Guardian: "More dangerous than Chernobyl". Major leak of nuclear waste in the UK

At Europe’s most dangerous nuclear fuel reprocessing plant”Sellafield” happened major radioactive waste leakwhich “may pose a greater threat than Chernobyl disaster“, writes the Guardian today.

The plant is located in the southwest of the UK and covers an area of ​​six square kilometers and employs approximately 11,000 people. It is used to store and reprocess nuclear waste from various weapons programs, as well as to produce nuclear energy.

A British newspaper reports that “Sellafield” discovered major leak in a huge liquid radioactive waste storage facilitywhich is getting bigger and bigger. According to the Guardian, the amount of radioactive material contained in “Sellafield”, much more than in Chernobyl. One of them is a radioactive chemical known as “B30” that is extremely hazardous to health.

However, there are indications that the plant will continue to operate until 2050, with official documents obtained by the Guardian highlighting that “the consequences could be serious, with the risk of groundwater contamination”. Meanwhile, one of the scientists included in the group of experts admitted to the newspaper that “The radiation exposure and subsequent health risks from this spill were carefully swept under the rug.”

In 2001, the corresponding report EU warned that “accident on”Sellafield” could be worse than the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which exposed 5 million Europeans to radiation. IN “Sellafield” contains significantly more radioactive materials than Chernobyl. The leak could be caused by an explosion or even a plane crash.”

In addition, cracks appeared in the concrete and asphalt shell covering the huge “lake” containing “waste sludge that had been stored at the site for decades.” Note that the full scale and number of cracks is currently impossible to calculate.

Both the B30 leaks and the general dilapidated state of the building housing the plant have caused diplomatic tension, with both the US government and the governments of Ireland and Norway repeatedly complaining about a situation that is steadily worsening.

In particular, Norwegian officials expressed fears that the accident in “Sellafield” could result in the release of toxic waste molecules into Norway, which could have untold consequences for the country’s agricultural production and wildlife. One Norwegian diplomat even told the Guardian newspaper that the Norwegian government should offer to fund the plant so it can operate more safely, as the current situation poses huge risks.

Toxic chemicals could reach Norway in less than 12 hours

This information appears in the context of a Guardian report entitled “Nuclear Leaks”which has been investigating a number of problematic management practices over the past year.”Sellafield”.

In particular, it recently became clear that in recent years “Sellafield” was hacked by hackers with close ties to Russia and China. However, the Guardian claims the abuses were systematically covered up by management at the plant, which stores nuclear waste and other materials. This “oversight” makes it difficult to assess the damage potentially caused by hackers.

According to the British newspaper, scientists are currently trying to estimate the potential risk to public health if a leak occurs using various statistical models, but notes that “the full scale and speed of contamination cannot currently be elucidated.”

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