© Simon James via Glickr (CC BY-SA)Among the 28 EDF nuclear power stations at risk: Sizewell B in Suffolk, England.
A new review of the safety of France's nuclear power stations has found that at least 18 of EDF's units are are "operating at risk of major accident due to carbon anomalies."
The review was carried out at the request of Greenpeace France following the discovery of serious metallurgical flaws by French regulators in a reactor vessel at Flamanville, where an EPR plant is under construction.
The problem is that parts of the vessel and its cap contain high levels of carbon, making the metal brittle and potentially subject to catastrophic failure. These key components were provided by French nuclear engineering firm Areva, and forged at its Le Creusot.
"The nature of the flaw in the steel, an excess of carbon, reduces steel toughness and renders the components vulnerable to fast fracture and catastrophic failure putting the NPP at risk of a major radioactive release to the environment", says nuclear safety expert John Large, whose consultancy Large Associates (LA) carried out the Review.
Comment: Not only are they treated inhumanely, but farm workers are regularly exposed to massive amounts of pesticides causing more chemical-related injuries and illnesses than in any other workforce nationwide and most don't receive adequate medical care.