antinuclear « nuclear-news

Irresponsible to continue with nuclear power without solution to nuclear waste

“Nobody should be taken in by this spin. These proposals fail to address the core issues and citizens’ concerns on dealing with dangerous nuclear waste….
“Clearly, the absence of any solution on how to deal with dangerous nuclear waste makes current calls for a ‘nuclear renaissance’ in Europe all the more irresponsible.”…..

Mixed response to EU nuclear waste plan THE PARLIAMENT, By Martin Banks – 3rd November 2010 Today’s proposals on new EU rules for nuclear waste seem to be little more than a cheap PR exercise – Rebecca Harms EU energy commissioner Günther Oettinger has urged member states to bury radioactive nuclear waste, saying burial is the safest form of disposal. Continue reading →

November 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, reactors | Leave a comment

Dirty tricks in the nuclear industry, using Stuxnet computer worm?

if Areva wanted to harm Siemens reputation or make it less attractive to Rosatom, what better way than to demonstrate the unreliability of its control system software?

British Nuclear Power Plant Goes Dark. Stuxnet Worm To Blame?, Forbes, The Firewall , Nov. 1 2010 – by Jeffrey Carr, British Energy, owned by France’s EDF Energy PLC, has reported an “unplanned outage” at its Heysham 1 nuclear power plant yesterday. A company spokesperson told the Associated Press that repairs to one of the reactors are ongoing but didn’t say when the plant was expected to resume operations.
According to Siemens’ website, EDF Energy is a customer of the German technology giant, whose infrastructure software has suffered from a global infection of the sophisticated Stuxnet worm……. Continue reading →

November 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | antinuclear, AREVA, EDF, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, reactor | Leave a comment

EU struggles with nuclear waste problem, plans to ban exports of waste

no final repositories exist for the roughly 7,000 cubic meters of high-level waste produced each year….the majority of the toxic substance is kept in interim storages..

EU nuclear waste proposals include export ban EUobserver, ANDREW WILLIS 03.11.2010 BRUSSELS – New European Commission proposals will require EU member states to bury their radioactive waste deep underground, with overseas exports of the toxic byproduct also set to be banned. Continue reading →

November 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium | 1 Comment

Despite Republican win, USA’s nuclear industry is stalled

A renaissance in nuclear power may be stalled regardless of action by Congress, said Chris Gadomski, the lead analyst for nuclear power with Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

Nuclear Power Gains in Republican House Victory; `Cap and Trade’ Suffers – Bloomberg, By Jim Efstathiou Jr. and Jim Snyder – Nov 4, 2010 “…………Nuclear power remains a tough sell …. The U.S. has no long-term plan to dispose of spent reactor fuel, and building nuclear plants remains prohibitively expensive without government subsidies, said John Walke, clean- air director for the New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council. Continue reading →

November 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Ionising radiation’s cancer risk just as great for older persons

Recent analysis of the statistical evidence from long-term studies of atomic bomb survivors in Japan indicates that for radiation exposure after about age 30, the risk of developing radiation-induced cancer does not continue to decrease.

Radiation exposure: cancer risk in middle age, The Hindu , K.S. PARTHASARATHY, 4 Nov 10, The risk of cancer associated with radiation exposure in middle age may not be lower than the risk with exposure at younger ages. Continue reading →

November 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, Japan | antinuclear, cancer, nuclear, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Like everyone else, Europe has no solution to nuclear waste

“Safety is indivisible. If an accident happens in one country, it can have devastating effects also in others,” said EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger.

Nuclear waste storage problem must be addressed: EU BBC News November 2010 Europe needs to identify sites for long-term storage of nuclear waste, Continue reading →

November 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

What IS wrong with education in America?

Christina Macpherson's websites & blogs

The USA has just elected a majority of Republicans to their House of Representatives. Many were apparently swept up by the Tea Party movement, in a billionaire funded “peoples’ revolt”.

From outside USA, it seems incomprehensible that such a’ revolt’ could take place. With 10% unemployment, and many unable to pay mortgage debts – why on Earth would struggling people want to support policies that mean less taxes for the very wealthy, and less health care cover for the poorer citizens?

Are Americans, by and large, stupid? Or, more likely, is their education system failing very many of them, so that, in general knowledge, many are simply less well informed than citizens of other countries?

This is a worry when it comes to important issues – including global warming, and nuclear power. It seems that Americans are sitting ducks for the well-funded spin of polluting corporations. – Christina Macpherson, 3 Nov 2010

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes | antinuclear, climate change, global warming | 1 Comment

Huge anti-nuclear waste protest for Germany

Tens of thousands of riot police will be escorting the nuclear waste convoy across Germany to the Gorleben dump.

Nuclear waste shipments to Gorleben have drawn repeated protests since 1980.

German anti-nuclear activists disrupt Berlin trains, Reuters BERLIN Nov 2 – German anti-nuclear activists on Tuesday took responsibility for setting a small fire in a Berlin rail station during rush hour that caused widespread disruption to commuters throughout the capital. Continue reading →

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, opposition to nuclear | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Nuclear power plants just not getting built in USA, despite govt loans

President Obama even proposed another $36 billion in federal loan guarantees for the industry in February of this year.

Yet last year, only one application was filed. And none at all this year…

Obstacles to Nuclear Construction in the United States, by Tony D’Altorio, Investment U Research November 2, 2010 Electricite de France or EDF ADR (PINK: ECIFY) just got dumped by Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG). And that could spell some big changes to its plans. Continue reading →

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, AREVA, EDF, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

No money for nuclear!

If the nuclear industry is not covering its costs then the government will be left with a shortfall which they will have no choice either to write off the debt or to pass that cost onto the consumer.

Nuclear Power : Not cheap, Not safe, Not Wanted No Money for Nuclear, Nov 2010, Welcome to No Money for Nuclear The No Money for Nuclear movement was formed to concentrate on one issue. Whether the level of support that the nuclear industry will receive for building new nuclear power stations is justified, especially when contrasted with the severity of public expenditure cuts already announced. Continue reading →

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, UK | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

Singapore delaying nuclear power indefinitely, as solar gets cheaper

you won’t see a nuclear power plant in or around Singapore for at least something in the order of 10 to 20 years or even longer than that…Another option being explored by Singapore is solar power, which has become more cost effective over the years.

Nuclear power plant in S’pore not likely for next 10-20 years expert – Channel NewsAsia, By Joanne Chan : 02 November 2010 , SINGAPORE : Singapore is unlikely to have a nuclear power plant for at least the next 10 to 20 years, said one advisor to the local energy sector. Continue reading →

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | ASIA, business and costs | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, reactors, renewables, solar | 1 Comment

Britain and France get together on nuclear weapons

Britain, France sign military co-operation pact – The Globe and Mail, 2 Nov 10, In French military circles they are known as the “crown jewels,” the fleet of Mirage fighter jets kept in the sky and devoted to delivering a nuclear strike. In Britain, the four Scottish-based submarines armed with 200 Trident nuclear warheads are considered untouchable……
The agreement was nonetheless signed on Tuesday by President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister David Cameron, both of whom are struggling with deep budget cuts and sagging economies. It will place British and French special forces together in a joint force of 10,000 troops and permit the sharing of aircraft carriers, unmanned drone aircraft and other military hardware. Most controversially, it will combine the testing and oversight of the two countries’ nuclear arsenals at a joint facility near Dijon, France…… Britain, France sign military co-operation pact – The Globe and Mail

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | France, UK, weapons and war | antinuclear, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

More anti-nuclear protestors face court in UK

The protest was organised by the campaign group Trident Ploughshares which said it was opposed to the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons’ system.

More charges over anti-nuclear protest at Devon base, BBC News, November 2010 Eight more people have been charged with public order offences following an anti-nuclear protest outside Plymouth’s Devonport naval base.More than 100 people took part in the demonstration on Monday morning.
The charges include aggravated trespass and wilful obstruction of a public highway other than with a car. Continue reading →

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | opposition to nuclear, UK | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Ionizing radiation and other problems with mammography

The first problem with mammograms is that they use
ionizing radiation at a relatively high dose, which in
and of itself can contribute to the development of
breast cancer. Mammograms expose your body to radiation
that can be 1,000 times greater than that from a chest
x-ray, which we know poses a cancer risk.
False Positives are Alarmingly Common
The second glaring problem with mammography is its unacceptably high rate of false positives. …

The Dangers of Mammography: Ionizing Radiation, blogtalkradio, Lea Yekutiel, 1 Nov 10, Dr. Mercola’s comments:Mammograms are often touted as a “life-saving” formof cancer screening, responsible for reducing breastcancer death rates by 15-25 percent. But this reportedbenefit is based on outdated studies done decades ago Continue reading →

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, health | antinuclear, cancer, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Dangers, weapons spread, and mounting unsolved problem of nuclear wastes

Recent scientific publication from U.S. Department of Energy, states: “It is estimated that by 2015, the country will face a total disposal problem of more than 100,000 tonnes of high-level military and civilian nuclear waste.”….

Nuclear Power Industry: Promise Or Peril? 03 November 2010 Nigerian Compass, “………Among the area of concern of the safety of environment is the fear that the reactor core of nuclear plants may melt down. If the coolant system suddenly fails, this could lead to the release of dangerous levels of radioactive nuclides and radiation into the atmosphere. Continue reading →

November 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment