As we continue the ongoing assessment of the waste found at CRREL, Dartmouth EHS and our consultants at GZA Environmental discovered that a single bottle recovered during soil sampling may contain a low-level radiological component. The preliminary findings are inconclusive, so the contents of the bottle have been submitted for additional analysis. No soil or water samples—in the vicinity of the bottle or elsewhere—have shown elevated levels of radioactivity.
While the findings to date continue to indicate that there is no immediate risk, the health and safety of our community remains our top priority. Dartmouth and CRREL informed the appropriate regulatory agencies about the bottle out of an abundance of caution. We will continue to investigate, and we are developing a plan to address the situation until it is fully resolved to today’s standards for waste disposal practices. Updates and next steps will be shared as they become available.