VZCZCXRO0906
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #0702 1551934
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 041934Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4431
INFO RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 4152
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7817
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 9611
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 6236
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 7760
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 7538
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0153
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000702 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG KNNP IAEA BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: MINOR LEAK AT ANGRA II NUCLEAR REACTOR; NO SERIOUS 
HARM CAUSED; NO CHANGES IN POLICIES OR PRACTICES 
 
REF:  RIO 131 
 
(U)  THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED AND NOT FOR INTERNET 
DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  The Brazilian National Commission on Nuclear 
Energy (CNEN) reported that a minor accident at the Angra II nuclear 
reactor on May 15 led to a small leak of low levels of radiation. 
CNEN tell Post that they have reviewed the situation and have 
decided to maintain the current policies and practices unchanged. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On May 26, CNEN publicly announced - and later confirmed 
for Post - that a minor accident had occurred on May 15 at Brazil's 
Angra II nuclear energy reactor located at Angra dos Reis, Rio de 
Janeiro (REFTEL).  NOTE:  The Ministry of Exterior Relations' 
Director of the Division of Disarmament and Sensitive Technologies 
Santiago Mourao told Environment, Science, Health and Technology 
(ESTH) Counselor that CNEN had informed the IAEA of the incident 
shortly after it occurred, though CNEN waited almost ten days to 
tell the public.  END NOTE.  The accident occurred after a janitor 
inadvertently left open the door to a decontamination room, which 
allowed a small quantity of low level radiation to leak out of the 
reactor.  CNEN reported that six employees at the reactor were 
exposed to low levels of radiation that were below 0.1% of what CNEN 
standards allow for individual contamination.  These employees, 
however, did undergo decontamination procedures (such as thoroughly 
cleaning their bodies, hands, feet, and uniforms), and successfully 
passed through a contamination detector.  Subsequently, CNEN 
determined that these employees did not face any significant health 
threats from this exposure.  CNEN said that only low levels of 
radiation escaped the facility.  According to their measurements the 
amount that escaped was below 0.2% of what CNEN standards allow for 
contamination of the outside environment. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) CNEN reports that the accident was a Level 1 Event based 
on the International Atomic Energy Association's (IAEA) 
classification scale.  That scale ranks nuclear accidents on a scale 
of 0 to 7.  A Level 0 Event poses no significant threat to overall 
safety, while a Level 7 event poses serious threats to public health 
and the environment.  According to the IAEA, a Level 1 Event is 
considered an "anomaly" in which measures and procedures intended to 
prevent an accident failed to do so.  CNEN described the accident as 
an "unusual event." 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Dr. Leonam Guimaraes, an Advisor to the President of 
Eletronuclear (the operator of Angra II), informed ESTH Counselor 
that they consider this a minor incident and an "unusual event." 
Accordingly, Eletronuclear does not plan to alter any of its safety 
procedures or practices.  Similarly, Viviane Simoes, an analyst in 
CNEN's International Relations Office, told ESTH Counselor that CNEN 
has concluded that existing preventative measures are satisfactory. 
 
SOBEL