The Sunshine Project has reported that "Three Texas A&M University biodefense researchers were infected with the biological weapons agent 'Q Fever' in 2006 … but Texas A&M officials did not report (the incident) to the Centers For Disease Control, as required by law."

Why is that news important in Corvallis? Texas A&M, like Oregon State University, is a land-grant institution that specializes in research. The research is funded by a wide variety of federal, state and private sources.

Which is why I decided to check out the OSU nuclear reactor. You didn't know we have a nuke in Corvallis? According to OSU's Web site, "The building sits unobtrusively at the west end of campus."

It looks like many a university building. But this one's different. For one thing, the OSU Radiation Center houses a nuclear reactor."

"It's very unusual to have a nuclear reactor on campus … ," said Steve Reese, director of the Radiation Center. "The center … provides training to Oregon First Responders and teaches hazardous material radiological training courses," according to Reese.

Here in Corvallis? Oregon First Responders? Hazardous material radiological training courses? In our sweet little city?

Much of our family net worth is represented by our home here in Corvallis. So I called our insurance agent … and guess what! We have no coverage if there's an "accident" or "incident" at the local nuke. Nada. The nuclear exclusion is very clear in our homeowners policy, and in yours, too, I'd bet.

I checked the interagency agreement between Oregon State University and the Oregon State Police.

More bad news. Attachment D of the agreement regards "Support required by the OSU Radiation Center." The agreement addresses OSP's responsibilities in several areas, including "any event at the Radiation Center which requires building evacuation and/or response by off-campus emergency support agencies … will require support to maintain building access control"; "security personnel or sworn officers will be required to maintain crowd and traffic control in the event of fire or other abnormal events (my emphasis)"; "radiation center response to bomb threats follows the university's policy." Great! They expect someone to bomb the nuke on 35th Street?

The agreement goes on and on. Obviously there is official concern at OSU about an "incident at our local nuke. An "incident," perhaps similar to the Three Mile Island near-meltdown near our former home, is a very frightening possibility. Cancers are still developing decades after the "incident" at Chernobyl.

In my view, the neighborhood nuke, billed as "very unusual" by the Radiation Center director, is clearly a potential hazard for each resident of Corvallis and Benton County, including every student and employee of OSU. I think the university should heavily publicize the existence of the nuke and inform every citizen of evacuation routes out of town in case of an "abnormal event." I also think the city and/or the university should carry a liability policy that would cover property losses in case of a nuclear catastrophe on campus. I will be very upset if we lose our home to a Texas A&M-style research "accident."

Call OSU President Ed Ray. Call Mayor Charlie Tomlinson at City Hall. In my view, we're sitting on a time bomb here in Corvallis, and the responsible officials owe us more than silence.

Kirk S. Nevin is a Corvallis resident.