No further official information on what happened at the French Marcoule nuclear site has been issued by the waste processing center’s management but more details have been uncovered through assiduous investigations by the French regional journal Midi Libre. Fortunately for the local populace, the facts so far support the management’s claim that no radiation leak occurred but troubling questions remain.
What Happened to the Victims?
The second most important question (after that of the risk to the local population) has been completely ignored, namely the fate of the victims. Family members and sources outside the plant fill in the gaps.
Of the four injured, one received burns to 85% of his body and was airlifted to a major hospital in Paris where he is still fighting for his life. Ironically, this man was a volunteer fireman.
The three other injured were released after an overnight stay in the local hospital. Their testimony will first be heard at a formal court investigation.
The body of the foundryworker who was incinerated in the blast was finally removed by the gendarmerie late on the 14th, two days after the explosion. It was adjudged that no formal autopsy was required and that the body should be handed over to the man’s anxious family for burial.
The Gendarmes Investigate the Marcoule Explosion
Gendarmes from the Nimes and Marseille Research section investigated the site on Wednesday and removed the body of deceased, José Marin, a 52-year old foundryworker. A source close to the case reported that all the operating documents for the furnace were seized, in particular the logbook covering the breakdowns it had suffered and the maintenance work carried out on it during the week prior to the explosion, which occurred on the day it was put back into service.
A judicial enquiry into "involuntary homicide and injury" on the Marcoule site was opened on Friday Sept 16th.
What Actually Happened?
According to the preliminary hearings, the furnace had only been put back into service that morning following several breakdowns and had reached the required operating temperature of 1500°C. For some reason yet to be determined, normal metal fusion did not occur, requiring manual intervention to break the ‘crust’ on top of the furnace’s contents with a metal crowbar. Almost immediately after the crust was broken, the explosion occurred, causing a geyser of molten metal to erupt and the consequent fire, which was brought under control approximately two hours later.
The foundry worker performing the operation was killed instantly; four other people were injured, one very severely.
The furnace was inaccessible for two days because of the high temperature. It was then examined by specialists, enabling “better definition of the appropriate questions to be asked”, the local procurator for Nimes, Robert Gelli, told the French news agency, Agence France Presse.
Three Enquiries in Progress
According to Robert Gelli, the judicial enquiry is concentrating on three main questions:
- whether the breakdown of the furnace the week before had an effect on the metal’s failure to melt correctly,
- whether the unusual procedure of starting up the furnace while it still contained the pre-existing load of 4 tons of metal had an effect on the furnace’s behavior and
- whether the procedures applied in general to the furnace contributed to the incident.
He anticipates a long enquiry because of the amount of evidence to be examined.
Besides the criminal investigation, two other enquiries are also underway, one by the Works Inspectorate and the other by ASN, the Nuclear Safety Authority.
IRSN, the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety, has confirmed that there has been no nuclear pollutionj from analyses of grass samples taken near the site.
Conclusions Drawn from the Marcoule Incident
Following a local meeting, the Prefect of the Gard region, Hugues Bousiges, called together all the main parties concerned to discuss how to communicate information quickly to the local mayors and the general population to avoid the type of fear and hysteria that had gripped the region for a short time. He required the various operators on the Marcoule site and IRSN to provide him with information in writing, expressed in the clearest possible manner.
Alexandre Pissas, the Chairman of the nuclear waste processing center, commented: “We had not foreseen that we were required to communicate in the event of a non-nuclear accident. This is one of the consequences of Fukushima. Duly noted.”
This incident has re-ignited the concerns generated by the Fukushima disaster and French politicians are adopting their postures in the run-up to the French presidential elections in 2012 but in truth there is likely to be little change, if any.
Some 80% of French electricity is generated by nuclear power. In the wake of the Fukushima incident and Germany’s decision to wind down its use of nuclear power, the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, stated that such a notion was ‘illogical’. Instead, massive investment is being made into development of so-called 4th-generation power stations, capable of burning the spent fuel from the existing reactors.
No doubt the arguments will rumble on for a long time yet. Nevertheless, the manual intervention procedure applied to this nuclear waste processing furnace (albeit low-level waste) give rise to concern regarding what other practices may still be being applied in the industry, an industry insulated and protected by a heavy security blanket because of its close links with Defence.
A major incident at a French nuclear plant could have consequences for much of Europe and human error, stupidity and malice can never be ruled out of the equation.
Sources: Midi Libre
Sept 13th 2011
Explosion à Marcoule : les trois blessés légers sortent de l'hôpital de Bagnols
Sept 16th 2011
Explosion de Marcoule : perquisition et saisies au siège de Centraco
Explosion à Marcoule : l'enquête s'annonce longue
Martin Cross - A translator, former chef and marketeer, currently disabled. I write articles on food,, travel, politics, religion and technology.
