Cover-up claim after Lucas Heights leak - Radioactive gases escape reactor : Melbourne Indymedia

Secret emails made public by the Labor Party today show that last Thursday various gases, including krypton, escaped into the atmosphere at the Lucas Heights reactor in southern Sydney. One staff member was forced to wash off contamination from the leak, and had to undergo a full body examination to ensure he was safe from radiation exposure.

The accident at Australia's only nuclear reactor that led to radioactive gases escaping into the atmosphere has prompted claims of a cover-up...

Secret emails made public by the Labor Party today show that last Thursday various gases, including krypton, escaped into the atmosphere at the Lucas Heights reactor in southern Sydney. One staff member was forced to wash off contamination from the leak, and had to undergo a full body examination to ensure he was safe from radiation exposure.

The accident at Australia's only nuclear reactor that led to radioactive gases escaping into the atmosphere has prompted claims of a cover-up...
The pipe coughed radioactive gas into the atmosphere and exposed a technician to potentially dangerous radiation. The accident comes as the Federal Government has launched an inquiry into the future of nuclear power in Australia, which is deeply unpopular with the Opposition and environmental groups.

The pipe cracked last Thursday in a radioactive booth, used to produce a medical isotope byproduct that aids the diagnosis of cancer.

The Australian Conservation Foundation say the pipe rupture at the Lucas Heights nuclear reactor in Sydney provides a sobering reminder about the dangers inherent in nuclear energy generation.

The Federal Government's nuclear agency ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation) announced today that the damage to a pipe inside the reactor's radioactive 'hot cell' occurred last Thursday.

ACF Executive Director Don Henry said: "This incident raises questions that demand answers:

1. Did radioactive material escape to the atmosphere or the surrounding environment?

2. Why is the public being told about the accident six days after it happened?

"The full investigation report on this matter should be made public. This pipe rupture is just the latest in a pattern of accidents that have plagued every aspect of the nuclear cycle around the world - from uranium mining and enrichment to power generation, right through to the long-term management and storage of radioactive waste."

"It's a reminder about the risks inherent in going nuclear. No matter how advanced the technology and no matter how strict the safeguards, accidents do happen."

Cover-up claim after Lucas Heights leak
Deputy Opposition Leader Jenny Macklin yesterday produced an email from Lucas Heights chief of operations Ron Cameron noting that a "small amount" of radioactive gas leaked out through the reactor's stack last Thursday.

Ms Macklin said the incident was an example of what Australia might face if nuclear power became one of the nation's power sources. "The local community deserves to be told what actually happened at the Lucas Heights reactor last Thursday, and why the release of radioactive gases was not made public," she said.

Senator Nettle says the damage inside the nuclear reactor's core will reinforce the public opposition to nuclear power. She also called on the government to ensure that all details of an investigation into the accident are made public.

"This accident reinforces the dangers of the nuclear cycle for Australia", Senator Nettle said. "Nuclear power is not safe and the nuclear industry can not protect the public from such accidents."

"It is concerning that it has taken almost a week for the government's nuclear agency to reveal that the accident occurred. This is not the first time an accident has occurred at Lucas Heights and it won't be the last," said the Senator. "With a new reactor due to be switched on shortly public concern and opposition to nuclear power will increase."

"People in NSW, particularly those people living and working in Sydney, must be told if any radiation leaks as a result of accidents. The government must make public any results of an investigation."

The Lucas Heights nuclear reactor should be shutdown and the new reactor should not be switched on. Solar and wind power pose no risk to the public and are the only way for Australia to address the challenges of climate change.

SOURCES:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0606/S00300.htm
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,19475454%255E662,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19475949-30417,00.html
http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=129726®ion=7
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,19471051-5001028,00.html