nuclear-news

Anxiety growing in China over poor nuclear safety

Chinese environmental campaigners, citizens on microblogs and even the normally pliant state-run media are questioning why China has no obvious emergency preparedness plan, even though many people here live less than a quarter mile from nuclear facilities….people here were already suffering health problems associated with living close to a nuclear facility and that the cancer rate in the area has increased.

China expanding nuclear power but lacks emergency planning   The Washington PostBy Keith B. Richburg,   April 2, SHANGHAI — The Chinese government repeatedly offers assurances that the nuclear crisis in Japan poses no radiation risk in China. Officials monitor radiation levels in the air over coastal cities daily now. And planes and ships bringing cargo and passengers from Japan are closely scanned.

But the Chinese government has not told citizens living near nuclear facilities what to do in case of a similar disaster here.

Chinese environmental campaigners, citizens on microblogs and even the normally pliant state-run media are questioning why China has no obvious emergency preparedness plan, even though many people here live less than a quarter mile from nuclear facilities.

“If there is any leaking problem, we don’t know what to do,” said a farmer ………
more plants are expected to be built farther inland, in areas more prone to earthquakes…..
On March 16, in a rare bow to the heightened public concern, the ruling State Council — China’s equivalent of a cabinet — suspended all new approvals for nuclear plants until the government could inspect existing plants and issue revised safety rules……

Hundreds of people live within a few hundred yards of the expanding Qinshan nuclear facility. Most wanted to move when the plant was first being built, but they were not offered enough compensation or were told they didn’t live close enough to qualify for relocation.

The villagers said they have never been told what to do in case of an accident.

“Even after the Japanese nuclear crisis broke out, we did not see any officials coming down here to do any education,” said a villager whose surname is Zhu. “We ourselves have been tracking the developments and trying to learn from the Internet.”

Zhu and others in the nearby villages said people here were already suffering health problems associated with living close to a nuclear facility and that the cancer rate in the area has increased.

Although there are no statistics to verify the claims, a doctor and two nurses at three nearby hospitals said they were seeing higher numbers of thyroid and breast cancer cases from the coastal area of Zhejiang province but that there was no definitive link to the Qinshan plant….

China expanding nuclear power but lacks emergency planning – The Washington Post

April 5, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, safety