The World - News from Dec. 8, 1988

Six malfunctions at West German nuclear power plants in the past year were investigated and reclassified as serious by the Bonn government after company operators initially rated them as insignificant, the West German Environment Ministry announced. A ministry spokesman said that about a dozen serious incidents a year have occurred at West German reactors in recent years, together with about 400 “normal” incidents. Serious malfunctions indicate technical breakdowns that could have threatened public safety, and all the cases have led to changes in operating procedure, the spokesman said.