AT Y-12, GETTING READY FOR THE BIG ONE. “There are eight operating procedures for the B53 dismantlement, according to the board memo. Based on the memo’s description, the procedures are apparently pretty complicated. According to the report, ‘one of the procedures includes 94 up-front precautions and another includes 53 up-front precautions and limitations.'” Be careful guys — I’m not sure I live 9 megatons away. . . .

UPDATE: Reader Sherard Anderson writes: “As a long time nuclear professional (commercial electricity division) I can tell you that the article should not be poo-pooing the Precautions and Limitations. These are THE most important parts of the procedure. The step by step instructions are important, but anything that could go wrong is addressed up front by the P&L. So there are 94 of them in one procedure. Probably because there is a lot of uncertainty regarding something designed in the 1950s that will be dismantled by people whose parents might not have even been born yet and that is wildly dangerous. If any of the people working to dismantle the B53 were to read this, my advice would be “Pay VERY close attention to those precautions and limitations”. For example, there will probably be one that addressing the area radiation monitors during the dismantling, with a radiation reading that will require them to stop work. Yeah, if that happens – DO IT.”