Friday, September 27, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Beyond Nuclear - Pamphlets
Beyond Nuclear - Pamphlets:
'via Blog this'
Routine Radioactive Releases from US Nuclear PowerPlants. Many people do not realize that every nuclear power reactor dumps radioactive water, scatters radioactive particles, and disperses radioactive gases as part of its routine, everyday operation. It doesn't take an accident. Federal regulations permit these radioactive releases.
Freeze our Fukushimas! Join the campaign to shut down US reactors beginning with the most dangerous - the GE Mark I and Mark II boiling water reactors - the same design we saw explode at Fukishima Daiichi, Japan. The pamphlet lists the US Mark I and Mark II reactors, details the troubled history of the reactor and the life-threatening flaws in these designs.
The Lethal Legacy of the Atomic Age, 1942 - 2012 - infinity. A Mountain of Waste 70 Years High. This pamphlet covers every aspect of the radioactive waste problem since scientists created the world’s first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at the Fermi reactor in Chicago on December 2, 1942. On that day, the Atomic Age was born — and so was radioactive waste. Pamphlets can be downloaded here or ordered from Beyond Nuclear.
Atomic Energy and Global Security looks at the inextricable link between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. Published in 2008.
Radiological Testing at Nuclear Sites: A Beyond Nuclear Handbook.(Version to print at press).
Pamphlets
Beyond Nuclear has created the following pamphlets to inform the public, lawmakers and media about nuclear power and nuclear weapons issues. Please feel free to reproduce and distribute with attribution. You may also request hardcopies from Beyond Nuclear and we will send them to you through regular mail.
Routine Radioactive Releases from US Nuclear PowerPlants. Many people do not realize that every nuclear power reactor dumps radioactive water, scatters radioactive particles, and disperses radioactive gases as part of its routine, everyday operation. It doesn't take an accident. Federal regulations permit these radioactive releases.Freeze our Fukushimas! Join the campaign to shut down US reactors beginning with the most dangerous - the GE Mark I and Mark II boiling water reactors - the same design we saw explode at Fukishima Daiichi, Japan. The pamphlet lists the US Mark I and Mark II reactors, details the troubled history of the reactor and the life-threatening flaws in these designs.
An Introduction to Beyond Nuclear. This is our introductory pamphlet featuring our mission and goals and an overview of our work. The inside now incorporates the former Ten Reasons palm card which has been updated and revised. This lists 10 of the most serious nuclear power risks and 10 of the brighter energy alternatives.
The Lethal Legacy of the Atomic Age, 1942 - 2012 - infinity. A Mountain of Waste 70 Years High. This pamphlet covers every aspect of the radioactive waste problem since scientists created the world’s first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at the Fermi reactor in Chicago on December 2, 1942. On that day, the Atomic Age was born — and so was radioactive waste. Pamphlets can be downloaded here or ordered from Beyond Nuclear.
Ralph Nader says "Just recently, a well-desinged and documented pamphlet by Beyond Nuclear summarizes the case against nuclear power as 'Expensive, Dangerous and Dirty.' The clear, precise detail and documentation makes for expeditious education of your friends, neighbors and co-workers."
Atomic Energy and Global Security looks at the inextricable link between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. Published in 2008.
Nuclear power reactors don't have to have an accident to release radioactive material. This pamphlet discusses what these releases are and how they may generally effect those who are exposed.
Historically, reactors have received more subsidies than sustainable energy and in order to build more, the industry will need further money from taxpayers. This costs pamphlet summarizes this need and how we can stop our money from continuing down this nuclear power black hole.
France's nuclear power industry is often touted as the nuclear program to emulate. This pamphlet reveals the problems plaguing the industry in France including radioactive waste problems and predatory uranium mining.
"During my eight years in the White House, every nuclear weapons issue we dealt with was connected to a nuclear reactor program." Al Gore. This pamphlet reviews the dangers of nuclear fuel reprocessing including the health dangers, waste issues and the inevitable link to nuclear weapons. To print pamphlet, chooseletter or legal size.
Radiological Testing at Nuclear Sites: A Beyond Nuclear Handbook.(Version to print at press).
A guide to collecting water samples for radiological testing. This handbook and accompanying Chain of Custody form are to be used in conjunction with Beyond Nuclear and its on-going samplling program.
A booklet detailing who we are and what our mission is.
This booklet highlights the program areas which were the center of Beyond Nuclear's work at its inception. This piece is no longer in print and some of the areas of focus have since shifted to new projects.
A pamphlet describing the human rights impacts on those communities on whose land uranium mines have been imposed - largely consisting worldwide of indigenous peoples. Revised and updated July 2013.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
220,000 pounds of poisoned dead fish scooped up in pollution-plagued China - CBS News
220,000 pounds of poisoned dead fish scooped up in pollution-plagued China - CBS News:
'via Blog this'AP
/ September 4, 2013, 12:22 PM
© 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
'via Blog this'AP
/ September 4, 2013, 12:22 PM
220,000 pounds of poisoned dead fish scooped up in pollution-plagued China
In this photo taken Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013, a man removes dead fish found near the outlet of the Ta'ertou pumping station along Fuhe river's Dongxihu section in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province. / AP PHOTO
BEIJINGAuthorities have scooped up around 100,000 kilograms (220,000 pounds) of dead fish they say were poisoned by ammonia from a chemical plant, environmental officials and state media said Wednesday, in a reminder of the pollution plaguing the country.
The Hubei province environmental protection department, notified of the piles of dead fish in central China's Fuhe River on Monday, pointed the finger at local company Hubei Shuanghuan Science and Technology Stock Co. Officials said sampling of its drain outlet showed that ammonia density far exceeded the national standard. The company said it wasn't going to immediately comment.
Inadequate controls on industry and lax enforcement of existing standards have worsened China's pollution problem, stemming from three decades of breakneck economic growth. High-profile incidents this year involving dead animals in rivers - not only deaths attributed to pollution but also carcasses dumped by farmers after die-offs at farms - have added to public disgust and suspicions about the safety of drinking water.
The latest incident has affected the nearby fishing village of Huanghualao, where 1,600 residents make a living from fishing, said the village's Communist Party secretary, Wang Sanqing.
"The dead fish covered the entire river and looked like snowflakes," he said, adding that the village has 150 fishing boats and could lose up to 70,000 yuan ($11,400) per day.
The environmental department warned the public not to eat the dead fish, but said drinking water was not affected. It said it ordered the company to suspend operations and fix the pollution problem.
The official Xinhua News Agency said about 100,000 kilograms of dead fish had been cleared from 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the river, but did not cite a figure for the number of fish. The environmental department said only that "a great number of fish" had been recovered.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Japan unveils $500 million ice wall plan for Fukushima water leaks | The Raw Story
Japan unveils $500 million ice wall plan for Fukushima water leaks | The Raw Story:
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Japan unveils $500 million ice wall plan for Fukushima water leaks
Tokyo on Tuesday unveiled a half-billion dollar plan to stem radioactive water leaks at Fukushima, creating a wall of ice underneath the stricken plant, as the government elbowed the operator aside.
Acknowledging global concerns over a so-far “haphazard” management of the crisis by Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his administration will step in with public money to get the job done.
“The government needs to resolve the problem by standing at the forefront,” he told a meeting of his nuclear disaster response team.
“Discarding the current, impromptu response, we will set up our basic policies for a fundamental resolution of the contaminated water problem.
“The government will do its best and take the necessary fiscal action,” he said, referring to tapping taxpayer funds.
Tokyo’s intervention comes just days before a decision in Argentina by the International Olympic Committee on who should host the 2020 Games. Observers have warned the situation at Fukushima could prove the undoing of Tokyo’s bid.
“The world is paying attention to whether we can realise the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi, including the contaminated water problem,” Abe said.
“The world is paying attention to whether we can realise the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi, including the contaminated water problem,” Abe said.
Thousands of tonnes of radioactive water is being stored in temporary tanks at the site, 220 kilometres (135 miles) north of the Japanese capital, much of it having been used to cool molten reactors wrecked by the tsunami of March 2011.
The discovery of leaks from some of these tanks or from pipes feeding them, as well as radiation hotspots on the ground even where no water is evident, has created a growing sense of crisis.
Some of the highly toxic water that has escaped may have made its way into the Pacific Ocean, TEPCO has admitted.
On top of this, the natural flow of groundwater from the surrounding hillsides, which goes underneath the plant and out to sea, is also causing problems.
As it pours through the soil it is mixing with polluted fluid that has seeped into the ground under the reactors.
TEPCO says up to 300 tonnes of this mildly radioactive groundwater is making its way into the sea every day.
Under the 47 billion yen ($470 million) scheme announced Tuesday, scientists will freeze the soil around the stricken reactors to form an impenetrable wall they hope will direct groundwater away from the plant.
This will entail burying pipes vertically and passing refrigerant through them. Officials estimate the whole project will take two years and cost around 32 billion yen.
A further 15 billion yen will be spent on equipment to remove radiation from water currently being stored.
On Monday, the head of Japan’s nuclear watchdog said it was “unavoidable” that water would have to be released into the ocean at some point, although he stressed it would have to be largely decontaminated first.
TEPCO’s clean-up at Fukushima has come in for increasing criticism from politicians, academics and Japan’s usually quiescent public.
Abe on Monday described TEPCO’s approach to the crisis as “haphazard” and vowed to take over the initiative in containing the leak from the troubled firm.
Last week, a government minister compared its approach to plugging leaks with “whack-a-mole”, the anarchic fairground game in which players must hit furry creatures with a mallet as they pop up at random.
The utility — one of the largest in the world — has been effectively nationalised by vast government bailouts needed to stop it from sinking beneath the weight of bills from the clean-up and compensation claims.
While the natural disaster that sparked the nuclear emergency at Fukushima claimed more than 18,000 lives, no one is officially recorded as having died as a direct result of the radiation leaks.
However, vast tracts of land had to be evacuated, with tens of thousands of people still displaced.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Science Minus Details: What is Nuclear Radiation and How Can It Hurt Me?
Science Minus Details: What is Nuclear Radiation and How Can It Hurt Me?: People get really freaked out about nuclear radiation. Dude with Awesome Beard, Freaking Out Since we are all really freaked out by...
Fukushima Radiation Leak: 5 Things You Should Know | LiveScience
Fukushima Radiation Leak: 5 Things You Should Know | LiveScience:
'via Blog this'
 |
 The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan.Credit: TEPCO |
Japan's nuclear regulator has raised the threat level of a radioactive leak at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant from 1 to 3 on a 7-point scale.
Officials said Tuesday that a storage tank has leaked 300 tons of radioactive water into the ground. The rating upgrade, which has to be confirmed by the United Nations' nuclear agency, would be the first since the March 2011 quake-induced reactor meltdown.
Here are five things to know about the leak and related radiation:
1. What does the nuclear warning level mean?
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) is a rating system for describing the severity of nuclear accidents. It was introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which reports to the U.N.
The 7-point scale ranges from 1 ("Anomaly") to 7 ("Major Accident"). Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority classified the Fukushima disaster as a level-7 event in 2011. [In Pictures: Japan Earthquake & Tsunami]
The new leak is the first to be given an INES rating since the original disaster. Initially classified as a level one ("Incident"), it has been upgraded to level three ("Serious Incident"), pending confirmation by the UN nuclear agency. A The upgrade to level 3 ("Serious Incident") means the event involves the release of "a few thousand terabecquerels of activity into an area not expected by design which requires corrective action," or one resulting in radiation rates of "greater than one sievert per hour in an operating area," according to the INES user's manual. A terabecquerel is 1 trillion becquerels, defined as the radioactive decay of one nucleus per second; a sievert is a unit of biological radiation dose equivalent to about 50,000 front view chest X-rays.
2. How much radioactive material leaked into the ocean?
Immediately after the June 2011 meltdown, scientists measured that5,000 to 15,000 terabecquerels of radioactive material was reaching the ocean. The biggest threat at that time was from the radionuclide cesium. But for leaks that enter the ground, the radionuclides strontium and tritium pose more of a threat, because cesium is absorbed by the soil while the other two are not.
The Tokyo Electric Power Plant (TEPCO) estimated that since the March 2011 disaster, between 20 trillion and 40 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium have leaked into the ocean, the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported.
The damaged plant is still leaking about 300 tons of water containing these radionuclides into the ocean every day, Japanese government officials say. An additional 300 tons have leaked into the ground from the latest storage tank leak.
3. How will the radioactive material affect sea life?
Ever since the 2011 disaster, scientists have been measuring levels of radioactivity in fish and other sea life. Several species of fish caught off the coast of Fukushima in 2011 and 2012 had cesium levels that exceeded Japan's regulatory limit for seafood, but the overall cesium levels of ocean life have dropped since the fall of 2011, U.S. and Japanese scientists both reported.
U.S. scientists say the groundwater leaks could become worse, but warn against drawing conclusions about the impacts on sea life before peer-reviewed studies are completed. "For fish that are harvested 100 miles [160 kilometers] out to sea, I doubt it’d be a problem," Nicholas Fisher, a marine biologist at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y., told LiveScience for a previous article. "But in the region, yes, it's possible there could be sufficient contamination of local seafood, so it'd be unwise to eat that seafood," Fisher said.[7 Craziest Ways Japan's Earthquake Affected Earth]
4. What is being done to contain the leak?
Plant operators have started to remove the contaminated soil around the leaking tank, and are expected to remove any water remaining inside by the end of today (Aug. 21), NBC News reported.
But operators are concerned that other tanks may fail too. About a third of the tanks, including the one that just leaked, have rubber seams that TEPCO says were only meant to last about five years, The New York Times reported. A TEPCO spokesperson said the company plans to build additional watertight tanks with welded seams, but will still have to use the ones with rubber seams.
Cleaning up the radioactive water will take decades. Officials are considering several possible methods for preventing contaminated groundwater from reaching the ocean, including freezing the ground around the plant or injecting the surrounding sediment with a gel-like material that hardens like concrete. Ultimately, an integrated systematic water treatment plan is needed, Dale Klein, former head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission told LiveScience for a previous article.
5. How does Fukushima compare with the Chernobyl meltdown?
The Fukushima plant's meltdown in 2011 is considered the worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl meltdown in Ukraine in 1986. Although both were given an INES rating of 7, far more radiation was released at Chernobyl — about 10 times as much as at Fukushima, NPR reported. And the health consequences a Fukushima to date have been much less severe.
The Chernobyl meltdown involved the explosion of an entire reactor that sent out a plume of radiation over a wide area. Many people nearby drank contaminated milk and later developed thyroid cancer.
By contrast, Fukushima's radioactive cores remained mostly protected, and much of the radioactive material has been carried out to sea, far from human populations. People in risky areas were evacuated, and contaminated food was kept out of stores. While the long-term health risks are unknown, the World Health Organization said there is very little public health risk outside of the 18-mile evacuation zone.
Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience,Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.
PressTV - US evidence on chemical attack in Syria ‘does not convince’ Russia
PressTV - US evidence on chemical attack in Syria ‘does not convince’ Russia:
'via Blog this'Russia says the evidence provided by the United States and its allies to prove that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons is not convincing.
Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said during an address to the students of the Moscow State University of International Relations on Monday, “What our American, British and French partners have shown us before - as well as now - does not convince us at all.”
“If there truly is top secret information available, the veil should be lifted. This is a question of war and peace. To continue this game of secrecy is simply inappropriate.”
Lavrov added that there were “many doubts” about the images posted on the Internet that allegedly relate to the chemical attack in Syria.
“We were shown some sketches, but there was nothing concrete, no geographical coordinates or details... and no proof the test was done by professionals... there were no comments anywhere regarding the experts’ doubt about the footage circulating all over the Internet,” he said.
The call for military strike against Syria intensified after the Takfiri militants and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
The Syrian government categorically rejects the claims and says the attack was carried out by the militants to draw in military intervention.
US President Barack Obama delayed an imminent military strike against Syria on August 31 to seek approval for the move from the Congress, which will debate the issue when federal lawmakers return from recess on September 9.
The Russian foreign minister further criticized the West’s double standards in dealing with issues in the Middle East, saying that democracy has been often used by Western powers as an excuse for military intervention in the regional countries.
Lavrov also said that the war in Iraq was initiated under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction and now a conflict in Syria is being justified by the same allegation.
'via Blog this'Russia says the evidence provided by the United States and its allies to prove that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons is not convincing.
Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said during an address to the students of the Moscow State University of International Relations on Monday, “What our American, British and French partners have shown us before - as well as now - does not convince us at all.”
“There are no supporting facts. There is only repetitive talk in the vein of ‘we know for sure.’ And when we ask for further clarification, we receive the following response: ‘You are aware that this is classified information, therefore we cannot show it to you.’ So there are still no facts,” Lavrov stated.
“If there truly is top secret information available, the veil should be lifted. This is a question of war and peace. To continue this game of secrecy is simply inappropriate.”
Lavrov added that there were “many doubts” about the images posted on the Internet that allegedly relate to the chemical attack in Syria.
“We were shown some sketches, but there was nothing concrete, no geographical coordinates or details... and no proof the test was done by professionals... there were no comments anywhere regarding the experts’ doubt about the footage circulating all over the Internet,” he said.
The call for military strike against Syria intensified after the Takfiri militants and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
The Syrian government categorically rejects the claims and says the attack was carried out by the militants to draw in military intervention.
US President Barack Obama delayed an imminent military strike against Syria on August 31 to seek approval for the move from the Congress, which will debate the issue when federal lawmakers return from recess on September 9.
The Russian foreign minister further criticized the West’s double standards in dealing with issues in the Middle East, saying that democracy has been often used by Western powers as an excuse for military intervention in the regional countries.
Lavrov also said that the war in Iraq was initiated under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction and now a conflict in Syria is being justified by the same allegation.
PressTV - US evidence on chemical attack in Syria ‘does not convince’ Russia
PressTV - US evidence on chemical attack in Syria ‘does not convince’ Russia:
'via Blog this'Russia says the evidence provided by the United States and its allies to prove that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons is not convincing.
Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said during an address to the students of the Moscow State University of International Relations on Monday, “What our American, British and French partners have shown us before - as well as now - does not convince us at all.”
“If there truly is top secret information available, the veil should be lifted. This is a question of war and peace. To continue this game of secrecy is simply inappropriate.”
Lavrov added that there were “many doubts” about the images posted on the Internet that allegedly relate to the chemical attack in Syria.
“We were shown some sketches, but there was nothing concrete, no geographical coordinates or details... and no proof the test was done by professionals... there were no comments anywhere regarding the experts’ doubt about the footage circulating all over the Internet,” he said.
The call for military strike against Syria intensified after the Takfiri militants and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
The Syrian government categorically rejects the claims and says the attack was carried out by the militants to draw in military intervention.
US President Barack Obama delayed an imminent military strike against Syria on August 31 to seek approval for the move from the Congress, which will debate the issue when federal lawmakers return from recess on September 9.
The Russian foreign minister further criticized the West’s double standards in dealing with issues in the Middle East, saying that democracy has been often used by Western powers as an excuse for military intervention in the regional countries.
Lavrov also said that the war in Iraq was initiated under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction and now a conflict in Syria is being justified by the same allegation.
'via Blog this'Russia says the evidence provided by the United States and its allies to prove that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons is not convincing.
Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said during an address to the students of the Moscow State University of International Relations on Monday, “What our American, British and French partners have shown us before - as well as now - does not convince us at all.”
“There are no supporting facts. There is only repetitive talk in the vein of ‘we know for sure.’ And when we ask for further clarification, we receive the following response: ‘You are aware that this is classified information, therefore we cannot show it to you.’ So there are still no facts,” Lavrov stated.
“If there truly is top secret information available, the veil should be lifted. This is a question of war and peace. To continue this game of secrecy is simply inappropriate.”
Lavrov added that there were “many doubts” about the images posted on the Internet that allegedly relate to the chemical attack in Syria.
“We were shown some sketches, but there was nothing concrete, no geographical coordinates or details... and no proof the test was done by professionals... there were no comments anywhere regarding the experts’ doubt about the footage circulating all over the Internet,” he said.
The call for military strike against Syria intensified after the Takfiri militants and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
The Syrian government categorically rejects the claims and says the attack was carried out by the militants to draw in military intervention.
US President Barack Obama delayed an imminent military strike against Syria on August 31 to seek approval for the move from the Congress, which will debate the issue when federal lawmakers return from recess on September 9.
The Russian foreign minister further criticized the West’s double standards in dealing with issues in the Middle East, saying that democracy has been often used by Western powers as an excuse for military intervention in the regional countries.
Lavrov also said that the war in Iraq was initiated under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction and now a conflict in Syria is being justified by the same allegation.
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