Fukushima evacuees will be returning to a still contaminated zone
Decontamination needed even after residents return, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 10 April 12, If decontamination work does not continue for a certain period in areas highly contaminated by radioactive substances from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, returning residents will be exposed to at least 100 millisieverts of accumulated radiation over 30 years, the Science Council of Japan said Monday. Read more »
Los Angeles gets radioactive rain
(includes video) Radioactive Rain Detected in Los Angeles, LA Weekly , 
.http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/04/radiation_rain_los_angeles_fukushima.php 5 April 12, Rain and mist that fell in Los Angeles last weekend was five times as radioactive as normal, environmental journalist and LA Weekly contributor Michael Collins reported on his website this week.
Collins tests samples with his own equipment and says that, on Saturday, he measured the highest proportion of radioactivity in the local environment since he began monitoring the local fallout from the Japanese Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in March of 2011:
One misty rain sample collected in downtown Santa Monica was over five times normal background radiation, the highest level in Los Angeles Basin rain since this reporter began sampling and testing different media March 15, 2011, four days after the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns begin.
He called the findings “shocking” and said his readings would qualify that sample as a hazardous material under the California Highway Patrol’s protocols.
Even background radiation Saturday night, which had apparently diminished significantly since his earlier sample, was 30 percent “hotter” than normal, he says. Time for a good umbrella? Read more here.
.http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/04/radiation_rain_los_angeles_fukushima.php
Radiation in sea life 600 km beyond Fukushima
the marine radiation levels are comparable to those seen after past accidents, such as Chernobyl accident in 1986.
Radioactive material from Fukushima nuclear reactor tracked 600 km away, THe Economic Times, 3 April 12 WASHINGTON: Scientists have found radioactive material from the crippled Fukushima nuclear reactor in tiny sea creatures and ocean water some 600 km off the coast of Japan, revealing the extent of the release and the direction pollutants might take in a future environmental disaster. Read more »
Gordon Brown claims Dalgety Beach radiation more dangerous than estimated before
Brown claims evidence of ‘disturbing’ radiation risk at Dalgety Bay The former prime minister is handing over a dossier to the MoD highlighting the heightened danger of radiation. News STV, 25 March 2012 Former prime minister Gordon Brown says he has
seen new evidence of “disturbing” levels of radiation at a Fife beach where wartime military aircraft were incinerated. Read more »
Malaysia’s old closed rare earths refinery still radioactive decades later
Radiation still high at closed rare earth refinery? Selangor Times, Basil Foo, 23 Mar 2012 IPOH: Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas (SMSL) activists claimed high doses of radiation were found at the former Bukit Merah rare earth refinery site last Saturday “The radiation emission here is 2.0 millisievert (mSv) per year. If we hang around here long enough, our health will be affected,” said SMSL chairperson Tan Bun Teet.
They took radiation readings using a Japanese-made Environmental Radiation Monitor at the entrance to the former refinery site, which was ringed by concrete walls and metal gates. According to the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standards Regulations 1988), the annual dose limit for a member of the public is 1 mSv.
Tan said the dangers of radiation were well-known – from the testimonies of former workers at the Bukit Merah refinery whose children developed deformities. Read more »
U.N. to investigate effects on Marshall Islanders of USA’s atomic bomb tests
UN to assess Marshall Islands nuclear effects ABC Asia Pacific News, 22 Mar 2012 A United Nations expert will visit the Marshall Islands next week to assess adverse effects of the nuclear testing undertaken by the United States between 1946 and 1958.
”It will be an exceptional opportunity to assess how the Marshallese peoples’ basic rights including the right to food, adequate housing and health have been affected,” Calin Georgescu, special rapporteur on the human rights obligations related to environmental issues, said in a press release.
Mr Georgescu is to present the conclusions of his March 26-30 visit to the UN Human Rights Council in September, possibly including recommendations to the governments of the Marshall Islands and the United States. http://abcasiapacificnews.com/stories/201203/3461159.htm
Uranium mining threatens water supply
even a small spill could affect the water supply for growing populations in North Carolina, and that radioactive mill waste would have to be monitored forever.
Water worries continue to flow around uranium controversy Go Dan River, 21 March 12, Residents and leaders downstream of a proposed uranium site in Pittsylvania County say they bear risks from the project, but have nothing to gain. Read more »
Rare earths processing – a potent environmental polluter
China’s rare earths refineries…… have poisoned rivers with acid and piled up radioactive waste — an environmental cost that aroused little controversy in developed, consuming nations
Malaysian protesters blame an earlier rare earths plant, shut by Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemicals in 1992, for birth defects and a high number of leukemia cases……
Environmental campaigners point to studies done in both New Jersey and China showing that thorium radiation emitted during the refining process and by plant waste can cause cancer, leukemia, birth defects and chronic lung diseases.
Pollution the big barrier to freer trade in rare earths Al Arabiya News,, 19 March 2012 Environmental campaigners point to studies done in both New Jersey and China showing that thorium radiation emitted during the refining process and by plant waste can cause cancer, leukemia, birth defects and chronic lung diseases.
Tackling pollution, not freeing up trade, is regarded as the solution to a global shortage of rare earths, the metals that are the building blocks of the 21st century. Read more »
The hidden danger of radioactive scrap metal
Chronic exposure to low doses of radiation can lead to cataracts, cancer and birth defects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A 2005 study of more than 6,000 Taiwanese who lived in apartments built with radioactive reinforcing steel from 1983 to 2005 showed a statistically significant increase in leukemia and breast cancer….
Nuclear Risks at Bed, Bath & Beyond Show Hidden Danger of Scrap Bloomberg, By Jonathan Tirone and Andrew MacAskill – Mar 20, 2012 Going shopping? Don’t forget your wallet and credit card. Or Geiger counter.
The discovery of radioactive tissue boxes at Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY) stores in January raised alarms among nuclear security officials and company executives over the growing global threat of contaminated scrap metal. Read more »
Radioactive isotopes in ocean plankton, from Fukushiam
follow-up studies will be necessary because the radioactive cesium is likely to have accumulated in fish that eat plankton, the team said
In the latest survey, the team also found cesium-134 — which has a two-year half-life — in plankton at the same levels as cesium-137, whose half-life is three decades.
Cesium found in plankton almost 375 miles from Fukushima nuclear plant, Boston Herald, By The Yomiuri Shimbun http://news.bostonherald.com/news/international/asia_pacific/view/20120318cesium found_in_plankton_almost_375_miles_from_fukushima_nuclear_plant/srvc=home&position=recent,March 18, 2012 – TOKYO — Radioactive cesium believed to have been released during the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Japan following last year’s major earthquake has been found in plankton about 600 kilometers (nearly 375 miles) east of the facility, according to a Japan-U.S. joint research team. Read more »
Former UK Prime Minister Brown wants full cleanup of radioactivity on Scotland’s coast
Bay radiation clean-up plan agreed Google News, (UKPA) – 17 March 12, A plan has been agreed to deal with radioactive particles found on an area of Scottish coastline. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) have agreed a plan to treat Dalgety Bay in Fife. “Significant” sources of radiation were discovered at the bay on the Firth of Forth coast earlier this year.
The contamination is thought to stem from residue of radium-coated instrument panels used on military aircraft which were incinerated and land-filled in the area at the end of the Second World War….
. Former prime minister Gordon Brown, who has campaigned for the bay to be cleaned up, welcomed the statement but said a timetable of action should be drawn up. Mr Brown said: “I and the community council are clear that we need a full statement of the discovery of radiation particles in the area and we need not only a plan for continuous monitoring but a plan for the removal of radioactive particles and either a sea wall or other remedial work to prevent particles causing safety fears again.
“When I meet the Secretary of State for Defence next Monday on 26th March I will be asking for a timetable for a clean-up plan for the area that can be implemented as soon as possible. This, and this alone, can lift the threat of a designation order that would label
Dalgety Bay a radiation contaminated area. None of us want this to happen and it is up to the Ministry of Defence to take action to prevent this misfortune.” http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hvuc1afMQN0gtJUmg2Ng3wNH02TA?docId=N1157191331927522285A
The damaging impact of Indian Point Nuclear Plant on river fish
NRC Finds New Environmental Data on Indian Point, Scarsdale, by Jessica Glenza BUCHANAN, N.Y. 15 March 12, – New environmental impact data of Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants’ effect on Hudson River aquatic organisms prompted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to begin a supplemental environmental impact statement. The supplement is in addition to the impact statement already required for the two reactors’ license renewal proceedings.
The NRC cited three reasons for the supplemental statement; new data provided by Entergy regarding how many fish are killed or trapped against cooling water intakes, the thermal plume created by warm water ejected from the plant into the Hudson River and new developments with regard to endangered species.
“It’s not that uncommon for us to do a supplemental environmental impact statement, these reviews can take years,” said Neil Sheehan, spokesperson for the NRC about reviews for license renewal. “The listing of the Atlantic sturgeon is obviously a very new piece of information.”
In January, the National Marine Fisheries listed Hudson River Atlantic sturgeon populations as endangered. Data provided by Entergy refers to “impingement” and “entrainment” of fish in the once-through cooling water intakes. “Impingment” refers to the trapping of fish against intake screens, “entrainment” refers to smaller fish that go through the intake’s traveling screens and are killed in the plants’ cooling systems, which use up to 2.5 billion gallons of river water per day….. http://www.thedailyscarsdale.com/news/nrc-finds-new-environmental-data-indian-point
Increasing risk to nuclear sites, of sea level rise and tsunamis
Nuclear sites, sea-level rise and tsunamis, guardian.co.uk, Dr Paul Dorfman Co-ordinator, Nuclear Consulting Group 11 March 2012 It seems clear that nuclear facilities will be vulnerable to the effects of global warming (Nuclear power sites face flood and erosion risks, 8 March). As the Institution of Mechanical Engineers stated in a 2009 report: “Nuclear sites, such as Sizewell, based on the coastline, may need considerable investment to protect them against rising sea levels, or even abandonment/relocation in the long term.”
So, given that proposed new UK reactors, together with their radioactive waste stores including spent fuel, will be located on coasts – predicted sea-level rise, shoreline erosion, coastal storms, floods, tidal surges and the evolution of “nuclear islands” stand out as primary concerns. This means that adapting nuclear power to climate change will entail increased expense for construction, operation, waste storage and decommissioning, and the incurring of significant costs to the environment, public health and welfare.
Robert Griffiths: Although the risk of floods to nuclear power stations must not be ignored, a much more dangerous threat is that of a tsunami. Oldbury, Berkeley and Hinkley Point are all in the area of England’s only known tsunami. This is reported to have occurred on 20 January in 1607. Plaques on local churches indicate the depth of the water may have been 7 to 8 metres, and it is said to have reached Glastonbury Tor, some 22km inland. Flood and erosion problems can be solved by building sea walls around the plants as we approach 2080. Why is no one worried about an unexpected tsunami on top of rising sea levels?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/11/nuclear-sites-sea-rise-tsunamis?newsfeed=true
Northern Hemisphere got Fukushima radiation for 6 weeks after the nuclear disaster
Fukushima Radiation detectable across northern hemisphere 15 days after disaster http://enformable.com/2012/03/fukushima-radiation-detectable-across-northern-hemisphere-15-days-after-disaster/ Enformable by Lucas W Hixson March 9, 2012 From March to June 2011, the global radionuclide network of the CTBTO, detected radionuclides emitted from the Fukushima nuclear power plant for a period of more than 6 weeks at all of the monitoring stations in the northern hemisphere. Very high concentrations were observed which in some cases even exceeded the functional capabilities of the high sensitivity monitoring systems Read more »
Rising radioactivity findings in Japanese fish
Radiation Findings in Japanese Fish Imports Rising The Fish Site, 9 Mar, 12 SOUTH KOREA - South Korea is more frequently finding radioactive materials in fishery products from Japan but has no immediate plans to ban imports as their levels are far below the
maximum intake limits, the quarantine office said Thursday.
In the first two months of the year, the country has detected traces of radioactive materials, such as cesium, in 32 separate shipments of fisheries products from Japan, according to the Animal, Plant and Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency. ….
http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/16655/radiation-findings-in-japanese-fish-imports-rising
1 THIS MONTH
- http://ifyoulovethisplanet.org/?p=5755 Mary Olson on how women are more vulnerable to atomic radiation
http://soundcloud.com/flashpoints/flashpoints-daily-newsmag-05-6Fukushima reactor 4 still threatens the world Dr. Micio Kaku
of the week http://www.youtube.com/user/GoddardsJournal
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San Onofre: Bad Vibrations http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP7e83MErWw&feature=share - Low-Dose Radiation ☢ NEW A-Bomb Study http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VAncqK6bl0&feature=share
“Pay-to-print”: How Media Corruption Undermines Indian Democracy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbjsQ_dYuJQ&feature=share
- VIDEO http://vimeo.com/35212151 Cancer Risk To Young Children Near Fukushima Daiichi Underestimated
- and this VIDEO Kazakhstan’s Nuclear Legacy http://www.euronews.com/2010/04/14/kazakhstan-s-nuclear-legacy/
ACTION
USA EMERGENCY PLANNING PETITION NOW OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS IN FAVOR OF EXPANDING EMERGENCY PLANNING ZONES; IMPROVING REGULATIONS The deadline for public comments is July 16, 2012. You can submit your comments here. more information at http://nuclear-news.net/action/
- Shut down the nuclear restart. Sign now!! http://www.avaaz.org/en/japan_no_to_nuclear_restart_ms/
- Stop Kudankulam - Please sign http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5502/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10090 –
EVENTS – USA
- May 31 - Portland, Maine, Bonnie Raitt benefit concert for New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution
The Nuclear Industry and WOMEN- theme for May 2012
Although women have rarely been part of decision-making about nuclear power, they have been at the forefront in opposing it.Women in organisations Strongly present in anti-nuclear activities in peace, environmental, religious and civil liberties, women have also formed their own anti-nuclear organisations . e.g. Women’s International League For Peace and Freedom, Women For Peace. Women Against Nuclear Power, Women Against Nuclear Energy,
“When it comes to opposing nuclear power in Finland, the toughest and most active and conspicuous resistance has been among women. A rather small group of women working as teachers, freelance editors, authors and in rather alternative professions. Women who perfectly well are aware of the fact that they are far too radical to be promoted for high posts within traditional parties or getting well-paying jobs in some big companies. Women who are not trying to reach equality on male values. These women have kept the resistance alive, have invited foreign speakers getting through in the mass media, have arranged post-card campaigns aiming at parliamentarians, have written inserts in daily newspapers, have collected signatures from organizations worldwide against nuclear power, etc.
If women had been asked if nuclear power should be used for energy production or if nuclear weapons should be produced there would hardly be any nuclear power stations in the world and no nuclear weapons. Women represent half of humanity. Our voice must be heard! “- Ulla Klötzer WISE – Nuclear issues information service service
Below, a note on some of the courageous women who have stood out against the nuclear forces and apologies for the thousands of such women who are not mentioned here
Dr Helen Caldicott. - Australia and The World. The single most articulate and passionate advocate of citizen action to remedy the nuclear and environmental crises, Dr Helen Caldicott, has devoted the last 38 years to an international campaign to educate the public about the medical hazards of the nuclear age and the necessary changes in human behavior to stop environmental destruction. Helen Caldicott – About
Jean McSorley. – UK. A prolific writer and activist, Jean McSorley has advised government and environmental organisations, in the UK and abroad, for many years revealing the facts about Sellafield, and other UK nuclear facilities.
Her MajestyQueen Noor ofJordan is an international humanitarian activist and an outspoken voice on issues of world peace and justice. Today Her Majesty Queen Noor plays a major role in promoting international exchange and understanding of Arab and Muslim culture and politics, Arab-Western relations, and conflict prevention. Queen Noor | Global Zero
Ulla Klötzer - Finland. A powerful speaker and writer, Ulla Klötzer continues to oppose uranium mining, nuclear proliferation, and to expose the construction of Finlands reactor, Olkiluto OL 3 – the biggest nuclear reactor in the world.
Satomi Oba –Japan. Another leading voice for non-proliferation and disarmament was Japan’s Satomi Oba, former president of Plutonium Action Hiroshima and chair member of the international non-proliferation movement Abolition 2000. For decades before her untimely death in February 2005, Oba organized grassroots events, spoke to international groups and broke ground for other activists
Dianne Stokes – Australia An Aboriginal elder of the Yapa Yapa clan, which owns land at Muckaty in the Northern Territory, has for years continued the fight against the Australian government’s plan to put a nuclear waste dump on Aboriginal land, – resisting enormous pressure from powerful interests and politicians Toxic feelings at proposed nuclear dump – National – smh.com.au
Jean Grossholtz – (USA) Professor emeritus at the Dept. of Women’s Studies, Mt. Holyoke College, Jean helped organize the Women’s Pentagon Action (1980-82) and has long been active in peace and social justice work.
Ellen Diederich –Germany A peace activist for more than three decades, Ellen Diederich is Director of the German-based International Fasia Jansen Women’s Peace Archive, an extensive collection of books, print, audio-visual and artistic resources on women and militarism and women’s action for peace, world-wide, collected over 25 years.
Corazon Valdez Fabros - Philippines A lawyer by profession, Corazon Fabros is Chairperson of the Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (the Secretariat of the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement) and Secretary General of the Nuclear Free Philippines Coalition, which led the successful campaign to stop the nuclear power plant projects in the Philippines . Currently Philippine Coordinator of the No Nukes Asia Forum and the International Network on Military Activities and Environmental Justice.
Karen Silkwood remembered In 1974, US anti-nuclear activist Karen Silkwood was killed in a car crash many suspect was deliberately caused by the Kerr McGee nuclear company.Karen Silkwood will be remembered as someone who fought an uphill and often unpopular battle against the ruthless nuclear industry. She is an inspiration to all who believe in environmental justice and workers’ rights BY SHARYN JENKINS. Karen Silkwood remembered | Green Left Weekly
Much of the material here was obtained from Women and Life on Earth: English by Anna Gyorgy, Women & Life on Earth Network coordinator, English website editor. Contact: info(at)wloe.org
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