Ambient office  =  73 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 70 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 71 nanosieverts per hour

Sugar pea from Central Market = 59 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Filtered water = 59 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office  =  108 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 93 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 90 nanosieverts per hour

Red potato from Central Market = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 66 nanosieverts per hour

Filtered water = 49 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office  =  119 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 73 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 75 nanosieverts per hour

White onion from Central Market = 116 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 78 nanosieverts per hour

Filtered water = 61 nanosieverts per hour

Dover sole – Caught in USA = 98 nanosieverts per hour

       Radiotherapy is a very effective way to destroy cancerous cells and to shrink tumors. About half of patients with tumors in the gastrointestinal cavity which includes the liver, pancreas, colon, prostate, etc. are given radiotherapy treatments. This has increased the cancer survival rates in recent years. Unfortunately, the intense radiation used in the treatment not only kills cancer cells but can also damage healthy intestinal cells. This results in toxicity for about sixty percent of the patients. The toxicity decreases after the treatments end but about ten percent of patients develop gastrointestinal syndrome. This is a disease that is characterized by intestinal cell death which results in the destruction of the entire intestine and death of the patient.
        Damage to healthy intestinal cells is a major disadvantage of radiotherapy which results in the discontinuation and failure of an efficient cancer treatment. With the cessation of radiotherapy, there can be a quick tumor resurgence. Now a team of researchers from the Growth Factors, Nutrients and Cancer group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have published a report of a discovery in the journal Science that might be able to protect healthy intestinal cells from radiation damage. This discovery involving mice may ultimate lead to radical changes in the way that high levels of radiation are managed in human patients. This could be useful for mitigating the negative effects of radiotherapy as well as dealing with radioactive materials and radiation in space missions.
         The researchers focused on a protein called URI whose biological functions are not well understood. It is known that abnormal levels of URI in some organs can cause cancer. While high levels of URI can protect mice from intestinal damage caused by radiation, low or no URI can result in gastrointestinal syndrome and death.
           Nabil Djouder is the Head of the Growth Factors, Nutrients and Cancer Group at CNIO and leader of the study. He said, “The precise functions of URI have not been identified yet. Just like pH or temperature, which the organism needs to maintain within a certain range, URI levels must also be kept within a very narrow window to regulate the proper functioning of other proteins. When URI levels are higher or lower than optimal, they may promote or protect against tumor development as well as other diseases, depending on the context.”
        Djouder has been investigating URI for years and he created the first genetic mouse models to analyze the function of URI in mammals. His team found that DNA damage could be prevented in tissue cultures by high levels of URI. Djouder and Almudena Chaves-Pérez, one of his PhD students, then investigated whether the radiation protective action of URI was also present in vivo.
       In order to investigate these questions, Djouder developed three genetic mouse models. These models were the first ever experimental mouse models created to facilitate the study of the role of URI and the effects of radiation exposure in the intestines. The first model was used as a control to identify where URI was expressed in the intestine. The second mouse model expressed high levels of URI in the intestine. The third mouse model deleted the gene that expressed URI in the intestinal epithelium.
       The control set of mice revealed that URI is expressed in a population of dormant stem cells located in the intestinal crypts. URI protects these cells from toxicity induced by high levels of radiation. Chaves-Perez said, “We found that when radiation treatment is over, these are the cells that regenerate the damaged tissue. There has been much debate recently about which stem cell population is in charge of doing this job”.
       The second set of mice were subjected to high levels of radiation. They were designed to express high levels of URI. They all survived gastrointestinal syndrome.  With normal levels of URI expression, seventy percent of them would have died. The third set of mice with the gene expressing URI removed all died when exposed to high-levels of radiation.
       Chaves-Perez explained these results: “What distinguishes this specific stem cell population is that under normal conditions (when they express URI), these cells are quiescent, that is, they do not proliferate. Consequently, they are not exposed to radiation damage, which only affects proliferating cells. However, when URI is not present in these stem cells, the well-known oncogene c-MYC is overexpressed, which leads to cell proliferation and increases susceptibility of these cells to radiation damage. As a result, these cells die, the intestine does not repair itself, and subsequently, the mouse dies.”
       Djouder said, “Our work opens up new avenues to treat and prevent gastrointestinal syndrome by inhibiting or eliminating c-MYC. Such inhibitors will reduce lethal side effects of high-dose radiotherapy, allowing the increases of radiation doses to efficiently treat cancer and protect patients from gastrointestinal syndrome. In addition to protecting against the lethal side effects of radiation, c-MYC inhibitors are used in cancer treatment, which means that they may have dual efficacy.”
      The researchers are now investigating whether organs with regenerative capacities such as the skin also have stem cell populations with high levels of URI.

       I have spent a lot of time cataloguing the problems with nuclear power in this blog. Along the way, I have discussed incompetence and the ignoring of regulation by nuclear power plant operators. I have written about failure of nuclear regulatory agencies both in the U.S. and abroad. I have not spent a lot of time on corporate corruption and the political process involved in the granting of nuclear licenses, loans, etc. Today, I am going to drill down into one instance of blatant corporate and governmental corruption in the U.S. nuclear industry.
       Back in 2016, real estate mogul and prolific political donor Franklin Haney contributed a million dollars to President Donald Trump’s inauguration which is now under investigation by Congressional committees and federal prosecutors. Their concern is whether or not donors received favors for their donations.
       Hanley made his donation while he was working to gain regulatory approval and financial support from the U.S.  government for his long-shot bid to purchase and complete the mothballed Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant located in northeastern Alabama. Two years have passed and Hanley has not closed his deal.
       Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal attorney, is now serving time in federal prison for lying to the federal government, tax evasion and campaign finance violations. Cohen has provided information to investigators regarding Haney, his son and business associate, Frank Haney Jr. concerning the nuclear plant project. Haney had employed Cohen briefly to assist him raising money for the Bellefonte project from potential investors. These investors included the Middle Eastern country of Qatar.
       Federal prosecutors are investigating whether foreigners illegally contributed to Trump’s inauguration committee. Last year, Manhattan federal prosecutors issued a subpoena for a wide range of financial records from the inauguration committee. This subpoena includes any “communications regarding or relating to the possibility of donations by foreign nationals.” The committee denies any wrong-doing and claims that all its contributions are legal and accounted for.
       Haney has previously been accused of using political gifts to cultivate influence. In the late 1990s, an investigation by House Republicans charged that Haney used his money and his political influence to get the Federal Communication Commission to move into a building that Haney had a major stake in. Haney denied any wrong-doing and the Justice Department dropped the case.
       In 1999, Haney was charged with channeling about a hundred thousand dollars in illegal contributions to President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and other politicians. He was ultimate acquitted of these charges. According to a federal prosecutor, Haney is a sophisticated fundraised who uses his access to powerful politicians such as Clinton and Gore to impress potential business clients.
       Haney’s family real estate business donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2013 and 2015 to PACs that supported Alabama Governor Robert Bentley. Bentley then recommended that a nuclear plant that Haney wanted to buy be put up for sale by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Haney also contributed to a nonprofit that was started for the purpose of promoting Bentley’s agenda. Bentley resigned in 2017 as he faced impeachment proceedings because he had had an affair with one of his aides.
       A tentative Bellefonte sale in November of 2016 included two uncompleted nuclear power reactors and their cooling towers, several other buildings and over a thousand acres of land adjacent to the Tennessee River. Haney’s Nuclear Development LLC put down twenty-two million dollars and had a deadline of 2018 to complete the one hundred and eleven million dollar deal. The day before the deadline on November 29, the TVA cancelled the deal. They said that Haney’s company did not have regulatory approval. Haney filed a breach of contract lawsuit.
       Five months have passed since Haney’s company submitted its request to transfer construction permits and was told that it had to submit more documents. A nuclear expert said that the delays are partly a result of skepticism on the part of the regulatory agency about the integrity and competence of Haney’s company. With a majority of Trump appointees on the regulatory board, they will probably approve Haney’s deal because of Trump’s commitment to the expansion of the U.S. nuclear fleet. Haney has also sought financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Energy which declined to comment on the deal.