Re: Suggestions?

["J.J. Rozental" <rozental@unisys.com.br>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Bernard L. Cohen <blc+@pitt.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2000 3:22 PM
Subject: Re: Suggestions?


> I was asking for suggestions on how to respond to a Reuters dispatch.
=======================
I do agree with you on the importance to explain to Reuters the error to
consider the Nuclear Accident at Tokaimura as disaster. Press needs to
understand the meaning of an nuclear accident to associate the accident as
disaster. For instance Chernobyl can be associated with disaster
(tragedy),  however Tokaimura no. The IAEA glossary define accident as any
unintended event, including operating errors, equipment failures or
other mishaps, the consequences or potential consequences of which are not
negligible from the point of view of protection or safety. To characterise
the meaning of consequences or potential consequences of which are not
negligible from the point of view of protection or safety, the International
Nuclear Event Scale (INES) is a tool to promptly and consistently
communicate to the public the safety significance of reported events at
nuclear installations. The INES range is from level 1 (anomaly)
through level 7 (major accident).

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant  had widespread
environmental and human health effects. It was thus classified as Level 7.

The accident at the Kyshtym reprocessing plant in the Soviet Union (now
in Russia) led to a large off-site release. Emergency measures including
evacuation of the population were taken to limit serious health effects.
Based on the off-site impact of this event it is classified as Level 6.

The 1979 accident at Three Mile Island in the United States resulted in a
severely damaged reactor core. The off-site release of radioactivity was
very limited. The event is classified as Level 5, based on the on-site
impact.

The 1973 accident at the Windscale reprocessing plant in the United Kingdom
(now Sellafield) involved a release of radioactive material into a plant
operating area as a result of an exothermic reaction in a process vessel. It
is classified as Level 4, based on the on-site impact.

The 1999 accident at the Tokaimura also is classified as level 4, based on
the on-site impact.

An accident classified as level 4 is an accident without significant
off-site public exposure of the order of prescribed limits. Can present
significant damage to the installation, including fatal exposure to workers.
This level of accident can not be considered as disaster in the same
proportion of the other disaster mentioned by Reuters.

Jose Julio Rozental
rozental@unisys.com.br
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I'll be back to Israel next February 22


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