International Atomic Energy Watchdog Issues Warnings in Iran

The idea of ​​attacking facilities working on nuclear development may quickly remind you of the worst image of disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima. However, experts say bombing uranium enrichment sites is unlikely to create a massive nuclear catastrophe, even if the strike hits important material. Despite widespread radiation concerns, the IAEA I’ll keep it “I don’t think there will be health impacts on people and the environment outside of the target site,” Grossi said in a previous update published Sunday.

According to the IAEA, the biggest environmental risk from these sites is local. Uranium enrichment facilities contain toxic gases and chemicals, as well as those stored in large industrial chemical plants.

Materials in the enrichment facility “is not a place where we can reach a chain reaction that can sustain a large-scale nuclear explosion,” Wolfstthal said. (The IAEA estimates that Iran has a stockpile of enriched uranium at up to 60%, but still It’s quite expensive Atomic scientists report that it will create nuclear weapons. In January, the IAEA reported that large amounts of uranium had been discovered in the country. Fordow Site. ) Wolfstthal compares damages that can be similar to car accidents where the damage attacked on sites like Natantz.

“Your car has gasoline,” he says. “You’ll have a collision or an accident with your car, you may have a fire, it may explode. There are some toxic substances that may be released. But it will be fairly limited damage.”

He added that the attack on Isfahan could have damaged a barrel that holds hexafluoride gas, a radioactive chemical compound that could spread around the area. However, damage from such explosions can be limited in scope.

“It’s just a big, heavy gas molecule so it’s not going too far,” says Emily Caffrey, director of the Health Physics program at Birmingham. I said ABC News.

Iran has one facility that could cause serious damage if it were attacked. Iran’s only commercial nuclear reactor is located near the city of Bucher. The site contains thousands of kilograms of nuclear material that undergo a chain reaction to produce fuel. (Research reactors like Isfahan use much less fuel than commercial nuclear reactors and operate at much lower temperatures, so it is less dangerous in the event of an accident.) comment Delivered a day before the US attack, Grossi said a strike to the factory “can lead to a very high release of radioactivity to the environment.” The Israeli government said its own strike hit Buscher last week, but Israeli officials later I’ve returned these claims.

“My technical assessment is that nuclear reactor attacks are really, really, really, really stupid,” Wolfsthal says.

It also poses a larger, longer-term environmental threat. The possibility that Iran will take final steps to actually build nuclear weapons following these attacks.

“No one has lost the fact that both Israel and the US have nuclear weapons and attack Iran, but that’s not the case,” Wolfstall said. “Russia has nuclear weapons, and Ukraine isn’t. North Korea, which has nuclear weapons, sits clean. The message here is that nuclear weapons will bring you safety and immunity and make you take action against your enemy.

Grossi’s remarks on Monday reiterated this concern.

“One thing is certain. This is a simple truth. If there are more nuclear weapons in more states around the world, we are not safe,” he said.