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Gordon Brown claims Dalgety Beach radiation more dangerous than estimated before

Brown claims evidence of ‘disturbing’ radiation risk at Dalgety Bay The former prime minister is handing over a dossier to the MoD highlighting the heightened danger of radiation. News STV, 25 March 2012 Former prime minister Gordon Brown says he has
seen new evidence of “disturbing” levels of radiation at a Fife beach where wartime military aircraft were incinerated. Continue reading →

March 26, 2012 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

Malaysia’s old closed rare earths refinery still radioactive decades later

Radiation still high at closed rare earth refinery? Selangor Times,  Basil Foo, 23 Mar 2012 IPOH: Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas (SMSL) activists claimed high doses of radiation were found at the former Bukit Merah rare earth refinery site last Saturday  “The radiation emission here is 2.0 millisievert (mSv) per year. If we hang around here long enough, our health will be affected,” said SMSL chairperson Tan Bun Teet.

They took radiation readings using a Japanese-made Environmental Radiation Monitor at the entrance to the former refinery site, which was ringed by concrete walls and metal gates. According to the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standards Regulations 1988), the annual dose limit for a member of the public is 1 mSv.

Tan said the dangers of radiation were well-known – from the testimonies of former workers at the Bukit Merah refinery whose children developed deformities. Continue reading →

March 24, 2012 Posted by | environment, Malaysia | Leave a comment

U.N. to investigate effects on Marshall Islanders of USA’s atomic bomb tests

UN to assess Marshall Islands nuclear effects ABC Asia Pacific News,  22 Mar 2012  A United Nations expert will visit the Marshall Islands next week to assess adverse effects of the nuclear testing undertaken by the United States between 1946 and 1958.

”It will be an exceptional opportunity to assess how the Marshallese peoples’ basic rights including the right to food, adequate housing and health have been affected,” Calin Georgescu, special rapporteur on the human rights obligations related to environmental issues, said in a press release.

Mr Georgescu is to present the conclusions of his March 26-30 visit to the UN Human Rights Council in September, possibly including recommendations to the governments of the Marshall Islands and the United States. http://abcasiapacificnews.com/stories/201203/3461159.htm

March 24, 2012 Posted by | environment, OCEANIA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Uranium mining threatens water supply

even a small spill could affect the water supply for growing populations in North Carolina, and that radioactive mill waste would have to be monitored forever.

Water worries continue to flow around uranium controversy  Go Dan River, 21 March 12, Residents and leaders downstream of a proposed uranium site in Pittsylvania County say they bear risks from the project, but have nothing to gain. Continue reading →

March 22, 2012 Posted by | Uranium, USA, water | Leave a comment

Rare earths processing – a potent environmental polluter

China’s rare earths refineries…… have poisoned rivers with acid and piled up radioactive waste — an environmental cost that aroused little controversy in developed, consuming nations

Malaysian protesters blame an earlier rare earths plant, shut by Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemicals in 1992, for birth defects and a high number of leukemia cases……

Environmental campaigners point to studies done in both New Jersey and China showing that thorium radiation emitted during the refining process and by plant waste can cause cancer, leukemia, birth defects and chronic lung diseases.

Pollution the big barrier to freer trade in rare earths Al Arabiya News,, 19 March 2012 Environmental campaigners point to studies done in both New Jersey and China showing that thorium radiation emitted during the refining process and by plant waste can cause cancer, leukemia, birth defects and chronic lung diseases.

Tackling pollution, not freeing up trade, is regarded as the solution to a global shortage of rare earths, the metals that are the building blocks of the 21st century.  Continue reading →

March 20, 2012 Posted by | China, environment, Uranium | Leave a comment

The hidden danger of radioactive scrap metal

Chronic exposure to low doses of radiation can lead to cataracts, cancer and birth defects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A 2005 study of more than 6,000 Taiwanese who lived in apartments built with radioactive reinforcing steel from 1983 to 2005 showed a statistically significant increase in leukemia and breast cancer….

Nuclear Risks at Bed, Bath & Beyond Show Hidden Danger of Scrap Bloomberg, By Jonathan Tirone and Andrew MacAskill – Mar 20, 2012 Going shopping? Don’t forget your wallet and credit card. Or Geiger counter.

The discovery of radioactive tissue boxes at Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY) stores in January raised alarms among nuclear security officials and company executives over the growing global threat of contaminated scrap metal. Continue reading →

March 20, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, environment, USA | Leave a comment

Radioactive isotopes in ocean plankton, from Fukushiam

 follow-up studies will be necessary because the radioactive cesium is likely to have accumulated in fish that eat plankton, the team said

In the latest survey, the team also found cesium-134 — which has a two-year half-life — in plankton at the same levels as cesium-137, whose half-life is three decades.

Cesium found in plankton almost 375 miles from Fukushima nuclear plant, Boston Herald, By The Yomiuri Shimbun http://news.bostonherald.com/news/international/asia_pacific/view/20120318cesium found_in_plankton_almost_375_miles_from_fukushima_nuclear_plant/srvc=home&position=recent,March 18, 2012 – TOKYO — Radioactive cesium believed to have been released during the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Japan following last year’s major earthquake has been found in plankton about 600 kilometers (nearly 375 miles) east of the facility, according to a Japan-U.S. joint research team. Continue reading →

March 19, 2012 Posted by | Japan, oceans | Leave a comment

Former UK Prime Minister Brown wants full cleanup of radioactivity on Scotland’s coast

Bay radiation clean-up plan agreed Google News, (UKPA) – 17 March 12, A plan has been agreed to deal with radioactive particles found on an area of Scottish coastline. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) have agreed a plan to treat Dalgety Bay in Fife. “Significant” sources of radiation were discovered at the bay on the Firth of Forth coast earlier this year.

The contamination is thought to stem from residue of radium-coated instrument panels used on military aircraft which were incinerated and land-filled in the area at the end of the Second World War….

. Former prime minister Gordon Brown, who has campaigned for the bay to be cleaned up, welcomed the statement but said a timetable of action should be drawn up. Mr Brown said: “I and the community council are clear that we need a full statement of the discovery of radiation particles in the area and we need not only a plan for continuous monitoring but a plan for the removal of radioactive particles and either a sea wall or other remedial work to prevent particles causing safety fears again.
“When I meet the Secretary of State for Defence next Monday on 26th March I will be asking for a timetable for a clean-up plan for the area that can be implemented as soon as possible. This, and this alone, can lift the threat of a designation order that would label
Dalgety Bay a radiation contaminated area. None of us want this to happen and it is up to the Ministry of Defence to take action to prevent this misfortune.” http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hvuc1afMQN0gtJUmg2Ng3wNH02TA?docId=N1157191331927522285A

March 17, 2012 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

The damaging impact of Indian Point Nuclear Plant on river fish

NRC Finds New Environmental Data on Indian Point, Scarsdale, by Jessica Glenza   BUCHANAN, N.Y. 15 March 12,  – New environmental impact data of Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants’ effect on Hudson River aquatic organisms prompted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to begin a supplemental environmental impact statement. The supplement is in addition to the impact statement already required for the two reactors’ license renewal proceedings.

The NRC cited three reasons for the supplemental statement; new data provided by Entergy regarding how many fish are killed or trapped against cooling water intakes, the thermal plume created by warm water ejected from the plant into the Hudson River and new developments with regard to endangered species.

“It’s not that uncommon for us to do a supplemental environmental impact statement, these reviews can take years,” said Neil Sheehan, spokesperson for the NRC about reviews for license renewal. “The listing of the Atlantic sturgeon is obviously a very new piece of information.”

In January, the National Marine Fisheries listed Hudson River Atlantic sturgeon populations as endangered.  Data provided by Entergy refers to “impingement” and “entrainment” of fish in the once-through cooling water intakes. “Impingment” refers to the trapping of fish against intake screens, “entrainment” refers to smaller fish that go through the intake’s traveling screens and are killed in the plants’ cooling systems, which use up to 2.5 billion gallons of river water per day….. http://www.thedailyscarsdale.com/news/nrc-finds-new-environmental-data-indian-point

March 16, 2012 Posted by | environment, USA, water | 1 Comment

Increasing risk to nuclear sites, of sea level rise and tsunamis

Nuclear sites, sea-level rise and tsunamis, guardian.co.uk, Dr Paul Dorfman Co-ordinator, Nuclear Consulting Group  11 March 2012  It seems clear that nuclear facilities will be vulnerable to the effects of global warming (Nuclear power sites face flood and erosion risks, 8 March). As the Institution of Mechanical Engineers    stated in a 2009 report: “Nuclear sites, such as Sizewell, based on the coastline, may need considerable investment to protect them against rising sea levels, or even abandonment/relocation in the long term.”

So, given that proposed new UK reactors, together with  their radioactive waste stores   including spent fuel, will be located on coasts – predicted sea-level rise, shoreline erosion, coastal storms, floods, tidal surges and the evolution of “nuclear islands” stand out as primary concerns.  This means that adapting nuclear power to climate change will entail increased expense for construction, operation, waste storage and decommissioning, and the incurring of significant costs to the environment, public health and welfare.

Robert Griffiths:   Although the risk of floods to nuclear power stations must not be ignored, a much more dangerous threat is that of a tsunami. Oldbury, Berkeley and Hinkley Point are all in the area of England’s only known tsunami. This is reported to have occurred on 20 January in 1607. Plaques on local churches indicate the depth of the water may have been 7 to 8 metres, and it is said to have reached Glastonbury Tor, some 22km inland. Flood and erosion problems can be solved by building sea walls around the plants as we approach 2080. Why is no one worried about an unexpected tsunami on top of rising sea levels?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/mar/11/nuclear-sites-sea-rise-tsunamis?newsfeed=true

March 12, 2012 Posted by | climate change, oceans, UK | Leave a comment

Northern Hemisphere got Fukushima radiation for 6 weeks after the nuclear disaster

Fukushima Radiation detectable across northern hemisphere 15 days after disaster http://enformable.com/2012/03/fukushima-radiation-detectable-across-northern-hemisphere-15-days-after-disaster/   Enformable  by Lucas W Hixson  March 9, 2012  From March to June 2011, the global radionuclide network of the CTBTO, detected radionuclides emitted from the Fukushima nuclear power plant for a period of more than 6 weeks at all of the monitoring stations in the northern hemisphere. Very high concentrations were observed which in some cases even exceeded the functional capabilities of the high sensitivity monitoring systems Continue reading →

March 10, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, environment, Reference | Leave a comment

Rising radioactivity findings in Japanese fish

Radiation Findings in Japanese Fish Imports Rising The Fish Site, 9 Mar, 12 SOUTH KOREA – South Korea is more frequently finding radioactive materials in fishery products from Japan but has no immediate plans to ban imports as their levels are far below the
maximum intake limits, the quarantine office said Thursday.

In the first two months of the year, the country has detected traces of radioactive materials, such as cesium, in 32 separate shipments of fisheries products from Japan, according to the Animal, Plant and Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency. ….
http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/16655/radiation-findings-in-japanese-fish-imports-rising

March 10, 2012 Posted by | ASIA, oceans | Leave a comment

Fukushima radiation in Ireland shows the global reach of nuclear pollution

 Fukushima radiation measured in Ireland, The Irish Times – , March 9, 2012 DICK AHLSTROM, Science Editor  RADIOACTIVITY FROM the Fukushima nuclear reactor accident in Japan reached Ireland in the weeks after the event. It arrived at such low levels, however, that it had no significance for either public health or food safety, according to a report on the incident from the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. “The levels that we have detected were very low,” Dr Ciara McMahon, the institute’s director of environmental surveillance and assessment, said yesterday….
“Fukushima couldn’t be much further away from Ireland, but we still must be able to monitor for accidents. We have to be ready to respond.”

The incident, triggered by the impact of an earthquake and tsunami, showed the need for nuclear authorities worldwide to re-evaluate their safety procedures, said the institute’s chief executive, Dr Ann McGarry.

There was “no room for complacency within the international nuclear industry”. “A nuclear accident anywhere has potential to be a nuclear accident everywhere.” The radioactive particles that reached Ireland were similar to those arriving as nuclear fallout here after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in 1986, according to data from the institute. The
monitoring stations detected radioactive Iodine-131 and two forms of radioactive Caesium, Cs-137 and Cs-134. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0309/1224313062967.html

March 9, 2012 Posted by | environment, Reference, UK | Leave a comment

A Pandora’s box of scientific changes, following Fukushima nuclear disaster

The World is Powerless Against Fukushima Fallout, Hyphen Submitted by New America Media, March 8, 2012 by Yoichi Shimatsu “………Previously unknown types of explosive nuclear reactions occurring midair or underground, which have been misrepresented as “hydrogen blasts”
Expansion of a vast ozone hole over the Arctic Circle, now equal in area to the damaged upper atmosphere over the Antarctic, caused by radioactive iodine and xenon gas caught in the jet stream, leaving the Earth’s air supply unprotected and heightening the threat of skin
carcinoma
High-energy interactions of xenon gas (which decays into cesium) with incoming solar flares and artificial electromagnetic belts created by US, NATO and Russian missile-defense shields (this synergy is visible in the northern lights that emit a deep green color due to the
excitation of xenon, and it is no coincidence that three American nuclear power plants were incapacitated during the recent solar flare)
The growing possibility of mass extinction of marine life in the Pacific Ocean due to the nuclear contamination of major spawning waters for plankton and fish, the bottom of the food chain for higher life-forms, including whales and humans A rising threat to human reproductive health from ingestion of radioactive isotopes through food, drinking water and respiration,
resulting in mass abortions and population decline for Japan, a trend that will extend worldwide
Mutations of contagious pathogens, such as bird flu, due to genetic disorders in both microorganism and host species, including domesticated animals and wildlife….. …. . http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/archive/2012/03/world-powerless-against-fukushima-fallout

March 9, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, environment, Reference | Leave a comment

Santa Susanna’ s radiation pollution from 1959 nuclear accident

Santa Susanna pollution data raises more questions about long term radiation than it answers, 89.3 KPCC, March 6, 2012 | By Molly Peterson  I did a short story today about the former Santa Susanna Field Laboratory site, where Rocketdyne and others once had operations, and where in 1959 a nuclear accident released far more radioactive material than Three Mile Island. I don’t just hang out on the EPA’s website, or at the gates of that property. Instead, I heard about the data release from State Senator Julia Brownley’s release yesterday :

“This confirms what we were worried about,” said Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Oak Park, a long-time leader in the fight for a complete and thorough cleanup of this former Rocketdyne rocket engine testing laboratory. “This begins to answer critical questions about what’s still up there, where, how much, and how bad?”

Brownley’s release asserts that the new samples collected are up to 1000 times higher than the “radiation trigger levels” approved by state and federal officials in 2010, when state officials reached agreements deemed, at the time, “historic,”  with NASA and the Department of Energy for cleanups.  Continue reading →

March 8, 2012 Posted by | environment, incidents, USA | 1 Comment

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