# Bomb scare at nuclear plant **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 2, 2007, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046 "2007-11-02T19:36:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/1 "2007-11-02T19:36:52Z")
> **[BBC NEWS | Americas | Bomb scare at US nuclear facility](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7075872.stm)** > > The largest US nuclear plant is put into "lockdown" after a suspicious device is found in a worker's lorry. > [@](#): > > The largest nuclear power plant in the US has been put into “lockdown” after an explosive device was found in the truck of a worker, officials said. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/2 "2007-11-02T20:06:48Z")
Well, I’ll be dammed. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/3 "2007-11-02T20:09:04Z")
Can I quote you on that? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/4 "2007-11-02T20:18:19Z")
I ain’t proud. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/5 "2007-11-02T20:22:49Z")
[QUOTE=Inigo Montoya] I ain’t proud. [/QUOTE] …or tired. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/6 "2007-11-02T20:27:47Z")
Excellent pick up on the AG reference. Must be that time of year. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/7 "2007-11-02T20:49:08Z")
[QUOTE=BBC] The Nuclear Regulatory Commission classes the incident as an “unusual event” - which tend to occur every few days. [/QUOTE] If they happen every few days, then is it that ‘unusual’? ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/8 "2007-11-02T21:19:41Z")
The quote on the linked page is: > [@](#): > > The largest nuclear power plant in the US has been put into “lockdown” after a **suspicious** device was found in the lorry of a worker, officials said. An explosive device and a suspicious device are two different things. I heard of suspicious (i.e. unattended) backpacks, lunchboxes, briefcases, etc. on the intercom (when I worked next to a plutonium facility) on average of once a month. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/9 "2007-11-02T21:22:31Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] If they happen every few days, then is it that ‘unusual’? [/QUOTE] That may just be the definition of how they define probability (likelihood). An example of a risk matrix would include, normal, anticipated, unlikely, very likely, and improbable. Improbable events might happen once every million operating years, while a normal event might happen every ten operating years. ETA: Scratch that, that’s for a facility. It was defined as unusual by the NRC, which oversees many facilities, and even if such an event only happens once every six months at a facility, the NRC may see these unusual (facility) events once or twice a week. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bomb-scare-at-nuclear-plant/425046/10 "2007-11-02T21:34:36Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger] The quote on the linked page is: An explosive device and a suspicious device are two different things. I heard of suspicious (i.e. unattended) backpacks, lunchboxes, briefcases, etc. on the intercom (when I worked next to a plutonium facility) on average of once a month. [/QUOTE] It was later confirmed to be a “viable explosive device.”