Leaks caused by bacteria? Corrosion and pinhole leaks in the pipes of the Essential Service Water (ESW) system at the River Bend reactor in Louisiana (115) are being analyzed following efforts to stop the buildup of cobalt-60 from the plant's components. The only function of the four miles of ESW pipes is to cool 21 major components in the plant. Nuclear Regulatory Commission documents suggest that sulfates in the shallow well water used in the system may have established bacteria in the pipes that contribute to corrosion. Atoms & Waste (US), 17 Apr. 1991, p.7
Hospital accident/Spain. Events surrounding the accident which caused overexposure to 27 cancer patients at a hospital radiotherapy unit in Spain are slowly being understood (see NC 351, Accidents in Brief, p.2). Three of the patients at University Hospital in Zaragoza were dead by the end of February and all the others were said to be likely to die. By the end of March seven more patients were dead. The malfunctioning unit, the linear electron accelerator, is manufactured by General Electric. Similar accidents involving the same equip-ment occurred in Marietta, Georgia in 1985, Tyler, Texas in 1986, and in Exeter, England in 1988, though no deaths were reported in these cases. Other incidents involving one version of the machine, called Therac-25, have been reported in Canada. The Spanish government has been withholding most of the evidence f or months. The excessive doses have been attributed variously to a mathematical error made by a physician and to malfunctioning computer software. Atoms & Waste (US), 17 Apr. 1991, p.11
Blocked valves discovered at French N-plants. The discovery of blocked valves in backup cooling systems at seven of EdF's nuclear plants has been classed as a "Level 2 incident" by the Central de Surete des Installations (SCSIN). (The backup cooling system is used to draw down the temperature of the primary cooling system during a reactor halt.) The problem was first revealed at reactor 6 at the Gravelines nuclear station at the beginning of March when six blocked valves were discovered during preventive maintenance. EdF went on to check similar cooling systems in its 900 or 1300 MW plants and found a further 28 valves blocked at six other plants. All the blocked valves appeared to have been in-operable since their installation. According to SCSIN the blocked valves could have prevented the backup system from cooling the primary system sufficiently in the case of an emergency shutdown. Power in Europe (UK), 14 Mar. 1991, p.8
Cogema to shut down all U-mining in Limoges area until 1995. France's uranium supplier COGEMA plans to shut down all facilities in its main uranium mining area in France: the uranium mines and mills near Lirnoges used to supply 40% of France's domestic uranium production! Because of the low price of uranium on the world market, the mines caused losses of 500 million francs in 1990. Only the uranium deposit in the Herault area will be mined out further. Zeitung für Kommunale Wirtschaft (FRG), May 1991
Iodide tablets distributed. Amid rising fears about the safety of the Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear plant in Czecho-Slovakia, which is one of Central Europe's biggest nuclear power stations, pharmacies in not only Czecho-Slovakia, but Austria as well, are to distribute potassium iodide tablets to help protect their populations in event of a nuclear accident there. The Austrian health ministry said the tablets, a precaution against radiation induced thyroid cancer, would be available free of charge to children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. The station is only 35 miles from Austria's northern border. Czecho-Slovakia has already begun providing the pills within a 20-mile radius of the station. While a 1978 public referendum banned the use of nuclear power stations in Austria, Czecho-Slovakia depends on them for a quarter of its electricity. Anumukti (India), Feb/Mar 1991
New Chernobyl trial. Almost five years after the accident at Chernobyl, some of the officials responsible for systematically underestimating and giving misleading information on the consequences were brought to trial. According to the Soviet news agency Tass, the law suit was set in motion only after numerous appeals from parliamentarians and the publication of a number of critical newspaper articles. "After the accident, officials did not evacuate inhabitants of contaminated areas, ignored data about the radioactivity levels and did not act according to the health regulations during the removal of radioactive waste," reported Tass. "In precipitated decisions, new settlements were planned and built in areas which were also highly contaminated. Agricultural produce from contaminated areas were not sufficiently controlled. Nuclear power workers and auxiliary troops were exposed to high radiation levels during decontamination work." taz (FRG), 9 Feb. 1991
Reports from Kiev: 1) Vladimir Boreiko, director of the Independent Ecologo-Cultural center in Kiev (established in August 1989) reports that the background levels of radiation in Kiev are 1.5 to 2 times higher in every 10th apartment in the city. One of the reasons for this increase in radiation is speculated to be the illegal import and "black market" sales of goods from Chernobyl-contaminated areas. 2) The natural population growth in Kiev is four times less than it was two years ago. At present, the level of this demographic parameter is the lowest it has been during the whole period of observation. According to official data for only the last two years, the birth rate in the city decreased by 12%, while the death rate increased by 5%. Experts in demography think that this phenomenon is due to the critical state of social/economic and natural environment in the city. Komsomol'skaya Pravda (USSR), 26 Mar. 1991
Moscow a nuclear-free zone? According to a decision by the Moscow Soviet's Presidium (11 Mar. 1991), all nine of the operating nuclear reactors in the Soviet capital will be shut down. Seven of the reactors belong to the Kurchatov Research Institute. Sounds nice, but unfortunately the timeline makes the decision almost a joke. The reactors will be "gradually" closed, with the final closure set for before July 1999. The Moscow Soviet has, however, appealed to the governments of the USSR and the Russian Federation to at least stop one of the Kurchatov research reactors sometime this year. The reactor in question is a 20-year- old 40 MW reactor which has been the subject of increasing contro-versy over the last year because of "dramatic lapses in safety" (see WISE NC 339.3385). In the meantime, the owners of the operating reactors are obliged to present plans for taking measures to protect the local populace from possible nuclear accidents not later than the first half of 1991. Komsomol'skaya Pravda (USSR), 12 Mar. 1991
Generic problem at French reactors. A generic "anomaly" (an abnormality or irregularity, which is what the nuke industry calls incidents at reactors that they classify as "Level 1" on their "nu-clear events severity scale") was discovered in the design of flexible supports for steam generator emer-gency feedwater pumps at all EdFs 900 MW reactors with the exceptions of Fessenheim and Bugey. It was found during a study of a planned system backfit that the supports were not sufficiently earthquake- resistant (even by EdF standards) and that their motion during an earthquake could damage system piping. To try to deal with the problem, EdF decided to install horizontal seismic blocks at all such units. The first was installed on Blayais-4 in February. Nucleonics Week (US), 15 Apr. 1991
NACE shut down struggle. In the continuing campaign by Native Americans for a Clean Environment (NACE) to shut down the Sequoyah Fuels uranium processing plant in Gore, the state of Oklahoma has joined the lawsuit against the plant Another co-plaintiff is the Cherokee Nation, whose capital is in nearby Tahlequah. The case against the plant, which is being handled by Washington attorney Diane Curran, was also presented at the Bertrand Russell Tribunal at Yale University on Chernobyl Day. The theme of the 1991 Tribunal is "Industrial Hazards and Human Rights". Contact: NACE, Box 40, Marble City, OK 74945, US. Atoms & Waste (US), 17 April 1991, p.8
Nuclear rockets over Antarctica? The US would like to test a nuclear-powered rocket by flying it over Antarctica. An accident during such a flight could send a nuclear reactor crashing into New Zealand, according to Pentagon documents released by the Washington-based Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The documents describe a classified military pro-gram code-named Timberwind which is being conducted by the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) operation within the Pentagon. One nuclear engineer familiar with the SDI project said the Pentagon classified its program to free it from congressional inspection and to win funding. Steven Aftergood, an analyst with the FAS, disclosed the existence of Timberwind. He estimates it has been active for several years and has cost the Pentagon tens of millions of dollars'. The SDI office wouldn't comment on the program or the cost estimates. The Timber-wind project includes, along with the test flight, a test facility to be built at the Nevada Test Site. To date New Zealand's National government Minister of External Relations and Trade, Don McKinnon, has made only the mildest possible response to the report. McKinnon is quoted in the New Zealand Herald: "It is far too soon to start con- eluding that we are looking at anything outside the normal pattern of space research and testing, or that any new elements of risk are involved." He added that further enquiries were being made. Even though the program is still young and years away from completion, US and New Zealand groups are following reports to see that it does not go beyond the fantasy stage. New Scientist, 13 Apr. 1991, p.12; New York Times (via GreenNet, nuc. facilities, gn topics 39 and 41, 10 Apr. 1991); GreenNet, sci.environment, gn topic 200, 3 Apr. 1991
Great Lakes nuclear hot-spots map, produced by the Nuclear Awareness Project, Ontario, Canada. An attractive 17 inch by 22 inch 3-color poster, featuring the location of uranium mines, uranium refineries, nuclear reactors and nuclear waste sites on both sides of the Great Lakes. Copies available for Cdn$5.00 including postage and handling-prepaid orders preferred.
Make checks payable to Nuclear Awareness Project and send to Box 2331 Oshawa, ON L1H 7V4 Canada; phone/fax: 416-725-1565.
Conference on low-dose radiation A seminar on medical aspects of low-dose radiation will be held in Leningrad, USSR, 4-6 October 1991. The seminar is being organized by the Raoul Wallenberg Medical Center in Leningrad and SOS Chernobyl in Stockholm. Both organizations are trying to deal with the radiation effects on children in the Soviet Union after the Chernobyl disaster. There is a desperate need for international cooperation, both humanitarian and scientific. The main topics of the seminar are: the current state of low-dose radiation research in the Soviet Union and abroad; the possibility of creating an independent research network for information on low-dose radiation; and a discussion on the possibility of a world conference in 1992. Several notable Soviet scientists will participate, including professors A. Zaichick, I.M. Godkov, E.F. Konopwa, E.B. Borlakova, I.I. Pjelvina, L.A. Iljin, B.A. Kniechnikov, J.I. Zshwarts, K.P. Hansson, and member of the Academy of Science Professor D.M. Grodzinsky.
The cost for hotel and food will be US$120 per day. At the present time no funding is available to subsidize travel or room and board at the conference. Assistance can be given to anyone wanting to prolong their visit beyond the time of the conference, and, for example, visit affected areas in Byelorussia and the Ukraine.
Applications to give a lecture at the conference are welcome.
Source and contact: SOS Chernobyl, Kungsgatan 80 2tr, S-112 27 Stock-holm, Sweden; tel: 46-8-60 42 142; fax: c/o 46-8-64 22 829.
The following letter was passed on to us by Danielle Grunberg, coordinator of Stop Hinkley Expansion (SHE) in the UK. It was sent to her in response to the piece in WISE News Communique 346 about Canadian environmental groups demanding a stop to a loan requested of the Canadian government by the Rumanian government to be used to finance the completion of the five CANDU reactors at Cernavoda. The loan is currently being considered by Canada's energy minister, Jake Epp.
LOCAL OR GLOBAL?
Rumania is going through a serious energy crisis, intensified dramatically by the latest developments in the Gulf.
In these circumstances, segments of the governments in the developed countries are pushing for investments in nuclear energy in Rumania.
This actual government (Rumania) cannot accept any other solution in this situation than to continue the construction of the nuclear plant of Cernavoda.
The population does not have the minimum amount of knowledge and information necessary to alert them and to form opposition to the nuclearization of the country.
The serious accident at Chernobyl was never commented upon by Ceausescu and the Rumanians only learned about it much later, and to a much lesser extent, than the Americans living at much the other side of the World.
The precariousness of the economic situation as a whole, the use of old fashioned technologies, which are the big consumers of energy, in branches of industry such as iron works, aluminum metallurgy, chemical synthesis and the construction industry, is continuously enlarging the energy crisis, raising the prices of electricity, natural gas, coal, coke and petrol to very high levels.
In the circumstances, the efforts of the governments of developed countries, where the Greens are strong and have generated the resistance of the populace in regard to polluting industries, to relocate these industries to East European countries are becoming more visible.
The mechanism of "supply and demand" manipulated with intelligence and the "disinterested" aid in developing polluting industry or to overhaul those that already exist, make this relocation possible. There are two examples:
The French metallurgy group USINOR-SACILOR proposes, for future environmental policy, the partial delocalization (redirection) of iron works activities towards the new industrial countries.
Japan has published a prospectus for presentation to the international markets which would result in Japanese imports from East European countries of: aluminum and aluminum products, copper, bars, plates and rods of steel, potassium fertilizer, chemical products and food products.
The ecologists of the advanced countries are conscious of the serious environmental situation in the ex-socialist countries. I think they are conscious of the fact that ecology isn't (only) a national problem and consider it their task to help the young ecologists of these countries to rehabilitate the environmental balance.
The WISE Communique in its number 346 (8 Feb. 1991) published the demand by nine Canadian environ-mental organizations that their government stop cooperation with Rumania on construction of the five reactors at Cernavoda.
So, the ecologists of faraway Canada are trying to reduce the nuclear danger on a planetary level by protecting poor Rumania.
And here we have a good example for the Greens of Europe who also can intervene with their governments to renounce what we call DELOCALIZATION (relocation) of their polluting industries to the poor countries, such as Rumania, because this can't resolve the environmental problems of a united Europe.
After 45 years of terror in the name of good intentions, the people of the ex-socialist countries mistrust the good ecological intentions no matter where they come from. So I think that the ecological organizations of Canada could have tried to make the nuclear risks known to the Rumanian people through contacts with Rumanian ecologists, if not before they addressed their request to the Canadian government, at least at the same time. Do not consider this as a critique, but as an invitation to cooperation and dialogue, which seems very necessary at this moment.
Ion Zamfir
25 February 1991
Editor's Note: We are running this letter because we think it has some very important points to make in terms of what it means to work across national boundaries, especially under present circumstances. But we would like to point out, too, that in fact several of the Canadian groups mentioned in the article (WISE NC 346.3457) have been making efforts to get in touch with Rumanian ecological groups for some time - not just to inform them of the risks, but to discuss strategy regarding the Cernavoda problem as well. Unfortunately, this has been very difficult, because of all the recent political upheavals, etc. The problem has been increased by the fact that many of the groups and individuals who have been able to come into contact with western ecological groups do not wish to be identified and the ones that are willing to be identified often tend to be official, government-related organizations. This is becoming less and less of a problem in Eastern Europe in general, but remains true in our experience with Rumania so far, as well as in many other countries, such as South Korea, where Canadian groups have also been trying to develop contacts (CANDUs are also being promoted there). So, for those of you who are reading this in either Rumania or South Korea, or who have contacts in those countries who are willing and able to work with western ecologists, please contact the folks at the Canadian addresses listed below.
Contacts: Ion Zamfir (MER), Str. Siderurgistilor, bloc SD/4 ap.12, Galati-6200, Rumania.
Nuclear Awareness Project, 730 Bathurst St., Toronto, Ontario M5S 2R4, Canada. Energy Probe, 225 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 11.5, Canada, tel: (416) 978-7014.
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