Nuke explosion exposes danger

The nuclear accident last month at the Tokai-Mura plant in 
Japan once again confirmed the fears of millions of people around 
the world that the nuclear industry is unsafe, unreliable and 
untrustworthy. In the accident three workers were exposed to 
direct radiation and local authorities warned the Tokai-Mura 
community not to leave their houses.

The accident took place in that part of the plant where uranium 
is processed to produce uranium oxide (UO2). Police blocked roads 
within a three-kilometre radius around the plant. According to 
the local prefecture, radiation levels on the morning of accident 
measured seven to ten times higher than normal.

The explosion and contamination at the government-run site north 
of Tokyo, came less than 24 hours before the arrival of a 
shipment of weapons-usable plutonium at another plant, the 
Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.

The plutonium shipment, which sailed through Australian waters on 
its way to Japan, is now at the centre of a scandal of its own 
because the producers of the fuel, British Nuclear Fuels Ltd were 
found out and forced to admit to falsifying important safety data 
during its production.

The Tokai-Mura site has a range of nuclear facilities, including 
a plutonium reprocessing plant that suffered a fire and explosion 
in April 1997, at the time Japan's most serious accident.

The operators of the plant are currently considering reopening it 
later this year, despite there being no need for more plutonium. 
Japan has a stockpile of five tonnes of plutonium, with a further 
30 tonnes in Europe awaiting shipment to Japan.

In Australia, Greens Senator Bob Brown said Japan's worst-ever 
nuclear accident validates the Greens' call for an end to uranium 
exports from Australia.

"The Howard Government should also join other regional nations in 
establishing a nuclear-free South Pacific and banning the passage 
of Japanese nuclear waste ships through our waters", said Senator 
Brown.

"Eighty such ships are due to pass Australia in coming years, the 
next due off Sydney in November. These ships are no safer than 
the Japanese reactor now contaminating the countryside north of 
Tokyo."

He said the accident again shows how the nuclear industry's 
assurances are hollow and that Australia should not feed the 
industry uranium.

"The go-ahead for the Jabiluka uranium mine, due to sell uranium 
to Japan, should be withdrawn or, at least, reviewed by Mr Howard 
in light of this accident", said Senator Brown.

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