europe news: Can France Handle a Nuclear Accident? ? The Media Debate ...

: Marcoule Nuclear Site, France - kmaschke

In the wake of the Marcoule plant explosion, the French media are questioning France's ability to handle a nuclear accident.

The fatal accident at the Marcoule nuclear waste processing plant near Condolet in France on Sept 13th 2011 and the almost non-existent details released by the authorities other than vague reassurance that there had been no leak of radioactivity have stimulated intense concern in the media regarding France?s capability of handling a major nuclear accident.

Slate Claims France?s Evacuation Plans Are Impractical

Following the Fukushima disaster in March, Slate published an article on the impracticality of France?s evacuation plans. Following the explosion at the Marcoule plant, it republished the same article under the same unequivocal title: "France is not prepared for the worst nuclear scenario.?

In the article, Slate highlights the problems associated with the proximity of the nuclear plants to major conurbations. "If the authorities had not chosen to locate plants so close to large cities, the question would not arise today," the online journal stresses. The city of Lyons, for instance, is only 35 km away from the nuclear plant at Bugey and 40 km away from a similar plant at Saint-Alban.

RMC Decries The Lack of Protective Measures

For its part, RMC highlights the fact that "no local measures were taken to protect the population but schools took the initiative by temporarily confining their students and, for a time, panic gripped a nearby village, whose residents heard the siren sounded inside the site after the accident."

France Soir Describes Pharmacies Being Beseiged

France Soir has reported that in Laudun, a town close to the Marcoule plant, the local pharmacies were besieged by anxious townsfolk asking for iodine tablets: unfortunately, these are available only on prescription.

A pharmacist explained: ?The last time these tablets were distributed was four years ago, according to a strict procedure, which aimed to provide one box per family. Normally, everyone should have this box but, in reality, as we can see today, this is not the case at all. ".

Reassuring Announcements Fail To Dispel Fears

Announcements designed to reassure the local populace failed to dispel fears. An article published in the afternoon in the regional daily journal, Midi Libre, under the title ?Explosion on the Marcoule site, there is no ?radiation leak? ? elicited only negative and disparaging reactions. One reader quipped: ?Fear not! The non-radioactive cloud stopped at the Marcoule site?s barrier fence.? A suspicion that highlights the problems of communication and transparency in this situation.

The Wall Street Journal is Blocked

Reporters from the Paris offices of the Wall Street Journal came up against a wall when they tried to get an interview with the EDF subsidiary, Socodei, which manages the waste processing and packaging plant where the accident occurred .

The Nuclear Industry Responds

Michel Claessens, Communications Director for the international experimental reactor, ITER, himself a formal scientific journalist, retorted that journalists have their own share of the responsibility in matters of communication. In an article published in Atlantico, entitled: "Are the media in the 21st century incapable of handling the nuclear industry?" Claessens states: "The legislation governing the media does not facilitate the provision of information on nuclear issues, in fact quite the reverse. This was noticeable, among other incidents, in the case of Fukushima: if the media reported the news, the value of the information being reported was often extremely limited. Are the events blown up disproportionately or is there a readiness to misinform? "

An Ongoing Debate on the Use of Nuclear Power

The Marcoule incident has added fuel to European concerns reawakened by the Fukushima disaster. The various investigations have yet to determine the precise cause of the incident, which is being classed as an ?industrial accident?, albeit possibly involving molten low-level radioactive metal. Ince lengthy investigations are anticipated, the full facts may never be revealed.

In the run-up to the French Presidential election in 2012, however, the politicians are already establishing their stance in the wake of this incident. No doubt, more ?fallout? can be expected from the Marcoule incident.

Source:

Le Monde 13 Sept 2011: ?Les m?dias s'interrogent sur la capacit? de la France ? g?rer un accident nucl?aire ?