Thorium

Thor, the Marvel Comics superhero, hammered his way into movie theaters over the weekend, saving the world, winning Natalie Portman and grossing about $66 million. Kenneth Branagh's "Thor" is based on Stan Lee's Thor, which is based on the Thor of Norse mythology — god of thunder and protector of mankind. Some pioneering scientists of the early 19th century were so taken with Thor's immortal powers that they named a radioactive element after him. Nearly two centuries later, some modern scientists, including a Nobel Prize laureate, believe thorium could play a major role in saving mankind from global warming.

Thor, the Marvel Comics superhero, hammered his way into movie theaters over the weekend, saving the world, winning Natalie Portman and grossing about $66 million. Kenneth Branagh's "Thor" is based on Stan Lee's Thor, which is based on the Thor of Norse mythology — god of thunder and protector of mankind. Some pioneering scientists of the early 19th century were so taken with Thor's immortal powers that they named a radioactive element after him. Nearly two centuries later, some modern scientists, including a Nobel Prize laureate, believe thorium could play a major role in saving mankind from global warming.

Curtis Bay Army depot passes reviewA Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector found no violations or problems during a recent surprise visit to the U.S Army General Services Depot at Curtis Bay to evaluate its storage of radioactive thorium nitrate and gave the facility a clean bill of health.The March 12 inspection was the first unannounced NRC inspection of the site in eight years, according to Congressman Wayne T. Gilchrest, who has prodded the federal agency to be more vigilant about monitoring the depot.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has cleared 31 acres off East Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie for use as a recreation complex, after a multimillion-dollar cleanup of radioactive materials stored there during World War II.The project signals the rebirth of the 84-acre site, which has been unusable since the Army abandoned it in the 1970s, leaving thorium nitrate that had leaked from storage barrels through the floors of warehouses and into the ground.The...

A long-awaited public meeting on plans to remove nuclear contamination from county-owned property on New Ordnance Road that once was part of an Army depot is scheduled for 7:30 tonight at the auditorium of North County High School in Linthicum.Radioactive thorium nitrate was discovered on the property during a May 1992 inspection. At the time, the 85-acre property was being considered as the site for a new county detention center.Thorium nitrate is an especially potent radioactive substance, and scientists have said that the levels found at the depot are high enough to pose health risks to a person who merely stands near it.Two federal agencies, the Defense Logistics Agency and the General Services Administration, have been arguing over who is responsible for the cleanup.

County and federal officials will meet with north county residents May 23 to outline plans to demolish eight buildings and remove radioactive soil from the proposed detention center site on Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie.The 85 acres of county-owned land was contaminated by radioactive thorium nitrate that was stored in the warehouses when the property was part of the U.S. Army General Services Depot at Curtis Bay. The thorium was stored in granular form that dissolved when water got into the barrels.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has cleared 31 acres off East Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie for use as a recreation complex, after a multimillion-dollar cleanup of radioactive materials stored there during World War II.The project signals the rebirth of the 84-acre site, which has been unusable since the Army abandoned it in the 1970s, leaving thorium nitrate that had leaked from storage barrels through the floors of warehouses and into the ground.The...

A state senator wants the county to sell a former Army depot near Curtis Bay back to the federal government and use the money to build schools.State Sen. Philip C. Jimeno, whose North County district includes the site on New Ordnance Road, said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's findings last year that the depot is contaminated by excessive levels of radioactive thorium nitrate has exposed the county to unknown legal and financial obligations.The Democratic lawmaker also told County Executive Robert R. Neall that he is concerned that the county no longer intends to use the property for economic development.

Anne Arundel County cleared a major hurdle on its way to building a new jail in Glen Burnie when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission confirmed that the proposed site is free of radioactive contamination.In a letter dated last Thursday and released yesterday, an NRC official said the portion of the 85-acre parcel on Ordnance Road where county officials plan to build the jail showed no evidence of radioactivity "and may be considered suitable for unrestricted use."The land never was contaminated by the radioactive thorium nitrate once stored in warehouses in another part of the property, but county officials said they wanted an official determination from the NRC that the plot was clean.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has assured Republican Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest that the former Army weapons depot on Ordnance Road, although contaminated by radioactive thorium, poses no immediate threat to public health and safety.In a letter received yesterday by the 1st District congressman's office, the NRC said contamination on the county-owned property is limited to a few areas. It cited the floors and the soil underneath or immediately adjacent to eight of the nine former warehouses.

Anne Arundel County cleared a major hurdle on its way to building a new jail in Glen Burnie when the Nuclear Regulatory Commission confirmed that the proposed site is free of radioactive contamination.In a letter dated last Thursday and released yesterday, an NRC official said the portion of the 85-acre parcel on Ordnance Road where county officials plan to build the jail showed no evidence of radioactivity "and may be considered suitable for unrestricted use."The land never was contaminated by the radioactive thorium nitrate once stored in warehouses in another part of the property, but county officials said they wanted an official determination from the NRC that the plot was clean.

Federal, state and Anne Arundel officials told about 40 North County residents last night that the removal of radioactive materials from county-owned property on Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie will begin within weeks.But many of those who gathered at the Glen Burnie High School auditorium said the answers they received did little to calm their anxieties that the cleanup would be inadequate, or that removing the contamination could be more harmful than just leaving it there.Many residents said they believe that county and federal officials involved in the cleanup of the land have not been candid with them, and they do not understand why the project is proceeding so quickly.

County and federal officials will meet with north county residents May 23 to outline plans to demolish eight buildings and remove radioactive soil from the proposed detention center site on Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie.The 85 acres of county-owned land was contaminated by radioactive thorium nitrate that was stored in the warehouses when the property was part of the U.S. Army General Services Depot at Curtis Bay. The thorium was stored in granular form that dissolved when water got into the barrels.

The crowd of 200 people scattered throughout the Glen Burnie High School auditorium last night may have seemed small compared with those of more than 1,000 that packed previous hearings on the controversial search for site for an additional county jail facility.But the crowd was no less passionate than the others.The residents of Annapolis, North County and Crownsville applauded their supporters and hooted opponents during a County Council hearing last night on two competing jail-site resolutions.

State legislators representing Pasadena denounced a County Council bill yesterday that would use money once earmarked for the Lake Shore Athletic Complex to pay for asbestos removal and demolition of abandoned warehouses on county-owned property on Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie.The District 31 delegation -- Sen. Philip C. Jimeno and Dels. Joan Cadden, W. Ray Huff and Charles W. Kolodziejski -- wrote to County Council Chairman Edward Middlebrooks opposing the transfer of $330,000 left over from the project.

Cleanup of nuclear contamination at a former Army depot on Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie is to begin this spring, about a month after a public hearing on plans for the work, federal officials said yesterday.The schedule was set up during a meeting of officials of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Defense Logistics Agency and Anne Arundel County, and representatives of two contractors who will do the cleanup work.The meeting at the U.S. Army General Services Depot in Curtis Bay was scheduled to coordinate the various agencies and contractors involved in the removal of asbestos and thorium nitrate from nine warehouses on the 85-acre tract.

Federal, state and Anne Arundel officials told about 40 North County residents last night that the removal of radioactive materials from county-owned property on Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie will begin within weeks.But many of those who gathered at the Glen Burnie High School auditorium said the answers they received did little to calm their anxieties that the cleanup would be inadequate, or that removing the contamination could be more harmful than just leaving it there.Many residents said they believe that county and federal officials involved in the cleanup of the land have not been candid with them, and they do not understand why the project is proceeding so quickly.

The site on New Ordnance Road in Glen Burnie that was favored by County Executive Robert R. Neall for a new jail is contaminated with radioactive material, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.In a Nov. 9 letter to the state Department of Environment, NRC officials said "radioactive thorium contamination exists on the property and in the buildings at a level that appears to exceed the NRC's current criteria" for general use.The survey would appear to end consideration of the New Ordnance Road site for the $80 million, 650-bed detention center.

Cleanup of a radioactive material at a former Army depot in Glen Burnie will not begin until after the New Year, more than six months later than previously anticipated, an official with the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency said yesterday.Federal officials still are reviewing the rough draft of a plan to remove soil contaminated with thorium nitrate, a granular material used by some types of nuclear reactors, from the 85-acre site on New Ordnance Road with an eye toward lowering the cost to Anne Arundel County and federal governments, said Kevin Reilly, project manager for the Defense Logistics Agency.

A long-awaited public meeting on plans to remove nuclear contamination from county-owned property on New Ordnance Road that once was part of an Army depot is scheduled for 7:30 tonight at the auditorium of North County High School in Linthicum.Radioactive thorium nitrate was discovered on the property during a May 1992 inspection. At the time, the 85-acre property was being considered as the site for a new county detention center.Thorium nitrate is an especially potent radioactive substance, and scientists have said that the levels found at the depot are high enough to pose health risks to a person who merely stands near it.Two federal agencies, the Defense Logistics Agency and the General Services Administration, have been arguing over who is responsible for the cleanup.