Radioactive waste found in deep Atlantic

More than 200,000 drums of radioactive waste lie at the bottom of the North-East Atlantic, according to a report by Science et vie. In May 2026, the CNRS sent the submersible Nautile to inspect the waste buried at 4,700 meters depth.

Drums have been resting since the 1950s

The drums have been resting there since the 1950s, and some have ruptured, releasing their contents onto the sediments. Measured radioactivity remains low but exceeds expected levels, and researchers are investigating whether the abyssal fauna is affected.

European countries disposed of waste in the ocean

Between 1949 and 1990, several European countries submerged containers filled with radioactive materials in the abyssal plains. The United Kingdom conducted the majority of these operations, with Belgium and France following.

Waste was buried in international waters

In total, fourteen countries participated in these disposals in different oceans. The main area covers approximately 14,500 km² in international waters, between 3,000 and 5,000 meters depth. The materials were trapped in a matrix of concrete or bitumen before submersion.

Original plan relied on time and dilution

These metal cylinders were supposed to provide containment for about twenty years. The natural decay of isotopes was expected to neutralize the radioactivity, a strategy based on time. No one anticipated retrieving the barrels once they were placed on the seafloor.

Ocean dumping stopped in 1993

Adopted in 1972, the London Convention gradually restricted ocean disposals. The practice ceased in 1993. The drums had been resting on the seafloor without any monitoring for decades, and no monitoring program had accompanied the deep-water disposal operations.