Mayak Nuclear Waste Site

Location: Mayak, Russia
Size: N/A
Type of garbage: Nuclear waste
Health implications: Tons of nuclear waste were reportedly dumped into the nearby Techa River more than 50 years ago. Effects of exposure to nuclear waste include birth defects and cancer

Mayak, situated in western Siberia, is the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters of the Cold War era. When a nuclear storage tank exploded, 300 cubic meters of nuclear fuel escaped into the surrounding area. Greenpeace estimates that 272,000 people have been exposed to radiation. Mayak is now a nuclear reprocessing plant for spent nuclear fuel.