Radioactive wasp nest discovered at old US nuclear weapons site

The nest with 10 times more radiation than permitted was found at a facility that once produced parts for US nuclear weapons.

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"The wasp nest was sprayed to kill wasps, then bagged as radiological waste," says a US Department of Energy report released last week. No wasps were found at the site near Aiken in South Carolina.

Investigators say the contamination is not related to a nuclear waste leak, and that there was no impact to "the environment, or the public".

Environmental groups have criticised the government's handling of the situation.

The nest was discovered by workers who routinely inspect for nuclear radiation at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, on 3 July.