2008 CPEO Military List Archive

From: Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 08:46:30 -0700 (PDT)
Reply: cpeo-military
Subject: [CPEO-MEF] RADIATION: Broken arrow waste at Savannah River Site (SC) landfill
 
Nuclear accidents buried beneath 76 acres
Final resting place

By Rob Pavey
Augusta Chronicle (GA)
September 5, 2008

They were among the worst nuclear accidents in history -- and also the most sensitive.

On Jan. 17, 1966, the unthinkable occurred 30,000 feet above the Spanish coastline when an Air Force bomber -- carrying four hydrogen bombs -- broke apart and exploded during a routine, midair refueling.

As the B-52 disintegrated, its fully armed weapons hurtled toward earth. One fell into the sea and another bounced into a field, where it was recovered intact.

The remaining two bombs exploded, although safety devices prevented the primary nuclear fuses from full detonation.

Nonetheless, the "dirty bomb" scattering of plutonium and other radioactive materials created a trail of contamination centered near the Spanish village of Palomares.

The resulting cleanup and recovery, according to records from the Washington-based Center for Defense Information, involved thousands of workers who packed up an estimated 1,400 to 1,750 tons of soil, vegetation and debris that was quietly flown to the United States and buried at Savannah River Site.

...

For the entire article, see
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/090508/met_472071.shtml

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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