Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 26, 2013

Ambient office = .128 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .097 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .088 microsieverts per hour

Vine ripened tomatoes from Costco =  .085 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .082 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .065 microsieverts per hour

              There are many different ways that a person can be exposed to ionizing radiation in the world we live in. Some possibilities are food and meat grown in an area polluted by radioactive materials, medical diagnostic procedures, medical treatment, fallout from nuclear accidents, fallout from terrorist dirty bombs, fallout and direct radiation from nuclear weapons, and even naturally occurring sources such as radon gas from the soil. While taking iodine pills to protect thyroid glands from radioactive iodine-131 exposure is commonly mentioned, the average person may be uncertain that there is anything that he or she could do if exposed to radiation. Here are some recommendations:

Psychosomatic medicine has shown that a positive attitude generally helps strengthen the immune system and assists recovery from a variety of health problems. While it might be difficult to maintain a positive attitude after radiation exposure, it is important that an exposed person not descend into depression and pessimism.

 Astralgalus has been a part of the herbal Chinese system of medicine for centuries. It not only boosts the immune system but has been shown to help restore a damaged immune system to normal functioning. It has few side effects and is helpful in dealing with physiological stress.

 Bentonite clay can remove the toxic by-products of radiation damage from the body. Native Americans recognized this type of soil as a healing agent. A layer of bentonite mud can also actively protect the human body from radiation and chemical toxins. 

Blue-Green algae and marine phytoplankton such as spirulina and chlorella can lower the level of heavy metals and radiation in the human body. They also benefit the immune system. They produce oxygen which can help alter the pH in the body someone who is been exposed to radiation.

 

 Ginkgo bilboa is another Chinese herbal medicine in use for thousands of years. This herb has been shown to protect lymphocytes against damage from radiation if it can be taken before radiation exposure.

Kombucha tea is made from a fermented mushroom tea and is used to alter the pH in the body which can assist in healing. It also provides healthy probiotics for the digestive tract. President Ronald Reagan claimed that he cured a case of stomach cancer with Kombucha tea.

 Lingzhi mushrooms have been recognized for millenia as being beneficial for health and healing. Research has shown that a chemical in these mushrooms called polysaccharide beta-1,3-D-glucan enhances the immune system by increasing the level of macrophage T-cells. Lingzhi mushrooms can reduce nausea caused by radiation exposure as well as help prevent damage to the kidneys.

             All of these herbs and compounds are available to the general public and can be of use in fighting off the health effects of radiation exposure. Given that the probability of being exposed to radiation in increasing every day, it is a good idea to be familiar with popular and common products that might be beneficial in case of exposure.  

No clear plan for responding quickly to leaking nuclear waste at Hanford. Enenews.com

Support for nuclear power amongst the French public is on the rise. world-nuclear-news.org

As the five-year mark approaches for Britain’s largest nuclear cleanup contract, the UK’s government has suggested it might pull the work back into the public sector. nuclearstreet.com

NRC says that Indian Point’s spent-fuel pools are likely safe in the event of a severe earthquake. lohud.com

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 24, 2013

Ambient office = .125 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .115 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .082 microsieverts per hour

Iceberg lettuce from local grocery store =  .092 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .081 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .067 microsieverts per hour

TEPCO seeks the dismissal of damages suit which was filed in the U.S. japantimes.co.jp

India to evaluate Westinghouse nuclear power plant.  articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

President Obama’s latest nuclear weapons proposals, announced last week in Berlin, were a disappointing example of what happens when soaring vision collides with the reality of obstructive Republican senators, a recalcitrant Russia and a convergence of regional crises. nytimes.com

A lease agreement has been signed for land on which the pilot heavy metal-cooled SVBR-100 reactor will be built in Dimitrovgrad in Russia’s Ulyanovsk region. world-nuclear-news.org

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 23, 2013

Ambient office = .080 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .077 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .067 microsieverts per hour

Iceberg lettuce from local grocery store =  .100 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .073 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .065 microsieverts per hour

              I have mentioned Duke Energy in several past posts. The headquarters of Duke Energy is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the biggest electric power holding company in the United States and it also has assets in Canada and Latin America. The fifty eight thousand megawatts that it generates is distributed to seven million customers in a territory of over one hundred thousand square miles. Duke generates electricity from hydro, oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear energy. Duke Energy owns and operates four nuclear power plants in North Carolina, two plants in South Carolina and one plant in Florida. A total of twelve nuclear reactors are located at the seven power plants. Duke has applied for constructions permits and licenses for four additional reactors.

              In 1999, Duke was the target of an enforcement action by the EPA because they were trying to get out of having to get permits under the Clean Air Act for modifications to old coal burning power plants. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court and Duke was ordered to comply with the Clean Air Act. In 2002, Duke Energy was forced to restate their financial reports due to false or incorrect accounting. As of 2005, Duke Energy was rated as 13^th in list of polluting energy producing companies. Environmental activists have opposed and are opposing new energy plant projects of Duke Energy. Duke has been criticized for spending seventeen million on lobbying, not paying any taxes and receiving over two hundred million dollars in tax rebates while making five billion four hundred million dollars in profits in the period for 2008 to 2010.

              Duke has decided to shut down the Florida reactor at the Crystal River plant because the required repairs would cost too much. Florida has a law which allows utility companies such as Duke to charge customers for construction of new nuclear reactors and repairs of existing nuclear reactors before the work even begins. As the law is currently written, the utility can keep the additional money collected even if the work is never done. Florida is trying to revoke that part of the law. With the decision to close the Crystal River reactor, Duke is going to refund some of the extra money that it had collected. There is a battle between Duke and a nuclear insurance company over how much money the insurance company will have to pay customers for the extra cost of electricity after the Crystal River reactor was shut down.

             Duke’s Shearon Harris nuclear reactor has been the center of controversy. Between 1999 and 2003 the reactor had to be shut down twelve times. The national average for U.S. nuclear plants would be two or three shutdowns in a four year period. Studies suggested that the spent fuel pool was the greatest danger at Shearon Harris and that there was a possibility that it could over-heat and burn. Some critics claim that Shearon Harris is the most dangerous nuclear reactor in the United States. This year, a small crack forced the shutdown of the reactor. The crack should have been detected when the reactor was shut down for refueling last year and the NRC is investigating. Duke has halted work on the construction of two new reactors at Shearon Harris because of the current soft electricity market.

            A watchdog group is demanding that North Carolina utility regulators levy at least five million dollars in penalties against Duke Energy for over-charging its customers millions of dollars and spending money on campaign contributions and sponsoring a professional basketball team. Duke Energy has a track record of over-charging customers, neglecting nuclear power plant maintenance, polluting the environment, trying to skirt environmental regulations, avoiding taxes, and other types of corporate bad behavior. This is not a company that I trust when it comes to the safe operation of nuclear power plants.

The worst Hanford tank may be leaking into the soil. king5.com

Washington State is on alert after nuclear waste leak at Hanford. Enenews.com

Emergency declared at Grand Gulf nuclear plant in Mississippi for “release of toxic and flammable gases”. Enenews.com

Officials at the Beaver Valley nuclear power plant near Shippingport, Pennsylvania found dozens of minor problems officially called “potentially adverse seismic conditions” last year when they conducted an assessment of how well the plant could withstand an earthquake. triblive.com

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 22, 2013

Ambient office = .095 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .094 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .094 microsieverts per hour

Iceberg lettuce from local grocery store =  .089 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .118 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .084 microsieverts per hour

              I have posted a number of articles about the situation at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Eastern Washington. For decades, the U.S. government has been trying to clean up the mess left over from processing nuclear materials for our nuclear weapons arsenal. A variety of nuclear materials were placed in single wall tanks and buried for disposal. Unfortunately, the tanks started leaking into the ground, threatening the surrounding communities and agriculture as well as the Columbia River which supplies a lot of water to the Northwestern United States. Double walled tanks were developed and some of the waste in the worst single walled tanks was pumped into the new tanks. We were assured that the double walled tanks would not leak.

             Last year, a double walled tank with the designation of AV-102 set off some alarms. The tank was investigated and water and sludge were observed between the inner wall and the outer wall of the tank. After denying that there was a leak and turning off the alarms, the company in charge of the tanks eventually admitted that there was a possible leak of radioactive materials from the inner tank to the space between the inner wall and the outer wall. Once again we were assured that there was no danger and that the leak would be contained by the outer wall of the tank. Recently, higher radiation levels were found in the soil surrounding tank AY-102. Apparently, despite all the assurances, the material in the tank, which is highly radioactive, is leaking into the soil. The double walled tank is not able to contain the waste and protect the environment.

            The hope was that moving the worst waste from the most deteriorated single wall tanks into the double walled tanks would give the company time to complete the vitrification plant which would allow the waste to be mixed with liquid glass and solidified into glass logs for permanent disposal. The Department of Energy authorized work to begin on the vitrification plant before the details of the vitrification process were well understood. As might be expected, this turned out to be a disaster. The material in the different tanks consists of a mix of different toxic and radioactive chemicals. The exact types and amounts of chemicals vary between tanks and their chemical interaction is not well understood. It is possible that explosive gasses may be generated as work proceeds and there is a risk of explosions when the tanks are opened. In addition, the constituents of the tanks consist of a variety of physical forms including solids, thick sludges, thin liquids, gases and particulates of different sizes. These different particulates have proven to be especially hard to deal with in the vitrification process. They can lead to corrosion of the pipes in the plant and result in leaks and even explosions. When it was clear that the plant would not function as desired, work was suspended last year.

            The clock is running out at Hanford. The single wall tanks are leaking, the double walled tanks are beginning to leak, work is halted on the vitrification plant and there is no permanent storage facility for any glass logs created by the plant even if it is completed and works correctly. At the very least, radioactive materials will continue to leak into the ground water and the Columbia River posing a threat to the health of the people in the Pacific Northwest. At worst, there will be explosions that will inject radioactive materials into the atmosphere to rain down over a wider area of the Northwest United States.

Hanford Nuclear Reservation Map: