00:00Is there a nuclear ticking time bomb in the Pacific Ocean?
00:03A concrete dome built to contain masses of radioactive waste is already showing signs
00:08of wear and tear.
00:09The Runet Dome contains more than 120,000 tons of radioactive soil and debris, including
00:15lethal quantities of plutonium.
00:17The isotope plutonium-239 is a radioactive element used in nuclear weapons that remains
00:22dangerous for more than 24,000 years, according to ABC in Australia.
00:27The problem is, concrete doesn't last that long.
00:30Groundwater has got in and is soaking the radioactive waste with the daily rise and fall of the
00:35tide, according to ZME Science.
00:37That's letting contaminated waste wash into the nearby lagoon, which people regularly use.
00:43Runet Island itself is uninhabited, but about 300 people live on the surrounding atoll.
00:48The Runet Dome is only 20 miles from the nearest human population.
00:52Many fear that if the dome deteriorates, radioactive waste could contaminate the ocean and displace
00:58hundreds of people.
