A historical view of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (llnl) involves two histories, interwoven and inextricably linked. The first is the history of the Cold War and the nuclear arms race. llnl was founded in 1952 by Edward Teller and E.O. Lawrence to design, develop and test thermonuclear (hydrogen) bombs.
Its mission, then as now, has been the continued development of "new generations" of nuclear weapons, which has included the mx missile and the neutron bomb. Livermore Lab is also the birthplace of Star Wars programs, including the scandal- ridden nuclear-bomb-pumped X-ray laser and the Brilliant Pebbles scheme, recently revived by the Republican "Contract With America".
Concurrently, the Lab has been pioneering the "next generation" of nuclear production technologies slated for full scale use at additional Department of Energy (doe) plants. In short, llnl can be viewed as the "brains" of the doe complex; the engine that drives the nuclear cycle.
Concurrently, the Lab has been pioneering the "next generation" of nuclear production technologies slated for full scale use at additional Department of Energy (doe) plants. In short, llnl can be viewed as the "brains" of the doe complex; the engine that drives the nuclear cycle.
The other, hidden, history of llnl is the saga of environmental degradation linked to the development of nuclear arms. Tri-Valley Citizens Against Radioactive Environments (cares) has documented numerous accidents, spills and leaks, including releases of radioactive hydrogen (tritium), plutonium and uranium.
Since 1960 (the first year for which any information is available), llnl's known airborne releases of tritium have totalled approximately 750,000 curies. One curie is a large amount of radioactivity, equal to 37 billion radioactive disintegrations per second. Dr. John Gofman, former Associate Director at llnl and founder of its biomedical department, estimates these known releases have caused 120 cancers and 60 cancer deaths in Livermore. Additional tritium has been released in open air tests at Site 300, between Livermore and Tracy.
There have been airborne releases of plutonium and uranium as well, including a "criticality accident" (an unplanned nuclear chain reaction) involving uranium. Additional contamination has occurred due to the burning of uranium and plutonium chips and filings. An internal llnl report says this process clogs filters and spews particles into the air. Plutonium has been discovered in a Livermore City park about a mile west of llnl.
New llnl projects also raise concerns. The National Ignition Facility, designed to create thermonuclear ignition in the Lab to advance nuclear weapons research, will increase Livermore's airborne tritium burden. A uranium enrichment demon-stration plant will add to the burden of airborne uranium if its development goes forward at llnl under the newly formed US Enrichment Corporation. Other controversial proposals for llnl include production of nuclear bomb secondaries and high explosives. These projects would also produce dangerous wastes. llnl's pilot plant for plutonium bomb triggers, however, appears stymied -- in part due to public opposition.
Initial estimates show that the Bay Area has already been subjected to about 1 million curies of airborne radiation from the nuclear weapons labs in Livermore. This is roughly equal to some official estimates of the radiation created by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Airborne releases have been only one part of the Lab's effect on the environment. Forty-three years of weapons research has resulted in severe soil and groundwater contamination at llnl's main site in Livermore and the Site 300 testing range. Both locations are on the epa's Superfund list.
llnl generates over 4,000 tons of toxic and radioactive waste each year. Ninety percent of this waste is produced by weapons programs. This information need not make us feel helpless. We can create long lasting change by converting Livermore Lab to a viable, well funded center for peaceful and environmentally responsible scientific research. llnl conversion can be good for humanity, the environment and, ultimately, good for the Lab, too.