Tokaimura

Tokaimura is a rural locality of the Préfecture of Ibaraki to the Japan, to 150 km of Tokyo, where are located:

the Nuclear plant of Tokay, including/understanding 2 engines including one arrété definitively in 1998.
a research center in atomic energy.
Several manufacturing planies of fuels, pertaining to privately held companies. Among it, the factory of company JCO. It makes it possible to carry out the treatment of Uranium to obtain the enriched uranium which feeds the Japanese Nuclear plants.

The September 30th 1999, a nuclear accident engraves of type Accident of criticality occurred in the factory of Tokaimura of the JCO. A closed area of 200m was installation, as well as the evacuation of the inhabitants in a perimeter of 350m, and the containment of the inhabitants beyond 350m. The children were confined in the schools. Containment was also imposed in the town of Naka-machi near to Tokay. The gravity of this Nuclear accident is magnitude of 4 according to the scale INNATE.

The nuclear accident

It was introduced into a tank of decantation, following an human error of handling due to the ignorance of the employees, an abnormally high quantity of uranium (approximately 16 kg) exceeding very largely the value of safety (equal to 2,3 kg). This error is at the origin of the starter of the chain reaction; what one calls an accident of criticality. This accident exposed more than 600 residents to important radiations and to date killed two of the workmen of the center, 19 others having been irradiated. One reproaches company JCO (subsidiary of Sumitomo), since having changed name and of direction, to have employed a personnel not trained and not having no concept of physics, by economic concern.

References

Random links: