officials are taking no chances. they are deploying dozens of air monitors all over this state. and the feds havflown in a plane that takes instant radiation samples. some are worried not just about the barrels of nuclear waste stored at the lab -- >> two, one. >> reporter: but what's in the canyons that surround the sprawling complex. so-called legacy contamination. from nuclear tests dating back to the 1940s. >> the trees have grown up during that time frame. and the soils could also be contaminined. if they get heated and that stuff goes airborne then we are concerned about that. >> reporter: the canyons were dumping grounds for radioactive material decades ago but are now open to the public and considered safe. still, a nuclear scientist armed with a geiger counter made this youtube video in one of those canyons. >> there is no shortage of metal, no shortage of radioactivity. >> reporter: much of this area burned back in 2000, and no higher levels of radiation were detected then. everyone here is hoping the same holds true this time.