Mishap in dismantling nuclear warhead

mimo2005 · 12-15-2006, 08:19 PM

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- A watchdog group charges a nuclear warhead nearly exploded in Texas when it was being dismantled at the government's Pantex facility near Amarillo.

The Project on Government Oversight says it has been told by knowledgeable experts that the warhead nearly detonated in 2005 because an unsafe amount of pressure was applied while it was being disassembled, The Austin American-Statesman reports.

The U.S. Energy Department fined the plant's operators $110,000 last month.

An investigator for Project on Government Oversight says the weapon involved was a W-56 warhead with 100 times the destructive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

The watchdog group says the problem was caused in part by technicians at the plant being required to work up to 72 hours each week.

They released an anonymous letter, reportedly sent by Pantex employees, warning that long hours and efforts to increase output were causing dangerous conditions at the plant.

A spokesperson for the Energy Department declined to respond to safety complaints in the letter.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.ph...5-124703-2900r

~~jeffdrummer~~ · 12-15-2006, 08:21 PM

This doesn't seem controversial. They were fined $110,000.

mimo2005 · 12-15-2006, 08:35 PM

please move this thread to the sport section ...lol

mimo2005 · 12-15-2006, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffdrummer

This doesn't seem controversial. They were fined $110,000.

wow , cool , i feel safe now like this will never happen again ?

~~jeffdrummer~~ · 12-16-2006, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mimo2005

wow , cool , i feel safe now like this will never happen again ?

I wouldn't say this will never happen again but,

1) They were fined

2) It was an accident, accidents happen. Although this would be massive accident, sometimes they are hardly preventable. I wouldn't argue that they didn't deserve the fine, but when dealing with something as volitile as a nuclear bomb, if you don't make a mistake in 65, the sad fact is that a mistake is inevitable.

**Chode** · 12-16-2006, 01:49 PM

Not to downplay the seriousness of the event, but I live about 30 miles from Pantex, so I know folks who work there. The areas where the work takes place are deeply buried, and conditions during disassembly are such that an actual detonation is nearly impossible. You might get a fast meltdown with the potential for lots of radioactivity being released, but devices are in place to collapse the work areas in such an event.

I'd also add that complaints about working conditions are perhaps somewhat exaggerated. If things are really so grim, workers are free to quit. Personally, I don't know anyone working at Pantex who wants to leave.

The Austin American-Statesman is one of the worst excuses for a newspaper on the planet. I lived in Austin for 24 years and the Statesman was a standing joke.

~~Wozer~~ · 12-16-2006, 02:34 PM

ummm...yeah....

a nuclear 'explosion' is a very delicate matter....and from the description, this would be a thermo-nuclear device....I really doubt that during disassembly it would really have 'exploded', especially considering it was a hydrogen device...they might have made a hell of a mess and contaminated the whole place, but I doubt it would have gone off the way it was designed..

12-15-2006, 08:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
mimo2005 Manager, Emeritus Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 11,142 OS: xp	Mishap in dismantling nuclear warhead AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- A watchdog group charges a nuclear warhead nearly exploded in Texas when it was being dismantled at the government's Pantex facility near Amarillo. The Project on Government Oversight says it has been told by knowledgeable experts that the warhead nearly detonated in 2005 because an unsafe amount of pressure was applied while it was being disassembled, The Austin American-Statesman reports. The U.S. Energy Department fined the plant's operators $110,000 last month. An investigator for Project on Government Oversight says the weapon involved was a W-56 warhead with 100 times the destructive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The watchdog group says the problem was caused in part by technicians at the plant being required to work up to 72 hours each week. They released an anonymous letter, reportedly sent by Pantex employees, warning that long hours and efforts to increase output were causing dangerous conditions at the plant. A spokesperson for the Energy Department declined to respond to safety complaints in the letter. http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.ph...5-124703-2900r __________________ TSF has outgrown its server, again. Please help "Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo"

12-15-2006, 08:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
~~jeffdrummer~~ Register user Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 870 OS: MAC OS X 10.4.8, and 10.5!! WinXP SP2	This doesn't seem controversial. They were fined $110,000. Last edited by jeffdrummer; 12-15-2006 at 08:33 PM.

12-15-2006, 08:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
mimo2005 Manager, Emeritus Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 11,142 OS: xp	please move this thread to the sport section ...lol __________________ TSF has outgrown its server, again. Please help "Gutta cavat lapidem, non vi sed saepe cadendo"

12-16-2006, 01:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
Chode TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 1,280 OS: Windows XP Pro	Not to downplay the seriousness of the event, but I live about 30 miles from Pantex, so I know folks who work there. The areas where the work takes place are deeply buried, and conditions during disassembly are such that an actual detonation is nearly impossible. You might get a fast meltdown with the potential for lots of radioactivity being released, but devices are in place to collapse the work areas in such an event. I'd also add that complaints about working conditions are perhaps somewhat exaggerated. If things are really so grim, workers are free to quit. Personally, I don't know anyone working at Pantex who wants to leave. The Austin American-Statesman is one of the worst excuses for a newspaper on the planet. I lived in Austin for 24 years and the Statesman was a standing joke. __________________ Sweet!

12-16-2006, 02:34 PM	#7 (permalink)
~~Wozer~~ Troubled Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 1,038 OS: 2kpro/XP pro/MCE	ummm...yeah.... a nuclear 'explosion' is a very delicate matter....and from the description, this would be a thermo-nuclear device....I really doubt that during disassembly it would really have 'exploded', especially considering it was a hydrogen device...they might have made a hell of a mess and contaminated the whole place, but I doubt it would have gone off the way it was designed..