Airport body scanners, ineffective, but raise radiation question
ARPANSA’s safety advisory council said the use of radiation in non-medical situations was considered “a planned exposure”, and any public benefits must be clearly proven before deployment.
Sacrificing privacy without ensuring airport security The Australian, Karen Dearne, October 26, 2010 THE federal government is trying to allay privacy and health fears over its $28.5 million plan for virtual strip-search scanners at airports. Continue reading
Ionising radiation found to be a greater cancer risk
a new study reveals that the hazard may be greater in adults than previously believed……..our results [now] show that for a middle-aged person around 50 or so, that risk came out to be twice what the standard models had predicted.”….
Radiation May Be a Greater Cancer Risk for Adults Than Doctors Thought, TIME , By Alice Park , October 25, 2010 From the sun’s ultraviolet rays to the weak cosmic exposure we get on plane flights to the screening tests that doctors recommend, our bodies are constantly bombarded with small but relatively consistent doses of potentially cancer-triggering radiation. Continue reading
Pro nuclear John Howard spruiking yet again
He’s back! Well, it must be hard for him to realise that he’s irrelevant now.
Former PM John Howard was on the nuclear platform again, quoted in The Australian – “climate is changing and Australia should go as hard as possible on technological solutions and drop our absurd objections to nuclear power.” NBN a colossal waste, says John Howard | The Australian
Report on the Nuclear Compton Telescope accident in Northern Australia
causes related to insufficient risk analysis, contingency planning, personnel training, technical knowledge, government oversight and public safety accommodations………Immediately after the accident in Australia, launch operations at all of NASA’s balloon sites were suspended.
NASA Releases Report About Australia Balloon Mishap, Space Daily, Oct 25, 2010 A NASA panel that investigated the unsuccessful April 28 launch of a scientific balloon from Alice Springs, Australia, has released its report. Continue reading
New DVD from Germany, about Olympic Dam uranium mine
The DVD specializes in the truth of BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam (Roxby) uranium mine in northern South Australia–the world’s greatest uranium deposit.
The Reality About The Largest Uranium Mine in Australia, Bukisa, Oct 25th, 2010 by scotmxncmoe Continue reading
Tax-payer subsidises uranium mine, but unaware of toxic result
“BHP propose to dump radioactive mine tailings on the surface and to leave them there forever rather than to dispose of their wastes,”…“BHP do not intend to rehabilitate the proposed open pit, intending instead to leave a toxic lake as a radioactive scar on the landscape.”.
‘Toxic lake’ future for Olympic Dam, Roxby Downs Sun, 25 Oct, 2010 “…….. BHP had designed the project to leak an average three million litres of liquid radioactive wastes a day until 2050 and only plan to line about 15 per cent of tailings piles. Continue reading
Suppression of information on nuclear radiation
The passage of the Atomic Energy Act in the US empowered that State to control, to the point of prohibition, public discussion of relevant information……The bulk of the world’s population, East and West, suffered from an imposed ignorance about the nature of nuclear weapons and radiation……
Radio-phobia Paul Langley’s Nuclear History Blog, 25 Oct 10, “……… the Soviet Union built an elaborate, multi-layered system of denial and deception, the main elements of which included the restriction of access to nuclear facilities and personnel, strict information protection measures, an enhanced counterintelligence posture, and technical countermeasures……” Continue reading
Secrecy on transport of uranium from Darwin port
with all the recent pollution problems there, the shipment was being kept “quiet”…not uncommon for containers to be damaged.”Our wharfies aren’t trained to know what to do should one of the containers get damaged or there’s a spill …
Port keeps lid on uranium transport | Northern Territory News , ALYSSA BETTS, October 24th, 2010 ABOUT 500 tonnes of uranium concentrate from Jabiru is set to be loaded from East Arm Wharf on to ships bound for China. Continue reading
Greens welcome new committee study on nuclear waste dump
“Labor abused the Senate oversight process by whitewashing a committee report earlier this year. This represents the first test of the committee system under the new parliament.”
Opportunity for new approach on nuclear waste dump Scott Ludlam, Adam Bandt, 21st October 2010, The Australian Greens welcome the referral of the Federal Government’s controversial bill to establish Australia’s national radioactive waste dump to a House of Representatives parliamentary committee. Continue reading
Theft of radioactive materials in Victoria
The theft is the most serious incident in the report, which includes another 33 cases where people were exposed to levels of radiation, most often as the result of medical error.
Radiation mishaps in Australia 2005 to 2010
The newly posted ACIRs show errors involving medical uses of radiation are the most common cause of critical incidents.
ARPANSA comes clean on annual reports Karen Dearne, The Australian, * October 22, 2010 DIAGNOSTIC radiology has emerged as the highest-risk area for medical radiation errors, Continue reading
Western Sydney suburb firmly resisting radioactive waste dumping
“The safe disposal of this material needs to be planned seriously and well into the future because this material remains toxic for a very long time,’
Uranium dump plan in doubt at Kemps Creek, Penrith Star, BY GEMMA SEYMOUR20 Oct, 2010 A RESOUNDING message is being sent to the state government: we’ve had our fill of the state’s rubbish. There has been opposition from both sides of politics to a plan to truck 5000 tonnes of toxic soil from a Hunters Hill site that used to process uranium ore to a landfill site in Kemps Creek, Continue reading
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency shamed into being honest
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam asked why it took a media story to prompt the agency into releasing the overdue Australian Radiation Incident Register summaries.
ARPANSA comes clean on annual reports Karen Dearne The Australian * October 22, 2010 DIAGNOSTIC radiology has emerged as the highest-risk area for medical radiation errors, according to five “missing” annual critical incident registers released by the nation’s peak radiation safety body yesterday. Continue reading
Nuclear power obsolete and unnecessary – Victorian Labor and Liberal agree
Nuclear power is not needed in Victoria because it is expensive, dangerous and obsolete given the state’s abundance of energy options, say Premier John Brumby and Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu.
Parties agree Victoria will remain nuclear-free state, The Age, RICHARD WILLINGHAM, October 20, 2010 VICTORIA will remain a nuclear-free state, regardless of who wins next month’s state election. Continue reading
Powerful union rubbishes Committee of Melbourne’s push for nuclear energy
One of the state’s most powerful unions, the Electrical Trades Union (ETU), on Tuesday slammed a push from the Committee of Melbourne for nuclear energy to be on the agenda.
Nuclear too risky and costly: Brumby, Sydney Morning Herald, Melissa Jenkins and Catherine Best, October 19, 2010 – Nuclear power is too risky and expensive to be an energy option for Victoria, Premier John Brumby says Continue reading
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