Radiation Protection News Room

News for July 02, 2009

Radioactive Waste

• Radioactivity of phosphogypsum to be studied (Hindu)
  Phosphogypsum is not an innocuous material. Besides many heavy elements, it may contain significant quantities of radioactive materials such as uranium-238 and radium-226.
• Uranium Mill Issue Will Set National Precedent(TW)
  Deep divisions in the Paradox Valley community may well remain after the Montrose Planning Commission’s vote Wednesday night on whether to recommend a special use permit for a uranium mill in Paradox Valley.

                     Cleanup

• CORRECT 6/29: Ctrl Asians Agree To Secure Radioactive Waste (WSJ)
  ("Central American Countries Agree to Secure Radioactive Waste," at 1811 GMT, misstated the region in the headline. The correct version follows:) GENEVA (AFP)--The four Central Asian nations agreed Monday to secure 800 million tons of radioactive and toxic uranium waste sludge that could be used to make a "dirty" radiological bomb, a U.N. agency said.

                     Hanford

• Hanford worker injured in 50-foot fall (TCH)
  A Hanford worker was seriously injured when he fell through an access door to a catwalk 50 feet above the ground Wednesday morning inside a building at the Hanford 300 Area just north of Richland.

Safety and Security

• NRC to discuss safety at nuclear plant (TM)
  Federal regulators will meet with PPL  Corp. representatives on Monday to discuss the company's response to concerns about an atmosphere at the Susquehanna nuclear plant in Salem Township that deterred workers from reporting safety issues.
• Romanian uranium taken to secure site (AP)
  The Energy Department reports it has removed the last remaining bomb-grade uranium from Romania as part of an international nuclear nonproliferation program.
• Colorado drilling rigs closing in on '60s nuke site (DP)
  Under a proposal released last week by the U.S. Department of Energy , drilling with radiation monitoring would be permitted to push closer to the town about 180 miles west of Denver.
• New York police expand dirty bomb security (Reuters)
  Thousands of additional law enforcement officers within 50 miles of New York City will have access to radiation detectors for dirty bombs and nuclear devices, New York police said on Wednesday.

Health

• Pa. doc at center of VA cancer probe admits errors (AP)
  A doctor accused of botching dozens of prostate cancer surgeries at a Veterans Administration hospital admitted Monday that he sometimes missed his target when implanting radioactive seeds, leaving patients with incorrect dosages.

Nuclear Power

• Japanese Diplomat Elected UN Nuclear Chief (NYT)
  A Japanese diplomat, Yukiya Amano, was elected the International Atomic Energy Agency ’s next director-general on Thursday, narrowly edging out a South African diplomat for the post, an official at the agency said.
• State Approves Third Reactor for Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant (WP)
  The proposed third reactor at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant has received Maryland's final approval.
• North Korea raises tension with missile launch (WP)
  North Korea test-fired three short-range missiles on Thursday, further stoking tension in the region that was already high due to Pyongyang's nuclear test and threats to boost its nuclear arsenal in response to U.N. sanctions.
• Funds to shut SC nuclear plants solid despite economy (The State)
  Trust funds to cover the costs of shutting down commercial nuclear reactor units in South Carolina appear in good condition despite the recent economic downturn.

Nuclear Weapons

• Hopes for nuclear breakthrough on Obama Moscow trip (WP)
  Hopes are rising on both sides that President Barack Obama's visit to Moscow next week will produce a breakthrough in talks on cutting U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons and on helping Washington in Afghanistan.

Space/Cosmic Radiation

• Manassas Workers Give U.S. the Moon: BAE's Computers Power New Spacecraft (WP)
  While creating an "atlas of the moon," Tooley said, the LRO will run numerous tests that will check such things as temperature and radiation levels. Once the one-year mission is complete, the LRO will stay in orbit for two more years to do "scientific studies" of the moon, he said.

News for July 01, 2009

Radioactive Waste

               Yucca Mountain

• Tom Still column: Wisconsin should lift ban on building nuclear plants (Green Bay Press Gazette)
  The opponents of nuclear energy in the United States were almost giddy earlier this year when President Barack Obama slashed the budget for a proposed waste storage site in Nevada. Surely, they thought, the inevitable demise of the Yucca Mountain project would end silly talk of splitting more atoms to produce power.

                Cleanup

• Central Asia to clean up radioactive waste (eTaiwan News)
  Officials from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan say they have agreed to work together in cleaning up millions of tons of radioactive waste left over from uranium mining during the Cold War.
• Contractor takes over cleanup of SRS waste ( Augusta Chronicle)
  Its consistency ranges from syrup to salt to peanut butter -- yet its radiation is many times the amount needed to be deadly.

Safety and Security

• U.S. Targets Firms Tied To N. Korea Arms Trade (WP)
  The Obama administration yesterday began a campaign to curtail North Korea's ability to finance its trade in missiles and nuclear materials, with the Treasury and State Departments announcing actions against two North Korean companies, including one allegedly connected to the building of a nuclear reactor in Syria.

Health

• Wine may help cancer victims with radiation - study(Reuters India) 
  A glass of wine a day may help breast cancer patients better tolerate radiation therapy and reduce its adverse effects, according to a new study by an Italian medical university.
• For Children with Leukemia, Radiation May Be Unnecessary (National Cancer Institute)
  Children with the most common form of leukemia can safely forego radiation therapy to prevent a relapse of the disease if they are treated with chemotherapy regimens tailored to their individual needs.

Nuclear Power

• Ontario Puts Nuclear Upgrade Plans on Ice (NYT)
  Two years into a $20-billion nuclear upgrade project meant to replace aging reactors with next-generation technology, the Ontario government put the entire process on hold Monday, citing excessive cost and uncertainties involving the ownership status of the sole Canadian bidder.
• Analysis: Hopes fading for Iran nuke talks (WP)
  Turmoil over Iran's disputed presidential vote is dimming what were already modest prospects for meaningful negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program.

Nuclear Weapons

• U.S. and Russia Seek More Extensive Weapons Cuts(Wall Street Journal)
  The U.S. and Russia are expected to launch new talks aimed at reducing the number of strategic and other nuclear weapons on both sides, a senior Obama administration official said Tuesday, in an ambitious effort that could help ease bilateral tensions over other issues as well.

Science

• Lower radiation dose did not affect image quality (Cardiology Today)
  Lower tube voltage and a site study volume of more than 30 scans per month were factors in reducing radiation in a recent study.

Space/Cosmic Radiation

• First Direct Evidence Of Lightning On Mars Detected (Science Daily)
  The kurtosis detector, which is capable of differentiating between thermal and non-thermal radiation, took measurements of microwave emissions from Mars for approximately five hours a day for 12 days between May 22 and June 16, 2006.

Other

• Today in History - July 1 (WP)
  In 1968, the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and nearly 60 other nations signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation.

News for June 30, 2009

Radioactive Waste

• Evaporation campaign frees up Hanford tank space (Tri-City Herald)
  Hanford workers have evaporated enough excess water from radioactive waste in underground tanks to free up space nearly equivalent to a new tank.
• French radioactive waste to double by 2030-Andra (Reuters)
  France's highly radioactive waste will more than double by 2030 mainly as spent fuel derived from nuclear reactors mounts up, the French national radioactive waste management agency (Andra) said on Tuesday.

Safety and Security

• Bruce nuclear plant unsafe, workers say (The Star [Canada])
  Nearly half a tonne of steel plummeted 20 metres to the ground from atop a Bruce Power plant crane last month, narrowly missing workers below and raising safety concerns at the nuclear facility, the Star has learned.
• Exelon says tritium detected at Oyster Creek reactor 'anomaly' (Daily Herald)
  Exelon Corp. said a water sample at the Oyster Creek reactor in New Jersey that showed detectable levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope present in reactors, is an anomaly.

Health

• Oncologist Defends His Work at a V.A. Hospital (New York Times)
  DELPHIA — The radiation oncologist whom regulators accuse of mishandling scores of radioactive seed implants at the Philadelphia veterans’ hospital told a Congressional panel on Monday that while he “could have done better” with some implants, his patients over all received effective treatment for their prostate cancer.

Nuclear Power

• Big Alaska Looks to Small Nuclear  (New York Times)
  In a quest to lower energy prices, some municipalities in the oil-rich state of Alaska are looking to small-scale nuclear power.
• Should renewable energy include nuclear? (Christian Science Monitor)
  Berlin - A new global effort that aims to make renewable energy more accessible to every country in the world will launch on July 1st.
• Ontario’s race to build new nuclear units at the Darlington Nuclear Station has turned into a slow stroll. (Exchange)
  Toronto - A communications report by Ontario Clean Air Alliance, released soon following Energy Minister George Smitherman announcement that the province has indefinitely postponed any decision on building new nuclear units until the federal government decides what it will do with the troubled Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL).
• Deal to build nuclear facility is dead (Augusta Chronicle)
  The U.S. Energy Department made official Monday its plan to scrap a Bush administration initiative that could have brought a major nuclear fuel reprocessing facility to South Carolina.

Nuclear Weapons

• North Korea trying to enrich uranium, South says (Washington Post – Reuters)
  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears to be enriching uranium, potentially giving the state that has twice tested a plutonium-based nuclear device another path to making atomic weapons, South Korea's defense minister said on Tuesday.
• FRANCE: Ambiguous on Nuclear Disarmament (IPS)
  France and Britain are the two countries in Western Europe that are nuclear weapon states. While French official policy is that stockpiles should be reduced and testing stopped, the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy has not indicated a commitment to total nuclear disarmament.

Science

• Obese Get Higher Doses of Radiation for X-Rays (Forbes)
  People who are overweight and obese are usually given higher-than-normal doses of radiation in order to obtain usable X-ray images, even though the long-term effects are unknown, new research contends.

News for June 29, 2009

Safety and Security

• Legislation Would Restore Funds for NYC Radiation Detection Initiative (Global Security Newswire)
  Congress last week moved toward passing legislation that would restore some level of funding for a pilot program to surround New York City with radiation sensors.
  

Health

• Cell phone shields claim to keep radiation at bay (Chicago Tribune)
  Cell phones release microwave radiation when they're in use, a fact that inevitably led to fears of brain cancer. Just as inevitably, worries about brain cancer spawned a market for products that supposedly protect cell phone users. For $62, you can order a Delta Shield, a thin polyester patch that contains a microchip that allegedly renders cell phones harmless.
• Children with leukemia helped by dropping risky brain radiation (Daily Herald)
  Children treated for leukemia survived more often when radiation therapy to the head was omitted, a study found.
  

Nuclear Power

• DOE officially announces it won't push SRS reprocessing plan (Augusta Chronicle)
  The U.S. Energy Department made official today its plan to scrap a Bush administration initiative that could have brought a major nuclear fuel reprocessing facility to South Carolina.
• Denison May Start Mining Uranium in Zambia in 2012, Times Says (Bloomberg)
  Denison Mines Corp., which produces uranium in North America, may start mining the mineral in Zambia by 2012, the Times of Zambia reported, citing Andre Goode, the company’s director for Africa.
  

Nuclear Weapons

• Korea criticizes US missile defense for Hawaii (Washington Post - AP)
  North Korea criticized the U.S. on Monday for positioning missile defense systems around Hawaii, calling the deployment part of a plot to attack the regime and saying it would bolster its nuclear arsenal in retaliation.
• Uranium gives NKorea second way to make bombs (Washington Post - AP)
  After repudiating negotiations on dismantling its plutonium-based nuclear program, North Korea admitted this month to having an even more worrying way to make bombs.
• Obama Officials: Talks With Iran Still Possible (AP - ABC)
  Despite questions about the legitimacy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election and his belligerent anti-American rhetoric, the White House remains open to discussions with Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

Science

• Howard Hughes and the atomic bomb (LA Times)
  At the center of a desolate valley in the middle of Nevada, more than a dozen miles from the nearest paved road, one of the few signs of human activity is a rusty steel well casing that juts oddly out of the desert floor. Nobody lives here, but it has a name: the Central Nevada Test Area.

News for June 26, 2009

Radioactive Waste

• Radioactive appeal (Salt Lake Tribune)‎
  State officials will join a pair of regional radioactive waste compacts to appeal a dangerous US District Court decision that opened the door to ...

Safety and Security

• Radioactive substances go missing (News.gov.hk)‎
  Their total radioactivity is 818 MBq and is unlikely to cause significant adverse health effects in case of accidental exposure.

Health

• EMF responds to radiation concerns (News 10 Now)‎
  Some people who live on Soule Road in the Oneida County town of Floyd are concerned about radiation exposure from a nearby radio tower.
• Kerala to conduct study on health hazards of mobile towers (The Hindu)‎
  "Studies have also found that the radiation level from mobile towers is much less than that emanates from televisions and FM radios," Mr. Vijayakumar said.

Nuclear Power

• Vermont Yankee says it's fixed leak at nuke plant (WCAX)‎
  The owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant says technicians have fixed a stubborn leak.

Nuclear Weapons

• US will not use force to inspect NKorean ship (Las Vegas Sun)
  Meanwhile, plans to use high-tech surveillance and weapons systems to counter North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.
• G8 countries condemn NKorea's missile tests (The Associated Press)‎
  The foreign ministers urged Pyongyang to "fulfill its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions, to abandon all nuclear weapons.

Science

• Scientist creates model to design radiation-resistant materials (Nanowerk LLC)‎
  Above: In this video, radioactive particles bombarding the interface of a copper-niobium nanocomposite initially damage the material.