Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice 202 Harvard SE Albuquerque, NM 87106 505-268-9557

The Nukes Next Door

The Nukes Next Door Pages 8 and 9 Introduction Nuclear science is a relatively young science. Just 60 years ago, the United States hastily dropped nuclear bombs on two Japanese cities shortly after the new bombs initial explosion at Alamogordo, New Mexico, and with virtually no knowledge about long-term effects. Since then, the U.S. and other nations have continued to produce a variety of nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants, along with a deadly legacy of nuclear waste and tragic consequences for plant workers, uranium miners and surrounding populations. Under Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary O'Leary, in an attempt to make amends for lethal mismanagement, efforts were made to disclose DOE transgressions and misuse of power, and to invite citizen participation in future DOE decision-making. But DOE's need for control, and the difficulties involved in communicating nuclear science to the general public, have made the attempt at citizen participation little more than a superficial side show. How to convey to the general public the magnitude of our nuclear legacy and how ordinary citizens need to respond to nuclear issues is a huge task. This publication attempts a beginning. Nuclear energy and nuclear weapons production are often thought of separately. The three SNL projects reviewed in this publication show that such a separation is misleading. There is often a very blurry distinction between some nuclear activities undertaken by the military and those involved in the generation of electricity, especially when it comes to the waste that is generated by both. The nuclear industry was born to produce weapons, but attempts to harness this technology to produce electricity have worsened the problems of what to do with the radioactive waste generated by these activities. The first article in this booklet, written by Sue Dayton, describes a mixed-waste landfill that was operated by Sandia National Labs (SNL) for more than 30 years. This landfill contains a variety of nuclear and other toxic wastes that sit on top of Albuquerque's aquifer or underground water supply. The waste came from military experiments, nuclear reactors, and nuclear handling equipment, and even includes an entire truck. Dayton discusses how SNL has proposed to deal with this waste in order to contain its hazardous content and prevent it from escaping into our air and water, and she persuasively argues that we need to be much more pro-active in protecting our water and our health. The second article on Depleted Uranium (DU) by Damacio Lopez focuses on the legacy of nuclear waste bestowed on Albuquerque by SNL's explosives testing over the past 50 years. Depleted Uranium, which is both a nuclear hazard and a heavy metal toxin, is shown to cover most of the land currently leased by SNL. Lopez details how DU has been part of Albuquerque's environmental degradation and how the DOE has attempted to minimize public concern about the dangers posed by DU contamination. The third article looks at SNL's Moly-99 reactor project. Written by Paul Robinson, it describes how SNL sought funding to turn a military nuclear reactor into one producing radioactive isotopes for medical use, but before it could start production, the reactor was transferred back to military use. Robinson illustrates how the use of nuclear technology for military or civilian purposes is subject to economic and political considerations and how SNL has played both sides of the field. These articles explore a variety of impacts that SNL projects have had and potentially continue to have on the environment surrounding Albuquerque. Because these activities could seriously affect the health of Albuquerque residents, they demand greater public knowledge of and public participation in decision-making about them. Our hope is that brushing these concerns aside will become more difficult as information becomes more readily available through this and similar efforts by other citizen organizations. Pages 8 and 9

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