An expedition to inspect cracks in a dome covering nuclear waste in the Marshall Islands has found no significant surface leaks of radioactive material.
The Runit Dome was constructed on Marshall Islands Enewetak Atoll in 1979 to temporarily store radioactive waste produced from nuclear testing by the US military during the 1950s and 1960s. Photo: Supplied
The Runit Dome was constructed in 1979 to temporarily store radioactive waste produced from nuclear testing by the United States military during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Marshallese community raised concerns over damage to the dome after Typhoon Nangka hit in July causing significant damage to homes and infrastructure on the atoll.
Our correspondent, Giff Johnson says the team surveying the dome found the cracks have been developing over time.
"One basic surface geiger counter type check of radiation showed nothing above background on the surface of the dome and that there was actually not any damage to the dome."
Giff Johnson says the bigger risk is the potential for waste to leak from underneath the dome into sediment that could be spread throughout the islands in future storms.
