Workers at Israel's Dimona Nuclear Reactor Suffering from Cancer

Workers at the Dimona nuclear reactor say they have been sickened during their work at the plant, revealing in court information on radiation leaks. A hearing was held on Wednesday on the complaint by 44 employees and their families that the workers are suffering from cancer and other diseases due to radiation at work. Their attorney cited memos purportedly showing that safety problems led to the leak of radioactive substances, Israeli daily (Haaretz) reported Thursday. At Wednesday''s hearing, the plaintiffs'' lawyer quoted from a 1992 memo by a safety inspector that allegedly refers to radioactive material found in an area of the facility where it did not belong. The plaintiff''s lawyer, Ilan Kaner, also said internal memos report the presence of dispersed radioactive matter. A witness for the defense, Dan Litai, a former deputy head of Dimona''s safety division, was asked about an incident involving a radiation leak. He said he knew there had been radiation leaks including one near an area that was supposed to be relatively free of radioactive material .