U.S. Will Clean Area in Spain Where Hydrogen Bombs Accidentally Fell
By RAPHAEL MINDER

Almost 50 years after coming close to possibly provoking a nuclear disaster, the United States on Monday agreed to remove contaminated soil from an area in southern Spain where an American warplane accidentally dropped hydrogen bombs.

The deal, announced on a visit to Spain by Secretary of State John Kerry, follows years of wrangling between the two countries over how to clean up the area around the seaside village of Palomares, over which the accident took place in 1966. The bomber collided with a refueling tanker in midair and dropped four hydrogen bombs, two of which released plutonium into the atmosphere. But no warheads detonated, narrowly averting what could have been an explosion more powerful than the atomic strikes against Japan at the end of World War II.

Mr. Kerry said at a news conference in Madrid that a statement of intent signed by both countries ensured “that the interests of Spain will be protected and the United States will live up to its responsibilities and do its part.”

Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, said both countries wanted the cleanup to be completed as soon as possible.

But neither Mr. Kerry nor Mr. García-Margallo said exactly how much contaminated soil would be sent back, where it would be stored in the United States, or who would pay for the cleanup — some of the issues that have held up a deal until now.

About 5,000 barrels of contaminated earth were shipped to South Carolina from Palomares after the 1966 accident. The United States also provided financial compensation to the region.

But in more recent years, Spanish radioactivity studies found that the initial clearance work had been insufficient, and the Spanish government decided to appropriate the land around Palomares to ensure that it would not be used for real estate projects. A main concern has been that the remaining plutonium was being allowed to degenerate into other radioactive components like americium, which emits gamma rays that travel farther and are hard to block. Spain has insisted that any contaminated soil be sent to the United States, because Spain does not have plants to store it.

Spain said in 2011 that clearing Palomares properly was a priority. An American scientific delegation visited Palomares that year, but no agreement was reached amid worries over what precedent such a deal could set for other countries pursuing similar claims with the United States.

The relationship between the two countries has been bolstered recently as Washington seeks to raise its military presence in Spain, even as it has made cuts at other bases around Europe. The Navy recently sent four destroyers to Rota, in southern Spain, strengthening a hub for operations in the Mediterranean. In May, the two countries also agreed that another military site, at Morón de la Frontera, would become a permanent American Marine base, which could accommodate nearly 3,000 troops as part of a rapid-reaction force that can be deployed primarily in Africa.

毒西班牙半世紀 美終於要清核汙土

美國國務卿柯瑞十九日訪問西班牙時宣布，美國同意把四十九年前在西班牙誤丟氫彈汙染到的土壤清乾淨。

1966年，一架美國B-52轟炸機飛過西班牙南部海邊帕洛馬雷斯村時，在空中撞到一架加油機，轟炸機人員將載運的4個氫彈推落飛機再跳傘逃生，這四顆氫彈雖然綁著降落傘慢慢落地，其中兩個還是輕微受損釋出放射性元素「鈽」到大氣中，所幸沒有任何一個彈頭爆炸，否則威力會比二次大戰末期日本廣島或長崎原爆的威力更強。

柯瑞在西班牙首都馬德里的記者會上說，兩國簽署的意向書確保「西班牙的利益受到保護，美國會盡到自己的責任」。西班牙外交部長馬嘉尤說，兩國都希望清理工作盡快完成。

不過，兩人都未詳細說明，究竟有多少受汙染土壤要運到美國、要存放在美國何處、哪一國要為清理工作出錢。兩國就是為了其中的一些問題爭執數年。

1966年意外發生後，美國曾把5000桶西班牙的受汙染土壤運到加州南部存放，並付錢給帕洛馬雷斯村作為補償，不過近年西班牙的輻射科學家發現，當初的清理並不夠，殘餘的鈽會衰變成其他放射性元素如「鋂」，鋂放出的伽馬射線影響範圍比鈽更廣且穿透力強。西班牙堅持要美國把被汙染的土壤運回去，因為西班牙沒有地方存放。

2011年西班牙政府說，清理帕洛馬雷斯村是優先要務。同年，美國一個科學家代表團造訪當地，卻未與西班牙達成協議，因為美國擔心，一旦答應，其他被美國汙染的國家也會提出同樣的要求。

美、西兩國關係近年升溫，因為美國雖然在歐洲其他地方縮減軍力，卻想在西班牙擴大部署。美國海軍最近派4艘驅逐艦到西班牙南部的羅塔基地，加強這個基地作為地中海勤務中心的地位。今年5月，西班牙同意將南部的莫龍軍事基地作為美軍陸戰隊永久基地。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/20/world/europe/us-will-clean-area-in-spain-where-hydrogen-bombs-accidentally-fell.html

2015-10-21．聯合報．A13．國際．編譯李京倫