Five rockets were fired into a nuclear power station being built near Lyons. The police said that the rockets, stolen from the French Army, smashed into the 80 metres high concrete wells which will hold the reactor's core. No-one was hurt and there were only minor changes. A man claimed responsibility for the attack a short time later in the name of a "pacifist and ecological committee". The plant has been the scene of bitter demonstrations involving police and anti-nuclear groups. A West German demonstrator was killed there in 1977 during fierce fighting with the police. ("The West Australian" 20th January 1982)

Radioactive steam leaked into the air when a tube ruptured at the Ginna Nuclear Plant on Lake Ontario, 25 km from New York States third largest city. The leak which lasted 93 minutes led to the declaration of a site emergency. ("Daily News", 26th January 1982). Mild radioactive contamination had been detected on 12 workers at the nuclear power plant since the leak, according to officials. None of the contaminated workers required hospital treatment, a spokesman said. A spokesman at the Ginna Nuclear Plant said officials hoped to get their first look at any damage inside the steam generator by Saturday (30/1/82). ("The West Australian" 29th January 1982)

The New South Wales Health Commission will investigate high levels of radioactivity in sand-mining waste at Byron Bay, on the far north coast. The contaminated waste was uncovered in a reclaimed swamp in the centre of the tourist town last month. ("The West Australian" 12/1/1982)

Leaking steam-generator tubes would probably delay the re-opening of the Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear reactor for at least six months, TMI officials said yesterday (26.1.82). They had expected the undamaged unit to be ready by the end of February, subject to permission by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Unit 1 has been shut since its sister reactor, Unit 11, was involved in the nations worst commercial nuclear-power accident in March 1979. ("The Canberra Times" 27/1/1982)

A five-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother have died of severe burns after touching waste material dumped outside a nuclear-fuel complex in Hyderbad, South India. The children had accompanied their mother to the nuclear-fuel complex area, while their mother was collecting firewood. Both suffered third-degree burns and later died in a local hospital. ("The West Australian" 9th March 1982)

Exposure to radiation on the job was the most probable cause of death of an Ontario nuclear-plant worker, according to a spokesman for Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. A second worker at a nuclear plant has won a disability award for cancer believed to have been caused or aggravated by radiation. Both victims had been long-time employees at the A.E.C.L. nuclear reactor research centre at Chalk River, Ontario, near Ottawa. The two victims developed typical radiation related cancers, though they never received more than the maximum permissible dose of radiation during their years at Chalk River. Both received Ontario Workers Compensation Board Awards in 1982 based on A.E.C.L. acknowledgement to the Board that their radiation exposure was a possible or contributing cause of their cancers. ("The Canberra Times" 6/3/1982)

Fire damaged a storage building at the Surry nuclear plant of the Virginia Electric Power Company, causing what was described as a minor release of radiation into the air and the James River. Utility officials said that no one was injured and there was no danger from the radioactivity. ("The West Australian" 20/4/1982)

Forty nuclear power plants in the United States have weak tubes in their steam generators and it is virtually impossible to make the needed design changes according to a recent report by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The tube problem is causing higher operating costs and is exposing plant staff to radiation. When a unit closes for the tube repairs, the report says, replacement power costs between $500,000 and $1 million and these costs are passed onto consumers. It notes that the Southern California Edison Company which operates the troubled San Onofre plant 144 km south of Los Angeles, has used a process called Cleaving., in which a smaller tube is inserted into each damaged tube. Tube problems at San Onofre were discovered during a routine inspection which led to a shut-down of the plant lasting more than a year. The plant did not resume operations until April 1981. The report says the tube problems in more than half the country's nuclear units are responsible for about 25 per cent of nuclear plant shut-downs that are unrelated to scheduled refueling of stations. The report says there is tube 'degradation' in at least 40 power plants. ("The Australian" 3rd April 1 1982)

Mislabeling of radioactive materials in containers at the Las Alamos national laboratory caused a plutonium leak that contaminated 15 people last year (October 1981), it was revealed this month. A four-member investigation team of the U.S. Department of Energy has listed three major factors that led to the incident last October. In addition to a container being labeled ambiguously, the report says, the container was opened and handled in an area of the laboratory that is not designed for handling plutonium. Then a contaminated worker accidentally spread radioactive material outside the laboratory to a van and residences. Laboratory officials said after the accident that a chemist might have inhaled Plutonium, while 14 others contaminated were given bills of health. The federal study said that the chemist remained under observation. One wing of a building was temporarily closed after the incident for cleaning and investigation. Plutonium, which does not exist in nature, is a by-product of any uranium-fuelled nuclear reactor, including commercial power plants. It is used for nuclear weapons. In large doses Plutonium is poisonous, but the greater risk is considered to be the radiation it produces. ("The West Australian" 13th April 1982)

Tests have detected radioactive material up to 60 times that of normal levels in a household rainwater tank near laboratories which often deal with uranium. The Australian Radiation Laboratory, a division of the Federal Department of Health, made the discovery after analyzing rainwater and sludge from a tank from the Australian Mineral Development Laboratories at Thebarton in suburban Adelaide. The tests, which had been requested by Federal Labour M.P. Mr. John Scott, found that the sludge in the bottom of the rainwater tank contained about 60 times the normal level of Caesium-137, a radioactive element found in fallout from nuclear bomb tests. The laboratory also found that levels of uranium in the tank were 10 times higher than normal and levels of radioactive Thorium were 3 times higher. Levels were compared with those normally found in soil samples. ("The Australian" 15th May 1982)

A reactor was allowed to operate at 75% during maintenance of a main cooling pump. Radioactive coolant escaped through an undetected leak for 3 hours before the reactor was shut down. ("Der Spiegel" 20/4/87, WISE NC 275 12/6/87)

Partial core melt at Chernobyl-1 following an incorrect action by operating staff. Release of radioactive material into the industrial zone and the city of Pripyat; irradiation of staff involved in repairing the core. ("Nucleonics Week" 31/5/90; WISE-334 22t6/90).

A bomb blew up part of the Litton Systems Canada plant which makes components for Cruise missiles. ("West Australian" 16th October 1982)

Explosion of the generator of Armenia-1 (WER440), setting fire to the turbine building. The operating staff managed to keep the coolant flowing, and a team from the faraway seater plant at Kola arrived by airplane to help the Armenia operators save the reactor core.("Nucleonics Week" 31/5/90; WISE-334 22/6/90 ) .

569. 1982, October - BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

Potentially dangerous levels of radiation found at a diffused mineral sands mining site on Queensland's Gold Coast. ("West Australian" 16/10/1982) Wastes from mineral sands operations at Stadroke Island have been used to fill sand pits in some Queensland kindergartens. Parents, not surprisingly, are concerned. ("Daily News" 18/10/1982)

A truck carrying a Pershing missile crashed into a car, killing 3 people. ("Daily News" 4th November 1982) This crash was one of a series of accidents involving U.S. Pershing missiles which has upset many Germans. The controversy was not reported in the local press.

10 kgs of Plutonium produced at the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant is missing. 10 kgs is enough to make a nuclear bomb. The report said that between 1970 and 1980, 94 kgs of uranium was missing from Dounreay and 47 kgs of Plutonium from Windscale. ("West Australian" 8th November 1982)

Four men were killed in an MX missile silo during a flash fire. 16 other men were injured. The Tullahoma centre is a 17,000 hectare missile test area, the largest in the U.S.A. A 27,000 kg second-stage engine for the MX exploded 10 days before the fire and the men killed had been cleaning up after that event. ("The Age" "The West Australian" 30th November 1982)

A B-52 bomber exploded on landing at Castle Air Force Base. Nine crewmen escaped uninjured. Air Force spokespersons would neither confirm nor deny that atomic weapons were aboard. ("Daily News" 1st November 1982. "The Age" 1st/2nd November 1982)

The U.S. civil nuclear industry is facing ruin due to economic, legal, political and technical problems. Last month, incidents which caused more heartburn for nuclear reactor supporters were:

- the Ohio River plant, under construction for a decade, closed down by regulatory authorities for safety violations.

- the owners of the Yankee plant in Vermont fined $40,000 over an incident similar to the event at Three Mile Island.

- the Virginia Electric Power Company decided to write off $540 million instead of bringing the Surry plant into operation.

- public outcry at attempts to restore the undamaged reactor at Three Mile Island.

- a slinging match in Court between the builders and the operators over culpability at Three Mile Island.

David Freeman, Managing Director of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the biggest users of nuclear energy, said: "we should be fundamentally re-examining the nuclear option. It is time to confess that we went too far, too fast in deploying the large-scale design of a reactor type we knew too little about." ("The Age" 14th/15th/12/1982)

Nine crew died when a B-52 crashed into a field. No mention of nuclear weapons was made on the report. ("West Australian" 18th December 1982)

The Borseles nuclear reactor was shut down and evacuated after a leak in the "secondary system was found". Radioactive water escaped but was not considered dangerous. ("Financial Review" 5/1/1982)

The biggest nuclear power station in the U.S. leaked radioactive water at a rate of 2200 litres per minute into the Tennessee River. The Browns Ferry plant, owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority, was put on alert when the water, used for cooling the reactor, leaked. ("West Australian" 18th January 1983)

U.S. nuclear plants may be using faulty parts supplied by a now bankrupt company. ("Daily News" 24/1/1983)

The 1957 Windscale reactor disaster - Britain's worst nuclear accident - may have caused up to 260 cases of thyroid cancer, 13 of them fatal, according to the National Radiological Protection Board. ("Daily News" 21st February 1983)

The primary cooling system lost coolant and pressure due to valves in the pressure vessel being stuck in the open position. The reactor shut down automatically and an emergency cooling system had to be turned on to remove residual heat, with the danger that the cold water flooding into the hot core would cause "thermal shock", creating extremely high pressures which could have split open the reactor. Cause of the near catastrophe - improper grounding of cables. ("Der Spiegel" 20/4/87, WISE NC 275 12/6/87)

A fire which almost burnt down a building containing radioactive waste raised the question of the safety of storing such substances in inner city arena. ("The Age" let March 1983)

Workers evacuated the reactor building at the Nine-Mile Point nuclear plant when a five hour alert was caused by a radioactive spill. ("West Australian" 17th March 1983)

The N.R.C. said the failure of a New Jersey plant to shut down automatically twice last month was the industry's worst safety mishap since Three Mile Island. ("West Australian" "The Age" 17/3/1983)

The Federal Government will investigate the disposal of radioactive sands in Queensland after "Hot" sand was found in a school playground. ("Daily News" 28th March 1982)

British journalists claim they have evidence that aborigines were exposed to nuclear fallout during the British A-bomb tests between 1953 and 1962. They say aborigines were blinded, burnt and may have died in some cases, because of contamination. Classified documents say radioactive Cobalt-60 pellets were left scattered around the test site and the Ministry of Defence admitted that fallout from 'Totem 1' tests passed over aboriginal encampments 160 km to the north east of the test site. ("West Australian" 4/4/1983)

The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that plans for coping with an accident at the Indian Point nuclear reactors near New York have two major flaws and the safety of 288,000 people living within ten miles of the reactors could not be guaranteed. The plants have already missed deadlines for correcting flaws and debate has occurred whether or not they should be shut down. ("Financial Review" 19th April 1983)

The first stage of a Trident missile, test-fired from a submarine, blew up after a malfunction. ("West Australian" 21st April, 1983)

The multi-billion dollar nuclear powered and nuclear armed aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise. ran aground in San Francisco Bay. The whole ship's company of 3,000 men stood on one side of the ship to try to re-distribute the weight and float it off. ("The West Australian" 30th April 1983)

589. 1983, April - MURUROA ATOLL, SOUTH PACIFIC

The French start a new series of tests at Mururoa Atoll. 91 explosions have occurred so far and the atoll is showing signs of structural damage. Stories of radioactive waste leaks and increased cancer figures in local inhabitants continue to emanate from the area. ("Daily News" 21st April 1983 "West Australian" 22nd April 1983 "Sunday Independent" 24th April 1983)

In a book about political terrorism, criminologist Dr. Grant Wardlaw said atomic installations would become prime targets for terrorists. He said security at such places was weak and terrorist groups may become more desperate to attain their political goals. ("Sunday Independent" 1/5/1983)

Mussels taken from billabongs in the Alligator River's uranium province contain high radium concentrations. It is not yet known whether the high concentrations are natural or from the nearby Ranger uranium mine. ("West Australian" "The Age" 25th May 1983)

Information from the Austrian Daily Courier and said to be confirmed in Czech opposition circles revealed that thirty Soviet soldiers died in a nuclear explosion in Czechoslovakia on May 24, 1983. The explosion was probably a Soviet short range nuclear missile. Radioactivity readings by Czech authorities supported the nuclear industry. ("West Australian" 16th January 1984)

Due to a valve failure, water in the secondary circuit overheated. A shut-down cooling system was improperly turned on, setting off vibrations which caused pipe displacement to 20 cm. More than 3 hours later, mechanics working in the pump room, surrounded by steam and waters, managed to close the offending valve with a tool they had feverishly produced on the spot. Cause of the accident - a missing screw. ("Der Spiegel" 20/4/87, WISE NC275 12/6/87)

A Commonwealth Serum Laboratories expert said large amounts of a tasteless fish toxin which causes an incurable disease were likely to be released from French nuclear tests. The disease, ciguatera, causes diarrhoea, vomiting and other discomfort. The disease was one reason why there was little commercial fishing in the Pacific. ("The Age" 24th June 1983 West Australian 25th June 1983)

595. 1983, June - FRANCE POLLUTING ANTARCTICA

Nuclear debris from French tests at Mururoa Atoll have been found in the Antarctic. ("The Age"/ "Daily News" 28th June 1983)

Around 2,500 litres of radioactive water spilt in an accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. No workers were reported contaminated. ("West Australian" 12th July 1983)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission findings have revealed small cracks in the cooling pipes of thirteen nuclear power plants which could lead to meltdowns. Although the plants can resume operations after patching the cracks, a permanent solution will coat hundreds of millions of dollars to replace the pipes entirely. All the reactors were made by General Electric. Another five reactors suspected of having the came problem were advised to shut down within 30 days for inspection. The shutdowns were the first ordered by the NRC since 1979. ("The West Australian" / "The Age" 16th July 1983)

A Jet carrying low-level radioactive materials crashed and burnt on landing in Tennessee. ("The Age" 18/7/1983)

Crossed wiring in a key piece of safety equipment in the largest nuclear utility in the U.S. has caused increased surveillance at the plant. ("West Australian" 21st July 1983)

A private research group in the U.S., the Fund for Constitutional Government, reported that US nuclear ships have leaked radiation at least 37 times. The leaks contaminated coastal and inshore waters of Japan, Britain, and the U.S. on more than a dozen occasions. The report accused the U.S. Navy of "suppressing information about a 30 year history of radiation accidents and safety problems". ("The Age" / "West Australian" 21st July 1983)

The U.S. Navy rebutted claims made by the Fund for Constitutional Government that it had numerous accidents causing radiation leaks which it tried to cover up. ("The Age" 22nd April 1983)

A serious accident occurred at a reactor factory which will affect the Soviet civil nuclear power program. The accident is related to the establishment of a safety committee [reported above.] ("The Age" 21st July 1983)

Soviet submarine sank in the North Pacific killing 90 on board, the Associated Press reported, citing US Intelligence officials. (WISE NC262 31/10/86)

The latest nuclear power station built in Britain had shut for a week only five days after starting operations due to a steam leak. A spokesman said there was no radiation or threat to the public. The cost of the plant has risen from the original $A425 million to $A1156 million and the Central Electricity Generating Board said the plant would have to operate for 30 years at full power to pay for itself. ("The Age" 9th April 1983)

C.B.S. reported that a Russian nuclear submarine sunk with around 90 men on board. C.B.S. said the hull has been raised. The Soviets lost a nuclear submarine in 1970 and a diesel-powered submarine in 1974. The U.S. lost nuclear submarines in 1963 (U.S.S. "Thresher") and 1968 (U.S.S. "Scorpion") with a total loss of 228 men. ("West Australian" 12th August 1983)

3,700 litres of radioactive tritium leaked into Lake Huron and Lake Ontario from Canadian nuclear power stations. ("Financial Review"; "The Age" 8/8/1983)

Records of radioactive leak tests at the undamaged reactor at Three Mile Island may have been tampered with, according to an N.R.C. report. ("The Age" 8th August 1983)

An official report said 33 people may have died from the Windscale nuclear plant accident in 1957. ("West Australian" 29th September 1983)

An operator was killed by a massive radiation dose at a nuclear power plant. The incident was a prompt "critical" accident and the man received a radiation dose similar to people at Hiroshima and died two days later. It is claimed to be the first death attributable to the civil nuclear industry. ("The Age" 3rd September 1983) COMMENT: This death is the first attributed to the civil nuclear industry but radiation experts have long contended that numerous deaths due to cancer in nuclear industry workers and local residents have resulted from nuclear sources.

About 200 employees at the Ranger uranium mine went on strike for a week over safety issues. Workers were concerned about dust levels. ("Financial Review" 4th September 1983)

British nuclear waste will be stored in a diffused chemical mine beneath homes and factories at Billingham, near Riddlesborough and also 95 kms from London. Residents of the area are unhappy. ("West Australian" 24th/27th October 1983)

A nuclear reactor in Ontario will be closed for at least 10 days after springing a leak. The reactor was only opened 6 months ago. ("Daily News" 31/10/1983)

The Metropolitan Edison Power Company, former operators of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, have been charged on 11 counts of criminally faking test results done before the accident in 1979. The plant is now managed by CPU Nuclear Corporation, a subsidiary of General Public Utilities Corporation, the parent company of Metropolitan Edison and half owner of Three Mile Island. ("Daily News" 8/11/1983; "West Australian" "The Age" "The Financial Review" 9th November 1983)

Jellyfish closed a nuclear power plant in India by blocking pipes bringing coolant from the sea. ("West Australian" 9th November 1983)

Home Affairs and Environment Minister Cohen reported one major accident at the Ranger mine between April 1982 and June 1983 when two workers were knocked over by a spillage of yellowcake in the packaging room. They had received a radiation dose around a years allowance. Eight other minor incidents were reported at Ranger and two at Narbalek. ("West Australian" 10th November 1983)

A bomb was planted near the Lucas Heights nuclear plant. It was dismantled by explosives experts. ("West Australian" 18th November 1983)

A stretch of coast near the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant has been contaminated by radioactive waste. ("Financial Review" "West Australian" 21st; "The Age" 22nd November 1983)

Bad planning and erosion problems threaten the USSR's biggest nuclear reactor manufacturing plant called Atomsah and worth $4,000 million. ("The Age" 30th November 1983)

Soviet Victor III Clara nuclear submarine disabled in Atlantic between Bermuda and South Carolina and towed to Cuba for repair. (WISE NC262 31/10/86)

The Ranger uranium mine will leave a tailings pile 200 hectares in area and 30 to 40 metres high. This was revealed at a symposium on radioactive waste management which discussed various related issues including borosilicate glean, the principal waste disposal method. Professor Ringwood, developer of SYNROC has said the borosilicate method is unsafe. ("Financial Review" 1/12/1983)

China admitted a serious nuclear accident at Atomic City in the Gobi Desert in 1969. 20 workers were exposed to severe radiation. ("The Age" 7/12/1983)

The Japanese memorial to victims of the Hiroshima atomic blast is to be rebuilt because it has run out of room for names of victims. The bomb was reported to have killed 200,000 people in the first five years. The annual toll of people who die from after effects of the bomb is now about 5,000. The final total is calculated at about 506,000 people. ("West Australian" 5th January 1984)

The US Supreme Court reinstated damages of $10.5 million to the family of Karen Silkwood. It was ruled Miss Silkwood's family was entitled to the money from Kerr-McGee Corporation for the nuclear contamination of Miss Silkwood. ("Financial Review" 13/1/1984)

36 crewmen of the US aircraft carrier U.S.S. Independence were tried over the use of LSD on the ship. ("Daily News" 13th January 1984)

COMMENT: Drug use by military personnel involved with the use of nuclear weapons is a reason for great concern. Between 1975 and 1977, 15,067 military personnel were removed from access to nuclear weapons: of those 4,809 were removed for drug abuse.

Mormons living near nuclear testing grounds in Nevada have shown unusually high incidence of cancer. Mormons normally have an unusually low cancer rate due to diet and lifestyle. ("West Australian" 14/1/1984)

US Government safety officials refused an operating license to the Byron nuclear plant near Rockford, Illinois. The plant, worth $3.7 billion, was rejected because of a lack of assurance in quality due to a history of non-compliance of NRC requirements. The owners, Commonwealth Edison Co., can ask the NRC, (Atomic Safety and Licensing Board) to reconsider, appeal to the licensing appeal board or appeal to the five man NRC itself. The decision by the NRC is the first time in the nuclear industry's 25 year history an application for an operating license has been flatly rejected. ("West Australian" 16/1/1984)

The world nuclear power industry received two major blows in one week with the South Korean decision (see separate item) and developments in the US along with Reagan's decision to pull out of President Carter's plan for energy self-sufficiency based on nuclear power. The Carter plan required an increase in nuclear power generation and the development of a breeder reactor program, but the breeder program failed to get Congressional support in 1983. The Marble Hill plant, where $2.5 billion has already been spent, has been abandoned - the costliest failure in US nuclear industry history. The Byron plant has also been halted. The Shoreham plant of the Long Island Lighting Co., The Zimmer Plant of Cincinatti Gas and Electric Co. and the two Seabrook plants in New Hampshire are also expected to fail. The US nuclear industry is now at a virtual standstill. The closures in the US and South Korea will substantially cut back uranium demand to likely cause price falls. These developments will affect Australian uranium projects. ("Financial Review" 18th January 1984)

A Jaguar fighter crashed near Britain's top secret chemical defense establishments at Parton Down where research into germ and chemical warfare is carried out. ("West Australian" 19th January 1984)

The Cincinatti Gas and Electric Co. owners of the William H. Zimmer nuclear plant, announced they would try to convert the plant to coal operations. Construction started on the plant in 1972 and it was 97% completed but the NRC halted all but safety related work in 1982 and the utility company found they would have to spend another $1.5 billion (on top of $1.6 billion already spent) to satisfy Federal safety regulations and open in 1986. It will be cheaper to convert to coal. ("Financial Review" 23rd January 1984)

Hundreds of workers at the US's largest nuclear plant have been laid off and a reactor closed down because of concerns about maintenance and repair capabilities. The workers at the Brown's Ferry plant in Alabama were laid off due to numerous violations of NRC rules. ("Financial Review" 25th January 1984)

The US nuclear power industry is in deep trouble. 82 plants currently supply 65,000 megawatts of electricity, around 12% total demand. Coal plants supply 55% total demand. It is expected that only a few of the plants still under construction will be completed. All these events will cause further problems for the uranium sellers. ("Financial Review" 26th January 1984)

A 25 cent coin caused a loss of $150 million in revenue when it fell into the generator of a nuclear power plant. ("The Age" 2/2/1984).

As an addition to the fiat of atomic power plants violating Federal safety regulations, Diablo Canyon plant is continuing to be a major embarressment to the nuclear industry. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is due to vote in 10 days time on whether to restore the plant's operating license, but firstly has to determine the validity of employees charges of gross design and construction errors. Although this project was launched 17 years ago, no power has as yet been generated. ("The Age" 8th February 1984)

A failsafe system of nuclear attack sirens malfunctioned, setting the Midland city into a state of shock, and causing distress to many people. ("Daily News" 9th February 1984) COMMENT: Events like this should alert people to potential panic which would break out in the event of a REAL nuclear attack.

The Indian II nuclear power plant in Buchanan was shut down after radioactive water started to leak into its steam generating system. The plant is expected to be closed after radioactive water started to leak into its one litre of water per minute seeping into the heat exchanger. ("Daily News" 13th February 1984)

Malaysia has announced a five-year ban on the export of monkeys after the discovery that many of the animals were being used in nuclear and chemical warfare experiments. Malaysian export policy is based on agreements signed with importing institutes that monkeys are only used for pharmaceutical experiments. However, investigations have revealed that some Malaysian monkeys were used in US air force experiments in which they were exposed to passive doses of neutron radiation, subjected to varying degrees of electric shocks and forced to run on treadmills until they died. ("The Age" 17/2/1984)

A stretch of Cumbrian beach contaminated by radioactive waste last November is still closed as a precaution. According to reports, the contamination was exacerbated by inadequate instruments to monitor the plants operations, and poor communications between staff. ("The Age" 16th February 1980)

Nuclear accident in the Nevada desert has left one man critically ill and eight others in hospital. It occurred during an underground nuclear test and involved technicians who were measuring the effects of the blast. The accident happened when the explosion caused a delayed cave-in. ("Daily News" 17/1/1984)

Labour MP Roland Boyes claims that a nuclear war could be started accidentally by American servicemen affected by drugs. Fourteen US air force personnel have been returned to the US from Greenham Common on drug-taking charges. ("Daily News" 28/2/1984)

A mishap at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio triggered the siren alarms installed at governmental direction following the Three Mile Island accident in March 1979. The siren was set off by a failed valve which stuck on an open position after the reactor, which was operating at 99 percent power, tripped because of another malfunction. A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Official said that "because the valve stuck open, the steam generator was emptied of water normally circulated through the reactor to keep it at a safe temperature". The official went on to any that the plant is in a 'stable' condition due to the excess heat being removed through an identical sister steam generator. ("West Australian" 5/3/1984)

A recent study in the "American Medical Journal" has reported a cancer rate in the town of St. Georges of almost double that of Mormons in the rest of Utah. St. Georges is a Mormon town in south-west Utah near where 87 open-air atomic bombs were tested between 1951 and 1962. ("The Age" 14th March 1984)

A radioactive spill in Juarez, Mexico which occurred on December 6th was not discovered until a month later when over 200 people had been exposed to radiation, five of them to lethal levels. The spill occurred in a junkyard where a cancer-therapy machine was dismantled. ("The Age" 23rd March 1984)

A US Navy aircraft carrier collided with a Soviet nuclear submarine off South Korea. The collision is expected to exacerbate East-West tension. ("The Age" 23rd March 1984)

Monash University has refused to release confidential documents under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents relate to 46 students who were exposed to excessive doses of radiation during experiments into the effects of snake bite. The University's registrar has refused to provide any documents which reveal personal details of the volunteers on the grounds of confidentiality and that publication would be contrary to public interest. The Monash Association of Students has appealed to the County Court. ("The Age" 29th March 1984)

Although 23 per cent completed, the second reactor in the Seabrook nuclear power project in New Hampshire appears to be close to cancellation. The unit has already cost a consortium of 16 New England utilities more than 2.5 billion, but some analysts any that the original projected $1 billion cost could soar as high as $8.5billion. If construction is terminated, financial pressure will have done what thousands of protectors failed to achieve during the 1970's. ("Financial Review" 20th March 1984)

An inquest is being held to decide whether a scientists' death resulted from his exposure to plutonium while working at the Aldermaston atomic weapons research based in 1965. ("Daily News" 10th April 1984)

The full dimensions of a radioactive spill in Mexico are still unknown, yet officials say that radiation released was 100 times more intense than that the Three Mile Island accident. ("The Age" 2nd May 1984) COMMENT: Although safeguards may be enforceable in the US, the implications of establishing nuclear induatries in developing countries are horrendous.

A Federal Judge has ruled that nuclear tests in Nevada caused cancer amongst some people who lived downwind. The tests were carried out between 1951 and 1962 and caused 375 cases of cancer. ("Daily News" 11/5/1984)

According to a 1979 report by the ecological Survey Unit of the SA Department of Environment, rabbits are almost certain to burrow into pits containing 20kg of plutonium at Maralinga. ("National Times" llth-17th May 1984)

One of the 15 containers of uranium-copper ore from Roxby Downs due to be loaded on a ship bound for Finland is leaking. Some of the containers were also inadequately labeled. ("West Australian" 19/5/1984)

A US nuclear-powered submarine collided with barrels containing nuclear waste dumped on the seabed off the South West coast of England. ("The Age", "Daily News" 29th May 1984)

A Pershing II missile test launched at Cape Canaveral on May 16 suffered a guidance failure in the final seconds of flight and, despite hitting its target area, was out of control when it crashed. ("West Australian" 4th June 1984)

A massive explosion in mid-May at the Soviet Union's Northern fleet is believed to have destroyed a quarter to a third of the fleet's surface-to-air missile stockpile and several cruise missiles. ("The Age" 23rd, "Sunday Times" 24th, "West Australian" 25/6/1984)

Sweden has begun the construction of the world's first nuclear waste depot under the seabed. ("The Age" 7th June 1984)

Radiation experts will check two halls and a school bulldozer which Coober Pedy residents fear could be contaminated from the atomic tests at Maralinga. ("The Age", "The West Australian" 18th June 1984) Britain secretly tested radioactive plutonium devices at Maralinga despite a moratorium on atmospheric tests. ("Daily News" 18th June 1984)

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant was placed on "alert emergency status" for four hours yesterday after a radiation monitoring device malfunctioned. ("West Australian" 18th June 1984)

The first ever sale of an abandoned nuclear plant began yesterday at the Forked River plant in New Jersey. The plant was abandoned after $455 million had been spent on the project. ("West Australian" 21st June 1984)

According to a report in 'The Times' U.K., mentally retarded people were used in the nuclear tests at Maralinga. ("West Australian" 21st June 1984)

COMMENT: This report demands further investigation. If retarded people were used as guinea pigs for atomic tests, what other horror stories are yet to be revealed?

The cargo warehouse at Kuala Lumpur airport was closed after a solid radioactive electronic component imported via Singapore from France was found to be damaged. No leak was found. ("West Australian" 21st June 1984)

More than 90 radioactive 'hot spots' have been identified on the British atomic bomb test site at Maralinga. ("West Australian" 30th June 1984)

An inquiry commissioned by the State Government into the mineral sands industry has called for more vigour in keeping radiation levels as low as possible. The report said that tailings had been spread and used as landfill at Capel and Geraldton (West Australia). Radiation levels at Wonnerup were 10 times the limit. ("The Financial Review" "The West Australian" 27th July 1984)

A report into the mineral sands industry and radio-active monazite tabled in State Parliament by the Minister for Health warns that radio-active thorium has the potential to make nuclear weapons. ("Daily News" 30th July 1984)

Toxic gas escaped from the Lucas Heights atomic research centre through a ventilation shaft last month. ("The Age" 6th August 1984)

A British Airways jumbo jet was grounded at Perth Airport due to fears that a radioactive package may have leaked. ("Daily News" 7/8/84 "The Age", "The West Australian" 8/8/84)

COMMENT: Radioactive packages are commonly transported on commercial flights. The radioactive Iridium which leaked aboard a British Airways jet was not properly secured in its heavy casing which meant that it would emit radiation through the container walls. ("The West Australian" 9/8/1984) The Public Health Department has concluded that possibly only one person was exposed to radiation from the leaking Iridium consignment taken from a London-bound jet. ("The West Australian" 10/8/1984)

The primary circuit in Unit 2 leaked because new washers were not set in correctly. ("Der Spiegel" 20/4/88, WISE NC 275 12/6/87)

The sunken French freighter, Hont Louis, has broken open and spilt come of its cargo in rough seas. ("Daily News" 11th September 1984) Greenpeace members have found a container of uranium hexafluoride on a beach near Dehaan, 10 kilometres north of Ostend, Belgium. The container is presumed to be part of the cargo of the sunken Mont Louis. ("The Age", "The West Australian" 12/9/84, "Daily News" 13/9/84)

The President of the Royal Commission into the British bomb tests, Mr. Justice McClelland, was surprised to find that there was so much radioactive material outside fenced areas at the Maralinga test site. On visiting the atom-bomb test sites, he said that the radioactive material was in areas that had been declared safe in 1967. ("The Age", "The West Australian" 13/9/1984)

A $2.5 billion nuclear power plant in the Phillipines, scheduled to commence operation in January, has not undergone full safety checks and is sited near several volcanoes and in an earthquake zone, according to critics. President Marcos has refused to listen to suggestions of an independent investigation into the safety of the plant and has referred to matter to the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission, which is under his jurisdiction. ("The Age" 19th September 1984)

A nuclear disaster was apparently prevented yesterday when a Soviet nuclear-armed submarine was forced to surface in the sea of Japan after a suspected fire in its missile silos. It appears that the crew had narrowly prevented the missiles from launching themselves. ("The Age" 22nd/24th September 1984)

Two unused atomic bombs were buried in the desert in South Australia, the Royal Commission into British atomic testing in Australia was told today. ("Daily News" 10/10/84, "The Age", "The West Australian" 11/10/84)

Up to 130 44-gallon drums containing radioactive waste may have been dumped off the Queensland coast, the McClelland Royal Commission into British atomic venting was told yesterday. ("The Age", "The West Australian" 12/10/84, The Age. 13/10/85

Crumbling drums of 'hot' uranium ore have been abandoned on Aboriginal hunting grounds near Wiluna, 750 kms north-east of Perth. ("Daily News" 19-23/10/84, "The West Australian" 31/10/84)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington has condemned a report by the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in California (recognized as the western World's leading nuclear weapons research centre) suggesting that people could protect themselves during a nuclear attack by jumping into swimming pools wearing heavy clothing. ("The Age" 26/10/84)

The owners of Simmer nuclear plant, which failed to pass the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions checks, are attempting to convert the plant to a coal-fired station. ("The National Times" 26/10 - 1/11/84)

674. 1984, November - U.S., AUSTRALIA, U.S.A./P>

High levels of radioactive fall-out were recorded in Australia, but kept secret by the U.S. Government after a suspected South African nuclear bomb test in 1979. ("The National Times" 2-8/11/84)

A sodium fire occurred at the fest breeder reactor under construction at Kalkar in the Federal Republic of Germany near the Dutch border. According to official reports, the accident occurred when argon gas was vented from a sodium holding tank and drew 190 litres of sodium with it to the roof of the reactor building. When the sodium came into contact with the moisture it ignited and 100m2 of the temporary roofing caught fire. ("Atom" Mar/Apr 85, WISE NC 223 1/3/85)

4 accidents within one year, including escape of radio-activity coolant from the primary circuit into the safety area. ("Der Spiegel" 20/4/88, WISE 12/6/87)

Norway has alleged that a soviet cruise missile flew over its territory last Friday before crashing in Finland. ("The West Australian" "The Age" 4th January 1985) A British newspaper has claimed that the Soviet cruise missile which crossed Norwegian airspace before creaking into Finland last month was on an "attack" mission to west Germany. The missile had been fed the wrong flight plan by a computer error. ("The Age" 1/2/85, "The West Australian" 2/2/85) COMMENT: Human error always lurks behind computer error and while the chance of a mistake remains possible the world is at risk from nuclear missiles.

While radio-active wastes were being transferred into containers, a rubber hose leaked and heavy water escaped. Initially, the hose was repaired with masking tape; later a new hose was installed. ("Der Spiegel" 20/4/87; WISE NC 275 12/6/87)

The Royal Commission into nuclear tests was told that 30 badly-leaking drums of radio-active waste were dumped off the West Australian coast. The Commission was also told that Robert Menzies had sent a message to the British PM asking "What the bloody hell is going on, the cloud is drifting over the mainland?" ("The Age", "The West Australian" 5/1/85 "Sunday Times" 6/1/85). A CSIRO scientist is making use of the thin blanket of radioactive Caesium-137 laid over Australia from atmospheric nuclear tests in the northern hemisphere to measure soil erosion. ("The West Australian", "The Age" 7th January 1985)

"Jane's Defence Weekly" has reported that up to 30 Soviet sailors were killed when the nuclear-powered ice-breaker "Lenin" had a melt-down of its reactor in 1967. ("The West Australian" 17th Jan 1985)

A Greenham Common peace protector claims that she broke through security at the base and "twiddled the knobs" on a cruise missile launcher. ("The West Australian" 19th January 1985)

Radio-active coolant escaped during placement of measuring instruments in the core. ("Der Spiegel" 20/4/87, W1SENC275 12/6/87)

The McClelland Royal Commission was told that one hundred Aborigines walked barefoot over nuclear-contaminated ground because boots they had been given didn't fit. ("Daily News" 5/2/85, "The West Australian", "The Age" 6/2/85)

February 4th, 1985 - The 1953 British nuclear test that allegedly caused 'black mist' phenomenon in South Australia should not have been fired and the fallout was about three times more than forecast, according to a scientist who was involved in the tests. ("The Age" "The West Australian" 13/2/1985)

Iraqi aircraft have attacked an unfinished Iranian nuclear plant and a steel plant, killing at least 11 people. ("Daily News" 5th March 1985)

685. 1985, April - WOMMERUP, AUSTRALIA

A house built less than 200 meters from an area mined for mineral sands 25 years ago is still contaminated from mineral-sands tailings which are dangerously radioactive. ("The West Australian" 8/4/85)

686. 1985, April - LONDON, UK

It has been alleged that a 78 year old anti-nuclear campaigner, found slain near her home last year, was murdered by British intelligence. ("Daily News" 22/4/85)

According to a special report on an investigation of residual radio-active contamination, about 100,000 dangerous metal fragments contaminated with Plutonium still litter the Maralinga atomic test range - 25 years after the atomic tests which caused them. ("The West Australian" 26/4/85)

A blocked drain pipe caused a waste tank to overflow and radioactive liquids got into the auxiliary building. ("Der Spiegel" 20 Apr 87, WISE NC 275 12 June 1987)

A mechanical engineer has told the McClelland Royal Commission on British nuclear weapons tests in Australia, that geiger counter readings of the fallout levels near Marble Bar were "off-the-scale". ("The West Australian", "The Age" 6/8/85)

According to Algerian Television, about 150 Algerians taken prisoner in the Franco-Algerian war were used as guinea pigs to test the effects of radiation on human beings during France's first nuclear test 25 years ago. ("The Age" 11/5/85)

COMMENT: When the situation in Algeria became too politically sensitive, France moved the test site as far away from home as is globally possible in Mururoa.

Details released under the US Freedom of Information Act have revealed that some sheep in Victoria had six times the normal amount of radio-activity after the suspected explosion of a South African nuclear device. ("Daily News" 21/5/85, "The West Australian" 22/5/85)

A 40-tonne fishing boat has rammed a British nuclear submarine, the HMS Resolution, causing slight damage. ("The West Australian" 12/6/85)

Accident at Balakovo-1 (VVER-1000) during initial startup, when the pressurizer relief valve opens suddenly and steam at 300 degrees C is sprayed into staff work arena. Fourteen people die. The accident is laid to errors on the part of inexperienced, nervous operating staff. ("Nucleonics Week" 31/5/90; WISE-334 22/6/90).

A new film by Australian Dennis O'Rourke finds that America willingly allowed hundreds of Pacific Islanders to be exposed to radiation as an experiment during the first US hydrogen bomb explosion 30 years ago. ("The National Times" 21-27/6/85)

Specialists at a terrorism and nuclear arms conference believe that it would be possible for terrorists to obtain nuclear arms. ("The West Australian" 4/7/85)

696. 1985, July - PINTUNG, TAIWAN

The Pintung nuclear power plant has been shut down for further safety checks following a fire which damaged a generator. The damaged plant was completed two months ago at a cost of $US2.4 billion. ("The Financial Review" 9/7/85)

An empty barrel from a freighter that sank with a radio-active nuclear cargo has been washed up on the Danish coast. ("The West Australian" 16/7/85)

A French magazine claims that one of its journalists was able to buy enough Uranium and Plutonium on the black market to make an A-bomb. ("Daily News" 19/7/85, "The West Australian" 20/7/85)

Officials have found a small increase in the amount of deadly Plutonium in the city's water supply after threats that the water would be poisoned unless charges against a subway gunman were dropped. ("Sunday Times" 28/7/85 "The West Australian" 29/7/85)

A radioactive substance called Tritium has been leaking into the storm water drainage system at Lucas Heights and from there into two rivers used for swimming and oyster farming, for more than 10 years. ("The Age" 30/7/85)

A major British study has found that the death rate from prostate cancer among some nuclear workers is eight times higher than the national average. ("The West Australian" 19/8/85)

Following a leakage of contaminated water into Kakadu National Park, the Northern Territory Government has ordered the Ranger uranium mine not to use its tailings pipeline until a replacement has been installed. ("The Age" 26/9/85, "The West Australian" 26/9/85)

The operators of the Ranger uranium mine have again been warned by the NT Government over the accidental spillage of contaminated water following the second such incident in less than a month. ("The Age" 11/10/85)

COMMENT: These warnings are countered in public by Energy Resources of Australia Ltd who continue to produce glossy booklets showing how the company is "safeguarding the natural environment....including the area's natural water systems, its flora and fauna and the health and welfare of the indigenous population". (See "Ranger Uranium Mine and the Environment and Safeguarding Ranger uranium").

A small amount of radioactive material has leaked from the reactor at the controversial Three Mile Island nuclear plant re-started 11 days ago. ("Daily News" 15/10/85, "The West Australian" 16/10/85)

About 38,000 litres of mildly radioactive water have spilt inside the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company's nuclear-power plant near Berwick. ("The West Australian" 28/10/85)

During the 1940's and 1950's when the US was developing and testing the atomic and hydrogen bombs, almost a quarter of a million US citizens, a few hundred Canadians and 236 Marshall Islanders were exposed to nuclear radiation in potentially damaging amounts. Government policy is to deny both radiation damage and service connection. ("The Age" 19/11/85, "Daily News" 21/11/85)

Five hundred workers were given anti-radiation pills after a gas leak at the Hinkley Point B nuclear power station in South West Britain. ("The Daily News" 4/12/85)

The collapse of the US nuclear power program is regarded as imminent: 75 plants cancelled since 1978, including 28 already under construction, with another half-dozen or so cancellations in progress. ("The National Times" 27/12/85 - 2/1/86)

A small paragraph in a British newspaper (The Guardian) says that careless handling of radioactive materials killed 20 people and injured 1200 in nuclear accidents in China from 1980 to 1985. The Guardian got its information from the China Daily, which quotes an official from the State Environmental Protection Bureau, Luo Guozhen, as saying China needs stricter measures on the handling of radioactive materials to prevent such accidents in the future ("The Guardian" (U.K.) 7/8/89; WISE-317 8/9/89).