http://www.pantex.com/aser/1997/index1997.htm |
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| Fayer, M.J.; M.C. Richmond; M.S. Wigmosta; and M.E. Kelley.� Estimates of Deep |
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� Drainage Rates at the U.S. Department of Energy Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas. |
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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.� April 1998.� ��� |
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| Harte, John; Holdern, Cheryl; Schmeider, Richard; and Shirley, Christine.� Toxics A to Z: |
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�A Guide to Everyday Pollution Hazards.� Berkeley: University of California Press.�� 1991. |
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| Henke, Jennifer Lee, M.S.E. and Speitel, Gerald E.� Performance of Granular Activated |
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Carbon System at Pantex: Rapid Small-scale Column Tests to Simulate Removal of High Explosives
from Contaminated Groundwater.�� Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium.�
Also available online at http://www.pu.org/ |
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| Hossner, L.R.; R.H. Loeppert; R.J. Newton; P.J. Szaniszol; and Attrep, Moses Jr.� |
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Literature Review: Phytoaccumulation of Chromium, Uranium, and Plutonium in � |
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Plant Systems.�� AmarilloNational Resource Center for Plutonium.� May 1998. |
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Also available online at http://www.pu.org |
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| Lawler, Desmond F.; Lilijestrand, Howard M. and Kobe, David.� Treatment of Lead- |
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| �� ���������Contaminated Soil at the Pantex Plant.�� Amarillo National Resource Center for |
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| ����������� Plutonium.� July 1999.� Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: February 20,������ |
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2001 http://www.pu.org/ |
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| Malina, Joseph F., Jr. and C.W. Cook.�� High-rate Biological Treatment of Wastewater at |
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| ����������� the Pantex Facility?Alternative to the Existing Aerate Lagoon-Pond System. |
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Amarillo National Resource Center for Plutonium.� September 1999.�
Also�available online at http://www.pu.org/ |
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| McBride, Jim.� Pantex to provide water despite safety report.� Globe-news.� April 21, |
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2000. Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: February 22, 2001. |
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http://www.amarillonet.com/stories/042100/new_pantex.shtml |
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| Moniak, Don, editor.��� STANDPoint.� �Serious Texans Against Nuclear Dumping |
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| ������������ (STAND), Inc.�� Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: February 22, 2001. |
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| ������������� http://www.teleport.com/~opw/stand-08_24.html |
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| Office of Environmental Management.� Protecting the Ogallala Aquifer: |
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| ������� ���Recommendations for Characterization of Trichloroethylene at the Pantex Plant |
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| ���������� Burning Grounds.�� U.S. Department of Energy.� May 2000.� Internet. |
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| ��������� Available online.� Accessed on: February 20, 2001. |
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| ��������� http://www.em.doe.gov/pantex/pantexfr.html |
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| Office of Environmental Management.� Protecting the Ogallala Aquifer: |
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| ������� ���Recommendations for Characterization of Trichloroethylene at the Pantex Plant |
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| ���������� Burning Grounds-Interim Report to the Secretary of Energy.� U.S. Department |
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| ���������� of Energy.� April 2000.� Internet.� Available online.� Accessed on: February 20, |
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2001 http://www.em.doe.gov/pantex/ |
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| Office of Environmental Management.� Protecting the Ogallala Aquifer II: |
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| ���������� Recommendations for Characterization and Remediation of the Southeastern |
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| ��������� Plume at the Pantex Plant.� U.S.Department of Energy.� July 2000.� Internet. |
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| ��������� Available online.� Accessed on: February 20, 2001.� |
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��������� http://www.envnet.org/scfa/leadlab/reports/pantex2.pdf |
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| Pantex Explosives in Soils Project Description.� Internet.� Available online. |
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| ���������� Accessed on: February 8, 2001. |
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�http://web.ead.anl.gov/TechCon/Projects/pantex/description/index.cfm |
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| Public Health Assessment: Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Carson County, Texas.��� The Agency |
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for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).�� Internet.� Available online.��� Accessed on: February 8, 2001.��� |
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http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA/pantex/pan_p2.html |
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| Texas Peer.� Pantex: Pollution in the Panhandle.� Toxic Texas Tour.� Internet.� Available� |
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����������� Online.� Accessed on: February 22, 2001.� |
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�http://www.txpeer.org/toxictour/pantex.html#16 |
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| U.S. Department of Energy.� Environmental Assessment for Environmental Safety and |
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Health Analytical Laboratory.� Project No. 94-AA-01: Pantex Plant.��� U.S.�Departmentof Energy: Albuquerque
Operations Office.�� June 1995.����������� ����������� ����������� ����������� |
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| � U.S. Department of Energy.� Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued� |
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Operation of the Pantex Plant and Associated Storage of Nuclear Weapon�� Components.��
Internet.�� Available online.� Accessed on: February 8, 2001. |
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http://nepa.eh.doe.gov/eis/eis0225/EIS_toc.html#TopofPage |
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U.S. Nuclear Forces.� Pantex Plant.� Nuclear Forces Guide.� Internet.� Available online. |
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��������� ��Accessed on: February 22, 2001.� |
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�http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/facility/pantex_intro.htm |
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