“While the footprint of the (radiologically impacted material) has changed … there’s still no significant health risk posed by the radioactive waste at the West Lake Landfill,” Brad Vann, the EPA official overseeing the West Lake project, said during a call with reporters. “The health risk for both on-site workers and those off site hasn’t changed.”

The waste is in similar concentrations to what has already been identified in the landfill, the EPA said. And it’s not the first EPA investigation to identify radiological contamination beyond the chain-link fence surrounding West Lake.

The newly discovered material beyond the fence is well below the surface, Vann said, posing little risk for exposure. Landfill owner Republic Services still operates a waste transfer station near some of the contamination, but the general public isn’t allowed to access the site. Procedures are in place to protect workers, Vann said.