Pedraza opined in 2013 that since 1959, ten major nuclear accidents have been reported by five countries. Three of them had serious negative consequences for the environment, human health, and public opinion. Each of these three major nuclear accidents is different. The first nuclear accident occurred in the USA in 1979 during the normal operation of a nuclear power plant [This refers to the Three-Mile Island incident where no one was killed, injured, and only slightly burned by hot, non-radioactive water... just an industrial accident, but the press media pandered to the public's fear of radiation]; the second nuclear accident occurred in Ukraine in 1986 during a test designed to assess the reactor’s safety margin in a particular set of circumstances [involving the Soviet-era managers pressing a bad design who were pressed by Moscow to cover-up the accident, to no avail. 30 some first responders died of radiation fighting fire close-up, and about 3,000 children contracted thyroid cancer but were subsequently cured with appropriate medical attention pressed by the IAEA]; and the third nuclear accident occurred in Japan in 2011 as the result of an earthquake of magnitude 9 and a tsunami [also where no one one was irradiated or killed, but the plant was not prepared for the stand-by power supply to withstand a 9.0 earthquake-causes tsunami. It is now].
Nuclear power plants must operate in the most secure manner respecting all safety measures and principles adopted at national, regional, and international levels. When safety measures and principles are ignored or are not properly observed by nuclear plant operators, a nuclear accident can occurred with serious consequences for the environment [none so far], human health (only at Chernobyl] and public opinion [press media unfounded fear pandering]. For this reason, nuclear assessment of the operation of nuclear power plants should be carried out periodically by governments and nuclear power plant owners [Note: Of course such assessments occur].
The aim of this assessment was to determine whether an adequate level of safety has been achieved and whether the safety objectives and criteria as specified by the plant designer, the operating organization, and the regulatory body have been met [Question: Did Pedraza have the credentials to opine on such subjects or is he only repeating anti-nuclear theoretic?]. Safety assessment should be a systematic process that has to be carried out throughout the lifetime of the nuclear power plant, with the aim of identifying radiation risks that arise for workers, the impact on the public and on the environment during the normal operation of a nuclear power plant.[Pedraza obviously knew little about what actually went on in nuclear plants or he would have known that he list was already a central part of their program, hence, nuclear power operations have been safer than all other heavy industries through the years, and remains so today].
The aim of safety assessment is to determine whether adequate measures have been taken by governments and nuclear power plant operators to control radiation risks to an acceptable level, with account taken of both the prevention of abnormal events and the mitigation of their consequences [They have already and have done so for years, based on the outstanding safety record of nuclear power operations]. Since 1959, ten major nuclear accidents have been reported by five countries [Pedraza is making irresponsible, untrue claims ...; the incidents cited were not "major nuclear accidents", except for Chernobyl].
ï‚· Fukushima, Japan - March 2011;
ï‚· Kashiwazaki, Japan - July 2007;
ï‚· Mihama, Japan - August 2004;
ï‚· Blayais, France - December 1999;
ï‚· Tokaimura, Japan - September 1999;
ï‚· Tokaimura, Japan - March 1997;
x Chernobyl, Ukraine - April 1986;
ï‚· Three Mile Island, USA - March 1979;
ï‚· The Urals, USSR - October 1958;
ï‚· Windscale, UK – October 1957.
[None of the above but Chernobyl resulted in injuries, deaths, other than irrational residual, ignorant fear of radiation.]
I2M Web Portal has an extensive database on "Fear of Radiation": http://i2mportal.com/search_resource.php?search_value=%22fear+of+radiation%22#page=1
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
