31 Workers Exposed to Radiation at Reprocessing Plant

["greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

31 WORKERS EXPOSED TO RADIATION AT REPROCESSING PLANT
GREENPEACE MAKES STATEMENT TO PNC 

Tokyo, 12th March 1997; 31 workers exposed to radiation
 at the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant operated by The Power 
Reactor & Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) at the 
Tokai Village about 130 km north east of Tokyo.  The explosion 
was occurred about 20:04 on 11th March (local time) at the 
reprocessing liquid waste bitumen solidification place which 
is the last process of reprocessing.  

According to PNC reprocessing liquid waste is the LOW level 
radioactive, however it should be high level radioactive 
waste because it contains fission products and plutonium etc. 
The released radioactive in the air by the explosion is
fission itself.  If local residents inhale it, it could cause
lung cancer or leukemia      

Today Greenpeace Japan made protest statement to PNC 
on this accident.  Greenpeace Japan criticized in this
statement  "If they (PNC) had predicted any explosion at the
site, they should  have notified local government first, and
then let have local residents  evacuated. Their attitude,
which did not tell local residents at all, is  very criminal.
"

Hideaki Takemura, Nuclear Campaigner said, "If it was the case 
that they couldn't predict any explosion, they are too 
incompetent to operate reprocessing because it proves that 
their technology is too poor."

Greeboeace Japan has a big question on the existence of PNC 
itself which has caused serious accidents, such as Sodium leak
at Monju,  Fast Breeder Reactor in Fukui, and this explosion
at the Reprocessing  plant in Tokai.  
     
For further information: 
Noriko Oyama, Press officer             ++ 81 3 5351 5400/09
Hideaki Takemura, Nuclear campaigner    ++ 81 3 5351 5400/12