Uranium leaks at nuclear plants in France revive safety concerns

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.26.2008 For years, Sophie Delmas took her horse and her four dogs for a swim in the Trop-Long lake, a stone's throw away from the Tricastin nuclear site in southeastern France. Not anymore. About 160 pounds of uranium leaked two weeks ago from a nuclear waste plant owned by Areva SA at the site behind her mother's home in Bollène. Tests showed that the ground- water was contaminated even before the leak. On July 18, Paris-based Areva announced a second case, saying uranium may have seeped out of a broken pipe for years at a plant in Romans-sur-Isère, 60 miles north of Bollène. "Who knows, there may be nuclear waste under the house," said Delmas, 23, who says she's concerned that she and her animals may be susceptible to cancer. The leaks are shaking French people's long-held faith in nuclear... [read full story]