Despite Fukushima, USA inexplicably weakening its nuclear emergency procedures
The latest changes, especially relaxed exercise plans for 50-mile emergency zones, are being flayed by some local planners and activists who say the widespread contamination in Japan from last year’s Fukushima nuclear accident screams out for stronger planning in the United States, not weaker rules……
Evacs and drills pared near nuke plants, Bloomberg, By JEFF DONN, 17 May 12, Without fanfare, the nation’s nuclear power regulators have overhauled community emergency planning for the first time in more than three decades, requiring fewer exercises for major accidents and recommending that fewer people be evacuated right away.
The revamp, the first since the program began after Three Mile Island in 1979, also eliminates a requirement that local responders always practice for a release of radiation.
At least four years in the works, the changes appear to clash with more recent lessons of last year’s reactor crisis in Japan. Continue reading
USA prepared to strike Iran
US ready to strike Iran, says envoy, SMH, Amy Teibel May 18, 2012 – The US has plans in place to attack Iran if necessary to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, Washington’s envoy to Israel says, days ahead of a crucial round of nuclear talks with Tehran…. Continue reading
Let’s not forget that old-fashioned danger- ultraviolet radiation to eyes
UV rays can penetrate the internal structures of the eye, causing serious temporary and permanent vision disorders. Short term damage can range from bloodshot or sensitive eyes, to painful conditions like photokeratitis (sunburn of the eye). Meanwhile high doses of UV radiation can lead to long term health issues like cataracts, abnormal eye growths, cancer of the eye and surrounding skin, and macular degeneration.
New Report Outlines UV Danger to Eyes from Missing Sunglasses Market Watch, ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — More than 55 percent of adults in the United States lose or break their sunglasses every year, according to a new report by The Vision Council. For these and the 27 percent of adults who do not wear
sunglasses, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation could end up costing them a lot more than a new pair of shades.
The report, Finding Your Shades, Protecting Your Vision, outlines the long and short term
effects that can occur as a result of cumulative UV exposure, and the protective measures necessary to prevent them.
UV radiation remains a threat to eye health, yet few understand the
risk and consequences of cumulative UV exposure. The report includes
recent survey findings from The Vision Council that found that 20
percent of people do not feel that their eyes are at risk for sun
exposure and 11 percent do not believe that unprotected exposure to UV
rays causes health problems. The survey also found that many Americans
aren’t protecting their eyes – or their children’s eyes – with proper
use of sunglasses.
UV rays can penetrate the internal structures of the eye, causing serious temporary and permanent vision disorders. Short term damage can range from bloodshot or sensitive eyes, to painful conditions like photokeratitis (sunburn of the eye). Meanwhile high doses of UV radiation can lead to long term health issues like cataracts, abnormal eye growths, cancer of the eye and surrounding skin, and macular degeneration.
“Sunglasses and other UV protective prescription eyewear remain the
best defense against UV damage to vision,” said Paul Michelson, M.D.,
chairperson of the Better Vision Institute. “In my practice, I’ve seen
firsthand the painful and sometimes devastating consequences of
unprotected UV eye exposure, most of which could be prevented by using
UV-blocking sunglasses.”….
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-report-outlines-uv-danger-to-eyes-from-missing-sunglasses-2012-05-17
Apple going renewable energy
Apple to power main data centre using renewable energy, Technology Spectator, 18 May 2012 Apple plans to power its main US data center entirely with renewable energy by the end of this year, taking steps to address longstanding environmental concerns about the rapid expansion of high-consuming computer server farms. Continue reading
$6 billion to renew unnecessary B61 atomic bomb
ACA expert Kimball says it is “tragic that the B61s based in Europe are irrelevant to NATO’s defense.” He says their destructive capability is so massive that it makes their use incredible. “Neither US nor European taxpayers should be asked to waste more money to upgrade the system.”
US Nuclear Weapons Upgrades Experts Report Massive Cost Increase Spiegel Online, By Markus Becker , 16 May 12, The cost of modernizing US nuclear weapons, including those stationed in Germany, has risen sharply, according to estimates. Several independent experts told SPIEGEL ONLINE that the bill for renewing the B61 atomic bomb will rise to $6 billion. The project will also upset Russia, they say.
The B61 is the last remnant of the Cold War in Germany. Continue reading
Decentralised solar energy for use by USA soldiers
U.S. Army tests renewable energy systems for soldiers in the field GizMag, By Antonio Pasolini, May 16, 2012 In a bid to mitigate the risks associated with fuel transportation and to make soldiers’ work less technically complex, U.S. military scientists have started to test microgrids that would provide clean energy to soldiers in the field. Continue reading
Kodak’s secret nuclear reactor
Now, to the small matter of Kodak’s nuclear reactor. Wait. Nuclear WHAT? The Telegraph, news.com.au May 16, 2012 Kodak had weapons-grade uranium in New York basement Company used nuclear reactor for quality testing Reactor destroyed in 2006 IS this how Kodak gets rid of red-eye?
In a startling development it’s been revealed that a New York Kodak facility secretly housed, oh, we don’t know, ONLY A NUCLEAR REACTOR. Kodak has gone bankrupt, but in its halcyon days made cameras and brought dreams to life with Kodak moments.
Little did we know the company also had the power to obliterate entire cities. Gizmodo.com reports that in the basement of Kodak’s New York property lay 3.5 pounds of enriched uranium. Which means they had enough to build an atomic bomb.
No-one knew about it – not cops, firies, New York officials – except for a few top Kodak execs and White House types. “It’s such an odd situation because private companies just don’t have this material,” said Miles Pomper from Washington’s centre for Nonproliferation Studies. Apparently Kodak acquired the reactor in 1974 to check for impurities and other assorted testing. It was dismantled in 2006.
Walmart’s considerable solar energy achievement
And The Solar Lights All Went On In Massachusetts* (Walmarts) Renewable Energy News 16 MAY, 2012 | by Energy Matters Various sources are reporting the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, will be partially powering half of its Massachusetts stores with solar energy very soon.
27 of its Massachusetts stores will have solar panel arrays installed by 2014, representing a total capacity of 10 megawatts. Walmart director of energy, David Ozment, said he expects the solar power systems to produce enough electricity to provide 10-15 percent of each store’s energy requirements…. The systems add to Walmart’s already significant on-site renewable energy portfolio. As of last month, the company had 115 rooftop solar arrays in seven countries, collectively generating 71 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Continue reading
Challenge to Wyoming uranium mining project
Uranium Mining Environmental Consequences to Be Reviewed in Court, Switchboard, by Geoffrey Fettus, 14 May 12, For decades, uranium has been mined in ways that damage our waters and land, put our communities at risk, and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in clean-up costs.
Now, for the first time in years, the environmental community has the chance to make its case before one of the crucial federal regulators on how we can do better. The stakes are high – especially for Western communities and their groundwater.
Last fall, NRDC and our Wyoming colleagues at the Powder River Basin Resources Council (PRBRC) challenged the proposed licensing of a planned uranium mine in Crook County, Wyoming. The mine would use a process known as “in-situ leach” mining. This method combines the mining and milling of uranium into a single step, by leaching uranium and other heavy metals off the surface of uranium-bearing rock in place.
Instead of actually digging up the uranium ore, in other words, this process extracts uranium by injecting water mixed with base solution into the rock formation in an underground aquifer, to dissolve the uranium from its host rock. The uranium-laden water flows into underground production wells and, from there, is pumped to the surface and piped to a centralized facility, which extracts the uranium.
We have written about the regulatory system and its numerous inadequacies . If you are really interested, I encourage you to read it. In brief, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is the main licensing body for in-situ leach uranium mining. We are challenging that body’s decision to issue a license for the Wyoming mine. Continue reading
Top USA military man calls for cuts in nuclear warheads
Former Commander of U.S. Nuclear Forces Calls for Large Cut in Warheads, NYT, By THOM SHANKER May 15, 2012 WASHINGTON — Gen. James E. Cartwright, the retired vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former commander of the United States’ nuclear forces, is adding his voice to those who are calling for a drastic reduction in the number of nuclear warheads below the levels set by agreements with Russia. Continue reading
San Onofre nuclear plant – far from safe
Fairewinds report blasts safety claims at San Onofre nuclear plant 89.3 KPCC, | By Lisa Brenner , 15 May 12, San Onofre is twisting in the breeze of the new Fairewinds safety report released by activist group Friends of the Earth.
The study raises serious doubts about safety at the Southern California nuclear facility, and says running at reduced power will not solve the tubing trouble that has plagued the plant.
Southern California Edison recently disclosed a tentative plan to run the twin reactors at an unspecified lower power, at least for several months.
Engineers believed reduced power would ease the vibration causing the unusual deterioration of tubes inside the steam generators.
The Fairewinds report, however, says running at reduced power may actually make the damage worse and increase the possibility of cascading safety failures.
The report also expands a previous allegation that Edison misled federal regulators about modifications to the generators. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) disputes that claim….. http://www.scpr.org/blogs/news/2012/05/15/6127/fairewinds-report-blows-steam-generator-safety-cla/
Vogtle Nuclear Reactor’s cost overrun $2 billion
Rushing nuclear power reactors is not prudent and stockholders and/or the vendors, not ratepayers, should bear the burden of such costs.
Allegations of data suppression at Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Probe to Look Into Allegations at NRC, WSJ, By KEITH JOHNSON, May 10, 2012, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s inspector general will open an investigation into allegations that a regional supervisor sought to squelch some nuclear inspectors’ safety findings, according to an internal memo issued Thursday that defended the agency’s safety
record.
The investigation was prompted by an April 24 letter from anonymous staff in the NRC’s Western region to Rep. Ed Markey (D., Mass.), ranking member of the House energy committee. The letter said one of the region’s deputy directors had created a “corrosive environment which inhibits the ability of inspectors to identify safety-significant issues.”…. Continue reading
Archival test results of low level radiation do NOT show health benefits
Reactor casualties 4 – The phony lost archive versus the real one. Paul Langley’s Nuclear History Blog, 11 May 12, In a recent issue of “Nature” claims are made of a “lost archive” of Cold War era animal tissue. The animals had been injected with radioactive isotopes in the USSR and the USA. 1,000s of animals were involved. Both nations’ governments wanted to know the effect of internalised substances which were radioactive. The claim in “Nature” involves the supposed recent “discovery” of these lost archives of tissue in both countries. Lo and behold, the quoted scientist claims that the tissue “proves” the health benefits of low dose radiation. Sound familiar?
Caution urged on medical radiation for children
Too much radiation from medical testing is a growing concern, especially for children, because it may increase the risk of cancer later in life.
While there’s no generally accepted safe lifetime radiation dose for children, Schulman tells parents to keep a list of their child’s medical scans – and pull it out every time a 
doctor considers ordering another one. That’s especially helpful for children with chronic diseases, who truly need more medical scans than the average youngster.
FDA urges a lower dose of radiation when child undergoes medical scan Boston Globe, By Lauran Neergaard | ASSOCIATED PRESS MAY 10, 2012 WASHINGTON – When your child’s doctor orders a CT scan, X-ray, or similar test, there are two big questions: Is the scan really needed? And if so, will it deliver a child-sized or adult-sized dose of radiation?
That was the message from the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday as it took steps to help protect children from getting unneeded radiation from these increasingly common tests. Continue reading
1 This Month
Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
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Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
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