nuclear wastes « nuclear-news

Nuclear Summit kept quiet about dangers of recycling nuclear fuel

Recycling fuel should end: Evans, Sydney Morning Herald, April 15, 2010, WASHINGTON: A former Australian foreign minister, Gareth Evans, was at the centre of a dispute over reactor suppliers recycling nuclear fuel even as US officials sought to skirt the issue during a summit in Washington organised by the President, Barack Obama.

Mr Evans is co-chairman of the Australian government’s international non-proliferation and disarmament commission. On Monday, at a conference of experts which is being held in parallel with Mr Obama’s nuclear security summit, he called for an end to fuel recycling.Mr Evans and a former US ambassador-at-large, Robert Gallucci, said recycling created stockpiles of dangerous materials ripe for theft………
The issue was not among those central to the Obama summit. Administration officials said last week they had deliberately avoided some of the more contentious issues that would not have won support from all participants. Gareth Evans

April 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, enriched, fast breeder, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium | 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 Christina Macpherson | Russia, spinbuster | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, uranium | 1 Comment

The economic and social realities of nuclear energy

Waste not … or get nukes — High Country News, Eric Jantz Apr 13, 2010 “……..To begin with, there’s the issue of who benefits from increasing nuclear power generation. At every point along the nuclear fuel chain, the flow of money reinforces current economic and social power disparities. Continue reading →

April 14, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, Religion and ethics | antinuclear, AREVA, energy efficiency, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reactors, renewable energy, uranium | Leave a comment

Old Russian nuclear warheads to become fuel for U.S. commercial nuclear reactors

Nuclear twist sees Russian warheads warming US homes Herald Sun AFP , April 13, 2010, IN A strange twist of Cold War enmity on the melt, uranium from what once were Russian nuclear warheads is used to heat and light American homes, thanks to the Megatons to Megawatts Program – a successful example of nuclear non-proliferation. Continue reading →

April 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Russia | antinuclear, disarmament, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Ukraine will get rid of its Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU)

Ukraine to dispose of enriched uranium, Sydney Morning Herald April 13, 2010 – AFP Ukraine pledged on Monday to dispose of its stocks of highly enriched uranium by 2012, as the United States vowed to work with the nation still haunted by the Chernobyl accident over two decades ago….

Ukraine to dispose of enriched uranium

April 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Ukraine | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear near misses

Nuclear near misses,The Age, by Daniel Flitton, April 13, 2010. Nuclear near misses- THE most infamous accident involved a US Air Force B-52 bomber colliding with a refuelling aircraft at high-altitude above Palomares, Spain, in 1966. The bomber dropped two nuclear weapons – one fell to the ground, another into the Mediterranean, setting off what was described as ”the most expensive, intensive, harrowing and feverish underwater search for a man-made object in world history”. The other bomb exploded on impact. No nuclear detonation occurred, but radioactive plutonium was scattered across a wide area. Continue reading →

April 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear ships not allowed in New Zealand waters

US Navy ship visits not on the cards – PM, The National Business Review April 13, 2010 – Visits of US Navy ships into New Zealand waters were not discussed when Prime Minister John Key met United States Vice-President Joe Biden today and Mr Key said it was not a burning issue for either country…….Under that legislation, the prime minister has to approve that any warship that comes in is not carrying any nuclear explosive device, and is not nuclear-powered…..Mr Key is in Washington attending a nuclear security summit. US Navy ship visits not on the cards – PM | The National Business Review – New Zealand – business, markets, finance, politics, property, technology and more

April 13, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | New Zealand, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Old nuclear weapons fuel to be used in commercial nuclear reactors

the US and Russia will today sign a long-delayed agreement to dispose of 34 tonnes of plutonium from decommissioned weapons, by using it in power stations.

US summit expected to back Barack Obama’s plan to prevent nuclear theft | World news | The Guardian 12 April Leaders from more than 40 countries will tomorrow back Barack Obama’s plans to prevent the theft of nuclear material from vulnerable stockpiles around the world. Continue reading →

April 12, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

More radiation victims feared in India

Experts fear more affected by radiation in Mayapuri, The Times of India, Risha Chitlangia, TNN, Apr 11, 2010, NEW DELHI: Scientists from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and experts from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), along with Delhi Police, will launch a search operation to track down all the people who visited Deepak Jain’s shop in the past two weeks as they fear that more people had been affected by the radioactive waste. Continue reading →

April 12, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, India | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radioactive | Leave a comment

First shipment to USA of highly dangerous Highly Enriched Uranium

A team of Americans finally shipped it out last month just after the country’s massive earthquake, weaving a convoy of trucks around shattered highways in the middle of the night to reach a functioning port.

Chile gives its last weapons-grade uranium to US By MICHAEL WARREN and MEG KINNARD (AP) – Google News Hostimg 12 April”.…..”It” is highly enriched uranium 235, HEU for short. It’s the material that most worries anti-terrorism experts. Just 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of it in a nuclear bomb could devastate an entire city, in the same way the United States destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Continue reading →

April 12, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, SOUTH AMERICA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Burn injuries from radioactive scrap metal

Radiation leak injures five in Delhi scrap shop EMOIZ.COM 10 April 2010, NEW DELHI: Five persons were admitted in a local hospital with burn injuries and other ailments after continuous exposure to radiation at a scrap dealers shop in West Delhi.A 1-kilometre radius around the shop has been cordoned off as a precautionary measure, a senior officer said.

According to the officer, the five victims slept at the scrap dealers shop, where some radioactive material, reportedly medical waste equipment, was dumped some five days ago in West Delhi.

According to officials, skin of two men had turned black due to exposure to the radioactive material all five victims have burn injuries and rashes on their bodies.

Radiation leak injures five in Delhi scrap shop | EMOIZ.COM

April 10, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, safety | antinuclear, nuclear wastes, radioactive | Leave a comment

USA’s poor security of its own enriched uranium and dead nuke weapons

Will U.S. Inaction on its own Nuclear Security Issues Compromise Summit Success?Across the Aisle: The PSA Blog, by Peter Stockton and Ingrid Drake | April 7th, 2010 “…..Frankly, if we want other nations to follow, we have to lead by example. Highly enriched uranium (HEU) is a prime target for nuclear terrorists: with about 100 pounds it is possible to make an improvised nuclear device that could create a blast on par with the one that devastated Hiroshima. Yet, the U.S. has the world’s second largest stock of HEU and plutonium. Continue reading →

April 9, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, radioactive, uranium | 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 Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radioactive, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Ionising radiation “just keeps on giving” toxic danger

DISARMING THE EAGLE BIT BY BIT The Observation Post * By Vicki Crawford April 6, 2010 . “…….We should not discount other nations with nuclear technologies either. A nation that can use nuclear technologies to produce electricity can also use it to make bombs. Don’t ignore the dangers of “dirty bombs” either. They’re another gift that keeps on giving in the form of ionizing radiation…..

April 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radioactive | Leave a comment

Higher costs, lower profits for Cameco uranium mining

Cameco downgraded to sell FP Trading Desk: April 05, 2010, by David Pett Uranium, Mining, CamecoThe ongoing saga at Cigar Lake continues to haunt Cameco Inc. investors.Late Thursday, the uranium miner released its long-awaited technical report on the Northern Saskatchewan project, revealing higher costs and a slower-than-expected ramp-up of production.
“While the company had recently disclosed a revised capital cost estimate of around $1.0 billion and a revised start-up timeline of 2013, the technical report disclosed higher than forecast life of mine cash operating costs of $23/lb (up from $14/lb) and a relatively slow production ramp up timeline (with full capacity not expected until 2017),” Orest Wowkowdaw, Canaccord Adams analyst, said.