When the Nuclear Wind Blows…

Nuclear power has always been a part of my life. Growing up in the North East of the UK my local beach was overshadowed by this looming grey building from which copious amounts of steam and ominous bangs would emerge at all hours.

Being a child with an over active imagination, I of course, had visions of this thing exploding one day and obliterating everything in its path – including me.

This fertile imagination was not helped by the cartoon 'When The Wind Blows’ which ever since I was made to watch it at school, has haunted me with the death of the old couple. I’m still trying to figure out at the age of 37 why we were made to watch it in the first place!

'When the Wind Blows' depicts a nuclear attack on the UK by the Soviet Union from the viewpoint of a retired couple, James and Hilda Bloggs. The Bloggs live in rural Sussex and are confused regarding the nature and seriousness of their situation, but nonetheless remain optimistic and supportive of each other throughout the crisis.

If you fancy taking a peek check it out...

Of course over the years there has been famous incidents including

• Chernobyl (1986) – Ukraine (USSR)

• Fukushima Daiichi (2011) – Japan

• Kyshtym (1957) – Russia

• Three Mile Island (1979) – United States of America

• Windscale Pile (1957) – United Kingdom

• Chalk River (1952) – Canada

• Goiânia (1987) – Brazil

• Tokaimura (1999) – Japan

• Saint Laurent des Eaux (1980) – France

Recently an article was published (article can be found in full here) which caught my eye on Twitter. Published by the UN, the article described how, following on from Japan, the International Atomic Energy Agency Incident and Emergency Centre preps countries for nuclear emergencies by hosting exercises based on mock nuclear or radiological emergency scenarios.

One such exercise recently took place in Bulgaria and involved a mock scenario in which a strong earthquake damaged a nuclear reactor, leading to the release of radioactive materials into the environment. In addition to Bulgaria, more than 45 Member States and four international organizations took part in the exercise. More than 1,000 people took part.

Elena Buglova, Head of the Incident and Emergency Centre, said exercises are helping the Centre stay ready and prepared to support Member States in emergencies.

“Exercises also help us strengthen our cooperation with our partners from around the world and provide an important opportunity to see how our preparations hold up in near-realistic conditions,” she said.

The site links to many useful resources regarding EM issues in the nuclear field.

More information:

• Preparedness and Response to Nuclear or Radiological Incidents and Emergencies

• IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety