COM 0212.318 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

1 The mayor's Off_~e of Information has told ,~~e that not a single individual has offered to invest their own capital in this project. How can anyone conclude that the economic benefits will outweigh the risks when there is no evidence at all that there will be any economic benefitg? That must mean that the risks are very very small; and indeed several Council members have already said they are convinced the facility would be safe. One Council member compared the risk with getting into a car everyday. I don't understand how the Council can conclude that the facility is safe when they are aware of the accidents, in- cluding numerous incidents of radiation contamination, severe injuries, and deaths that have occurred. Have any of the Council members who believe this facility to be safe checked with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to obtain a safety record for Isomedix and other irradiation facilities? Is it wise to take the industry's word on safety for such a controversial issue? Ask yourselves if you really know what the risk will be, and how do you know? The Hawaii Commodities Irradiation Facility Draft Environmental Impact Statement says,"worker and public exposure to radiation could occur if a large earthquake caused major structural damage to the facility and sumuJtaneously made it impossible to lower the source into the shielding pool." Volcano seismologists have reported that the likelihood of a major earthquake in the near future is very high. The Environmental Impact Statement further states, "...it is estimated that the cobalt-60 used in the facility could be removed from the facility within 2 to 3 days from the time a decision is made to do so...If a lava flow should threaten Hilo, it is likely that a major evacuation effort will be initiated. This could disrupt the normal transport system. Hence, it is advisable to begin removing the radio-isotope earlier than might otherwise be required. To accomplish this, the facility's emergency response plan should specify a procedure for determining when to begin removing the source rods. The procedure should include consultation with civil defense and the scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory." According to the Environmental Impact Statement, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission requirements include the following: per- sonnel monitoring equipment, decommissioning plans, radiation de- tection istruments to evaluate the extent of radiation hazards that may be present, leak testing methods designed to determine whether or not a leak exists from any sealed sources,operations and emergency procedures which describe all steps to be taken in the event of an emergency or operation malfunction, and documented commitment with a local hospital which states that the hospital is equipped and willing to handle an individual admitted for treat- ment of radiation exposure. Clearly, the risks associated with irradiation are complex and unfamiliar. -This is not like getting into one's car everyday. This is more like you and your whole family being forced into an unfamiliar vehicle that is teetering on the-edge of a cliff and being told by the stranger who forced you in that'it.'s safe be- cause he's got the remote control. And you better pay for the ride or you'll lose your home.