[Ditto]

Just because radiation readings go off the chart does not mean its weapons-grade stuff.

Possibly, if they are very sloppy people. But if they were running a legit program such as making colbalt sources for medical or industrial imaging purposes, the area would be a lot cleaner. If they were reprocessing spent fuel for Pu extraction, they would generate lots of very high level byproducts that would send readings "off the chart".

[Robert A Cook PE]

Legot uses (Co 60 for medicine) would require ONE ROOM for storage, dry, with NO WASTE WATER DRUMS. The Co is highly radioactive; very, very little else is.

Only minor waste like survey papers, filters, rags, uniforms, masks ... Simple low-level wastes.