Residents Have Many Questions For Nuke Officials

Donna Cuthbert went from a career in women's fashion to a lifestyle that could give Erin Brockovich a provocative new perspective.

But Cuthbert's day-to-day work is far from glamorous.

She eats, drinks and breathes byproducts of nuclear reactor operations - literally, she says.

Cuthbert on Monday shared some of the concerns she and other members of The Alliance For A Clean Environment will raise Wednesday at an open house hosted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to discuss the annual safety performance of Exelon's Limerick nuclear power plant. 

The group members plan to address a at the plant. But their worries plunge far deeper and further than local wells and the Schuylkill River. 

ACE -- a non-profit founded in the late 1980's that disbanded, rejuvenated in 1995 and has roughly 1,000 members -- works to protect the environment and address public health issues in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties.

"We started to dig into and investigate the toxic triangle," Cuthbert said of what she describes as a lethal environmental cocktail that includes a closed landfill in West Pottsgrove Township, former local chemical plant and Exelon's Limerick nuclear site.

Cuthbert said ACE will confront the NRC about health issues, a high infant mortality rate, fire safety issues and learning disabilities among people who live near the Limerick plant. 

"We want the safety upgrades done now and we want the place shut down," she said. "This plant was only designed for 40 years ... We're dealing with old, dirty, dangerous technology."

Details about Wednesday's meeting:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct an open house, from 6 to 8 p.m. April 18, regarding the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance for the Limerick nuclear power plant.

The event will be held at the Limerick Township Municipal Building, 646 W. Ridge Pike.

The meeting format will allow citizens to discuss concerns with NRC officials assigned to the plant.

Read more:

- The company responded to a report that said 6.7 million people in the state "could be at risk of radioactive contamination from a leak or accident at a local nuclear power plant."