WAVERLY, Ohio — After years of concern over radioactive contamination in Pike County soil and waterways, newly released testing results show detectable levels of multiple radionuclides in local produce and fish — though health officials say calculated risks remain within federal safety thresholds.
The findings were presented as part of an addendum to the Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA), commissioned by the Pike County General Health District in partnership with the Scioto Valley Piketon Area Council of Governments. The addendum was prepared by Auxier & Associates and focuses specifically on food-chain exposure pathways, including leafy vegetables and locally caught fish. The Guardian was able to obtain detailed information presented during today’s meeting, which was limited to residents who had gardens planted on their land and were directly impacted by the results.
The expanded produce testing identified technetium-99 in 359 of 415 samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 4.59 picocuries per gram. Plutonium-239/240 was detected in 166 of 277 samples, while americium-241 and neptunium-237 were also detected in varying numbers of samples.
Technetium-99 (Tc-99) is a man-made radioactive fission product, created during the splitting of uranium atoms in nuclear reactors and weapons production. It does not occur naturally in significant amounts and is commonly associated with nuclear fuel processing activities. Tc-99 has a very long half-life of about 211,000 years, allowing it to persist in the environment for long periods. In its soluble form, it is chemically mobile in groundwater and can be absorbed by plants, making ingestion through food or water the primary health concern.
Fish tissue sampling identified one detection of plutonium-238 and eight detections of plutonium-239/240 among 21 fish tested for each isotope.
Officials said exposure point concentrations were calculated using EPA statistical software and that updated cancer risk modeling assumed annual consumption of 300 pounds of locally grown produce. Individual isotope ingestion risk estimates were presented at levels generally between 10⁻⁹ and 10⁻¹², magnitudes that fall within the Environmental Protection Agency’s acceptable lifetime cancer risk range.
Health officials also stated that transuranic concentrations measured in produce were consistent with projections made in the 2023 Human Health Risk Assessment and that earlier technetium-99 risk projections were reduced after incorporating updated data.
The findings come a year after independent testing by biochemist Dr. Michael Ketterer documented elevated neptunium-237 levels in plants and soil near waterways downstream of the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. That research confirmed radionuclide mobility through groundwater and into vegetation in the Little Beaver and Big Beaver Creek regions.
The United States Department of Energy has long maintained that technetium and other transuranic elements detected in the region are consistent with residual fallout from mid-20th century atmospheric nuclear weapons testing. However, reporting last year by the independent environmental news outlet, the Ohio Atomic Press, highlighted historical records indicating that routine venting of radioactive materials occurred during operations at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant.
The Ohio Atomic Press article title, “Midnight Rockets,” detailed what was described as routine atmospheric venting of radioactive gases from the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant during the Cold War era. Citing declassified Department of Energy contractor documents from the 1980s and 1990s, the publication reported that technetium-99 and other radionuclides were released through purge systems connected to a 164-foot exhaust stack at the facility.
The reporting also referenced federal emissions data indicating that a significant portion of airborne radioactive releases originated from purge cascade operations in the X-326 building. The Department of Energy has historically maintained that radionuclides detected in the region are consistent with legacy atmospheric weapons testing fallout, while critics argue plant-era venting may have contributed to localized contamination. Those competing narratives continue to shape the debate over environmental testing results in Pike County.
For residents within a 10- to 15-mile radius of the Piketon site, officials maintain the updated modeling does not indicate an immediate public health emergency. Environmental monitoring and risk evaluations remain ongoing.
In Pike County, where backyard gardens and creek-caught fish are common parts of life, the question of contamination has shifted from whether radionuclides moved through soil and water to whether the levels found pose a measurable health risk over time.
If you ask some residents who are battling cancer, many say they believe the risk is real.
Officials maintain that the data indicate exposure levels remain within regulatory limits. Residents, however, continue to question what those limits mean in practical terms for the food grown in their gardens and placed on their tables.