http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/07/12/10317/French authorities ordered Friday the temporary closure of a nuclear treatment plant in a popular tourist region of southern France after a uranium leak polluted the local water supply
But site operator Socatri, a subsidiary of French nuclear giant Areva, said it would permanently shut down the facility at the Tricastin nuclear plant in Provence as part of a previously-planned upgrade.France’s ASN nuclear safety authority cited a “series of faults and human negligence that is not acceptable” when it ordered the closure following an inspection at the plant on Thursday.
Residents in the Vaucluse region have been told not to drink water or eat fish from nearby rivers since the leak on Monday night, in which 75 kilogrammes (165 pounds) of untreated liquid uranium spilled into the ground.
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accidents happen