The Guangyuan plutonium production facility lies only 16 km from one aftershock
As if the dangers and outlook for the people of Sichuan province weren’t bad enough there are fears that radiation may pose a further hazard. On Wednesday a French nuclear watchdog warned that some nuclear facilities might have been damaged in Monday’s 7.9 earthquake. The Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety said that nuclear research reactors or facilities used to produce nuclear fuel were located within 100km of the quake's epicentre [al Jazeera]. The institute said it was waiting for Chinese inspections to confirm that the four electricity-producing sites in eastern China - Lingao, Daya Bay, Qinshan and Tianwan – were unharmed. However it said damage was unlikely since they are more than 1000km from the epicentre. Today it emerged that the Chinese Minister of Environmental Protection, Zhou Shengxian (周生賢), had convened an emergency meeting late on Monday, hours after the 7.9 magnitude tremor shook the province. The ministry website said he activated the lowest tier of a four-stage system of ranking radiation leaks. The Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, also known as the Southwest Institute, in Mianyang is the primary design laboratory for Chinese nuclear weapons, according to globalsecurity.org. But one Western expert with knowledge of the Mianyang lab had said it was unlikely it was at serious risk the Taipei Times reported. Nonetheless there has been enough concern amongst foreign military circle to initiate a reconnaissance of the nuclear sites. AP reported today that “American experts” were “monitoring” nuclear facilities in China's earthquake zone. U.S. officials are monitoring China's nuclear facilities in the quake zone, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. He said he had no information about any damage.
Wang Baodong, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said he had no information about the state of the atomic sites. But he told reporters the Chinese government was "preparing for every consequence" as it worked to rescue survivors and repair damage.
The plutonium production reactor at Guangyuan, China's largest, is also in the quake zone. "Damage to these plants could potentially be a serious issue for the Chinese government," said Hans Kristensen, a nuclear arms expert at the Federation of American Scientists. He said the reactor at Guangyuan is "at the center of China's fissile material production. "If there is damage to (the reactor), it would disrupt China's warhead maintenance capabilities," Kristensen said. "That could have impacts for several years."
Besides the risk of a radiation leak Sichuan province also faces potential an even worse catastrophe if any of an estimated 300 dams said to be damaged, should fail. In 1975 the Banqiao dam burst open following a massive Typhoon. According to the Hydrology Department of Henan Province approximately 26,000 people died from flooding and another 145,000 died during subsequent epidemics and famine. In addition, about 5,960,000 buildings collapsed, and 11 million residents were affected. With questions already being asked over the construction of some 7,000 schools which collapsed, there may well be further heads rolling if it is found that planners skimped on dam construction. Isabel Hilton writing in the Guardian says the tragedy this week will “test the Chinese government's commitment to freedom of information and its willingness to put technical and environmental concerns above politics”. But the risk of a free flow of information may also have other, as yet unseen, consequences. As people look for blame for the tragedy that has befallen them there may well be unrest in the future. The seeds of discontent appear to already be sown as examples of shoddy building begin to emerge. Corruption on such a large scale may be seen to lead back to the very heart of government which itself may have a difficult time silencing the angry voices.
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