I have posted a number of articles about the arms race and the proliferation of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. There have been a number of treaties that reduced the number of warheads that the U.S. and Russia have from the tens of thousands both sides possessed at the height of the Cold War. If countries are to dismantle warheads, how will it be done? One particular program that has been successful in the decommissioning of Russian warheads is commonly referred to as Megatons for Megawatts. In 1995, under the terms of a non-proliferation treaty between the U.S. and Russia, a twenty year program was started to convert highly concentrated nuclear materials known as HEU (U-235 enriched to ninety percent) from Russian warheads into low concentration radioactive materials know as LEU (less than five percent U-235) suitable for use as fuel in commercial nuclear reactors.

            One of the requirements of the program was that no government money be spent on the program. The U.S. created a government corporation called the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) and the Russian Federation launched a commercial subsidiary of the Ministry of Atomic Energy which is known as Tekhsnabeksport (Tenex). The conversion process has two stages. In Russia, Tenex downblends or dilutes the HEU into LEU. Then the LEU is shipped to USEC in the United States where uranium fuel is created from the LEU.

             There were some initial arguments over the exact terms of the contract and the details of the process but they were eventually worked out and the process has been running smoothly. The initial contract called for about five hundred metric tons of HEU from Russian warheads to be converted. As of June 25, 2013, the National Nuclear Security Administration of the United States which monitors the Megatons to Megawatts program says that four hundred seventy five metric tons of Russian HEU has been converted into LEU.  The fuel created by USEC from the Russian HEU is used to generate about half of the nuclear power in the U.S.  This represents about ten percent of the electric power produced in the U.S. annually. It is estimated that the Russian Federation has received over eight billion dollars for the uranium purchased by the USEC.

             The Megatons to Megawatts has been highly successful and has accomplished ninety five percent of its goal within eighteen years out of the allocated twenty year life span of the program. About twenty thousand nuclear warheads have been eliminated from the Russian arsenal and the world is a little safer. There are still thousands of nuclear warheads under the control of the U.S. and Russia poised to launch in moments in the event that war breaks out. As I have said before, even the exchange of a few hundred nuclear warheads could end human civilization. President Obama recently called for additional reduction of warheads in the U.S. and Russia. Good work has been done in reducing the threat of nuclear annihilation but much work remains to be done.

Local program in the Seattle, Washington area helps children receive treatment years after Chernobyl disaster. king5.com

Children are being used to promote pro-nuclear agenda in Japan. ex-skf.blogspot.jp

TEPCO has announced a total rejection of a plan by the government arbitration board to compensate victims from Iitate Village. simplyinfo.org

The U.S. government pressured Japan in secret to continue their MOX program. simplyinfo.org

Geiger Counter Readings in Seattle, WA on June 27, 2013

Ambient office = .089 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .071 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .076 microsieverts per hour

Vine ripened tomatoes from Costco =  .094 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .108 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .093 microsieverts per hour

              In previous posts, I have talked about how uranium mining has been disastrous for indigenous peoples and the environment in remote and desolate areas of the world. I have also mentioned my concern that nuclear companies may go bankrupt and dump the costs of cleaning up nuclear waste on the government and the taxpayers. Today’s post brings both of these concerns together.

              Near Moab, Utah, a uranium mine and mill operation started processing uranium in 1956 under the ownership of the Uranium Reduction Company. The mine and mill were purchased by the Atlas Uranium Corporation in 1962 and continued to operate until 1984. The mining operation covered over one half of a square mile that came within 750 feet of the Colorado River which provides drinking water for twenty five million people. By the time that the mine was shut down, about one third of the site was covered by a layer of radioactive uranium mine tailings over seventy five feet thick. There were sixteen million gallons of tons of tailings in that layer.  Since the mine and mill were closed in 1982 due to a soft market for uranium, the pile of tailings has been leaking contamination into the soil, the aquifer below the land, and the Colorado River. By the late 1990, the level of uranium in the soil beneath the layer of tailings was over thirty times the safe limit. It is estimated that nearly thirty thousand gallons of contaminated water from the tailings flow into the Colorado River every year.

              The Atlas Uranium Corporation proposed that a “cap” of rock and clay be used to cover and seal in the tailings. After an extensive regulatory battle over whether the proposed cap would be sufficient to protect the environment, the Corporation declared bankruptcy in 1998.  The responsibility for cleaning up the mess at the mine was transferred to the U.S. Department of Energy for remediation in 2001. Following the bankruptcy, there were legal and legislative battles fought by local residents who wanted the tailings relocated to a safer place away from the Colorado River. Work began in 2009 to move the tailings to the Crescent Junction engineered disposal cell, about thirty miles to the north.

             As of June, 2013 about six million tons or forty percent of the tailings had been shipped to Crescent Junction. The Obama administration has budgeted about thirty six million dollars for the cleanup operation in the budget for fiscal year 2014. It is estimated that the project will take until the year 2025 to complete. A 2008 estimate of the eventual cost of the project concluded that about three quarters of a billion dollars of taxpayers’ money would have to be spent.

             A company in the nuclear industry made money from mining and selling uranium and then declared bankruptcy, walking away from the pile of radioactive mile tailing. The federal government will ultimately be paying nearly three quarters of a billion dollars to clean up the mess left by the company. What I would like to know is whether or not that three quarters of a billion dollars will ever be included in the calculations that we hear about the cost of nuclear power. Another question I have is how much more the U.S. taxpayers will have to pay to clean up the messes left by the nuclear industry.

 

 

Helen Caldicott says that nuclear power, nuclear war and climate change are the biggest dangers facing the human race. globalresearch.ca

A Fukushima worker claims that TEPCO is deceiving the public about the cleanup of the nuclear power plant.  simplyinfo.org

The Japanese media is lying to the Japanese people about the safety of their food supply with respect to radioactive.   simplyinfo.org

Nuclear power remains a key component of the Obama administration’s strategy for reducing U.S. carbon emissions. nuclearstreet.com

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