The demolition of the Bevatron, a.k.a. Building 51 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL), is scheduled to begin in July. Demolition will include the removal of radioactive, hazardous, and non-hazardous waste totaling an estimated 4700 truckloads. Removal of waste will begin with 5 trucks a day, leading up to a planned 20 trucks a day by the end of July. Waste removal will take an estimated 3.5 years. According to the LBNL website (lbl.gov), 1000-1200 truckloads of the 4700 "may contain hazardous or radioactive material."

Activists and concerned citizens are leery of the possible public health repercussions of demolishing and transporting such a large amount of hazardous and radioactive material right down the middle of Berkeley via University Ave on its way to the freeway and disposal sites. Not to mention the fact that the City of Berkeley, since 1986, has prohibited all activity related to nuclear weapons and energy through the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act.

According to resident Pamela Sihvola, cited in a June 29th, 2006 SF Chronicle article, the Bevatron was "the very first nuclear lab established in the country" and "played a significant role in the development of nuclear weapons." This would not be the first time the City of Berkeley has reneged on the NFB Act. In February, the City allowed the library to grant a contract to 3M, a notorious nuclear-weapons-supporting company, for the maintenance of its checkout machines.

A press conference will take place on Tuesday, June 23rd at 6:30pm in front of Berkeley City Hall in order to draw attention to this further blatant disregard for city statute.

Daily Planet: Bevatron Demo Underway | SF Chronicle: Bevatron's future being debated | Daily Planet 3M Article

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