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NATO sending depleted uranium shells to Ukrainian military in major escalation

LeoHohmann.com 24 Mar 23

Scottish Baroness Annabel Goldie, a conservative deputy minister of defense in the government of the United Kingdom, has confirmed that the U.K. will be sending depleted uranium shells to the Ukrainian military for use against Russian forces.

In response to a parliamentary crossbench question from Lord Hylton on March 20, Goldie stated:

“Alongside our granting of a squadron of Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, we will be providing ammunition including armor-piercing rounds which contain depleted uranium. Such rounds are highly effective in defeating modern tanks and armored vehicles.”

Depleted uranium is highly toxic to humans, leading to cancers, birth defects and other horrific outcomes. According to the journal Scientific American:

“Used as ammunition, it penetrates the thick steel encasing enemy tanks; used as armor, it protects troops against attack. And when it was used in the Gulf War and later during the Allied bombing of Yugoslavia and Kosovo, depleted uranium (DU) was hailed as the new silver bullet that would solve most of the military’s problems. After the end of Operation Allied Force, however, several Italian soldiers were diagnosed with leukemia. Politicians and the media soon forged a link between the disease and depleted uranium use. They further drew a parallel with Gulf War Syndrome, and in no time, depleted uranium became the Agent Orange of the Balkan conflict.”

This decision to send depleted uranium weapons to Ukraine did not go unnoticed by the Russians……………………

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova chimed in with the following statement:

“We consider the plans officially confirmed by the UK Department of Defense for the transfer of depleted uranium shells to Ukraine as a step fraught with a further escalation of the conflict. The British supply of weapons to Kiev, especially such sensitive species, leads to further destabilization of the situation and pushes the prospect of finding mutually acceptable interruptions. They are contrary to international law. The radioactivity, high toxicity and carcinogenicity of such weapons are well known. Among the consequences of using depleted uranium – the growth of oncological diseases among the population and the enormous environmental damage for the Ukrainian territory where it will be applied.

“The civilians of Serbia and Iraq, who still feel the impact of such actions, can tell about all of this. It is unlikely that the leadership of the UK itself, which was directly involved in these conflicts, forgot about it.”

Biden administration spokesman John Kirby dismissed the Russian concerns about depleted uranium as “a straw man” and, like the U.S. government has always done, he denied there are any negative health effects of depleted uranium. To do otherwise would be to admit that the U.S. poisoned thousands of its own troops in Iraq, as well as the Iraqi people.

A 2019 study documented the devastating impacts of depleted uranium on Iraqi children born with birth defects……………………………………………………………………………………….  https://leohohmann.com/2023/03/22/nato-sending-depleted-uranium-shells-to-ukrainian-military-in-major-escalation/

March 25, 2023 Posted by | depleted uranium, secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | 1 Comment

TODAY. Everything’s OK – depleted uranium is just a pretty harmless “common type of munition”

“This is Eman’s sixth year at the hospital, and her 25th as a physician. Over that time span, she says, she has seen an array of congenital anomalies, most commonly cleft palates, but also spinal deformities, hydrocephaly, and tumors. At the same time, miscarriages and premature births have spiked among Iraqi women, she says, particularly in areas where heavy U.S. military operations occurred as part of the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 to 2011 Iraq War. “ –Environmental Ruin in Modern Iraq – largely due to depleted uranium more https://nuclear-news.net/2021/12/25/environmental-ruin-in-modern-iraq-largely-due-to-depleted-uranium/

But we don’t need to worry now, as we have it from the highest authority – White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby – to reassure us that depleted uranium is OK . “The ammunition, which enhances ability to overcome defenses on tanks, ‘is not radioactive’ –  a commonplace type of munition“

Oh thank goodness. For a bit there, I was worried that the children in the Ukraine war might suffer the miseries continuing in Iraq, from the use of depleted uranium weapons, and also the sufferings of the U.S. soldiers.

But then I remembered that it would be only Russian children, probably, and they don’t matter, do they? And while it might be a pity if Ukrainian soldiers got sick, but the main thing is that no USA soldiers would be at risk.

Why do we continue to allow ourselves to be reassured by these outright criminal liars from the White House?

March 25, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | 2 Comments

Fears that France’s nuclear safety system may now fail – from Nuclear Transparency Watch, 11 French and European NGOs and 23 members of European Parliament.

The nuclear watchdog organisation Nuclear Transparency Watch wrote an open
letter together with 11 French and European NGOs and 23 Members of the
European Parliament (see the lists below) to the French Ministry of Energy
Transition expressing their concerns about the survival of the quality of
the French nuclear safety system.

This open letter was sent in the context
of the French national debate at the National Assembly regarding a reform
of the French nuclear safety system foreseeing the dismantlement of the
Institute for Radioprotection and nuclear safety (IRSN), which is the
French independent nuclear technical support organisation.

On 15 March, this reform was rejected by the Assembly, in fact this reform was
considered unjustified, not being supported by any kind of safety impact
assessment and also dangerous in the perspective of a rapid development of
nuclear facilities.

As a European network, NTW sees this reform as a
potential threat to the nuclear safety culture in Europe with a risk of
downgrading the safety standards set by the well-recognised independent and
dual French nuclear safety system now in place.

Nuclear Transparency Watch 20th March 2023

Press release: Coalition of NGOs and Members of the European Parliament sends open letter with concerns for nuclear safety system in France

March 25, 2023 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

US won’t let Ukraine even consider peace talks – Moscow

 https://www.rt.com/russia/573393-us-ukraine-peace-negotiations/ 24 Mar 23

Ukraine’s Western backers – and the US in particular – are doing their best to prevent Kiev from entering into any negotiations with Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. The official made the remarks on the sidelines of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Moscow on Tuesday.

Peskov was asked to comment on recent statements by senior Western officials, who said any peace initiative for Ukraine, should it arise from the Russia-China talks, would be “unacceptable.” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, for example, claimed any ceasefire in the current situation would only “ratify Russia’s conquest to date” rather than contribute to peace.

“Washington, European capitals, but first of all, Washington is filled with the desire not to let, under any pretext, [Kiev] enter into peace negotiations. They simply do not let Kiev even think about it,” Peskov said. Asked whether it was now ‘normal’ to incite war rather than call for peace, the spokesman responded affirmatively.

During the talks, the Russian and Chinese leaders discussed a 12-point roadmap for peace in Ukraine recently proposed by Beijing. Putin has lauded the initiative, expressing his readiness to discuss and build upon it, while also reiterating Moscow’s desire to seek a diplomatic solution to the hostilities, which have been dragging on for over a year.

We believe that many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China are consonant with the Russian stance and can be taken as a foundation for a peaceful settlement when they are ready for it in the West and in Kiev. However, so far we have not observed such readiness on their part,” Putin said after the meeting.

The Chinese president has insisted that Beijing continues to maintain its position on the conflict and has urged both sides to stick to diplomacy and engage in dialogue. “We’re always for peace and dialogue, and we firmly stand on the right side of history,” Xi stated.

March 25, 2023 Posted by | politics international, Russia | Leave a comment

The West has ‘brought humankind to the brink of nuclear Armageddon’ with its decision to use depleted uranium ammo in Ukraine, says Russia’s US envoy

  • Anatoly Antonov was responding to statements by US officials that depleted-uranium munitions are standard types of weapons
  • The British defense ministry on Monday confirmed it would provide Ukraine with armour-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium

By JAMES CALLERY FOR MAILONLINE, 24 March 2023

Western countries led by the US have decided to bring humankind to the brink of a nuclear Armageddon, Russia’s Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said in Washington on Wednesday.

He was responding to statements by US officials that depleted-uranium munitions are standard types of weapons that have been used for decades and do not pose any heightened risk.

The British defense ministry confirmed on Monday that it would provide Ukraine with armour-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

……….. ‘US officials have reached a new low with their irresponsible statements. There is a continuous flow of lethal weapons to Ukraine, which are used to annihilate civilians, residential areas, schools, hospitals, kindergartens,’ Antonov said, according to a statement from the embassy…………….

The ammunition, which enhances ability to overcome defenses on tanks, ‘is not radioactive’ and ‘not anywhere close to going into’ the sphere of nuclear weaponry, Kirby said.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called Moscow’s complaints a ‘straw man’ argument………… ‘This is a commonplace type of munition that is used particularly for its armour-piercing capabilities. “

……….. Kirby said, however, that the US is ‘not providing depleted uranium’……………………………………………… https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11893717/Russias-envoy-Decision-use-depleted-uranium-ammo-risks-nuclear-Armageddon.html

March 25, 2023 Posted by | depleted uranium, Ukraine | Leave a comment

“Together Against Sizewell” argue in UK’s High Court against this nuclear development’s impact on environment

 The government’s decision to back a new Sizewell C nuclear power plant
failed to assess the environmental impact of the project and should be
overturned, campaigners have argued at the High Court.

Protest group Together Against Sizewell C has launched a bid to challenge development
consent granted by the then Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng last July. At
a hearing in London, lawyers for the Suffolk residents argued that the
government failed to assess the impact of providing an “essential” water
supply to the project and did not consider “alternative solutions” to
meeting its energy and climate change objectives.

They also argue that the
government concluded the power station site would be clear of nuclear
material by 2140, when rising sea levels and storm surges could flood the
site before it has been decontaminated. The government, supporting the
project with a £700m stake, argues that it made “legitimate planning
judgments” and that the campaigners’ “unarguable” challenge should be
dismissed.

 ITV 23rd March 2023

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-03-23/sizewell-c-approval-is-challenged-by-campaigners-in-the-high-court

What is Sizewell C and how will it be paid for? Campaigners challenge new
plant. Campaigners have told the High Court that the Government’s decision
to support the Sizewell C nuclear power plant plan was “unlawful” and
should be overturned.

 Evening Standard 23rd March 2023

https://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/what-sizewell-c-cost-suffolk-nuclear-power-b1022520.html

 Lawyers representing campaigners argued in London’s High Court that the
government did not evaluate the environmental impact of the nuclear power
plant.

 Energy Live News 23rd March 2023

Legal challenge to UK’s Sizewell C nuclear project approval

March 25, 2023 Posted by | Legal, UK | Leave a comment

Greens attack Albanese government’s ‘deeply unsettling’ secrecy on submarine nuclear waste plans.

Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council also warned against cloak of national security to ‘mask inadequate radiation safety protection’.

Guardian. Daniel Hurst, 24 Mar 23

Labor and the Coalition have been accused of taking a “deeply unsettling approach” to transparency around Aukus after the major parties blocked the publication of documents about nuclear safety and waste issues.

The government cited national security concerns when it rejected a Senate order to produce documents, including those about options to manage operational waste from the nuclear-powered submarine program.

The move comes just months after the Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council warned against allowing a cloak of national security to “mask inadequate radiation safety protection of the Australian public, weaken regulatory authority, or inhibit transparency on matters of Australian public safety”.

David Shoebridge, a Greens senator and defence spokesperson, said the council was “the very agency entrusted to protect Australians from radiation and ensure nuclear safety and security, yet the government is already ignoring its advice”.

“The hiding of information at this early stage signals a deeply unsettling approach to future regulation, transparency and oversight of these nuclear submarines,” Shoebridge said.

His motion had sought a range of documents reviewed by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Ansto) working group, including the safeguards required for a nuclear-powered submarine program.

It also sought information about the “characterisation, classification and acceptance of risks in a nuclear environment” and any minutes of meetings held with the nuclear-powered submarine taskforce on these topics………….

The Coalition joined with Labor to defeat the motion in the Senate this week.

The former independent senator and submariner Rex Patrick said the blocking of the motion “shows the shallowness of thinking behind both major parties as to the need for complete transparency around this important issue”.

“This Aukus program has been orchestrated in total secrecy such that the government and Defence could get to a point of announcing a fait accompli without any debate or resistance,” Patrick said.

“There are some things that should properly be kept secret around a submarine – but these things should not include nuclear stewardship, nuclear regulation, nuclear safety or how to deal with operational waste and spent fuel.”

Patrick has, however, used freedom of information laws to obtain some other documents from Ansto and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (Arpansa).

These include minutes of an Ansto board meeting on 9 February showing the agency will seek government funding of $34.5m over the next four years because it faces increased workload “as a direct result of a nuclear-powered submarine program”…………………………………………………..

In the latest sign of misgivings within Labor, a party branch in the electorate of the prime minster, Anthony Albanese, passed a motion calling on his government to “withdraw from the Aukus alliance and cease any program in pursuit of the acquisition of nuclear submarines”.

Party members at the Enmore branch meeting this week agreed that Labor should prioritise spending that contributes to the “social good of our society rather than wasting hundreds of billions of dollars on a dangerous and unnecessary weapons program”.

According to a copy that has been widely circulated within NSW Labor, including to a large number of branch secretaries, the motion argued Aukus was “not in the interests of the Australian people” and “could take us into an unnecessary and devastating war”.

The motion reflects concerns within elements of the party’s rank-and-file membership, but does not yet indicate a groundswell that could stop the deal.

……………. The Petersham branch – also within Albanese’s electorate – passed an anti-Aukus motion in late February, before the San Diego announcement.

Labor members are also mobilising against the possibility of Port Kembla being selected as a future base for nuclear-powered submarines.

Some members are understood to have been emboldened to register their concerns, after several prominent Labor figures including the former prime minister Paul Keating spoke out against Aukus.  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/24/greens-attack-albanese-governments-deeply-unsettling-secrecy-on-submarine-nuclear-waste-plans

March 25, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NATO pushes European Socialists for thirty more years, eternity of new wars — Anti-bellum

From Bosnia to Ukraine, NATO has been waging war – on three continents – for thirty years. Evidently permanently, “for the long term.” It could be argued that NATO has presented the world with its first Socialist/Social Democratic wars. (Think of Blair, Schroeder, Jospin, Solana, etc. in 1999.) And a plethora of them at that. […]

NATO pushes European Socialists for thirty more years, eternity of new wars — Anti-bellum

March 25, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Minnesota nuclear plant shuts down for leak; residents worry

A Minnesota utility has begun shutting down a nuclear power plant near Minneapolis after discovering water containing a low-level of radioactive material was leaking from a pipe for the second time

abc news, By TRISHA AHMED and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press, March 25, 2023

MONTICELLO, Minn. — A Minnesota utility began shutting down a nuclear power plant near Minneapolis on Friday after discovering water containing a low level of radioactive material was leaking from a pipe for the second time. While the utility and health officials say it is not dangerous, the issue has prompted concerns among nearby residents and raised questions about aging pipelines.

Xcel Energy discovered in November that about 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of water containing tritium had leaked. The utility made a temporary fix but learned this week that hundreds more gallons of tritium-laced water leaked, leading to the shutdown decision.

After the plant cools over the next few days, workers will cut out the leaking pipe, which is over 50 years old, said Chris Clark, Xcel Energy’s president. The utility will then have the pipe analyzed in hopes of preventing future leaks, he said……………………..

Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the fact there was a second tritium leak “shines a light on the problem of maintaining aging pipelines” underground at older nuclear plants…………………..

The utility reported the initial leak to state and federal authorities in late November but didn’t make it widely public until last week, raising questions about transparency and public health issues. State officials said they wanted to wait for more details before sharing information widely. Criticism about the delay played a role in Xcel’s decision to hold a public information session Friday……………………………………..

Tim Judson, executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, a group that opposes nuclear power, said the second leak “is obviously concerning” and that public worries about possible health risks are exacerbated by the recent toxic train derailment in Ohio, where residents remain concerned about possible health effects despite government pledges that air and water are safe.

“People are seeing what happened in Ohio, and they are distrustful of the government response,’’ Judson said.  https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/minnesota-nuclear-plant-shuts-leak-residents-worry-98110848

March 25, 2023 Posted by | safety | Leave a comment

Xi Jinping’s Russia trip reduced chance of nuclear war, says EU foreign policy chief

Josep Borrell says Chinese leader made it clear Vladimir Putin should not deploy atomic weapons

The Chinese president’s trip to Moscow this month has made the world safer, reducing the chance that Vladimir Putin will use nuclear weapons, according to the EU’s foreign policy chief.

Josep Borrell told reporters that President Xi Jinping had made it “very, very clear” to the Russian leader that he should not deploy nuclear weapons, citing China’s peace 12-point Ukraine peace plan, which condemned their use.

“One important thing is this visit reduces the risk of nuclear war and they [the Chinese] have made it very, very clear,” Borrell said. ………………………………… https://www.ft.com/content/8f895b27-9e16-47b4-8608-dbd002facd65

March 25, 2023 Posted by | China, politics international | Leave a comment

Strikes hit French nuclear output, disrupt EDF maintenance plans

By Forrest Crellin, March 24, 2023  https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/strikes-hit-french-nuclear-output-disrupt-edf-maintenance-plans-2023-03-24/

PARIS, March 24 (Reuters) – Strikes in France are impacting maintenance plans at EDF’s (EDF.PA) nuclear plants, curbing production just as the utility hoped to rebound from a 34-year output low last year.

At least 14 nuclear reactors in EDF’s fleet of 56 have suffered some delay affecting their maintenance plans, data from the CGT union showed.

France is witnessing widespread industrial action sparked by planned government policy changes including a move to raise the retirement age by two years.

For EDF that has meant nuclear power output in 2023 even lower than last year when it had swathes of reactors offline for repairs and checks for stress corrosion cracks.

Those factors compounded a backlog in regular maintenance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Friday the average hourly nuclear availability until the end of the year was down by around 4% to 44 gigawatts (GW) from 46 GW in January when the strikes began, ICIS analysis showed.

The impact is expected to be more acute in the summer, with availability to June dropping by around 9% to 39 GW from 43 GW, they added.

EDF declined to comment on the impact of the strikes on its maintenance plans.

If average availability drops by another 8 GW this year, EDF’s minimum production target of 300 terawatt-hours (TWh) will become challenging, Refinitiv analyst Nathalie Gerl said.

Refinitiv estimates EDF will achieve production of 296 TWh this year.

The current reduction in availability has so far equated to around a 1% cut to generation for the full year, or 3 to 4 TWh, ICIS data showed.

CGT spokeswoman Virginie Neumayer said EDF’s production targets were “ambitious or even very optimistic” noting they required a vast staff recruitment plan to deal with stress corrosion found in its reactors in late 2021.

“The disorganisation generated by schedule shifts is therefore complex to manage and will be felt over time,” she said.

French nuclear safety watchdog ASN requested EDF revise its maintenance program due to new cracks discovered this month in some reactors.

The French first-quarter 2024 baseload power contract, an indication of market confidence in power supply through the end of next winter, has risen more than 30% in the last two weeks after the latest cracks were discovered and the maintenance delays started.

March 25, 2023 Posted by | employment, France | Leave a comment

Low-dose Radiation Linked to Heart Disease

Columbia University Irving Medical Center, March 23, 2023

People exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation have an extra, but modest, risk of developing heart disease during their lifetime, according to a new study(link is external and opens in a new window) published by an international consortium of researchers.

“The study suggests that radiation exposure, across a range of doses, may be related to an increased risk of not just cancer, as has been previously appreciated, but also of cardiovascular diseases,” says Andrew Einstein, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and one of the study’s senior authors.

“It should not steer people away from receiving radiation if necessary—in fact many medical uses of radiation are lifesaving—but it underscores the importance of ensuring that radiation is used appropriately and kept as low as reasonably achievable.”…………

The researchers used data from 93 studies covering all ranges of radiation exposures to find a relationship between dose and heart disease.

They found an increased excess lifetime risk of 2.3 to 3.9 cardiovascular deaths per 100 persons exposed to one Gy of radiation. (In the United States, about 25 out of every 100 people die from cardiovascular disease; a person exposed to 1 Gy of radiation will have a slightly higher, 27% to 29%, risk of dying from cardiovascular disease).

Few people other than those receiving radiation therapy will receive 1 Gy during their lives. But the researchers also found a higher risk of heart disease at low dose ranges (<0.1 Gy) more commonly experienced by the public and also for protracted exposures to low doses.

More research is needed to determine the precise increased excess lifetime risk of heart disease from these low doses.

“The effect of lower doses of radiation on the heart and blood vessels may have been underestimated in the past,” Einstein says. “Our new study suggests that guidelines and standards for protection of workers exposed to radiation should be reconsidered, and efforts to ensure optimal radiation protection of patients should be redoubled.”

References

More information

The study, titled “Ionising radiation and cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis(link is external and opens in a new window),” was published March 8 in The BMJ…………………………….. https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/low-dose-radiation-linked-heart-disease
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March 25, 2023 Posted by | radiation, USA | 1 Comment