Although France has learned to love nuclear power, the Germans aren't so sure. An article in Der Spiegel reveals the the "Asse-II mine," closed in 1964 and converted to an "experimental" nuclear facility in 1967, now officially holds up to 130,000 metal drums of radioactive waste,
" but highly radioactive plutonium had also been dumped in the mine, along with a number of nuclear fuel rods. Radioactivity readings there are at eight times the 'safe' level, some barrels have tipped over and rusted through, and the worry is that saltwater leaking from the mine is not just radioactive but might contaminate public water supplies. The mine has been known to leak brine since 1988. Some experts fear it may collapse altogether by 2014."
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