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Uranium: Wealth or Woe?

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Uranium: Wealth or Woe World Sihk News Gunter Wippel and Norbert Suchanek 26 March 09  Whilst tragic results of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are well documented, the environmental and health problems that are a consequence of uranium exploration are less well known by the general global public.

During the development of the atomic bomb, thousands of mines were built in the Southwest of the United States and Northern Canada. The radioactive waste, known as tailings, that builds up in huge piles of rocks and slush outside the mines continues to threaten the wellbeing of local populations and contaminates the environment.

The sad truth is that Governments are fully aware of the dangers but still refuse to implement adequate protection measures.

Uranium is not only radioactive but chemically toxic too. 80% of the radioactivity of the original uranium ore is left behind in highly acidic ‘tailings’. It remains radioactive for hundreds-of-thousands of years and should be kept safely isolated from the environment.

Uranium can cause a wide variety of health problems. Miners and local communities drink contaminated water, eat contaminated food and breathe in radon gas and dust from the tailings. In addition to this, the extraction and processing of uranium ore uses huge amounts of highly sought-after water that cannot be recycled.

It has been argued by mining companies that uranium extraction brings jobs to local populations, thus creating better living conditions, and for a few this was true. However the companies also quietly ignore the health and environmental effects of the process. ……………….After 30 years living alongside uranium mines, the Tuareg of Niger refer to uranium as a ‘curse’ rather than a blessing. They say the North of Niger “suffer[s] from its wealth’, rather than reap supposed rich rewards. ………………………t appears that financial institutions within the country, such as the Bank of Namibia, have found the potential income that mining may bring too attractive to reject. This is despite studies in other African countries that demonstrates only a small percentage of the worth of the resources extracted actually stay in the country.

WSN-Column-Uranium: Wealth or Woe

March 26, 2009 Posted by | 2 WORLD, indigenous issues | Leave a comment

NRC racing to answer questions on depleted uranium

NRC racing to answer questions on depleted uranium chron.com By BROCK VERGAKIS Associated Press Writer © 2009 The Associated PressMarch 25, 2009,

SALT LAKE CITY — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is rushing to meet an April 2 deadline to turn over stacks of internal documents that could shed light on why it recently decided to classify large quantities of depleted uranium as the least hazardous type of low-level radioactive waste.

The NRC’s decision, which still must undergo a rule-making process that could take up to two years, would open the door for federal facilities and companies around the country to dispose of more than 1 million tons of depleted uranium in Utah and Texas.

Democratic Reps. Jim Matheson of Utah and Edward Markey of Massachusetts, who is chairman of the subcommittee that oversees the NRC, have demanded the documents because they believe the agency’s March 18 decision disregards the risk depleted uranium poses to public health and safety.

They called the NRC’s decision an “arbitrary and capricious mischaracterization” of the waste…………………………………..

Depleted uranium is unique in that unlike other waste, it becomes more radioactive over time, leading to criticism from environmental groups that the NRC is downplaying the long-term risks of radiological exposure.

“It’s kind of like saying someone isn’t a drunk driver because he passed a breathalyzer test before he started drinking,” said Christopher Thomas, public policy director for the nuclear waste watchdog group Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah………………………………

Matheson and Markey’s letter questioned how the NRC could make the ruling when in the 1980s it was considering higher classification.

“The depleted uranium waste stream which will flow from commercial uranium enrichment facilities is expected to be … ten times greater than what the commission believed was safe,” the letter says.

NRC racing to answer questions on depleted uranium | AP Texas News | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle

March 26, 2009 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Opposition to nuclear is getting stronger

Opposition to nuclear is getting stronger The Nipawn Journal  By Steve Lawrence 25 March 09  Prince Albert – “………………..people should be alert to nuclear risks. If citizens are willing to make an informed decision to take nuclear risks anyway, then that is democracy. Based on actual bids last year, Moody’s rating service and Standards and Poor noted the cost of nuclear was 3.5 times the cost of wind and at least double that of solar. Since then the cost of nuclear has continued to rise, and the solar technologies have become dramatically cheaper and closer to zero carbon footprint. This makes promoters of nuclear technologies look like dreamers, considering financers require the public assume 100% risk for new nuclear projects……………

Investors will find renewable energy cheaper, a good investment, provides five times the jobs, buildable where and when needed without major transmission lines. Countries like Germany are proving renewable energy production provides reliable base load 24/7, their waste stream is negligible and won’t prove a burden to future generations, plus they are approaching zero carbon. Conservation has an even better return.

Nuclear does poorly on all counts, and its large capacity demands we provide for 2000 MW additional backup for downtime. The more expensive our energy, the less competitive our economy. Nuclear – a high-priced risk!

Opposition to nuclear is getting stronger – Nipawin Journal – Saskatchewan, CA

March 26, 2009 Posted by | Canada, politics | Leave a comment

Khatami: Israeli nukes the problem

Khatami: Israeli nukes the problem
The Age  Daniel Flitton * March 26, 2009IRAN’s former president, Mohammad Khatami, has rejected claims that the Islamic republic is secretly developing nuclear weapons.Speaking in Melbourne yesterday, Dr Khatami said neighbouring countries with atomic arsenal pose a far greater threat to Middle East stability.”If there is a real concern about proliferation, we have to tackle the problem of these countries right now having nuclear arms in the region, not putting pressure on a country that doesn’t have such intention and there is no strategy of having nuclear weapons,” he said.Dr Khatami did not name countries, however Israel is the only Middle Eastern country said to posses nuclear weapons — a program Tel Aviv has never officially acknowledged.

Khatami: Israeli nukes the problem | theage.com.au

March 26, 2009 Posted by | Iran, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Denison In Precarious Position, Time to Sell

Denison In Precarious Position, Time to Sell – RBC

Seeking Alpha 22 March 09 Denison Mines Inc. (DNN) shares continued to fall on Friday, as concerns grow that the uranium miner will violate one of its debt covenants and be forced to throw up a for-sale sign at its operations.

The company said Thursday that it will consider selling assets and has suspended operations at its Sunday and Rim mines in the Western U.S., in an attempt to combat mounting losses…………………….“We think Denison is in a very precarious position. The simplest solution to its problems is for the uranium spot prices to recover to higher than C$50 per pound. Other than that, the easiest thing for Denison to do is to sell assets,

Denison In Precarious Position, Time to Sell – RBC — Seeking Alpha

March 26, 2009 Posted by | business and costs | Leave a comment

Mitsubishi & Murchison in $2.7bn Australian Port agreement

Mitsubishi & Murchison in $2.7bn Australian Port agreement Seatrade Asia Online   [24/03/09] Sydney: Murchison Metals Ltd. and Mitsubishi Corp. today signed a A$4bn ($2.7bn) agreement with the Western Australian government to build an iron ore port and rail project in the state’s mid-west, writes Bloomberg……………………..Barnett said. He didn’t rule out the possibility of the port being used to ship out uranium exports.

Government funding will total A$678 million, to be used to develop a heavy industrial estate, with Barnett saying he’s confident the federal government will contribute half of that amount.

Mitsubishi & Murchison in $2.7bn Australian Port agreement

March 26, 2009 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Toxic waste leak revealed – Local News – News – General – Roxby Downs Sun

Toxic waste leak revealed Roxby Downs Sun
25 March 09 Images of a radioactive waste leak at Olympic Dam have raised questions over incident reporting procedures.The images were submitted anonymously to The Roxby Downs Sun this week of the spillage and clean up effort last year.According to documents submitted with the photos, the spill occurred after waste leaked outside a tailings dam that lacked a lining.“The main thing the photos show is that tailings liquor – acidic, radioactive and containing toxic heavy metals – is leaking from the rock ‘armoury’ of the tailings ‘retention’ system in significant volumes and collecting outside the tailings cell in areas which lack any form of lining,” the document stated.“The photos show blue, green residue which is copper sulfate – a clear sign that tailings are involved.”The document raised concerns about reporting procedures for leakages as no mention of the problem had been made in “any BHP or South Australian Government, Primary Industries Resources South Australia (PIRSA) documentation”.

Toxic waste leak revealed – Local News – News – General – Roxby Downs Sun

March 26, 2009 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment