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Regulation needed to reduce medical radiation risks

Radiation Doses Used in Medical Imaging Need to be Reduced MedIndia  February 18, 2010 Doses of radiation used in medical imaging techniques like CT scan and MRI have been in the news

recently. Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced an initiative to reduce radiation dosage in medical devices in an effort to reduce unnecessary exposure.
“The amount of radiation Americans are exposed to from medical imaging has dramatically increased over the past 20 years,” said Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The goal of FDA’s initiative is to support the benefits associated with medical imaging while minimizing the risks.” Continue reading →

February 19, 2010 Posted by | general | , | Leave a comment

The coming revolution – decentralised renewable energy

Today’s younger generation is growing up on the Internet and collaborating in distributed global social spaces. Why shouldn’t they also be empowered to generate and share their own renewable energy on a distributed continental intergrid?Just as the distributed information and communications revolution created millions of jobs, the distributed renewable energy revolution will follow suit.

‘Empathic Civilization’: Jeremy Rifkin 17 Feb 2010 Where The Jobs Are Today, the information and communications technologies that gave rise to the Internet are being used to reconfigure the world’s business models and power grids, enabling millions of people to collect renewable energy and produce their own electricity in their homes, offices, retail stores, factories, and technology parks and share it peer-to-peer across smart grids, just as they now produce and share their own information in cyberspace. This is a Third Industrial Revolution and will create millions of new jobs. Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by | climate change, decentralised | , , , | Leave a comment

Mass exposure of workers to nuclear radiation

The CNSC said the workers were exposed to alpha contamination, a dangerous form of radiation that, if breathed in or ingested, poses a risk of cancer.

(Canada) Nuclear watchdog investigates possible mass radiation exposure – The Globe and Mail  Martin Mittelstaedt  Feb. 16, 2010 As many as 217 workers involved in November incident at Ontario plant, according to filing from Nuclear Safety Commission Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by | Canada, safety | , , , | Leave a comment

Obama’s resuscitation of nuclear industry is bound to fail

Obama’s Nuclear Option – Amy Goodman Truthdig 16 Feb 2010
“……….Obama’s publicly financed resuscitation of the nuclear power industry in the U.S. is bound to fail, another taxpayer bailout waiting to happen.Opponents of the plan, which includes a tripling of existing nuclear plant construction-loan guarantees to $54.5 billion, span the ideological spectrum. Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, climate change, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Australia rules out nuclear power

To meet its climate goals, Australia shouldn’t rely on either nuclear power or fossil fuels, Hepburn said. Instead the country should aggressively conserve energy and use more renewable power.

Rudd Rules Out Introducing Nuclear Power in Australia  BusinessWeek By Ben Sharples and Stuart BiggsFebruary 17, 2010, (Bloomberg) — Australia, which holds the world’s biggest known uranium resources, has ruled out introducing nuclear power to the country and instead will pursue other low- carbon energy options, including ‘clean’ coal. “Australia has multiple other energy sources and we will not be heading in the direction of civil nuclear power,” Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters in Canberra today……….Australia, the world’s biggest coal producer, will explore technologies including CCS, in which the nation leads the world, Rudd said………… Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by | business and costs | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Price-Anderson Act passes risk of nuclear accident to the taxpayer

The Price-Anderson bill is the one that caps the nuclear industry’s liability and makes us (that’d be you) liable

Excuse Me, But That Nuclear Plant Has Its Hand On Your Wallet, San Francisco Chronicle : Gerald Sindell 18 Feb 2010 “……..if you dig out your handy guide to the laws of the United States you’ll find something called the Price-Anderson Act, a temporary measure passed in 1957 to help the nuclear industry get going. Atoms for Peace and all that. Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by | Legal, USA | , , , | Leave a comment

The delusion of nuclear power as ‘clean’ and ‘safe’

Why has the President set aside $11 million to “fight nuclear-related lawsuits” brought by citizens against the Federal Government if this is so safe? It seems the President is very aware of the problems inherent in the use of nuclear power and enriching nuclear material for these plants. Otherwise, why put away funds for lawsuits in the budget? Can’t have it both ways, Mr. President!

President Obama’s Delusion and the “Nuclear Power = ‘Clean’ Energy” Meme by Quannah February 17, 2010 One more time. Nuclear power is neither safe nor clean.As I listened to Obama give his speech, I couldn’t understand why he was buying into this big lie. Nuclear energy is not clean. It does not equate to wind and solar. It’s not even close. Just a couple of points here:Emissions are not the only consideration at a nuclear plant.
Contamination is much more serious. And the recent reports of nuclear plants contaminating surrounding ground water are more than a little alarming. Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by | Legal, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shaky financial outlook for new loan-backed nuclear plants

The loan guarantee is conditional upon NRC approval. But if the project ever gets off the ground, there are plenty of red flags signaling that it’s a very bad investment for taxpayers.

Obama’s Nuclear Boondoggle | Mother Jones By Kate Sheppard| Wed Feb. 17, 2010 In its eagerness to woo Republicans with nuclear-friendly policies, the Obama administration plans to hand out $54.5 billion in government-backed loans to kick-start a nuclear renaissance. On Tuesday, it announced the first beneficiary of this largesse—and apparently the best candidate it could find was a proposed plant that’s been put on hold by federal regulators due to serious safety concerns. Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, USA | , | Leave a comment

Obama’s big financial gamble on nuclear power

The government backing of the Georgia project is a major financial gamble, but the White House seems to see it as worth the risk politically………..
The case the administration has made is that they will give Republicans more nuclear power, offshore oil and gas drilling, and incentives for coal, if they will accept a cap on carbon emissions and investments in renewable energy.

Obama’s risky nuclear renaissance The Guardian, Kate Sheppard 17 February 2010 Barack Obama’s promise to fund new nuclear power plants is a major financial gamble – and US taxpayers will foot the bill Continue reading →

February 17, 2010 Posted by | climate change, politics, USA | , , , , | Leave a comment

France deliberately exposed soldiers to nuclear radiation

French soldiers used as ‘nuclear guinea pigs’ The Age MICHEL MOUTOT February 17, 2010 – France used soldiers as guinea pigs in nuclear tests in the 1960s, deliberately exposing them to radiation from atomic blasts to test the effects, according to a report revealed on Tuesday.

The secret military report, obtained by AFP, said that between 1960 and 1966 France sent troops onto Algerian desert test sites “to study the physiological and psychological effects caused on humans by an atomic weapon.” Continue reading →

February 17, 2010 Posted by | France, secrets,lies and civil liberties | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Movement grows to stop NASA’s radiation monkey experiments

NASA’s proposed experiments would inundate these tiny monkeys – only a foot tall – with one massive burst of gamma radiation equal to a 3-year journey to Mars and back.

Celebrities Speak Against NASA’s Monkey Radiation Experiments Your Story  SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ — In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization with over 85,000 members, today released letters from celebrities opposed to NASA-funded experiments. Continue reading →

February 17, 2010 Posted by | Religion and ethics, USA | , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Energy Secretary does not understand nuclear power’s financial risk?

Chu said he was not aware of a Congressional Budget Office study showing that the chances of default on these loans are “very high—well above 50 percent.

Energy Sec Unaware That Nuclear Loans Have 50 Percent Risk of Default— Mother Jones By Kate Sheppard| Tue Feb. 16, 2010 The Obama administration on Tuesday announced a loan guarantee for thefirst new nuclear reactor to be built in the US in decades—part of a planned $54.5 billion program to kickstart a nuclear revival using government-backed loans. Continue reading →

February 17, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , | Leave a comment

Terrorist plot targeted Australia’s only nuclear reactor?

possible targets for bombings included the Lucas Heights nuclear facility.

Terrorism tools still missing, says judge Sydney Morning Herald MALCOLM BROWN February 16, 2010 A ”WIDE RANGE” of materials collected by conspirators in a terrorism case has not been recovered by authorities and may be used by others bent on terrorism offences, a Supreme Court judged has warned. Continue reading →

February 17, 2010 Posted by | safety | , , , , | Leave a comment

Complicated politics of Obama’s nuclear push

The Green Politics Behind Obama’s Boost for Nuclear Power – TIME 17 Feb 2010 By spending billions to back the nuclear industry, the White House may be able to get some Republican support for the floundering climate and energy bill, which would put a limit on greenhouse gases……… Continue reading →

February 17, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , | Leave a comment

Uranium company made losses

First Uranium posts Q3 loss on higher costs, forex loss Feb 16 (Reuters) – First Uranium Corp (FIU.TO) posted a quarterly loss, hurt by higher corporate expenses and a $7.4 million foreign currency loss.

For the third quarter ended Dec. 31, the company reported loss of $14.4 million, or 9 cents a share, compared with a profit of $1.3 million, or 1 cent a share, a year ago……… In January, South African authorities withdrew environmental authorization for a new tailings storage facility at First Uranium’s key Mine Waste Solutions tailings recovery project.

UPDATE 1-First Uranium posts Q3 loss on higher costs, forex loss | Reuters

February 17, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, South Africa | , | Leave a comment

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