Radiation Protection News Room
The news articles posted on the “Radiation Protection News Room” are provided solely as a service to readers. The intent is the raise awareness of current radiation issues in the news. Providing links to a non-EPA Web site does not constitute an endorsement by EPA or any of its employees of the sponsors of the site or the information or products presented on the site.
Radiation in the News
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News for November 5, 2008
Radioactive Waste
- UN watchdog urges Spain action on nuclear waste (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE4A47BP20081105
The United Nations' nuclear watchdog on Wednesday praised Spain's regulator but recommended stepping up efforts to find a permanent site for dumping spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste. - Bruce Power mulls new Ontario nuclear station (Your Industry News)
http://www.yourindustrynews.com/bruce+power+mulls+new+ontario+nuclear+station_14688.html
We have 30000 tons of high level radioactive waste in Ontario that no one knows what to do with. This plan would mean making a new radioactive waste dump."
Safety and Security
- DC hospital gets dirty bomb sensors (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-11-04-hospitalsensors_N.htm
The largest private hospital in the nation's capital on Tuesday began installing sophisticated new radiation detectors in an effort to better prepare for a terrist attack with a radiological “dirty bomb.” - Scrap plant identifies utensil as radioactive (Detroit News)
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/METRO/809110387
When an ordinary household cheese grater set off radiation alarms at a Flint scrap metal recycling facility last month, workers were required to send it for testing -- and it turned out to contain the radioactive isotope Cobalt-60.
Health
- Radiation-proof microbe uses its powers for good (Sydney Morning Herald)
http://www.smh.com.au/news/specials/science/radiationproof-microbe-uses-its-powers-for-good/2008/11/05/1225560945091.html
It was discovered by accident in the 1950s, when a tin of meat was blasted with radiation that was supposed to kill anything living inside.
Nuclear Power
- Reactor parts deal for Areva (World Nuclear News)
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C_Reactor_parts_deal_for_Areva_0511081.html
Those components form the primary coolant loop of a pressurized water reactor and must withstand high temperatures, high pressures and radiation exposure. - NRC public meeting Nov. 18 in St. Francisville, La, to discuss review process for new reactor application (EnergyCentral)
http://www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/article_share.cfm?aid=36096311
Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct a public meeting in St. Francisville, La., on Tuesday, Nov. 18, to discuss how the agency will review a Combined License (COL) application for a new reactor at the River Bend site, about 24 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, La. - NRC apologizes to former Gov. Salmon (EnergyCentral)
http://www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/article_share.cfm?aid=94327311
At an Oct. 14 presentation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on cooling tower problems at Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, former Gov. Thomas Salmon was shouted down by anti-nuclear protesters during a public comment segment of the hearing. - Enel Begins Construction of Mochovce Nuclear Units in Slovakia (EnergyCentral)
http://www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/article_share.cfm?aid=97037311
Datamonitor Italian electricity utility Enel has begun site works for the Mochovce nuclear power plant units 3 and 4 in Slovakia.
Nuclear Weapons
- Medvedev: Russia to deploy missiles near Poland (3 News NZ)
http://www.3news.co.nz/News/InternationalNews/Medvedev-Russia-to-deploy-missiles-near-Poland/tabid/417/articleID/78687/cat/61/Default.aspx
Russia will deploy missiles near NATO member Poland in response to US missile defence plans, President Dmitry Medvedev said in his first state of the nation speech.
News for November 4, 2008
Radioactive Waste
- Evaluation of Besse to tell more of tritium leak: Data to be included in annual NRC review (EnergyCentral)
http://www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/article_share.cfm?aid=04426311
An annual assessment that begins this week at FirstEnergy Corp.'s Davis-Besse nuclear plant should provide more answers about the radioactive tritium leak the company discovered at the plant last month.
Yucca Mountain
- Contract awarded to manage Yucca Mountain project (Your Project News)
http://www.yourprojectnews.com/contract+awarded+to+manage+yucca+mountain+project_14473.html
The USA-RS partnership - a subsidiary of URS Corp that includes its Washington Division, Areva and the Shaw Group - will provide mission support to the DOE's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) for the Yucca Mountain project.
- Sampling seeks Hanford contaminants in Columbia (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_hanford_columbia.html
Work has begun to collect samples of water and other items from the Columbia River to test for evidence of contaminants that might be linked to past production of plutonium at the Hanford nuclear reservation.
Safety and Security
- 'Southern Exposure' drill sniffs out radiation (Clarksville Leaf Chronicle)
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20081104/NEWS01/811040338
The scene was a mock exercise, where the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency worked to equip law enforcement agencies with knowledge in detecting radiation in commercial vehicles
Risk Assessment
- IAEA to re-examine Japanese nuclear power plant (Xinhua)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/04/content_10306474.htm
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of up to 10 international experts will visit Japan from Dec. 1-5 to review the ongoing assessment of the impact of an earthquake that hit the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant last year, an IAEA press release said Tuesday. - Nuclear group warns about construction (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/11/04/srs.html
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is warning the nuclear industry to be careful in its construction oversight after finding problems earlier this year at the Savannah River Site.
Health
- Go-ahead for Belgian isotope production restart (World Nuclear News)
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS-Goahead_for_Belgian_isotope_production_restart-0411087.html
The facility, which manufactures a range of isotopes by processing 'targets' exposed to radiation in research reactors, had been out of action since an unexpected release of iodine-131 in August.
Nuclear Power
- Vietnam Announces Plan to Build Two Nuclear Power Plants in Central Province (EnergyCentral)
http://www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/article_share.cfm?aid=31736311
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has announced a plan to build two nuclear power plants in the central province of Ninh Thuan, which will be operational from 2020 to 2022. - Is more nuclear energy in California's energy future? (EnergyCentral)
http://www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/article_share.cfm?aid=35126311
Who knew nuclear power was the new green alternative? Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is now pushing that notion, suggesting that nuclear plants could help the state meet its aggressive long-term goals of reducing carbon emissions.
Nuclear Weapons
- S. Korea: N. Korea building base for bigger missiles (USA Today)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-11-04-north-korea_N.htm
A new North Korean missile launch site under construction is designed to fire rockets even more advanced than those already capable of reaching the western U.S., South Korea's defense minister said Tuesday
News for November 3, 2008
Radioactive Waste
- Australia set to open up west to uranium mining (Brisbane Times)
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/australia-set-to-open-up-west-to-uranium-mining/2008/11/02/1225560682658.html
Mr Carpenter was always concerned that ending the ban on new uranium mines would open the state to the risk of becoming a site for a nuclear waste dump. - More PCBs found at arsenal site (Boston Globe)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/11/02/more_pcbs_found_at_arsenal_site/
New environmental testing ofArsenal Street in Watertown once used by the Department of Defense to store nuclear waste indicates the land is more contaminated with PCBs than previously believed.
Yucca
- Shaw Part of Team Selected to Manage the US Department of Energy Yucca Mountain Project (MarketWatch)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Shaw-Part-Team-Selected-Manage/story.aspx?guid=%7BB885A366-65E9-4E05-96D7-C7AF984C66A5%7D
The Shaw Group Inc. announced today that its Environmental & Infrastructure Group is part of a team selected to manage and operate the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Yucca Mountain Nuclear Repository Project in Nevada. Shaw will perform as a principal subcontractor to USA Repository Services, LLC, led by the Washington Division of URS, in support of the DOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management for the Yucca Mountain Project.
Nuclear Power
- Nanticoke eyed as site for nuclear power plant (Your Nuclear News-press release)
http://www.yournuclearnews.com/nanticoke+eyed+as+site+for+nuclear+power+plant_14415.html
Nuclear power - plant operator Bruce Power will signal to Queens Park and the federal regulator today that it intends to build a new nuclear plant. - National Guard will no patrol NY nuclear plant (Newsday)
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--indianpoint-secur1102nov02,0,1189022.story
National Guard members will no longer be deployed to patrol the perimeter of the Indian Point nuclear power plant located in the suburbs of New York. - RP plans to start up 600-MW nuclear power plant by 2025 (Philippine Star)
http://beta.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=412213
T he Philippines plans to start up its first 600-megawatt (MW) nuclear power plant by 2025, according to data from the Department of Energy (DOE).
News for October 31, 2008
Radioactive Waste
- Yankee radiation concerns panel (Rutland Herald)
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081031/NEWS02/810310377/1003/NEWS02
New developments which will contribute additional radiation is the reactor's decision to store low-level radioactive waste on site.
Yucca
- Firm to run site at Yucca (Augusta Chronicle)
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/103108/met_481546.shtml
The five-year contract, with a five-year renewal option, is to provide mission support to the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management for the nation's first national repository for high-level radioactive waste at Nevada's Yucca Mountain.
Safety and Security
- Nuclear employee files whistle-blower complaint (KTVB)
http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-oct3008-clean_up_complaint.164315a12.html
Lea Ann Allen filed a whistle-blower complaint in federal court earlier this month against CWI, which is cleaning up radioactive waste at the Idaho National Laboratory. - Russia rejects charges that nukes are missing (WKYC-TV)
http://www.wkyc.com/news/world/news_article.aspx?storyid=99939&catid=22
The ministry says in a Friday statement that allegations made by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates are no more than "insinuations." It insists that no nuclear weapons have disappeared from Russian arsenals.
Nuclear Power
- Nuclear plant closer to winning 20-year license renewal (Boston Globe)
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/10/31/nuclear_plant_closer_to_winning_20_year_license_renewal/
One of Pilgrim Watch's objections - about the potential for radioactive leaks - survived long enough to reach the judges. - Giant incinerator plan for east of Sellafield (Cumberland News)
http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/1.263434
He said that Sellafield already had a combined heat and power plant that “needs replacing in five to six years’ time.
News for October 30, 2008
Radioactive Waste
- NM facility to get uranium for testing (NewsWest9.com)
http://www.newswest9.com/Global/story.asp?S=9259185&nav=menu505_2
He made the announcement to the Rocky Mountain Low-Level Radioactive Waste Board meeting in Hobbs. The $1.5 million center being built near Eunice.
WIPP
- Cold War era radioactive wastes leaving Nevada Test Site (Las Vegas Sun)
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/oct/29/cold-war-era-radioactive-wastes-leaving-nevada-tes/
Treating radioactive wastes lingering from the Cold War era when the United States experimented with nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site is in its final chapter, the National Nuclear Security Administration said today.
Safety and Security
- Singapore residents indicted for illegal export in US (Channel News Asia)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/386445/1/.html
Carbon-fibre can also be used to enrich uranium, which in turn, can be used to develop nuclear weapons.
Nuclear Power
- Ridgefield officials visit Indian Point, find it safe (Ridgefield Press)
http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12455:ridgefield-officials-visit-indian-point-find-it-safe&catid=46:rfd-local&Itemid=25
Amid the silos, bulletproof glass and armed guards, Ridgefield town officials found themselves thinking that living 22 miles away from Indian Point Energy Center isn’t such a bad thing. - Extra costs at vit plant covered by contingency (Mid Columbia Tri City Herald)
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/915/story/367015.html
Mixers will be used in the plant to agitate the radioactive waste and keep it homogenous. Air-driven pumps called pulse-jet mixers. - Entergy plan calls for 60 years before Yankee decommissioning (Rutland Herald)
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081030/NEWS04/810300391/1003/NEWS02
Even if Vermont Yankee nuclear plant shuts down in 2012 when its original federal license expires, Entergy Nuclear wouldn't start cleaning up and dismantling the reactor for close to 60 years, according to a plan filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. - Panel recommends analysis of Oyster Creek drywell (Asbury Park Press)
http://www.app.com/article/20081030/NEWS02/810300502/1070/NEWS02
October 30, 2008 There should be an enhanced 3-D analysis of a corroded radiation barrier at the Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant. - Community gets answers: Some residents impressed with Exelon's openness (EnergyCentral)
http://www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/article_share.cfm?aid=90913311
Exelon held a community information night Tuesday at the Victoria Community Center, where hundreds of residents browsed different stations and talked to experts in the field. - Bell Bend application for new reactor available on NRC web (EnergyCentral)
http://www.energycentral.com/centers/news/daily/article_share.cfm?aid=01183311
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made available to the public the combined license (COL) application for a new reactor at the Bell Bend site near Berwick, Pa.
Nuclear Weapons
- Iran building naval bases on Oman coast: Report (Thaindian.com)
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/iran-building-naval-bases-on-oman-coast-report_100113145.html
Washington and its allies have accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear programme.