NSW govt dumps plan to dump radioactive waste on Sydney Western suburb
Government documents unearthed last week showed that 6000 tonnes of radioactive waste would be dug up from the site of a former uranium smelter in Nelson Parade, Hunters Hill, and buried at Kemps Creek, near Penrith.
Keneally rules out Kemps Creek as dump for Hunters Hill N-waste, Sydney Morning Herald, Ben Cubby, October 25, 2010 The state government has backed out of using Sydney’s west as a dumping ground for radioactive waste after community opposition. 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
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.
The Brumby Dump: nuclear compounds stolen from the back of a ute | Crikey, by Wez Matthews-Naylor, 22 Oct 120 Dangerous nuclear compounds were stolen from the back of an unlocked ute in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong earlier this year, and remain at large Continue reading
Nuclear war’s collateral damage – that’s all of us
Albert Einstein himself said unmistakably, “I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” …. [But] In a nuclear war the “collateral damage” would be the life of all humanity..
Attack on Iran would spark global N-war Daily Times – Pakistan , 21 Oct 10, ’”….. Castro says every govt has obligation to respect right to life of every nationISLAMABAD: The use of nuclear weapons in a new war would mean the end of humanity. This was candidly foreseen by scientist Albert Einstein Continue reading
Western Sydney suburb firmly resisting radioactive waste dumping
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
India stands firm on Nuclear Liability Law
In the run-up to President Barack Obama’s visit here in November, the U.S. side is looking for substantive changes in the nuclear liability law…..American companies such as GE and Westinghouse insist they will be unable to supply nuclear equipment to India unless they are fully insulated from all liability claims in the event of an accident.
India resists U.S. pushback on nuclear liability, The Hindu , Siddharth Varadarajan, 22 Oct 10, No change in the Act is possible, government tells U.S. Continue reading
Uranium mining’s threats to Tanzania’s water, & economy
One environmental consequence of uranium mining is that the process uses enormous amounts of water…Water is already scarce there and it would be imprudent to let one company consume huge amounts of water at the expense of area inhabitants…..If global demand for uranium were
to decrease, the estimated value of these deposits would also drop. Therefore, it is unclear how much revenue uranium mining would really bring to Tanzania.
Take care that uranium mining turns into blessing, not curse, for Tanzania, Daily Nation By SHAABAN FUNDI, October 20 2010 Continue reading
NSW govt second thoughts on radioactive waste to Western Sydney
A protest by local residents, and attended by Liberal candidate for Mulgoa, Tanya Davis, was due to take place today outside the Sita facility.
“Restricted solid waste” sounds better than “radioactive”
The government maintained for years that Nelson Parade in Hunters Hill was safe, despite six people who lived there dying from cancer……..Ms Keneally said the waste was not ‘‘radioactive” but rather ”less hazardous, classified as ‘restricted solid waste”’………
NSW government cover up Penrith toxic waste plan, Sydney Morning Herald, Alexandra Smith, October 18, 2010 The state government deliberately delayed briefing Penrith City Council on plans to dump 5000 tonnes of toxic soil in western Sydney until after it had signed a contract with the waste company, internal documents reveal. Continue reading
Australian doctors not aware of cancer risk in new scanning technology
with more advanced CT scans emitting higher doses of radiation than old scanners, doctors should be better educated about the risks of radiation causing malignancies.
Doctors warned over X-ray risks, The Age, Julia Medew HeOctober 18, 2010 DOCTORS should be better educated about the risk of X-rays and other scans causing cancer after a survey found they had poor knowledge of radiation doses, researchers say. Continue reading
$Billions of Western aid later, Russia’s arctic nuclear dumps still polluted
Although Russian authorities pledged transparency about the region’s nuclear issues, foreign journalists are denied access to a number of sites.
Russian Arctic’s ‘nuclear dump’ gets a faceliftBy Pierre-Henry Deshayes , Google hosted news, (AFP) –18 Oct 10, MURMANSK, Russia — An electronic sign along a busy street posts the outside temperature, the wind strength — and the radioactivity level.Welcome to Russia’s Kola Peninsula, Continue reading
Expensive spinning about radioactive waste in Sydney
a communications strategy that aims, in its words, to ”prevent the escalation of community opposition” to dumping radioactive waste at Kemps Creek.
Ready for a backlash, Sydney Morning Herald, Heath Aston, October 17, 2010 THE Keneally government knows it’s sitting on a dangerously explosive issue in Hunters Hill.Spooked by the coming backlash against moving the harbour’s most toxic blight to less picturesque Mulgoa, it has paid for pre-emptive spin doctoring. Continue reading
Radioactive waste from posh suburb to the lower class
State sends radioactive waste west, Sydney Morning Herald, Heath Aston, October 17, 2010 MORE than 5000 tonnes of radioactive waste will be dug up from one of Sydney’s wealthiest harbourside suburbs, trucked across the city and dumped near Penrith. Continue reading
BHP Billiton held accountable for environmental impacts of uranium mine expansion plan
Call on BHP to answer over Olympic Dam impacts, Australian Conservation Foundation, David Noonan, 16 Oct 10
- BHP must present feasible alternatives to prevent or reduce the impacts of the proposed Olympic Dam open cut mine in the next phase of the Environmental Impact Statement process, including: considering copper mining alone – without uranium exports; properly managing radioactive liquid wastes and tailings; using renewable energy for its large new electricity demands; and protecting the fragile gulf environment from impacts from the mine’s proposed water supply. Continue reading
20 USA nuclear plants leaking radioactive tritium
Unfortunately, rather than hold nuclear plant owners to the terms of their licenses, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has failed to exercise its authority and instead has handed the problem of radioactive tritium leaks over to the industry lobbyists’ in a voluntary program.
Nuclear Power’s Threat to Clean Water | Greenpeace USA, by Jim Riccio – October 15, 2010 , Today is blog action day, an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day, and this year the topic is water. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 