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In 1966, two U.S. Air Force planes collided during
a midair refueling near the coast of Palomares, Spain.
Two nuclear weapons fell into the sea and two broke
up on the ground. The nonnuclear detonations of two
of the weapons dispersed plutonium across steep and
rugged agricultural areas. The U.S. Department of
Defense remediated the site within weeks of the accident.
Since that time, the Department of Energy (DOE) and
its predecessor Agencies have funded a portion of
the costs of an environmental monitoring research
program of the area and medical surveillance of the
residents. DOE also provides scientific and technical
assistance.
In the aftermath of the accident, a formal cooperative
research program was initiated under the Hall-Otero
Agreement of 1966. The agreement is between DOE and
the Kingdom of Spain. The major goals of this agreement
are to:
- Evaluate the associated radiological impact;
- Update radiological inventories for further land
recovery; and
- Improve knowledge on the environmental behavior
of transuranic elements in an arid rural environment.
In 1997, DOE agreed to a new 10-year program with
Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales
y Technológicas (CIEMAT) to continue the work begun
under the Hall-Otero Agreement. CIEMAT is DOE's counterpart
in the Kingdom of Spain. The agreement acknowledges
that CIEMAT has primary responsibility and that DOE's
role is supportive in nature with technical advice
and partial funding of the research activities.
In 2005, DOE and CIEMAT agreed to develop a plan
for a new radiation survey of Palomares' residual
contaminated zones and to prepare a final radiological
management plan for these zones. In 2007, the two
parties formally agreed to cooperate completing the
new radiological survey of affected areas at the Palomares
accident site by the end of 2008. The survey will
form the basis for recommending any additional final
remedial actions. DOE's cost-sharing arrangement with
the Kingdom of Spain, begun in 1966, will end in 2008.
The group photo below is the DOE delegation and
CIEMAT staff in September 2007.
Since 1966, approximately 150 residents of Palomares
receive complete physical examinations and radio-bioassays
of plutonium collected in urine each year. The study,
so far, involves a total of 1,029 people who received
more than 4,000 medical examinations and measurements
for residual plutonium deposited within their bodies.
Information about the results of work done by CIEMAT
is available on the CIEMAT Web site.
CIEMAT contact for Palomares project information:
Ms. Isabel Redondo
Director, Unity of Communication
and Public Relations
CIEMAT
Phone: +34 913466355
Fax: + 34 913466740
E-mail: isabel.redondo@ciemat.es
CIEMAT contact:
Carlos Sancho Llerandi
Chief of Unit of Recovery of Radiologically
Contaminated Lands
CIEMAT
Avenida Complutense, 22 28040, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 913466258
Fax: +34 913466718
DOE contact:
Barrett N. Fountos
Office of Health and Safety
U.S. Department of Energy
Phone: (301) 903-6740
Fax: (301) 903-1413
Email: barrett.fountos@hq.doe.gov
Link to CIEMAT:
http://www.ciemat.es/
http://petra2.ciemat.es/eng/actividad/programas/p_indalo.html
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