The Future of Champagne

Greenpeace recently reported that the Champagne region in France is under threat of radioactive contamination. According to the rainbow warriors, a leak in a storage cell was reported at a nuclear waste dumpsite in Soulaine. Tests also revealed low levels of radioactivity in the groundwater less than 6 miles from the region’s famous Champagne vineyards.

This is true despite promises made in the 1980’s by ANDRA, the national nuclear waste agency operating the site, that it would not release any radioactive waste into the environment. Regardless of these problems, the facility continues to receive nuclear waste from both domestic and foreign sources. Once it reaches its capacity of 1 million cubic meters of plutonium and other radionuclides, it will be the world’s largest nuclear waste disposal site.

Meanwhile, a new dumpsite is being proposed for the region that would store France’s most radioactive material. See also ::Green Nuclear Waste? and ::Gorbachev Sounds Off on Nuclear vs Renewables

Source: treehugger.com