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Macau worried about proposed uranium processing plant

flag-ChinaMacau asks questions about proposed uranium processing plant, South China Morning Post, Thursday, 11 July, 2013  Phila Siu Macau has made an official inquiry to the Guangdong government about a proposal to build a uranium processing plant near Jiangmen , but the Hong Kong government would not say yesterday whether it had also done so.

The approach by Macau follows an announcement that the 230-hectare plant was planned for an industrial zone in an area governed by Jiangmen, which is about 100 kilometres from Hong Kong.

The Guangdong authorities have agreed that the radiation control standards for food exported to Hong Kong will be met at the safety level laid down in the Codex Alimentarius Commission Guideline

Macau’s chief executive, Fernando Chui Sai-on, said in a statement yesterday: “The SAR government has officially enquired about this through the communication mechanism between Guangdong and Macau.”….. Worries have been expressed that contamination from the plant could find its way into Hong Kong’s food supply…..http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1279838/macau-asks-questions-about-proposed-uranium-processing-plant

July 11, 2013 Posted by | China, safety | Leave a comment

Unsafety at Brown’s Ferry nuclear plant, and a whistleblower’s case

whistleblowerFor Johnson, speaking out has had consequences, as she said she ran up substantial legal bills without expectation of a resolution with TVA. But she became more concerned about the costs of not speaking out.

“I found myself in the position of becoming a whistleblower when TVA management altered root cause reports I authored to subdue their findings,” she said last week. “I hope that bringing this story to public light will force TVA to address the safety significance of altering the findings of teams of engineers and experts for the sake of protecting production and their own bonuses.”

safety-symbol1Browns Ferry: Shrinking the safety margin at Alabama’s largest nuclear plant By Challen Stephens and Brian Lawson, All Alabama 7 July 13

What federal regulators have said in recent years:

• Browns Ferry received a red finding, the federal government’s most serious warning Flag-USAbefore shutdown.

• Browns Ferry failed to notice a blocked low-pressure cooling line.

• Inspectors discovered wider problems with safety culture at Browns Ferry.

What a search of TVA and Nuclear Regulatory Commission documents also shows:

• The backup low-pressure line also malfunctioned.

• The high-pressure core spray was installed incorrectly.

• The Unit 1 reactor operated for years with overlapping, malfunctioning emergency cooling systems.

What a whistleblower alleges, and paperwork supports:

• TVA ignored or obscured failing safety tests for malfunctioning equipment.

• TVA hurried to install equipment based on managerial bonuses.

What TVA acknowledges in their own paperwork:

• The plant operated for years with a bias toward power production over safety. Continue reading →

July 8, 2013 Posted by | employment, safety, secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | 3 Comments

Japan’s nuclear industry has poor safety culture

safety-symbol1Japan: Building Nuclear Safety Culture Will Take ‘Long Time’ VOA, Reuters July 04, 2013 TOKYO — Japan’s nuclear regulator said on Thursday that elevating safety culture to international standards will “take a long time.” That assessment came days before new rules take effect that aim to avoid a repeat of the Fukushima nuclear disaster that occurred in March 2011………..

flag-japan“The new regulations include extremely stringent requirements that the operators would not be able to endure if they don’t change their culture,” authority chairman Shunichi Tanaka told reporters. “We will need a long time to change this culture, but day-to-day efforts to meet those tough standards will in the end lead to the improvement in the safety culture.”
Trying to restart
Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the Fukushima plant that had three meltdowns, Kansai Electric Power Co., and three other listed nuclear operators have said they will apply for restarts after the rules go into effect.

Tanaka declined to comment on whether he considered Tokyo Electric – still struggling to contain leaks and power cuts at its ravaged plant – fit to operate nuclear facilities. He added that whether the company will be given a green light would depend on the contents of its application…….

Upgrades required by the Nuclear Regulation Authority in its quest to impose the world’s toughest earthquake and tsunami standards will cost the industry an estimated $12 billion, according to Tom O’Sullivan, an independent energy analyst based in Tokyo.

Tanaka stressed that the new regulator had what it took to impose the new regulations. “We have large authority and powers. If the operator does not comply with our regulations, they won’t be able to operate, let alone restart their reactors,” he said.http://www.voanews.com/content/japan-says-building-nuclear-safety-culture-will-take-long-time/1695038.html

July 5, 2013 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Unsafe levels of ionising radiation at firm in Mersey, England

Workers at Mersey firm exposed to potentially unsafe levels of radiation, Liverpool Echo, By , 4 July 13,  Staff at firm couldn’t understand machine instructions because they were in Chinese Workers at a Wirral company were accidentally exposed to potentially unsafe levels of radiation because the instructions for the machine they were using were in Chinese

Two members of staff at Meyer Group Ltd, Bromborough, were put in charge of a “low intensity x-ray scope” which they used to check the inside of kettles sent back as faulty.

The machine, which was brought from China, was used for four months between 2002 and 2003 and again for nineteen months between 2007 and 2009 during a second product recall.

But unknown to the workers they were using the scope, which emitted “ionising radiation” for twice the recommended daily limit, because they couldn’t understand the instructions.

Nigel Lawrence, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court one of the workers was assured the machine was safe by a Chinese colleague who told him how to use it.

But it wasn’t until he asked for the instructions to be translated years later he realised he was in danger……..

Mr Lawrence said: “Any adverse health effects may not be known for many many years.”

The company later pleaded guilty to failing to ensure safety of workers and breaching regulations relating to working with radiation……

Judge Graham Morrow said that anyone who ever had an x-ray would know that radiation was potentially hazardous.

He will deliver his sentence this afternoon and is expected to fine the company tens of thousands of pounds.http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/mersey-meyer-group-ltd-workers-4870083

July 5, 2013 Posted by | incidents, UK | Leave a comment

Hospital workers expose to too much ionising radiation

Hospital workers say error led to higher levels of radiation exposure inforum, 4 July 13 HUDSON, Wis. – Claiming they have been exposed to excess radiation, four Hudson Hospital & Clinics technologists have filed a lawsuit against the architectural firm that designed the hospital and the construction company that built it 10 years ago.

By: Forum News Service, INFORUM HUDSON, Wis. – Claiming they have been exposed to excess radiation, four Hudson Hospital & Clinics technologists have filed a lawsuit against the architectural firm that designed the hospital and the construction company that built it 10 years ago.

The computed tomography, or CT, technicians say quarter-inch plate glass rather than lead-shielded glass was installed in the windows between the scanning and control rooms, thus exposing the workers to more than 20 times the usual radiation…. http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/405121/group/News/

July 5, 2013 Posted by | incidents, USA | Leave a comment

Plutonium storage activities halted at Los Alamos

All work halted at U.S. plutonium facility — Concern about ‘inadvertent chain reactions’ (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/all-work-halted-at-u-s-plutonium-facility-concern-about-inadvertent-chain-reactions
Title: LANL puts nuke work on hold over safety concerns
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican
Author: Roger Snodgrass
Date: June 28, 2013

Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Charles McMillan has halted a number of activities at PF-4, the lab’s main plutonium facility, pending a thorough verification of safety procedures. All areas of PF-4 involved in processing nuclear materials and production have been placed on hold. […]

Last month, a safety review by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board identified several problems during an inspection of safeguards against inadvertent chain reactions in the handling and storage of nuclear materials. In one instance, safety board staff identified a prohibited material in a work station. In another situation, workers at the facility identified two containers in a vault that exceeded prescribed limits for the mass and class of materials they contained. During the same period, a worker was found to have been contaminated by a leak from a faulty plug during a pressure test of a glovebox, which is supposed to be a tightly sealed workspace for handling radiological materials. “Multiple infractions” were reported in one particular room from recent months, where operations were already suspended. […]
Watch KRQE’s broadcast here

July 5, 2013 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Drunk on duty – police officers guarding UK nuclear sites

safety-symbol-Smflag-UKSafety fears over elite police officers drunk on duty at UK’s nuclear sites, The Independent ANDY ROWELL 26 June 13  Police officers with the elite force that guards Britain’s nuclear power stations have been caught drunk, using drugs, misusing firearms and also accused of sexual harassment and assault.

The offences by officers with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), released under the Freedom of Information Act, have raised concerns about the safety of the UK’s nuclear plants and radioactive material.

The CNC recently stepped up the number of officers guarding the Sellafield plant in Cumbria. The 1,000 officers in its workforce also protect highly radioactive material as it travels across the country. In one case, a police constable allegedly tested positive for cannabis at work. The matter was deemed so sensitive that the CNC refused to disclose the location or year the offence occurred, in case the identity of the officer could be traced.
Even after an internal review of the case, the date the officer resigned was deemed to constitute “personal data”, so it could not be released under the Freedom of Information Act…….

 such is the array of serious misdemeanours by the CNC officers– who are funded directly by the energy companies – that it raises grave concerns about the safety of the UK’S nuclear power plants. Paul Flynn MP said: “The UK sent 441 of our soldiers to die in Afghanistan to protect us from alleged terrorist threats to the UK, Nuclear installation are the prime nightmare targets that could create mass devastation. This evidence suggests sacrifices abroad but woefully weak protection standards at home.”

Robin Oakley, Campaigns Director for Greenpeace UK, said: “This deeply worrying catalogue of misdemeanours is a reminder that nuclear reactors will always be vulnerable to human mistakes and irresponsibility. If the people supposed to protect us from probably the highest level of nuclear risk don’t take safety seriously, what confidence can we have in the rest of the nuclear industry’s operations?”

Off duty offences ranged from being drunk and disorderly in a public place to minor public order offences and common assault. The incidents listed also included those which occurred on duty, as well as on and off site. Those on site were dealt with by the CNC, who either dismissed the officers for serious offences or gave warnings. Off-site offences led to police cautions. The CNC was unavailable for comment. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/safety-fears-over-elite-police-officers-drunk-on-duty-at-uks-nuclear-sites-8675660.html

June 27, 2013 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Radiation death ray plot to kill President Obama

text-radiationObama is death ray target of Ku Klux Klan nut http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4978215/Obama-target-of-KKK-nuts-radiation-weapon.html#ixzz2XAvBNDjL By PETE SAMSON, US Editor 21st June 2013 TWO men have been arrested over a plot to kill US President Barack Obama with a home-made DEATH RAY.
Fanatics Glendon Scott Crawford, 49, and Eric Feight, 54, were nicked after a six-month FBI undercover operation. Mr Obama was among those said to have been targeted by the futuristic device that would have fired lethal doses of radiation.

Engineer Crawford, a member of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan, told undercover agents his design was “Hiroshima on a light switch”. He said his plan was to hide the death ray inside a van and park it
near to a target. The device would be activated from a safe distance and according to an
arrest affidavit would “kill human targets silently and from a distance with lethal doses of radiation”.

He said whoever had the device could kill with little chance of being caught, according to the criminal complaint.
Crawford, of Schenectady, New York, said President Obama was on their hit-list because he had let Muslims into the US.

On the day after the Boston Marathon bombing in April he allegedly sent a text message saying: “Obama’s policies caused this.” The two men were investigated after trying to get funding for their plan. Last year Crawford walked into a synagogue and allegedly inquired about technology that could kill “Israel’s enemies while they slept”.

He later asked KKK leaders in North Carolina for money for his machine. Both the KKK and Jewish leaders tipped off the FBI.
Crawford was arrested as he tried to connect a remote activation device to an X-ray machine that undercover agents had given him after making it useless.
Prosecutor John Duncan said: “From our investigation, the device would have been able to emit X-ray radiation that would cause death.”

June 24, 2013 Posted by | incidents, radiation, USA | Leave a comment

Pakistan’s 25,000 to protect its nuclear arsenal

flag-pakistanPakistan deploys 25,000-strong force to protect nuclear arsenal, Times of India PTI Jun 22, 2013,  ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has raised a 25,000-strong special force and put in place extensive measures to protect and manage its strategic assets, including its nuclear arsenal, finance minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday.

“A special security force of 25,000 personnel, who have been specially trained and provided sophisticated weapons, has been deployed to protect (the nuclear assets),” Dar said, while winding up the debate on the 2013-14 budget in the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament……. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-22/pakistan/40133480_1_security-force-nuclear-arsenal-strategic-plans-division

June 24, 2013 Posted by | Pakistan, safety, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Two plead guilty to espionage of US nuclear weapons

Scientist and wife plead guilty to espionage involving nuclear weapons, Examiner, CRIME & COURTS JUNE 23, 2013 BY: JIM KOURI
Two contract workers for a U.S. nuclear facility pleaded guilty in
U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico on Friday to
espionage charges involving classified nuclear weapons information,
according to Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security
John Carlin.

Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Argentina,
and Marjorie Roxby Mascheroni, a U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty to
charges under the Atomic Energy Act and other charges related to their
communication of classified nuclear weapons data to a person they
thought was a representative of the Venezuelan government under
then-President Hugo Chavez……..
Both husband and wife were indicted in September 2010 and they were
charged with conspiracy to communicate and communicating Restricted
Data to an individual with the intent to secure to an advantage to a
foreign nation.

The indictment also charged the couple with conspiracy to convey and
conveying classified Restricted Data. The indictment also charged
Mascheroni with concealing and retaining U.S. records with the intent
to convert them to his own use and gain, and both defendants with
making false statements…..
http://www.examiner.com/article/scientist-and-wife-plead-guilty-to-espionage-involving-nuclear-weapons

June 24, 2013 Posted by | incidents, USA | Leave a comment

Ki Klux Klansmen’s plan to kill Muslims by radiation

secret-agent-SmFlag-USABehind A Klansman’s Plan To Kill Muslims With A Radiation Death Beam TPMMuckraker  ERIC LACH JUNE 20, 2013,  On April 11, 2012, Glendon Crawford — who went by his middle name, Scott — walked into an Albany, N.Y., synagogue and asked if there was anyone around to talk to him about a technology that could be used by Israel to defeat its enemies.

According to a federal court document, Crawford was “denied assistance” at the synagogue. But he was not deterred. That same day, he called up a different Jewish organization — the document does not specify which one beyond saying that it has a facility in Albany — and made a similar overture. Crawford also asked for financial help with his project. The person who took Crawford’s call later told the FBI that they spoke with Crawford for about 10 minutes. On the call, Crawford allegedly said the technology he was talking about could kill Israel’s enemies in their sleep. He also said the technology could be purchased for a significant amount of money.

You may have already heard how this story ended. Crawford, 49, and an associate, Eric Feight, 54, were arrested by the FBI on Tuesday, and both charged with conspiracy to “provide material support, or resources, intending that they be used in preparation for, or in carrying out, a violation of Title 18, U.S.C. § 2332a (use of a weapon of mass destruction).” In layman’s terms, Crawford and Feight were allegedly trying to create a truck-mounted, remote controlled, radiation death beam. According to an FBI affidavit written in support of the criminal complaint and arrest warrants for Crawford and Feight, Crawford specifically identified “Muslims and several other individuals/groups as targets.”

The 65-page affidavit, filed in federal court in Albany on Tuesday, provides numerous details about Crawford and Feight’s activities over the past 14 months……………..  Crawford and Feight both made initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Albany on Wednesday. U.S. Magistrate Christian Hummel told Crawford he would be assigned an attorney, according to The Albany Times-Union.

“Is it going to be the right kind of attorney for this?” Crawford asked the judge.  http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/06/kkk_radiation_gun.php

June 22, 2013 Posted by | incidents, USA | Leave a comment

White supremacist pair plotted radiation weapon to kill Muslims

eyes-surprisedNew York men accused of plotting to build radiation weapon By T.G. Branfalt Jr. ALBANY, New York   Jun 19,  13 (Reuters) – Two New York men are accused of plotting to produce a lethal radiation weapon and trying to sell it to a Jewish group and the Ku Klux Klan, according to a federal complaint unsealed on Wednesday…..Crawford, who claimed to belong to the white supremacist Klan, described the device as able to emit lethal doses of radiation but that victims would be unaware they were poisoned until several days later, according to the complaint.

The two also used the phrase “disposing of medical waste” to describe killing Muslims, it said.

They were charged with conspiring to provide material support for use in preparation for a weapon of mass destruction. If convicted, they each face the possibility of up to 15 years in prison.

They appeared in U.S. District Court on Wednesday where they were deemed flight risks and ordered held in custody.http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-usa-crime-radiation-idUSBRE95I1KN20130619

June 20, 2013 Posted by | safety, USA | 1 Comment

Trouble in Malawi, arrests at Paladin Energy’s uranium mine

the development has stunned most workers who think management’s move is aimed at eliminating workers deemed to be fighting for the employees’ welfare.Management already eliminated other employees through “unfair dismissals and retrenchment” of 25th January 2013.

Five held for ‘bomb’ threats at Paladin’s Malawi uranium mine, Nyasa Times  By Nyasa Times Reporter, June 19, 2013   Malawi Police in the northern border district of Karonga are keeping in custody five Kayelekera Uranium Mine workers on allegations they threatened management to blow up the mine.

The five, arrested last Friday, are also suspected of being linked to the theft of explosives worth US$5780.76 (about K2, 150, 600) belonging to China Road and Bridge Construction Company in Chitipa.

There was no immediate comment from Karonga Police as officers said they are “still investigating”. But Nyasa Times sources said the five were arrested on orders from Paladin Energy Limited (owners of Kayelekera). The five, who are production plant operators, are reported to have threatened Kayelekera management that they would blow up the process plant if their salaries were not increased and foreign workers laid off…….. Continue reading →

June 20, 2013 Posted by | incidents, Malawi, Uranium | Leave a comment

Radioactive waste a danger near underground landfill fire

“Emergency Action”: Lawmaker says nuclear waste is under threat from underground landfill fire near St. Louis http://enenews.com/emergency-action-lawmaker-says-nuclear-waste-is-under-threat-from-underground-landfill-fire-near-st-louis

Title: St. Louis-area lawmaker seeks removal of radioactive waste from Bridgeton landfill
Source: AP
Date: June 17, 2013   
St. Louis-area lawmaker seeks removal of radioactive waste from Bridgeton landfill […]
Bridgeton Landfill is part of the larger West Lake Landfill. Another area of West Lake contains nuclear waste from the Cold War era. Democratic State Rep. Bill Otto of St. Charles on Monday called for emergency action to remove the nuclear waste, citing the threat from the underground fire.
The Environmental Protection Agency says the radioactive material is not endangered by the fire and there are no plans to remove it.

See also: TV: Official to reveal “new concerns” about landfill fire nearby nuclear dump — “Will unveil new information about the radioactive waste” — Erin Brockovich’s group meets with residents

June 19, 2013 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Safety and insurance problems for Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs)

fleecing-taxpayerAlthough significantly smaller than traditional reactors, SMRs will still require significant insurance in the event of an accident. New nuclear reactors are currently covered by the Price-Anderson Act for accidents valued at over $12.6 billion. Price-Anderson may fall dramatically short in the case of SMRs

Taxpayer Subsidies for Small Modular Reactors Taxpayers for Common Sense February 27, 2013 Download: Golden Fleece: Taxpayer Subsidies for Small Nuclear Reactors (pdf)

“……..Current Applicants Seeking Federal Subsidies

Five small modular reactor projects have applied for support from DOE to date, but none of the five different reactor designs have been licensed by the NRC. NRC and DOE aim to award the first design certification license by 2018 and final construction/operating license by the early 2020s. Currently, all five projects are in the pre-application phase with NRC working towards initial design certification.
All but one SMR project would develop an integral pressurized light water reactor (iPWR) while the other would develop a fast neutron reactor (FNR)…… Continue reading →

June 15, 2013 Posted by | Reference, safety, technology, USA | Leave a comment

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