Late last month at a public hearing in Jackson, Entergy Nuclear officials rolled out their plan to expand the capacity of the Grand Gulf nuclear reactor at Port Gibson by 14 percent. This change would make Grand Gulf the largest of the 104 reactors in the United States.

Entergy officials spoke cheerfully about how expanding Grand Gulf would create more electricity to meet demand in Mississippi, but they didn’t mention some serious health concerns that an expanded reactor raises.

Since its startup in the summer of 1982, Grand Gulf has generated large amounts of radioactive waste — the equivalent of hundreds of Hiroshima bombs.  This waste is stored in the reactor’s core and later transferred to deep pools of water. This waste must be constantly cooled.

Any loss of cooling water would result in a meltdown, releasing huge amounts of these poisonous chemicals into the environment.  Safe and prompt evacuation of all local residents would be impossible, and thousands would suffer from radiation poisoning or cancer.

Expanding a reactor that is already 27 years old, and whose aging parts are corroding, would raise the chance, however small, of a catastrophic mechanical failure at Grand Gulf. There could also be a terrorist strike.  Nuclear reactors have long been targets for such attacks, a possibility that became all too real after the tragic events of 9/11.

Also, reactors must routinely release a portion of the radioactive chemicals they produce into local air and water. These particles and gases enter bodies when people breathe, eat and drink them. They cause cancer, and are especially harmful to infants and children.

Entergy has big plans for Grand Gulf.  In addition to expanding the current reactor, it also wants to build a second reactor at the site.  Because nuclear power poses dangers to local residents, and because safer sources of energy (such as solar and wind) are becoming more available, federal regulators should seriously consider health risks before making any  decisions on whether to allow this expansion to proceed.

Joseph J. Mangano

Director

Radiation and

Public Health Project

New York