Blast at French nuclear plant does not pose contamination risk, say experts The Guardian, Feb 9, 2017, Adam Vaughan
Authorities have said there is no risk of contamination from an explosion that occurred at EDF’s Flamanville nuclear plant in northern France.
EDF said the blast at 9.40am on Thursday was caused by a fire in the turbine hall, which is outside the nuclear zones of the power station, located 15 miles west of the port of Cherbourg. Five people were treated for smoke inhalation.
The nuclear operator said an on-site team brought the fire under control, and the incident was declared over by 11am. One of the plant’s two water-pressurised reactors was shut down after the explosion and remains offline.
The cause of the fire is unknown, though authorities have ruled out sabotage. Experts said the explosion appeared to be a relatively minor event and did not pose a safety risk.
Though any accident at a nuclear site must be taken seriously, I wouldn’t call this a nuclear accident as there was no release of radioactive material and the reactor was not affected,” said Jim Smith, professor of environmental science at the University of Portsmouth. “There doesn’t appear to be any risk to the general public.”
Mycle Schneider, a Paris-based nuclear consultant, said fires in a nuclear plant were always “bad news” because of side effects such as smoke.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/09/explosion-at-flamanville-nuclear-plant-in-western-france
