New minister should bring fresh approach to radioactive waste debacle
New Energy Minister Gary Gray 25 March 2013. The departure of Martin Ferguson from the Cabinet presents a circuit breaker for the Federal Government to progress a real solution for Australia’s radioactive waste problem, the Greens said today.
“If responsibility for the waste site is to remain with Mr Gary Gray’s portfolio, he should immediately move to drop the campaign to dump the waste at Muckaty Station,” said Australian Greens spokesperson on nuclear policy Senator Scott Ludlam.
“Rather than Mr Ferguson’s coercive approach, which is years behind schedule and embroiled in a Federal Court action, Mr Gray should take up the Greens proposal for anindependent commission with the technical expertise to find a world’s best standard solution for Australia’s inventory of radioactive waste.
“The job of building an appropriate facility and finding an appropriate site for dealing with the country’s radioactive waste material clearly belongs in the science portfolio – currently held by Mr Greg Combet. The Government now has a chance to fix that mistake.
“The Greens will work with any minister who is willing to make a clean break with the terrible debacle left behind by Martin
Ferguson.”
Impact of INTERNAL radiation emitters in the Chernobyl area
Official studies of radiation health effects are irrelevant to Chernobyl.
Why? – because the studies, such as the decades long Hiroshima survivors’ study focused on external radiation – exposure to radiation that passes through the body and causes cancer.
In the areas affected by Chernobyl radiation,internal emitters are the cause of health effects. This means that radionuclides (alpha and beta particles) in soil and water enter the body, breathed in , or by mouth, and, lodging inside the body,continue to irradiate body cells.
Drs Alexie Yablokov and Wladimir Werteleckigave extensive information on the continuing effects of this chronic internal radiation, at the recent symposium in New York. See reference links below.
In a nutshell, the messages from these two scientists are that the world must no longer ignore these chronic effects. That young women and children are the most vulnerable. Internal irradiation affects the female reproductive system, causing birth abnormalities. These effects go on to the next generation. Women exposed as children, to the Chernobyl radiation, now have increased risk of having malformed babies.
These effects on the growing foetus (– teratogenesis) are found also in small animals.
Equally important are the other delayed effects – genetic changes, which also are observed in birds, insects and small mammals – with cancers and malformations.
Dr Yablokov -lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovZIaV-xrXk&feature=youtu.be – diagrams and graphics at http://www.totalwebcasting.com/tamdata/Documents/hcf/20130312-1/YablokovChernobylNewYork%202013.pdf
Dr Wertelecki – lectures http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1SySSWWZIo http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=fIRgMLyuNDk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEYZl8-3sDQ
document- graphics and diagrams at http://www.totalwebcasting.com/tamdata/Documents/hcf/20130312-1/POSTfinalPPTX_NYAcadMed20130318A_LO.pdf
New Energy Minister Gary Gray – too close to fossil fuel industries?
WA MP Gary Gray appointed Resources Minister ABC News 25 March 13 WA’s Federal Member for Brand, Gary Gray, has been appointed to the federal cabinet in a reshuffle announced by the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.
Mr Gray is now the Minister for Resources and Energy, Tourism and Small Business…..
Mr Gray formerly worked for oil and gas company, Woodside.
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy’s Nicole Rooke says having a Resources Minister from WA makes sense as the state’s resources account for over half of Australia’s mining sector…..
The Conservation Council has voiced its concerns.
The council’s Jamie Hanson says Mr Gray, who once declared climate change was pop science, should not be in charge of the nation’s energy sector.
“He has never endorsed the belief that climate change is real, caused by humans and requires swift action,” he said.
“That really worries us given that he is now the minister in charge of development of fossil fuel resources in Australia.”
A spokesman for Mr Gray says he made the comments a decade ago and he has since learned the science behind climate change, and has conceded he was wrong…… http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-25/gary-gray-specialises-in-resources/4592546?section=wa
As part of today’s changes, the Department of Climate Change will be merged with the Industry Department and will become the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
Jason Clare joins Cabinet as a full member while retaining his current responsibilities. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-25/gary-gray-specialises-in-resources/4592546?section=wa
Indian doctors report increased cancers, birth defects, near nuclear site
India -Scientist: Physicians report increased cancers near nuclear site — Birth defects, still births, spontaneous abortions on the rise!
http://enenews.com/scientist-local-physicians-say-cancers-on-rise-near-nuclear-site-birth-defects-still-births-spontaneous-abortions-increasing March 24th, 2013 at 1:01 pm ET
Title: Nuclear radiation impact being ignored?
Source: DNA
Author: Dilnaz Boga
Date: Mar 24, 2013
[…] the ‘Interim Report on Tarapur’ has found indicators which show radiation-related problem among employees of Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) and villages close to it. […]
Cancer, goitre, infertility, mental retardation common […]
Goitre cases have also been found in the surrounding villages, local physicians corroborated in the report. […]
Cases of mental retardation, including Down’s Syndrome, autoimmune arthritis, particularly rheumatoid arthritis, were found in villagers along with high instances of cataract and myopia at a young age. […]
Full report here
Dr V Pugazhenthi from Tamil Nadu, renowned for studies on the health impact of radiation around the Kalpakkam nuclear site
- “I found 100 cases of cancer in 2010 among TAPS employees. Local physicians said that incidents of cancer have been on the rise in the area in the last few years, particularly hepatoma, ovarian cancer, bone cancer, breast cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But there has been no intervention for the victims.”
- “A casual walk through the villages helped me identify 15-20 Goitre cases. TAPS doctors had carried a survey on thyroid problems by the medical superintendent denied it.”
- “Spontaneous abortions, still births, hormonal imbalances in women in the form of excessive bleeding, decreased birth weight and birth defects on the rise.”
RK Gupta, who worked for Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for over 30 years in the fuel reprocessing division in the plutonium plant
“Exposures are a regular affair. Workers have died of skin diseases and cancer. Despite this, international rules for workers are not fully implemented. There is a silence about this as people compromise because of their economic condition. Even contaminated tools that are stolen and scarp metal slow poison people. Just like people get poisoned from fish exposed to radiation very far from the site.”
See also: German Gov’t Study: Children living near nuclear plants have double leukemia rates, high incidence of solid cancers — Reactors cannot prevent radiation from escaping (VIDEO)
A job that even women can do – advertising for women to work at Fukushima
http://enenews.com/report-women-ages-18-and-up-wanted-for-work-at-destroyed-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-plant-a-job-even-women-can-do-it-will-last-a-very-long-timeMarch 24th, 2013 a
Title: A “Long-lasting” Job at 1F: Women 18-62 Wanted
Source: Fukushima Voice
Date: March 23, 2013
Excerpts from ad translation
A job opening at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant: women accepted! […]
You can make money! We will let you make money! It’s a job even women can do.
This job will last a very long time. […]
Job location is Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP (1F) with low dose radiation (10-20 μSv)/day.
Job description is clean-up activity. […]
Age limit: under consideration, but will most likely be between age 18 and 62.Full report here
See also: Girls are almost twice as vulnerable to the impact of radiation as same-aged boys Continue reading
Japan’s latest nuclear accident highlights the continuing peril at Fukushima
The government should drop its policy of restarting the nation’s shuttered nuclear power plants.
Accident highlights nuclear peril http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/03/24/editorials/accident-highlights-nuclear-peril/#.UVEEyhdwpLs MAR 24, 2013 The power outage that shut down spent nuclear fuel cooling systems and other facilities for 29 hours last week at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant underlines the fact that conditions there remain precarious two years after the massive quake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, triggered triple meltdowns.
It also shows that Tepco failed to learn important lessons from the catastrophe at the plant — that all-out efforts must be made to prevent power outages that disrupt cooling functions at the plant. This incident will deepen people’s distrust of Tepco.
If the power supply had not been restored in time, a meltdown of spent nuclear fuel could have occurred, resulting in a release of a massive amount of radioactive substances into the environment. Tepco and the government should not play down the gravity of this accident. Continue reading
Solid majority of Australians oppose nuclear power
Asia’s nuclear future The Monthly, 24 March 13 The Fukushima crisis has provoked a furious debate about the future of nuclear energy. Polling in Australia shows a return to a solid majority opposing nuclear power for Australia… (subscription only)
Energy storage project through Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)
Ecoult awarded energy storage funding through Australian government Solar Server 25 Mar 13
On March 20th, 2013, Ecoult (Sydney, Australia) announced that it has received a funding from the Australian government to conduct small/mid-sized storage projects.
The funding, which was awarded through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), will be used by Ecoult to deliver cost effective storage solutions using Deka UltraBattery technology for homes and businesses in Australia and around the world.
The pilot project will develop a battery storage system prototype for three types of deficit charge/distributed energy applications including: off-grid renewable power solutions; distributed grid connected storage to support voltage and power fluctuations that arise where there is dense concentration of small roof-top solar installations in residential areas; and hybrid generation to improve fuel efficiencies.
Ecoult to extend storage solutions from MW-scale to commercial and residential applications…. http://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-news/current/2013/kw12/ecoult-awarded-energy-storage-funding-through-australian-government.html
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 