b'P ROVING THE P RINCIPLEIn Washington, D.C., commentators the U.S. Supreme Courtchallenging complaints in a letter to Senator Henrywondered about long-term repercus- the AECs recent decision permitting Dworshak. To the concern that the reac-sions on the AECs atomic power pro- the Fermi fast-breeder reactor to locate tor had been permitted to operategram. The AEC and the JCAE were in near Detroit. It was not safe, the union despite sticking control rods, the unionthe midst of deciding how close to met- claimed. The union had a list of forty added a list of items that patently hadropolitan areas nuclear reactors could purported reactor accidents that demon- not been considered in emergencybe situated. GE and Westinghouse strated why the Fermi reactor was a plansthe inadequate dispensary, thespokesmen worried that the accident mistake. Reuther said the SL-1 accident lack of proper lead caskets, the non-might set back public acceptance of confirmed the validity of the unions existent shift disaster teams, and instru-nuclear reactors for years. 4 position, pointing out that Fermi was ments unable to read high radiationthree hundred times larger than the fields. Further, health physicists hadIn this connection, Walter Reuther, SL1. It is clear from Tuesday nights been called from all over the Site, leav-president of the United Auto Workers accident that thousands of people ing their own areas vulnerable. The(UAW) and the Industrial Union would have been overexposed to radia- autopsy physicians, said the unions,Department of the AFL-CIO, was quick tion if the SL-1 reactor had been built received enough exposure to maketo exploit the accident. The UAW was near populated areas. Ultimately, the them less available for future emergen-in courtby now the case had gone to union failed to stop the Fermi plant. cies. People who had responded earlySome answered Reuther by noting that and received heavy radiation exposuresthe SL-1 evidence refuted his argument were, in general, less available or morebecause even without an engineered vulnerable in the event of any futurecontainment structure, radioactivity had emergency. The union asked for aremained mostly within the building. 5 Congressional investigation, that work-ers be compensated for over-exposuresIn Idaho Falls, the Oil, Chemical, and resulting in loss of pay, and for a publicAtomic Workers International Union airing of all the facts. 6Local 2-652, expressed more credibleAmbulance used at SL-1 was decontaminated at theChem Plant and returned to service.INEEL 61-16991 5 2'