Madrid - Radioactivity has been found on a lorry which
transported scrap metal from a Spanish nuclear plant where a leak
occurred in November, the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) said Tuesday.
The discovery could mean that radioactive particles have been
carried to a distance of dozens of kilometres outside the Asco I
plant, instead of remaining within its confines, as had been believed
so far, according to media reports.
The lorry took scrap metal from the Asco I plant near the eastern
coastal city of Tarragona to a nearby dumping site. The metal itself
was not contaminated, the CSN said.
The discovery meant that 1,600 people would have to undergo health
checks, twice as many as had been planned, the daily El Mundo said on
its website.
The director and protection chief of the Asco I plant were sacked
recently after the leak (which occurred during refuelling) turned out
to have been 100 times more serious than the plant said in its
initial report to the CSN.
Radioactive particles have been discovered within the plant
complex until recently.
More than 500 people have already undergone health checks,
including employees of the nuclear plant and others, including
visiting schoolchildren, who entered it. No evidence of health damage
has been found so far.
The Asco I plant faces a fine of up to 20 million euros (32
million dollars). The environmental group Greenpeace has sued the
plant, and asked the European atomic energy agency Euratom to
intervene.
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