28 January 2008

HUELVA - The Nuclear Security Council (CSN) has detected leaks in a Huelva dump where the ashes from a 1998 fire, which contain radioactive material, are stored. The remains are located next to the River Tinto, some 500 meters from the city of Huelva.

Despite the regional government's denials of any danger, the CSN has sided with environmental groups such as Greenpeace, which has brought attention to the leaks in the past and claims that the regional government hid data about the problem in 2003.

In October of last year, Greenpeace complained about leaks of Caesium 137 into the Huelva marshes, and claims that the CSN's report "confirms the negligence" of the Andalusian regional government.

However, the CSN did confirm that "the radioactive impact [of the leaks] was not significant among the population and on the environment," but went on to criticise Egmasa, the public company that was responsible for properly sealing the waste material.

[Copyright EL PAÍS / MANUEL J. ALBERT 2008]

Subject: Spanish news