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Nuclear industry declining world-wide

Nuclear decline set to continue, says report
Nuclear Engineering 27 August 2009
Nuclear will continue to decline according to a new report. At this point there is no obvious sign that the international nuclear industry could turn the decline into a promising future, it says. Continue reading →

August 28, 2009 Posted by | 1, 2 WORLD, business and costs | , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear energy a fading dream

Energy dream fades in New Brunswick

  By Megan O’Toole, Canwest News ServiceAugust 27, 2009

“……………The $1.4-billion refurbishment of New Brunswick’s Point Lepreau nuclear generating station, home to the first Candu 6 reactor in the world, was undertaken with the mantra “on time and on budget” as its driving force. But unforeseen delays and cost overruns have since plagued to the project–already half a year behind schedule–with ratepayers on the hook for replacement power costs. Continue reading →

August 28, 2009 Posted by | 1, business and costs, Canada | , , | Leave a comment

Medical radiation tests can cause harm

Radiation tests are questioned
The Baltimore Sun by Stephanie Desmon | stephanie.desmon@baltsun.com Radiation tests are questioned — baltimoresun.com

August 27, 2009

Skyrocketing numbers of expensive medical imaging procedures – from CT scans to nuclear stress tests – are not just straining the nation’s health care system, but are exposing patients to significant amounts of potentially cancer-causing radiation even though little research has been done into whether those tests actually make people healthier, a new study suggests.

The tests, say the study’s authors, may be doing more harm than good.

“One reason why these tests are being used more is they’re getting better and better and they’re an extremely helpful part of diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Reza Fazel, a cardiologist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and the lead author of a study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. “But just because we have them doesn’t mean we should use them. … There’s a cost with these tests, and it’s not just dollars but radiation risk.”…………………

…..only a few imaging tests – mammograms for discovering breast tumors, ultrasound of the abdomen for diagnosing aortic aneurysms – have been scientifically proved to save lives. Many have never been studied in large-scale clinical trials. In addition to leading to high doses of radiation, some tests can find cancers so small they might never have caused problems, leading to unnecessary surgeries and psychological distress.

 

August 28, 2009 Posted by | 1, environment, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear power a stumbling block to US Senators

Senators and climate McCain-Udall visit showed hope, problems
The Durango Herald  August 27, 2009

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., differs from many in his party in acknowledging the science underlying global climate change…………

Likewise, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., deserves credit for rethinking his opposition to nuclear power, a stance that probably has little support among his fellow Democrats.

The problem is, the caveats both attach to their positions render them all but meaningless. And that says more about the reality of dealing with climate change than melting glaciers or dying trees………………. Continue reading →

August 28, 2009 Posted by | 1, climate change, politics, USA | , | Leave a comment

U.N. Condemns Australia’s Policyin Aboriginal Communities

 Australia U.N. Condemns ’07 Policyin Aboriginal Communities

By REUTERS
August 27, 2009

A senior United Nations official on Thursday condemned Australia’s intervention in remote Aboriginal communities in 2007, describing the measures as discriminatory. The official, James Anaya, the special rapporteur on indigenous people, made the findings after a 12-day trip to Australia, where he visited indigenous communities and held talks with the government.

World Briefing – Australia – U.N. Condemns ’07 Policyin Aboriginal Communities – NYTimes.com

August 28, 2009 Posted by | 1, indigenous issues | , | Leave a comment

Over-exposure to ionising radiation


Americans overexposed to radiation
The News August 28, 2009
CHICAGO: Younger Americans are being exposed to worrisome amounts of radiation from medical scans that increase their risk of cancer, US researchers said late on Wednesday. They said the cumulative risk of repeated exposure to radiation from medical scans is a public health threat that needs to be addressed. “Even though the individual risk for any patient exposed to these kinds of doses may be small, when you add that up over millions of people, that can be a concerning population risk,” Dr. Reza Fazel of Emory University in Atlanta and colleagues wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine.

briefs…

August 28, 2009 Posted by | 1, environment, USA | , , , | Leave a comment