Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes

bmd wrote:Only an idiot or numbnuts would advocate putting hundreds or thousands of potential Superfund sites across the country. This whole scheme sounds like something out of the LaRouche camp.

Stephanie wrote:Only a fearmongering twit would use the phrase "potential Superfund site" to describe safe, clean, affordable, nuclear power.

Federal officials, concerned that leaking chemicals might mix and produce ''an uncontrollable situation,'' began to stabilize the site. But in late August, workers stumbled upon something far more unstable, and thus far more dangerous, than the chemicals that had been discovered initially: It was the cylinder of hydrogen cyanide, leaning against a crumbling concrete wall in a roofless storage shed. After building a curtain of sandbags around the cylinder, Federal managers sought help from experts.

Manufactured for Two Decadesv

The cylinder and its contents were manufactured from 1948 to 1968 by the American Cyanamid Company, one of the nation's largest chemical manufacturers. Hydrogen cyanide was generally used as an insecticide by exterminators, grain elevators and furriers. But it was also useful in various chemical processes, and Elmer A. Fike, from whom Artel acquired controlling interest in the plant two years ago, said in an interview today that he bought the cylinder of hydrogen cyanide to conduct laboratory experiments there in the 1960's.

American Cyanamid was aware that hydrogen cyanide was unstable and, during the two decades when the chemical was on the market, required customers to return cylinders every 90 days so that they could be cleaned and refilled.

Mr. Fike, who from November 1980 to February 1987 was cited 14 times by state and Federal inspectors for numerous violations of environmental laws, described himself in the interview as ''not a good housekeeper.''

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE3DC1E3CF933A0575AC0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Stephanie wrote:I wonder how many small nuclear reactors already exist in this state that you're all simply unaware of.

Let me give you an example. About a decade or so ago a friend of mine who worked for Millstone in CT told me that URI had a nuclear reactor. I didn't believe him. Sure enough, they did!

They exist in many places already and you aren't even aware of it.

The Bhopal disaster was an industrial disaster that occurred in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, resulting in the immediate deaths of more than 3,000 people, according to the Indian Supreme Court. A more probable figure is that 8,000 died within two weeks, and it is estimated that an additional 8,000 have since died from gas related diseases[1][2].

The 1985 reports[10][11][12] give a quite clear picture of what led to the disaster and how it developed, although they differ in details.

Factors leading to this mega-gas leak include:

* The use of hazardous chemicals (MIC) instead of less dangerous ones
* Storing these chemicals in large tanks instead of several smaller ones
* Possible corroding material in pipelines
* Poor maintenance after the plant ceased production in the early 1980's
* Failure of several safety systems (due to poor maintenance and regulations)

Plant design and economic pressures to reduce expenses contributed most to the actual leak. The problem was then made worse by the plant's location near a densely populated area, non-existant catastrophe plans, shortcomings in health care and socio-economic rehabilitation, etc.

ziggy wrote:No. But it was one of those things left up to the chemical company "experts" to take care of.

And the people paid with their lives.

ziggy wrote:I am not proposing anything.

But I think we need to be wary of the motives of people who are. If their motive is public safety first, that is one thing. If their motive is increasing profits at any cost, that is quite something else.