Scientists Find Radioactive Waste Barrels on the Atlantic Seafloor

Between 1949 and 1982, more than 200,000 barrels of low-level radioactive waste were dumped on the Atlantic Ocean floor. The NODSSUM project sent researchers down in the crewed submersible Nautile: many barrels are corroded and degraded, but instruments detected only localized signals of cobalt-60 and niobium-94.

• Dumping ran from 1949 to 1982, totaling over 200,000 barrels
• Many containers are corroded, with contents spilling across the seafloor
• Cobalt-60 and niobium-94 were detected, but levels stayed localized
• The barrels became artificial shelters for anemones, sponges, crabs and fish