- AWARENESS LEADS TO INTELLIGENT ASSESSMENTS
- ASSESSMENTS LEAD TO PUBLIC COMFORT DURING EMERGENCIES.
Two unrelated incidents have occurred in Westchester County - New York during the past six months that warrent discussion.
One incident involved the decision by County officials to spray Westchester County with the insecticide sumithrin (Anvil) in the Fall of 1999.
The second incident involved Indian Point Nuclear Plant on February 15, 2000.
Both are important examples of how a lack of information sharing with the public led to anger, outrage and confusion.
On Tuesday evening February 15, 2000, Con Edison declares the first emergency alert in the plant's history. A tube in one of four steam generators leaks 20,000 gallons of radioactive water into the plant. Small amounts of radioactive gas escapes the plant into the atomosphere.
AS OF May 9,2002 CON EDISON STILL HAS NOT INDICATED WHAT THE RADIOACTIVITY WAS!!!!
Indian Point 2 nuclear generating station in Buchanon, New York, was manually shut down because of a "slight" release of radioactivity within the plant. Fortunately, the release was minimal and within 24 hours the Second Stage Alert had been lifted.
However, the citizenry within Buchanon, including their officials, had not been notified in a timely manner. The residents demanded that Mayor Donohue call a public meeting to discuss ways for the public to be made aware of this sort of problem, and were outraged that the sirens did not go off.
The Westchester County Executive, Andrew Spano, and his representatives assured the public they had nothing to worry about and that information would be forthcoming as laid out in the emergency plan. The officials concerned were rather angry that individuals would even request that sirens should have been sounded during this emergency. Obviously, "The emergency plan did not call for sirens during a second stage alert and therefore why would residents expect them".
Listening to all of the rhetoric for 36 hours has convinced Dr. Bill - that while evacuation plans and emergency plans are extensively reviewed and mock drills are held regularly - all concerned expressed the general sentiment that no residents were in any danger and therefore did not need to be made aware of the incident in a timely manner.
Some officials have even expressed that if sirens had sounded over such a minor incident that panic might have set in. The point missed is that various county officials were adament in their position that information would be released to the public as necessary.
However, when these same county officials (including Andrew Spano) were made aware (- by a New York Times article (Wednesday February 16, 2000)) - that Con Edison knew about the leaking pipe for several weeks prior to the event, they went ballistic.These County officials expressed outrage that THEY were not informed about this matter in a timely manner.
THEY EXPRESSED OUTRAGE OVER THIS LACK OF INFORMATION SHARING. County Executive Spano demanded a meeting with the President of Con Edison to explain why the County was not informed of the leak and why the plant wansn't shut down to repair it. Con Edison informed Mr. Spano that the NRC regulations were followed and such a small leak even for several months is okay. Representative Nita Lowey demanded that the NRC set up a public hearing, as soon as possible to explain this incident.
Again, Dr. Bill is making the point that Buchanon residents did not need to be made aware of the event in a timely manner because procedures in place do not require their notification AND a leaking pipe - for several weeks - is really of no concern to Westchester County officials because the NRC doesn't require the plant to shut down because several gallons leaking per day is below their danger point.
How ironic and silly and political. When information is not forthcoming in a timely manner, rumors begin and the public becomes outraged. During this week, nuclear plant activists have staged protests and received media attention to push their position that the nuclear plant at Indian Point should be shut down. Dr. Bill supports all who wish to express their opinions in this matter or in any matter involving public safety.
Dr. Bill was interviewed on by NEWS 12 Westchester, a local Westchester County television network.The major points stressed during this interview included:
1) No negativity was presented except to point out that the most significant radioactivity released in "typical" nuclear plant release is radioactive Iodine (I-131). This point was made, not suggesting that this was the material released from the Con Edison plant but was released in 1979, in the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
2)Most people assume all radioactivity emissions will lead to "glowing people". This is not the case.;
3) A siren plan or phone notification plan must be set up to notify individuals during "even a second stage" alert - currently not required;
4) Local TV and radio media should be used in a more timely manner to share info (even preliminary data);
5)Even though Con Edison regularly sends our booklets to inform the public in the case of an emergency, this info is too wordy to be used in a real emergency.
A simple one page summary listing what people should do, where they should go, what they should bring with them, etc., would prove helpful in a "real"emergency. In fairness to both Con Edison and the NRC, the emergency was handled in a timely and professional manner.
Dr. Bill simply asks that the public be informed that their officials are keeping them aware during each stage of the process. This was not the first event in the 26-year history of this facility.
The NRC is the body that oversees the safety of a nuclear plant. Con Edison is in negotiations to sell its nuclear facilities. The problems to be addressed at this point are:
1) Should the New York Counties, including Westchester County, set up a task force to review procedures for safety and equipment maintenance before, during and after a SALE of the nuclear facilities.; 2) A nuclear facility typically has a life span of 40 years, (give or take, depending on maintenance and equipment replacement procedures). What should be done and what needs to be done to expand the life span of the nuclear plant facilities at Indian Point? Or should it simply be shut down.
and 3) Information-sharing meetings should be held by the County and the public to review evacuation procedures and other matters, in a timely manner.
These meetings can be used to indicate where improvements can be made, what improvements are being considered, and most importantly, asking the public - WHO MUST FOLLOW THE PLAN - if it is feasible. These are but a few of the suggestions that Dr. Bill proposes to provide INFORMATION to promote AWARENESS and COMPLIANCE.
All concerned must recognize that in each crisis matter - whether during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Floyd (September 16 and 17, 1999); west-nile virus and mosquito transmission , or a "minor emission from Indian Point - WE ALL CAN BECOME THE PUBLIC.
Information sharing eliminates the "us versus them" mentality.
For information on west nile virus and insecticide use click on links.
On May 10, 2002 a report was released from the NRC confirming that hundreds of gallons of radioactive water from Indian Point Two leaked into the Hudson River after the worst accident at the plant on record.
