Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Nuclear Accident Action Plan Proposed

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BUENOS AIRES, May 16 2011 (IPS) - An environmental organization in Argentina has proposed a citizen action plan in the event of a nuclear accident for use in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. “The citizens of these four countries are totally unprotected” in the event of an accident at one of Argentina’s nuclear reactors, stressed the Foundation for the Defense of the Environment at the presentation of its citizen action plan, which is being distributed in non-governmental circles in the four South American nations.

In the areas where the reactors are located, citizens are informed of security measures and carry out frequent drills, but these measures only apply to neighbors in the immediate vicinity.

People living near Argentina’s nuclear power plants are advised to stay indoors, cover their windows and other openings, and take iodine tablets.

Nayla Azzinnari, a Foundation representative, told Tierramérica that their proposal was submitted to the Argentine authorities in 2010.

“We sent it to the government of Córdoba (the central province where one of the country’s two nuclear plants is located) in November, before the Fukushima nuclear accident, but got no response either then or later,” she commented.