We suspect the Feds don't want to go anywhere near talking about Radiolysis at the West Lake Landfill because the situation is too uncontrolled and too complex to model with any level of certainty. At the same time, the Feds likely don't want to talk about at subject they feel might scare the bejesus out of the locals. Throw in the fact that the Fed's plan to cap the West Lake Landfill could actually greatly increase the explosion risk of radiolytic produced Hydrogen, Acetylene, Hydrogen Peroxide, Oxygen, and a host of explosive substances building up under that cap, and it is easy to see how silence is golden for them.
For those unfamiliar with Radiolysis, it is the process in which radiation striking chemical compounds changes them into other compounds. For example radiolysis can change water into Hydrogen, Oxygen and Hydrogen Peroxide (rocket fuel); It also changes Methane into Acetylene, And given that there are reports of explosive concentrations of Methane already on site, radiolysis just makes matters worse. Throw in the underground fire currently approaching the radioactive landfill, and its not hard to imagine why the Feds don't publicly discuss the risks of radiolysis at the West Lake Landfill.
More to follow regarding: The risks of explosion; and what to expect when/if and explosion/fire occurs at the West Lake nuclear dump
Sources:
Radiolysis ProcessModeling Results forScenariosPotential gas production from landfillingof inorganic wastes
Underground Radioactive Fire At Saint Louis Landfill: Airborne Readings
