5 ms·

and here I am, wondering if it's safe to eat stuff grown in my yard because there was a fire at a nuclear weapons production facility 30 miles from here, 50 yea

and here I am, wondering if it's safe to eat stuff grown in my yard because there was a fire at a nuclear weapons production facility 30 miles from here, 50 years ago.

grebly 4y ago
I suspect we live in the same area. I go mountain biking around there often, and I'm a little paranoid when the Santa Ana winds come through and stir up a lot of dust :\
kadoban 4y ago
You can probably just go around a bit with a geiger counter while kicking up some dust, right? Seems like it'd give you a good idea. *not medical advice
iancmceachern 4y ago
Rocky flats?
pomian 4y ago
If you collected a soil sample (a few spoons of dirt from 5-8 places in your garden, put in s plastic baggie.) Then get it tested - ask for a 32 element ICP. It's fairly cheap, 10-20$USD, gives you a run down of those 32 elements, and then you can see if there are any anomalies. They give you an answer in ppm (parts per million.) For example. Then you look at the published standards for soil quality. For example in your case, residential criteria. In your state. Find online. If you are more than a factor of 10 or 100 above that, in one element, you may have an issue. If there was a fire, and ashes blew your way, there could be detectable amounts. If there are, especially if those elements are suspected to originate from the fire. You can worry about further tests. Some organic compounds- by products of the fire may be there, and be measurable. And that gets more expensive.(~ $500) But you'll probably find everything is ok.
hef19898 4y ago
We build on a patch of land that used to be small workshop removing paint from furniture and the like. The shop operated way back in the 70s and 80s, as far as I know. Well, at least long enough ago that just dumping all the chemicals used in the backyard. That backyard is now our garden. We were obliged to conduct soil analysis. So, overall the soil was: 1. Super expensive to get rid of, the only "recycling" site willing to take it was 150 km away. Luckily, we managed to convince the construction company to only transport the bare minimum. The reminder was moved to the front and is now sitting under the car port 2. The contamination is bad enough to be illegal for a kindergarden or play ground, but good enough for a general park 3. covering it up with 50 cm of clean stuff gets it "kindergarden" legal, 75 cm get it good for growing crops. So we have a front half of the garden where we plant flowers and such and a back half were vegetables and herbs and so grow. Depends on how much you want to grow, this is potential solution. And it also more gentle for your back: a Hochbeet (German, that's what t looks like:https://www.amazon.de/s?k=hochbeet&adgrpid=1199567838429561&hvadid=74973091016502&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=127603&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-74973191524133%3Aloc-72&hydadcr=12241_1904168&tag=hyddemsn-21&ref=pd_sl_36ahbyv39v_e https://www.amazon.de/s?k=hochbeet&adgrpid=1199567838429561&...) Damn easy to build yourself in any size you desire, it's basically an open box, on the bottom and top, of weather resistant hard wood (so don't buy on Amazon!). You fill the bottom with old branches and other pieces of wood, then you multiple layers of earth. You have to top it up so every other spring. And put it some stones to get the wood away from the moisture of the ground.
clarionbell 4y ago
50 years, thirty miles from limited leak should be enough for the radiation to become negligible. The metals are still toxic however. So I wouldn't recommend going for a geiger counter, instead try testing for chemical contamination.

and here I am, wondering if it's safe to eat stuff grown in my yard because there was a fire at a nuclear weapons production facility 30 miles from here, 50 years ago.

grebly 4y ago

I suspect we live in the same area. I go mountain biking around there often, and I'm a little paranoid when the Santa Ana winds come through and stir up a lot of dust :\

kadoban 4y ago

You can probably just go around a bit with a geiger counter while kicking up some dust, right? Seems like it'd give you a good idea. *not medical advice

iancmceachern 4y ago

Rocky flats?

pomian 4y ago

If you collected a soil sample (a few spoons of dirt from 5-8 places in your garden, put in s plastic baggie.) Then get it tested - ask for a 32 element ICP. It's fairly cheap, 10-20$USD, gives you a run down of those 32 elements, and then you can see if there are any anomalies. They give you an answer in ppm (parts per million.) For example. Then you look at the published standards for soil quality. For example in your case, residential criteria. In your state. Find online. If you are more than a factor of 10 or 100 above that, in one element, you may have an issue. If there was a fire, and ashes blew your way, there could be detectable amounts. If there are, especially if those elements are suspected to originate from the fire. You can worry about further tests. Some organic compounds- by products of the fire may be there, and be measurable. And that gets more expensive.(~ $500) But you'll probably find everything is ok.

hef19898 4y ago

We build on a patch of land that used to be small workshop removing paint from furniture and the like. The shop operated way back in the 70s and 80s, as far as I know. Well, at least long enough ago that just dumping all the chemicals used in the backyard. That backyard is now our garden. We were obliged to conduct soil analysis. So, overall the soil was: 1. Super expensive to get rid of, the only "recycling" site willing to take it was 150 km away. Luckily, we managed to convince the construction company to only transport the bare minimum. The reminder was moved to the front and is now sitting under the car port 2. The contamination is bad enough to be illegal for a kindergarden or play ground, but good enough for a general park 3. covering it up with 50 cm of clean stuff gets it "kindergarden" legal, 75 cm get it good for growing crops. So we have a front half of the garden where we plant flowers and such and a back half were vegetables and herbs and so grow. Depends on how much you want to grow, this is potential solution. And it also more gentle for your back: a Hochbeet (German, that's what t looks like:https://www.amazon.de/s?k=hochbeet&adgrpid=1199567838429561&hvadid=74973091016502&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=127603&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-74973191524133%3Aloc-72&hydadcr=12241_1904168&tag=hyddemsn-21&ref=pd_sl_36ahbyv39v_e https://www.amazon.de/s?k=hochbeet&adgrpid=1199567838429561&...) Damn easy to build yourself in any size you desire, it's basically an open box, on the bottom and top, of weather resistant hard wood (so don't buy on Amazon!). You fill the bottom with old branches and other pieces of wood, then you multiple layers of earth. You have to top it up so every other spring. And put it some stones to get the wood away from the moisture of the ground.

clarionbell 4y ago

50 years, thirty miles from limited leak should be enough for the radiation to become negligible. The metals are still toxic however. So I wouldn't recommend going for a geiger counter, instead try testing for chemical contamination.