Cancer among nuclear workers at Israel’s Dimona nuclear plant
Radiation leaks caused illnesses, Dimona reactor employees say, December 15, 2011 JERUSALEM (JTA) –– Employees at the Dimona nuclear reactor told an Israeli court that they were sickened with cancer and other illnesses due to radioactive leaks.
During a hearing Wednesday in Petach Tikvah District Court, the attorney for 44 employees and their families presented internal memos claiming that the leak of radioactive substances was caused by safety problems.
A former deputy head of Dimona’s Negev Nuclear Research Center safety division also testified that there had been radiation leaks, Haaretz reported. The employees of the Dimona reactor and the Soreq Nuclear Research Center in the mid-1990s who filed suit want to be recognized as victims of work-related accidents. Some of the plaintiffs have died since the suit was filed. The Dimona plant is said to be the source of fuel for Israeli nuclear weapons, though Israel has remained ambiguous about whether it has such weapons. http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/15/3090762/radiation-leaks-caused-illnesses-dimona-reactor-employees-say
Cover-up of irradiated workers at Israeli nuclear plant
Dan Litai’s testimony came during a court hearing Dec. 12 in a case meant to determine whether former employees of the institute, located in southern Israel, should be recognized as the victims of work-related accidents after they were diagnosed with cancer.
Litai, who served as a radiation safety engineer at the Negev Nuclear Research Center, claimed that until the late 1990s there was no department tasked with calculating and assessing the levels of internal radiation contamination, only external contamination.
Last week, the court heard the testimony of Thelma Byrne, who headed the radiation safety department at the Soreq center.
“I worked with materials whose nature was unknown. They didn’t tell us what we were exposed to,” she said, adding that the cancer victims could have been spared if they would have undergone preventive radiation exposure tests, but such tests were not given.
The damages suit was submitted by 44 employees of the Dimona-based reactor and the Soreq Nuclear Research Center in the mid-1990s. Some of the plaintiff have since died. — ynetnews.com http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/63739/expert-claims-nuclear-plant-cover-up/
OCCUPY – the 99% against dirty, dangerous nuclear power
Occupy Toledo’s forceful presence at the community meeting on nuclear power at Toledo. – a third Fermi nuclear reactor plant in Monroe County won’t happen without a fight. below is the OCCUPY STATEMENT AGAINST PROPOSED NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Michael Leonardi
FOX ToledoTHIS WAS OUR MIC CHECK AT THE NRC’S DOG AND PONY MEETING ON THEIR DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE PROPOSED FERMI 3 NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN MONROE MICHIGAN TONIGHT WHERE WE SUCCESSFULLY HALTED THEIR SHOW:
MIC CHECK
Where AS the Nuclear Regulatory commission Region 3 has a clear record of putting profit and production ahead of health and safety.
Where AS there is no way to dispose of high level radioactive waste Safely.
Where AS the worst nuclear disaster in history at Fukushima has reminded the world of the dangers that Nuclear Energy poses to us all.
Where as the NRC is attempting to play a manipulative numbers game using grossly exaggerated and fraudulent projections for Michigan Electric Usage in this Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Whereas The NRC cannot be trusted to protect the citizens of the Great Lakes and the Lake Erie Basin.
We denounce this ridiculous public meeting as nothing but a DOG and Pony Show prioritizing the profits of Detroit Edison over the health and safety of the citizens of this region and the natural environment.
Furthermore we find you, the representatives of the NRC, criminally responsible for endangering the citizens of this region with your ridiculous Environmental Impact Statement.
We will do everything in our power to stop this plant from being built.
We are the 99 percent https://www.facebook.com/FOXToledo/posts/10150475413249700
OCCUPY takes on nuclear power
Occupiers disrupt Fermi 3 meeting, Fox Toledo.com, 15 Dec 2011, by Sharia Davis, MONROE, Mich. (WUPW) – Hopes of DTE Energy building a third Fermi nuclear reactor plant in Monroe County won’t happen without a fight.
As the public meeting at Monroe County Community College to discuss the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Fermi 3 nuclear plant in Monroe started with DTE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a group of protesters made it a little difficult for the NRC to get its point across.
Several demonstrators belonging to Occupy Toledosaid building a third nuclear plant is dangerous. Minutes into a hearing, about 10 of them chanted the dangers of building a reactor. READ: Michael Leonardi Occupy Toledo statement
“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in our eyes, just gives a green light to industry to put profit and production ahead of the safety and citizens of this region,” said Mike Leonardi of Occupy Toledo.
AREVA in trouble, and who will buy their nuclear reactors?
French nuclear energy Under pressure France wants to export nuclear reactors. Who will buy them? The Economist Dec 17th 2011 | PARIS On December 12th Areva, France’s
state-owned nuclear champion, said it would take a €2.4 billion ($3.1 billion) charge against profits. This will give the firm its first ever operating loss, of perhaps €1.6 billion for 2011.
That hurts. Areva is the world’s only one-stop nuclear shop, selling everything from uranium to fuel recycling. Continue reading
USA Republican candidates clash over Iran
Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann spar over Iran and possible nuclear threat it poses, Washington Post, Dec 15 Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann are trading barbs over Iran, with the Texas congressman saying the U.S. has no legitimate claim to block Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon and Bachmann calling his position wildly dangerous.
The two House members clashed during Tuesday night’s GOP debate while standing next to each other. Paul says that terrorists want to harm the U.S. because it bombs innocent civilians and invades countries. The libertarian-leaning lawmaker says the worries over a nuclear Iran are merely the pretense for the U.S. to start another war.
USA crashed drone was spying on Iran’s nuclear sites
Crashed drone was looking at Iran nuclear sites CNN By Tim Lister, with reporting by Kathleen Johnston and Pam Benson, 15 Dec 11 The Sentinel drone that crashed in Iran last week was on a surveillance mission of suspected nuclear sites in the country, U.S. military officials tell CNN.
Previously, U.S. and NATO officials had said the drone was on a mission to patrol the Afghan-Iran border and had veered off course. Continue reading
Facebook joins Greenpeace in renewable energy campaign
Facebook, Greenpeace partner on renewable energy, ZD Net By Emil Protalinski | December 15, 2011, Summary: Facebook and Greenpeace have partnered to promote clean, renewable energy and improve energy efficiency in data centers. The news follows a large Greenpeace campaign against Facebook. Continue reading
Steps for USA and Russia towards nuclear disarmament
There is, however, some unfinished business concerning the 20 year-old Presidential Nuclear Initiatives (PNI’s) that both governments could take up now to help lay the foundation for future talks.
the United States and Russia have grown accustomed to sharing considerable information about their longer-range strategic nuclear forces. For years, they have routinely exchanged and updated information on the disposition of retiring nuclear-capable bombers and
missiles. Similar processes could be applied to the types and numbers of tactical nuclear systems affected by the P.N.I.’s.
The next logical step would be for both countries to disclose, on a reciprocal basis, the location, types and numbers of tactical nuclear weapons that remain.
Unfinished Business, NYT, FRANK KLOTZ, SUSAN KOCH and FRANKLIN MILLER December 13, 2011“……..the subject of reducing tactical nuclear weapons has again come to the fore. Signing the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in April 2010, President Obama announced that the United States intended to pursue further reductions in all categories of nuclear weapons — including, for the first time, tactical and nondeployed warheads. Voting to approve the treaty, the U.S. Senate called for negotiations with Russia to address the
disparity in U.S. and Russian tactical nuclear weapons and to secure and reduce those weapons in a verifiable manner.
The specific size of that disparity is a matter of debate. Neither the United States nor Russia has publicly disclosed the number and locations of the tactical nuclear weapons they possess.
Unofficial estimates vary widely. Continue reading
Weapons continue to be the big export industry
the U.S. continues to be the leading arms exporter, followed by Russia, France, Britain, China, Germany and Italy.
The region with the greatest growth has been the Middle East, where spending has increased 62 percent in the last decade.
The Mightiest Merchants Of Death Strategy Page, December 13, 2011: Although arms exports declined a third last year, over half those exports were from the United States.
American sales of weapons and military equipment to other countries totaled $35 billion last year. The three biggest recipients were Afghanistan, Taiwan and India. The $5.4 billion in sales to Afghanistan were paid for by the U.S. taxpayer, but the firms supplying the gear were paid, so it’s a sale. The U.S. has long got the most export sales, despite having the most expensive weapons. …
Most countries, if they could afford to buy American, did so. The others searched for someone offering cheap but effective weapons. The supplier has often been Russia. Continue reading
USA nuclear lobby aims to oust Gregory Jaczko, safety conscious head of Nuclear Regulatory Commission
it’s also clear that the nuclear industry is using the conflict to attempt to neutralize or remove Jaczko from the NRC, where he has been a consistent advocate for tighter safety controls
Commissioner William Magwood, who is leading the charge against Jaczko, has deep [nuclear] industry ties. His appointment was opposed by over 100 watchdog groups for that reason. Notably, Magwood did consulting work for Tepco—the company that runs the Fukushima plant.
Action and dysfunction in the Beltway swamp. Republicans Intensify Attacks on the Nuclear Safety Chief The Nation George Zornick on December 14, 2011 If there was any doubt that an imbroglio around the leadership of Gregory Jaczko, [at left] chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, would be used to try to force his ouster from that agency, a Wednesday
hearing before a House panel removed it.
All five members of the NRC appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is chaired by Representative Darrell Issa. Four commissioners publicly aired their grievances about Jaczko’s leadership, which include charges of bullying and intimidation of staff, along with refusing to share information with fellow commissioners.
Jaczko said he did nothing wrong, and cited a report from the NRC inspector general clearing him of legal wrongdoing when it came to sharing information among his colleagues. But Republicans went directly for the jugular. Continue reading
The world might have to learn to live with a nuclear Iran
Can the world live with a near-nuclear Iran?, By Mohammed Ayoob, December 14, 2011 — (CNN) –– Some analysts have attributed the recent downing of a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel high-altitude reconnaissance drone in Iran to that nation’s increasingly sophisticated capability tolaunch cyber attacks. Others have dismissed the idea that Iran was capable of bringing down an RQ-170, arguing that Iranian air defenses do not have the capability to track an aircraft with radar-evadingtechnology.
Either way, the incident clearly demonstrates American concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear capacity, as the drone was likely sent over Iranian territory to spy on its nuclear program.
I find the argument that Iran is engaged in developing a nuclear weapons program credible. I am also convinced that Iran will not test a device, but rather will acquire the capability to produce a weapon quickly if its strategic environment deteriorates to such an extent
that it feels it must.
I am further convinced that an Israeli or American strike or strikes against its nuclear facilities would put Iran’s nuclear program back by a few years but would not be able to terminate it. In fact, such strikes would provide Tehran with the legitimacy to go ahead and
acquire nuclear weapons capability in full view of the world and with international sympathy.
It is time for world leaders to recognize the inevitability of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons capability, even if it remains untested, with Tehran following the policy and adopting the rhetoric of deliberate ambiguity. Continue reading
Nuclear “renaissance” dubious, and too late to influence Climate Change
Nuclear Energy at a Crossroads, OilPrice.com. by Tyler Hamilton , 13 December 2011 For years the nuclear power lobby has muscled its way into international climate negotiations and asserted itself as a critical part of any serious effort to reduce global greenhouse-gas emissions.
Not so much during climate talks in Durban, South Africa, these past two weeks. There were some media mentions and the occasional sound bite from industry officials, but the nuclear lobby — still sufferingfrom a Fukushima hangover — stayed relatively quiet this time around.
Even Patrick Moore, Greenpeace [alleged?] co-founder turned nuclear booster, seems to have moved on. His gig these days is defending the oil sands, part of a recent advertising campaign from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
The Fukushima disaster in Japan certainly served a blow to the nuclear power industry. The low price of natural gas and the global economic downturn — and reduced demand for electricity — hasn’t helped matters. The economics of building new nuclear plants also remain in question. A report just released by the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association
points out that even before the Fukushima accident, the decades-long trend of reactor projects being delayed and coming in dramatically over budget was still a reality, as recent experiences in Finland and France clearly show. Continue reading
Nuclear waste disposal problem looming large and urgent for USA
U.S. anxious to secure nuclear waste disposal site as China emerges on scene Mainichi Daily News, Japan, By Haruyuki Aikawa, Europe General Bureau, December 14, 2011 “……As the world shifts away from the business of recycling plutonium-based nuclear fuel, the construction of facilities to handle nuclear waste remains a nagging issue. After plans to construct an international disposal facility in Australia fell through, the United States and Japan moved forward in negotiations to build such a facility in Mongolia, an inland country which is believed to hold rich deposits of uranium…..
After the Mainichi Shimbun reported the plans in May, an opposition campaign was launched in Mongolia, and in September this year, Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj issued an order prohibiting negotiations, effectively putting an end to the plans…… at the end of March that the rise of emerging nations had weakened the United States’ grip. While it still has power, it wants to secure a place that will accept spent nuclear fuel. The project previously proposed in Mongolia strongly highlights the United States’ anxiousness. … http://mdn.mainichi.jp/features/news/20111214p2a00m0na013000c.html
Despite media coverage against renewable energy, British public supports it
Over at BusinessGreen, James Murray describes the survey results as “explosive”, especially given that they “follow months during which the right-wing press has waged an increasingly virulent campaign against climate change, wind farms, renewable energy, and the greenlevies that pay for it”.
British public strongly support renewable energy, survey says, The Guardian, 14 Dec 11 56% of UK population wants to see more investment in wind power, finds a YouGov survey
Does the UK have a “silent majority” in support of further investment in renewables? You wouldn’t necessarily think so if you listen to the very vocal, media-driven opposition against, say, wind power, but a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the Sunday Times suggests the true picture might be a little different.
The Sunday Times itself chose not to report the YouGov findings related to renewables (you can draw your own conclusions as to why), but if you look beyond the headline polling about the 1,696 respondents’ political leanings you start to reach some rather intriguing environmentally themed results ….
But the real point of interest can be found on page nine, which asks: “Thinking about the country’s future energy provision, do you think the government should be looking to use more or less of the following?”
Solar power
More than at present – 74%
Less than at present – 6%
Maintain current levels – 12%
Not sure – 9%
Wind farms
More than at present – 56%
Less than at present – 19%
Maintain current levels – 15%
Not sure – 9%… Continue reading
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