nuclear wastes « nuclear-news

No real solution for Hanford’s deadly nuclear weapons waste

one of the biggest challenges the US nuclear weapons complex, and consequentially, the Department of Energy, has ever had to deal with………… the tanks were leaking, and the government had failed to report the leaks and the spreading contamination……….

Cleaning Up After The Cold War: Hanford’s Tank Waste, Daily Kos:by Page van der Linden May 23, 2010 “…..the remote sites around the United States, consisting of laboratories and manufacturing facilities, the complex that made The Bomb possible. And unless you’re very familiar with this complex, or you’re a resident of the Pacific Northwest, you may not know about a remote part of Washington State known as the Hanford Site Continue reading →

May 24, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, radiation, radioactive, wastes | 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 Christina Macpherson | health, Iraq | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | 2 Comments

Alternative Nuclear Non Proliferation Meeting held

You can watch a video of the event right here.

The proposed ‘solutions’ to tackle proliferation risks are merely excuses to allow for a global expansion of the nuclear energy.

The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference Greenpeace urges delegations to recognise proliferation risks of nuclear energy expansion,by jmckeati – May 21, 2010 The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is undergoing its latest five-yearly review at the United Nations in New York right now.

Yesterday Greenpeace held an official NPT side event where independent experts highlighted the growing nuclear weapons proliferation risks linked to the expansion of nuclear power across the world. Continue reading →

May 22, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, uranium | Leave a comment

U.S. nuclear power loan guarantee goes to French company AREVA

DOE Picks Areva for Nuclear Facility – WSJ.co By CASSANDRA SWEET 21 May 2010, Siobhan Hughes contributed to this article.The U.S. Department of Energy said Thursday that it has approved a $2 billion loan guarantee for French nuclear power developer, AREVA.

“…..The loan guarantee is part of a broader effort by the Obama administration to stimulate the development of a U.S. supply base for producing enriched uranium.

A condition of the loan guarantee is that Areva obtain a combined construction and operating license for the Idaho facility from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The French state owns directly and indirectly around 93% of Areva…..the decision to award Areva a guarantee drew criticism from Ohio, where USEC has a partly-constructed enrichment facility. Rep. Jean Schmidt (R.,Ohio) said the DOE’s decision contradicts a promise by President Obama “to support the American company applicant and build a facility in Ohio.” Ms. Schmidt estimated that the Ohio plant would create 4,000 jobs. DOE Taps Areva to Build Enrichment Plant – WSJ.com

May 22, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, AREVA, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, reactor, uranium | Leave a comment

Navajo fight to protect land from uranium mining

Navajo to Protest Uranium Mining Expansion Censored News, 20 May 2010, On May 25-27 a delegation of Navajo community leaders will come to Denver to protest US Government support for expanding the nuclear industry that has already had a devastating impact on Native American and Chicano communities in New Mexico.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Mining Association will host a “Uranium Recovery” conference designed to make it easier for mining companies to move forward with a new era of uranium mining. Continue reading →

May 21, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | indigenous issues, USA | antinuclear, cancer, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation | 1 Comment

Failures of AREVA’s, Westinghouse’s and Hitachi’s new nuclear reactors

Free nuclear advice for the Polish Energy Group , Greenpeace International by jmckeati – May 20, 2010 “…………The Polish Energy Group (PGE) wants to build two new nuclear reactors. Which designs are they considering? Oh dear. AREVA’s EPR, Westinghouse’s AP1000 and GE Hitachi’s ABWR and ESBWR……… Continue reading →

May 21, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, EUROPE | antinuclear, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium, Westinghouse | Leave a comment

Tribal women’s campaign for uranium-mining free water

….only the federal legislature can provide for the land’s permanent protection from mining…….

Grand Canyon uranium threatens tribal water, High Country News, Caitlin Sislin | May 18, 2010 Last week, a delegation of leaders from Arizona’s Havasupai Tribe traveled to Washington D.C., to advocate for the protection of the Grand Canyon region from a potential onslaught of uranium extraction activities. These four women – tribal council members and traditional elders – voiced their concern for the safety of the land, the purity of the water and the health of the community, and called for the passage of the Grand Canyon Watershed Protection Act (H.R. 644). Introduced in 2009 by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) this law would ban mineral exploration and the establishment of new mining claims pursuant to the 1872 Mining Law, on about one million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. Continue reading →

May 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, water | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium, water | Leave a comment

Pay many $thousands and get a nuclear bomb proof bunker

Luxury nuclear apocalypse bunkers launched, newslite.tv, May 19, 2010 A US firm has started taking reservations from apocalypse scaredy-cats who want to book their place in a luxury nuclear bomb-proof bunker. Continue reading →

May 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Skin cancer risk from Airport Radiation Scanning

The research also shows children are more vulnerable to radiation damage, because they have more cells dividing at any one time than when fully grown and a radiation-induced mutation can lead to cancer in adulthood……

Airport scanners may increase risk of cancer Alfred Woody Wang’s Kewl Blog, 20 May 2010, Radiation “dangerously underestimated” * Skin around face, neck most at risk US scientists are warning that radiation from controversial full-body airport scanners has been dangerously underestimated and could lead to an increased risk of skin cancer – particularly in children. Continue reading →

May 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, health | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Iran planning new uranium enrichment facility

Iran to begin construction of new enrichment plant Tehran Times 20 May,2010, TEHRAN — Iran plans to begin construction of a new uranium enrichment facility by late March 2011, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Ali Akbar Salehi said on Wednesday.“This year (1389), after the preliminary stages are conducted, (we) will begin the construction of one of these plants,” Salehi told reporters when asked if any decisions have been made about the locations of the planned plants.Iranian calendar year 1389 began on March 21, 2010 and ends on March 20, 2011.In 2009, the Iranian government approved plans to build 10 new uranium enrichment plants………..
Salehi also said that the Bushehr nuclear power plant is going through its final tests and will come on stream this summer. ….
Asked if the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, would be having a meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, Salehi said both sides have expressed their interest in holding talks and they will probably meet in Turkey. …tehran times : Iran to begin construction of new enrichment plant

May 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, uranium | Leave a comment

Uranium contamination blocks plans for Towpath Trail

(USA) Towpath Trail planners consider options in crossing through radioactive site in downtown Cleveland, cleveland.com By Michael Scott, May 19, 2010, The Towpath Trail is at the crossroads.Planners of the ambitious and nearly complete hiking and bicycle trail are facing three uncomfortable choices as they try again to stitch together the final few miles through a downtown Cleveland industrial area along the Cuyahoga River.Their preferred route is still blocked by the lurking presence of a parcel on the northeast corner of Harvard Avenue and Jennings Road where uranium was once refined during World War II.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have said that the former Harshaw Chemical site won’t be fully cleaned up until about 2016 at the earliest,……Workers at Harshaw had refined uranium for the production of atomic bombs during World War II, leaving behind traces of uranium and other compounds in the buildings and soil on site. Towpath Trail planners consider options in crossing through radioactive site in downtown Cleveland | cleveland.com

May 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Court cases looming over radiation exposure

“Their bone marrows were terribly suppressed….”

Radiation victims plan legal action against DU , The Times of India, May 19, 2010, “…. Deepak and Ajay Jain, the two scrap dealers who were battling for life at Army hospital till a month ago, now plan to take legal action against Delhi University (DU), Continue reading →

May 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, Legal | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

It could be the water problem that finishes off the nuclear industry

“The best alternatives from a water perspective are wind and photovoltaics, that require effectively no water.”

Water Adds New Constraints to Power, NYTimes.com By ERICA GIES May 17, 2010 “……In the United States, thermoelectric power generation — mainly coal, nuclear and natural gas — accounted for 41 percent of U.S. freshwater withdrawals in 2005, U.S. Geological Society data show………..

But there is a growing awareness in California and throughout the United States that the use of water for energy generation may be reaching its limits.

California has extensive experience with water shortages, resulting in its adoption of a policy, included in the energy commission’s 2003 Integrated Energy Policy Report, that discourages freshwater use for power plant cooling…….“If you want to build a big central power plant, whether it’s oil, gas or nuclear, you can’t take the water for granted.” Continue reading →

May 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, water | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, climate change, global warming, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, reactors, renewable energy, renewables, solar, uranium, water, wind | Leave a comment

Iran-Turkey enriched uranium deal a problem for Obama

The agreement negotiated by Brazilian and Turkish leaders would have Iran send 1,200 kg of its low enriched uranium stockpile to Turkey, and in turn receive 120 kg of higher enriched uranium for Iranian nuclear medical use within a year.

President Obama’s nuclear headache By Laura Rozen – POLITICO.com | 5/17/10 The Obama administration isn’t publicly celebrating a nuclear fuel swap deal announced Monday in Tehran by the leaders of Iran, Turkey and Brazil. Continue reading →

May 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics international | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

UK’s nuclear plans hit by one blow after another

Another blow to nuclear plans, Ruscombe Green, 17 May 2010, “….new uncertainty over new nukes following the appointment of anti-nuclear Energy Secretary Chris Huhne. He has strengthened his assertion that new nuclear build will not receive any Government subsidies including in the event of a nuclear accident…….
Nuke-waste subsidy?
Chris Huhne may also be under pressure from anti-nuclear Lib-Dem colleagues to examine other potential aspects of Government subsidy Continue reading →