How the wrong cat litter took down a nuclear waste repository
Missing from this article is the most fascinating thing about this story- why someone thought it was a good idea to make the cat litter substitution that made this whole mess possible.<p>In Los Alamos, those charged with repackaging the waste were hearing a speech by an expert on the matter.  The expert warned they should be using &quot;INorganic cat litter&quot;, which they already were.  What a member of the group heard was &quot;AN organic cat litter&quot;.<p>The two look very different in print, but when spoken, they&#x27;re often indistinguishable to a non-chemist.  When the discussion made its way to memos and emails, the die was cast.