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mysteries |
Nuclear Cover-Up's 1 |
Other Information |
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Why have governments around the world played down devastating nuclear accidents? Travellers passing through the town of Khyshtym in Siberia, Russia, will see bizarre signs on the north-south highway, advising drivers to proceed at speed, without stopping, and with their windows closed. This is because Khyshtym is possibly the most radioactive place on earth, following a nuclear accident at the town's plutonium producing plant in 1957. The consequences of this accident are still visible to this day. Giant mushrooms grow behind barbed wire on heavily irradiated topsoil, fishing is banned in the lakes and rivers and local doctors still advise women to abort pregnancies. Official Denial. For 20 years, the world was unaware that such an accident had occurred, as the plant at Khyshtym has never appeared on Russia's official list of reactors. The number of people who died or suffered radiation poisoning is still unknown, but it is certain that the incident spread radiation over hundreds of kilometres, and thousands had to be evacuated from the area. The incident at Khyshtym - which the Russian authorities still deny ever happened - was not an isolated event. Since World War II, there have been a number of nuclear reactor accidents around the world, the full consequences of which are still concealed from the public. While these have cost many lives and caused untold damage to the environment, many of these accidents have been dismissed as minor incidents. The perpetrators of these cover-up's extend well beyond the nuclear industry and have reached the highest levels of government, including agencies such as the FBI. Britain suffered its first major nuclear accident on 10th October 1957 at the Windscale plutonium reactor in Cumbria, England. A routine operation led to a fire that blazed out of control for 42 hours. Operators had no fire-fighting procedure, and a full-scale disaster was only averted by filters which trapped the deadly radioactive isotopes, thrown into the air by the flames, However, a considerably dangerous radioactive discharge still occurred. The public was not informed about the fire until after it was extinguished. None of the surrounding areas was evacuated, and sales of milk and natural produce - both extremely vulnerable to radioactive contamination - were not banned until two days after the accident. But despite the seriousness of the fire at Windscale - and the lack of expertise in controlling it - the UK authorities managed to convince the public that this was an isolated incident that could never happen again. A Deadly Industry. As well as harming the public and damaging the environment, the nuclear industry has also been accused of being unconcerned for the safety of workers who come into contact with the everyday dangers of the plant. The need to limit any damaging information regarding the safety of workers has been so great that the nuclear industry has been aided by national authorities in its attempts to suppress 'bad publicity'. The most alarming example of this is the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Karen Silkwood on 27th September 1974. Silkwood worked as a laboratory assistant at the Kerr-McGee nuclear plant in Oklahoma, US, which manufactured fuel rods for an experimental reactor. She had become concerned about safety standards within the plant, and was aware that official safety records had been falsified by the Kerr-McGee management. After Silkwood discovered that she herself was 'riddled with cancer' from exposure to radiation, she began a campaign to reveal the truth about the Kerr-McGee Corporation. Silkwood uncovered a series of health and safety errors, and she was preparing to hand her findings to the press when she was killed in a car accident whilst driving to meet a reporter from the New York Times. The incident was written off as a tragic accident, but evidence slowly came to light that suggested that something far more sinister had happened. Central to this was the fact that Silkwood's incriminating dossier had been removed from the back of her car before the police arrived on the scene. This suggested that someone with a vested interest in the damaging information was there at the time of the crash. Two anomalous dents were also found on the car, and long skid marks on the road suggested that her death had not been an accident. A. O. Pipkin, a road traffic expert who assessed the scene at the time, concluded that 'there is enough circumstantial evidence present to indicate that the car was struck by an unknown vehicle, causing it to go out of control'. In the civil court case brought by the Silkwood family against the Kerr-McGee Corporation, it emerged that Karen had been electronically 'bugged' by the Special Intelligence Unit of the Oklahoma police throughout her time at the plant. A huge network of pro-nuclear agencies involving high-ranking police officials was also uncovered whose activities ranged from the compilation of detailed files on potential 'dissidents', right through to extensive electronic surveillance of critics of the nuclear industry. It appears certain that the operation to keep Silkwood quiet reached the highest levels of authority in the US. The charges against Kerr-McGee officials, as well as the FBI and Oklahoma police officers involved, have never come to court, leaving the mystery behind Karen's death unresolved. The inquiry into her death was also prematurely closed. What the case has shown is that in the US - as well as in Europe - the degree of secrecy surrounding the nuclear industry is considerable, and when it comes to the protection of that image, the stakes are extremely high. This is something that Karen Silkwood discovered to her cost. Suppressed Information. For the powers that be, concealing the activities of the nuclear industry has been of far more importance than any potential damage to human life or the environment. The public has been prevented from knowing the full extent of low-level pollution, dangerous working conditions and even large-scale tragedies. When accidents have happened, this level of secrecy has made it impossible for those most at risk to be kept informed of events. It has taken 'accidents', such as the one at Windscale and the death of Karen Silkwood, to expose the degree to which the nuclear industry has protected itself with a conspiracy of silence. |
Sources: The x Factor By: David Macleod |