Sitting on 586 square miles of desert in Washington, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is the most toxic place in America. Buried beneath the ground, in storage tanks, are 56 million gallons of radioactive waste. Many of them are leaking into the ground.

Is Hanford still radioactive?

Today, Hanford holds 56 million gallons of radioactive waste which leaks into the soil and groundwater because many tanks have never been replaced. In 2013, Governor Inslee admitted that one tank was leaking up to 300 gallons a year; the contracted cleanup company knew–and did nothing.

Is the Columbia River radioactive?

Radiation Myth: The Columbia River isn't safe because Hanford is poisoning it with radiation. Fact: For many years, nuclear reactors at Hanford were cooled by water from the Columbia. Despite that the reactors have been closed down, there is still radioactive contamination on the site.