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Anxiety and fear, as Japanese realise the radiation fallout effects of Fukushima


VIDEO  http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/08/6815027-japans-radiation-fallout-a-monster-you-cant-see?chromedomain=dailynightly  Japan’s radiation fallout ‘a monster you can’t see   World Blog Robert Bazell 8 June  “….as one gets closer to the reactor site, it’s easy to see how much human damage a radiation leak can cause.  As one engineer told me, “When nuclear reactors fail, they REALLY fail.”….. Levels in the air are two to 50 times the normal level. Radiation levels are high even in populous cities of 400,000 or more people – such as Koriyama and Fukushima City – each about 35 miles from the reactors. Most of the radiation escaped in the first few days of the accident and was deposited on the ground –in school yards, on people’s homes and in massive amounts in the farmlands that make up most of the area.  The government monitors the levels in the air at seven sites in Fukushima Prefecture, but radiation falls in particles, and a very high levels can remain in one place, while just a few feet away there’s very little.

No one knows what the long-term effects of the radiation will be. The health dangers of elevated but relatively low levels of radiation remains one of the biggest disputes in medicine. Residents worry about the effects on themselves, and on their children especially.  Farmers fear the crops they are planting this spring will never come to market after the fall harvest.  And everyone knows there is no end in sight to the crisis.  As Hideo Hanai, a cattle farmer, told me “It’s like being chased by a monster that you can’t see.” http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/08/6815027-japans-radiation-fallout-a-monster-you-cant-see?chromedomain=dailynightly

June 9, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Future human generations are affected by nuclear radiation

Ionising radiation – the kind that comes out of bombs and nuclear power plants – has been shown to alter sex ratios in fruit flies and mice, says Karl Sperling, of the Institute for Human Genetics at the University of Berlin. He suspects that radiation exposures might affect DNA in the first few cell divisions around the time of conception, which is known to be a highly vulnerable period.

If radiation can influence sex ratios in this way, he adds, there might be reason to be concerned about other environmental exposures, too.

Nuclear radiation affects future generations, 8 June 2011, ABC Radio Emily Sohn After exposure to nuclear radiation events, women may be more likely to give birth to boys than to girls, suggests a new study. Continue reading →

June 9, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, health | Leave a comment

VIDEO: Nuclear weapons proof plane for US President and top staff

..http://abcnews.go.com/US/doomsday-plane-save-president-joint-chiefs-apocalypse-scenario/story?id=‘Doomsday Plane’ Would Save President and Joint Chiefs in Apocalypse Scenario, VIDEO   By MICHAEL MURRAY, June 7, 2011, In the event of nuclear war, a powerful meteor strike or even a zombie apocalypse, the thoroughly protected doomsday plane is ready to keep thepresident, secretary of defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff and other key personnel in the air and out of danger. It may not deflect a Twitter photo scandal, but it can outrun a nuclear explosion and stay in the air for days without refueling….13782736

 

June 9, 2011 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Legal moves against nuclear power in Japan

Opposition to nuclear power plants grows in Japan , People’s World, 8 June 11 Japan Bar Assn. calls for end to nuclear power plants The Japan Bar Association at its general meeting in Tokyo on May 27 adopted a declaration calling for the phasing out of existing nuclear power plants in Japan and a stop to the program to construct more nuclear reactors.

The declaration requests that the government separate the nuclear safety regulatory body from the nuclear promoting ministry and agency, and promote renewable energy sources as a main pillar to energy policy based on the principle of sustainability.

Residents near Hamaoka plant file lawsuit Residents living near the Hamaoka nuclear power station in Shizuoka’s Omaezaki City on May 27 filed a lawsuit against Chubu Electric Power Company with the Shizuoka District Court, seeking a permanent shutdown of all reactors at the plant.

The group of plaintiffs consists of 35 residents, including two Japanese Communist Party members of the Kakegawa City Assembly, in Omaezaki, Kikukawa, and Kakegawa cities located within a 30km-zone of the plant. JCP member of the Omaezaki City Assembly Shimizu Sumio heads the group of plaintiffs.

They aim for the decommissioning of the reactors at the earliest possible date, arguing that the Hamaoka plant is located at the focal region of an inevitable Tokai earthquake…http://peoplesworld.org/opposition-to-nuclear-power-plants-grows-in-japan/

June 9, 2011 Posted by | Japan, Legal | Leave a comment

Concentrated Solar Power easily outcompetes nuclear power

 Concentrated Solar Power CSP easily out competes nuclear, providing some of the safest energy applications we have today – a technology that’s more quickly deployed, comparatively very cost effective, creating jobs, while promoting a healthier future.

CSP – The Solar Alternative That Rivals Nuclear, June 7, 2011 by Anja Atkinson, The Energy Collective “….Creative applications in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) specifically are providing energy solutions that accomplish what nuclear does – transfer heat, using the sun as fuel.  Continue reading →

June 9, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

GPS stations could detect underground nuclear explosions

GPS stations trace nuclear explosions, summon end to underground mushroom clouds? Engadget, By Christopher Trout  Jun 8th 2011 A team of researchers recently revealed findings that could turn GPS stations into tools for detecting illegal nuclear explosions. According to a report, being presented to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) this week, the group found that nearby GPS stations showed a change in ionospheric electron density, following a 2009 nuclear test performed by North Korea. That discovery led to the realization that the same technology we use to track everything from dogs tochildren can more accurately detect nuclear explosions — even when they take place underground. By measuring the time it takes for a resulting shockwave to reach and affect surrounding stations, researchers can accurately determine the origin of the blast. The team is currently seeking funding to further its explosive (sorry, we had to) research. http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/gps-stations-trace-nuclear-explosions-summon-end-to-underground/

 

June 9, 2011 Posted by | technology | Leave a comment

Nuclear worker falsified safety documents

A Hixson man pleaded guilty in Federal Court on Wednesday morning to falsifying documents related to an inspection at the TVA Watts Bar facility. The Chattanoogan.com 8 June 11, 
Matthew David Correll, 31, faces up to five years in prison. He will be sentenced by Judge Curtis Collier on Oct. 6 at 2 p.m…..
Prosecutor James Brooks said Correll made false statements that he had measured cables for a safety system at the plant.The plea agreement says Correll was working for Williams Specialty Services, a sub-contractor of Bechtel Corp.

As part of the plea agreement, Correll stipulated that in August 2010 in Spring City, he completed TVA forms purporting to state micrometer readings of cables that had been installed to provide energy to equipment, including to safety equipment, inside the containment structure at Unit 2 of the Watts Bar nuclear plant. The defendant made approximately 200 entries. After the entries were submitted, it was discovered that the entries were either inaccurate or purported to be measurements of cables that did not in fact exist. The defendant was questioned and admitted that he had falsified all of the entries….

June 9, 2011 Posted by | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

Deny license extension for Seabrook Nuclear Station – call by US congressman

Markey says Seabrook nuclear plant asking too soon for license extension June 8, 2011 By Beth Daley,  GLOBE Congressman Edward J. Markey wants the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to deny Seabrook Station – and other nuclear power plants – license extensions if they are asked for too early in the plant’s operating life.

In a letter sent to NRC Chairman Greg Jaczko this morning, Markey noted that inspections at Seabrook uncovered structural weaknesses in concrete surrounding a safety-related tunnel only two decades into the plant’s 40-year license. Seabrook applied for relicensing last year and is hoping to receive approval soon to operate another two decades once its license expires in 2030.– “If safety structures that are supposed to help cool the Seabrook nuclear power plant are experiencing such alarming degradation during the reactor’s ‘adolescence,” there is simply no way that the NRC can guarantee that it will remain safe until it enters its “golden years” almost 40 years from now,” Markey wrote. The letter was also signed by Congressman John Tierney, who represents northeastern Massachusetts communities…….http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2011/06/nuclear_plants_can_be_relicens.html

June 9, 2011 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Fresno California turns against nuclear power

Fresno supervisors back off nuclear power plan Mercury News, The Associated Press, 06/08/2011  FRESNO, Calif.—Fresno County officials have rejected plans for up to two nuclear reactors in the county.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to withhold a letter of interest for the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group. The Fresno Bee reports that the group— backed by French energy giant Areva—is pursuing an energy park that could include two nuclear reactors as well as solar and biomass energy sources.

Some supervisors had spoken favorably of the group’s effort to explore nuclear energy. But they appeared to change their minds on Tuesday after hearing testimony from more than 20 people opposed to the project.

It’s not clear if the county’s vote will have any effect on the plant’s fate, which will be decided by state and federal regulators.

The Fresno nuclear group says it will continue pursuing the energy complex…..http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_18229776?nclick_check=1

June 9, 2011 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, USA | Leave a comment

Growing opposition to nuclear power in Japan

Opposition to nuclear power plants grows in Japan , People’s World, 8 June 11, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on May 26 announced that the JCP is launching a signature-collection campaign calling for the total withdrawal from nuclear power generation.

Shii at a press conference in the Diet (Parliament) building pointed out, “The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No.1 Nuclear Power Plant proves to the public the dangers behind nuclear power generation.”

Shunan City Assembly opposes Kaminoseki nuclear plant project The Shunan City Assembly in Yamaguchi Prefecture convened an extraordinary session of the assembly on May 27 and unanimously adopted a written opinion to call for the cancellation of the Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc.’s project to construct a nuclear power plant in the neighboring town of Kaminoseki…….Although the nuclear power generation technology has not been fully established yet, successive governments have intensively built nuclear power plants in one of the world’s most earthquake- and tsunami-prone countries by sticking to the “safety myth” without having devised adequate safety measures, Shii emphasized….http://peoplesworld.org/opposition-to-nuclear-power-plants-grows-in-japan/ 

June 9, 2011 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

German govt plan to accelerate closure of nuclear power plants

In brief, the proposed strategy is to close Germany’s seventeen nuclear power plants (with a total net capacity of 20.5 GW) in tandem with faster development of renewable sources of energy, including biomass solar and wind, and constructing 5 GW of new natural gas combined cycle power generation……

German report suggests nuclear power may end by 2017 Energy and Environmental Management 8 June 11 Last week, Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Cabinet agreed a plan committing the country to phasing out all nuclear power by the end of 2022. This new draft report, published by an agency of the German Environment Ministry, led by the conservative Norbert Röttgen, explains how this might be achieved in practice. What is surprising is that the Ministry suggest it might be possible to end nuclear power by 2017 – a full five years earlier than expected. Continue reading →

June 9, 2011 Posted by | Germany, politics | Leave a comment

Swiss government preparing for end to nuclear power

Parliament takes first step in nuclear opt-out, SwissInfo  8 June It could take several years before the necessary legal amendments will have been discussed by parliament. Voters are also likely to have a say on the issue at the ballot box.

Two weeks ago the cabinet decided to decommission Switzerland’s five nuclear power reactors by 2034, once they reach the end of their lifespan. It announced its intention to boost renewable energy resources and promote energy saving methods instead of building new nuclear power plants….. The government has won approval from a majority of the House of Representatives for a proposed gradual withdrawal from nuclear energy.

The house called on the cabinet to remove administrative hurdles for renewable energy projects and promote research in this field but also wants to curb the right of environmental groups to block the construction of wind- and hydro-power plants……All the decisions taken in Wednesday’s marathon debate still have to be confirmed by the Senate at a later stage…….http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/Parliament_takes_first_step_in_nuclear_opt-out.html?cid=30419192

June 9, 2011 Posted by | politics, Switzerland | Leave a comment

Tougher nuclear safety tests needed, -global leaders agree

Energy Ministers Agree on Tougher Nuclear Safety Tests VOA News 8 June, by Lisa Bryant, Government ministers and nuclear experts from the Group of Eight and other nations have called for tougher safety measures at nuclear reactors. At the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Paris, they also are stressing the importance of independent regulatory bodies after the nuclear disaster in Japan.

Ministers and officials from nearly 30 countries producing nuclear energy are calling for more stringent safety tests at nuclear power plants.  Their recommendation will be discussed later this month at a key nuclear safety meeting in Vienna…..http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Energy-Ministers-Agree-on-Tougher-Nuclear-Safety-Tests-123488179.html.

June 9, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Iran increasing uranium enrichment

Iran Plans High Level of Uranium Enrichment, NYT By  June 8, 2011 Iran declared Wednesday that it aims to triple production of nuclear fuel this year and, at a site that had been secret until 2009, increase enrichment to 20 percent. Enrichment at that level indicates technological progress that experts say would make the weapons-grade level of 90 percent enrichment much closer. Continue reading →

June 9, 2011 Posted by | Iran, Uranium | Leave a comment