While we love showing you the amazing places you should visit throughout our country, sometimes it’s also good to know about the places that should be avoided at all costs. You’ve almost certainly heard of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster that took place, but what if I were to tell you that there was a place that’s on a similarly toxic scale right here in America? If the thought of this sounds frightening to you, keep reading below to find out about the one destination in Washington that you’ll want to stay very far away from.
Hiding in plain sight right out in Benton County, the state of Washington is home to what some people are calling “America’s Chernobyl.”
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Known as the Hanford Site, roughly 70 years ago the area was where you could find plutonium used for nuclear production.
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Curious as to why you should stay away from this place? Well, the site now has over 170 tanks underground that are reportedly leaking vapors into the air that have toxic and radioactive chemicals.
Alexandra MacKenzie/Flickr
The chemicals that are being leaked into the surrounding air today have been known to cause serious brain and lung damage as well as cancer.
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Now run by the Department of Energy via a contractor called Washington River Protection Solutions, the clean up of these millions of gallons of nuclear waste is expected to be a job that costs over $100 billion dollars and will take place over the next 50 years.
Lauri Heikkinen/Flickr This may seem like a scary thought to those who are living in Washington, but imagine working at this site only to find out that the air you’ve been breathing has caused such damage to your health. The disastrous site has become the talk of the town now that people who have worked there are reporting horrid cases of dementia among other major health issues. Another scary fact? It’s now been reported that at least three deaths resulting from exposure at the Hanford Site have been documented. With reports showing that the air contains toxins exceeding occupational limits, those living in the surrounding areas are left wondering how this could somehow affect them in the future.
Did you realize that this toxic place was right here in Washington? Share with us the stories you’ve heard about the Hanford Site in our comments section.
Google Maps
Wikimedia Commons
Alexandra MacKenzie/Flickr
Lauri Heikkinen/Flickr
This may seem like a scary thought to those who are living in Washington, but imagine working at this site only to find out that the air you’ve been breathing has caused such damage to your health. The disastrous site has become the talk of the town now that people who have worked there are reporting horrid cases of dementia among other major health issues. Another scary fact? It’s now been reported that at least three deaths resulting from exposure at the Hanford Site have been documented. With reports showing that the air contains toxins exceeding occupational limits, those living in the surrounding areas are left wondering how this could somehow affect them in the future.
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