USA « nuclear-news

Radiation therapy – necessary, but can cause secondary cancers

Younger patients are especially susceptible to the effects of radiation, and the three cancers that have been most strongly associated with radiation are breast cancer, thyroid cancer and bone marrow cancers, including leukemia

Clinicians say the benefits of radiation treatment for many types of cancer far outweigh the potential risks of experiencing serious adverse effects years later, and say radiation is now a lot safer than it once was. …. “We try to use radiation as sparingly as possible, but unfortunately, it is frequently part of the cure in a lot of cancers and it’s absolutely necessary,”

Radiation Therapy Linked to Secondary Cancers KBOI News, 7 March 12, (NEW YORK) — While the number of cancer survivors has tripled since the 1970s and continues to grow, the cost of that survival for many has been the development of secondary cancers and cardiovascular disease related to radiation treatment, according to an upcoming report by a scientific committee. Continue reading →

March 8, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, Reference, USA | Leave a comment

Virginia – hasty uranium regulations, behind closed doors

Activists urge caution on regulations for uranium mining, Virgnia Politics, 03/07/2012, By Anita Kumar As Gov. Bob McDonnell’s administration begins developing regulations for uranium mining, some activists are expressing concerns about the process.

In a letter to the administration, representatives of the Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia League of Conservation Voters and Sierra Club say they worry that the regulations, which are supposed to be written over the next year, will be done too quickly, behind closed doors and with little input from the public.

Another group of business leaders from Southside Virginia called for additional data instead before the regulations are developed. In January, McDonnell (R) recommended that the state further study the impact of excavating a site in Southside Virginia that contains the nation’s largest known uranium deposit before lifting a mining ban.

He created a multi-agency group — comprised of staff from the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy — to study the site and draft regulations for a possible new mining industry in Virginia. The group will accept public comments during four open meetings and on a new Web site ….. Environmental groups — worried that a uranium mine in Virginia’s relatively rainy climate could contaminate natural resources, cause illness and have long-term effects on plants and animals — are disappointed that McDonnell wants to begin preparing regulations….. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/activists-urge-caution-on-regulations-for-uranium-mining/2012/03/07/gIQAwJpYxR_blog.html

March 8, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, Uranium, USA | 1 Comment

Doctors report on radiation and the nuclear danger

Radiation is silent and invisible and the potential for long-term serious health effects are concepts that are difficult to grasp by the lay person. The need to educate the public could undermine the, until now, strongly projected assurance by both nuclear operators and government agencies, that nuclear power is safe…..

RECOMMENDATIONS: According to the new PSR report: “The past experience with catastrophic nuclear accidents and their frequency indicates that no country is prepared physically or financially to deal with the short and long term effects. As opposed to natural disasters, experience has shown us that nuclear catastrophes do not remain isolated but tend to become global problems affecting us all. Such preparations in the U.S. will likely be useless if a similar accident happens in countries such as North Korea, Pakistan, or other countries that have nuclear power reactors but no emergency plans. In reality, there is no cure once these events have happened; the only options are mitigation and palliation. In the absence of a cure, prevention is the only option.”

Physicians for Social Responsibility PSR Report: U.S. First Responders, Medical Infrastructure not Prepared for Fukushima-Level Reactor Crisis in the United States Market Watch, WASHINGTON, March 6, 2012 – One Year After Japanese Disaster, Little or No Movement Seen in U.S. to Improve Response Capability; Complicating Factors: Growing Population Near Nuclear Sites, Aging Reactors & Lack of Gov’t Coordination.

One year after the Fukushima reactor crisis in Japan, no meaningful progress has been achieved in improving the ability of first responders and medical professionals to react to a disaster on a similar scale in the United States, according to a major new report from Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). Continue reading →

March 7, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, health, USA | Leave a comment

USA’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission dragging on safety improvements

Nuclear Chief: Safety Moves Behind Schedule, WSJ, By RYAN TRACY March 6, 2012, WASHINGTON—Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said
Tuesday the agency wasn’t on pace to meet its own timeline for improving safety at U.S. nuclear plants in response to the meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant a year ago. Continue reading →

March 7, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Plan for Mid American to finance its nuclear plans and must then construct them

Lawmaker says deal struck on nuclear power bill CBS News, 6 Mar 12, DES MOINES, Iowa — A legislator said Tuesday that he had struck a deal on a plan that would give MidAmerican Energy new incentives to build a nuclear power plant in Iowa.

Sen. Matt McCoy, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said his panel will approve the compromise Thursday. The compromise would require that MidAmerican, Iowa’s largest utility, have financing in place before beginning construction of a nuclear power plant. Once
state regulators approve a new plant, the utility would have to carry out construction.

Some legislators had worried earlier versions of the measure would allow the utility to raise rates to pay for the plant, without being committed to actually building the facility. They said consumers could end up with higher rates, and no new power plant to show for it.

Lawmakers reached the agreement even as opponents held a Statehouse news conference, where they argued that nuclear plants are inherently dangerous….. Francis Thicke, a farmer and environmental activist from Fairfield, said the compromise backed by McCoy only dealt with the potential financial risks of the proposed nuclear plant. “My concern is the whole environmental issue and they are not addressing the environment,” Thicke said. ….
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57391792/lawmaker-says-deal-struck-on-nuclear-power-bill/

March 7, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Obama tries (a bit) to prevent war with Iran

Obama urges Israel to use diplomacy in nuclear stand-off with Iran, THE AUSTRALIAN, AFP March 05, 2012 US President Barack Obama criticised “loose talk of war” as he pleaded for patience in ending the nuclear stand-off with Iran, arguing that sustained international pressure would force Tehran to the negotiating table.

On the eve of White House talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Obama sought to reassure a powerful pro-Israel lobby by vowing to use force if necessary. Speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington alongside Israeli President Shimon Peres, he said sanctions were working and cautioned against the saber-rattling of recent months.

“Because of our efforts, Iran is under greater pressure than ever before,” he told thousands of delegates at the AIPAC annual policy forum. “Iran is isolated, its leadership divided and under pressure,” he said..

.. US intelligence is said to believe Iran does not currently intend to produce nuclear weapons, though it may be seeking the capacity to do so, and Washington has emphasised the importance of deterrent sanctions and diplomacy.

But Israel is reportedly eager to move more quickly and decisively against Iran’s nuclear activities, using a military strike to prevent it from obtaining even the capacity to take a decision to produce nuclear weapons….. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/obama-urges-israel-to-use-diplomacy-in-nuclear-stand-off-with-iran/story-e6frg6so-1226289117802

March 6, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Rocketing costs for cleaning up nuclear waste

Nuclear cleanup costs expected to skyrocket at Parks, TRIB LIVE News, By Mary Ann Thomas, ASPINWALL HERALD, March 4, 2012 The cleanup costs for the nuclear waste dump in Parks Township are expected to soar from $170 million to at least $250 million and maybe as much as half a billion dollars because of recently discovered complexities of the site and safety considerations. Continue reading →

March 6, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

Older breast cancer patients should not be getting so much radiation treatment

Radiation still used despite evidence of little benefit to some older breast cancer patients, Health Canal, 6 March, 12 http://www.healthcanal.com/cancers/27253-Radiation-still-used-despite-evidence-little-benefit-some-older-breast-cancer-patients.html By Karen N. Peart – Even though a large clinical study demonstrated that radiation has limited benefit in treating breast cancer in some older women, there was little change in the use of radiation among older women in the Medicare program, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the March Journal of Clinical Oncology. “We were surprised by these results,” said lead author Dr. Cary P. Gross, associate professor of internal medicine at Yale School ofMedicine. “Clinical trials are considered the gold standard of medical research and in this case the trial was influential enough to lead to a change in treatment guidelines. We expected it to have more of an impact on clinical care at the bedside.” Continue reading →

March 6, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA, women | Leave a comment

“State of the Art Reactor Consequence Analysis” (SOARCA) downplays nuclear accident impacts

NRC should immediately withdraw its absurd SOARCA report, and get about the business of protecting public health, safety, and the environment — its mandate — rather than doing the nuclear power industry’s bidding by downplaying risks as at Peach Bottom 2 and 3

“Demonic” reality of Fukushima, versus absurdity of NRC Beyond Nuclear 2 Mar 12, I”……..On March 13, 2011, even as Fukushima Daiichi’s reactors were melting down and exploding, and its storage pools at risk of boiling or draining dry and the high-level radioactive waste catching fire, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) provided false assurance to the U.S. public and news media, that no harmful levels of radioactive fallout would reach U.S. territories. However, at the very same time, we now know, NRC was itself worried about potentially hazardous levels of radioactive Iodine-131 reaching Alaska.

Just last week, NRC held public meetings about its newly unveiled, so-called “State of the Art Reactor Consequence Analysis” (SOARCA). One meeting took place near the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, not far from Philadelphia or Washington D.C., where two General Electric Boiling Water Reactors of the Mark I design (GE BWR Mark I) operate. Paul Gunter, Beyond Nuclear’s Reactor Oversight Project Director, attended and testified. Continue reading →

March 3, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | spinbuster, USA | Leave a comment

Obama makes hawkish noises about Iran

Obama warns Iran he’s not bluffing over nuclear weapons, Herald Sun, by: By Mark S Smith & Anne Gearan in Washington From: AP March 03, 2012 US President Barack Obama warned that he is not bluffing about attacking Iran if it builds a nuclear weapon, in an interview published overnight

In his most expansive remarks on the issue so far, Mr Obama told The Atlantic magazine that Iran and Israel both understand that “a military component” is among a mix of options for dealing with Iran, along with sanctions and diplomacy. Continue reading →

March 3, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics international, USA | Leave a comment

Michigan not immune from nuclear danger

Reminders of the Risks of Nuclear Power Come From Past/Present, Near/Far, HUFFINGTON POST, Patrick Geans- 03/ 1/2012 As we come up on the one-year anniversary of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster in Japan, reports are still emerging about the way the Japanese government kept critical information from their own public in the wake of one of the worst nuclear catastrophe’s the world has ever seen.

Likewise with three nuclear sites in the state of Michigan, we should also keep in mind other reminders about the potentially grave risks inherent to nuclear facilities closer to home….. Continue reading →

March 2, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Scientists detail 15 ‘near misses’ at USA nuclear power plants

Fifteen ‘Near-Misses’ at U.S. Nuclear Plants in 2011 Environmental News Service WASHINGTON, DC, February 28, 2012 (ENS) – The Union of Concerned Scientists has documented 15 “near-misses” at 13 U.S. nuclear plants during 2011 and evaluates the response of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to each event in a report released today.

The second in an annual series of reports, “The NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety 2011 Report: Living on Borrowed Time” details 15 special inspections launched by the federal agency in response to problems with safety equipment, security shortcomings, and other troubling events at nuclear power plants.

The overview is provided by David Lochbaum, the director of UCS’s Nuclear Safety Project. He worked at U.S. nuclear plants for 17 years and was a boiling water reactor technology instructor for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“While none of the safety problems in 2011 caused harm to plant employees or the public, their frequency – more than one per month – is high for a mature industry,” Lochbaum writes.

In the 40 years that the Union of Concerned Scientists has evaluated safety at U.S. nuclear power plants, “We have repeatedly found that NRC enforcement of safety regulations is not timely, consistent or effective,” the report states.

The UCS says its findings match those of the agency’s internal assessments, as well as of independent agents such as the NRC’s Office of Inspector General and the federal Government Accountability Office, which is the investigative arm of Congress.

Many of these 15 “near misses” occurred because reactor owners either tolerated known safety problems or took inadequate measures to correct them, Lochbaum finds…..

Article goes on to detail each of these.… http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2012/2012-02-28-02.html

February 29, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear plants in South Carolina and Virginia had “near misses”

Nuclear watchdog group says Duke Energy plant among 2011 “near misses” Observer.com by johnmurawski on 02/28/2012 “……According to UCS, the situation at Duke Energy’s Oconee nuclear plant in South Carolina involved a glitch in the backup reactor core cooling system that would have rendered the system useless during an accident.

The backup system was installed in 1983 and the plant’s workers didn’t discover the problem until 2011.

Another plant mentioned in the UCS report was the North Anna plant in Virginia which lost offsite power after experiencing an earthquake which was more severe than the plant was designed for……” http://blogs.newsobserver.com/business/nuclear-watchdog-group-says-duke-energy-plant-among-2011-near-misses

February 29, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | incidents, USA | Leave a comment

Federal govt confident of legal win in keeping new uranium mining from Grand Canyon

Sandy Bahr, director of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club aid the mining industry is used to getting its way when it comes to public lands, and she believes that is one reason for Monday’s lawsuit. “The mining industry seems to forget that these are public
lands, not their lands,” she said. “There are more important things than their short–term profits – namely the Grand Canyon.”

Environmentalists also said they do not believe the department’s environmental analysis will be found to be flawed as it spent more than two years on research, analysis and review of “hundreds of thousands of comments in support of the withdrawal,”

Salazar confident uranium-mining ban will withstand legal challenge By SALVADOR RODRIGUEZ Cronkite News, 28 Feb 12, WASHINGTON – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday he is confident a 20–year ban on uranium mining near the Grand Canyon will hold up to an industry lawsuit challenging the January withdrawal of the land by federal officials.

Salazar’s comments came one day after the National Mining Association
and the Nuclear Energy Institute filed suit U.S. District Court in Arizona, arguing that the Department of the Interior cannot withdraw more than 5,000 acres of land at a time under the law it cited. Continue reading →

February 29, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

A change, but not enough, in the NRC’s pro nuclear culture

Nuclear Regulatory Commission sea change? Chairman Jaczko wants red tape removed for Fukushima contentions By Frank Mand Wicked Local Feb 27, 2012 PLYMOUTH — While the Nuclear Regulatory Commission seems to be moving quickly now, dispensing with the objections and legal contentions standing in the way of relicensing the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, as those impediments are brushed aside something quite remarkable may be taking place.
Almost hidden in several recent decisions by the NRC – decisions which went against critics of relicensing – is the core of a sea change, a belief on the part of certain key individuals in this government bureaucracy that, at least in the case of recent concerns about the relevance of the Fukushima disaster to Pilgrim and other American nuclear power plants, business as usual is no longer acceptable…. Continue reading →