Worst-case scenario

A terrorist attack on radioactive waste stores at Sellafield in England and
La Hague in France could cause a disaster far worse than the accident at
Chernobyl in 1986, says a report prepared for the European Union. The report,
leaked this week, is based on research revealed by New Scientist two weeks ago
(13 October, p 10). At the time, New Scientist was fiercely criticised by
Sellafield’s operator, British Nuclear Fuels. The state-owned company sent out a
response accusing New Scientist of “scaremongering at its worst based on such
sensational scenarios that it borders on science fiction”.