Nuclear fusion dream becoming a financial nightmare
the cost of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project is out of control
Costly nuclear fusion demo worries cash-strapped EU, NewsDaily:, By Pete Harrison BRUSSELS, June 9, 2010 (Reuters) — A funding battle is brewing in Europe over a 16-billion-euro ($21.5 billion) experiment to crack the puzzle of commercializing nuclear fusion — the process that powers the sun. Continue reading
Confidence in nuclear power safety falling, after oil safety failure
this story is especially pertinent now, as the nation reexamines its energy policy in the wake of the calamitous BP Gulf spill.
Nuclear Reactor Eaten by Leaky Acid, Again : TreeHugger, 9 June 2010, Back in 2002, an Ohio nuclear power plant developed a leak that allowed highly pressurized cooling water containing boric acid to seep out. That acid ate away a football-sized hole into the 6-inch steel lid to the nuclear reactor, leaving the reactor’s integrity at grave risk. The cause of the narrowly averted disaster was thought to have been fixed, but the New York Times reports that signs of even more leakage have been showing up again — Continue reading
Churches give mixed report after Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty review conference
Majority puts new pressure on minority’s nuclear weapons, Ekklesia, By Jonathan Frerichs, 9 Jun 2010 Is it time to start work on banning nuclear weapons? “Yes” says a growing majority of governments and civil society groups. “No” insists a tiny nuclear-armed minority. “Premature” say some of their closest allies.That is the barest summary of what happened at the United Nations when 189 countries met recently on what to do about nuclear weapons. Churches seeking specific steps to stop nuclear arms shared long-standing disappointments – plus a few new grounds for hope – with many governments and most of the 120 civil society organisations in New York during May for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference. Continue reading
“Morning of resistance to nuclear arms” planned at nuke weapons complex
Morning of Resistance’ at Y-12 July 5 | Frank Munger knoxnews.com’ 9 June 2010, Peace groups and activists pushing for nuclear disarmament are planning to gather in Maryville for the weekend of July 3-5 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Nuclear Resister and Nukewatch and anniversary of the first Plowshares Action at King of Prussia, Pa.A couple of trips are planned to the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, which produced the enriched uranium for the A-bomb dropped on Hirsohima and remains a key part of U.S. nuclear weapons complex. On Monday, July 5, a “morning of resistance” is planned at the Oak Ridge plant, according to information distributed by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance.”Some people will likely participate in nonviolent direct action/civil resistance; others will participate in legal activities,” OREPA said in an newletter update titled, “A Time to Resist.” ‘Morning of Resistance’ at Y-12 July 5 | Frank Munger’s Atomic City Underground | knoxnews.com
Australian uranium mine to come under Russian control
Moscow moves on global uranium mines The Australian June 10, RUSSIA has moved to boost its holdings in global uranium mines, with state-owned Rosatom agreeing to take a controlling stake in Canada’s Uranium One……If the deal goes ahead, it will put the Honeymoon uranium project in South Australia, scheduled to come into production at the end of the year, under the control of the Russian government…… Uranium One has sold its recently acquired 3 per cent stake in Australia’s Paladin Resources,…….Uranium One owns 51 per cent of Honeymoon Well mine, which means it will come under Rosatom’s control.Honeymoon Well, 75km northwest of Broken Hill, is expected to cost $138m to develop.The other 49 per cent is owned by Japan’s Mitsui…. Moscow moves on global uranium mines | The Australian
Nuclear waste casks, pools, piles, are ticking time bombs
(USA) Ticking time bombs: what should we do with nuclear waste?, SmartPlanet, By Andrew Nusca | Jun 8, 2010 “……..the WSJ report outlines some scary figures:
- More than 800 filled casks await a final destination, holding 14,000 metric tons of waste.
- Another 49,000 metric tons is being held in spent-fuel pools, waiting to be placed in vessels.
- A further 2,000 metric tons of nuclear reactor waste is created every year.
The problem is that the next wave of nuclear reactors are already on the drawing board.
The full story on the health effects of nuclear energy
I recommend that you download, print off, and study at your leisure, the complete article – from
Evatt Foundation: Publication: Nuclear power & public health – 31 May 2010
Nuclear power & public health, Evatt Foundation:, By Peter Karamoskos, 31 May 2010“… there is a linear dose-response relationship between exposure to ionizing radiation and the development of solid cancers in humans. It is unlikely that there is a threshold below which cancers are not induced.” – National Academy of Science, BEIR VII report, 2006
“We need to develop a very firm commitment to the elimination of nuclear power as a source of energy on the earth.” – Russell Train, former US Environmental Protection Agency administrator, 1977″
[t]he [economic] failure of the U.S. nuclear power program ranks as the largest managerial disaster in business history, a disaster on a monumental scale.” – Forbes, 1985
Introduction
The public health implications for a resurgence of nuclear power appear to have taken a subordinate position to the economic and global warming arguments that the industry has advanced to justify its expansion. The purpose of this essay therefore is several-fold: to review the scientific evidence for public health impacts of nuclear power, to assess occupational hazards faced by nuclear industry workers involved in the nuclear fuel cycle, to assess the evidence for nuclear reactor safety and critically challenge the underlying assumptions which may be less than adequate. It will also examine the public health risks of spent fuel from nuclear power reactors. The common thread linking these safety issues is the risk posed to public health by ionising radiation and in particular the cancer risk. The nuclear industry and our understanding of radioactive health hazards, developed in tandem during the twentieth century, however, the relationship to this day has always been uneasy and often in conflict. A brief historical narrative of this joint evolution is reviewed as it is essential to understanding the context and scope of the public health issues at the heart of the nuclear power debate.
If we are to believe the nuclear industry, nuclear power is both safe and vital to our future, yet over half a century of nuclear power has proven both contentions as false……
Evatt Foundation: Publication: Nuclear power & public health – 31 May 2010
A nuclear disaster next? -Bhopal gas disaster company escapes justice
..in case of a nuclear accident, while providing complete immunity to a foreign nuclear reactor builder from any victim-initiated civil suit or a criminal proceedings both in an Indian court or in a court in its home country.
Bhopal judgment symbolises decayed justice in a deficient democracy(June 08, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka Guardian) Statement issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission The recent judgment delivered by a court in the Bhopal Gas disaster case convicting all the seven accused could have been a welcome one and could have gone a long way in ensuring people’s faith in the country’s judiciary and the rule of law, but for the features of a failing justice regime the investigation and trial exhibits…….. Continue reading
Far from being deterrence, nuclear weapons are a lethal liability
The George W. Bush administration was the first to admit nuclear deterrence would not work against terrorists, now perceived to be the greatest threat to Americans…The key is to see nuclear disarmament as a security-building process, moving from an outdated adversarial mindset to a co-operative one where nuclear weapons are recognized as a lethal liability….
Nuclear Deterrence Scam Blocking Progress to a Safer World, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Robert Green, 7 June 2010, “……………The nuclear weapon states’ blocking of any serious moves towards honoring their obligation in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to get rid of their nuclear arsenals is driven by their uncritical acceptance of nuclear deterrence. Yet my carefully considered conclusion is that nuclear deterrence is a huge confidence trick – an outrageous scam cooked up fifty years ago by the US military industrial monster created by the Manhattan Project and now dominating US politics. Continue reading
radiation cancer risk with repeated dental X-rays
Repeated Dental X-Rays Increase Thyroid Cancer Risk TopNews United Kingdom, by Rasik Sharma on Mon, 06/07/2010 – It has been stated by the researchers from Brighton, Cambridge (England) and Kuwait that thyroid cancer risk elevates with an increase in the number of dental x-rays. This finding was cited in the medical journal Acta Oncologica.According to the reports, rates of thyroid cancer have doubled from 1.4 per 100,000 in 1975 to 2.9 per 100,000 in 2006 in the UK, as the patients take up more and more number of dental x-rays……
The research was headed by Dr. Anjum Memon, Senior Lecturer and Consultant in Public Health Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
This was a combined research conducted by Brighton and Sussex universities and NHS (National Health Service) Brighton and Hove.
It is known that the thyroid gland gets exposed to radiation from many dental x-rays. Thyroid gland is sensitive to ionizing radiation in children especially. The research points out to the potential risks that dental radiography often causes to thyroid gland.
Repeated Dental X-Rays Increase Thyroid Cancer Risk | TopNews United Kingdom
Stockpiles of nuclear weapons form increasing terrorist risk
Forward Observer: Nuclear Time Bomb, GovExec.com, By George C. Wilson, CongressDaily June 7, 2010Standing up like a red lighthouse of warning above the otherwise murky prose in President Obama’s new National Security Strategy document is this statement: “The American people face no greater or more urgent danger than a terrorist attack with a nuclear weapon.”……
“Indeed,” continues the white paper, “since the end of the Cold War the risk of a nuclear attack has increased. Excessive Cold War stockpiles remain. More nations have acquired nuclear weapons. Testing has continued. Black markets trade in nuclear secrets and materials. Terrorists are determined to buy, build or steal a nuclear weapon. Our efforts to contain these dangers are centered in a global nonproliferation regime that has frayed as more people and nations break the rules.”………….If nothing else can inspire a bipartisan response this election year, that presidential warning should.
Radioactive leaks continue to plague nuclear industry
An Old Nuclear Problem Creeps Back, NYTimes.com, By MATTHEW L. WALD June 7, 2010 The American nuclear industry, primed to begin new construction projects for the first time in 30 years, is about as eager for an operating problem at an old reactor as the oil industry was for a well blowout on the eve of opening the Atlantic coast to oil drilling.Nonetheless, a nuclear reactor where a hidden leak caused near-catastrophic corrosion in 2002 has experienced a second bout of the same problem……recently the new vessel head showed the same leakage pattern…..
The reactor has 69 nozzles, and the utility has modified 24 of them in preparation for starting up again in a few weeks. The long-term fix is yet another vessel head, with nozzles of a sturdier alloy, to be installed in 2014.
In the interim, the company said, it will opt for a shorter production run
An Old Nuclear Problem Creeps Back – Green Blog – NYTimes.com
A nuclear bomb on the oil gusher would NOT be OK!
Nuclear Follies: How Not To Stem the BP Oil Gusher, Daily Kos:, by Page van der Linden, 7 June 2010, “…….Never has it been more apparent that there’s a lot of misunderstanding (deliberate or otherwise) regarding nuclear weapons than recently. I’m talking about the appalling, misguided idea that we can “just nuke” the BP oil gusher and it will some how “be okay”.Here’s the Global Security Newswire’s “Quote of the Day” from June 3, 2010:
The use of a nuclear weapon to stop the BP oil gusher is not an option. It is, in fact, the worst possible thing we could do. Here’s why. Continue reading
France’s nuclear firm got secret subsidy from British govt
They know full well that the economics of nuclear don’t stack up and that new reactors will only ever happen if the British taxpayer is forced yet again to carry the atomic can.”.
EDF ran secret lobbying campaign to reduce nuclear waste disposal levy• Reactors builder won big concessions on key issues• Rethink on costs is in effect a subsidy, says Greenpeace Tim Webb * guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 2 June 2010
The nuclear industry is being offered what campaigners claim is a taxpayer subsidy on the disposal costs of waste from new reactors following a secret lobbying campaign, the Guardian has learned. Continue reading
Increasing exposure of Americans to ionising radiation
nuclear reactors produce a number of radioactive isotopes not found in the environment,….the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s policy of including reactor-generated radionuclides as part of the average background radiation is misleading…….”Nature does not expose human beings to the several hundred radioactive isotopes that that are generated by and routinely released from the nuclear fuel cycle,”
Americans are exposed to increased levels of radiation, Brattleboro Reformer, By BOB AUDETTE June 5, 2010 BRATTLEBORO — The average American receives 620 millirems of background radiation every year, as opposed to the 360 millirems as is often stated in the press.The number has crept up in the last two decades, from 180 millirems to 300 millirems, then to 360 millirems and most recently, in 2006, to 620 millirems. Continue reading
1 This Month
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/2352741955560
of the week–London Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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