RE: Risk Communication/Wind Power/LOCA/LOBA Accidents

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@AECL.CA>]

From: SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM [mailto:SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM]

Sent: Friday July 27, 2001 1:05 PM

To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: Risk Communication/Wind Power/LOCA/LOBA Accidents

 

Radsafe:

 

Given the extensive recent discussion on Radsafe on risk communication

issues and wind power pros & cons, copied below is a news item about an

unfortunate fatal accident at a windmill in California in 1981 and the satire

I authored in a Letter-to-the-Editor about the "most dreaded of all power

generation accidents -- the Loss of Blade Accident (LOBA). LOBA is a non-too

veiled tongue-in-cheek allusion to LOCAs. For those on Radsafe who consider

this issue superfluous, hit your delete key now and no flaming please.

Thanks.

<SNIP>

 

Funny remark from a colleague :

 

And these things have, what, 2 or 3 blades each?

So if one broke off and hit another windmill releasing, on average, two blades .....