Nuclear Safety Issues

Serious questions have arisen about the proposed radioactive dump in Ward Valley. Once radioactive materials are sited, there will be no way to reverse the process. The people of California must have a voice in this decision, and too few know about this dump site at this time.

The proposed radioactive dump site carries grave medical risks. There are serious concerns now becoming evident that the carcinogens in the dump could migrate into the water supplies or into the air.

There is no need for the citizens of California to assume the burdens of commercial enterprises. We should not underwrite the financial well-being of the nuclear power industry, which will be the chief beneficiary of the Ward Valley radioactive dump. The primary purpose of the dump is the disposal of the radioactive waste generated by the nuclear power industry. There is absolutely no need to establish this dump for medical waste. Medical waste is short-lived and can be kept on site until it is safe.

If a catastrophe occurs at the Ward Valley site, the people of California may have to pay the potential millions of dollars to clean the site. If the operators of the dump cannot afford the insurance, why should the taxpayers assume the burden?

There are serious public health issues that need to be resolved before this pristine area is committed to a practically permanent poisonous waste site. Voters need to know that the dump site will harbor long-lived radioactive poisonous substances such as strontium, cesium and plutonium. The potential for harm extends well beyond the locale of the dump, and the issue should be decided by a statewide referendum in California.

JIMMY HARA MD, President

Physicians for Social Responsibility

Santa Monica