Hanford Nuclear Site

The July 28 article concerning Washington’s Hanford nuclear site--America’s most poisoned place--reveals just how mentally ill are the proponents of this dangerous technology. Here they are with an absolute disaster on their hands, and they want to get it going again?

Nuclear energy proponents claim that nuclear energy is cheap. Well, that is absolute poppycock, when one factors in the horrendous costs of massive cleanups such as this one, not to mention the long-term toll on life, human and otherwise, and the cost of ongoing containment.

The nuclear industry should be shut down, and those who continue to fight for it need to be removed from whatever power positions they have.

SURMANI MURDOCK

Venice

Besides the plutonium release on May 14 at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation as detailed in The Times (July 26), Three-Mile Island’s nuclear plant vented radioactive steam on June 21. According to a brief news note in the New York Times, a circuit breaker failed and outside power was lost for 90 minutes. The article detailed that while the reactor was shut down without power, the coolant pumps do not operate. With continued heat generated by the reactor, radioactive steam was vented.

Isn’t this the China syndrome? How much meltdown of the reactor occurred without coolant? A major design flaw must be present when an emergency generator cannot override the loss of outside power. Are California nuclear reactor facilities subject to this risk if outside power is cut off?

PAMELA KAIRES

San Diego