ML20236T327

Opposes Restart Plans for Plant Until Sufficient Evidence That All Possible Actions Taken to Assure Safe Operation, Nuclear Waste Disposal Solved,Mgt Emergency Planning,Plant Design & Workers Exposure Studies Completed

ML20236T327
Person / Time
Site:	Pilgrim
Issue date:	10/28/1987
From:	PEMBROKE, MA
To:	NRC
References
NUDOCS 8712010145
Download: ML20236T327 (5)

Text

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- BOARD OF HEALTH

PEMBROKE, MASSACHUSETTS

( [' [s sg 02359 TO: ALL CONCERNED FROM: PEMBROKE: BOARD OF HEALTH

~DATE: October,28, 1987-

SUBJECT:

PILGRIM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

~

Fromia public health perspective a serious nucleartaccidenti at Boston Edison's Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant would have-an enormous impact on1the residents of'the South Shore and

'beyond.

i For a' number of reasons the Pembroke Board of Health believes that there presently are not sufficient safeguards to assure that such an accident is unlikely to happen. To the contrary the-Pembroke Poard of Health believes that there is-sufficient hard evidence to indicate'that a devastating accident is not only a distinct possibility but .a n eventual probability at Pilgrim.

There is also sufficient evidence to indicate that the past operation at P.ilgrim may already have had devastating effects on the health of a number of South Shore residents.

', As a result of these concerns and' beliefs the Pembroke Board of Health feels obligated to oppose the re-start-plans for the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant until'there'is sufficient evidence that all possible actions have been taken to assure safe operation - until the problem of disposal of nuclear waste produced by Pilgrim has been solved - and until the studies noted below ave completed.

The Pembroke Board of Health bases this decision on the following information:

.1, MANAGEMENT - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has characterized Pilgrim as one of the worst-ran and least-safe plants in'~the United States. Numerous NRC inspection and evaluation reports have cited Boston Edison for poor management of the plant in the areas of operations, radiological controls, one-site preparedness, maintenance, s u' r v ei l l a n c e , security, refueling and fire protection.

Despite Boston Edison's attempts to correct its management deficiencies, the problems persist. In recent weeks the NRC criticized Pilgrim for excessive securaty lapses.

2. EME?3ENCY PI-ANNING - Boston Edison has fai'ed to develop

'an. adequate procedure for providing the public with 8712010145 971028 PDR- ADOCK 05000293 gpI H- PDR .

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.information about ~how.to, respond to'an emergency at the ~

plant. The distribution of pamphlets.has been inadequate,

p a r t i c u l'a rl y regarding tourists and other transients. The siren systemLhas suffered from false. alarms'and is' inaudible or barely audible.in portions of the. emergency planning; zone, y Evacuation time estimates are unreasonably lowland do not consider the probability.of panic.and traffic disorder.

Plans for evacuation of'theidisabled, school children and other special groupsLaresinadequate. *

. Contractual arrangements.with bus companies are incomplete. The 10-mile emergency planning zone is too small and excludes Cape Cod,,

since.the Cape begins approximately 12 miles from the plant.

Both the Federal Emergency Management Agency.and the current state administration have concluded that the plans are inadequate.

3. PLANT. DESIGN - The design of.the General Electric Mark I containment structure has flaws that raise serious doubts about its ability'to withstand a severe accident. ' Prob 1 cms with.the Mark I were identified in Atomic Energy Commission, documents.as early as 1972. The pressure-suppression system-is'~dnadequate to handle..a serious. accident. A high-ranking NRC s a f e' t y ' o f f i c i a l stated last year that the probability of the GE cont ainment system failing in a loss of coolant' accident'.was approximately 90 percent.

4. WORKER EXPOSURE - Boston' Edison has an extreme.ly poor history of radiation' exposure to workers, NRC documents' list Pilgrim as having'the. highest number of man-rems per reactor in the period from 1975 to 1979 and'the highest collective dose per reactor in the 1980 to 1984 period'among all commercial. reactors in the United States,

5. Dr. Sidney Cobb of Harvard University and several co-authors - including Massachusetts Dept of Public Health Commissioner Dailus. Walker - in one study noted elevated levels of Icukemia in the five coastal towns north of Pilgrim (Plymouth - Kingston - Duxbury - Marshfield - Scituate) and succested that a study be done to determine if these cases are attributabic to excess airborne releases of Radioactivity

'from Pilgrim in the mid 1970's. This study also found j' elevated levels of infant mortality and. birth defects in

l. these towns, l

! In a partial report earlier this year on an ongoing study the Massachusetts Dept of Public Health found statistically significant elevations of leukemia and other cancers of the blood forming organs in males living in the five coastal towns north of Pilgrim. Researchers are attempting to determine if there is in fact a causal relationship between those cases and the operation of Pilgrim.

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'is ;;g a e' Distribution:

Senator William. Golden.

Mass Dept of'Public Ilealth *- Boston

~ Mass' Dept of Pub 11: Health - Lakeville Boston Globe >

Brockton' Enterprise Quincy Ledccr Governor Michael Dukakis

. Senator Edward Kirby -

Representative Charles Hann Senator Edward Kennedy

' Congressman Gerry Studds-Nuclear Regulatory Commission ,

WATD J Pembroke Reporter i Bost'on Edison Board of Ilealth - Abincton, Bridgewater, Brockton, Carver, Duxbury, East Bridgewater Ilalifax, flanover, Hanson.-Hingham, Il u l l , Kingston, Lakeville, Marion, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Middleborough, Norwell, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester, Rockland,- ~

Scituate, Vareham, West Bridgewater, l Whitman 9

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