How vulnerable is the plutonium transport?

 06 October 2004

Areva and the French Government claim that the plutonium transport is safe and secure. However the evidence says otherwise.

The French Nuclear Institute for Radiation Safety (IRSN) released a study early this year showing the effects of an explosive charge on one of France's plutonium containers. As you can see from the images below , the container was effectively destroyed and the plutonium released. Despite this inadequacy the French Government and Areva continue to make plutonium transports across France using these highly vulnerable containers and trucks .

French government assessments state that in the event of an accident involving one of these plutonium containers holding 15 - 17 kg of plutonium only 0.07 grams would be released. As these images show this is clearly untrue.

In a deliberate attack or in an accident the plutonium released in this scenario would have a devastating effect on the local population and environment. Click on the image below to view a computer model of the likely plutonium dispersion.