1/10/2013 Berkeley develops quick blood test to ID people exposed to ionizing radiation

Source: Gizmag
Date: 1/10/2013
by: Brian Dodson

Researchers have developed a simple blood test to determine a patient's exposure to ionizing radiation (Photo: Shutterstock)

Industrial and medical accidents have resulted in about 3,000 cases of acute radiation syndrome with over 100 deaths over the past 60 years. Far larger numbers are possible in the future from major reactor accidents or the use of dirty bombs. In the aftermath of a major incident, the radiation dosages of victims must be sorted out quickly, so that suitable treatment can begin as soon as possible. Medical researchers at the US Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have now developed a simple blood test to determine the exposure of a patient to ionizing radiation, that can be carried out in the field with a hand-held analyzer.
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Read the rest here [including the dangers and mechanics of ionizing radiation]

1/10/2013 Cernavoda reactor shutdown again after failure of logic relay control system

Source: Enformable
Date: 1/10/2012

Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant

 One of the two operational nuclear power reactors of Cernavoda nuclear power plant, the only nuclear power plant in Romania, was automatically shutdown Wednesday night by emergency system, according to Nuclearelectrica who operates the facility.  The cause of the shutdown has not been determined yet.
“Unit Two shut down on Wednesday evening, reasons unknown,” said Dumitru Dina, head of Nuclearelectrica, but did admit that some problems were found in the cooling system for the electrical generators.  The utility also indicated some disturbances were caused by failure of the logic relay control system.   A similar incident occurred in November 2012.
Source: Pravda
Source: EVZ