Wise Uranium:
Criticality accident at Tokai nuclear fuel plant (Japan)
Last update December 21, 1999. You can find many links here to companies involved and other information resources on the accident.
Wise Tarragonna made a News Communique Edition in Spanish about the accident:
3009_99.pdf [37kB]: Accidente de criticidad en la planta de procesamiento de uranio en Tokai. Informe emitido el 30/9/99 a las 16:30:10 hora local El responsable de JCO en Tokyo ha celebrado una conferencia de prensa a las 3:15 pm del día 30 de septiembre de 1999 hora de Japón (7:15 am hora española) en la Agencia de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, organismo japonés responsable del desarrollo nuclear.
1110_99b.pdf [346kB !!]: Greenpeace demuestra que la exposición a la radiación en el accidente nuclear de Tokai es superior a la estimada por el gobierno Japonés.
You will need an PDF viewer like Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download after following this link.
The News Communique published the following articles;
521.5109; MOX program under discussion after Tokai-Mura accident. Now more than ever, the Japanese program to use MOX fuel is subject of strong criticism. Several local governors asked for suspension by least one year, of the loading of the fuel. Meanwhile, STA estimated the cumulative dose after the criti- cality accident on September 30, at a 350-meter point in the five hours before evacuation started, was above the annual limit. [November 19, 1999]
520.5100; Critical accident at Tokai plant. More sloppy work at the Tokai-Mura uranium processing plant and inadequate measures after the accident became known. The radius of the evacuation zone was decreased due to fear that panic would arise. STA had not carried out a legally- prescribed site inspection for 10 years! [October 29, 1999]
520.5101; Declining support for nuclear energy in Japan. A public opinion poll conducted last August showed that more and more people are concerned about the safety of nuclear power in Japan. Most daily papers only printed these general outcome of the survey but a more precise look at the details shows that the concern goes far beyond the superficial, general concern almost everyone has. [October 29, 1999]
519.5091: Criticality accident at Tokai nuclear fuel plant. On September 30, a criticality accident occurred at the Tokai-mura nuclear fuel plant in Japan. The plant, operated by JCO Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd., converts enriched uranium hexafluoride to uranium dioxide for use in nuclear fuel. Meanwhile, Sumitomo Metal Mining announced that it intends to totally withdraw from the nuclear fuel business. [October 15, 1999]
About an earlier incident at the same reprocessing factory;
468.4653: Explosion at PNC Tokai reprocessing plant. On 11 March, at around 8:14pm (local time), an explosion occurred at the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Tokai-mura (Ibaragi Prefecture, east Japan). It took place in a building of Bitumen Solidification Facility, where low-level liquid radioactive waste is treated. Windows and doorway shutters were blown off by the explosion. [March 14,1997]
471.4664: Follow-up Tokai-Mura and leak at Fugen ATR. After the 11 March explosion in the Japanese reprocessing plant Tokai-mura. the list of blunders grew day by day, leading to a increasing distrust by Japanese public. [April 25, 1997]
473.4687: Japan's enrichment program cut from PNC. In Japan the position of PNC (Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp.) has been heavily attacked lately by the press, the anti-nuclear movement, the nuclear utilities and government. Utilities suggested that the centrifuge development program be taken away from PNC and that it be transferred to private industry. [May 30, 1997]
490.4862: Japan's HLW disposal plan. In September 1995, the Advisory Panel for High Level Waste Disposal was set up within the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to discuss fundammental ideas and approaches on the issue of the disposal of HLW in Japan. In July 1997 a draft of its final report was published and a public participation process started. [April 24, 1998]
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