The Future Of Nuclear Energy In The U.S.
On today's Fresh Air, New York Times energy reporter Matthew Wald joins Terry Gross for a wide-ranging conversation about the history — and future — of nuclear energy in the United States. Though storage and safety mechanisms are in place, he says, many unknown variables exist that are nearly impossible for regulators to forecast.
Source: npr.org
Source: npr.org
All Things Nuclear • IAEA Confirms Very High Levels of Contamination Far From Reactors
Today the IAEA has finally confirmed what some analysts have suspected for days: that the concentration per area of long-lived cesium-137 (Cs-137) is extremely high as far as tens of kilometers from the release site at Fukushima Dai-Ichi, and in fact would trigger compulsory evacuation under IAEA guidelines.
The IAEA is reporting that measured soil concentrations of Cs-137 as far away as Iitate Village, 40 kilometers northwest of Fukushima-Dai-Ichi, correspond to deposition levels of up to 3.7 megabecquerels per square meter (MBq/sq. m). This is far higher than previous IAEA reports of values of Cs-137 deposition, and comparable to the total beta-gamma measurements reported previously by IAEA and mentioned on this blog.
This should be compared with the deposition level that triggered compulsory relocation in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident: the level set in 1990 by the Soviet Union was 1.48 MBq/sq. m.
Thus, it is now abundantly clear that Japanese authorities were negligent inrestricting the emergency evacuation zone to only 20 kilometers from the release site.
Source: allthingsnuclear.org
Entomb? Cement pumps flown in to nuke plant
Operated via remote control, one of the truck-mounted pumps was already at the Fukushima Dai-ichi site and being used to spray water. Four more will be flown in from Germany and the United States, according to the German-manufacturer Putzmeister. The biggest of the five has an arm that extends well over 200 feet.
"Initially, they will probably pump water," Putzmeister stated. "Later they will be used for any necessary concreting work."
Radiation Found in Milk from California and Washington
Radiation “far below” levels that pose a risk to humans was found in milk from California and Washington, the first signs Japan’s nuclear accident is affecting U.S. food, state and Obama administration officials said.
The U.S. is stepping up monitoring of radiation in milk, rain and drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration said yesterday in a statement.
Radiation levels in the U.K. are normal and extra testing isn’t needed to protect the food supply, the Food Standards Agency said.
The number of dead and missing from the earthquake and tsunami had reached 27,690 as of 10 a.m. today, Japan’s National Police Agency said.
The U.S. is stepping up monitoring of radiation in milk, rain and drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration said yesterday in a statement.
Radiation levels in the U.K. are normal and extra testing isn’t needed to protect the food supply, the Food Standards Agency said.
The number of dead and missing from the earthquake and tsunami had reached 27,690 as of 10 a.m. today, Japan’s National Police Agency said.
Radiation Found in Milk - Spokane, WA
SPOKANE - Minimal but still acceptable levels of radiation have been detected in Spokane-area milk, federal health and safety regulators confirmed today.
The Environmental Protection Agency performed the tests and confirmed milk sold in the county is safe to drink.
A sample taken Friday detected levels of radioactive Iodine-131 that were 5,000 times below levels that would cause concern from the federal Food and Drug Administration, according to a Gov. Chris Gregoire spokesperson.
Source: theolympian
The Environmental Protection Agency performed the tests and confirmed milk sold in the county is safe to drink.
A sample taken Friday detected levels of radioactive Iodine-131 that were 5,000 times below levels that would cause concern from the federal Food and Drug Administration, according to a Gov. Chris Gregoire spokesperson.
Source: theolympian
U.S. Building Underground BUNKERS on a Mass Scale
In Conspiracy Theory 2012, with Jesse Ventura, we learned that the U.S. government is still engaged in the building of massive underground bunker systems. According to Ventura, one of the largest has been built under the new Denver airport. In fact, the US government is reportedly building so fast and so widespread, that private contractors in the bunker business are having a difficult time obtaining necessary equipment and supplies to continue their developments.
We even have an entire department, funded by taxpayers to the tune of $6 billion per year that is specifically tasked to deal with disaster scenarios. We normally only hear about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during hurricanes, floods, fires and earthquakes, but they are responsible for responding to all major emergencies across the country. According to some, but denied by many, FEMA has even built refugee camps to deal with millions of people who may be displaced in large scale emergencies or during a declaration of martial law.
Anecdotal reports over the years suggest that the largest buyer of freeze dried goods from major freeze dried food manufacturers is none other than the U.S. government. One of our recommended emergency preparedness partners indicates that they serve not only retail customers, but government entities as well, including the Transportation Security Administration, US State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security.
The government is and has been preparing for something, perhaps many things, for decades. The very existence of FEMA and Department of Homeland Security suggests that they are planning for wide a variety of possibilities. To be clear, the fact that they are planning for something doesn’t necessarily mean that it will happen – just that it’s a possibility.
If nothing else, this proves that there are agencies within the US government that dedicate time, money (lots of it) and resources to the study of scenarios that can be considered The End of The World As We Know It.
Those very same people – your neighbors, friends, and family members – who may consider your personal preparedness efforts a little over the top would likely agree that the government spending billions of dollars on emergency preparedness is worthwhile project given the many possibilities for calamity to occur.
The issue, however, is that the government may be spending billions, but they cannot possibly prepare for widescale, total collapse situations where tens of millions of lives are at risk. It is simply not possible.
Our government, even if they tried, would not be able to stock enough food and resources for the entire population of the United States. They can’t possibly respond to widespread catastrophes that may include simultaneous nuclear, biological or chemical attacks on multiple U.S. cities, or an electromagnetic pulse threat from a rogue nation, or even a solar flare that threatens our power grid infrastructure.
In Food and Water in an Emergency (pdf) FEMA makes it clear that they may not be able to provide assistance. If an earthquake, hurricane, winter storm, or other disaster strikes your community, you might not have access to food, water, and electricity for days or even weeks,warns the report. The recommendations, similar to those we have made in our emergency preparedness reports over the last couple of years, suggest that everyone take responsibility for themselves, “by taking some time now to store emergency food and water supplies, you can provide for your entire family.
The US government is preparing for large scale disasters. Are you?
Source: investmentwatchblog.com
Al-Qaida Brings More Russian Made Suitcase Nukes to U.S.
Al-Qaida has obtained at least 40 nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union – including suitcase nukes, nuclear mines, artillery shells and even some missile warheads. In addition, documents captured in Afghanistan show al-Qaida had plans to assemble its own nuclear weapons with fissile material it purchased on the black market.
In addition to detonating its own nuclear weapons already planted in the U.S., military sources also say there is evidence to suggest al-Qaida is paying former Russian special forces Spetznaz to assist the terrorist group in locating nuclear weapons formerly concealed inside the U.S. by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Osama bin Laden's group is also paying nuclear scientists from Russia and Pakistan to maintain its existing nuclear arsenal and assemble additional weapons with the materials it has invested hundreds of millions in procuring over a period of 10 years.
At least half the nuclear weapons in the al-Qaida arsenal were obtained for cash from the Chechen terrorist allies.
But the most disturbing news is that high level U.S. officials now believe at least some of those weapons have been smuggled into the U.S. for use in the near future in major cities as part of this "American Hiroshima" plan, according to an upcoming book, "The Al Qaeda Connection: International Terrorism, Organized Crime and the Coming Apocalypse," by Paul L. Williams, a former FBI consultant.
According to Williams, former CIA Director George Tenet informed President Bush one month after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that at least two suitcase nukes had reached al-Qaida operatives in the U.S.
"Each suitcase weighed between 50 and 80 kilograms (approximately 110 to 176 pounds) and contained enough fissionable plutonium and uranium to produce an explosive yield in excess of two kilotons," wrote Williams. "One suitcase bore the serial number 9999 and the Russian manufacturing date of 1988. The design of the weapons, Tenet told the president, is simple. The plutonium and uranium are kept in separate compartments that are linked to a triggering mechanism that can be activated by a clock or a call from the cell phone."
However, it is worth noting that Bush failed to translate this policy into securing the U.S.-Mexico border through which the nuclear weapons and al-Qaida operatives are believed to have passed with the help of the MS-13 smugglers. He did, however, order the building of underground bunkers away from major metropolitan areas for use by federal government managers following an attack.
According to Williams' sources, thousands of al-Qaida sleeper agents have now been forward deployed into the U.S. to carry out their individual roles in the coming "American Hiroshima" plan.
The future plan, according to captured al-Qaida agents and documents, suggests the attacks will take place simultaneously in major cities throughout the country – including New York, Boston, Washington, Las Vegas, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Source: wnd.com
Japan under pressure to widen nuclear evacuation zone
Pressure is mounting on Japan to expand the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, as the prime minister says he plans to review the country's nuclear energy policy.
The government has so far resisted calls to evacuate more people from the area, but said its policy was under constant review, and that monitoring of radiation levels was being increased.
More than 70,000 people living inside the 20km zone have been evacuated, but another 136,000 living between 20-30km away have been told to stay in their homes. The US has recommended that its citizens stay at least 80km away.
Radiation fears have prevented authorities from collecting the bodies of as many as 1,000 people living in the evacuation zone who died in the 11 March earthquake and tsunami.
Kyodo news agency cited police sources as saying the corpses had been exposed to high radiation levels and would probably have to be decontaminated before they could be collected and examined by doctors.
Left as they were, the bodies could pose a health threat to relatives identifying them at morgues, the agency said. Cremating them could create radioactive smoke, while burying them could contaminate soil.
Nuclear safety officials said rising contamination in the sea near the plant pointed to a constant leak of radiation. On Thursday, Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency said radioactive iodine near drains running from the plant was 4,385 times higher than the legal limit.
Experts said workers at the plant, 240km north of Tokyo, faced the problematic task of cooling overheating reactors with seawater while ensuring that contaminated runoff does not end up in the surrounding sea and soil.
Corexit and Crude Oil Still in Gulf A Year After BP Disaster; Marine Life Dead and Some People Sick
New evidence that Corexit dispersant is degrading very slowly while sea floor marine life suffocate covered by oil. Dolphin stillborn deaths in January and February 2011 were ten times normal and many Gulf coastal residents are sick
Source: Earthfiles
Japanese Cartoon Character: Drinking Plutonium is Safe!
The main points seem to be:
- Plutonium has been given a bad rap because of that whole Nagasaki a-bomb thing. You really shouldn’t be so afraid of it! It’s great stuff for making electric power.
- Don’t believe that nonsense about plutonium being turned into nuclear weapons if it falls into the wrong hands. The type of plutonium used at Japanese nuclear power plants cannot be readily used for nuclear weapons. Any wannabe weapons makers would also need a ridiculous amount of technical knowledge and very advanced equipment. But even that shouldn’t matter, because the plutonium at nuclear plants is heavily guarded.
- Don’t believe all those exaggerations about plutonium being super deadly and giving people cancer. As long as you don’t breath in particles of plutonium or somehow get it into your blood, you should be fine. In fact, if you drank a cup of plutonium-contaminated water, peeing and pooping will cleanse your body of the contaminant before it can do harm.
- The use of plutonium is so heavily restricted that it is almost unthinkable that it could get leaked or released in a way that would cause harm to humans. But even if it did, say, get dumped into your water supply, there’s no need to worry. Most of it would be too heavy to make its way into drinking water, and even if it did, you’d just get rid of it by going to the toilet.
Source: Japan Probe
Fukushima nuclear plant' radiation found in Glasgow and Oxfordshire
In a statement, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) also confirmed that radioactive iodine had been detected in air samples in Oxfordshire.
It said: "As anticipated, the UK is now beginning to see the minutest traces of iodine 131 associated with events at the Fukushima nuclear facility."
Source: bbc.co.uk
10 million times norm / Massive iodine-134 level in No. 2 reactor turbine bldg : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)
Water collected Saturday from the basement of the turbine building of the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant contained radioactivity at 10 million times the concentration normally found in water inside the reactor, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Sunday.
The concentration of radioactive iodine-134 detected in water taken from the basement floor of the turbine building was 2.9 billion becquerels per cubic centimeter, an agency spokesperson said at a Sunday press conference.
Source: yomiuri.co.jp/
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