SRS vigilance will be crucial

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requires that state and federal

officials exercise the highest diligence.

Acatastrophic accident is "highly unlikely" to occur at the Savannah River Site where weapons-grade plutonium will be converted into commercial reactor fuel, according to a report from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. At the same time, the 500-page report discussed the potential grave impact of some disasters.

Among the disaster scenarios studied, the NRC found a release of tritium at a proposed bomb core disassembly facility to be the most dangerous. If such an accident were to occur, the report found, it could produce 400 latent cancer deaths in surrounding communities one year after the event. Tritium, radioactive hydrogen gas, is used in nuclear weapons.

The NRC's report offered reassurance that such a large-scale tritium disaster would not occur. But as Greenville News reporter Tim Smith has pointed out, there have been several documented cases of small-scale tritium releases at SRS. The facility, in fact, has a history of more than 8,000 safety and environmental incidents.

This implies an enormous responsibility on the part of the Department of Energy, SRS officials and South Carolina's congressional delegation to make sure procedures are in place to ensure the safety of SRS employees and surrounding communities. Particular diligence will be expected of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has ushered much of the SRS project legislation through the Senate, and U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-Westminster, whose Third District includes SRS.

The report itself recommends that the project's contractor conduct information campaigns to educate emergency agencies and low-income and minority communities near SRS about what to do in the event of an accidental airborne release. State and federal officials should see to it that the contractor complies with that recommendation.

The NRC report found that mostly minorities or low-income communities would be affected by a tritium release, based on the prevailing wind direction. Disturbingly, the NRC report failed to consider a terrorist attack among several other possible disasters, including fires, earthquakes, accidental releases and explosions.

The SRS plutonium project should be highly beneficial for South Carolina, creating thousands of jobs and converting volatile weapons-grade plutonium into fuel to power electrical generators. The project also is an important part of an arms-control agreement with Russia. It will help ensure that terrorists or rogue nations do not get their hands on weapons-grade plutonium in Russia.

The first $400 million installment of the $4 billion project will be allocated this fall. But it's becoming increasingly clear that unceasing vigilance will be required by federal and state officials to ensure the safety of South Carolinians living near SRS.