|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Accidents, Mishaps,
Spills, Vents, Dumps, Etc. April 7, 2005 North Perry -- "FirstEnergy Corp. was still struggling to get one nuclear power plant back in operation when a series of problems and botched repairs at its second Ohio plant alarmed critics and put the utility in the cross hairs of regulators. Davis-Besse, whose corroding shield discovered in 2002 ranks among the nation's worst nuclear problems since Three Mile Island in 1979, and Perry currently are among four of the U.S. nuclear plants under the strictest NRC scrutiny. That means more government inspectors in the plants making safety checks from top to bottom. One wild card is a federal grand jury investigation of FirstEnergy statements to the NRC on its Davis-Besse inspections and maintenance. FirstEnergy said it has been informed by federal prosecutors that FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating is a target of the probe and charges are likely," Thomas J Sheeran, Lorain Morning Journal. March 7, 2005 FirstEnergy spokesman Todd Schneider: "This was a rare incident that we certainly don't want to happen again. We want to be error-free." PERRY -- "A supervisor at FirstEnergy Corp.'s nuclear plant here is being investigated for pushing a control-room button that is supposed to be left alone while the plant is idle. The unidentified employee's error caused one of the Perry nuclear reactor's many control rods to leave its fully inserted position. . . The plant has been down for refueling since Feb. 21. The supervisor engaged the one control rod at 2 p.m. Thursday, even though such buttons are supposed to be pushed only by front-line operators. He also should have known better: The supervisor has a higher level of training. He holds an NRC license as a senior reactor operator, [Jan Strasma, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission] said,'" Tom Henry, Toledo Blade. March 7, 2003 Connecticut, USA - Radioactive leakage at the Millstone power plant causes an emergency to be declared (Nuclear Regulatory Commission Event Notification Report, March 7, 2003). Winter, 2002 A shipment of radioactive iridium-192 leaks on its way from Sweden to the USA. The package leaked quickly, however it is not known when or where the leak began and at what level people were exposed to radioactivity (WISE, Feb. 15, 2002). January 2002 Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors in early 2002 found massive corrosion at an Ohio nuclear plant owned by FirstEnergy. Leaking boric acid used as a coolant ate a football-sized hole in the steel outer hull protecting the company’s Davis-Besse plant’s reactor core.Click Here For Source February 4, 2000 This February, the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant will celebrate its 30th birthday. But hold the celebrations: aging reactors signal cracks, corrosion, metal fatigue and worse could make the event an unhappy one for the plant and its New England neighbors. August 28, 2000 Hundreds of gallons of radioactive water from Indian Point 2 leaked into the Hudson River and the Buchanan water system days after a Feb. 15, 2000, accident at the nuclear power plant, contrary to assertions by Consolidated Edison that all the contaminated liquid was contained, according to documents from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Click Here For Source July 2000 Wildfires in the vicinity of the Hanford facility hit the highly radioactive "B/C" waste disposal trenches, raising airborne plutonium radiation levels in the nearby cities of Pasco and Richland to 1,000 above normal. Wildfires also threatened the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. In the latter case, the fires closely approached large amounts of stored radioactive waste and forced the evacuation of 1,800 workers. http://www.lutins.org/nukes.html June 10, 2000 Between May 4 and June 10, 2000, a devastating wildfire swept across the Bandelier National Monument in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico and onto the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Cerro Grande fire burned about 43,000 acres, including 7,500 acres of LANL property. Large areas of vegetation in the Jemez Mountains surrounding LANL were destroyed.While it raged, the fire released radioactive and hazardous airborne contaminants from LANL and from burning vegetation and debris. In the fire's aftermath, the magnitude of its destruction significantly changed environmental conditions and has increased the risks of flash floods, surface and groundwater contamination, and large amounts of LANL contaminants entering the Rio Grande. Click Here For Source March 14, 2000 20,000-30,000 gallons of plutonium contaminated water was released when a forty gallon tank of toxic chemicals explodes. The tank had been stored illegally at the US Government's Hanford Engineers Works. It resulted in a cover up involving the contractors and the Department of Energy who denied the release of radioactive materials. They even went so far as telling workers that they had not been exposed to plutonium even though no tests had actually occurred.1991 August 27, 2000 USA - a truck carrying a 40-ton reactor coolant pump from the Surry Nuclear Power Station in Virginia to a Westinghouse plant in the nearby state of Pennsylvania was improperly directed by state officials under a bridge with insufficient clearance. The pump hit the overpass and tumbled onto a heavily-traveled highway, spilling about 5 gallons of radioactive coolant water. All lanes of the highway (the main evacuation route for the Surry plant) were shut down for several hours. One direction was closed for nearly 24 hours as workers literally dug up the road and shoulder for shipment to a "low-level" radioactive waste dump (WISE News, Sept 27, 1991).Savannah River, North Carolina, USA - Greenpeace identified a series of 13 spills of radioactive water in the year 1991 at the Savannah River nuclear weapons materials production site. The Savannah River tritium production site has been inoperative for safety reasons for three years (WISE News, Sept 27, 1991). 1990 February 15 Pennsylvania, USA - In the ongoing TMI accident which began in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (US) in March 1979, a metal sample cut from the reactor vessel shows a crack extending at least two inches into the five-inch-thick vessel bottom which raises questions about just how close the vessel was to being breached during the core melt accident. ("Nucleonics Week" 15/2/90. WISE 329 9/3/90)1990 February 23, 1990 Oklahoma, USA - An undated, but apparently recent accident at Seguoyah Fuels Facility in Gore, Oklahoma (US) resulted in a spill of 10,000 to 20,000 pounds of depleted uranium tetraflouride powder. ("The Nuclear Monitor" 26/2/90, WISE 329 9/3/90 ) 1990 October Hanford, Washington State, USA - A potentially explosive situation was reported by safety inspectors at a nuclear waste tank (codenamed 101-SY) at Hanford. The waste slurry had formed a thick crust which is trapping hydrogen being continuously generated underneath. One calculation has it that an explosion equivalent to 230 kilos of TNT could occur. The tank has uncertain chemistry and contents. Up to 66 tanks at Hanford are believed to be leaking, 22 are accumulating hydrogen and a further 22 are potentially explosive. (New Scientist, October 1990; The Canberra Times, 28/12/90). 1990 November 21 Farallon Islands, off US shores - Marine scientists have produced graphic evidence that drums of nuclear waste are leaking in part of the northwest Pacific which happens to be a rich fishing area and a marine reserve. At least 47,500 drums are known to have been dumped near the Farallon Islands, 50 km off San Franciaso, between 1946 and 1970. Images show fish swimming among corroded and collapsed drums scattered over an area of 48 square km. (The Age, 22/11/90) 1990 December 18 Hematite, Missouri, USA - One worker was slightly injured and 25 evacuated following a release of uranium hexaflouride ('hex') at a nuclear fuel fabrication plant. The spill occurred after an employee failed to turn off a valve before disconnecting sampling equipment from a cylinder of hex being tested for degree of enrichment. (Nuclear News, February 1991) 1989 1989 January 3 Ocomke-1, USA - On January 3rd an electrical breaker apparently caught fire in a turbine building at Unit 1 of the nuclear station as workers were bringing the plant back on line. ("Ass. Press" US via Greenlink 5/1/89; WISE-305 20/1/89). 1989 January 7 South Carolina, USA - A worker testing the turbine generator at the Robinson reactor accidentally fed hydrogen gas into the plant's air systems. ("The Nuclear Monitor" US 23/1/89; WISE-309 24/3/89).1989 January 22 1989 January 7 Savannah River, SC, USA - Another accident occurred four days later during the pressure test of a cooling system. Although no radiation leaked, half of the system's piping was damaged. ("Guardian" US 1/2/89; "Public Citizen" 2/89; "Greenlink" gp.press 17/25/28 Feb and 4/2/89; WISE-307 24/2/89 ). 1989 February 25 North Anna 1, Virginia, USA - North Anna-1 tripped off because of failure of a feedwater control valve air line. ("Nucleonics Week" 2/23 Mar 89 WISE NC 309 24/3/89).1989 March Palo Verde 2, Arizona, USA - Palo Verde-2 tripped due apparently to failure of one of its two master feedwater controllers which caused rapid fluctuations in steam generator levels and an apparent overcooking of the primary system. ("Nucleonics Week" 2/3/89; WISE-310 14/4/89). 1989 March 2 La Salle, USA - a transformer failure at one of the La Salle units caused the other unit to trip. ("Nucleonics Week" 30/3/89; WISE-310 14/4/89). 1989 June 5 St. Lucie, Florida, USA - A diver was sucked into the nuclear reactor cooling water uptake system at the St. Lucie nuclear power plant in Florida. The diver was dragged a quarter mile through a 16 foot diameter pipe, ending up in one of the reactor cooling ponds. He was fortunate to have lived through it. ("Radiation and Alternatives Bulletin" (RadBull) USA Aug. 1989, WISE-319 20/10/89).1989 1989 June 13 Rocky Flats, Colorado, USA - The Rocky Flats nuclear facility in Colorado, USA was placed on alert due to a rain-swollen dam containing toxic/radioactive substances. ("NACE News" US Oct.1989; WISE-319 20/10/89). 1989 August Fuel Fabric, Pennsylvania, USA - A recent US General Accounting Office (GAO) report has found severe radioactive contamination at nine civilian nuclear sites, all of which had been declared decommissioned or decontaminated. Contamination levels were discovered to range between two and 730 times above federal standards. The sites were Westinghouse Fuel Fabrication Plant in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, The Combination Engineering Site in Hematight, Missouri, The Texas Instruments Plant, South of Boston, Mass., The Gulf United Nuclear Corporation Fabrication Plant near Pawling, New York and the KERR McGEE in Cushing, Oklahoma. All five sites have ground water contamination higher than the Federal drinking water standards allow. Additionally, the KER McGEE Cimarron Uranium Enrichment Facility in Crescent, Oklahoma, has ground water contamination 400 times the EPA's drinking water standards and the Nuclear Fuel Services site in Erwin Tennessee has contamination levels 730 times above drinking water standards. ("The Nuclear Monitor" 21/8/89. WISE-319 20/10/89).1989 1989 September 5 Turkey Point 4, Florida, USA - A turbine trip at another Florida plant, Turkey Point-4 on 5 September resulted in numerous complications. The reactor began to automatically insert control rods to scram the plant, but stopped before insertion of the rods was complete. ("The Nuclear Monitor" (US) 2/10/89; WISE-319 20/10/89). 1989 October Nine Mile 2, New York, USA - A problem in the cooling system at Nine Mile Point 2 in New York, USA will keep the nuclear plant from reopening on schedule. The plant had shut down earlier (October 13th) because of a malfunctioning electronic system which occurred when a condenser valve was mistakenly closed during maintenance work being done on the plant's electrical system. ("Solstice Magazine" via GreenNet topic 59, en. nuclear, 29/10/89; WISE-320 3/11/89). 1989 October 24 Hanford, WA, USA - An unconfirmed report of an explosion in a aingle-shell storage tank containing highly radioactive wastes has led the governor of Washington State to order an in-depth investigation of potential chemical explosion involving other similar storage tanks at the Hanford nuclear reservation. ("UPI via GreenNet" topic 158 gp.preac 24/10/89; WISE320 3/11/89). 1989 October Laguna verde, Mexico - 922,629 liters of radioactive liquids were dumped into the ocean from 1st April to 24th August 1989. Also radioactive gas emissions have increased the radioactivity around this General Electric reactor. Furthermore, 16 scrams have occurred during the period of testing of this plant from October 1988 to May 1990. ("Excelsior" Mexico City 8/9/89. "Nuclear Monitor" US 16/10/89; WISE-320 3/11/89).Diablo Canyon 2, CA, USA Unit 2 of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant was shut down and an "unusual" event was declared. ("Diablo Monitor" via GreenNet; WISE 328 2/90) 1989 November 8 Maine Yankee, USA - On 8th November, what was described as "slightly contaminated" air was vented from the Maine Yankee nuclear plant as part of shutdown operations so repairs could be made on a faulty pump seal that had caused several thousand gallons of contaminated water to leak inside the plant. ("UPI" via GreenNet, 9/11/89; WISE-322 1/12/89).November Knols, NY US Navy - Water or steam leaks were the cause of two nuclear shutdowns in November at a Navy training center in Saratoga County, New York. The first of the two shutdown, which took place at the Kenneth A. Kesselring site of Knols Atomic Power Lab, occurred after Navy personnel noticed water-soaked asbestos wrapped around several pipes at the S3-G Triton Submarine reactor. Officials said the leak was non-radioactive but closed the reactor down for further investigation. ("David Yarrow" via GreenNet 26/11/89; WISE322 1/12/89). 1989 November Rancho Seco, CA, USA - The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) delayed the removal of nuclear fuel scheduled to begin this month at the Rancho Seco nuclear plant in California due to a leak through the plants pool. ("UPI" via GreenNet 20/11/89; WISE-322 1/12/89). 1989 November Rocky Flats, Colorado, USA - Investigators from Scientec Inc an Engineering Management Co specializing in nuclear safety issues discovered several kilograms of accumulated Plutonium 239 in a pipe that serves as an exhaust ventilation duct in a Plutonium Processing building. It was found "outside the normal envelope used to control" plutonium inventories and the quantity was "more than enough" for an accidental chain reaction which could produce a lethal dose to workers at close range and could, in some circumstances, release radioactive materials into the environment. Rocky Flats had been warned by a former Rockwell employee who designed the ventilator systems that the ducts were a probable location for dangerous quantities of Plutonium to collect but did nothing to identify and correct Plutonium accumulations in the ventilation systems. Rocky Flats officials have already been under investigation and raided by the FBI for possible criminal violation of environmental laws in the past including improper waste disposal. Furthermore, the firing of Rockwell as Manager for Rocky Flats and agreement with various states and Federal Environmental Agencies on clean up activities is part of initiatives to restore its tarnished image. ("Nuclear Monitor" US 4/9/89; "Guardian" US 11/10/89; Greenpeace via GreenNet gp.press 20 and 23/9/89, 7,11,23/10/89; WISE-321 17/11/89). 1988 March Oswego, New York - U.S. most expensive nuclear plant at Oswego, New York State, automatically shut down 2 days after being opened, due to a water pump malfunction. ("Financial Review" 15 March 1988)March-April Baroda, India - An explosion and fire occurred between two synthesis gas purifiers at the Baroda heavy water plant in India. The plant will be shut down for two months for investigation into the cause of the accident. Baroda has a history of problems which according to industry experts will further cripple heavy water production. ("Nucleonics Week" (US) 24 March 1988) 1988 April USA - More than 26,000 mishaps have occurred at US reactors since the Three Mile Island accident 9 years ago, despite promises by the nuclear industry and the Federal Govt to tighten safety standards for nuclear power plant. Almost 3,000 of these mishaps occurred in 1987. These findings are revealed in "1979-1987 Nuclear Power Safety Report" the latest in a series of safety reports from Public Citizens Critical Mass Energy Project. Much of the information was obtained from documents through the Freedom of Information Act and from the NRC's public documents room. According to a 1984 NRC report, as many as 35% of all reportable mishaps are simply not being reported. ("Public Citizen News" Mar 88, WISE NC 291 22 APR 88) GRAEL Press Release 6 APR 88, WISE NC 292 6 May 88) 1988 May USA, Atlantic - A 14-ton canister of uranium gas en route to the US rolled overboard in rough waters in the mid-Atlantic. The news of the accident was reported in a weekly sheet read by Mariners, but not carried by the wire services. According to the New York based Radioactive Waste Campaign, it is "apparently common for container ships to lose cargo in heavy seas". ("Waste Paper" (US) Fall 1988, WISE NC 4302, p6. 25/11/88) 1988 May USA - The US nuclear industry, helped by pro nuclear US Senators, are trying to stick taxpayers with $8.8 billion in unpaid fees accrued by nuclear utility companies. That's the figure the US Dept of Energy says utilities owe for the cost of enriching uranium fuel for nuclear reactors since 1984. That figure does not include decommissioning costs for 3 Federal uranium enrichment plants estimated to be about $3 billion. ("Redwood Alliance", "Eco News", May 1988, WISE No 292, 6th May 88) 1988 July 23 TMI 2, USA - A member of the defueling team at Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear plant fell part of the way into the reactor vessel. ("The Patriot News" (US) 23/7/88, WISE NC 302 p.6 25/11/88) 1988 May 13 USA - According to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission another radioactive device containing 40 curies of Iridium-192 dropped out of a moving truck. ("Waste Paper" (US) Fall 1988, WISE NC 302, p. 7, 25/11/88) |
1988 May 25 Project 1, 3, Texas - Houston Lighting & Power Co's South Texas Project 1 nuclear plant has been shut down for an as yet undetermined period in the wake of an accident on May 25, in which the shaft at one of the unit's 3 steam driven main feed water pumps sheared off, sending debris flying "all over the place". ("Nucleonics Week" 2/6/88, WISE 15/7/88) 1988 June Project 1, South Texas, USA - A loss of off site power test at the South Texas Nuclear Project-1 reactor in the US had dismaying results for plant operators. A steam generator feedwater pump, the only one of three operating at the time, apparently sheared at the shaft, throwing a piece of the shaft out of the building and into the station yard. Damage was said by the NRC to be so great that the cause of the failure may never be fully known. Also during the test, problems occurred with a number of circuit breakers. The NRC did note that the test was "otherwise successfully completed". ("The Nuclear Monitor" (US) 27/6/88, WISE NC 298, 23/9/88) 1988 June, July USA - The Radioactive Waste Campaign a public interest group based in New York, has released a 170-page report documenting the massive contamination problems at all 16 of the Department of Energy's (DOE) major production facilities for nuclear weapons in the US. The report was released just about the same time DOE was itself releasing estimates on the massive costs of cleaning up those sites - $US40 billion to $100 billion. Included in the report's findings:1. Billions of liters of radioactive water dumped routinely into the ground each year at the Hanford reservation, in Washington State, contaminating the Columbia River.2.Similar dumping at the Savannah River plant in South Carolina; radioactive fluids poured into seepage basins designed to leak at a steady rate.3. Underground nuclear explosions contaminating the aquifers near the Nevada test site and some radioactive fallout that drifted as far as Salt Lake City.A two-year study by nine researchers concluded that there is "a pattern of gross mismanagement by the department, which is allowing radioactivity to leak out of the sites through soil, water and air - in many cases intentionally". The costs of cleanup, even at their highest, have already been found by Congressional researchers to be far too low, as they don't reflect tens of billions of dollars needed to dispose of highly radioactive waste from the production of the bombs, from decontamination of the reactors producing the bomb fuel, and the cost of building plants to continue bomb production. ("Waste Paper" Summer 1988, "Toronto Globe & Mail" 7/6/88, "New York Times" 2 - 13 July 88, WISE NC298 23/9/88) 1988 July Palos Verde, AZ., USA - A fire in an auxiliary transformer at Palo Verde-1 (US) cut off power to all four reactor coolant pumps in early July. ("Nucleonics Week" (US) 14 Jul 88, WISE NC 299 - 7/10/88) 1988 July Arizona, USA - The radioactive contamination of the Rio Puerco River in the US State of Arizona is still being 'studied' while Navajo residents suffer still. The results of a report released in July said that the Rio Puerco has so much radioactivity in its sediment that drinking from it would pose a health risk at certain times. There is a long history of uranium waste water being dumped into the Rio Puerco. On the Western side of the Navajo reservation downstream in Little Colorado, water ( from samples ) there is also unsafe to drink - a result of another uranium mine. ("Gallup Indep" 19/7/88, WISE NC 299, 7/10/88) . 1988 August Catawba 2, USA - Catawba-2 was shut down after a tube leak in one of the unity 4 steam generators increased from 74 to 98 gallons per day over a two-day period. ("Nucleonics Week" 18/8/88, "Nuclear Power Reactors in the World" APR 86 Edition, WISE NC 299, 7/10/88) 1988 August USA - A study written by a firm involved with the Shippingport reactor dismantling project says that decommissioning the current generation of Light Water Reactors (LWRs) in the US could produce 81.5 million cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste by the year 2034. ("Nucleonics Week" 4/8/88) 1988 August South Carolina, USA - A US nuclear reactor used in weapons production went out of control briefly the 2nd week in August as operators, trying to restart it after a 4 months shutdown, were boosting power to sustain a reaction. (UPI/Greenpeace/Greenlink 19/8/88, WISE 2/9/88 p.6) 1988 August 11 Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA - The U. S. Department of energy (DOE) has suspended commercial shipments of Tritium for the second time in four months because of another unexplained loss of the material. Following Govt released documents which showed that 3/4 of a test shipment of Tritium (a key ingredient in nuclear weapons) was lost between buildings at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. According to the documents released 25th October 1989, investigators did not rule out theft as cause of disappearance. When workers at Oak Ridge loaded 28,615 curies of Tritium into a shipping container at one building and sent it to another (there are approx. 9,464 curies in a gram of Tritium). When it was returned 14th November, 1988 only 6,364 curies were found to be in the container (22,000 curies or just over 2 grams had disappeared). No leaks were found and no evidence that the incorrect amount of Tritium had been loaded into the container. The shipment took an unexplained 3 months to get from one building to another. (JD Mann via Greennet, 28/10/89 and Robert Burns, Assoc. Press via Greennet gp.press 26/10/89; WISE-320 3/11/89). 1988 October California, USA - Mono Lake, a high desert lake in east California in the US, has apparently been assaulted for several years by midnight dumpers of nuclear waste, according to a recent study conducted by Columbia University researchers,. Their report suggests that nuclear waste was dumped into the lake during the 1950s and perhaps again ten to 15 years later. ("Citizen Alert", WISE NC302 21/10/88) 1988 October Heysham A2, USA - A boiler tube leak at the HEYSHAM A2 advanced gas-cooled reactor on October 19, allowed 44 gallons of water to escape into the carbon dioxide coolant. ("Nucleonics Week" (US) 29 Oct 88) 1987 March 24 Idaho, USA - A train hauling nuclear waste from the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant to a Federal repository in Idaho collided with a car. ("Three Mile Is. Alert Updates" Mar/May 87, WISE NC 278 14/8/87) 1987 May 7 USA - A freight train carrying 192 pounds of low-level radioactive materials, derailed in the Columbia Gorge in the northwestern US. ("NW Alert" WISE NC 277/24 July 1987)WNP 2, USA - Electrical problems caused WNP-2 nuclear plant to scram five times within 10 days after its June 22nd restart from its annual refueling and maintenance outage. ("Nucleonics Week" 16 July 1987, WISE NC 279, 18/9/87) 1988 June 16 North Anna 1, USA - Tubing inside a steam generator of North Anna's Unit 1 in the US ruptured releasing small amounts of radioactivity into the atmosphere and forcing a shutdown of the reactor. ("The Washington Post" 18/7/87, WISE NC 278 14/8/87) 1987 June Tennessee, USA - A truck carrying 14 Westinghouse fuel assemblies overturned approximately 10 miles west of Knoxville, Tennessee. ("Nucleonics Week" 25 June 1987, WISE NC 279 18/9/87) 1988 June USA - More than 23,000 mishaps have occurred at US commercial reactor power plants since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, according to Public Citizen. 1979 - 2,310 accidents 1980 - 3,804 accidents 1981 - 4,060 accidents 1982 - 4,500 accidents 1983 - 5,000 accidents 1984 - 2,417 accidents 1985 - 2,974 accidents 1986 - 3,000 accidents. (Public Citizen Critical Mass Energy Project WISE NC 275 June 87) 1987 July USA - Engineers from the US General Electric Co (GE) recommended that the company stop selling its nuclear reactors because of safety shortcomings in the design. This was reported in a document which was allegedly kept from the public following a secret agreement between GE and the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission). One of the Journalists who brought this information to light has since been "assigned to other duties". ("The Nuclear Monitor" 15 Jun 87, WISE NC 276, 3 Jul 87)July 20 Fermi 2, USA - Fermi-2 scrammed automatically due to high turbine vibration readings. ("Nucleonics Week", 23/ 7/87, WISE NC 279, 18/9/87) 1987 July North Anna, USA - Leak of radioactive water has forced the shutdown of a reactor at the North Anna nuclear power plant in Virginia. ("The West Australian" 17/7/87) 1987 July Calvert Cliffs 1 & 2, Byron 1, Dresden 2 & 3, USA - Forced outages in US reactors include:a.Calvert Cliffs-1 - which was shut down for 20.6 hours due to inadvertent boration cause by initial overcooking of the steam generator through a failed high pressure feedwater heater isolation valve and failure of boric acid pump.b. Calvert Cliffs-2 - one of four outages was due to exceed reactor coolant system leakage from regenerative heat exchanger drain valves. Byron-1 was forced to shut down for 46 hours after being struck by lightening.c. Dresden-2 and -3 - were forced down due to feedwater regulator valve problems. (SCRAM Journal - WISE NC 279, 18/9/87) 1987 October 3 Fort St. Vrains, USA - A 20 minute early morning oil fire in Fort St. Vrain's turbine building caused 'definite substantial damage' to several components at the plant. The fire burnt some cables, causing one entire circulation loop to trip, forcing operators to manually trip the reactor. ("Nucleonics Week" 15 act 1987, WISE NC 283, 20/11/87) 1987 October Oyster Creek, USA - The US NRC shut down the Oyster Creek nuclear plant after discovering plant operators had disabled key safety valves during a test, and then destroyed the records of the violation in a coverup. ("Not Man Apart" (US) Sept-Oct 1987) 1987 December New Mexico, USA - On December 16, a team of scientists and policy specialists from the University of New Mexico revealed that they had discovered water leaks at the U.S. Dept of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Documents obtained from the US Dept of Energy showed that when one of the ventilation shafts was drilled, for the 1250 foot deep WIPP, an aquifer was pierced. ("Guardian" (US) 30/12/87, WISE 285, P8-9, Nov 87). 1987 December 3 Hanford, USA - A truck hauling low-level radioactive waste overturned near the Hanford Nuclear Reservation spilling some of its' Load. One of six containers on the truck carrying about 41,000 pounds of waste broke open, spilling its contents. ("Chicago Tribune" 1 Jan 1988)USA - US commercial nuclear reactors reported nearly 3,000 "mishaps" and at least 430 emergency shutdowns in 1987 according to "Public Citizen's" a latest Annual Nuclear Power Safety Report. According to US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in records compiled by the organization, at least 493 violations of safety regulations occurred at the plants during that year. Further, in 1987, accidents, near-accidents, emergency shutdowns, and instances of lax management occurred daily at the 109 licensed-to-operate nuclear reactors located in 37 states across the country.The report notes that much of the data which the NRC chooses to make public represents only the "tip of the iceberg". The NRC, for instance, refuses to release key safety data such as "single-component failure" records and a comprehensive listing of all emergency plant shutdowns. In addition, the agency's safety regulations by nuclear utilities are incomplete and contradictory. The NRC also apparently lacks current information on such basic safety matters as plant-by-plant evacuation time estimates and the agency claims that it has been unable to access its own data base on individual plant mishaps for several months and has failed to obtain detailed records on the number of accidents at each reactor.Among the findings of the Public Citizen study:** There were at least 2,940 mishaps at US commercial reactors in 1987. These so called "mishaps" are Licensee Event Reports made to the NRC by the nuclear utilities themselves; according to NRC guidelines, they provide descriptions of "potentially significant safety events" that "might lead to serious accidents". The figure represents an average of 27 mishaps at each reactor (a number unchanged from the previous year). Personnel error was involved in 2,197 (74%) of them. Many other mishaps, including some of the most serious accidents of 1987, were apparently not reported.** Sixteen reactors experienced over 40 mishaps each.The NRC reported 430 "scrams" (emergency plant shutdowns) - an average of 4.4 per operating reactor. Newer reactors averaged 11 scrams each during 1987. However, these figures may understate the actual number by 25-45%. The operating plants given the lowest overall management ratings by the NRC during 1987 were allowed to continue operating even though they were given poorer ratings than the Peach Bottom reactors 2 and 3 in Pennsylvania, which the NRC ordered closed in March 1987 for assorted management lapses including workers sleeping on the job.Almost 14,500 metric tons of highly radioactive spent fuel is now stored at over 60 nuclear plant sites in large pools of water. Originally designed as temporary storage facilities, these fuel pools are experiencing a number of serious leaks and pose the risk of a major accident.** Dozens of other mishaps occurred at nuclear plant sites in 1987. These included acts of vandalism and sabotage, unauthorized possession of firearms on plant sites, and a threefold increase in the number of reported instances of drug use among nuclear workers. ("Public Citizens Critical Mass Energy Project"; WISE-307 24/1/89). 1986 January USA -Pounds of plutonium and highly enriched uranium missing from United States inventories. 1986 May USA - A report released on May 3 by Public Citizens Critical Mass Energy Project reveals more than 20,000 accidents and other mishaps have occurred at licensed US commercial nuclear power plants since the Three Mile Island Accident in 1979. Of these, more than 1,000 have been considered particularly significant by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Moreover, the nuclear industry's overall safety record is worsening.In 1979 there were 2310 mishaps at the nation's nuclear power plants, including a partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island reactor near Harrisburg Pennsylvania. The number increased to 3,804 in 1980, rose to 4,060 in 1981 and in 1982 the total jumped to 4,500 mishaps. By 1983 the number of accidents and other events had risen to over 5,000 and 247 of these events were considered particularly significant by the NRC (almost one a day). An astounding 98,162 nuclear workers are exposed to radiation in 1984, a jump of 13,000 over 1983. ("Public Citizen")(WISE NC 252 16 May 1986). 1986May 14 Nevada, USA - Radiation in a tunnel containing test equipment at the Nevada underground nuclear test site is so high following a nuclear 'mishap' that monitors are registering about 25 rads per hour. 5 rads is considered a safe level over a year. ("The Age" 15/5/86, "The West Australian" 16/5/86) 1986 August 21 Arkansas, USA - The leak of a liquid fuel component used in Titan II missiles caused the evacuation of several families near an Arkansas town yesterday. ("The West Australian" 21/8/86)1989 Fermi 2, USA - The American Fermi-2 reactor suffered an electrical fire in the distribution system to the flow valve. The reactor which was shut in July 1985 after an "inadvertent" criticality has not been in commercial operation since then. ("SCRAM Journal" WISE NC260 3/10/86) 1986 September 23 USA - Radioactive debris in space is starting to become a real problem, according to a new study by Dr. Nicholas Johnston, a US scientist. ("The West Australian" 24/9/86)October 12 Snake River, USA - A truck carrying 16 tons of uranium pellets crashed into the Snake River in the western US when the driver swerved to avoid a slow moving farm combine. The uranium was being shipped from Ohio to Hanford Nuclear Reservation where it is made into fuel elements that go into the Hanford Nuclear reactor. ("The Washington Post" 14/10/86, WISE NC 262 31/11/86) 1986 October Hope Creek, New Jersey, USA - A system to protect against the release of radioactivity in an accident at a nuclear power plant at Hope Creek was installed backwards. The error was discovered while the plant was operating at 20% testing power. ("Randleaf" 10/86, WISE NC 262 31/10/86) 1986 October Three Mile Island 2, PA, USA - Algae, yeasts, bacteria and mold are growing so fast in the core of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor that they are hindering cleanup of the reactor, which suffered a partial meltdown in 1979. The reactor core is highly radioactive and the microorganisms are estimated to be receiving doses of hundreds of rems per hour, more than enough to kill most life forms quickly. Radiation resistant bacteria are also seen as a serious problem in nuclear waste dumps. ("Volksskraut" 18/10/86, WISE NC 262 31/10/86) 1986 October Hanford, WA., USA - Two military plutonium plants at the Hanford nuclear reservation in the State of Washington were shutdown in mid-October by the Dept. of Energy, due to safety violations. ("Nature" 16/10/86, WISE NC 262 31/11/86) 1986 October USA - The General Accounting Office (GAO) report has found potentially dangerous soil and ground water levels of solvents, nitrates, chloride, Tritium, Strontium, Cadmium, Selenium, Mercury, Iodine, Arsenic, and Chromium at 8 of 9 US Dept. of Energy facilities which it investigated. ("Nucleonics Week" 2/10/86, WISE NC 262 31/10/86) 1986 November Savannah River, SC., USA - According to an Environmental Policy Institute (EPI) study, highly radioactive and toxic wastes are polluting soil and water at a nuclear fuel plant in South Carolina. The study based on US Dept of Energy examined the Savannah River plant tank farm, where radioactive wastes from more than 30 years of nuclear bomb production are stored. "Routine discharges of radioactive wastes into the soil as well as leaks and other accidents have severely contaminated the soil and shallow aquifers on the site. This poses a threat to the Tuscaloosa aquifer, which is the region's most important source of underground water supply. (EPI "International Herald Tribune" 10/86 "Wall Street Journal" 24/7/86, WISE NC 263 21/11/86) 1986 December Ohio, USA - Uranium and toxic chemicals seeping through waste pits at Feed Materials Production Center in Fernald, Ohio USA, which makes uranium products for nuclear warheads, have contaminated the Great Miami Aquifer, the main source of water for residents of SE Ohio. ("Northern Sun News" 10/86, WISE NC 264 5/10/86)1970-1993 Oyster Creek emitted 77.0 curies of airborne radioactivity in the period 1970-1993, the largest amount of any U.S. reactor. Click Here For Source Any paragraph above with out a link below it can be found here. Click Here For Source |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|