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

Water problems may bring early closure of nuclear reactors

The biggest push has been for power plants to install cooling towers to reduce the amount of water used to cool the plants. EPA estimates that over 200 billion gallons of water per day are withdrawn by manufacturing facilities and power plants.

Oyster Creek plant closing, will others follow? Power Gen, 12/09/2010 On Dec. 8, Exelon announced that the Oyster Creek nuclear power generating facility in New Jersey will be shut down by 2019, roughly 10 years before the plant’s operating license expires… Continue reading →

December 10, 2010 Posted by | USA, water | Leave a comment

Radioactive waste shipments through the Great Lakes

Based on Bruce Power’s estimates, the steam generators are approximately 90% plutonium. In particular, the steam generators are approximately 64% plutonium-239. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,100 years.

Why the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Should Stop Bruce Power’s Radioactive Shipments through our Great Lakes | rabble.ca, by Emma Lut, 24 Nov 10, Bruce Power has applied for a licence at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to ship 16 radioactive steam generators through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway to Sweden. Continue reading →

November 30, 2010 Posted by | environment, USA | Leave a comment

Radioactive poisoining of Mayak, in rural Russia

Mayak means irradiated milk, and a river 1,000 times as radioactive as normal. Genetic defects in people 25 times and cancer incidence four times the Russian average……..

Dumping nuclear waste on defenceless Russians, de.indymedia.org |Presenter Sonia Seymour Mikich: “……….The CASTOR protests of Gorleben ( ………german-nuke-waste-transportation) have shown yet again how nuclear waste has entrapped us. There’s no final repository anywhere. There are no disposal suggestions that would be suitable for a million years – that’s how long the fuel rods radiate. Continue reading →

November 22, 2010 Posted by | environment, Russia | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Continued fight to stop shipment of radioactive nuclear materials across Great Lakes

“According to BP’s own figures, about 90% of the mass of radioactive material inside the steam generators is plutonium — a highly toxic, long-lived radioactive poison,

Green groups take final shot to block Great Lakes nuclear shipment Carmen Chai ,NATIONAL POST,  Postmedia News · , Nov. 20, 2010 Environmental groups have one last chance to convince Canada’s nuclear-energy watchdog to reject a plan to haul 16 decommissioned radioactive steam generators across the Great Lakes on their way to Sweden for recycling. Continue reading →

November 22, 2010 Posted by | Canada, environment | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Town’s drinking water, and its economy, threatened by uranium milling

“The increased presence of radionuclide particles that will contaminate our surface water bodies, currently used as our municipal drinking water source, is of critical concern to the Town of Telluride.”….it could affect the tourist population, he said, it endangers Telluride’s economy.

(USA) Town of Telluride protests uranium millTown pens letter to CDPHE Telluride Daily Planet, By Katie Klingsporn, November 21, 2010 A group of environmentalists from the Telluride region has been hustling for more than a year to protest a uranium mill proposed to go up in Paradox Valley, a lonely, windswept valley in western Montrose County.
Now, the Telluride Town Council is hopping aboard the opposition movement. Continue reading →

November 22, 2010 Posted by | USA, water | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seabed area still radioactive, after Dounreay nuclear plant closed for 60 years

An area equivalent in size to 22 football pitches is being cleaned.

Dounreay: Investigation uncovers worst radiation hotspot ever Radioactive particles located during the latest search of the seabed off Dounreay. STV News, 18 November 2010 An investigation into the seabed off the Dounreay nuclear plant has uncovered the most dangerous radioactive hotspot yet found. Continue reading →

November 19, 2010 Posted by | environment, UK | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Now – a radioactive mouse at Hanford nuclear facility

Radioactive mouse hunt at Hanford, Seattle Times Newspaper, 18 Nov 10, After catching a radioactive rabbit on the Hanford nuclear reservation, cleanup workers are now hunting for a radioactive mouse.The Associated PressRelatedRICHLAND, Wash. —After catching a radioactive rabbit on the Hanford nuclear reservation, cleanup workers are now hunting for a radioactive mouse.The Tri-City Herald reports radioactive mouse droppings have been found in the same area where the radioactive rabbit droppings were found earlier this month north of Richland…. Local News | Radioactive mouse hunt at Hanford | Seattle Times Newspaper

November 18, 2010 Posted by | environment, USA | , , | Leave a comment

Radioactive waste sites all around town of Port Hope

Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. has begun a 10-year, $260-million project to dig up 1.2 million cubic metres of low-level radioactive waste buried in numerous sites around town and store it in a huge covered mound.

Sue government over toxic town, activist tells Port Hope – thestar.com, 17 Nov 10 “…………. Radium is leaking into Lake Ontario and uranium from the Cameco refineryPort Hope’s air, drinking water, fish, beach, soil — virtually everything in the town of 16,000 poses a health risk from radioactivity, anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott warned an overflow crowd Tuesday night. Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by | Canada, environment | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scottish beach still radioactive after 60 years

23 drums of radioactive waste have been removed. Two years ago SEPA said particles found on the beach could give a child a potentially lethal dose of radiation and suggested partially covering the “hot spot” in concrete……Experts admit the particles could kill if they found their way inside the body.

Families allowed on Fife beach awash with radiation « Deadline Press & Picture Agency, Amanda MacMillan, 15 Nov 10, THE clean-up of a Fife beach has been halted putting families at risk of potentially lethal radiation. Continue reading →

November 15, 2010 Posted by | environment, UK | , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Radioactive rabbit near highly radioactively contaminated Hanford

Radioactive rabbit caught near U.S. nuclear site English.news.cn 2010-11-06 SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) — The Washington State Department of Health workers have been searching for contaminated droppings after a radioactive rabbit was caught north of Richland in southeastern Washington, home to the Hanford nuclear site, local media reported Friday.
According to Tri-City Herald, the rabbit, which was highly contaminated with radioactive cesium, caught the health authorities’ attention because it was close enough to the nuclear site’s boundaries to potentially come in contact with the public…..Hanford currently is the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States and is the focus of the nation’s largest environmental cleanup. Last year, 33 contaminated animals or animal materials such as droppings were found on the site. Radioactive rabbit caught near U.S. nuclear site

November 6, 2010 Posted by | environment, USA | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Desalination plant run by wind and solar power

U.S. based Engineering For The Earth‘s Aeolus system require minimal wind speeds and can produce drinking water for communities of up to 500 people per unit. The only additional energy input required is for telemetry, which can be supplied via small solar panels.

Wind Powered Desalination With A Twist Renewable Energy News, 22 Oct 10, Wind powered desalinationWith potable water becoming an increasingly scarce resource in some countries, governments are turning to solutions such as desalination. An energy-intensive process, desalination has been made “greener” through the use of renewable energy. Continue reading →

October 22, 2010 Posted by | renewable, USA, water | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tanzania could lose precious water, and money, with uranium mining

Water is already scarce there and it would be imprudent to let one company consume huge amounts of water at the expense of area inhabitants…If global demand for uranium were to decrease, the estimated value of these deposits would also drop. Therefore, it is unclear how much revenue uranium mining would really bring to Tanzania……

….the average Tanzanian citizen has seen limited benefits from mining projects while the lion’s share of the profits go to foreign mining companies…..

Take care that uranium mining turns into blessing, not curse, for Tanzania, Daily Nation  By SHAABAN FUNDI, October 20 2010 Continue reading →

October 20, 2010 Posted by | AFRICA, Uranium, water | , , , , | Leave a comment

Radioactive tritium leaking from 20 USA nuclear plants

Last week brought more disturbing discoveries of radioactive tritium leaking into groundwater from Vermont Yankee, the aging nuclear plant in southern Vermont….In fact, the nuclear industry has contaminated groundwater with radioactive tritium at nuclear power plant sites all across the country.

Nuclear Power’s Threat to Clean Water | Greenpeace USA, by Jim Riccio – October 15, 2010 , Today is blog action day, an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day, and this year the topic is water. Continue reading →

October 16, 2010 Posted by | USA, water | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dangerous ionising radiation lingers at Scottish beach

Some of the particles found on the foreshore near a sailing club used by thousands of families are so highly radioactive that they could be lethal if they found their way inside the body. According to Sepa, outside the body they are “hot” enough to cause radiation burns on exposed skin.

Visitors at risk as MoD stops radiation monitoring at resort – Herald Scotland | News, Rob Edwards,  3 Oct 2010The health of visitors to one of Scotland’s most popular coastal resorts is being put at risk from radioactive contamination because the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stopped monitoring the area. Continue reading →

October 4, 2010 Posted by | environment, UK | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Slow progress in cleaning up uranium groundwater contamination

State records and Denver Water testing data indicate the pumping has failed to reduce uranium levels that far exceed drinking-water standards in Ralston Creek, which flows into Denver Water’s Ralston Reservoir.

Cotter Corp. puts a price on clean By Bruce FinleyThe Denver Post, 30 Sept 10, The federal government reimbursed Cotter Corp. nearly $3 million for cleanup of its toxic uranium mill near Cañon City — and could pay $3.3 million more for work in the future. But the work mopping up tailings and contaminated groundwater that began in 1984 is not scheduled to be complete until 2027. Continue reading →

October 1, 2010 Posted by | Uranium, USA, water | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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