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DOE Transport Contaminated with Plutonium

Nukewatch Quarterly Fall 2013

HANFORD, Washington — The Washington State Department of Health is investigating the discovery of radioactivity outside the plastic packaging of a recent shipment from the Hanford Site. Contaminated “glove boxes” — used to manipulate plutonium during past nuclear weapons production — arrived at Perma-Fix Northwest in Richland, Washington, a company that prepares rad waste for disposal. On June 19, state regulators were informed of the plutonium contamination, but according to Perma-Fix, no plutonium escaped the garage where the waste was unloaded. A report uncovered by King 5 News in Seattle tells a different story. 

According to the state health department, the truck’s rigging system, a forklift and several spots at Perma-Fix were contaminated with plutonium. Workers weren’t wearing protective clothing when handling the packages. The Energy Department (DOE), which runs the US nuclear weapons program, said the plutonium contamination was minor and that liability for the contamination rested not with the DOE but with Perma-Fix and the state. The accident followed one in March 2012, when a mislabeled container from Hanford, caused a radioactive spill on a concrete floor which then had to be jackhammered, packaged and disposed of as radioactive waste. Perma-Fix has a $23 million contract for waste disposal with the DOE at Hanford. — King 5 News, July 2 & 30 & June 15; Seattle Times, June 26; Tri-City Herald, June 25 & 28, 2013 

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Black Hills Again Threatened by Uranium Mining

Nukewatch Quarterly Fall 2013

RAPID CITY, South Dakota — With just one “no” vote, the Rapid City Council passed a resolution “expressing grave concern” over uranium mining in South Dakota’s Black Hills, an area near Edgemont held sacred by the Great Sioux Nation. Concerned citizens flooded the council chambers August 14 after learning that the mayor and three council members met privately with employees of Canadian mining company Powertech. 

Protecting the water supply topped the list of concerns for residents. Radioactive and heavy metal contamination from such mining would poison the land for eons — uranium’s half-life is 4.4 billion years. If the mine becomes operational, up to 9,000 gallons of water from the Madison and Inyan Kara Aquifer — which supplies Rapid City — would be used every minute. A Powertech spokesman said that 98 percent of its waste water would be “recycled.” Mine opponents fear a dangerous boom of uranium mining in the Black Hills if the Powertech dig is allowed to proceed. 

Critics also point out that Powertech influence has weakened South Dakota’s regulatory oversight of mining, claiming state rules duplicate federal safety standards. According to KOTA TV news, Powertech managers say “uranium mining is safe, and water contamination in the Black Hills would be impossible,” adding, “the aquifers go around the Black Hills.” In order to move ahead, the Powertech project still needs federal and state approval. 

— Rapid City Journal, Aug. 20 & 15; KOTA News, Aug. 19, 2013

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Uranium Scare Forces Evacuation of Florida Airport

Nukewatch Quarterly Fall 2013

MIAMI, Florida — An anonymous caller to the Department of Emergency Management in Florida informed authorities of radioactive waste being stored along a fence line at the Opa-locka Executive Airport near Miami. Authorities found 55-gallon drums containing uranium-238 and evacuated the area July 25. The drums were located in an area used to dismantle planes, and contained parts from navigational equipment and counter-balances. U-238, being twice as dense as lead, is often used as balancing weights in aircraft. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Lieutenant Arnold Piedrahita said they found minimal levels of radiation. 

— CBS News, NBC, USA Today & Reuters, July 25, 2013

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Another US Missile Base Flunks a Few Courses

Nukewatch Quarterly Fall 2013

GREAT FALLS, Montana — The Air Force gets some “Fs” when it comes to protecting us from our own nuclear weapons. Crews at the Air Force’s Malmstrom, Montana base failed a security inspection by not adhering to protocols and rules ensuring the safety, security and control of its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. A crew engaged in “snap exercises” reportedly made mistakes, the severity of which was not divulged by the Air Force. Crews failed exercises in 2010 and 2008 as well. The Malmstrom “surety” inspection covers safety, security, emergency exercises, worker dependability and other areas of nuclear weapons “reliability.” The tests are also said to insure that no weapon is accidentally or deliberately armed or launched without the president’s authorization. Commanders downplayed the failures by reminding the public that the crew passed 10 of 13 areas of study, but Col. David Lynch was removed from command of Malstrom’s 341st missile wing August 25.

Air Force missileers have been failing a lot lately:

* The missile wing at Minot AFB in North Dakota received the equivalent of a “D” grade last April after conducting launch tests, and 17 officers were subsequently removed from duty at their underground launch control centers.

* In 2007, six nuclear weapons were illegally flown from Minot across the country to Barksdale AFB in Louisiana. Three Air Force colonels and a Lt. Col. were fired.

* In October 2010, personnel at Warren AFB in Wyoming lost electronic contact with 50 ICBMs for an hour.

— NPR & 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office, Aug. 13; Associated Press & Great Falls Tribune, Aug. 14, 2013; Global Security News, Oct. 27, 2010

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Tanning Bed Makers Told to Warn Youth: Stay Out!

Nukewatch Quarterly Fall 2013

WASHINGTON, DC — The Food and Drug Administration has proposed new rules for tanning machines or “beds” that would require manufacturers to attach cancer warning labels and to urge people under 18 not to use them. Tanning bed makers would also have to apply to the FDA for approval of their devices prior to sale.

High-powered tanning bed lamps expose people to 10 times as much ultraviolet radiation as the sun, says Jeff Shuren, director of FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Just one session in a tanning booth increases the risk of melanoma by 74 percent, Shuren said. The World Health Organization classifies ultraviolet light as a carcinogen in the same category as cigarette smoke.

“The science is clear,” says Dr. Mary Maloney, VP of regulatory policy at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), who spoke to the New York Times. “The risk of developing melanoma increases 75 percent for individuals who’ve been exposed to ultraviolet radiation from indoor tanning,” Maloney said. “Using indoor tanning beds can damage your skin and increase your risk of developing skin cancer,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in May this year.

According to the AAD, of the 28 million who use tanning beds in the US every year, about 2.3 million are teenagers. California and Vermont prohibit minors from using them, as do the cities of Chicago and Springfield, Illinois. The states of New York and New Jersey ban children under 17. — New York Times, May 7; Washington Post, & USA Today, May 6, 2013

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