~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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No radiation at Vietnam plant

HANOI - Vietnamese nuclear safety officials say there is no radiation leak following an incident that forced the evacuation of hundreds of workers from an industrial plant in the country's south late last week. The plant, which manufactures oil rigs in the southern port of Vung Tau, raised the alarm on Friday after a device that uses a radioactive substance to test for cracks in welding joints was misplaced for more than an hour. More than 380 workers were sent to a local hospital for tests, with some complaining of headaches and vomiting, said Phan Thanh Tung, director of the M and C Petroleum Technical Services Company. Tung said five workers who had complained of dizziness have remained in hospital for treatment, while the others had returned to work.

Chromosome tests

"Some of them were nervous at first", said Nguyen Nhi Dien, director of the Dalat Nuclear Research Institute, were 28 workers underwent additional chromosome tests, the results of which are to be released next week. Dang Thanh Luong, deputy director of Vietnam's Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Control, told AFP: "After relevant tests, we confirmed that there was no radiation leak."

Communist Vietnam operates a small reactor at Dalat for training and research and plans to build its first nuclear power plant by 2020.

Agence France Presse - December 31, 2007.