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Article: France Acknowledges Radioactive Leakage in South Pacific Nuclear Tests
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 24, 1996
- Author:
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France acknowledged today that radioactive materials have
leaked into the sea from its nuclear tests in the South Pacific but
insisted that the quantities were so minimal that they posed no
threat to the environment.
The confirmation that radioactive elements such as iodine-131
have seeped into the lagoon near the Mururoa test site seemed likely
to revive the storm of protests that followed President Jacques
Chirac's decision to conduct a final series of underground nuclear
explosions before signing a global test-ban treaty.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda said he will demand
a full explanation from France about the nature of the leaks. Other
countries in the Pacific ...