On January 17, 1966, an air disaster occurred in the Spanish village of Palomares in the province of Almeria, in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. While attempting to refuel in the air over the village, an American intercontinental strategic bomber B-52G Stratofortress and a KC-135A Stratotanker tanker collided. The four B28RI thermonuclear bombs, each with a capacity of 1.5 megatons, did not explode, but two were damaged and 20 kilograms of plutonium-239 were released. This caused radioactive contamination of an area of about two square kilometers of land.
Nearly 60 years later, the radiation problem remains. Now, the confederation of Spanish environmental organizations "Ecological Action" has criticized the unwillingness of the country's authorities to deal with the problem of radioactive contamination near Palomares. Environmentalists, supported by opposition politicians and the general public, are also angered by the inaction of the National Court of Justice of Spain (NCJ), which has still not ruled on their lawsuit, filed in 2017. For its part, the Spanish authorities claim that the situation in Palomares "is not dangerous" and explain the delay with "difficulties in reaching an agreement on this issue with the United States", which is to blame for the pollution and is therefore obliged to carry out the cleanup.
What measures have been taken in the past?
In 1966, American soldiers from US bases in Spain were involved in eliminating the consequences of the disaster. The cleanup lasted four months, and almost 1,500 tons of contaminated soil were transported to the United States. However, during the operation, there were also uncleaned plots of land where the devices did not record particularly high levels of radiation. These plots were purchased by the state, later fenced off, and it was strictly forbidden for people to enter, raise animals, or cultivate the land.
As Joaquín Prieto, a professor of modern history at the University of Madrid, told DW, in the middle of the last century the Spanish government reached an agreement with the US administration to clean up the remaining territories at the expense of the US, as well as to transport to the US about 50,000 cubic meters of soil containing plutonium and americium. In the meantime, however, bilateral relations deteriorated and the issue was postponed. In 2011, a group of Spanish and American specialists visited Palomares to begin work, and in 2015 a protocol was signed with the Americans, which recorded the intentions to clean up the region. However, no concrete steps have been taken.
The negotiations were renewed in May 2023 and an agreement was even reached to form a joint group of scientists, "to define the scope of the work and prepare an appropriate intergovernmental agreement". But this time too, the talks were not followed by anything concrete, and under the current US administration, it is almost impossible to make progress on this issue, given President Donald Trump's skeptical attitude towards nature conservation.
Cases of leukemia and cancer caused by radiation
In this situation, for 8 years now, environmentalists have been trying to influence the authorities through the courts, but the case has dragged on. The authorities have taken a wait-and-see attitude, says Professor Prieto. Her lawyers refer to a statement by the Nuclear Safety Council, according to which "the situation in the Palomares area is under full control and does not pose a threat to the lives of people there". In addition, the bar association accuses environmentalists of "deliberately distorting reality".
Maria Ángeles Rodríguez, an activist with "Ecological Action", disagrees. She tells DW that environmentalists have their own investigations and data collected over the past decades by the media. They indicate that at least 119 people have experienced the effects of the contamination. In Palomares, "cases of leukemia and cancer caused by radiation have been registered," the activist also points out.
Rodríguez also refers to a report by scientists from 2010, which, however, is classified and therefore cannot be used in court. However, some of its conclusions have become public and are quite alarming. In this regard, Rodriguez draws attention to the fact that "the wire fences in Palomares cannot protect the residents from radiation. It infects, for example, wild animals, is carried by the wind or is washed into the village by the rains".
The patience of environmentalists is not unlimited
"Ecological Action" has prepared a plan for a temporary solution to the problem. It says that while waiting for the US to agree to transport the contaminated soil overseas, it could be collected on the Spanish side and stored in containers in a waste repository for Spanish nuclear power plants in Ornachuelos, Cordoba province. The alternative solution involves building a temporary repository in the desert areas of the Almeria province itself, near Palomares.
Author: Viktor Cheretsky