Re: Water and the lack of it

D Mac wrote:

no_name wrote:

D Mac wrote:


no_name wrote:


Alan Browne wrote:


It is one area where even the staunchest environmentalists are
beginning to have second thoughts. After all there has been
little pollution and very few deaths from nuclear when compared
to oil.

Well, ... if you don't count downwind from Chernobyl:

http://www.time.com/time/daily/chernobyl/maps.html


Certainly there is no forgiving the horrible consequences abuse of
power, neglect and ignorance of safety issues that were occurring
before the fall of the Soviet Union. Alan is talking about a
managed program in a capitalist country where non performance like
happened at Chernobyl would mean financial loss.

Managed you say? Like say Exxon Valdeze, or Enron ...


These were shipping disasters, not Nuclear.



Ok, so let's go nuclear ... here's just a sample of how our capitalist countries have managed.

Notice that some names pop up again and again.

In general, I've excluded military accidents, the odd h-bomb lost, broken or dropped where it wasn't intended. I have included accidents involving plants that manufacture weapons or weapons components that resulted in contamination of innocent civilians.

By pure blind dumb luck, not all of these involved radiation being released, but all of them have indeed meant financial loss ... although it's not always the culpable party who suffered that loss.

Pretty much, I don't include all the accidental shutdowns, cracks & leaks that stayed inside the plant, etc.

[My additional comments in square brackets]



1952, 12th December - NRX CHALK RIVER, CANADA

First major reactor accident. Human error. Technician opened three or four valves and the resultant heat release melted some of the uranium fuel and boiled some of the coolant. The reactor core was nearly demolished by the explosions and much radioactivity was emitted. (Sources: Penelope Coleing for M.A.U.M./S. Novick. The Careless Atom, Delta books, NY 1969).

[Heavy water reactor - leaked coolant into Ottawa River]

1955, November - IDAHO FALLS EBR-1, U.S.A.

The EBR-1 reactor had a partial core meltdown which destroyed it with ensuing low level contamination. (Sources: Eco, Atomic Reactor Safety Hearings, 1973 p. 56/Webb p.187)

[This was an experimental "portable" reactor being developed for the military. Setting up required the operator to lift the control rod by hand to connect it to the lift mechanism. He lifted it a little too far and the reactor went critical. Sudden pressure rise spit the control rod out, impaling the operator to the ceiling of the containment. Two other operators were killed. It took months to clean up, with workers being able to only enter the containment for 30 seconds. When they were finally able to retrieve the bodies, they along with an ambulance they were carried in had to be buried at Hannaford's radioactive waste burial site]

1957, October - WINDSCALE No 1, U.K.

Fire caused by human error and defective procedures resulted in eleven tons of uranium being ablaze, relossing a vast cloud of radio-isotopes from the melted fuel. Milk from an area of more than 500 square kilometers (approx. 2 million litres) was poured into the rivers and sea as unsafe for human consumption. Farmers were compensated by the Government, but how many people living near Windscale were affected is not known. Nor is it known how much radioactivity descended over Westmoreland and Cumberland. Local inhabitants any there is a high incidence of cancer deaths in the area, but the Government did not carry out any medical or statistical checks. Both Windscale reactors have since been filled with concrete and entombed. The radioactive cloud reached up to Denmark. In London, 500 km from Windscale the radioactivity reached 20 times the normal level. Report of enquiries into safety was never published. (Sources s A. Gyorgy p.1198/S. Novick). However a previously classified report released in 1989, revealed that the Mc Millan Government invented large amounts of money to finance a concerted pro-nuclear campaign which included scientists traversing U.K., assuring people that the accident was insignificant. (W. Australian May 1989).

[Reactor design similar to Chernobyl. Similar fire, similar downwind plume]

SUPPLEMENTARY 1983, April - LONDON, U.K.

32 people died as a result of a fire at the Windscale Plant in 1957. The toll rose when the National Radiological Protection Board considered extra cases of cancer researched by a scientist who examined the effects of Polonium released in the accident. Polonium was used in atomic bombs at the time of the accident. ("West Australian" 1/4/1983)

SUPPLEMENTARY 1987, December 1987 - U.K.

Official documents about a fire at the Windscale reactor in 1957 were released. The accident was much more serious than was then admitted and it was due to defects in the organization of the British Atomic Energy Authority and in the instrumentation at Windscale. Information on the fire was ordered kept secret by Harold Mc Millan, the Conservative Prime Minister of Great Britain and has been published now under the 30-year Rule which allows formerly confidential government documents to be declassified.

Windscale (later named Sellafield) was producing Plutonium for military use. The fire broke out at one of its atomic piles -primitive reactors in which containers of uranium were irradiated to produce the Plutonium. It raged for 16 hours. The Windscale cloud contaminated large areas of Britain and Ireland, and contained more than 600 times as much radioactive iodine as was released during the Three Mile Island accident. Authorities at the time decided not to evacuate local people even though they were exposed to radiation levels 10 times the allowed LIFETIME dose - within a matter hours. The only one safeguard taken to health was the destruction of two million litres of contaminated milk from farms around Windscale. However, it has now been revealed that milk with contamination up to three times the official danger limit was released for human consumption. ("Swedish News Service", "Financial Times" 2 Jan. 1988, "Observer" (U.K.) 3 Jan 1988, "Daily Telegraph" (U.K.) 2 Jan 1988, "Guardian" (U.K.) 4 Jan 1988, WISE 285.

1958 - CHALK RIVER, CANADA MRU

Irradiated fuel element broke and plant caught fire. Two months of intense contamination followed. 400,000 square metres around the building were contaminated. (sources: "Accidents, Near Accidents And Leaks in the Nuclear Industry", Penelope Coleing for Sydney M.A.U.M.; Jean Geue A.A.B.C. "Les Amis de la Terre" L'escroquerie nucleaire. Stock 1978 France.)

1964, February - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Leak of radioactive waste. (Charles Wakstein "The Myth of Nuclear Safety" The Ecologist, July 1977).

1964 - SHIPPING PORT, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A.

Inadequately designed new steam generators were installed but the pipes to them could not carry the new load. As a result "hangers" were installed to hold the pipes. The hangers broke and fortunately a worker noticed the sagging pipes. If he had not and the reactor had started operation the worst loss of coolant (L.O.C.A.) would have occurred. (N. Thieberger, p.2; Webb, R.E. p.192).

1966 - 5th October - LAGOONA BEACH, ENRICO FERMI (FAST BREEDER) REACTOR, MICHIGAN, U.S.A.

Partial meltdown. Reactor successfully shut down. It took 1-1/2 years to work out the cause of the accident. Several pieces of *** metal had broken off the bottom of the reactor vessel and were swept up in the coolant flow, causing a blockage. The reactor had been operating at 15% of full power and was afterwards de-commissioned. Four million people lived within a mile of the site. ("Les Amis de la Terre"; Penelope Coleing for M.A.U.M., Jean Geue A.A.E.C.)

[Major accident narrowly averted. Plant located 30 miles from Detroit. The reactor coolant was liquid sodium metal. Leaked coolant would have caused a fire that could not be put out by the local fire department]


1967, January - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Leak of radioactive waste at Windscale after tank overflowed and contaminated beach. (Wakstein, May 1977; Nucleus - 25th July 1979, p.11)

1968 - ELK RIVER, U.S.A.

Emission of high levels of radioactivity from leak in primary circuit. Reactor had to be closed down. ("Contingency Plan")

1968 - LA CROSSE, U.S.A.

Failure to control system. Reactor had to be closed down. (Source: "Contingency Plan")

1968, February - SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.

Major cable fire. Failure to shutdown equipment at Edison's San Onofre Plant - (a Westinghouse operation). (Penelope Coleing for M.A.U.M.)

1968, March - SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A.

Another major cable fire. Shutdown equipment at Edison's San Onofre Plant failed. (n. Thieberger)

1969, March - U.S.A.

Three uranium hexaflouoride shipments lost in transit in U.S. (Nucleus 25/7/79)

[This is the stuff you "enrich" in gas centrifuges]

1969, 10th April - U.S.A.

An 8,500 lb. shipment of enriched uranium in transit from Goodyear Atomic Corp. to New York turned up in Cleveland, Ohio. (Nucleus -25/7/1979)

1969, July - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Leak of plutonium at Windscale reprocessing plant. Beaches contaminated. Not made public until 1974. (Nucleus - 25th July, 1979)

1970 - WINDSCALE. U.K.

Criticality accident. Uncontrolled release of radiation caused by neglect of an accumulation of plutonium in a vessel. Engineers did not know there was any plutonium residue in the vessel as the reactor did not feature the necessary neutron monitoring devices. (Sources: C. Wakstein, P.212)

1970, 5th June - INDIAN POINT, NY, U.S.A.

Reactor had a major plumbing problem which required the use of 700 men (for a few minutes each) over a 7 month period to weld in the radioactive area. ("Les Amis de la Terre"; "L`Escroquerie Nucleaire").

1970, 5th June - DRESDEN 2, ILLINOIS, U.S.A.

A spurious signal started off an incredible series of mistakes by both technicians and equipment. The reactor was out of control for 2 hours, pressure built up inside until it released radioactive iodine 131 to 100 times the safe limit to the dry well. Kendall Maglever preliminary review of the A.E.C. reactor safety study. According to Dr. STERNGLASS of the University of Pittsburgh, 2,500 babies would die because their parents lived downwind of the plant. (Work Circle Environmental Protection; Jean Geue A.A.E.C; Thieberger p.4)

1970 - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Uncontrolled radiation release follows failure to observe safety procedures. Negligence blamed as plutonium accumulated in vessel. (Wakestein - "The Myth of Nuclear Safety" -The Ecologist - July, 1977)

1970, 30th September - HANFORD, WA, U.S.A.

A loss of coolant automatically started the primary SCRAM system (SCRAM is the rapid reinsertion of control rods). The system failed due to a short circuit. The backup SCRAM system worked. General Electric calculated that the probability of a failure in SCRAM was one in ten billion; the actual rate so far has been one in ten thousand. Past accidents at Hanford occurred on 3rd October, 1954, 4th January 1955, and 6th January 1966. (Jean Geue A.A.E.C; Webb, R.E. p.192-193)

1971, August - VERMONT YANKEE, U.S.A.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (1974) quoted the following incident: "In August, 1971, an intruder penetrated past guard towers and fences to enter the grounds of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant at Vernon, Vermont". (Nucleus, 25th July, 1979)

1971, 19th November - MINNESOTA, U.S.A.

Reactor's waste storage space being filled, company began spilling radioactive waste into Mississippi River. By 21st November about 50,000 gallons of wastes had been dumped into the river and some were sucked into the domestic water intake for St. Paul. ("Record on Nuclear Safety", Saskatchewan Coalition Against Nuclear Development in Gyory, A., et al Op.Cit. p.120)

1971, December - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Radioactive wastes released into the sea - equivalent to 200,000 curies, 16 times the predicted levels. (Nucleus, 26th July, 1977)

1972, 8th March - INDIAN POINT, NY, U.S.A.

Pressures in the primary cooling circuit increased by 30%. Water released subsequently killed 150,000 fish in the Hudson River. Studies in the U.S. have found that there is a slight increase in radiation levels in rabbits and fish around all sites in the U.S. ("New York Times" - 16th June, 1974)

1972, September - MILLSTONE 1 REACTOR, U.S.A.

The 40,000 condenser tubes which were made of aluminum alloy corroded, allowing sea water into the cooling system. (Jean Geue A.A.E.C.) "Boston Globe" - 14th October, 1974).

1972, 23rd November - TENNESSEE, U.S.A.

A hi-lacked DC-9 circled Oak Ridge nuclear installation for 2 hours. Hi-jackers demanded $10 million. Oak Ridge was shut down and most staff evacuated. Hi-jackers demands were met and they flew to Cuba. (Thieberger p.6; Nucleus - 25/7/79)

1973, 15th January - VERMONT YANKEE, U.S.A.

Vermont Yankee reactor emitted 100 times the safe limit of radiation caused by cracks in tubes carrying radioactive material. At one stage Vermont Yankee's plant control rods were put upside down and the plant later started operating with the lid off the pressure vessel. ("Times Record" - 23rd April, 1974).

1973, 17th April - MILLSTONE 1, CONN., U.S.A.

Numerous cracks were discovered in the pipes of the cooling system. Radioactive mist escaped and activated radiation alarms on nuclear submarines docked at Waterford. ("Wall Street Journal" 3/5/1973)

1973, 20th April- HANFORD, WA., U.S.A.

100,000,000 gallons of atomic wastes stored in containers whose life is 30-40 years. A leak was discovered on 20th April, but wastes were still poured into the tanks, resulting in a leakage of 115,000 gallons before 8th June, when pouring stopped. Geologists point out that the area has been under water at least 4 times in the last 40,000 years, the last time being 14,000 years ago. (Work Circle Environ. Protection; Penelope Coleing)

1973, June - HANFORD, WA. U.S.A.

A further 460,000 litres of radioactive liquid spread on the ground surrounding the reprocessing plant. ("Los Angeles Times" -5th July, 1973)

1973 - NEW JERSEY U.S.A.

EDWARD GLOSSON, a New Jersey truck dock worker, accidentally spilled plutonium on himself while handling a leaking box of liquid waste in 1963. Four years later his hand, then his arm and shoulder were amputated because of a rare form of cancer from which he died in 1973, aged 39. The company responsible refused to pay him compensation before he died. (Nucleus 25/7/79; Thieberger.7).

1973, September - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Radiation leak in the reprocessing plant; 34 workers were irradiated. (Jean Geue A.A.E.C.) Head and plant at reprocessing facility went abruptly and alarmingly out of service when an accident occurred involving the inadvertent attempt to fill a vessel already containing highly active residues. (Ian Breach, Windscale Fallout, p.37)

1973, 22nd October - SAN ONOFRE, CA., U.S.A.

Malfunction of turbine generator led to shutdown of reactor. Increased vibration led operators to shut down faster than normal, causing overheating; this in turn activated the primary coolant system which caused a drop in pressure, normally indicating a blocked coolant pipe. The emergency system cut in and flooded the reactor with cooling water which hit the valves with too much force since the coolant was already there; pipes broke and six months were needed to repair the damage. ("The Observer", 2nd October, 1973)

1973, 14th December - HANFORD, U.S.A.

35,000 litres of radioactive waste leak. Jack-rabbits in the area excrete radioactive "hot" pellets and coyotes which eat the rabbits die of radiation poisoning. By the end of 1977 half of a million gallons of wastes had leaked from Hanford site. (Les Amis de la Terre.)

1974 - KERR McGEE NUCLEAR PLANT, NEW YORK, U.S.A.

Woman contaminated by plutonium. Karen Silkwood had gathered evidence on the unsafe working conditions at the plant and was on her way to deliver these to a newspaper reporter and a union official when she died in mysterious circumstances. ("West Australian" 22nd May, 1979; A.B.C. "Four Corners", 21st July, 1979). Subsequently Karen Silkwood's father received $1 million in settlement from the company.

1974, 14th March - HANFORD, WA., U.S.A.

Leak of 115,000 gallons of highly radioactive waste. Defective storage tank. This was the seventeenth leak at Hanford. (Nucleus, 25th July, 1979; Penelope Coleing, M.A.U.M.)

1974, 6th April - N.S.P.C., MINNESOTA, U.S.A.

Northern States Power Company reactor dumped 10,000 gallons of radioactive water into the Mississippi River causing Minneapolis to close its water intake gates. From 1969-1974 the A.E.C. made a total of 10,320 inspections and found 3,704 installations with one or more violations (but imposed civil penalties or some other action a total of only 22 times). (N.Y. Times, 26th August, 1974). 1974 analysis "indicating the industry can anticipate a probable accident involving radioactive material in 1974 and perhaps as many as one per month in 2000" (Donald E. Reardon, Deputy Manager ERDA, S.F. Office, at Warren Committee hearing in November, 1975) (Thieberger, p.9)

1974, 2nd May - SAVANNAH RIVER, SOUH CAROLINA, U.S.A.

A radioactive cloud of Tritium formed after a leak in a pipe at nuclear reactor. ("Le Monde" 5/6/1974)

1974, 3rd-4th May - HANFORD, WA., U.S.A.

1,900 to 7,600 litres of liquid radioactive waste containing 600-2400 curies of Caesium 137 and 10-40 curies of Strontium 90 leaked from underground storage tank No. 111 which is 40 metres above the water table. (Penelope Coleing, p.4; Thieberger, p.4; Nucleus, 25th July, 1990)

1974, 3rd Sept - LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO, U.S.A.

1,900 to 3,800 litres of radioactive liquid escaped into the environment onto one of the main streets and into a parking lot. The area was closed off, parts of the road were replaced. Past accidents at Los Alamos occurred on 21st Aug. 1945; 25th May, 1946; 30th Dec. 1958. (Thieberger, p.11; Nucleus, 25/7/79)

1974, 18th October - CON EDISON TRI-CITIES PLANT

Radioactive gas released, exceeding the A.E.C. limit by 33%. In 4,000 shipments of radioactive fuel in 1975, 400 reported accidents occurred in which 150 released "small amounts" of radioactivity, two "Potentially dangerous". (Robert Barker, N.R.C. Department of Transportation, in his summary of WASH 1238 at Warren Committee hearings in November, 1975).

1974, November - WINDSCALE, UK

Monitoring failure at reprocessing plant, worker allowed to leave with plutonium on his shoos. (C. Wakstein, "The Myth of Nuclear Safety"; Nucleus, 25th July, 1979, p.15)

1975, January - DRESDEN 2, ILLINOIS, U.S.A.

The Dresden No 2 B.W.R. reactor had to be shut down after cracks were found in the high-pressure piping of the emergency core cooling system. The cracks penetrated the full thickness of the piping resulting in a water coolant leakage. A loss of coolant accident could have occurred resulting in reactor coolant blowing out of the ruptured pipe and exploding into steam. The cracks were discovered by accident. "Large cracks had occurred in other unrelated piping, which leaked noticeable quantities of water and similar cracks were then found in many boiling water reactors in the same piping." (Webb, R.E. p.201)

1975, 30th January - U.S.A.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission orders shut down of 23 boiling water reactors, because of hairline cracks found in coolant pipes at Dresden. Second time in nine months that U.S. plants closed. (Sien/LNS Aus Uranium Kit, August, 1975; Nucleus, 25th July, 1979)

1975, 27th March - NORTHWEST UTILITIES, WATERFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A.

Nearly 1,200 workers had to be evacuated from the Northwest Utilities Nuclear Plant because of a radioactive water spill. Some of the contaminated water entered Long Island Sound. 20 workers had to wade through 4,000 litres of spilt radioactive water to safety. (Penelope Coleing; Work Circle Environmental Protection)

1975, May - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Leak of radioactive waste found its way through two successive leaks. Corrosion is a possible cause. (Wakstein, C., Nucleus, 25th July, 1979)

1975, July - VERMONT YANKEE PLANT, U.S.A.

Faulty valves allowed 300,000 litres of radioactive water from plant to spill into river. (Nucleus, 25th July, 1979, p.15)

1976, 12th January - KENTUCKY, U.S.A.

Six drums containing radioactive waste burst open after they rolled off tractor-trailer trucks in Ashfield, Kentucky, U.S.A. Two drivers were slightly injured. When the highway was cleaned checks indicated radioactivity. (Legislative Research Service Paper, Parliamentary Library, Canberra)

1976, January - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Leak of radioactive waste in storage tank caused by corrosion. (Parliamentary Research Service Paper, Parliamentary Library, Canberra)

1976, April - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Leak of radioactive waste from still drums caused by corrosion. (Parliamentary Legislative Research Service Paper, Parliamentary Library, Canberra)

1976, WINDSCALE, U.K.

Further leak of radioactive waste from steel drums after corrosion. (Nucleus, 25th July, 1979)

1976, mid-July - VERMONT YANKEE PLANT, U.S.A.

Faulty valve caused 300,000 litres of Tritium contaminated water to spill into the Connecticut River. This was the second of three spills. (Guyorgy, p.120; Clamshell Alliance p.4)

1976, October - WINDSCALE, U.K.

100 gallons per day of contaminated water leaking from an old waste storage silo. This incident was not reported to the Government for two months, and eventually set off the Windscale Public Enquiry. (Parliamentary Legislative Research Service Paper, Parliament House, Canberra)

1976, November - PILGRIM PLANT, BOSTON EDISON, U.S.A.

16,000 herring were killed, probably by thermal shock at Boston Edison's Pilgrim Plant on Cape Cod Bay. (Clamshell Alliance Publication p.4)

1976, November - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Leak of radioactive waste. Beach contaminated by tritium. (Parliamentary Legislative Research Service Paper, Parliament House, Canberra)

1976 - MILLSTONE, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A.

Radioactive mist that escaped from the Millstone plants in Waterford activated nuclear alarms in nuclear submarines docked at Groton. (Clamshell Alliance, p.4)

1977, 7th October - COLORADO, U.S.A.

Nuclear alert declared near Springfield after 19 tonnes of powdered uranium-oxide fell from the back of a truck after an accident. The material was being transported from Wyoming to Oklahoma for processing. Colorado State Department later urged the N.R.C. to review its safety standards. Department spokesman said: "Luckily no other traffic came along. If cars had churned through the powder we could have been faced with a major crisis". ("West Australian", 7th October, 1977)

1977, December - MILLSTONE, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A.

Two hydrogen/oxygen explosions in the waste radioactive gas stream at Millstone Nuclear Power Station, Waterford, Connecticut, U.S.A. Chimney door blew off. One worker slightly injured and helpers contaminated with radioactivity. Reactor completely shut down. (Parliamentary Legislative Research Service paper, Parliament Library, Canberra)

1977, December - COLORADO, U.S.A.

10,000 lbs. of radioactive uranium concentrate spreads over 5,000 square miles, in some placed up to a foot deep after a truck crashes. Wrong decontamination equipment sent to area. 12 hours before health specialist on scene. ("Nation Review", 3rd May, 1979)

1977 - VERMONT YANKEE, U.S.A.

Truck carrying spent radioactive resins from Vermont Yankee reactor crashes. Second time in two years that a truck from Vermont Yankee was involved in a crash.


======= skipping ahead ===============

1979, 2nd February - NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.A.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation recovered 68 kgs of uranium stolen by an employee at General Electric's plant at Wilmington, North Carolina. ("Sydney Morning Herald", 3rd September 1979 - AAP Router)

1979, 28TH March - THREE MILE ISLAND, PA, U.S.A.

Dangerous gas bubble formed. Risk of hydrogen explosion. Some vital instruments were exposed to more radiation than they were designed to withstand. Reactor is so highly radioactive it may never re-open. Radioactivity in reactor building is 100 times lethal level. Three Mile Island accident had 150 precedents...150 valve failures in similar reactors, a U.S. Government official told the U.S. Senate. ("Daily News" lst May 1979)

1979, April - ZION, ILLINOIS, U.S.A.

Radioactive gas escaped into the air and released 3,200 ltr of radioactive water within the plant. Three men were sprayed; "all wore protective clothing and tests had shown no traces of contamination," a company spokesman said "It was only because of the TMI accident that they had informed the N.R.C." ("West Australian", 3rd May, 1979). Comment: "Does this mean that previous accidents were not reported?"

1979, 1st May - ZION, ILLINOIS, U.S.A.

Technical defect releases radioactive gas together with 650 gallons of water. (W.I.S.E. No.5 5/1979)

1979, 7th May - BROWN'S FERRY, ALABAMA, U.S.A.

Radioactivity released into the Tennessee River as a result of a leak in the generating units cooling system at Brown's Ferry Nuclear Plant. ("West Australian", 7th May, 1979)

1979, 22nd June - PEACH BOTTOM 3, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A

Second uncontrolled release of radioactive gas in two days at Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania Unit 3 (1065 P.W.R.) nuclear reactor. (W.I.S.E. Ibid)

1979, 17th July - WINDSCALE, U.K.

Six men contaminated by radiation when fire broke out. A spokesman for the plant said the contamination was 'very minor' but more tests were being made on the men. He added the fire was quickly put out and there was no danger to the public. Staff were evacuated and given medical checks. (Reuter, "Sydney Morning Herald", 18th July 1979)

1979, 30th July - RIO PUERCO, NEW MEXICO, U.S.A.

Accident in uranium processing plant. Flash flood of radioactive material washed an estimated 130 kms down the usually trickling Rio Puerco River which flows past a Navajo Indian Reservation. New York Times reported 100 million gallons of water and 1,100 tonnes of uranium tailings mishap considered largest such release in U.S. Residue from plant goes into large dam; dam burst. ("A.H." Program A.B.C. Australia 30/7/1979; "N.Y. Times" 28/7/1979 )

1979, 15th October - FORT ST. URAIN, DENVER, CO., U.S.A.

The Fort St. Urain reactor, 22 kms from Denver was shut down after a malfunction released radioactive gas into the atmosphere. The shut down was the third in two years due to "equipment malfunction". A spokesman for the Public Service Company of Colorado which operates the plant said the shut down occurred after helium, the primary coolant, seeped into a back-up water System. ("The Australian" 16th October 1979 from United Press)

1979, December - PALISADES, MICHIGAN, U.S.A.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission fined Michigan's Palisades nuclear power plant $45,000 for safety violations which caused radioactive leakage over an 18 month period.

1980, 11th February - THREE MILE ISLAND, PA., U.S.A.

4,500 litres of radioactive water leaked from the Three Mile Ialand reactor. (W.I.S.E. Ibid)

1980, 12th February - THREE MILE ISLAND, PA., U.S.A.

The radioactive gas Krypton 85 escaped from Three Mile Island for 16 hours. (W.I.S.E. Ibid)

1980, 27th February - THREE MILE ISLAND, PA., U.S.A.

"Tiny" amounts of radioactive gas was released into the atmosphere as a preliminary to the first human visit inside the contaminated reactor building since March 1979. Metropolitan Edison Company employed a team of four workers to enter the airlock to sample Cesium and Strontium so the company can determine how to decontaminate the plant. Lieutenant-Governor William Scranton said the safety of the local people could not be guaranteed. "We fear the dangers of not venting at all are greater than controlled venting." he said. ("Daily News" 27th February 1980; International Nuclear News Service No.12 p.33)

1980, 18th June - WINDSCALE, U.K.

175 workers at Windscale Nuclear Plant became ill after drinking contaminated water. Fault in the system allowed water from the polluted River Eben, which is used to cool the reactor, to enter the drinking water through a valve. (A.A.P. "Daily News" 18/6/1980; "West Australian" 19/6/1980)

1980, 29th June - TMI 2, HARRISBURG, PA., U.S.A.

More than 40,000 litres of radioactive water leaked from a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power station at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on 29th June 1980. The leak in the No.2 reactor started in a cooling system. The No.2 reactor has been the only one in use since the major accident at Three Mile Island last March. ("The Australian" 30/6/1980)

1980, 4th July - TMI 1, HARRISBURG, PA., U.S.A.

Spill of 45,000 litres of radioactive water at Three Mile Island's undamaged but idle No.1 reactor during preparations to vent radioactive Krypton gas. According to Metropolitan Edison Company spokesman no radiation was released to the outside environment. ("Weekend News" 28th July 1980)

1980, 8th September - ILLINOIS, U.S.A.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is investigating the possibility that 1,400 kilolitres of radioactive water may have leaked from the nuclear power plant near Morris, Illinois. "We think it's a paper loss - a faulty gauge or some problem in monitoring." said a spokesperson from the operators, Commonwealth Edison. ("West Australian" 8th September 1980)

1981, 15th January - INDIAN POINT, NY., U.S.A,

Small amounts of radiation found leaking, possible since early December, into auxiliary steam system and then into Hudson River from Indian Point Plant in New York State. (W.I.S.E. Vol.3 No.2 p.18)

1983, August - CANADA

3,700 litres of radioactive tritium leaked into Lake Huron and Lake Ontario from Canadian nuclear power stations. ("Financial Review"; "The Age" 8/8/1983)

1983, August - TMI, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A.

Records of radioactive leak tests at the undamaged reactor at Three Mile Island may have been tampered with, according to an N.R.C. report. ("The Age" 8th August 1983)

1986, February -- WINDSCALE (SELLAFIELD) U.K.

A Plutonium mist has leaked at Britain's only nuclear processing plant at Sellafield. ("The Daily News" 6/2/86, "The Age" 7/3/86)

1986, February - SELLAFIELD, U.K.

Britain's only nuclear processing plant has had its second radioactive leak this month amid complaints from Irish officials over the discharge of uranium from the plant into the Irish Sea. ("The Age", "The West Australian" 20/2/86)

1986, March - SELLAFIELD, U.K.

Another five workers were contaminated with radioactivity in another leak at the Sellafield nuclear processing plant in Cumbria. This is the fourth incident in the past five weeks. ("The Age" 3/3/86, "The West Australian" 4/3/86) As the people of the village of Seascale continue to live their lives in the shadow of the Sellafield nuclear plant, leukeemia is 10 times the national average among the area's children under 15. ("The West Australian" 18/3/86)

.