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Nuclear wastes, like diamonds, are forever

THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY AND RADIOACTIVE WASTES – our theme for June 2010. “The question whether one generation of men has a right to bind another, seems never to have been started either on this or our side of the water. Yet it is a question of such consequences as not only to merit decision, but place also, among the fundamental principles of every government.” – Thomas Jefferson, September 6, 1789

Half-life is the period of time it takes for a radioisotope atom to degrade to a state having half of its original intensity

As you can see the continued production, use, and dumping of such waste materials as depleted uranium and plutonium, into the world’s air, land, and water leaves a permanent problem for our children, grandchildren. great-grand-children ….

May 30, 2010 Posted by | Christina's notes | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AREVA’s uranium enrichment plant a danger to Idaho’s groundwater

Areva uranium enrichment plant in Idaho would threaten aquifer, Beyond Nuclear, 28 May 2010, The $2 billion in federal loan guarantees just awarded to Areva by the U.S. Department of Energy for a new uranium enrichment plant in Idaho, will produce depleted uranium (half-life of 4.5 billion years) and will threaten the Snake River Aquifer, say leaders of the Snake River Alliance.

Areva plans to build a new uranium enrichment plant “on the upstream end of the Snake River Aquifer a few miles east of the Idaho National Laboratory,” stated the Alliance in a press release. “INL’s nuclear activities have already contaminated the aquifer and have left substantial radioactive waste behind. Addressing these environmental challenges has already cost billions of taxpayer dollars and will continue for decades”. Continue reading

May 29, 2010 Posted by | USA, water | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

High cancer rates in Iraq believed due to depleted uranium

..“2,000 new cancer cases are reported in Basra annually. Our patients come from Basra, An-Nasiriyah, Amara and other provinces,” Doctor Jivad Ali, an oncologist, said…..

Battlefields contaminated with depleted uranium bred cancer,  RT Top Stories   23 May, 2010, Depleted uranium has been used for nearly 20 years as sub-ammunition of artillery shells in international conflicts like the two Iraq Wars and the NATO conflict with Serbia, but the long-term effects of it are unknown.
In Iraq, many doctors believe that the radiation leaked from old weapons used by foreign forces in 1991 and 2003 are continuing to have a deadly impact. Continue reading

May 24, 2010 Posted by | health, Iraq | , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

UK’s renewable energy incentives with Feed In Tariffs

How feed in tariffs could ‘democratise’ renewable energy generation,  Engineer Live, 18 May 2010, Suddenly, the rewards for generating electricity from low carbon sources are within the reach of far more people than ever before. Continue reading

May 19, 2010 Posted by | renewable, UK | , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. army always knew about the health danger of depleted uranium


SPOOKYWEATHER: Depleted Uranium Hazard Awareness – US Army Training Video If DU is as harmless as sometimes claimed then what spurred the US Army to make this training video ? This stuff is toxic and must be banned immediately.

VIDEO Depleted Uranium Hazard Awareness, SPOOKYWEATHER, 15 May 2010,US Army Training Video The training materials were intended to instruct servicemen and women about the use and hazards of depleted uranium munitions. In addition, the training regimen included instructions for soldiers who repair and recover vehicles contaminated by depleted uranium.Throughout 1996, these videos sat on a shelf, while U.S. soldiers continued to use and work with depleted uranium munitions. Continue reading

May 15, 2010 Posted by | depleted uranium, USA | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

High levels of uranium in Palestinian victims of Gaza bombings

Disturbing Findings of Toxic Uranium Levels in Gaza, palestinefreevoice, March 22 2010 Studies conducted by a group of Italian researchers have revealed the presence of dangerous levels of toxins in the bodies of Palestinian victims of Israeli bombings during operation Cast Lead in 2008-2009. The results of tests conducted on a sample of 15 dead and wounded victims of the war on Gaza, in addition to another sample of 95 citizens, showed the presence of 30 toxic components, notably high levels of uranium. Continue reading

May 1, 2010 Posted by | depleted uranium, Gaza | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lawsuit by Iraq on depleted uranium’s cancer and birth defects victims

Atomic radiation has increased the number of babies born with defects in the southern provinces of Iraq. Iraqi doctors say they’ have been struggling to cope with the rise in the number of cancer cases

Fallujah babies born with birth defects as a result of Depleted Uranium WMD contaminated dust. | Child Health

Iraq WILL sue US and Britain over depleted uranium bombs Child Health , 28 April 2010, Ministry for Human Rights will file a lawsuit against Britain and the US over their use of depleted uranium bombs in Iraq, an Iraqi minister says. Continue reading

April 28, 2010 Posted by | health, Iraq | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Soldiers, cancer, and depleted uranium

Our soldiers are offered up for radiological contamination, and possibly death. A byproduct of the greatest weapon of all, an invisible carcinogen,

Democracy and depleted uranium, http://www.uruknet.info  R. B. Stuart, April 20, 2010 Soldiers, like my sister, return from Iraq gripped by cancer. The US military says cancer isn’t a war wound…In March 2006, when my sister was 41, she was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, stage-IV dysgerminoma cancer, also called “germ cell” cancer,…. Continue reading

April 23, 2010 Posted by | health, Iraq | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. Army Video Shows Danger of Depleted Uranium

Hazards of Depleted Uranium Contamination Training DU Video | Engage Today

Engage Today, 18 April 2010,  Between October and December 1995, the US Army’s Depleted Uranium (DU) Project completed a series of training videos and manuals about depleted uranium munitions. This training regimen was developed as the result of recommendations made in the January 1993 General Accounting Office (GAO) report, Army Not Adequately Prepared to Deal with Depleted Uranium Contamination. The training materials were intended to instruct servicemen and women about the use and hazards of depleted uranium munitions. In addition, the training regimen included instructions for soldiers who repair and recover vehicles contaminated by depleted uranium.

April 19, 2010 Posted by | depleted uranium, USA | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Video: depleted uranium’s effects in the Balkans

VIDEO
A Most Persistent War Crime: Depleted Uranium and the Balkans
Eleven Years After The Balkans Bombings:Depleted Uranium in NATO Bombs Remains Deadly by Ljubica Vujadinovic, 18 Aprol 2010, A leading Serbian expert in the field says the NATO’s use of depleted uranium ammunition in it’s aggression on Serbia has caused enormous increase in cancer rates and number of newborn with malformations. Continue reading

April 19, 2010 Posted by | depleted uranium, EUROPE | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Depleted uranium causing infertlity in Israeli soldiers

Research by an Israeli doctor shows a significant drop in sperm count level and sperm motility among young Israeli soldiers in recent years.

Israel’s Declining Sperm Quality Tied to Depleted Uranium Exposure,  Atlantic Free Press, by Tim King, 16 April 2010 Israel’s population is facing a dire threat: a drastic depopulation, from the use of weapons that leave behind Depleted Uranium (DU). Depleted Uranium leads to the word Omnicidal, as DU kills everything in the food chain, everywhere the wind blows. Experts say the dramatic drop in Israel’s sperm count could eliminate their ability to reproduce. Continue reading

April 17, 2010 Posted by | health, Israel | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New Zealand makes a practical contribution to nuclear security

Call in while Down Under, Obama told | Stuff.co.nz NZ contributes to anti-nuclear fund By TRACY WATKINS in Ottawa 15 April 2010, ANTI-NUCLEAR PROJECT FUNDING New Zealand will contribute $685,000 to a Canadian-led project which aims to help prevent the illicit trafficking of nuclear and radiological materials.The money will fund radiation detection equipment for a major Russian nuclear facility.The project was part of the G8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The funding was announced during a trip to Canada by Prime Minister John Key on his way home from President Obama’s two-day nuclear security summit.In a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Mr Key said the project was a practical way for New Zealand to reduce the risk of nuclear materials ending up in the wrong hands.New Zealand has committed almost $6 million to G8 Global Partnership projects since 2004. Call in while Down Under, Obama told | Stuff.co.nz

April 15, 2010 Posted by | New Zealand, safety | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Russia doesn’t count depleted uranium as ‘nuclear wastes’

The Russian state-media report adds the uranium isn’t considered waste material because it can be reprocessed. Depleted uranium, however, has severe health consequences from long-term exposure.

Greenpeace irked by Russia’s uranium,   ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, April 14 (UPI)– A ship from the environmental group Greenpeace arrived Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Russia, to protest nuclear fuel waste shipments from France. Continue reading

April 15, 2010 Posted by | Russia, spinbuster | , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nuclear Weapons Proliferation is the biggest risk with Integral Fast Reactors

Why James Hansen is wrong on nuclear power | Links   April 8, 2010 Hansen Nuclear Power ….. Renfrey’s article understates the WMD proliferation risks associated with integral fast reactors (IFRs). The plutonium/waste mixture from IFRs could be processed in a conventional reprocessing plant without too much trouble, especially since proliferators would take simple steps (reducing the irradiation time) to maximise the proportion of plutonium-239 and to reduce the difficulty and hazards of transporting and processing the material. Continue reading

April 9, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Fourth Generation’ nuclear reactors sound good, BUT…

fast reactors cannot use water as a coolant, since this would slow the neutrons down. The coolant of choice is molten sodium metal. Sodium is highly reactive, burning readily in air and exploding on contact with water.

Why James Hansen is wrong on nuclear power | Links   April 8, 2010“……Compared to earlier installations, the projected fourth-generation plants – specifically, the “integral fast reactor” (IFR) designs that have drawn most attention – promise important advantages. Continue reading

April 9, 2010 Posted by | 2 WORLD, technology | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment