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The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Research shows cancer develops from small doses of radiation, especially to children

“Thanks to recent studies, we are now certain that small doses of radiation can seriously affect the thyroids of young children, causing cancers or other illnesses,” 

Victims of French nuclear tests see hope in cancer link finding http://www.france24.com/en/20120717-france-nuclear-tests-polynesia-algeria-radiation-cancer-victims-compensation-health    Victims of French nuclear tests say a report establishing a link between exposure to radiation and cases of cancer may prove decisive in their lengthy battle for compensation. By Andrea Davoust  

Thanks to a landmark medical expert’s report, a new link has been established between France’s nuclear testing in the Pacific and North Africa and cases of cancer among civilians and former military personnel.

The findings, revealed by daily Le Parisien on Tuesday, could help speed up the lengthy legal process to compensate potential victims of these tests. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | France, health | Leave a comment

Can Japan’s government continue to ignore the growing anti nuclear protests?

“There’s something wrong in this country when even if thousands of people protest in front of the prime minister’s residence they still reactivate the plants,” 

Tokyo Anti-Nuclear Rally Attracts Thousands As Protests Grow Bloomberg, By Aya Takada, Shunichi Ozasa and Scilla Alecci – Jul 16, 2012 Tens of thousands of people packed Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park yesterday for Japan’s biggest anti-nuclear rally since the Fukushima disaster last year in growing protests against government moves to restart atomic reactors. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Burying dead nuclear reactors – expensive, but lucrative for some!

consultancy Arthur D. Little has put the total costs at no less than €18 billion…..

Dismantling a nuclear plant until it has completely vanished can take several decades, depending on which technique is used.

the process of fully decommissioning a plant can take more than 40 years,

Germany’s pricey nuclear burial, Climate Spectator , 18 Jul 2012, Christoph Steitz and Tom Käckenhoff  “…..by 2014, almost nothing will be left of what once was Germany’s first commercial boiling water reactor. Germany’s decision to shut down all nuclear plants by 2022,
sparked by last year’s Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, is a done deal……

… a giant hole in the ground where the reactor vessel used to be. Work to decommission plants mainly includes removing and disposing of contaminated material as well as decommissioning the plants themselves while making sure that no radiation spreads.

Spent fuel from reactors needs to be encased and then transported to safe fuel dumps while cooling towers, often regarded a blight on landscapes, then need demolishing…..

Today, the four operators of nuclear plants in Germany – E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall – have made a total of more than €30 billion ($36.7 billion) in provisions for the dismantling of the plants and the disposal of nuclear waste. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | decommission reactor, Germany, Reference | Leave a comment

France used soldiers as guinea pigs for radiation effects

An excerpt published in the newspaper refers to the “Gerboise verte”, code name for the test firings of April 25, 1961. It states that the experiment “should allow for a study of the physiological and psychological effects of atomic weaponry on humans, with the goal obtaining the necessary elements to prepare physically and morally for modern combat.”

Soldiers deliberately exposed to nuclear tests, says report According to the Tuesday edition of the French daily Parisian, a confidential military report proves that soldiers were deliberately exposed to nuclear tests that France conducted in Algeria in the 1960s. By FRANCE 24 17 July 12 Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | civil liberties, France, history, Reference | Leave a comment

At last France accepts liability for cancers in nuclear test victims

Under the provisions of the bill the new compensation scheme will apply to former soldiers and civilians that developed cancers and other illnesses after exposure to radiation from nuclear tests carried out in Algeria and French Polynesia.

Parliament approves compensation bill for nuclear test victims The French parliament voted Tuesday to pay compensation to victims of nuclear tests France carried out in Algeria and French Polynesia over the course of more than three decades. By FRANCE 24  17 July 12
The French parliament on Tuesday approved a compromise bill offering compensation to the victims of nuclear tests carried out by France between 1960 and 1996, overturning decades of official failure to accept general liability for health problems suffered by those present at or near the test sites. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | France, Legal | Leave a comment

Delhi High Court considers radiation poisoning of university researcher

“Strontium 90 is a toxic radioactive substance having a half life of about 28 years, a beta rays emitter and is one of the most hazardous products … Which if enters the human body, it accumulates within the bone marrow and over a period of time would cause certain type of cancers/tumors of the bone and of the blood cell….

they mixed the “hazardous and radioactive Strontium in a liquid form in cups of tea which the petitioner used to consume without knowing that those were contaminated.”

Researcher Affected by Radiation: Centre’s Reply Sought http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=769120 PTI | NEW DELHI | JUL 17, 2012 The Delhi High Court today sought the Centre’s response to a plea by a researcher in a Haryana university accusing his guide and other staffers of making him drink tea, laced with radioactive element Strontium 90. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | India, Legal | Leave a comment

Continued decline in price of uranium

 Uranium Continues to Slide, 9 News 18 July 12 Last week was another slightly down-week for uranium spot prices, with industry consultant TradeTech reporting just three transactions taking place. Total volume on the spot market was 400,000 pounds, with little activity in either the supply or demand side. TradeTech notes the lack of any sort of firm demand is continuing to place downward pressure on spot prices.
Sellers, for the most part, just don’t want to cut their prices and buyers remain speculative in nature.  This is a continuation of the prevalent trend over recent months and means the gap between willing sellers and buyers is continuing to increase.

Based on TradeTech’s assessment of the level at which it assumes a willing buyer and willing seller would do a deal, it’s Weekly U3O8 Spot Price Indicator finished last week at US$50.25 per pound, down US$0.35 from the previous week’s value….
http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/newscolumnists/other/8500561/uranium-continues-to-slide

July 18, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs, Uranium | Leave a comment

Exposure to ionising radiation – a national disaster says Japanese politician

Local Japanese Official: “This is the worst nation in history”
http://enenews.com/local-official-this-is-the-worst-nation-in-history-its-equal-to-the-war-when-i-think-of-medical-cost-and-sharing-of-social-burdens-from-radiation-exposure
   — It’s equal to the war, when I think of medical cost and sharing
of social burdens from radiation exposure July 17th, 2012  By ENENews  by Koichi Oyama, Minamisoma city council member, translated by Dissensus Japan:
Radiation Effects Research Foundation issued “There’s no threshold amount” which covered the theory of the scholars patronized by the government from the bottom.
The Japanese Government ignores it.
The politicians ignore it.
The media ignores it.
They ignore their own people !!!!

English: Radiation Effects Research Foundation
Japanese: Radiation Effects Research Foundation
In the article of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation is written that “everybody in Japan is a victim.” Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Renewable energy more efficient than gas, coal, nuclear

Study Finds Renewable Energy Sources are more Efficient than Traditional Ones Oil Price. com By Climate Progress  By. Zoë Casey, 17 July 2012  Wind energy opponents who say that producing electricity using the power of the wind is not efficient would do well to take a look at a new graphic published on the Guardian’s data blog  using UK Government data. ‘Up in smoke: how energy efficient is electricity produced in the UK?’ shows that thermal sources of electricity – gas, coal, nuclear, waste/biomass, oil and other – lose massive amounts of energy as waste heat, compared to almost 0% for renewables.

Gas accounts for 48% of the UK’s electricity supply and, of the 372 Terra-Watt hours of electricity it produces per year, 54% of this is lost as heat. Coal, meanwhile, accounts for 28% producing 297 TWh, loses an even higher proportion – 66%. Nuclear – accounting for 16% of the energy supply with 162 TWh, loses 65% and oil – 3% of the supply with 51 TWh – loses 77%.

Contrast these figures with renewable energy – which all together account for 4% of the UK’s electricity supply producing 14 TWh – they lose less than one percent. So, under this measure, renewable energy is 100% efficient.

Wind energy opponents centre their arguments on the ‘capacity factor’ of a wind farm. The capacity factor of any power plant is a measure of the amount of energy it actually generates compared to its theoretical maximum output in a given time. No power plant operates at 100% of its capacity…..  http://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Renewable-Energy/Study-Finds-Renewable-Energy-Sources-are-more-Efficient-than-Traditional-Ones.html

July 18, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

With no future in Japan, nuclear engineers move to other countries

Japan the only country in the world equipped with the know-how to operate the two main types of nuclear power reactors — the pressurized water reactor (PWR) and the boiling water reactor (BWR)….

And it has been the engineers of Tepco and other power companies in Japan who have accumulated the know-how to operate nuclear power plants using nuclear power plant components that incorporate the most advanced technology……

Nuclear engineers ditching Japan for a bigger paycheck, SENTAKU MAGAZINE,  July 16, 2012 Although Japan is reputed to be one of the most technologically advanced nations in nuclear power generation, it now faces a serious “brain drain” as some of its highly experienced nuclear engineers are lured to work in other countries for much better remuneration than they could hope to receive at home….
In Japan, public opinion has been increasingly against nuclear power generation since the March 11, 2011, accidents at Tokyo Electric Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | Japan, technology | Leave a comment

Safecast providing impartial information on Fukushima radiation

 visit Safecast at blog.safecast.org .

Local governments in Fukushima are linking up with Safecast to get additional readings, for example in schools, and are sharing data with residents. More volunteers are joining, including Europeans and Japanese as well as other nationalities.

U.S. group supplying radiation data Japan Times,   18 July 12By YURI KAGEYAMA People seeking information on radiation levels from the Fukushima crisis are turning to a volunteer group founded in the U.S. that has created a detailed and constantly updated visual database online. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | Fukushima 2012, media, USA | Leave a comment

Massive police presence does not stop public opposition to Gorakhpur nuclear power plan

Opposition demands scrapping of nuclear project, govt seeks to alley fears quoting scientists Deepender Deswal, TNN | Jul 17, 2012, ROHTAK: Haryana state committee of CPI (M) has demanded scrapping of the proposal for setting up a nuclear power plant at village Gorakhpur village in Fatehabad district in view of stiff opposition expressed by the villagers.

The farmers have been protesting against the proposed nuclear plant for many months and also registered their protest today during public hearing organized by the district administration. The party state secretary Inderjit Singh has claimed that the stand taken by CPI(M), opposition parties and other organizations has been vindicated by the open unwillingness of the people of the area.

He also criticized the massive deployment of police force at Gorakhpur and yet it could not deter the public from expressing their opposition to the nuclear plant. He also described the political stand of the ruling Congress leaders invoking the stand of former chief ministers
like late Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal regarding nuclear power as irrelevant stating that the situation had fundamentally changed in the aftermath of Fukusima accident in Japan.

“Congress leaders should see by themselves that there was a serious rethinking at global level in the matter of nuclear power”, he said…….

July 18, 2012 Posted by | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Gorakhpur farmers not impressed with pro nuclear speakers

Bishnoi, while addressing the farmers, said that as per rules, the locals should have been given the Environment Impact Assessment report one month before such a hearing, but it was not done.

Public hearing on nuke plant ends abruptly amid tension DNA, Jul 17, 2012, The public hearing on the proposed nuclear power project at Gorakhpur village here today ended abruptly amid tension triggered by the entry of political leaders at the venue.

The hearing was wound up within an hour after it started and efforts of nuclear scientists and Deputy Commissioner ML Kaushik to convince farmers went in vain as they were not ready to listen to them and raised slogans.

As Haryana Janhit Congress chief and Hisar MP Kuldip Bishnoi, and INLD leader Abhay Chautala entered the venue, the deputy commissioner stopped the proceedings and declared the hearing as “close and complete”. He abruptly wound up the discussion and left the place with the scientists and officers in a huff to avoid any ugly situation at the village where a huge police force was deployed. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | India, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Secrets about Crystal River nuclear plant’s financial fiasco

The 36-year-old plant has been out of service since fall 2009. It may have to be shut down permanently because repair and related costs are expected to run in the billions of dollars.

Secrets about Crystal River nuclear plant could be revealed at hearings this week Tampa Bay Times, By Ivan Penn,  July 18, 2012 Duke Energy’s new Florida customers may find out this week just how good the utility is at keeping secrets about the troubled Crystal River nuclear plant.

The North Carolina Public Service Commission has summoned several Duke board members to explain the less-than-one-day tenure of Bill Johnson as CEO of the newly combined Duke-Progress Energy giant.

Johnson’s “lack of transparency” in his accounting of the busted Crystal River plant seems central to his ouster. Duke has revealed that its own secret report highlights the plant’s problems, but it has thus far resisted releasing the study. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear industry in an economic no man’s land

COLUMN-Finnish delay fresh warning against nuclear: Wynn By  Gerard Wynn 17 July 12, (Reuters) – The lesson from the latest delay to Finland’s planned new nuclear reactor, announced on Monday, is either build lots of them or don’t build any at all.

It is a general economic principle that costs per plant decline the bigger a programme. Historical data support that for nuclear, where it may apply more acutely given its highly specialised and often unique supply chain and engineering skills.

It makes no sense to take a suck-and-see approach, building incrementally in a modular fashion, especially for new technologies such as Finland’s advanced pressurised water reactor. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs, Reference | Leave a comment

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