Iran reactor disaster warning from whistleblower

[Turborama]

Source: The Times Via The Australian

Martin Fletcher From: The Times October 08, 2011 12:00AM

IRAN'S first nuclear power station is unsafe and will probably cause a "tragic disaster" according to a document apparently written by an Iranian whistleblower.

The Bushehr reactor is likely to cause the next nuclear catastrophe after Chernobyl and Fukushima, says the document, passed to The Times by a reputable source and attributed to a former member of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran's legal department.

It claims Bushehr, which began operating last month after 35 years of intermittent construction, was built by "second-class engineers" who bolted together Russian and German technology from different eras; that it sits in one of the world's most seismically active areas but could not withstand a major earthquake; and that it has "no serious training program" or a contingency plan for accidents.

The document's authenticity cannot be confirmed, but nuclear experts see no reason to doubt it. It also echoes fears in the nuclear industry about the safety of a secretive project to which few outsiders have had access. Iran is the only country with a nuclear plant that has not joined the Convention on Nuclear Safety, which obliges signatories to observe international safety standards.

Read more: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/iran-reactor-disaster-warning-from-whistleblower/story-e6frg6so-1226161555229

[Arctic Dave]

1. Replace Iran with any other nuclear countries name and nothing would change.

It's a nice boogey man story though.

[defendandprotect]

7. Nuclear reactor dangers aren't "boogey man stories" -- it's reality -- !!

[Arctic Dave]

15. I agree, nuclear plants are unsafe, but to just single out Iran is scare monger. nt

[defendandprotect]

20. I agree -- danger of warmongering here -- very true ---

And, VP Joe Biden has for more than a year been suggesting that Israel

should attack Iran --

Biden said, "Israel would be justified in attacking Iran" ---


However, can't hurt that Iran would look into what may be problems with the

installation --



:hi:

[bananas]

23. He didn't say "warmongering", he said "scare monger", and he's wrong

These warnings are coming from the engineers who built the damn thing.
His attitude is to ignore the engineers and trust the incompetent managers.

[defendandprotect]

27. I said "warmongering" - note my comments re VP Joe Biden calling for Israel to attack Iran!!

And that's what I meant --

What's McCain's "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" been about --

Or Panetta's threatening comments re Iran -- ?

And, as I said, Iran would be wise to NOT pay attention to the concens re reactors.


All of these nuclear reactors should be shut down -- all over the world --

Global Warming is an immense threat to us all right now -- and we don't need further

complications of nuclear reactors!!

[bananas]

10. No, there have been multiple warnings from Russian engineers working on-site at Bushehr

I've posted a number of articles about this, they should be in my journal.

edit to add:

Links to several stories here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4749479&mesg_id=4749501

3. The Russian scientists working on site blew the whistle regarding extremely important safety issues

Here are some previous discussion threads:

• On this 25th anniversary of the Challenger disaster - Russian scientists warn of 'Iranian Chernobyl'
  
  
• Whistleblower claims must be investigated, says acting head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization
  
  
• Russian scientists warn of 'Iranian Chernobyl'
  
  
• Iran says Stuxnet claims need investigating
  
  
• Russia warns of ‘Iranian Chernobyl'
  

Also read: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x301385

Five nuclear experts working on Iran's Bushehr plant died in Russian plane crash
<snip>

Five Russian scientists who assisted in the design of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant were among the 44 fatalities of Monday's Russian plain crash, Moscow's International News Agency RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

<snip>

Three of the experts – Sergei Rizhov, Gennadi Benyok, and Nicolai Tronov – were among the atom facility's designers. Andrei Trokinov, a top Russian nuclear technological expert, was also killed, as was Valery Lalyn, another nuclear expert.

The five worked at Bushehr and were to ensure the facility would withstand natural disasters.

<snip>

Russian officials are investigating why the men were violating regulations that prohibit more than one high-ranking politician, sensitive-industry executive, or military figure from taking the same flight.

<snip>

[Arctic Dave]

16. All nuclear facilities have the potential of going "chernobyl". nt

[bananas]

18. The Russian engineers working on-site say this plant is a piece of shit

Do all nuclear facilities get called pieces of shit by the engineers who build them?

[Arctic Dave]

19. I wouldn't know about the "piece of shit" part but our own watchdog groups

report of potential catastrophic flaws in our own facilities. I'm sure like our plants, they will be forever projects that get tweeks and upgrades.

[bananas]

24. These aren't "watchdog groups", it's the engineers who built the damn thing

Your attitude is anti-science, anti-worker, and pro-incompetent-management.
When engineers warned that the Challenger was unsafe to launch,
management ignored the engineers and ignored the science and launched anyway.
You can't "tweak and upgrade" a rocket or a reactor after it's exploded.
:nuke:

[Arctic Dave]

26. I am hardly, "anti-science, anti-worker, and pro-incompetent-management"

So right back at you.

Our own engineers have repeatedly flagged our own nuclear facilities. And yes. they are always having upgrades done to them. All large power producing facilities do.

If anything, I am anti-bullshit propaganda. Can the same be said for you?

[Demeter]

2. But did the West offer anything but threats and punishment?

No, not even a good example. And an embargo on technology, too.

[hack89]

14. All they had to do was make their program compliant with international standards and treaties. nt

[valerief]

3. Was it named after their friend Bush? nt

[Dutchmaster]

4. The propaganda machine is gettinf desperate.

Iran, in total compliance with nuclear treaties is being targeted by Israel, in total non-compliance of all nuclear treaties. But we are in no great hurry to fight another war for them, so now we get the angle that if we don't do something it will be an environmental disaster.

Don't buy this shit.

[Mosby]

5. Iran is non-compliant with safety standards and IAEA regs

From the article:

Iran is the only country with a nuclear plant that has not joined the Convention on Nuclear Safety, which obliges signatories to observe international safety standards.

In addition, Iran has never been in full compliance of IAEA regs, there are numerous documents at the IAEA website detailing this fact.

[bananas]

9. Iran is in violation of the NPT

and is under UN sanctions because of its violations.

[bananas]

11. There have been multiple warnings by Russian engineers working on-site at Bushehr

This plant has serious safety problems.

[defendandprotect]

13. Nuclear reactors should all be shut down -- everywhere ---

Had the government in Fukushima not been pushed aside when it saw the need to

shut down their nuclear reactors 6 years or so ago, the world would be better

and safer and healthier right now!

Fukushima government wanted the reactors shut down based on age, condition -- and

increasing seismic activity being reported by Japanese scientists while the reactors

were only built to withstand a 7.1 earthquake!

And this is earthquake prone Japan -- which we nuked-- !!

How in the hell did they get involved with all nuclear reactor energy???



Global Warming is dictating the shutting down of all nucelar reactors - we have increasing

numbers of earthquakes coming due to glacier melting -- and increasing severity.

Besides flood -- cyclones, tornadoes -- hurricanes -- and other generally chaotic weather

worsening as Global Warming effects increase.


"The time will come when mankind will curse the names of Los Alamos and Hiroshima."

Philip Morrison after flying ove rthe devastation caused by the bomb he'd helped make



"Science has become a nightmare that causes everyone to tremble" -- Einstein



Keep in mind we're using NUCLEAR energy to boil water to create steam to turn turbines!!

How nuts are we?

[Xithras]

17. Could also be groundwork.

So, in a year or two, nobody will question it when the reactor mysteriously blows up.

[Muskypundit]

6. When are you people going to learn

That's just because the u.s hates Iran, doesn't mean Iran is a god damned saint of a country. They have nuclear plants that are unregulated, nearly completely, made by the same guys who poisoned a good chunk of Europe. Even internationaly regulated nuke power is dangerous, look at fukushima. There is a reason there are rules with nuclear countrys. And just because you are an enemy to the u.s doesn't make you exempt.

[defendandprotect]

21. PLUS, Global Warming/glacier melting is bring more earthquakes, greater severity ...

It's more than timely to be shutting down all the nuclear reactors --

May make the difference between "a whimper or a bang" -- !!

[snooper2]

8. I wondered why there have been a shortage of VW Bug parts around the World

:P

[defendandprotect]

12. ...and it's a good time for us to think about shutting down our nuclear reactors -- 103 in US .. !!

About two in every state ----

As dangerous as they already are ... Global Warming is creating an even more

dangerous sitation with chaotic weather, floods/droughts -- cyclones, tornados --

all of which will continue to increase in number and severity --


Fukushima is but one example of this -- glacier melting is creating increasing

earthquakes and increasing severity of earthquakes --

Earthquakes also generate volcanic activity --


Shutting down nuclear plants could make the difference between "a whimper or a bang" -- !!

[Muskypundit]

22. How is glacial melt causing more severe earthquakes?

[bananas]

25. NASA, Royal Society, others

Royal Society Stunner: “Observations suggest that the ongoing rise in global average temperatures may already be eliciting a hazardous response from the geosphere.”
Top scientists call for research on climate link to volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2010/04/19/205832/global-warming-link-volcanoes-earthquakes-landslides-tsunamis-royal-society-scientists/

Retreating Glaciers Spur Alaskan Earthquakes
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/glacier_quakes.html

Fire and Ice: Melting Glaciers Trigger Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcanos
Geologists Say Global Warming Expected to Cause Many New Seismic Events
http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/earthquakes.htm

[defendandprotect]

28. First noted that connection ---

in a secret memo from the Pentagon to W Bush which -- among other chaotic weather

condtions - mentioned earthquakes in connection with Global Warming.

After a few years, the reference to earthquakes was scrubbed.


As glaciers melt pressure is removed from tectonic plates and transferred to otehr

tectonic plates -- this causes earthquakes. And will cause more severe earthquakes.

That's why the government in Fukushima wanted to close down their reactors based on

their age and the fact that they were built to withstand earthquakes only up to 7.1 --

while Japanese scientists were reporting increasing seismic readings.

That government -- which was replaced -- could have saved Japan and the workd a great

deal of suffering.


The other little known thing about Global Warming is that there was essentially a 50

year delay in our actually feeling its effects. Granted, the glaciers began melting

in the 1940's -- from what I've read based on the build up for WWII -- but scientists

were seeing the damage to nature in the late 1880's based on the Industrial Revolution.

The public were told about Global Warming around 1957 -- but of course scientists would

have know about it before that. Basically, the effects we have felt so far only reflect

the damage we have done to nature up to about 1960. That's why, everthing now will be

increasing in severity.


Silent Spring/Rachel Carson and Global Warming pretty much came to public's attention

at the same time -- Exxon Mobil went to work immediately to spend tens of billions over

50 years to convince the public science was wrong. "Be Happy don't worry!"


Royal Academy of Science called them out on that propaganda campaign about 5 or 6 years ago

only to be threatened with law suits by ExxonMobil and forced to retract some of their

accusations against Exxon!

Unregulated capitalism is merely organized crime --

and certainly couldn't be more true of the corporations which control our nation's natural

resources. Oil industry should have been nationalzied in the 1960's -- and the platform

which JFK ran on did call for that. JFK was also ending the oil depletion allowance.

Novemeber 22, 1963 ended all of that --