'Leak risk after explosion at French nuclear plant'

[BooScout]

Source: BBC

There is a risk of a radioactive leak after a blast at the southern French nuclear plant of Marcoule, media reports say.

The plant is in the Gard region. More details soon.


Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14883521

---

This is just breaking.

[BooScout]

1. Sorry for the multiple threads.....

My computer had a meltdown. Now if the prevailing winds will keep any radiation away from the UK I'll feel a bit better.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Its well south

and to reach us it would need to affect most of France en route.

btw - your duplicates may have been DU not responding. I deleted my one timed at same as your first one.

:hi:

[Kolesar]

3. The facility converts weapons-plutonium into MOX "mixed" fuel

for use in nuclear reactors. It is not a generating station.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Don't change the fact

that most here won't read that and start harping on about nuclear power.

[Kolesar]

5. That's what I am going to do as soon as I finish my oatmeal

and think of the ideal leftist, Luddite slogan to share with DU.

[bananas]

7. It produces tritium, which is used in nuclear weapons

CBC: Marcoule operates a pressurized water reactor used to produce tritium

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/12/france-nuclear-plant-explosion.html

<snip>

Marcoule, a nuclear waste management site, does not include any reactors. But it is a major site involved with the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, and operates a pressurized water reactor used to produce tritium.

<snip>

[caseymoz]

33. I'm supposing since it's a nuclear waste recycling facility

It probably produces two or three products.

The French don't let nuclear waste sit around. No, the recycle all of it.

[caseymoz]

32. No, I read that and I'd harp on about nuclear power anyway.

Where was the MOX fuel destined for? Nuclear power plants. This makes it fair game.

[wordpix]

43. +1000 ---the "industry not nuclear accident" is of, by, for the nuclear industry, all right

[wordpix]

42. "an industrial accident, not a nuclear accident"--stupidest thing I've read in awhile

The blast happened in a furnace that burns up items used in the nuke plant including fuel. Stoopid!

There are plenty of reasons to harp on about this nuclear industry.

[Art_from_Ark]

46. Yeah, the MOX fuel that caused so much trouble at Fukushima

The radiation levels here in eastern Japan rose dramatically in the hours after the March 14 explosion of the MOX-fueled (No. 3) unit of the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex.

[Kolesar]

49. Good catch...eom

[fasttense]

51. Oh that's such a relief that a nuclear weapons processing plant blew up instead of a power station.

For a minute there, I was afraid the lights would go off.

[Ian David]

6. Explosion at French nuclear site kills one, no leak

Explosion at French nuclear site kills one, no leak

(Reuters) - A furnace exploded at the Marcoule nuclear waste treatment site in southern France on Monday, killing one person, but there was no leak of radioactive material outside the furnace, France's ASN nuclear safety watchdog said.

Four other people were injured, one seriously, in the blast at the Centraco site, owned by French power utility EDF and adjacent to the Marcoule nuclear research center. The site does not house any nuclear reactors.

The furnace that exploded is used to melt waste with levels of radioactivity ranging from low to very high, ASN said.

It did not immediately give a reason for the blast but said it was completely contained within the furnace.

More:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/12/us-france-nuclear-idUSTRE78B2EH20110912

[Bosonic]

8. Explosion reported at Marcoule nuclear plant in southern France

Source: n/a

No link as yet

No link yet.

---

Thanks for the links, I'm sure this thread will be merged with the marginally earlier one.

[bananas]

9. AFP: Radioactive Leak Fears after France Nuclear Plant Explosion

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpps/news/france-nuclear-plant-explosion-dpgonc-20110912-fc_14980443

Radioactive Leak Fears after France Nuclear Plant Explosion

Updated: Monday, 12 Sep 2011, 4:51 AM MST
Published : Monday, 12 Sep 2011, 4:51 AM MST

(AFP) - An explosion was reported at the Marcoule nuclear plant in southern France on Monday, with a risk of a radioactive leak, emergency officials said.

One person was killed and three people were injured, including one seriously, local newspaper the Midi Libre reported.

The accident happened at a processing center for nuclear waste, the report said.

[bananas]

10. BBC: Leak risk after explosion at French nuclear plant

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14883521

12 September 2011 Last updated at 07:51 ET

'Leak risk after explosion at French nuclear plant'

There is a risk of a radioactive leak after a blast at the southern French nuclear plant of Marcoule, media reports say.

One person was killed and three were injured in the explosion, following a fire in a storage site for radioactive waste, Le Figaro newspaper said.

The plant is in the Gard region.

It is a major site involved with the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, and operates a pressurised water reactor used to produce tritium.

[LiberalEsto]

11. One person was killed and 3 injured

Who says nuclear power doesn't kill...

[Tesha]

14. They still won't count this so their tally can stay at zero.

Watch: they'll classify it as a chemical explosion
(which it probably is) so "non-nuclear" so "it
doesn't count!".

Tesha

[bananas]

13. Tritium is used in nuclear weapons.

Tritium is used in nuclear weapons.
This appears to be a nuclear weapons facility.

[Tesha]

16. Tritium is also used in "betalights" and nuclear batteries.

It has uses beyond nuclear weapons.

Tesha

[bananas]

18. It's also used in nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons are a lot more dangerous than "betalights" and RTG's.

[Vinca]

19. Tritium has been leaking from the Vermont Yankee nuke for a long time.

Last month a test from the Connecticut River was positive for it. And they want Vermont to continue to let them operate beyond their "sell by" date!

[Harmony Blue]

20. Tritium does occur in nature too no?

Still, that is a major concern to be finding that much Tritium in the Connecticut River.

[Tesha]

21. Hardly.

It requires a heavy neutron flux irradiating hydrogen;
that alone is pretty rare in nature on this planet. Plus
its half-life of ten years is pretty short as radioactive
things go, so you need a steady supply of new tritium
if you're going to find any just naturally hanging around.

Tesha

[Vinca]

37. Actually - and this is frightening - they couldn't determine whether

the tritium in the river was from Vermont Yankee or Japan! The plant has been leaking tritium on site for a long time, so either way it's not a good thing.

[wordpix]

56. see this Rachel video from last night about our aging nukes with 40 yr. life spans, which is up

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/44495300#44495300

[Heywood J]

47. Steel is also used in nuclear weapons.

Just saying...

[AtheistCrusader]

31. Tritium is used in a shitload of stuff.

Possible this output is used for military purposes, but that's not related to the furnace that exploded this morning. (evening there)

[bananas]

15. CBC: Marcoule operates a pressurized water reactor used to produce tritium

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/12/france-nuclear-plant-explosion.html

<snip>

Marcoule, a nuclear waste management site, does not include any reactors. But it is a major site involved with the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, and operates a pressurized water reactor used to produce tritium.

<snip>

[Supersedeas]

23. thanks for the link

[leveymg]

12. France is the poster child for the safety claims of the global nuclear industry

"Perfectly safe."

[madokie]

17. What could possibly go wrong

Just think where we could be today if not for all the time and money wasted on lying to us about how safe and sane using splitting atoms to boil water is.

[leveymg]

24. Hot water is secondary to producing plutonium. That's been the main product of the

"peaceful atom" -- Pu from recycled "spent" fuel rods -- all along. "Spent" MOX fuel rods are also rich in tritium, which is necessary for thermonuclear weapons (H-bombs), as someone explained up-thread. H-bombs still use plutonium cores as a trigger.

There is no such thing as "peaceful" nuclear power.

[madokie]

27. No doubt that its a means to an end

the end being nuclear warheads

[AshevilleKate]

22. The leak at the plant

I have to admire the French for at least admitting there was an explosion at a nuclear plant. I am glad that our former president is not in office, of course, for this and the Japan disaster, because he only dealt in nu-cu-lar physics, not nuclear ones. It would have been necessary to send in someone who could speak the English language beyond a 3rd grade reader to let him know the possible significance. (I say that with an apology to the 3rd graders.)

I do have to wonder, just a little...they instantly tell us there is no leak. Could they have spin doctors there that are as capable of "selling the Eiffel Tower to the public" as our politicians are of regularly "selling us the Brooklyn Bridge"?

For what it's worth --

Peace out!

[bongbong]

25. Your comment

Your comment made me think of a new reality show, based loosely on "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?"

"Are You Smarter Than A repig Ex-President?"

[SpoonFed]

34. You have to admire the skill level of doublethink required...

to believe the "the furnace exploded, but don't worry, there is no leak because all the radiation is still contained within the furnace"...
this is exactly the kind of doublethink BS that described Reactor 3 at Fukushima... it exploded, but it is still intact. Un huh.

[Yo_Mama]

26. Not a nuclear reactor and not fuel - low level waste furnace

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Explosion_at_French_waste_site_1209111.html

That's an article with actual details. Some of the stuff is from hospitals (nuclear medicine). A bad accident because one person is dead and others injured, but the radiation danger is slim to none. A furnace used to melt metals with low-level radioactive contamination to package them for final disposal exploded.

[treestar]

28. DU is going to have me thoroughly jaded

Headlines make things sound worse than they are so often.

[Yo_Mama]

29. The headline and story at the link have been changed

to deal with reality. So currently the original post is inaccurate (and should be changed, just so people don't have heart attacks reading it), but it was probably accurate when posted. So don't blame the poster - blame BBC.

[Generic Other]

35. I just read it in a panic too

They have changed the info. That was fast scrubbing!!! Wow.

[suffragette]

30. Marcoule's long nuclear history

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14879557

The Marcoule site is one of the oldest in France, and played a significant role in the development of the French nuclear and thermonuclear deterrents.

~~~
However, like other sites such as the UK's Sellafield that date from the dawn of the nuclear age, Marcoule's principal activity these days is cleaning itself up.
~~~

If it remains a relatively minor matter, it will probably be passed off as the type of thing that regrettably happens in all types of industrial facility.

However, Marcoule is on the list of candidate sites to host one of the European Pressurised Water Reactors (EPRs) that according to government policy are to provide the next generation of French citizens with nuclear electricity.

[sce56]

36. I hope some of the Anti-Nuke groups are headed there to do some independent monitoring of the air.

[fascisthunter]

39. self-delete.... misunderstood your post

[fascisthunter]

38. great.... Nukes are so great, aren't they?

[dipsydoodle]

41. Some of that stuff being "recycled"

was hospital waste.

[defendandprotect]

40. French Atomic Energy Comm: "detected radiation leaks as a result of the blast" -- !!

The French Atomic Energy Commission said Monday that it had detected radiation leaks as a result of the blast.

[wordpix]

44. BUT---it's such a "clean" energy source, esp. in France that has such a great record

:sarcasm:

[Yo_Mama]

48. NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/world/europe/13france.html

I don't think you could find any contamination as a result of the explosion/fire. Post a link to support your claim, because all I have been able to find searching is the precise opposite.

Edit: Here is the English portal for the CEA (Atomic Energy Commission, changed name in 2010 to Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
http://www.cea.fr/english_portal
Here's the French site:
http://www.cea.fr/

And here is their official statement:
http://www.cea.fr/le_cea/actualites/explosion_sur_l_installation_centraco-62211

Ce lundi 12 septembre, peu avant midi, sur la commune de Codolet dans le Gard, une explosion est survenue sur l’installation Centraco de la société Socodei, dans un four de fusion métallurgique destiné à retraiter des déchets métalliques FA (Faiblement actifs) et TFA (Très faiblement actifs). Cette installation est située en lisière du centre du CEA de Marcoule, qui a mobilisé ses équipes d’intervention aux côtés du SDIS (Service départemental d’incendie et de secours) pour aider à circonscrire l’incendie. Celui–ci a été maîtrisé peu après 13 heures. Selon l’exploitant SOCODEI, les mesures effectuées ne mettent pas en évidence de rejet radioactif à l’extérieur de l’installation ; le confinement de l’installation et la ventilation sont opérationnels.

Toutes les mesures de confinement du personnel ont été levées tant sur le site de la Socodei que sur celui du CEA voisin.

Les informations sur l’évolution de la situation seront communiquées par la société SOCODEI.

All that says is that there was an accident and that it occurred at a waste processing facility for low-level contaminated waste, and that future updates would come from SOCODEI.

So here is SOCODEI:
http://www.socodei.fr/

And this is their last communique:
http://www.socodei.fr/actualites/detail-de-lactualite/article/usine-centraco-de-marcoule-accident-dexploitation-maitrise-avec-aucun-rejet-radioactif/

And what that says is that the incident is over, confirms one person killed, says that there was no release of chemical or radioactive contamination and that there is no risk of contamination to come. Four more were injured, one seriously. The causes of the accident will be investigated. Link translated in Google:
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.socodei.fr%2Factualites%2Fdetail-de-lactualite%2Farticle%2Fusine-centraco-de-marcoule-accident-dexploitation-maitrise-avec-aucun-rejet-radioactif%2F

[wordpix]

54. oh yes & we must believe the official line, as Fukushima has so aptly taught us

[defendandprotect]

45. They've been drying to deny "leaks" all day on internet -- !!

[Yo_Mama]

50. That's because there were none. n/t

[defendandprotect]

52. Not true -- RADIATION LEAKS were detected after blast by French Atomic Energy Comm ... !!

The French Atomic Energy Commission said Monday that it had detected radiation leaks as a result of the blast.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/envoy/deadly-blast-french-nuclear-facility-144523289.html


And, as I also said, they've been trying to deny it ever since --



Let's also keep this in mind ...

An explosion at the southern France nuclear facility of Marcoule killed one person and wounded four Monday.

as we continue on with the MIC's dream of using nuclear energy to boil water to make steam --

creating our nightmares!

[Yo_Mama]

53. That appears to be a typo

Because the French Atomic Energy Commission NEVER said there was a leak. It always said there was no leak.

And I gave you all the links in a post a couple up from here. The reporting on this was worse than usual!

There was no leak.

[wordpix]

55. "The French nuclear programme does not have a stellar record of transparency"

So says BBC nuclear reporter. I for one don't believe anything the French say while the UN investigation is ongoing and THEY're not saying.

[defendandprotect]

57. The report goes back to AP ... I see no retraction --- or complaint by French Atomic Energy Comm....

Maybe tomorrow we'll hear otherwise --

But think we're also still waiting for a UN report!!

All of these nuclear reactors should be shut down all over the world --

They are imminently dangerous as they exist -- beyond the age of them and poor

maintenance no matter where they are -- and private corporatiosn profiting from

them!

Global Warming and increasing earthquakes and more severe earthquakes make them

even more dangerous now --

Many are built on faults --

Two in Ohio are built on Lake Erie -- a source of drinking water!!