3,000 Nuclear Plant Mishaps in ’87 Cited

The nation’s nuclear power plants reported nearly 3,000 mishaps and at least 430 emergency shutdowns in 1987, according to a report issued Thursday by Public Citizen’s Critical Mass Energy Project.

Federal and nuclear industry officials said the numbers simply reflect the effectiveness of safety monitoring.

The nonprofit research organization, a longtime critic of nuclear power, said also that in 1987 there was a record number of 104,000 incidents in which nuclear workers were exposed to measurable doses of radiation.

Also, it said, at least 492 violations of safety regulations occurred at nuclear power plants in 1987.

The group’s annual report on nuclear power safety was based on Nuclear Regulatory Commission data compiled and analyzed by Public Citizen.

Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, said in releasing the report: “Public attention has recently been focused on the poor safety conditions at the nation’s nuclear weapons reactors.

“However, in 1987, badly managed commercial nuclear plants daily threatened the safety of the public, particularly the 96 million Americans who live within 50 miles of a reactor,” she said.

Public Citizen criticized the NRC for refusing to release key safety data such as “single-component failure” records and a comprehensive listing of all emergency plant shutdowns. It contended that the commission’s public records on safety violations are incomplete and contradictory.

“The NRC appears to be using the Department of Energy as its role model,” said Ken Bossong, director of the Critical Mass Energy Project. “Lax oversight of nuclear safety and deliberate withholding of information characterize both the DOE’s handling of the nation’s nuclear weapons reactors and the NRC’s regulation of commercial nuclear power plants.”

Robert Newlin, an NRC spokesman, said he could not comment in detail on specific allegations without first having a chance to examine the Public Citizen report.

“I would say that, in general, the NRC makes data available to the public on all safety issues,” he said. Newlin added that, based on a variety of safety and operational criteria, “the overall performance at nuclear plants, we think, is improving.”

Carl Goldstein, a spokesman for the U.S. Council for Energy Awareness, a nuclear industry group, said in response to the Public Citizen report: “America’s nuclear plants have just ended a record-breaking year, producing 20% of the nation’s electricity.

“The NRC and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations confirm that, year by year, nuclear plants have improved their availability and reduced the number of significant events, which are an important measure of safe operation.”