Japan govt admits dangers of nuclear power

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

Japan govt admits dangers of nuclear power

  

TOKYO, March 27 (Reuters) - The Japanese government admitted for the 

first time on Tuesday that there are dangers inherent in the use of 

nuclear power and acknowledged criticisms that industry has been 

complacent about safety. 



"The use of nuclear power has many benefits...but at the same time 

there are potential dangers implicit in its use that call for an 

unflagging effort to maintain safety," it said in a white paper on 

nuclear safety. 



Japan has 51 reactors and uses nuclear power to meet one-third of its 

energy needs. 



The annual report by the government's Nuclear Safety Commission cited 

widespread criticism of the industry after Japan's worst nuclear 

accident at a uranium reprocessing plant in 1999. 



The accident at a plant in Tokaimura, 140 km (90 miles) northeast of 

Tokyo, and a string of lesser mishaps at other nuclear facilities 

have severely eroded public faith in an industry deemed overconfident 

about the safety of nuclear power, it said. 



The Tokaimura accident -- the world's second-worst since Chernobyl in 

1986 -- occurred in September 1999 when three workers at a plant 

privately operated by JCO Co Ltd set off an uncontrolled nuclear 

reaction that took 20 hours to bring under control. 



The poorly trained employees used buckets to pour nearly eight times 

the proper amount of a uranium solution into a tub, causing a self-

sustaining nuclear reaction to occur. The resulting radiation killed 

two of the workers and forced the evacuation of thousands of nearby 

residents. 



Public anger mounted as details emerged of slipshod production 

methods used at the facility. 



Officials initially downplayed the seriousness of the accident, 

further compounding a deep-seated public mistrust in Japan's nuclear 

industry. 



"The full disclosure of information is a prerequisite to regaining 

public trust," the white paper said. 



- ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle                                     Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100                                     

Director, Technical                             Extension 2306                                  

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service         Fax:(714) 668-3149                                          

ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.                       E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net                                                      

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue           E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com                       

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com



************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.



------------------------------