Radioactive wasp nest found at former Cold War nuclear weapons site in South Carolina

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – A radioactive wasp nest was discovered at a facility where the US produced nuclear weapons during the Cold War, according to a report from the Department of Energy.

The nest was found July 3 at the Savannah River Site, located near the South Carolina-Georgia border.

The report said the contamination level of the nest was 10 times higher than what is allowed under federal regulations. However, officials emphasized that “the wasp nest is considered an onsite legacy radioactive contamination not related to a loss of contamination control.”

“The wasp nest was sprayed to kill wasps, then bagged as radiological waste,” the report said. “The ground and surrounding area did not have any contamination.”

The Savannah River Site was established in the early 1950s and played a critical role in the US nuclear weapons program, producing tritium and plutonium during the Cold War.

While the facility no longer produces weapons material, it remains active in nuclear waste management, environmental cleanup and national security. It also supports the nation’s tritium supply for the nuclear stockpile, works on nuclear nonproliferation efforts, and conducts clean energy research.

The site is managed by Savannah River Nuclear Solutions under the oversight of the Department of Energy.