All Things Nuclear • Internal NRC Documents Reveal Doubts about Safety Measures
Internal NRC Documents Reveal Doubts about Safety Measures
In the weeks following the Fukushima accident, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and nuclear industry officials have been asserting that US nuclear plants are better prepared to withstand a catastrophic event like the March 11 earthquake and tsunami than Japanese plants because they have additional safety measures in place.
According to internal NRC documents, however, there is no consensus within the NRC that US plants are sufficiently protected. The documents indicate that technical staff members doubt the effectiveness of key safety measures adopted after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Therefore, it remains highly uncertain whether the US would be better prepared than the Japanese to manage the aftermath of such severe events. Although the Japanese have engaged in heroic efforts, they have not able to prevent significant damage to reactor cores, spent fuel and containment structures, resulting in huge radioactive releases into the atmosphere and the ocean.
UCS obtained the NRC documents on March 25 from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request we made a month before the Japanese disaster.
NRC and industry officials recently testified before Congress that U.S. reactors are fully prepared for the worst. For example, at a hearing hosted by the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee on March 30, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko testified:
As a result of the events of September 11, 2001, we identified important pieces of equipment that regardless of the cause of a significant fire or explosion at a plant, the NRC requires licensees to have available and staged in advance, as well as new procedures and policies to help deal with a severe situation.
Likewise, testifying on behalf of the Nuclear Energy Institute, William Levis, the president and COO of the Public Service Enterprise Group, which owns two nuclear plants in New Jersey, told the subcommittee:
Since the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, U.S. nuclear plant operators identified other beyond-design-basis vulnerabilities. As a result, U.S. nuclear plant designs and operating practices since 9/11 are designed to mitigate severe accident scenarios such as aircraft impact, which include the complete loss of offsite power and all on-site emergency power sources and loss of large areas of the plant. The industry developed additional methods and procedures to provide cooling to the reactor and the spent fuel pool, and staged additional equipment at all U.S. nuclear power plant sites to ensure that the plants are equipped to deal with extreme events and nuclear plant operations staff are trained to manage them.
NRC calls these post-9/11 procedures “B.5.b measures,” referencing the section of the compensatory measures order issued the agency issued in 2002 to all reactor licensees. The agency codified them in its regulations in 2009 in a document titled CFR 50.54(hh)(2), but because their details are security-related, they are not publicly available.
At the March 30 hearing, both Jaczko and Levis sounded confident that B.5.b measures would protect U.S. reactors from a situation such as the ongoing crisis at Fukushima Daiichi, which lost off-site and on-site power for an extended period, eventually leading to the loss of all cooling.
Internal NRC documents obtained by UCS tell a different story.
In February 2011, UCS filed a FOIA request for all information associated with a secretive NRC program known as the “State of the Art Reactor Consequence Analyses,” or SOARCA.
SOARCA, according to the NRC, is “a research effort to realistically estimate the outcomes of postulated severe accident scenarios that might cause a nuclear power plant to release radioactive material into the environment. The SOARCA project applies many years of national and international nuclear safety research, and incorporates the improvements in plant design, operation and accident management to achieve a more realistic evaluation of the consequences associated with such accidents.”
The NRC also stated that SOARCA takes into account enhancements required by NRC after 9/11—the B.5.b measures.
The SOARCA program, which the agency initiated in 2006, focused on two plants: Surry in Virginia and Peach Bottom in Pennsylvania. Coincidentally, Peach Bottom is a Mark I boiling water reactor (BWR) like Fukushima Daiichi reactors 1 through 4.
One of the hypothetical accidents that the SOARCA program analyzed was astation blackout at Peach Bottom where the plant failed to recover power before the backup batteries ran out—the very situation that occurred at Fukushima. That analysis would be extremely useful to understand what happened at Fukushima. However, the NRC has withheld nearly all documents related to SOARCA from the public.
In most Mark I BWRs experiencing a station blackout a cooling system that runs on battery power, known as the Reactor Core Isolation Cooling system, or RCIC, is available. But when the battery runs down—after eight hours or less—the RCIC will stop operating. If plant workers do not restore alternating current power by then, no cooling systems will be available and the fuel in the reactor will overheat and eventually begin to melt. Most experts believe that is what happened at Fukushima Daiichi units 1 through 3.
According to the emails obtained by UCS, NRC’s B.5.b measures contain unspecified strategies to continue operating the RCIC even after battery power is lost. However, the emails make clear that there are disagreements between NRC senior reactor analysts who work in NRC’s regional offices under the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation and the staff conducting the SOARCA project, who are in the agency’s Office of Research.
In particular, one NRC staff email, dated July 28, 2010, described senior analysts’ objections to SOARCA as follows:
One concern has been that SOARCA credits certain B5b mitigating strategies (such as RCIC operation w/o DC power) that have really not been reviewed to ensure that they will work to mitigate severe accidents. Generally, we have not even seen licensees credit these strategies in their own [probabilistic risk assessments] but for some reason the NRC decided we should during SOARCA.My recollection is that [Region I senior reactor analysts] in particular have been vocal with their concerns on SOARCA for several years, probably because Peach Bottom is one of the SOARCA plants.
In other words, senior reactor analysts who work directly with the Peach Bottom Mark I BWR apparently do not have faith in the effectiveness of the very B.5.b measures that the NRC and nuclear industry officials are touting as a reason why the United States is better prepared to deal with a Fukushima-like event than Japan.
Another (undated) document reinforces this concern:
The application of 10 CFR 50.54(hh) [2009 regulations] mitigation measures still concerns a number of staff in [the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation]. The concern involves the manner in which credit is given to these measures such that success is assumed…. 10 CFR 50.54(hh) mitigation measures are just equipment on-site that can be useful in an emergency when used by knowledgeable operators if post-event conditions allow. If little is known about these post-event conditions, then assuming success is speculative.
If we are going to have any confidence that US plants are safe, the NRC and the industry have to be completely open and honest about what they know and what they don’t know. They are doing Americans a disservice if they are saying publicly that these untested measures are effective when privately they are expressing doubts they will work.
The concerns of NRC senior reactor analysts with regard to the credibility of post-accident mitigative measures need to be taken seriously by the NRC task force established to review regulations and policies in light of the Fukushima crisis.
Source: UCS
Letter to Senator Murry
When responding to the E-Mail from Senator Murry I promptly received this message:
Delivery Status Notification (Failure)
So I had to go over to her senate.gov web site and send my response from there.
It really should be this difficult to communicate with our elected officials.
It appears that her main point is to state that the Federal Government has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to review the situation.
If researched you can see that there is conflicting information from within the NRC on whether or not safety precautions taken after September 11th are even effective. Due to the lack of action they have taken it's apparent the service they are providing is not adequate.
Feel free to check out some of the sources I included for her below as well as her entire response to my original E-Mail. Hopefully I will get a reply that isn't so.... generic.
E-Mail Response to Senator Patty Murry
E-Mail from Senator Patty Murry
rom Senator@murray.senate.gov
to reeves360
date Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 2:51 PM
subject Response from Senator Murray
mailed-by murray.senate.gov
signed-by senate.gov
Dear Mr. Reeves:
Thank you for contacting me regarding nuclear energy sources. It was good to hear from you. Nuclear energy has been brought to the forefront of energy policy discussions because of the recent tragic events in Japan. Like you, the people of Japan are in my thoughts as the recovery and cleanup efforts continue.
While our country's nuclear power industry is one of the safest in the world, a number of problems need to be solved. Disposing of highly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants across the country is a prominent issue facing Congress. Locating a long-term area to store nuclear waste storage has been a perennial and contentious problem.
I believe we need to focus more of our efforts on energy conservation and research and development of alternative energy sources. I am not opposed to nuclear power, but there are a number of issues we need to resolve, particularly how to manage high-level nuclear waste. As the human population grows, and energy demand increases, we need to look at a wide range of alternatives to find safe, economical, and environmentally friendly energy sources.
In light of the events unfolding in Japan, President Obama has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent federal agency, to perform a comprehensive review of all U.S. nuclear reactors. The federal government has also addressed questions surrounding radiation from Japan reaching U.S. soil, stating there is no expectation harmful levels of radiation will reach the United States. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended the public not take any precautions beyond being fully informed of the situation in Japan.
I am working with my colleagues and leaders in the Obama Administration, and Washington state agencies to closely monitor the events unfolding in Japan and any threats to residents of Washington state and the United States. I will continue to make sure Americans get clear information about the impact of the crisis in Japan and findings from the review of U.S. nuclear power plants.
Once again, thank you for contacting me regarding this important issue. Please know that I will continue to work with my colleagues to create comprehensive energy policies that will diversify our energy sources and help America become more energy independent. As the Senate continues to address these issues, I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind. If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Thank you again for writing, and please keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
Delivery Status Notification (Failure)
So I had to go over to her senate.gov web site and send my response from there.
It really should be this difficult to communicate with our elected officials.
It appears that her main point is to state that the Federal Government has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to review the situation.
If researched you can see that there is conflicting information from within the NRC on whether or not safety precautions taken after September 11th are even effective. Due to the lack of action they have taken it's apparent the service they are providing is not adequate.
Feel free to check out some of the sources I included for her below as well as her entire response to my original E-Mail. Hopefully I will get a reply that isn't so.... generic.
E-Mail Response to Senator Patty Murry
| |||||||||||||||||||||
I agree with most of what you are saying but we need to do something else besides just asking the NRC to do their job because it's apparent they aren't great at completing tasks.
Our back up battery systems don't last long enough ( 4 - 8 hrs), they aren't hook up to our national power grid system in case the batteries and generators fail, our spent fuel pools have 4 to 5 times the amount that should be stored in them and are often housed in thin metal warehouses not capable of containing or protecting the public in a disaster.
The NRC is not adequately doing their job and can be seen by the lack of action on their part since September 11th.
Please read some of the research that I have done and included below on this matter.
I know you're busy and appreciate your time, please take the time to quickly read this information.
Sincerely,
Mr. Reeves
University of Maryland - Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science
Nuclear fallout, levels, and trajectory models calculated using the NOAA HYSPLIT model
NYTimes
"For unfathomable reasons, reactor fuel is considered benign after it is taken out of a reactor but before it is placed in a repository," said David Lochbaum, head of the nuclear safety program for the Union of Concerned Scientists. While irradiated fuel inside reactors is protected by multiple layers of shielding and redundant systems for preventing the overheating of fuel rods and release of radioactive contamination, spent fuel pools are typically covered with sheet metal roofs, "like that in a Sears storage shed," he said.
CNN
"That plant owners could have avoided nearly all 14 near-misses in 2010 had they corrected known deficiencies in a timely manner suggests that our luck at nuclear roulette may someday run out," the report concludes.
NYTimes
"Most of our plants have far less than what the Japanese had," said David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists who has long criticized U.S. nuclear protections as inadequate. "So, we're more vulnerable to a situation where we lose primary power and the backup."
U.S. regulators also allow plants to operate without backup power for the controls monitoring spent nuclear fuel. These ponds often do not have containment, and in the United States they contain more of the highly radioactive material than in Japan.
As an island nation on the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire," a zone of active volcanoes, Japan appears particularly vulnerable to the earthquake-tsunami combination that killed thousands and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The earthquake cut off-site power to the plant, and the tsunami flooded its generators. That constitutes what nuclear experts call "station blackout." Eight hours of backup power proved woefully inadequate.
"Many of our reactors are in situations where earthquakes or hurricanes in the Gulf or ice storms in the Northeast or a tree in Cleveland can cause an extensive blackout that puts us in a very similar situation," Lochbaum said.
"So, I think battery capacity and ... what we do when the batteries go dim may be an area that we need to shore up, so that our plants aren't as vulnerable as Japan was."
For example, a 1998 tornado knocked out power to the Davis-Besse plant near Toledo, Ohio, for more than a day. An NRC analysis (pdf) of the event said that the outage brought the plant perilously close to meltdown.
Propublica.
There is $24 billion sitting in a "nuclear waste fund" that can't actually be used to pay for a safer way to store the waste at reactors.
E-Mail from Senator Patty Murry
rom Senator@murray.senate.gov
to reeves360
date Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 2:51 PM
subject Response from Senator Murray
mailed-by murray.senate.gov
signed-by senate.gov
Dear Mr. Reeves:
Thank you for contacting me regarding nuclear energy sources. It was good to hear from you. Nuclear energy has been brought to the forefront of energy policy discussions because of the recent tragic events in Japan. Like you, the people of Japan are in my thoughts as the recovery and cleanup efforts continue.
While our country's nuclear power industry is one of the safest in the world, a number of problems need to be solved. Disposing of highly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants across the country is a prominent issue facing Congress. Locating a long-term area to store nuclear waste storage has been a perennial and contentious problem.
I believe we need to focus more of our efforts on energy conservation and research and development of alternative energy sources. I am not opposed to nuclear power, but there are a number of issues we need to resolve, particularly how to manage high-level nuclear waste. As the human population grows, and energy demand increases, we need to look at a wide range of alternatives to find safe, economical, and environmentally friendly energy sources.
In light of the events unfolding in Japan, President Obama has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent federal agency, to perform a comprehensive review of all U.S. nuclear reactors. The federal government has also addressed questions surrounding radiation from Japan reaching U.S. soil, stating there is no expectation harmful levels of radiation will reach the United States. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended the public not take any precautions beyond being fully informed of the situation in Japan.
I am working with my colleagues and leaders in the Obama Administration, and Washington state agencies to closely monitor the events unfolding in Japan and any threats to residents of Washington state and the United States. I will continue to make sure Americans get clear information about the impact of the crisis in Japan and findings from the review of U.S. nuclear power plants.
Once again, thank you for contacting me regarding this important issue. Please know that I will continue to work with my colleagues to create comprehensive energy policies that will diversify our energy sources and help America become more energy independent. As the Senate continues to address these issues, I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind. If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Thank you again for writing, and please keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
Letter to Senator Murry
When responding to the E-Mail from Senator Murry I promptly received this message:
Delivery Status Notification (Failure)
So I had to go over to her senate.gov web site and send my response from there.
It really should be this difficult to communicate with our elected officials.
It appears that her main point is to state that the Federal Government has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to review the situation.
If researched you can see that there is conflicting information from within the NRC on whether or not safety precautions taken after September 11th are even effective. Due to the lack of action they have taken it's apparent the service they are providing is not adequate.
Feel free to check out some of the sources I included for her below as well as her entire response to my original E-Mail. Hopefully I will get a reply that isn't so.... generic.
E-Mail Response to Senator Patty Murry
E-Mail from Senator Patty Murry
rom Senator@murray.senate.gov
to reeves360
date Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 2:51 PM
subject Response from Senator Murray
mailed-by murray.senate.gov
signed-by senate.gov
Dear Mr. Reeves:
Thank you for contacting me regarding nuclear energy sources. It was good to hear from you. Nuclear energy has been brought to the forefront of energy policy discussions because of the recent tragic events in Japan. Like you, the people of Japan are in my thoughts as the recovery and cleanup efforts continue.
While our country's nuclear power industry is one of the safest in the world, a number of problems need to be solved. Disposing of highly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants across the country is a prominent issue facing Congress. Locating a long-term area to store nuclear waste storage has been a perennial and contentious problem.
I believe we need to focus more of our efforts on energy conservation and research and development of alternative energy sources. I am not opposed to nuclear power, but there are a number of issues we need to resolve, particularly how to manage high-level nuclear waste. As the human population grows, and energy demand increases, we need to look at a wide range of alternatives to find safe, economical, and environmentally friendly energy sources.
In light of the events unfolding in Japan, President Obama has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent federal agency, to perform a comprehensive review of all U.S. nuclear reactors. The federal government has also addressed questions surrounding radiation from Japan reaching U.S. soil, stating there is no expectation harmful levels of radiation will reach the United States. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended the public not take any precautions beyond being fully informed of the situation in Japan.
I am working with my colleagues and leaders in the Obama Administration, and Washington state agencies to closely monitor the events unfolding in Japan and any threats to residents of Washington state and the United States. I will continue to make sure Americans get clear information about the impact of the crisis in Japan and findings from the review of U.S. nuclear power plants.
Once again, thank you for contacting me regarding this important issue. Please know that I will continue to work with my colleagues to create comprehensive energy policies that will diversify our energy sources and help America become more energy independent. As the Senate continues to address these issues, I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind. If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Thank you again for writing, and please keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
Delivery Status Notification (Failure)
So I had to go over to her senate.gov web site and send my response from there.
It really should be this difficult to communicate with our elected officials.
It appears that her main point is to state that the Federal Government has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to review the situation.
If researched you can see that there is conflicting information from within the NRC on whether or not safety precautions taken after September 11th are even effective. Due to the lack of action they have taken it's apparent the service they are providing is not adequate.
Feel free to check out some of the sources I included for her below as well as her entire response to my original E-Mail. Hopefully I will get a reply that isn't so.... generic.
E-Mail Response to Senator Patty Murry
| |||||||||||||||||||||
I agree with most of what you are saying but we need to do something else besides just asking the NRC to do their job because it's apparent they aren't great at completing tasks.
Our back up battery systems don't last long enough ( 4 - 8 hrs), they aren't hook up to our national power grid system in case the batteries and generators fail, our spent fuel pools have 4 to 5 times the amount that should be stored in them and are often housed in thin metal warehouses not capable of containing or protecting the public in a disaster.
The NRC is not adequately doing their job and can be seen by the lack of action on their part since September 11th.
Please read some of the research that I have done and included below on this matter.
I know you're busy and appreciate your time, please take the time to quickly read this information.
Sincerely,
Mr. Reeves
University of Maryland - Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Science
Nuclear fallout, levels, and trajectory models calculated using the NOAA HYSPLIT model
NYTimes
"For unfathomable reasons, reactor fuel is considered benign after it is taken out of a reactor but before it is placed in a repository," said David Lochbaum, head of the nuclear safety program for the Union of Concerned Scientists. While irradiated fuel inside reactors is protected by multiple layers of shielding and redundant systems for preventing the overheating of fuel rods and release of radioactive contamination, spent fuel pools are typically covered with sheet metal roofs, "like that in a Sears storage shed," he said.
CNN
"That plant owners could have avoided nearly all 14 near-misses in 2010 had they corrected known deficiencies in a timely manner suggests that our luck at nuclear roulette may someday run out," the report concludes.
NYTimes
"Most of our plants have far less than what the Japanese had," said David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists who has long criticized U.S. nuclear protections as inadequate. "So, we're more vulnerable to a situation where we lose primary power and the backup."
U.S. regulators also allow plants to operate without backup power for the controls monitoring spent nuclear fuel. These ponds often do not have containment, and in the United States they contain more of the highly radioactive material than in Japan.
As an island nation on the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire," a zone of active volcanoes, Japan appears particularly vulnerable to the earthquake-tsunami combination that killed thousands and crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The earthquake cut off-site power to the plant, and the tsunami flooded its generators. That constitutes what nuclear experts call "station blackout." Eight hours of backup power proved woefully inadequate.
"Many of our reactors are in situations where earthquakes or hurricanes in the Gulf or ice storms in the Northeast or a tree in Cleveland can cause an extensive blackout that puts us in a very similar situation," Lochbaum said.
"So, I think battery capacity and ... what we do when the batteries go dim may be an area that we need to shore up, so that our plants aren't as vulnerable as Japan was."
For example, a 1998 tornado knocked out power to the Davis-Besse plant near Toledo, Ohio, for more than a day. An NRC analysis (pdf) of the event said that the outage brought the plant perilously close to meltdown.
Propublica.
There is $24 billion sitting in a "nuclear waste fund" that can't actually be used to pay for a safer way to store the waste at reactors.
E-Mail from Senator Patty Murry
rom Senator@murray.senate.gov
to reeves360
date Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 2:51 PM
subject Response from Senator Murray
mailed-by murray.senate.gov
signed-by senate.gov
Dear Mr. Reeves:
Thank you for contacting me regarding nuclear energy sources. It was good to hear from you. Nuclear energy has been brought to the forefront of energy policy discussions because of the recent tragic events in Japan. Like you, the people of Japan are in my thoughts as the recovery and cleanup efforts continue.
While our country's nuclear power industry is one of the safest in the world, a number of problems need to be solved. Disposing of highly radioactive waste from nuclear power plants across the country is a prominent issue facing Congress. Locating a long-term area to store nuclear waste storage has been a perennial and contentious problem.
I believe we need to focus more of our efforts on energy conservation and research and development of alternative energy sources. I am not opposed to nuclear power, but there are a number of issues we need to resolve, particularly how to manage high-level nuclear waste. As the human population grows, and energy demand increases, we need to look at a wide range of alternatives to find safe, economical, and environmentally friendly energy sources.
In light of the events unfolding in Japan, President Obama has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), an independent federal agency, to perform a comprehensive review of all U.S. nuclear reactors. The federal government has also addressed questions surrounding radiation from Japan reaching U.S. soil, stating there is no expectation harmful levels of radiation will reach the United States. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommended the public not take any precautions beyond being fully informed of the situation in Japan.
I am working with my colleagues and leaders in the Obama Administration, and Washington state agencies to closely monitor the events unfolding in Japan and any threats to residents of Washington state and the United States. I will continue to make sure Americans get clear information about the impact of the crisis in Japan and findings from the review of U.S. nuclear power plants.
Once again, thank you for contacting me regarding this important issue. Please know that I will continue to work with my colleagues to create comprehensive energy policies that will diversify our energy sources and help America become more energy independent. As the Senate continues to address these issues, I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind. If you would like to know more about my work in the Senate, please feel free to sign up for my updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Thank you again for writing, and please keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
Japan nuclear crisis: South Korea schools closed over Fukushima radiation fears
Seoul is around 750 miles from the damaged nuclear plant at Fukushima and since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami radiation has been leaking into the atmosphere and the sea, contaminating vegetables, meat and fish nearby.
Concerns grew when the capital's weather agency said that radioactive material from the Fukushima plant might be carried to South Korea by south-easterly winds.
When the rain began to fall, the provincial education office in Gyeonggi province ordered the closure of schools as part of 'pre-emptive measures for the safety of students'.
At first, education officials refused to take any action, but as reports continued to flow about the leakage of radiation into the sea at Fukushima the pressure on the authorities mounted.
Finally authorities gave in, ordering scores of schools to be closed and telling others to postpone baseball, outdoor basketball, football and other sports.
Government officials have tried to calm the population by insisting that the amount of radioactive material in rainfall is too small to pose any health threat.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Updates on EPA's Monitoring Efforts | Japanese Nuclear Emergency: Radiation Monitoring | US EPA
Daily Data Summary
Last updated on Thursday, April 07, 2011 at 17:12:17
As the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said, we do not expect to see radiation at harmful levels reaching the U.S. from damaged Japanese nuclear power plants. As part of the federal government's continuing effort to make our activities and science transparent and available to the public, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will continue to keep all RadNet data available in the current online database. EPA is working with its federal partners and has deployed additional monitors to Hawaii, Alaska, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
EPA is utilizing this existing nationwide radiation monitoring system, RadNet, which continuously monitors the nation's air and regularly monitors drinking water, milk and precipitation for environmental radiation. The RadNet online searchable database contains historical data of environmental radiation monitoring data from all fifty states and U.S. territories.
EPA will provide daily data summaries of our radiation air monitoring efforts. We will continue to keep all RadNet data available in the current online database.
Source: EPA
Radioactivity from Japanese nuclear plant leak found across Scotland
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) revealed that traces of iodine-131 have been found across the country.
Almost all air samples taken from its sites in Scotland have shown “very low levels” of iodine-131, which comes from the plant that experienced explosions after an earthquake and tsunami devastated north-east Japan last month.
Grass samples taken from around Scotland have also shown traces of radioactivity, as has a freshwater sample in Caithness and a rainwater sample.
Sepa claim that the levels found did not pose any risk to the public.
A spokeswoman said: “The concentration of iodine-131 in these samples is of no concern to human health and all of the concentrations reported to date are below the levels where regulatory control is necessary.
“Sepa will continue to monitor the environment, including sampling air, water, food, milk and grass, and will provide the information to the public and, where appropriate the Food Standards Agency, Scottish Water and the Drinking Water Quality Inspectorate.”
Iodine-131 was also found by the agency in sewage sludge in Glasgow.
The source of it is believed to be a combination of the isotope in rainfall, together with authorised releases from hospitals in the city.
Soil, other freshwater samples, cow and goats milk have all been analysed by Sepa, but to date, they have not shown the presence of detectable levels of iodine-131 from Fukushima.
7.4 Aftershock Knocks Out Power at Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant
Backup Generators Are Working, And No Radiation Has Been Detected
A 7.4 aftershock last night at around midnight knocked out power in parts of the Miyagi, Yamagata, Aomori, Iwate, Akita and other Japanese prefectures. While a tsunami warning was issued, but subsequently lifted.
2 of the 3 normal power transmission lines were knocked out at the Onagawa nuclear power plant. However, backup diesel generators are being used, there is no threat to the diesel generators from a large tsunami, and Japanese agencies are saying that there have been no change in radiation levels around the plants.
Therefore, unless the aftershock directly damaged the core or storage tanks, this should not turn into any real problem.
And there are no reports of additional damage to the Fukushima Daiichi or Daini nuclear power complex.
Updates as they come in.
Information courtesy of Kyodo News and NHK News.
First ban on all Japanese food over nuclear crisis
Tokyo (AFP) April 5, 2011
India banned all food imports from Japan Tuesday, the first country to impose a blanket block over radiation from a stricken nuclear plant, as shares in its operator plunged to an all-time low.
India banned all food imports from Japan Tuesday, the first country to impose a blanket block over radiation from a stricken nuclear plant, as shares in its operator plunged to an all-time low.
An Indian government statement said all food imports from Japan "stand suspended with immediate effect" for three months, or until "credible information is available that the radiation hazard has subsided to acceptable limits".
The move by India, which imports small amounts of fruits, vegetables and processed food, is the first nationwide ban, while several countries including China, Singapore and the United States have blocked food from some Japanese prefectures.
Source: seeddaily.com
How to Use SkyDrive’s 25 GB as a Mapped Drive for Easy Access
How to Use SkyDrive’s 25 GB as a Mapped Drive for Easy Access: "
SkyDrive is an online storage system included in Windows Live, which gives you 25 GB of space that you can sync to your desktop. Here’s how to connect it to your Windows 7 computer as a mapped drive.
First of all, you need to go to http://skydrive.live.com and use your Windows Live account (the same you use to access Hotmail, Messenger, Windows Live Mail or MSN) to log in and create the folders you want to use by using the New menu. You can create private and shared folders and customize the access for every one of them.
After your have created your folders, you will need to link your computer to your online ID so it can access them without asking for credentials every time.
"
SkyDrive is an online storage system included in Windows Live, which gives you 25 GB of space that you can sync to your desktop. Here’s how to connect it to your Windows 7 computer as a mapped drive.
First of all, you need to go to http://skydrive.live.com and use your Windows Live account (the same you use to access Hotmail, Messenger, Windows Live Mail or MSN) to log in and create the folders you want to use by using the New menu. You can create private and shared folders and customize the access for every one of them.
After your have created your folders, you will need to link your computer to your online ID so it can access them without asking for credentials every time.
 |  |  |
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Installing Ubuntu on your Motorola Xoom tablet
Installing Ubuntu on your Motorola Xoom tablet: "
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There’s a stigma in the mobile world that hackers prefer Android systems because the SDK’s and software is open, therefore allowing users to customize how they please. Some hardware manufacturers on the other hand may not be totally supportive when it comes to users installing their own custom ROMs and OSs, like Motorola for example.
That isn’t stopping this user however, as he’s found a way to install another open source project onto the Motorola Xoom, and its not any variation of Android…it’s Linux Ubuntu 9.10. Looking at the instructions, I’d have to say that you would most likely completely void your warranty on the Xoom if you do this, but just make sure that if you try it, you have a good recovery ready for backup and restore, so you can get it back to factory condition if this goes south for any reason. The instructions are long, and not for the timid. Click the source link below for the full set of instructions if you’re an Ubuntu lover.
Dual-Booting Viewsonic ViewPad 10 Available Today, Not Even On Eclair
Dual-Booting Viewsonic ViewPad 10 Available Today, Not Even On Eclair: "
Viewsonic’s finally launched their dual-booting ViewPad 10 tablet. The 10-inch hand computer will run Windows 7 alongside – you guessed it – Android. There’s just one problem: it’s running Android 1.6 and there’s no telling if it’ll be upgraded (to even 2.1 or 2.2). Let’s hope some hackers will get their hands on this one and go to town. It’ll have a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB of memory, a WSVGA resolution of 1,024×600 and more. Read on for full press details.
"ViewSonic Delivers the Best of Both Worlds With Immediate Availability of Its ViewPad® 10 Tablet
10.1″ Dual-Boot Tablet Brings to Customers a New Level of Convenience
WALNUT, CA–(Marketwire – March 7, 2011) – ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today announced North American availability of the ViewPad 10. Giving users a choice between Windows® 7 and Google Android™ within the same device, this 10.1″ dual-boot tablet is ideal for maximizing business productivity alongside entertainment.
“The lines of professional and personal life are blurring, which creates a need for devices that are suited for both sides,” said Adam Hanin, vice president of marketing for ViewSonic Americas. “The ViewPad 10 delivers just that by enabling users to merge business productivity with personal enjoyment anywhere, anytime. We are proud of our 10-year tablet history and are dedicated to further extending our tablet product portfolio to meet every individual need.”
Packed with a high speed Intel® Atom™ 1.66GHz processor and integrated 2GB of memory, the ViewPad 10 is a powerhouse of mobile computing. Built with a 1024×600 panel with LED backlight technology partnered with capacitive multi-touch functionality, the device provides a crystal clear viewing experience, even when multitasking across several applications.
The ViewPad 10 enables consumers to take Windows on the road, allowing access to Flash-based content and programs like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat, wherever they are. Plus social media applications like Facebook and Twitter, sharing photos and surfing the Web through Google’s Android 1.6 platform are only a switch away, making this device the perfect companion for those looking to work, play and share on the go. Throw in the built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and 1.3 megapixel built-in front camera, the ViewPad 10 is fully optimized to keep users connected.
To ensure the ViewPad 10 grows with each person’s individual needs, the device offers expandable memory options via a micro SD card slot for up to 32GB of additional space. The dual-boot ViewPad 10 is now available — with Android 1.6 and either Windows 7 Home Premium (with a 16GB SSD hard drive) or Windows 7 Professional (with a 32GB SSD hard drive) for respective ESPs of $599 and $679.
For more information on ViewSonic’s products, please visit ViewSonic.com or follow ViewSonic on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About ViewSonic
ViewSonic® Corporation is a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions. ViewSonic develops, markets and supports a broad range of innovative products, including LCD TVs, computers, LCD monitors, projectors, digital photo frames, digital signage displays and digital media players. For further information, please contact ViewSonic Corporation at 800.888.8583 or 909.444.8888; or visit ViewSonic.com.
Which Android Tablet is Right for You? [AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVES]
Which Android Tablet is Right for You? [AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVES]: "
With the tablet explosion that has occurred in the past year, some of you might be doing some tablet research for the first time. So, which device is right for you?
The Premium Tablets (XOOM, Galaxy Tab, Optimus Pad)
The Motorola XOOM 10.1″ tablet is the newest Android tablet while the Galaxy Tab is currently the reigning 7″ champion. In addition to these current offerings, Samsung has a new 10.1" tablet coming out soon along with an 8.9" tablet coming from LG called the Optimus Pad. While you are considering these “high end” devices, there are a slew of other Android tablets available of which many people may not even be aware.
If you want the Tablet to work right out of the box without any modding or hacking, your best options currently are the Xoom or the Galaxy Tab. The Xoom is a more capable device based on specs alone, but if you are looking for a 7″ screen, the Galaxy Tab may be more appealing to you. These devices get a lot of media attention, and rightfully so, but maybe they are a little out of your price range? Don’t worry...you don’t have to feel completely left out!
Aside from the premium tablets, there are several other devices available in a variety of sizes and at different price points. Archos has several tablets ranging in sizes from 3.2″ all the way up to 10″. The ViewSonic gTablet sports the same Tegra2, dual-core processor found in the Motorola Xoom and it has a 10.1" screen of its own. And let’s not to forget the unlikely competitor with the 7″ Android powered NOOKcolor by Barnes & Noble.
If you don’t mind performing some tweaks, you can pick up a very capable device at a fairly low price. While there are many "budget" tablets currently available, we will highlight a few of the most popular. Here is a basic rundown of some various tablets you might want to consider:
Archos Gen 8 Tablets (28, 32, 43, 70, and 101 models):
You will most likely want to install the Android Market on these devices as soon as you open the box. The tablets all come with a secondary market pre-installed from the manufacturer but the number of available apps is not comparable with Android Market. It is a very simple process and should not scare off even the most novice user. If you want to stop there, you can. You DO NOT have to root your device to add the Android market, this WILL NOT void your warranty, and you will be able to install future OTA firmware upgrades without worry.
Further community development for the Archos tablets is rather slow at this time. There aren’t any custom ROMs (aka "firmware" or "operating system") to speak of and the only real tweaks you can do just make the device run a little faster and remove the 256MB installed app storage limit. The 28 (2.8" screen) and 32 (3.2" screen) models are a little lacking with 800MHz processors and both have resistive touch screens. The 43 (4.3" screen), 70 (7" screen), and 101 (10.1" screen) models all sport a 1GHz processor and have the ever convenient kickstand (where is that on the high-end tablets?), and the latter two of those have a capacitive, multi-touch LCD screen.
The biggest downfall of these devices is the 256MB of RAM vs. the 512MB seen on the comparable devices listed below. But these Archos tablets are valued priced as shown here (all models expandable via micro USB):
- $199.99 – 43 internet tablet
- $249.99 – 8GB 70 internet tablet
- $299.99 – 250GB 70 internet tablet (yeah...that’s 250GB!)
- $299.99 – 8GB 101 internet tablet
- $349.99 – 16GB 101 internet tablet
Viewsonic gTablet:
It seems like this tablet had a pretty rocky start in the retail stores. The few retail stores that carried this device pulled them off the shelves initially because of the many software issues that plagued it. So why is it a viable choice? Because the Android developer community has turned out some excellent ROMs that rid the device of the custom firmware that ViewSonic implemented on this device.
To say ViewSonic missed the mark might be a bit of an understatement. But after doing a little modding, you will have a smoothly running, future proofed 10.1" tablet with a dual-core processor that will give you "high end" specs at a pretty reasonable price of about $399.99 (but if you shop around and you may find one for less than that).
The device has been criticized since its release for having poor viewing angles but most owners appear to say that is an issue that was blown slightly out of proportion. Fact is that this device has high-end specs at a mid level price. The NVIDIA Tegra2 1.0GHz processor, and 512MB of RAM set this apart from the other budget tablets. You won’t find 3G connectivity here, but an excellent choice if you are looking for a wifi only powerhouse and don’t mind installing one of the aftermarket ROMs to replace the factory installed operating system.
Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor:
So it is probably not new news to many of our readers that the NOOKcolor e-reader can transform into a functional Android tablet. This little powerhouse may not "wow" the people chasing down the high-end tablets, but it is quite possibly the best value of any device currently running the Android OS. For $250 (or less), you will have an 800MHz powered device capable of running Honeycomb (albeit, not perfected just yet) with a high resolution 1080×600 capacitive, 7" multi-touch LCD. The highest stable overclock is currently 1.1GHz and the 512MB of RAM is a nice touch that the Archos tablets are missing.
Bottom line...the NOOKcolor was born to be a tablet and not just an innocent little e-reader! The build quality of this device is stellar which makes it a tad on the heavy side but it is very thin and feels nice to hold. Once again, this device requires some modding but most users do not have problems with it. If you do run into problems, you can rest assured that your device is not "bricked" (meaning the device will not boot and there is NOTHING you can do to fix it). The NOOKcolor will always boot from SD card if you have a disk image loaded on it. So if you delete your recovery image, along with your firmware do not panic...just burn a disk image to a SD card and salvation is just minutes away. Because this device is almost completely unbrickable, that may offer beginners a little piece of mind. In reality, most devices are hard to completely foul up. But if we were going to crown a winner for being the hardest to brick, the NOOKcolor would get my vote.
What’s best for you?
So first, you should figure out what you are going to do with an Android tablet. Does the extent of your everyday use entail surfing the web, checking out Phandroid, watching YouTube videos, listening to music, watching movies, and checking out new music videos with the free VEVO app? If so, maybe you are better off with one of the surprisingly capable, yet surprisingly affordable tablets.
Every user needs to find a device that meets their specific requirements and budget. Don’t forget to head over to the tablet specific section of our forums to help you with your buying decision. There are many active conversations taking place right now that may just help you find the right device for you.
http://androidforums.com/android-tablets-mids/
And if you’ve already purchased an Android tablet, what device did you choose and why?
"While Nuclear Waste Piles Up in U.S., Billions in Fund to Handle It Sit Unused - ProPublica
To compound the problem, the 1982 law only allows the money to be spent on a permanent solution, such as Yucca, and it can't be used for what many experts say is the best interim solution: taking spent fuel out of increasingly crowded cooling pools and encasing them in concrete and steel. So, nuclear companies have begun doing that themselves -- and have been suing the government for not holding up its side of the bargain. The companies have filed dozens of lawsuits, for $6.4 billion in total claims, according to figures maintained by the Department of Justice. The government has already paid out $956 million. It's also spent nearly $170 million simply defending itself against the claims.
Source:.propublica.org
Dell 10-Inch Android Tablet Might Arrive Early
Dell 10-Inch Android Tablet Might Arrive Early:
Yesterday we got a scare and thought the 10-inch Android tablet from Dell would be delayed. Today we are hearing a completely different story. According to Forbes, Dell’s 10-inch slate might actually launch ahead of schedule. We haven’t seen much of the tablet first teased earlier this year, though it could possibly end up in the Streak family, which currently includes 5 and 7-inch (seen above) models. The latest report says what might get tagged as the Streak 10 could launch as early as mid-June.
Not much can be said for the specs of the thing, but we can be hopeful for Honeycomb and a dual-core processor, as those items seem to be the norm for Android tablets these days.
[via CNET]
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