A River Lost by Blaine Harden - Article Example

A River Lost by Blaine Harden Introduction Blaine Hardens book of a river lost is a significant book in the history of the US and the world in general. The book explores the impact of river Colombia which was used as an isolated place to conduct the Manhattan Project (Blaine Harden). The plant was based near River Columbia something that was a big mistake and its effects are still evident up to date. It is argued that the spillages and the leaks of the atomic bomb found their way downstream and affected flora and fauna. The river that was once a home to millions of salmons was now invaded by solutions of radioactive solutions of heavy metals like strontium and uranium. In addition to this other toxic chemicals also found their way into the river during this process. Heavy metals like chromium were also used to prevent water pipes and tanks from corrosion. This also found its way to the river causing cancer to animals. Besides this, the effects of River Colombia also affected Native American communities that depended on the river for survival. The four Native American communities which had entered into a treaty in 1855 suffered a lot when the salmons die due to poisoning from the Manhattan Project. The Native communities included the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Warm Springs and Yakama. For this reason, this paper is going to research the effects and consequences of the Manhattan Project. Columbia River The Colombia River is the fourth largest river in the US by volume and drains to the pacific. It is one of the most important rivers since its heavy flows and turbulence provides a good potential for electricity generation. Moreover, the river is a rich source for cultural and religious groups and a source of water for agricultural activities. The river was also a good host of many plants and animal species something that changed in 1942 when the Americans decided to look for an isolated place to manufacture atomic bombs. According to the author Blaine Hardens, General Leslie Blues ordered the top secret Manhattan project of making atomic bombs be maintained as private and possible. This is how a decision was reached to build a plant near the River. The River Colombia played an important role in cooling of the turbines and this ensured efficient production of atomic bombs. The river was also selected because production of the bombs required a reliable supply of electricity something that River Colombia would provide very well. According to the author, the US was under intense pressure to build an atomic bomb as a way of protection and ending World War II. The US was determined to remain a super power and hence the rush to make the atomic bomb. It is for this reason that the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were all as a result of the Manhattan Project. The atomic bombs that staged a cold war between Soviet Union and the US were also products of the Manhattan project. The river that was a host to most salmons and many species of anadromous fish is now one of the most contaminated nuclear sites in the US. It is estimated that the manufacture of the weapons meant for the cold war led 53 million US gallons of high level radioactive wastes. In addition to this, the Manhattan project also left 25 million cubic feet of solid radioactive waste at approximately 520 km2 of contaminated ground water beneath the site. Impact of Flora and Fauna on River Colombia The decision to use the river as a coolant of the plant was a big mistake. This is because it led to a lot of negative effects on flora and fauna in the river. When the nuclear reactors began operating approximately 70,000 gallons of water entered the reactor per minute from the Colombia River. This water flowed through the tubes and their temperatures would be elevated from one step to another. The water would later be discharged from the river as a mixture of atomic bomb solution and under high temperatures. When this water finds its way back to the river it would raise the temperatures of the river (Groves). This interfered with the aquatic life and consequently led to the death and migration of the flora and fauna. Moreover, the atomic bomb solution led to mutations and consequent deaths of most aquatic plants since most of their cells were killed from the effect of the nuclear reactors. Due to the high effects of the corrosive chemicals from the plant, most of the water pipes were coated using chromium. Chromium is an unstable metal which causes cancer when it finds its way to an animal’s digestive system. This also caused negative effects for the people that lived downstream. As a result salmons and mussels that lived in this river died as a result of strong metals like chromium and radioactive isotopes like strontium-90 and iodine-131. It is reported that the Manhattan Project released 8,000 curies of iodine-131 over two days (Gephart). By 1960, wild salmon populations around the pacific region had decimated at an alarming rate and the Columbia River was at the heart of this. In fact it is argued that by 1970 only 1 million salmons were remaining in that region down from 20 million in the 1800’s. Effects from the radioactive isotopes of heavy metals had caused sterilization damaging aquatic life. Due to the high demand that was necessary for the production of electricity to supply the Manhattan Project interfered with the waterfalls which served as pathways for the fish. These places had now been invaded by the electrical turbines which interfered with the paths taken by the fishes. This consequently affected their breeding sites and their feeding habits. Most of the people who were dependent on this river for agricultural practices shifted their trends since the water was now highly infected with radioactive. In addition most communities and countries had entered into treaties with the US concerning Colombia River. Conflicts arose on who was to manage the North West Pacific Salmons now that their number had greatly reduced. Four Native American tribes entered into a treat in 1855 with regard to the management of the Columbia River. The four tribes included the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Warm Springs and Yakama. However, this later changed as every tribe had the interest of salmons at their heart. Despite this interest it was evident that the reduced number of the Salmons in the river due to the radioactive emissions meant that a drastic measure had to be taken. It was immediately recommended that fishing at the river be stopped and rehabilitation process began. It was argued that with the continuous harvesting of the salmons in a few years to come the four Native American communities would have nothing left to harvest. This called for sustainable development. A joint forces from the four tribes formed Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission which helped in rebuilding the once great salmon fishery which had sustained the tribes for centuries and also contributed to their cultural existence. Something that happened with the general’s command ended up affecting the community’s social and emotional feelings. According to Sampson the commissioner in charge of the rehabilitation the communities were so much emotionally attached. Most of the times the elders said, “what has happened to the salmons has happened to us because we are one with the salmons” (Hanford Cultural Resources Program). Besides the problem of the salmons the communities living around the Colombia River also suffered from cancers, non-cancerous thyroid diseases and congenital malformations. Other diseases which affected these people included the leukemia. In 1986 there were riots and demands which led to the exposure of the communities to the plutonium. The down winders complained about the use of plutonium in the radioactive reactors which led to so many effects. The plutonium was separated and purified then later used for building the nuclear weapons. Besides this, when this water evaporated it most of the radioactive materials were exposed to the air as gases. This later contaminated animals and food materials that people fed on. The effect was so much on the Native American who relied on the river for their traditional diets. It was also noted from the report released by the U.S Department of Energy that approximately affected 2 million people whether directly or indirectly (Hanford Cultural Resources Program). The report further indicated that the rates of cancer infections were more rapid on women than men. Female down winders developed cancer from radiations at 37.5% to 52% higher when compared to males. This is because women are significantly at a higher risk of radiation infections than men. Moreover, women also experienced higher abortion rates when exposed to high levels of radiation. It was also noted that fetal malfunctions only occurred when a woman was exposed to higher doses of nuclear radiations in early pregnancies. The effect of radioactive radiations also affected women physical, sexual and reproductive health leading to low immunities and higher prevalence of death. Ovarian cancers were also reported with cases of females getting infected even before pregnancies as a result of mutation. . Ironically the US government is not doing so much when it comes to the cleanup process. On February 15, 2013, Governor Jay Inslee made an alarming announcement informing the world that a radioactive storage tank is still leaking leading to leakages of average 150-300 gallons per year. 7 days after disclosing this terrible news it was also noted that 6 more tanks at Hanford were also leaking. Future Mitigations Due to the larger impacts that the Manhattan Project left to the environment, Colombia River cleanup process consumes a lot of the government’s expenditure. This is now the world’s largest cleanup process. The cleanup process aims at restoring the Columbia River and its corridors for other uses. At the same time, the cleanup process also aims at converting the plateau to long waste treatment and storage while preparing for the future. Despite the negative effects that resulted from the Colombia River, various mitigation processes have been in place to assist in restoring the flora and fauna in Colombia River. For example, the Native American communities formed a commission that emphasized in restoring the salmons in Colombia River. The communities agreed to stop fishing and restock the salmons in Colombia River. In addition to this, the communities have formed hatcheries that aim at introducing viable and more disease resistant species of salmons in the river (John M. Findlay and Bruce Hevly). The Department of Energy has also revised their cleanup strategies which extent to 2040 due to the high toxicity levels of plutonium. However, the Department of Energy has also started to build a vitrification firm that aims at making these radioactive wastes more stable in a glass building. The vitrification plant is estimated to be complete by 2022. Works Cited Blaine Harden. A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. Gephart, Roy. Hanford: A Conversation About Nuclear Waste and Cleanup. Columbus: Batelle Press, 2003. Groves, Leslie. Now It Can Be Told: The Story of the Manhattan Project. New York: Da Capo Press, 1983. Hanford Cultural Resources Program, U.S. Department of Energy,. "Hanford Site Historic District: History of the Plutonium Production Facilities, 1943–1990." U.S. Department of Energy (2002): pp. 35–36. John M. Findlay and Bruce Hevly. tomic Frontier Days: Hanford and the American West. Washington: University of Washington Press, 2011. Read More