radioactive « nuclear-news

Nuclear workers afraid to speak out on safety issues

Workers at San Onofre nuclear plant fear retaliation for reporting problems, memo says | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times 19 Feb 2010 –Shelby Grad Workers at the San Onofre nuclear power plant fear retaliation if they report problems at the facility operated by Southern California Edison, according to an internal memo released by an Orange County environmental group.The memo, written by a plant engineer, said 25 workers who reported problems at the plant said they feared retaliation from management after they made complaints…..

San Onofre has been the subject of several investigations by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the last few years for various safety issues

Workers at San Onofre nuclear plant fear retaliation for reporting problems, memo says | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

February 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, radioactive, reactor | Leave a comment

Dr Helen Caldicott reminds world of nuclear dangers

”That’s the ace up the sleeve of the nuclear industry,” she says. ”It’s a silent, cryptogenic disease that doesn’t denote its origin. You have to do big epidemiological studies like the German study to find out what’s going on.”

Why nuclear energy struggles to get private sector funds Sydney Morning Herald , Paddy Manning, February 20, 2010
People have forgotten – a younger generation perhaps never knew – what is scary about nuclear energy.

Anti-nuclear campaigners such as Dr Helen Caldicott are routinely disparaged nowadays. A quick trawl through the clippings yields choice descriptors: “inane”, “hysteric”, “rabid”, “ageing”, “anti-nuclear messiah” and “warrior princess”. Continue reading →

February 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, spinbuster | antinuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Public insurance essential for nuclear industry to survive

The Other Nuclear Power Subsidy – A Liability Cap, ThePopTort 19 Feb 2010 “…. loan guarantees aren’t the only potential subsidy from which this industry benefits. Since the 1950s, when it passed the Price Anderson Act, Congress put a cap on the liability of the nuclear industry in the event of a major accident. So if there’s anything like, say, the Chernobyl disaster (the 1986 accident in the Ukraine where the containment structure couldn’t hold an explosion causing lethal radiation to spill out killing thousands, harming hundreds of thousands and rendering hundreds of square miles uninhabitable), the industry won’t be responsible beyond a relatively small amount. Taxpayers will.

In other words, if the nuclear power industry were fully responsible for the health and safety risks of these plants, the industry wouldn’t exist……. Continue reading →

February 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radioactive, reactor, reactors | Leave a comment

Despite Bill Gates’ support, Fourth Generation nuclear reactors look dodgy

some nuclear experts who warn that the promise is a snare and a delusion.

Fourth generation nuclear power may not be the clean energy silver bullet, FinancialTimes, by Ed Crooks, 18 Feb 2010

The huge cost, and delays and budget over-runs in construction, of third generation reactors such as Areva’s EPR, along with concerns about their safety, has inspired a search for new smaller designs, including some that are only the size of a garden shed. Continue reading →

February 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA | antinuclear, AREVA, fast breeder, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radioactive | Leave a comment

Not easy to be sure of effects on workers irradiated at nuclear plant

Radiation exposure results could take months. CBC News 19 Feb 2010 Workers potentially exposed to nuclear radiation at a Bruce nuclear power plant near Owen Sound, Ont., last November could wait as long as 14 more weeks for results because of a lack of accredited testing facilities, a hearing heard Thursday….http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/02/18/bruce-power-radiation.html

February 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Regulation needed to reduce medical radiation risks

Radiation Doses Used in Medical Imaging Need to be Reduced MedIndia February 18, 2010 Doses of radiation used in medical imaging techniques like CT scan and MRI have been in the news

recently. Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced an initiative to reduce radiation dosage in medical devices in an effort to reduce unnecessary exposure.
“The amount of radiation Americans are exposed to from medical imaging has dramatically increased over the past 20 years,” said Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The goal of FDA’s initiative is to support the benefits associated with medical imaging while minimizing the risks.” Continue reading →

February 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Mass exposure of workers to nuclear radiation

The CNSC said the workers were exposed to alpha contamination, a dangerous form of radiation that, if breathed in or ingested, poses a risk of cancer.

(Canada) Nuclear watchdog investigates possible mass radiation exposure – The Globe and Mail Martin Mittelstaedt Feb. 16, 2010 As many as 217 workers involved in November incident at Ontario plant, according to filing from Nuclear Safety Commission Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, safety | antinuclear, cancer, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Obama’s resuscitation of nuclear industry is bound to fail

Obama’s Nuclear Option – Amy Goodman Truthdig 16 Feb 2010
“……….Obama’s publicly financed resuscitation of the nuclear power industry in the U.S. is bound to fail, another taxpayer bailout waiting to happen.Opponents of the plan, which includes a tripling of existing nuclear plant construction-loan guarantees to $54.5 billion, span the ideological spectrum. Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, climate change, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radioactive, renewables | Leave a comment

The delusion of nuclear power as ‘clean’ and ‘safe’

Why has the President set aside $11 million to “fight nuclear-related lawsuits” brought by citizens against the Federal Government if this is so safe? It seems the President is very aware of the problems inherent in the use of nuclear power and enriching nuclear material for these plants. Otherwise, why put away funds for lawsuits in the budget? Can’t have it both ways, Mr. President!

President Obama’s Delusion and the “Nuclear Power = ‘Clean’ Energy” Meme by Quannah February 17, 2010 One more time. Nuclear power is neither safe nor clean.As I listened to Obama give his speech, I couldn’t understand why he was buying into this big lie. Nuclear energy is not clean. It does not equate to wind and solar. It’s not even close. Just a couple of points here:Emissions are not the only consideration at a nuclear plant.
Contamination is much more serious. And the recent reports of nuclear plants contaminating surrounding ground water are more than a little alarming. Continue reading →

February 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, USA | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

France deliberately exposed soldiers to nuclear radiation

French soldiers used as ‘nuclear guinea pigs’ The Age MICHEL MOUTOT February 17, 2010 – France used soldiers as guinea pigs in nuclear tests in the 1960s, deliberately exposing them to radiation from atomic blasts to test the effects, according to a report revealed on Tuesday.

The secret military report, obtained by AFP, said that between 1960 and 1966 France sent troops onto Algerian desert test sites “to study the physiological and psychological effects caused on humans by an atomic weapon.” Continue reading →

February 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | France, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, cancer, France, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radioactive | Leave a comment

Movement grows to stop NASA’s radiation monkey experiments

NASA’s proposed experiments would inundate these tiny monkeys – only a foot tall – with one massive burst of gamma radiation equal to a 3-year journey to Mars and back.

Celebrities Speak Against NASA’s Monkey Radiation Experiments Your Story SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ — In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization with over 85,000 members, today released letters from celebrities opposed to NASA-funded experiments. Continue reading →

February 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Religion and ethics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive | Leave a comment

Nuclear plants are not safe from terrorist attack

Nuclear sites vulnerable to break-ins The Boston Globe By James Carroll February 15, 2010 +THE GREAT myth about nuclear weapons is that they can be held securely. It was not true in the past, and, as was shockingly demonstrated in Belgium last week, it is not true now………. Continue reading →

February 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactor | Leave a comment

Uranium mining continues to damage indigenous communities

Déline is known as the “village of widows’ because most of the men who worked as labourers in the mines have died of some form of cancer.

The impacts of uranium mining on indigenous communities.-Peace, Earth and Justice News Heather Tufts February 13, 2010 – “….. Uranium mining speculation lacks comprehensive health and safety regulations while the ethics of Canadian exported uranium, which can lead to depleted uranium used in zones of war, needs greater scrutiny. Continue reading →

February 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, indigenous issues | antinuclear, cancer, indigenous, nuclear, nuclear spin, radiation, radioactive, uranium, wastes | Leave a comment

U.S. Britain to face lawsuit over depleted uranium in Iraq

Iraq to sue US, Britain over depleted uranium bombs Pakistan Defence Forum 12 Feb 2010 Iraq’s 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 →

February 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iraq, Legal | antinuclear, nuclear weapons, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Iraq veterans should be tested for radiation poisoning

Use blood tests to check Iraq war vets for radiation poisoning cleveland.com By Anthony Weishar February 11, 2010, How long will the media continue to censor reports on radiation and toxins in Iraq? The Radiation and Protection Center in Iraq released a report on Jan. 23 identifying 42 severely contaminated sites and cities.

Many Iraq war veterans have radioactivity in their systems. The Department of Veterans Affairs refuses to use blood tests to check for radiation poisoning. The urine tests work only within 30 days of exposure — about the time soldiers sit in a safe site waiting to go home. The Radiation Center in Baghdad uses blood tests to determine exposure levels in Iraqis.