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Radiation monitoring of Japan’s forest monkeys

Monkeys to Track Fallout at Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Plant, ABC News, 12 Dec 11 Wild monkeys have been enlisted by Japanese researchers to obtain detailed readings of radiation levels in forests near the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant.
Professor Takayuki Takahashi and his team of scientists at Fukushima University are fitting nearly 1000 animals with radiation meters and GPS transmitters in order to track the spread of radiation leaked from
March’s nuclear accident, the worst in Japan’s history…. Researchers also hope to monitor the amount of radiation exposure in wild animals. The project is being launched in partnership with Minamisoma, one of the cities hardest hit by the nuclear disaster. Radiation fears
prompted more than half of its 67,000 residents to evacuate, in Fukushima’s aftermath. A third of the city sits inside the 12 mile government mandated exclusion zone, deemed too dangerous for people to live in. In the larger Fukushima prefecture, more than 80,000
residents have been displaced by the nuclear disaster.
With 14 monkey colonies in Minamisoma’s forests alone, Takahashi is hopeful his researchers will get a broad spectrum of readings, from the ground level to the highest trees.  The collars equipped with radiation meters and GPS transmitters will be detachable by remote
control, but the plan is to keep the devices on the animals, for decades. Takahashi says his team will begin monitoring levels next spring.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/monkeys-to-track-fallout-at-japans-fukushima-nuclear-plant/

December 14, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Security breaches, costs, politics – France’s nuclear industry in trouble

activists remained inside the Cruas site for 14 hours before being caught

Electricite de France (EDF) shares have slumped (EDF) 37 percent since the Fukushima disaster, on concern about the amount of investment needed to keep French reactors running safely in the coming years. 

At the same time, the opposition Socialist and Green parties are campaigning to close 24 reactors by 2025 to cut dependence on atomic power.

France’s Biggest Nuclear Breach Raises Alarm as Support for Reactors Wanes Bloomberg By Tara Patel – Dec 13, 2011 Just after 6 a.m. on Dec. 5,under cover of darkness, nine Greenpeace  activists cut through a fence at the Nogent-sur-Seine atomic plant 95 kilometers (59 miles) southeast of Paris and headed for a domed reactor building.
They scaled the roof and unfurled a “Safe Nuclear Doesn’t Exist” banner before attracting the attention of security guards. Two remained at large for four hours.

On the same day, two more campaigners breached the perimeter of the Cruas-Meysse plant on the Rhone, escaping detection for more than 14 hours while posting videos of their sit-in on the Internet. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, France, safety | Leave a comment

Four radioactively contaminated Minstry of Defence sites in Scotland

the MoD had offered the site to the Scottish Government for £1. The offer was refused, largely because of serious impediments related to the site, all of which had significant
financial implications. 

The MoD is institutionally incapable of transparency for security reasons – but that has invaded its corporate culture and it is now constitutionally incapable of honesty..

Four new MoD sites identified with radiation contamination – including Machrihanis ForArgyll.com,  December 12, 2011 Four new sites in Scotland  – all owned by the Ministry of Defence, have been identified as radiation contaminated, with an immediate call from MSPs for urgent action to ensure public safety. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by | environment, secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

American complicity in Japan’s secret nuclear weapons plans

Kishi uttered the famous statement that “nuclear weapons are not expressly prohibited” under the postwar Constitution’s Article 9 prohibiting war-making powers. His words were repeated two years ago by his grandson, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Secret Weapons Program Inside Fukushima Nuclear Plant? Global Research, 12/4/11 by Yoichi Shimatsu“…….During the Japanese militarist occupation of northeast China in the 1930s, the puppet state of Manchukuo was carved out as a fully modern economic powerhouse to support overpopulated Japan and its military machine……
After clawing his way into the good graces of Cold Warrior John Foster Dulles, Eisenhower’s secretary of state, Kishi was elected prime minister in 1957. His protégé Yasuhiro Nakasone, the former naval officer and future prime minister, spearheaded Japan’s campaign to become a nuclear power under the cover of the Atomic Energy Basic Law.

American Complicity Kishi secretly negotiated a deal with the White House to permit the U.S. military to store atomic bombs in Okinawa and Atsugi naval air station outside Tokyo. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by | history, Japan | Leave a comment

Nuclear terrorism risk for European soccer championships

UN agency tackles potential nuclear threat at European soccer championships UN News Centre 13 Dec 11, 13 December 2011 – When the 2012 European soccer championships kick off in Poland and Ukraine next June, the United Nations atomic energy will be centrefield offering its expertise to guarantee the safety of the tournament’s spectators and participants.
With over one million fans expected to descend on the two countries during the tournament, the Vienna-based UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA ) will provide first-hand experience in training authorities in Poland and Ukraine to quickly detect, identify, and
deal with a potential atomic threat…..
“We have around 200 events per year in our illicit trafficking database showing that nuclear material can be used for malicious acts,” said Khammar Mrabit, Director of the IAEA’s Office of Nuclear Security, “Therefore we’re trying everything together with the Member
States to prevent and reduce these threats and these
risks.”…http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40712&Cr=nuclear&Cr1=

December 14, 2011 Posted by | EUROPE, safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Radioactive spill adds to the problems of Point Lepreau nuclear power plan

Radioactive water spilled at Point Lepreau nuclear power plant in New Brunswick The Canadian Press  12/13/2011 LEPREAU, N.B. – Radioactive heavy water spilled Tuesday evening at the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant in New Brunswick.
Kathleen Duguay, a spokeswoman for NB Power, said the spill occurred in the reactor building…..The cause of the accident wasn’t known.
Lepreau was taken offline in March 2008 for an overhaul that was supposed to take 18 months. But the project has been plagued by cost overruns and delays and is now not expected to return to service until the fall of 2012.
Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. is overseeing the refurbishment. The province has pegged the total cost overruns, including replacement power while the nuclear reactor is offline, at about $2.4 billion..http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/radioactive-water-spilled-at-point-lepreau-nuclear-power-plant-in-new-brunswick-135542773.htm

December 14, 2011 Posted by | incidents | Leave a comment

Potential for environmental catastrophe with uranium mining in Pittsylvania

digging up and processing the uranium will create 28 million tons of radioactive waste – enough to fill 145 Super Walmart stores – that could poison local wells and seep into the Roanoke River, contaminating the drinking water for nearly 2 million people downstream of the mine.

A study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that the dust from uranium mines can spread up to 50 miles, which would include Smith Mountain Lake and parts of the Roanoke Valley.

Uranium in Pittsylvania County: buried treasure or threat?, By Laurence Hammack and Michael Sluss The Roanoke Times, 13 Dec 11“….. a potential public health and environmental disaster. Do the risks of uranium mining outweigh the benefits? That will soon be a question for the General Assembly, which is expected to decide at its upcoming session whether to lift a 30-year moratorium on the practice. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by | environment, Uranium, USA | 1 Comment

USA nuclear industry – delays, shut downs, security problems

Nuclear uncertainty High Country News, Marian Lyman Kirst, 13 Dec 11, The American nuclear industry had some serious shade thrown its way in  the wake of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant disaster. Almost a year later, U.S. nuclear still can’t seem to catch a break. On Wednesday, Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, announced that the agency will likely face delays in renewing licenses for 14 existing nuclear reactors as well as its review of license applications for the construction of two new reactors, the first such applications in more than 30 years.

Workers at nuclear plants in Ohio and Nebraska were exposed to higher than expected radiation levels, Jaczko said, while three other plants were shut down for months because of safety concerns — the first time in more than decade that several plants have been shut down at the same time.
From The Associated Press:The Crystal River nuclear plant in Florida and Fort Calhoun in Nebraska remain shut down, while the earthquake-damaged North Anna plant in Virginia reopened last month after being shut down for three months.

Jaczko is particularly concerned about the ability of plants, old and new, to deal with natural disaster-caused blackouts like the tsunami triggered flooding that led to meltdowns in the Fukushima reactors….

December 14, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Another blow to AREVA in poor outlook for uranium mine

UraMin deal was a wager on new power stations Financial Times, By David Blackwell, 14 Dec11“…..Areva’s purchase of UraMin was a long-term bet that power stations would be built around the world to meet concerns about energy security and climate change – as new reactors typically require a lot more uranium than those that have been in operation for some time.
Even before this year’s Fukushima disaster in Japan, Areva’s willingness to pay such a premium was in question as the price of unenriched “yellow-cake” uranium fell to $70 a pound, from $138 a pound around the time of the acquisition.

Since Fukushima, the price has fallen even further to about $50 a pound. Coupled with Monday’s announcement that deposits at UraMin’s mines were far smaller than expected, Areva has taken a hit – both to its balance sheet and to a mining business that accounted for 40 percent of its capital spending between 2007 and
2011….http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6506add8-2592-11e1-9cb0-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1gWdl0WlU

December 14, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Uranium | Leave a comment

Pacific Ocean to be monitored for radioactivity

Considerable volumes of radioactive contaminated water entered and polluted the Pacific Ocean following the March 11 Nuclear accident. It raised concern among countries in the Pacific region that radiation releases may reach and damage coastal zones with possible consequences
for communities and economies.

IAEA Project To Monitor Radioactive Substances In Pacific Ocean Region (RTTNews) 13 Dec 11 – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is implementing a Technical Cooperation (TC) Project for countries
throughout the Pacific Ocean region to monitor radioactive substances in the marine environment in the wake of the release of radioactive particles into the Pacific from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Nuclear smuggling trial in Switzerland, CIA link to be covered up

“This deal has been done to keep the CIA link out of court,”

Nuclear smugglers who aided AQ Khan face trial in Switzerland, The Guardian UK, Julian Borger,13 Dec 11 Friedrich, Urs and Marco Tinner to stand trial but their claims of CIA involvement will not be examined in plea-bargain deal. Switzerland has charged three members of the same family for their role in the Abdul Qadeer Khan nuclear smuggling network after a plea deal which will mean that their claims of collaboration with the CIA
will not be examined in court. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Switzerland | Leave a comment

How Japan’s nuclear lobby sabotaged renewable energy

Secret Weapons Program Inside Fukushima Nuclear Plant? Global Research, 12/4/11 by Yoichi Shimatsu“….Sabotaging Alternative Energy The cynical attitude of the nuclear lobby extends far into the future, strangling at birth the Japanese archipelago’s only viable source of alternative energy—offshore wind power.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a nuclear-power partner of Westinghouse, manufactures wind turbines but only for the export market.

The Siberian high-pressure zone ensures a strong and steady wind flow over northern Japan, but the region’s utility companies have not taken advantage of this natural energy resource. The reason is that TEPCO, based in Tokyo and controlling the largest energy market, acts much as a shogun over the nine regional power companies and the national grid. Its deep pockets influence high bureaucrats, publishers and politicians like Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, while nuclear ambitions keep the defense contractors and generals on its side. Yet TEPCO is not quite the top dog. Its senior partner in this mega-enterprise is Kishi’s brainchild, METI.

The national test site for offshore wind is unfortunately not located in windswept Hokkaido or Niigata, but farther to the southeast, in Chiba Prefecture. Findings from these tests to decide the fate of wind energy won’t be released until 2015. The sponsor of that slow-moving trial project is TEPCO….. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=24275

December 14, 2011 Posted by | Japan, renewable | Leave a comment

Many thousands of tons of radioactive water accumulating at Fukushima

Tepco estimates that the amount of treated water requiring storage is increasing by 200 to 500 tons every day. 

Japan’s earthquake-hit nuclear plant scraps plan to dump water in sea, Reuters  Tokyo December 12, 2011 Japan’s utility operating the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant said on Friday it has scrapped a plan to dump water it treated for radiation contamination into the sea following fierce protests from fishing groups. Continue reading →

December 12, 2011 Posted by | Japan, oceans, wastes | Leave a comment

France’s nuclear corporation AREVA facing big losses

Areva was already facing problems before that incident. Its Olkiluoto nuclear project in Finland was delayed and uranium mines it bought in 2007 were performing below expectations.

The Socialist presidential candidate has promised to shut almost half os France’s nuclear reactors if he is elected. Last week demonstrators protested outside Areva’s headquarters in Paris ahead of this week’s meeting.

France nuclear giant to announce big loss – minister France’s state-owned nuclear reactor maker Areva is set to announce large losses, the French industry minister says.BBC News 11 December 2011 In an interview with a radio station, Eric Besson said: “I can confirm that Areva will announce losses. In all likelihood they will be big.”  Continue reading →

December 12, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, France | Leave a comment

Turmoil over Hanford’s huge radioactive wastes, whistleblowers targeted?

the worst of the waste is still decades away from being completely removed. Millions of gallons of a highly radioactive stew — enough to fill dozens of Olympic-size swimming pools — are stored in aging underground tanks. Some of those tanks have leaked, threatening the groundwater and the river.

 Hanford workers filed suit as whistleblowers, claiming they were targeted for reprisals after raising safety concerns. 

New concerns about Northwest nuclear waste plant Google News, By SHANNON DININNY,12 Dec 11 RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — The federal government says a one-of-a-kind plant that will convert radioactive waste into a stable and storable substance that resembles glass will cost hundreds of millions of dollars more and may take longer to build, adding to a string of delays and skyrocketing price tag for the project.

In addition, several workers at southeast Washington’s Hanford nuclear reservation have raised concerns about the safety of the plant’s design — and complained they’ve been retaliated against for voicing their issues. Continue reading →

December 12, 2011 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

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