What if, despite the very low probability that it would happen, an aircraft or missile hit a storage cask at a speed and angle sufficient to penetrate it?
If an aircraft or missile were to penetrate a cask, the consequences would be localized and minimal. Brookhaven National Laboratory has assessed the consequences of an accident in which a cask is penetrated by an object blown into it at a speed of 567 miles per hour by an extremely severe tornado. The maximum amount of radiation received by an individual off site as a result of the accident would be significantly less than the NRC regulatory limit for public exposure from accidents. The study also shows that the accident would require the cleanup of 1.3 acres of land at a cost of about $6 million.
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