Monday 8 September 2014

Nuclear update

Fukushima studies are beginning to reveal the severe legacy of radiation leaks
A range of studies on the impact of the Fukushima disaster have revealed the major impact even low-dose exposure to ionising radiation can have on animals and plants


Severe genetic mutations found in pale grass blue butterflies (Zizeeria maha) found in 2012 near the Fukushima disaster, with so-called eclosion failure (left) in which the butterfly can’t fight its way out of its cocoon, and bent wings (left).


10 August, 2014


A series of research that began just a few months after the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan in 2011 has been published in the Journal of Heredity, and it’s revealing some serious fallout from the radiation leak.

The studies looked at a range of non-human organisms and show that genetic damage, mutations and populations declines have all resulted from the disaster.

"A growing body of empirical results from studies of birds, monkeys, butterflies, and other insects suggests that some species have been significantly impacted by the radioactive releases related to the Fukushima disaster," Timothy Mousseau from the University of South Carolina in the US, who led one of the studies, explained in a press release.

One thing that all of the published studies have in common is that they hypothesise that low-dose exposure to ionising radiation, like the kind that followed Fukushima, causes genetic damage and increases mutation rates in both reproductive and non-reproductive cells.

A study on the common pale grass blue butterfly, for example, found size reduction, slowed growth, high mortality and morphological abnormality both in butterflies from contaminated sites and their offspring. Some of their results also suggested that Fukushima butterflies might even have evolved radiation resistance.

Another paper showed that rice seedlings in a contaminated site had activated self-defence genes - which can be involved in DNA replication and repair, as well as cell death - in response to the low-level gamma radiation.

A review in the series looked at species from both Chernobyl and Fukushima and showed significant consequences of radiation, such as major popular declines in birds, butterflies and cicadas, as well as morphological changes in the feathers of birds.

While the studies can’t necessarily undo the damage, they most importantly act as a baseline that can be used in future research on the effects of radiation leaks in the environment - something that is needed to help protect the environment from future damage.

"Detailed analyses of genetic impacts to natural populations could provide the information needed to predict recovery times for wild communities at Fukushima as well as any sites of future nuclear accidents," Mousseau said in a press release. “There is an urgent need for greater investment in basic scientific research of the wild animals and plants of Fukushima."

Watch bee dying after landing in flower





Latest Headlines:

Report shows California sea lions dying from organs falling out of place, tumors, accumulation of pus inside bodies (PHOTO)


Killer whales dying along Pacific coast — “Very sick, emaciated” — Population at lowest level in decades — Steep decline began after 2011 — No babies born in past 2 years — Alarming changes in behavior observed; Social structure is ‘splintering’ (PHOTO)

Fukushima nuclear material reported in West Coast groundwater; It’s discharging into Pacific Ocean — Fallout also found in meat and fish from same area — “Routinely detected’ in plant life long after March 2011

California Nuclear Plant Engineer: We were hit by explosion at Fukushima Unit 3 (MAP) — “The public started to freak out” — Tell colleagues what radioactive material is coming their way… don’t notify public — Don’t release initial data to officials until they’re ‘on board’

TV:: ‘Zombie’ starfish found along Pacific coast — Experts: “Much spookier than in past” — Babies “die so quickly… they just disappear” — Change in seawater could have activated deadly pathogen — Worries about creation of ‘superbug’ — Serious ecosystem changes now appearing (VIDEO)


Flynn accuses feds of blocking WIPP probe studies are beginning to reveal the severe legacy of radiation leaks



6 September, 2014


New Mexico’s top environmental regulator lashed out at the U.S. Department of Energy this week, accusing it of impeding the state’s investigation into the circumstances that led to a radiation leak earlier this year at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad.

During his keynote speech to an audience representing federal agencies, industry, academia, national labs and all levels of government at the annual Radwaste Summit in Summerlin, Nev., New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn warned that Los Alamos National Laboratory and WIPP could face steeper sanctions from the state because of what he characterized as Energy Department roadblocks that have protracted the probe.

The problem is that Department of Energy headquarters back in Washington, D.C., is looking at this situation through a political or [public relations] lens, so they’ve put a noose around the scientific personnel who can answer our questions and move this process along,” Flynn told The New Mexican.

On Feb. 14, a drum of nuclear waste that originated at Los Alamos burst at WIPP, the nation’s only below-ground repository for waste generated during decades of Cold War nuclear weapons production. The cause of the chemical reaction that triggered the drum to rupture remains under investigation by several federal agencies and the New Mexico Environment Department, which holds permitting authority over both LANL and WIPP. WIPP has ceased receiving waste indefinitely since the release.

Increasingly in recent weeks, the federal Energy Department has thwarted attempts by the state Environment Department to gather information for its investigation, according to Flynn. Six weeks ago, at a legislative hearing in Los Alamos, Flynn lauded LANL’s cooperation with the state investigation into the radiation leak, including the lab’s confession to treating the suspected drum without a permit, a process that left behind a lead-laden glove that’s being eyed as a contributing factor in the leak. On Friday, Flynn accused the Energy Department of muzzling scientists with crucial information about the waste stream.

He said at times during the state’s investigation into the leak, LANL personnel have provided “outstanding communication” about the possible cause of the radiation release. But when the Environment Department has asked for documentation supporting the scientists’ observations, the Energy Department has repeatedly refused to provide it.

During those positive meetings, information will be referenced, and there’s a willingness [by LANL personnel] to provide information that’s referenced during those meetings or presentations,” Flynn said. “After those meetings, information gets communicated up the chain of command and someone back at [Energy] headquarters decides that no, they’re not going to provide that information to the state.”

Flynn said his frustration with the Energy Department grew as its denials of his department’s requests for information became more frequent.

When it happens once, it’s not really a big deal. When you start noticing a pattern and it happens repeatedly, that’s when you start to get really concerned,” he said. 
“You’d have to ask Department of Energy headquarters why they don’t provide certain information and why they don’t make staff available. It would be interesting to know how many people need to sign off before someone at Los Alamos National Laboratory can return a phone call to me or one of my staffers.”

A Los Alamos spokesman referred questions to Energy Department officials on Friday.

In a written statement responding to Flynn’s criticisms, a department spokesperson said: “The department is fully committed to reopening WIPP, and will continue to work with the state of New Mexico to do so safely and as expeditiously as possible.”

Greg Mello, executive director of the watchdog organization Los Alamos Study Group, echoed Flynn’s angst that the Energy Department hasn’t openly shared details with regulators about the radiation leak and the waste suspected of causing it.

Anything else is a sign of a poor safety culture and could be a danger signal for workers and the public,” Mello said. “Mislabeling drums and withholding information can be criminal. That’s one way serious accidents can happen.”
Already, regulatory penalties from the state are likely for both Los Alamos and WIPP, according to Flynn. Potential penalties range from fines to suspension of operations at the sites.

At Los Alamos, treating waste without a permit and labeling waste as less volatile than it actually is, then shipping it to WIPP are among the violations already identified, and WIPP, at a minimum, faces regulatory action for failing to verify the volatility of the waste before accepting it.

The more we investigate, the more we’re discovering at Los Alamos,” Flynn said.
The state’s first sanctions against the permit-holders could be meted out within the next 60 days, Flynn said. Regulatory actions against LANL and WIPP are likely to be imposed in a series of steps, as each of the violations is verified.
The Energy Department’s reticence to cooperate could lead to stiffer penalties, Flynn said.

When you’re less responsive, you’re making us have to work and fight just to get information we need in order to our job,” he said. “We’re less likely to provide them with any type of a downward adjustment or credit for being upfront. We won’t do it.”

The Energy Department’s refusal to provide information raised suspicions among Flynn’s investigators, and regaining their trust will be difficult, he said.

It takes time in order to establish credibility, and you do that by being upfront, by being candid and by answering questions. It takes time to establish credibility, and it can be lost in an instant,” he said. “And the Department of Energy headquarters refuses to provide certain information. Withholding information from our staff, for whatever reason, that really erodes their credibility.”


And from ENENews
New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn, Sept 6, 2014: “The problem is that Department of Energy headquarters back in Washington, D.C., is looking at this situation through a political or (public relations) lens, so they’ve put a noose around the scientific personnel who can answer our questions… there’s a willingness (by LANL personnel) to provide information [but] someone back at headquarters decides that no, they’re not going to provide that information to the state… it happens repeatedly, that’s when you start to get really concerned… they don’t provide certain information [or] make staff available… The more we investigate, the more we’re discovering at Los Alamos… the Department of Energy headquarters refuses to provide certain information.”
Greg Mello, Los Alamos Study Group, Sept 6, 2014: “[Not sharing this information] could be a danger signal for workers and the public. Mislabeling drums and withholding information can be criminal.”
The Santa Fe New Mexican, Sept 3, 2014: Review, relabeling of LANL waste raises questions about scope of problem… [Los Alamos National Laboratory's] review of the incident has led to uncertainty over the volatility of hundreds of other drums… The lab notified state environment officials late last month that it was re-evaluating and relabeling as “ignitable” or “corrosive” the contents of 86 drums at LANL… The Department of Energy also is reviewing and relabeling more than 300… stored in WIPP’s underground… [This] raises questions about the scope of the problem that led to the leak at WIPP.
Chris Harris, former licensed Senior Reactor Operator & engineer, Aug 28, 2014 (at 22:15 in): “It sure seems like that there’s a combination of a cover-up, and a combination of slip-shot record keeping. Now there’s talk of whether they ditched those records after the fact or before the fact, but those records are nonexistent. One would expect really good records as to what is being stored, where it’s being stored, when it was put away, when it was stored, all that – every bit of information that one would expect to have in a nuclear storage facility and these are missing, there’s a lot of information.

Fukushima & New ACUTE Nuclear Dangers ☢ (Nuclear Hotseat)



If you only want to listen to ONE MINUTE of this video, listen to 39:00 until 40:00

2 powerhouse interviews. First, with Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps NRC's conflict of interest, grounds for intervention, short sightedness... a mess worthy of a soap opera, courtesy of the NRC. Kevin cuts through the "bovine feces" to the truth. 

Next: what has been going on at the WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) in Carlsbad New Mexico since the February 14, 2014 radiation leak with Don Hancock with the Southwest Information & Research Center. Plus numbnuts of the week, shoutouts, and much much more. From Tues, Sept 2, 2014. With Libby HaLevy.

"OOPS" says TEPCO, Unit 3 at Fukushima shit fell into the spent fuel pool ~ 3 feet by 5 1/2 feet wide and 180 pounds. Were plutonium laced fuel rods damaged? "Oh, no, nothing significant changed" said TEPCO, but significant was not defined nor extra radiation readings taken. PS: a 5.2 mag earthquake hits off the Fukushima coast this week as Thyroid cases soar. 

Kevin Kamps at Beyond Nuclear.org (guest appears at approx 24:30 into this video) http://beyondnuclear.squarespace.com/...

Kevin Kamps: Radioactive Waste Watchdog

Kevin Kamps specializes in high-level waste management and transportation; new and existing reactors; decommissioning; Congress watch; climate change; federal subsidies.Click on Kevin's name to open full bio. A more detailed bio can be found here. kevin@beyondnuclear.org. 301.270.2209 x 1

Fukushima: A Demonic Chain Reaction (by Kevin Kamps)





Kevin Kamps, a specialist in the management and transport of nuclear high-level waste for the group "Beyond Nuclear" (Beyond Nuclear) summarizes the main risks here, accidents and incidents related to the nuclear industry since its inception, the "Manhattan Project", the race for the nuclear bomb that will be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It also draws a parallel between the various accidents in the United States and Japan, which are very similar. Is it really surprising when you know the involvement of the United States in the development of nuclear energy in Japan after the war, with "Atoms for Peace" program (Atoms for Peace) launched by Eisenhower in 1953 and the involvement of the CIA?


It will also discuss the concealment of information on security breaches in the nuclear industry, and frequent collusion between regulators and industry.


"NATO and the United States should change their policy because the time when they dictate their conditions to the world has passed," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Dushanbe, capital of the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan

Experts Warn Of ‘Inevitable’ Fukushima Disaster In California
Anthony Gucciardi



Since the catastrophic meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in March of 2011 irreparably altered the state of the planet for the known future, the incident has been shrouded in nothing but bureaucratic cover ups and government-backed disinformation. Now, within our own borders, top experts turned whistleblowers are warning of a nuclear nightmare that could surpass Fukushima and Chernobyl alike by leaps and bounds.

Initially listed as a Level 4 incident on the International Nuclear Event Scale, pressure from scientists on an international level ultimately led to Fukushima’s classification as a maximum Level 7 accident within the INES system — with some suggesting an entirely new level was needed to describe the true impact and atrocity of the nuclear meltdown. Now, even after witnessing what happens when a major power plant is placed within the crosshairs of earthquake activity, a ‘new Fukushima’ is sitting off the Central Coast within California’s Diablo Canyon.
And top level nuclear experts, including a senior federal nuclear inspector turned whistleblower, are warning that the California-based plant is a sitting radioactive duck amid the nearby faults that have actually been found to be more dangerous than previously thought. Back in 2008, a new fault known as the Shoreline fault was discovered just offshore from the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility: a discovery that truly changes everything about the ‘safety’ of the California plant.
The whistleblower and former federal inspector of the plant, Michael Peck, has even presented his case highlighting the serious hazards of the plant he used to oversee to the  U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a highly confidential report. National organizations are already calling attention to Peck’s finding and reports, with senior strategist Damon Moglen of Friends of the Earth International stating:
We agree with him that Diablo Canyon is vulnerable to earthquakes and must be shut down immediately. Rather than the NRC keeping this a secret, there must be a thorough investigation with public hearings to determine whether these reactors can operate safely.”
Yet it appears that the general public is not even being made aware of what’s really going on, let alone the real threat that they face on a national and international level.
As usual, the general public is not being told about ways in which they can prepare themselves for a nuclear meltdown. Instead, government officials were caught back in February stockpiling iodine stores in excess of 14 million doses in a purchase order that came conveniently after reports began surfacing over another possible meltdown at the Fukushima plant. The doses will be enough for many officials and federal employees, however the public will be forced to fend for themselves — and they will not even be told about the necessity of iodine nor how they can better prepare their families for a radioactive scenario.
The reality is that even getting a hold of low quality potassium iodide, which I would not ever personally take over a higher quality form of pure iodine, is becoming difficult as the population becomes aware of Fukushima’s expansive dangers. Many manufacturers are now stockpiling raw iodine and holding on to the element as a form of investment with the knowledge that Fukushima may very well meltdown in the coming months. For this reason, we have had a very hard time securing nascent iodine formulas that many in the field of preparedness have been stockpiling for quite some time.

Fukushima Radiation Continues As Experts Warn Of ‘American Fukushima’


But even outside out Peck’s analysis and years of experience as a nuclear inspector at the federal level, numerous high level scientists and researchers have been speaking out about the continuation of Fukushima’s devastating effects and the need to further stabilize and shutdown nuclear plants along the fault lines throughout the United States — and California is not the only region in question. Even another earthquake affecting Japan could lead to the ‘evacuation of North America’, according to scientists David Suzuki.
In statements made during a presentation on water ecology at the University of Alberta, award winning scientist David Suzuki went on record in saying that in the event of another seven or above earthquake, which he says has about a 95% chance of occurring over the next three years, it would require a complete evacuation of North America and mean ‘bye bye Japan’.
I have seen a paper which says that if in fact the fourth plant goes under in an earthquake and those rods are exposed, it’s bye bye Japan and everybody on the west coast of North America should evacuate,” he said.
Specifically speaking to the nature of Fukushima’s ticking time bomb, Suzuki began the breakdown of the plant’s numerous threats with stating the very real concept that Fukushima is perhaps the largest threat to both humanity and the planet that we face in the immediate future.
Fukushima is the most terrifying situation I can imagine,” he said before delving into the issue. “Three out of the four plants were destroyed in the earthquake and in the tsunami. The fourth one has been so badly damaged that the fear is, if there’s another earthquake of a seven or above that, that building will go and then all hell breaks loose… And the probability of a seven or above earthquake in the next three years is over 95 per cent.”
And Suzuki is not the only one with major concerns. In fact, Suzuki is perhaps one of the very few who actually received media attention due to his celebrity status as a recipient of 16 significant academic awards and host of the popular CBC Television program entitled ‘The Nature of Things’. Yale University professor Charles Perrow has voiced similar concerns in a telling piece entitled ‘Fukushima Forever’, which highlights the very serious threat of nuclear meltdown as a result of human error when it comes to removing the plant’s spent fuel rods.
A danger that the United States government certainly recognizes as legitimate based on the analysis of top experts, and undoubtedly is silently preparing for behind the scenes.
Perrow writes:
Much more serious is the danger that the spent fuel rod pool at the top of the nuclear plant number four will collapse in a storm or an earthquake, or in a failed attempt to carefully remove each of the 1,535 rods and safely transport them to the common storage pool 50 meters away. Conditions in the unit 4 pool, 100 feet from the ground, are perilous, and if any two of the rods touch it could cause a nuclear reaction that would be uncontrollable. The radiation emitted from all these rods, if they are not continually cool and kept separate, would require the evacuation of surrounding areas including Tokyo. Because of the radiation at the site the 6,375 rods in the common storage pool could not be continuously cooled; they would fission and all of humanity will be threatened, for thousands of years.
The Fukushima nuclear nightmare is far from over, and even now the disaster is being extremely mishandled and blatantly ignored by plant operator company TEPCO and the Japanese government. In the event of an American Fukushima within California, which would in fact be much more devastating, there is truly no telling how much of a fatal blow would be dealt to humanity.


List Of All 30+ Global 

Nuclear Reactor Melt Downs


8 April, 2014

The following is as complete a list as possible of all nuclear reactor melt downs that have happened globally. This list is incomplete, and the total number of melt downs is not fixed, as the secrecy and/or relabeling around these reactor melt downs prevents a full accounting. The total number of melt downs may be less, put it is probably more than what is itemized here. This list includes a reactor fire, (Windscale) and 1 spent fuel pool meltdowns (Fukushima). If what are labeled as “criticality excursions” the number would be higher. The following events all qualify as being equal to meltdowns and/or releasing massive amounts of radiation.

What is surprising to most people is the fact that there are many more than just 3 nuclear reactor melt downs that the pro nuclear apologists try to promote along with the myth about nuclear reactor safety. What is even more shocking, are the hundreds, if not thousands of accidents, spills and radioactive contamination caused by the pursuit nuclear weapons, hidden in plain sight.
So the next time someone starts talking about how there were only 3 nuclear reactor melt downs, feel free to correct them by saying; “You really meant to say 30 or more, right?”

1942 – First Nuclear Reactor – Chicago Pile I Hidden In Open Sight; via A Green Road

1952 – NRX Reactor Melted Down in Ontario, Canada; via @AGreenRoadhttp://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/04/1952-nrx-reactor-melted-down-in-ontario.html

1954- Borax 1 – 5 Reactors Melted Down And Blown Up, 100% On Purpose; via @AGreenRoad


1957 Windscale Sellafield: Biggest Covered Up UK Nuclear Disaster? via @AGreenRoad

1958 NRU Nuclear Reactor Meltdown; via @AGreenRoad

1959, 1964, 1969 Santa Susana Sodium Reactor In Los Angeles California; 3 Nuclear Plant Meltdowns Completely Covered Up, 260 Times Worse Than Three Mile Island; via @AGreenRoad

1961 – Nuclear Reactor Meltdown : The SL-1 Accident – United States via @AGreenRoad

1964 – Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Meltdown And Explosion SL-1 – Idaho, United States via @AGreenRoad

1964 to 1966, 3 Or More SNAP Nuclear Reactors Melted Down; via @AGreenRoad

1966 – Enrico Fermi Liquid Sodium Cooled Breeder Reactor Melts Down; via @AGreenRoad

1967 – Chapelcross Nuclear Power Plant And Reprocessing Facility In Scotland Melted Down; via @AGreenRoad

1969 – Lucens Reactor Melted Down In Switzerland; via @AGreenRoad

1969 – Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant Melted Down In France; via @AGreenRoad

1977 РA1 Nuclear Power Plant at Jaslovsk̩ Bohunice, Czechoslovakia, Melted Down; via @AGreenRoad

1978 Pinawa Manitoba Nuclear Reactor Partial Meltdown; via @AGreenRoad


1979 – Three Mile Island Meltdown And Radiation Release Coverup Exposed – 1 Billion Curies Released; via @AGreenRoad

1980 – Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant Melt Down Accident In France; via @AGreenRoad

1985 – LOFT Nuclear Reactor Melted Down On Purpose; via @AGreenRoad

1986 – Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Melts Out And Blows Up; Denial Of 1 Million + Casualties; via @AGreenRoad

1988 – Pickering I Nuclear Reactor In Ontario Canada Melted Down; via @AGreenRoad


1989 – Germany Greifswald Unit 5 (KGR-5) Nuclear Power Plant Melted Down; via @AGreenRoad

2011 – Fukushima Triple Reactor Meltdown/Meltthrough, Japan Suffered 3 Mega Disasters, Now Suffering From 4th Mega Nuclear Disaster, USA Will Be Next; via @AGreenRoad

2011 – Fukushima Spent Fuel Pool #4 Contained A Full Load of MOX Plutonium Fuel; It Melted Down, Exploded And Burned; via @AGreenRoad

Lists of 100+ Worst Nuclear Disasters And Radioactivity Release Incidents; via @AGreenRoad



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