Nuclear Security Watch of Massachusetts

The events of September 11 make clear that our country is facing adversaries able to identify this nation's vulnerabilities and willing to exploit them to produce massive loss of life. New England nuclear plants such as Pilgrim in the Southeast, Seabrook in the Northeast, and Vermont Yankee in the Northwest could well be targets of terrorist attacks, topping in destructive effect that of the World Trade Center tragedy.

Federal studies estimated, for example, that a core melt at Pilgrim would result in 3,000 peak early fatalities, 30,000 peak early injuries, and 23,000 peak cancer deaths. A spent fuel accident could contaminate 25,000 square miles.

GBPSR responded to this threat by joining an alliance called Nuclear Security Watch of Massachusetts that works to prevent health catastrophes from occurring as the result of radiation releases due to terrorism or accidents at nuclear power plant facilities. The alliance has called for a number of measures to be taken at area nuclear power plants to improve security and improve emergency preparedness plans.

Protecting Public Health

A major focus has been to call for Potassium Iodide (KI) tablets to be stockpiled and distributed in all communities likely to be impacted by an accident. KI helps to prevent thyroid cancer if taken immediately before, or shortly after, exposure, and has been recommended by WHO, FDA, and others. Current Massachusetts policy only provides KI in communities within a 10-mile radius of a nuclear reactor. Legislation is pending that would expand this radius.

The second major goal of the alliance is to decrease the risk of terrorism at nuclear reactors by focusing on reducing the dangers from radioactive spent fuel by requiring that it be placed in a safer method of storage. A truck bomb, jetliner or other weapon could cause an uncontrollable waste pool fire resulting in 100% release of radioactivity –— a release 10 times greater than that of Chernobyl.

Symposium at State House

GBPSR's David Rush MD and Dr. Dick Clapp have spoken on this topic at meetings, hearings and forums around the state. Dr. Clapp addressed the issue at GBPSR's Faneuil Hall forum, and at community-organized meetings. Dr. Rush participated in a symposium at the State House on July 1st on terrorism and security at nuclear power stations. It included presentations by other independent experts who had gathered for a technical conference at MIT, in which Dr. Rush also participated. Dr. Rush, who serves on the Department of Energy's Scientific Review Group for joint US-Russian studies on the effect of radiation from nuclear weapons production in the former Soviet Union, spoke about the potential health effects from a terrorist attack.

He said that although there are profound uncertainties as to the health consequences of a terrorist attack, based on the amount of radiation exposure, and the route and rate of exposure, one thing is very clear in the event of a disaster. “"The health care system would be overwhelmed, and there is no adequate preparation for widespread exposure. If a terrorist attack was successful, there would be no real effective medical response. We need societal action and the political will to prevent this from happening,"” said Dr. Rush.

Thanks to Pixie Lampert of the Duxbury Nuclear Advisory Committee who contributed to this article