Sunday, June 19, 2011

6/19/2011 | Pursuing nuclear power in UAE despite Fukushima tragedy

Source: Al Arabiya
Date: Sunday, 19 June 2011
by: MARY E. STONAKER
The UAE is an oil rich country but its oil is not enough to meet the country’s expected energy demand in coming decades. (File photo)
The UAE is an oil rich country but its oil is not enough to meet the country’s expected energy demand in coming decades. (File photo)

Disaster at Fukushima failed to spook Emiratis in search for cleaner, more sustainable energy sources in the form of nuclear reactors, amongst others.

A recent poll by Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) was reported to show 85 percent of UAE residents in favor of a peaceful nuclear program. Safety concerns were also polled and the majority of respondents cited location as a decisive consideration in the future of Emirati nuclear power generation.
...
Read full article here

6/19/2011 | Crisis brewing as Japan's tea farmers face radiation ban

Source: CNN International
Date: June 19, 2011 2:39 a.m. EDT
by: Kyung Lah

(CNN) -- Japan's green tea fields sway in the early summer winds, the picture of bucolic beauty. But beneath these peaceful rows of young green buds, ready for the second harvest of the year, a national crisis is brewing.
...
Read full article and view video here

1979? | Atomic Meltdown U.S.A.

Source: "Unit 4" via YouTube
Date: 1979?

Here is a nostalgic Sunday Cinema feature, courtesy of Ray from Glowing Conversations. This news report from "Unit 4" news documents the Sodium Reactor Experiment (S.R.E.) meltdown at the Santa Susanna Field Laboratory (S.S.F.L) in 1959 that was kept secret for 20 years.

Part 1


Part 2

Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku makes a surprise guest appearance 3 minutes 50 seconds in to this segment, as he discusses the dangerous consequences had an uncontrolled reaction continued at the SSFL (Santa Susanna Field Laboratory) SRE (Sodium Reactor Experiment).

Part 3


It appears that the Japanese are trying to restart a contemporary sodium cooled reactor: the Monju fast-breeder reactor in Tsuruga, Japan. This reactor has been out of commission due to heavy equipment falling in to the reactor core, which happened before the Japan earthquake. There have been other safety problems prior to this including a 1995 fire caused by leaked sodium coolant, which was deemed one of Japan's worst nuclear accidents.  Protesters have resisted the Monju project since the 1970's.  Fast-breeder reactors have the advantage of greater efficiency in utilizing a higher percentage of nuclear fuel. However, since this particular reactor uses liquid sodium for cooling there is the danger that the sodium can ignite or explode if it happens to accidentally leak out in to open air (as in 1995) or contacts water.

6/19/2011 | New report shows early chaos at Japan nuke plant

Source: AP
Date: 6/19/2011
by: MARI YAMAGUCHI

TOKYO (AP) — A new report says Japan's tsunami-ravaged nuclear plant was so unprepared for the disaster that workers had to bring protective gear and an emergency manual from distant buildings and borrow equipment from a contractor.
...
Read full article here

6/19/2011 | * IMPORTANT * Cooper Nuclear Station triggers Notification of Unusual Event due to Missouri river water levels rising above 42.5 feet

Date: 6/19/2011 12:13 PM CST
by: Jason Chan

Missouri river water levels have risen to a point (at present 43.7 feet as of 12:14 P.M. CST) which according to the NPPD (Nebraska Public Power District) flood emergency preparedness plan should have caused them to issue a NOUE (Notification of Unusual Event) for Cooper Nuclear Station.  The NOUE is the lowest of four emergency classes used within the United States.  Here is the graphic snapshot from the NPPD site which shows their flooding action plan and what water levels will trigger what event notifications to the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission):

Cooper's Emergency Preparedness Plan (Flooding) View water levels at Brownville


Disclaimer: Cooper Nuclear Station measures the Missouri River's water elevation at the mean sea level. Conversions to depth of river in feet are placed in parentheses behind these levels. It is also important to note that changing river conditions, mountain snowmelt, and precipitation, all play a role in the fluctuating river levels. Procedure-required steps are noted with an asterisk.
Station management continuously tracks the river's level and anticipates precautionary measures for protecting plant equipment from flooding conditions.

If this action plan is being followed to the letter Cooper Nuclear Station should still be operational.

According to Omaha, Nebraska NBC Affiliate WOWT (Channel 6) the NOUE (Notification of Unusual Event) was indeed issued at 4:02 AM Sunday June 19, 2011:
...
As the Missouri River rises, the Nebraska Public Power District has declared a “Notification of Unusual Event” for the Cooper Nuclear Station. The notification was made at 4:02am Sunday. It is part of the safety and emergency preparedness plan that the station follows when certain flooding conditions are present.
...[1]
The AP also has an article going in to further detail:
...
Mark Becker, a spokesman for the Columbus-based utility, said the "notification of unusual event" sent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was expected as the river swells above record levels. The declaration is the least serious of four emergency notifications established by the federal commission.
"We knew the river was going to rise for some time," Becker said. "It was just a matter of when."
The plant was operating Sunday at full capacity, and there was no threat to plant employees or to the public, he said.
...[2]
Cooper Nuclear Station is three miles southeast of Brownville, Nebraska along the Missouri River.

Here is a description of the four emergency classifications the United States uses, starting from the least severe to the most severe taken from the NRC's (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) Backgrounder on Emergency Preparedness at Nuclear Power Plants:
...

Emergency Classification

Emergency Classification is a set of plant conditions which indicate a level of risk to the public. Nuclear power plants use the four emergency classifications listed below in order of increasing severity.

Notification of Unusual Event - Under this category, events are in process or have occurred which indicate potential degradation in the level of safety of the plant. No release of radioactive material requiring offsite response or monitoring is expected unless further degradation occurs.

Alert - If an alert is declared, events are in process or have occurred that involve an actual or potential substantial degradation in the level of safety of the plant. Any releases of radioactive material from the plant are expected to be limited to a small fraction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protective action guides (PAGs). Additional information regarding PAGs can be found on the EPA Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/rert/pags.html exit icon .  

Site Area Emergency - A site area emergency involves events in process or which have occurred that result in actual or likely major failures of plant functions needed for protection of the public. Any releases of radioactive material are not expected to exceed the EPA PAGs except near the site boundary.

General Emergency - A general emergency involves actual or imminent substantial core damage or melting of reactor fuel with the potential for loss of containment integrity. Radioactive releases during a general emergency can reasonably be expected to exceed the EPA PAGs for more than the immediate site area.
...
Note that there is also a 7 level international nuclear event scale, which is described in the following Wikipedia entry: International Nuclear Event Scale.  The reports sited are not based on the international scale.

Sources:
[1] Declaration at Cooper Nuclear Station, NBC WOWT (Channel 6) News
[2] Neb. nuke plant notifies feds of Missouri flooding, AP via ctpost.com

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Radiation News Archive

Older Radiation News

DateSourceHeadline
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4/28/2011IAEA.orgFukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log
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4/28/2011EX-SKF BlogChubu Electric Wants to Restart Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant in July
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4/28/2011Kyodo NewsFOCUS: Chinese journalists change image of Japan after covering March disaster
4/28/2011 11:33AM EDTReutersJapanese to mark long holiday with volunteer work, not travel
4/28/2011The Japan TimesTepco woman took three times radiation limit
4/28/2011The Japan TimesFukushima city removing schools' topsoil
4/27/2011 03:50 PM JSTJapan TodayBig tank may be put under nuclear plant to store tainted water
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4/26/2011Fairewinds AssociatesVIDEO: Gundersen Postulates Unit 3 Explosion May Have Been Prompt Criticality in Fuel Pool
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4/26/2011EX-SKF Blog#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool May Be Leaking
4/26/2011Washington's BlogIs a Rogue Computer Virus Shutting Down Nuclear Plants Worldwide?
4/25/2011Washington's BlogSomething Odd Is Happening at Reactor Number 4
4/24/2011 03:20 PM JSTJapan TodayVets to enter evacuation zone to deal with abandoned animals
4/24/2011 02:21 PM JSTJapan TodayGov't to launch massive 2-day search for quake bodies
4/24/2011 06:20 AM JSTJapan TodayWorkers locked in battle at nuclear plant; exposure to radiation rising
4/23/2011Japan TodayIs U.S. military relief effort Operation Tomodachi really about friendship?
4/23/2011ReutersChina, S. Korea rebuff Japan on import restrictions after quake
4/23/2011Lewis Whitefield HixsonHi-res photographic proof reactor core exploded at unit 3
4/23/2011Propheticseer.comVIDEO: Radioactive America! What the Mainstream media is NOT TELLING YOU!
4/23/2011EX-SKF Blog#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: "Radiation Contamination Map" of the Plant Exists, But TEPCO Hasn't Released It to Public
4/23/2011EX-SKF Blog#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Control Over the Independent Press Getting Tighter
4/23/2011EX-SKF Blog#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Unintended "Water Entombment" of Reactor 1
4/22/2011ReutersJapan earmarks first $50 billion for post-quake rebuild
4/22/2011PressTVJapan's radiation 20,000 times limit
4/22/2011Next Big FutureChina’s nuclear plans could resume by August
4/22/2011 10:06 AM JSTJapan TodayGov't seals off no-go zone around nuclear plant
4/22/2011 07:00 AM JSTJapan TodayAomori business groups ask TEPCO, others to resume building nuclear plants
4/21/2011BloombergTepco to Build Wall for Nuclear Plant After Fukushima Disaster
4/21/2011BloombergTepco Must End ‘Whack-a-Mole,’ Cover Fukushima Reactors as Typhoons Loom
4/21/2011Lucas Whitefield HixsonEPA RADnet Reports Show Plutonium in US since March 18th
4/21/2011The Intel HubDr. Steven Wing And Arnie Gundersen Discuss Global Radiation Exposure and Consequences
4/21/2011Alexander Higgins BlogJapan Nuclear Radiation Detected In Drinking Water In 20 US Cities
4/21/2011Scientific AmericanThe Japan nuclear crisis at Fukushima: A video summary
4/21/2011Wired ScienceOp-Ed: Psychiatric Disorder Could Complicate Japan Quake Recovery
4/21/2011Washington's Blog"The Risk of a Nuclear Catastrophe ... Could Total Trillions of Dollars and Even BANKRUPT A COUNTRY"
4/21/2011The Japan TimesKan to make 20-km no-entry zone binding Holdout households face ouster; some evacuees may get short visits
4/21/2011Japan TodayCo-op sells banned spinach to consumers in eastern Japan
4/21/2011The Japan TimesCarrier returns to Yokosuka as concerns ease
4/21/2011Japan TodayToshiba's U.S. partner withdraws from Texas nuclear power project
4/21/2011The Japan Times21 mini FM stations helping survivors
4/21/2011Washington's BlogIt's Not Just Alternative Energy Versus Fossil Fuels or Nuclear - Energy Has to Become DECENTRALIZED
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4/20/2011 09:40 AM JSTJapan TodayNuclear plant workers at risk of depression, death from overwork: doctor
4/20/2011 07:15 AM JSTJapan TodayGov't may hike power charges to help cover damages payments
4/20/2011 07:10 AM JSTJapan TodayTsukuba demanded evacuees show radiation certificates
4/20/2011 (Kyodo Time)Japan TimesPowder to remove radiation developed
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4/19/2011NHK World (English)TEPCO to check if plutonium leaked to seabed
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4/19/2011NHK World (English)Death toll in Japan disaster exceeds 14,000
4/19/2011Japan TodayTEPCO starts moving highly radioactive water to storage facility
4/19/2011ReutersWRAPUP 1-With much at stake, Japan voices confidence in US debt after S&P move
4/19/2011BloombergTepco Robots Find High Radiation Levels in Reactor Buildings
4/18/2011Associated PressRadiation near Japan reactors too high for workers
4/18/2011ReutersJapan "eyes sales tax rise" to pay for post-quake rebuild
4/18/2011The Intel HubUS Nuclear Plant Without Power After Being Hit By Tornado
4/18/2011Washington's BlogNuclear Overseers Are "Fake" Agencies Funded and Controlled by the Nuclear Power Industry
4/16/2011BloombergNoda Says Quake, Tsunami Reconstruction Will Help Japan's Economy Recover
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4/15/2011ReutersCalls grow for Japan PM to quit in wake of quake
4/15/2011Japan TodayTEPCO to pay Y1 mil in provisional damages to 50,000 households
4/15/2011Global Security NewswireJapan Plant Fuel Melted Partway Through Reactors: Report
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4/14/2011Truth Frequency News(VIDEO) 400,000 to develop cancer in 200 km radius of Fukushima
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4/14/2011Japan TodayWorkers struggle to remove highly toxic water at nuclear plant
4/14/2011The American DreamMuch Of Northern Japan Uninhabitable Due To Nuclear Radiation?
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4/13/2011Fairewinds AssociatesFukushima Accident Severity Level Raised to '7': Gundersen Discusses Lack of US Radiation Monitoring Data
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4/13/2011Zero HedgeTEPCO Confirms Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool Is Now An Uncontrolled, Open Air Fission Process
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4/12/2011Zero HedgeFukushima Vs Chernobyl - Compare And Contrast
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4/11/2011Russia TodayRadioactive Japanese cars detained in Russia’s Far East
4/11/2011 3:50 PMEnergy NewsJapan raises Fukushima to Level 7, same as Chernobyl
4/11/2011Russia TodayRadiation caught on tape: RT talks to Fukushima zone stalker
4/11/2011The Intel HubJapan Nuclear Radiation In Hawaii Milk At LEAST 600% Above Federal Drinking Water Limits
4/11/2011 10:02AM BSTThe TelegraphJapan earthquake: Fukushima nuclear plant evacuated following aftershock
4/9/2011ForbesRadiation Detected In Drinking Water In 13 More US Cities, Cesium-137 In Vermont Milk
4/9/2011The IndependentJapan to pump radioactive water into sea until Sunday
4/8/2011Washington's BlogJapan's Nuclear Meltdown, the Economic Meltdown, and the Gulf Oil Meltdown All Happened for the SAME REASON
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4/8/2011PrisonPlanet.comInside report from Fukushima nuclear reactor evacuation zone
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4/7/2011ZeroHedgeWater Leak Found At Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant
4/7/2011Washington's BlogSouth Koreans Wear Masks Out of Fear of Radiation from Japan
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4/6/2011Alexander Higgins BlogTrue Horrors Of Japan Nuclear Disaster Revealed In Confidential Leaked Government Document
4/6/2011Truth Frequency NewsGreat, now our oceans are sewers…
4/6/2011The Intel HubFukushima Daiichi Radioactive Seawater Model, Spent Fuel Rods DID Explode Into Atmosphere
4/6/2011Japan TodayTEPCO to inject nitrogen into No. 1 reactor to prevent explosion
4/5/2011 14:02Activist PostAmerica and EU Agree: Raise Radiation Levels for Food
4/5/2011 14:02Financial TimesTepco seals leak at nuclear plant
4/5/2011The New York TimesU.S. Sees Array of New Threats at Japan’s Nuclear Plant
4/5/2011The Economic TimesImported food items from Japan banned due to radiation fears
4/5/2011 5:58 AMBusiness InsiderJapan Finds Toxic Fish, As Ocean Radiation Soars To 7.5 Million Times Legal Limit
4/5/2011Kyodo News11,500 TONS of radioctive water dumped in to ocean by TEPCO
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