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November 1, 2023 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

No Accident: Japan’s Planned 40-Yr Dispersal of Radioactive Wastewater

Hydrogen explosions blew apart four of the six reactor containment buildings at Fukushima-Daiichi in March 2011.
Editorial
By John LaForge

On August 24, Japan began pumping millions of gallons of stored radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean from Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (Tepco’s) devastated triple reactor meltdown site at Fukushima-Daiichi.

The deliberate contamination of the public commons — no accident this time — is a license to kill, a criminally reckless endangerment of sea life and an attack on the food web. Yet the 1992 ban on ocean dumping of radioactive waste applies only to barrels thrown from ships, not liquids sent into the sea through pipes. Further, the Law of the Sea allows victims to bring legal action only after an alleged harm has occurred, and then puts the burden of proof on victims to show that their illness(es) were caused by a particular radioactive poison.

The terrible Fukushima earthquake-tsunami-meltdowns of March 2011 have forced Tepco, owner of the three ferociously radioactive masses of melted uranium/plutonium fuel, to continuously pour cold water onto the unapproachable wreckage. Combined with rivers of groundwater that gush through quake-smashed cracks in the reactors’ foundations, another 130 tons of water every day becomes poisoned with radioactive uranium, cobalt, strontium, cesium, plutonium, and more.

While mainstream media regularly report that Tepco’s Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) has removed all the radioactive elements except for tritium, the system has been a nearly complete failure since at least 2018. The New York Times reported August 21, 2023, that, “According to Tepco’s website, just 30 percent of the approximately 473,000 tons of water in the tanks have been fully treated to the point that only tritium remains.”[1]

“This water is contaminated with such radionuclides as cesium-137, carbon-14, tritium (some of which will form the more dangerous ‘organically bound tritium’), strontium-90, cobalt-60, iodine-129, plutonium-239, and more than 50 other hazardous radionuclides,” reported Rick Steiner, a marine biologist in Anchorage and former University of Alaska professor of marine conservation, in the Anchorage Daily News.[2]

Spewing radioactivity is routine, if unknown

It’s no surprise that reactor-friendly governments such as the United States, France, and the UK, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (whose mission is to promote nuclear reactor proliferation), have given Japan’s oceanic pollution scheme their seal of approval. All of them have repeatedly declared that dumping radioactive wastes into public water bodies is standard industrial practice and legal. With straight faces, the authorities chant in unison that reactor operations contaminate the environment with radioactive liquids all day, every day, and this is somehow intended to demonstrate that such contamination is natural and the danger of chronic, low-dose exposure “negligible.”

At La Hague, France, and at Sellafield, England, giant radioactive waste processing systems produce millions of gallons of highly radioactive liquids, and for decades both have pumped radioactive materials directly into the North Sea (from France) and the Irish Sea (from England). Dr. Chris Busby, scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk, has studied internal radioactive contamination and has found cancer clusters among children along the Irish seacoast.

Scientists, ecologists, medical authorities, environmentalists, historians, and oceanographers have repeatedly pointed out that there are practical alternatives to Japan’s dumping scheme, and that nothing positive can result from adding more radioactive pollution to the environment.

The nuclear industry and its government protectors manage this legalized dispersal of gaseous, liquid and solid radioactive wastes using bailouts, bribes, and winks, and approvals from captured regulatory agencies. Radioactive polluters also depend on the lengthy “latency period” — years or decades between one’s radioactive contamination and the appearance of cancer, heart disease, etc. — which produces untold numbers of victims the world over. The nuclear industry can depend on the fact that the odds of losing a radiation damage lawsuit are between a slim chance and a fat chance.

The British Medical Journal, on August 16, published news of yet another study that has found that exposure to low levels of radiation is more harmful than scientists previously thought. Dozens of studies have made exactly the same finding since the beginning of the nuclear age. Some examples include:

• “Risk of cancer death after exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation underestimated, suggests nuclear industry study,” British Medical Journal, Aug. 16, 2023.

• “Even low-level radioactivity is damaging, scientists conclude,” Science Daily, Nov. 13, 2012.

• “With New Data, a Debate on Low-Level Radiation,” New York Times, July 19, 2005.

• “Study: No Radiation Level Safe,” AP, June 29, 2005.

• “Study: Even Low-Dose Radiation is Dangerous,” Reuters, Oct. 9, 1997.

• “Radiation health effects understated, study shows,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, July 25, 1995.

• “Researcher discovers greater radiation risk,” Milwaukee Journal, Dec. 9, 1992.

• “Radiation risks may be more than believed,” Los Angeles Times, March 20, 1991.

• “Higher Cancer Risk Found in Low-Level Radiation,” New York Times, Dec. 20, 1989.

Scientists: Little known about wastes’ effects

The U.S. National Association of Marine Laboratories released a statement in December 2022 saying it was not convinced by Japan’s data. Marine biologist Robert Richmond, from the University of Hawaii, told the BBC on August 26: “We’ve seen an inadequate radiological, ecological impact assessment that makes us very concerned that Japan would not only be unable to detect what’s getting into the water, sediment and organisms, but if it does, there is no recourse to remove it … there’s no way to get the genie back in the bottle.”

And biology professor Timothy Mousseau at the University of South Carolina, author of an exhaustive review of existing studies on tritium, told The National Observer, that tritium “has been insufficiently studied to be making hard promises about the long-term safety of this kind of release.” Mousseau went on, “We don’t actually really understand what the potential ramifications of a massive point source of tritium will be on the natural environment.”

The Japanese government and Tepco hope that their global dispersal of meltdown cooling water will save the industry enough money that it can stay afloat amid the astronomical, ever-rising costs of post-Fukushima liability and disaster response. But August’s launch of Japan’s globalized pollution solution raises the chaos and deadliness of reactor operations to new heights, while the authorities claim that nothing needs to be done about nuclear reactor risks.

—

Notes

[1] New York Times, “Japan to Release Treated Water from Ruined Nuclear Plant Despite Concerns,” August 21, 2023.

[2] Anchorage Daily News, “U.S. must urge Japan not to release Fukushima wastewater into the sea,” April 25, 2021.

[3] British Medical Journal, “Risk of cancer death after exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation underestimated, suggests nuclear industry study,” August 16, 2023.

[4] The Mainichi, “Researchers develop technology to remove radioactive tritium from water,” August 28. 2018.

[5] National Observer, “As Japan releases Fukushima wastewater into the ocean, a fallout of fear follows,” August 31, 2023.

Filed Under: Environment, Fukushima, Newsletter Archives, Nuclear Power, Quarterly Newsletter, Radioactive Waste

November 1, 2023 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

Florida Gov. Approves Radioactive Mining Waste in Road Building

By Lindsay Potter

In June, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill allowing road construction using radioactive phosphogypsum, which the EPA says contains appreciable quantities of uranium and radium-226. The production of one ton of phosphoric acid for fertilizer generates over five tons of radioactive phosphogypsum waste, which is stored in 25 large, open air “gypstacks,” that cause hazardous runoff and water pollution. As the radioactivity decays it releases radon gas, the second-leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year in the U.S., according to the EPA. In 2021, a breach at the Piney Point phosphate mine spilled 215 million gallons of toxic water into Tampa Bay, leading to a red tide event and giant fish kill, and a $3 million cleanup. The EPA banned use of phosphogypsum for decades, though DeSantis wants to exploit an exemption for “research.” Attorney Elise Bennett of the Center for Biological Diversity, said the Florida law is a “reckless handout to the fertilizer industry” that “opens the door for dangerous radioactive waste to be dumped in roadways … under the [cover] of a so-called feasibility study that won’t address serious health and safety concerns.”

— CBS News and NPR, June 30, 2023

Gypstacks. Photo: discovermagazine.com

Filed Under: Environment, Newsletter Archives, Quarterly Newsletter, Radioactive Waste

October 23, 2023 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

Cancer Spike Near Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. in Tenn.

First in-depth report near NFS facility finds dramatic rises in Unicoi County death rates
By the Radiation and Public Health Project

Since the 1990s, death rates for cancers and other causes in Unicoi County, Tennessee increased dramatically, according to a new report.

Photo Credit: Radiation and Public Health Project

Prior to the late 1990s, Unicoi County death rates were about equal to the overall U.S. rate. But by the most recent period available (2019-2020), the county rate exceeded the national rate by the largest proportion in the past fifty years, specifically:

– 44% higher for all-cause mortality

– 61% higher for premature mortality (age 0-74)

– 39% higher for all-cancer mortality

The report says that the release of radioactive chemicals to the environment by the Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) facility may play a large role in the local health decline. The NFS complex is situated in Erwin, Tennessee in Unicoi County. “No other risk factor, such as access to health care, personal health practices, or poverty appears to have changed much,” said report author Joseph Mangano of the Radiation and Public Health Project. Since its 1959 startup, it has generated enriched uranium fuels for naval and civil nuclear power reactors. NFS releases a portion of this uranium and other radioactive elements into local air and water. “NFS sits within the limits of Erwin, Tenn., next to homes, churches, and businesses. It has had numerous spills, releases, and violations,” says Barbara O’Neal, co-founder of Erwin Citizens Awareness Network (ECAN), which commissioned the study.

Prior to the new report, the only national study of cancer near U.S. nuclear installations was conducted by the National Cancer Institute in 1990. That study did not include NFS.

The new report further identified a growing county-national gap in death rates for infants and children. In the most recent period analyzed, the death rate for children in Unicoi County exceeded the U.S. national rate by nearly 40%. ECAN co-founder Trudy Wallack told Joe Mangano of Radiation and Public Health: “as a resident of Greeneville, the protection and safety of the Nolichucky River stands paramount to my community and others. This river serves as the key source for our drinking water as well as family recreation and water sports. It is my hope that my contribution to this study will provide critical information regarding health…to all those who care and are asking questions.”

The full report can be found on the Radiation and Public Health Project web site: www.radiation.org.

Filed Under: Environment, Newsletter Archives, Nuclear Power, Quarterly Newsletter, Radiation Exposure, Radioactive Waste

October 23, 2023 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

Illinois Governor Vetoes Dangerous Nuclear Moratorium Repeal Bill

Photo Credit: Chicago Tribune.
Reprinted from NEIS Press Release

On August 11, Illinois’ Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker vetoed a bill to repeal the state’s 1987 nuclear construction moratorium. The law was introduced partly as a promotion of so-called “next-generation” nuclear reactors. “Had it passed, this bill would not only have removed all prohibitions for generating even more high-level radioactive wastes with no disposal method in place (Illinois currently ‘hosts’ roughly 11,000 tons of orphaned waste reactor fuel), it would have opened the door to more nuclear reactors, which could have had devastating effects on the renewable energy goals championed in the 2021 Climate and Equity Jobs Act,” said David Kraft, Director of the Chicago-based Nuclear Energy Information Service.

According to sources from the governor’s office, “The bill is vetoed because the vague definitions in the bill will open the door to the proliferation of large-scale nuclear reactors that are so costly to build that they will cause exorbitant ratepayer-funded bailouts. Additionally, it provides no regulatory protections or updates to address the health and safety of Illinois residents who would live and work around these new reactors.”

— NEIS press release, & CapitolFax.com, Aug. 11, 2023

Filed Under: Environment, Newsletter Archives, Nuclear Power, On The Bright Side, Quarterly Newsletter, Radioactive Waste, Renewable Energy

October 23, 2023 by Nukewatch Leave a Comment

Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down NRC License for Parking Lot Dump

Photo Credit: News West 9
By Lindsay Potter

The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled August 25, that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) does not have authority to license temporary storage facilities for irradiated nuclear fuel away from a reactor.

The court wrote: “Nuclear power generation produces thousands of metric tons of nuclear waste each year. … Congress has mandated that such waste be permanently stored in a geologic repository. But the development, licensing, and construction of that repository has stalled.”

The NRC issued a license to Interim Storage Partners, LLC for the construction and operation of a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for waste nuclear fuel on the Permian Basin in Andrews County, Texas. Oil and gas extraction company Fasken Land and Minerals, Ltd., along with the Permian Basin Land and Royalty Owners and the state of Texas, filed the appeal. The now-vacated license, issued in 2021, authorized storage of 5,000 tons of waste reactor fuel for 40 years, with a planned expansion up to 40,000 tons over 20 years. In 2022, Texas lawmakers passed a bill blocking any new storage facilities for such high-level radioactive waste.

The Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is currently considering a challenge to the 40-year license the NRC issued in May to Holtec International to build and operate a CISF for 500 canisters, or 8,680 tons of waste fuel near Carlsbad, New Mexico, with an anticipated increase up to 10,000 canisters over the next 20 years.

— World Nuclear News, Aug. 30; Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Ruling No. 21-60743, Aug. 25, 2023

Filed Under: Environment, Newsletter Archives, Nuclear Power, On The Bright Side, Quarterly Newsletter, Radioactive Waste

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