Ambient office = 85 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 109 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 111 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 87 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 94 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Part 1 of 2 Parts
     The United Nations’ (U.N.) top nuclear official is now warning that Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to build “several” nuclear warheads if it chooses. Unfortunately, diplomatic efforts once again restricting Iran’s nuclear program seem even less likely than before as Iran supplies drones to Russia in its war on Ukraine and riots shake the Islamic Republic.
     The warning about Iran’s uranium was issued by Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He was responding to questions from European lawmakers this week which illustrated just how concerned the international community is. Iran has never enriched uranium to as high a level, even during the height of previous tensions between the West and Iran under the hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before the 2015 nuclear deal.
     For the past few months, nonproliferation experts have suggested that Iran had enough highly enriched uranium to build at least one nuclear weapon. Iran has long claimed that its program is for peaceful purposes. Grossi remarked that “we need to be extremely careful” in describing Iran’s nuclear program. He also bluntly acknowledged just how big Iran’s high-enriched uranium stockpile had grown. Gross said, “One thing is true: They have amassed enough nuclear material for several nuclear weapons, not one at this point.”
     The Argentinian diplomat then referred to Benjamin Netanyahu’s famous 2012 speech to the U.N. In the speech, the Israeli prime minister held up a cartoon-style bomb with a burning wick. He drew a red line through the image to urge the world not to allow Iran’s program to highly enrich uranium. The 2015 nuclear deal drastically reduced Iran’s uranium stockpile and capped its enrichment to three point six seven percent. Netanyahu successfully lobbied then-President Donald Trump to withdraw from the accord and created the current international tension.
      Grossi said, “You remember there was to be this issue of the breakthrough and Mr. Netanyahu drawing things at the U.N. and putting lines — well, that is long past. They have 70 kilograms (155 pounds) of uranium enriched at 60%. … The amount is there. That doesn’t mean they have a nuclear weapon. So they haven’t proliferated yet.”
      However, the danger still remains. Analysts pointed out what happened with North Korea (N.K.). It had reached a 1994 accord with the U.S. to abandon its nuclear weapons program. The arrangement collapsed in 2002. By 2005, N.K. was concerned about U.S. intentions after it invaded Iraq so it announced that it had built nuclear weapons. Today, N.K. has ballistic missiles that are designed to carry nuclear warheads and are capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
     Iranian diplomats have for years pointed to Supreme Leader Ayatolla Ali Khamenei’s preachings as a binding religious edict or fatwa that Iran would not develop an atomic bomb. However, Iranian officials in recent months have begun to openly talk about the possibility of building nuclear weapons.
     Talks between Iran and the West ended last August with a “final text” of a roadmap on restoring the 2015 arrangement that that Iran has still not accepted.
Please read Part 2 next

Ambient office = 89 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 101 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 106 nanosieverts per hour

Shallots from Central Market = 122 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 119 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 102 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 114 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 113 nanosieverts per hour

Red bell pepper from Central Market = 113 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 97 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office = 121 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 93 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 96 nanosieverts per hour

Crimini mushroom from Central Market = 91 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 98 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 87 nanosieverts per hour

Dover Sole from Central = 97 nanosieverts per hour

     Framatome and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) are going to form a joint venture to manufacture commercial quantities of Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO) particles and USNC’s proprietary Fully Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM®) fuel. USNC is a pioneer in the manufacture of both TRISO-based nuclear fuel and Micro Modular Reactors (MMRs).
     TRISO fuel particles contain a core of uranium dioxide which is enclosed in a ceramic shell. The ceramic shell traps the byproducts and the gases generated by the nuclear fission process.    
     Ala Alzaben is the senior vice president for North America Fuel at Framatome. He said, “Ultra Safe Nuclear is a pioneer in the manufacture of both TRISO-based nuclear fuels and micro reactors (MMRs), both of which contribute to a clear and attainable path toward a low carbon future. As one of the safest and most committed manufacturers of nuclear fuel in the world, we are proud of our unmatched regulatory record. This partnership is consistent with our vision to make our unique assets available to advanced reactor designs.”
Francesco Venneri is the CEO of Ultra Safe Nuclear. “Framatome is an important strategic partner in our quest, and this move is a crucial step towards our vision of socially and environmentally responsible zero-carbon nuclear power. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Framatome to bring commercial quantities of TRISO particles and FCM fuel to market.”
      USNC’s collaboration with Framatome follows the opening of USNC’s Pilot Fuel Manufacturing (PFM) facility in August. It is the first and only privately funded facility in the U.S. to manufacture TRISO particles. In addition, the facility’s engineers employ additive manufacturing to fabricate FCM fuels. The modular production lines for TRISO particles and FCM fuel are rapidly repeated to increase capacity to meet the growing demand for the MMRs and advanced reactor technologies more broadly.
     Kurt Terrani is the executive vice president at Ultra Safe Nuclear. He said, “As a result of thorough review and due diligence, we selected Framatome as our partner. Not only does Framatome have a long history of safely and economically manufacturing nuclear fuels, the company’s deep experience in manufacturing will be key to our success in bringing commercial TRISO and FCM fuel forms to market in rapid fashion.”
     The joint venture expects to begin manufacturing TRISO particles and FCM fuel at the end of 2025. TRISO fuel production capacity will be used in the manufacture of USNC’s FCM fuel. It will be made available to the commercial market. The partners have developed plans to support the rapid expansion to meet the demand growth in the U.S. and global markets.
     The MMR Energy System is a fourth-generation nuclear energy system that delivers safe, clean, and cost-effective electricity and process heat to users anywhere. The MMR is being licensed in Canada and the U.S. It will be the first commercially available “nuclear battery”. MMR deployments are moving forward. They include the projects at Chalk River which is on target for first power in 2026, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign project which is targeted for the following year.