Statement From Joe Lynch - (RSF)

NUCLEAR PLANT HAS POTENTIAL
FOR VOLCANO TYPE DISASTER

The current severe restrictions on air travel and the loss to the
people, airlines, tour companies and indeed the general economy
by the Icelandic volcano eruption highlights danger of such major
disasters but also brings into focus the potential for damage from
establishments such as the Sellafield nuclear plant across the Irish
Sea, a spokesman for Republican Sinn Fein said today.

Joe Lynch from Beechgrove Avenue in Ballinacurra Weston in
Limerick, the RSF chairman in the south side of the city said that
while the current focus is on the fallout from the Iceland volcano
the danger from Sellafield is also a disaster waiting to happen.

There have been serious scares from Sellafield and indeed leaks
into the atmosphere of radio active material but the real danger
is from a meltdown and no one seems to be taking the potential
of such an incident seriously he said.

The fact is Sellafield is just a short distance across the Irish Sea
and if a volcano in Iceland can close all European airspace just
what would the implications be for a similar incident from a
nuclear plant?

Now is the time to draw up a major emergency plan in
the event of a spill from this British nuclear plant because
it does not have a good safety record.

There is no use waiting until a nuclear incident happens.
A plan for coping with such an eventuality must now be
drawn up and the safety of Irish people placed at the top
of the political agenda.

www.rsf.ie or www.rsflimerick.com