Nuclear Plant Radioactive Leaks

angelburst29

The Living Force
Nuclear Plant leaks radioactive plume in South Carolina
_http://intellihub.com/2014/01/12/nuclear-plant-leaks-radioactive-plume-south-carolina/

January 12, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC (INTELLIHUB) — This week the east coast has been hit with a number of chemical and radioactive disasters that contaminated local communities. A chemical spill in West Virginia this week left hundreds of thousands of people without water, and thousands sick. Now it has been reported that a radioactive plume is leaking from a site in South Carolina.

The Barnell Nuclear site occupies about 235 acres of land originally owned by Chem-Nuclear Systems (CNS). Disposal of waste began at the facility in 1971 and Chem-Nuclear Systems (CNS), currently owned by Energy Solutions, has been the sole operator since that time.

According to WLTX, the plume is moving off the Barnwell Nuclear site southwest toward the Savannah River Site. Traces of Tritium have also been found in Mary’s Branch Creek.

“DHEC has documented there is a plume leaking from the site but the problem with Tritium is it’s hard to remediate, it’s hard to clean it up,” said Tom Clements, Southeast Nuclear Campaign Coordinator for Friends of the Earth. “So we have to look at ways to stop it from leaking from the dump.”

The site receives toxic waste from South Carolina, New Jersey, and Connecticut and have enough land to stay open through 2038.

“The problem is in their annual updates, there’s no plan to address the leaks,” Clements said. “We need to make sure the facility is capped off in a better way and better managed so there is less nuclear material leaking.”

“It combines with oxygen to form basically radioactive water. So, it gets everywhere in the environment,”
 
http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/nuclear_power/nuclear-power-radioactive-releases.pdf

Routine Releases of Radioactive Materials

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http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+6467

AQUATIC SPECIES
"tritium produced measureable, dose dependent, and irreversible suppression of immune capacity in affected fish."
"It appeared that there was no threshold or significant dose-rate effect for either beta or gamma rays on germ cell survival, and that tritium beta rays were more effective than cesium-137 gamma rays in germ cell killing."
The biological half-life of tritium in the body following intake of tritiated water has been found to range from 2.4 to 18 days among 300 individuals. /Tritiated water/
"Food Survey Values:
Tritium was detected in 4% of 200 portions of foods (raw vegetables, fruits, fish, and milk) collected near 33 nuclear reactors from October 1986 to September 1992(1). The maximum concentration observed in these positive detections was 70 Bq/kg, and most of the positive detections occurred in fish and vegetables in the vicinity of 4 sites"
"For scientific purposes, the generally accepted value for the half-life of tritium, as measured by Mound Laboratories, is 12.323+/-0.004 years (4500.88+/-1.46 days)."
"Tritium is produced as a minor product of nuclear fission. The yield of tritium is 1-2 atoms in 10,000 fissions of natural uranium, enriched uranium, or a mixture of transuranium nuclides."

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http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/1-2/65.abstract

Tritium is of environmental importance because it is released from nuclear facilities in relatively large quantities and because it has a half-life of 12.26 y. Most of the tritium released into the atmosphere eventually reaches the aqueous environment where it is rapidly taken up by acquatic organisms. This paper reviews the current literature on tritium in the aquatic environment. Conclusions from the review, which covered algae, aquatic plants, invertebrates, fish, and food chain studies, were that aquatic organisms incorporate tritium into their tissue free water very rapidly and reach concentrations near that of the external medium. Incorporation of tritium from tritiated water into the organic matter of cells is at a slower rate than incorporation into the tissue free water. If organisms consume tritiated food, incorporation of tritium into the organic matter is faster and a higher tritium concentration is reached than when the organisms are exposed to only tritiated water. Incorporation of tritium bound to molecules into the organic matter depends on the chemical form of the 'carrier' molecule. No evidence was found that biomagnification of tritium occurs at higher trophic levels. Radiation doses to large populations of humans from tritium releases will most likely be from the consumption of contaminated water rather than contaminated aquatic food products.

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Thanks Horse, for putting up additional data on radioactive nuclear leaks. I've been noticing different news reports of Nuclear Power Plants having emergency shuts downs and the like which is glossed over by the media "as routine maintenance." With claims that some high readings are "Fuku-Japan" related, might not be entirely the case, due to mini-melt-downs on our own soil? I would like to keep tract of any reports that might pin point major problems, so we might be able to get a clearer picture of what we're really up against? I understand, all Nuclear Power Plants leak as a matter of operation but that data is surpressed on high readings. Collecting more reports on incidences would help in determining higher danger zones of radioactivity.
 
Your welcome, angelburst29, though the data I’ve found is sparse and often contradictory. Thank you for your many posts. I’m also grateful to SOTT for providing a place to post this information.
I’ve read that over 400 accidents have been documented. The undocumented accidents, routine leaks, accidental releases, mining and waste problems all add up to higher background levels. As baselines rise, higher releases are legalized by government and industry. Our accumulated dose keeps rising leading to more health risks. Other environmental issues like the heat generated by NPPs or the release of greenhouse gases like krypton-85 are easily covered up by the global warming hype. The owners of Hanford must be delighted that the Fuku disaster can be used to cover up their leaks.

Here’s a good index of nuke accidents to start with at agreenroad: http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/p/nuclear-accidents-around-world.html

Found nuclearcrimes recently: http://www.nuclearcrimes.org/

Determining higher danger zones of radioactivity would require expensive test equipment and trained personnel providing real data to counter the reassurance, noise and distraction that industry hides behind.
 
horse said:
Determining higher danger zones of radioactivity would require expensive test equipment and trained personnel providing real data to counter the reassurance, noise and distraction that industry hides behind.

I think, that's a good part of the problem and planned that way to keep data hidden and the public in the dark. Problem is, it places all of us within the boundaries of "an experiment" which we have little knowledge of or aware enough, to protect ourselves and our families.

I know, it's kind of looking for a needle in a hay stack but thoughts were, if enough current reports were gathered, location (State/Country) and the amount of accidents/incidents could point in the direction of "suspected" higher radioactivity in a given area. I've noticed Canada also has a high rate of Nuclear type accidents and spills.
 
angelburst29 said:
horse said:
Determining higher danger zones of radioactivity would require expensive test equipment and trained personnel providing real data to counter the reassurance, noise and distraction that industry hides behind.
...if enough current reports were gathered, location (State/Country) and the amount of accidents/incidents could point in the direction of "suspected" higher radioactivity in a given area. I've noticed Canada also has a high rate of Nuclear type accidents and spills.

Reported incidents is only a start in finding contaminated zones. The plume of airborne release can be mapped but usually isn't. Downwinders aren't informed. River/Ocean releases are minimized as safe because of set legal limits, then rinse and repeat. No clues for unreported or forgotten releases. Reading about the 'radium girls', there was a location used to bury radium bottles. An apartment was built on the lot and it was only recently, when the apartment was razed, that they found high levels of radiation and the radium waste. Don't have the citation handy, but there are many stories of lost and found radiation sources. A town in Colorado was abandoned because it was built on/near uranium tailings, fenced off, the warning sign is starting to rust. Fluoride, a toxin, is produced by nuke industry and they dump it in our water and call it a health benefit. Industry/military can hide the problems because few have the money or will to test for radiation hazards. The debate about low level radiation and health risks rages on with no definitive answers for the common man. IMO the only way to get a truer map of radiation levels would be to actually test and provide the only evidence that will be accepted by everyone.
 
"This blog is sponsored by the Davistown Museum (www.davistownmuseum.org). The mission is to provide an overview of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi reactor facilities; provide access to the most important websites for radiological surveillance data on the FD accident in Japan; promote our recently printed book Fukushima Daiichi: Nuclear Information Handbook; and provide updates about the situation in Japan, including reports on ongoing radiological monitoring and/or the lack thereof."
http://biocatastrophe.blogspot.com/2011/03/nuclear-disaster-in-japan.html

Concise reference material to untangle the technical terms of radiation measurements.
 
angelburst29 said:
I know, it's kind of looking for a needle in a hay stack but thoughts were, if enough current reports were gathered, location (State/Country) and the amount of accidents/incidents could point in the direction of "suspected" higher radioactivity in a given area. I've noticed Canada also has a high rate of Nuclear type accidents and spills.

Angleburst29, It's not just one needle in a haystack, they are everywhere. The proliferation of radioactive materials continues because a little is claimed to be safe. Each little bit adds up, and dose is cumulative. So many sources one might not consider like; radioactive fracking fluid making our oil/natural gas and the smog they create hotter, recycled radioactive metals mixed into consumer products, cars that are too hot for Russia or China are okay in the USA, medical radiologic treatments ending up in public water supplies, random fallout patterns. Testing is being done but is not available to the public, EPA's RADNET requires a log on to see the unfiltered data. The TPP treaty will ensure that transnational corporations can continue to dump GMO products and radioactive products on the market with no consumer protections. Some mapping has been done from concerned citizens you might be interested in.

RadChick (Christina Consolo) has been following Fukushima since 311: https://www.facebook.com/pages/RadChick-Radiation-Research-Mitigation/260610960640885

Another of her websites CVNews has Google earth maps of reactor sites, waste sites, and a fallout risk forecast. http://climateviewer.com/nuclear-reactor-map.html
 
thorbiorn said:
Horse, thank you for the links :)

I second that!

RadChick (Christina Consolo) presents a decent site with alot of information on Nuclear Reactors and problems with radiation. Took me alittle while to read all the links she had listed but very informative.

Horse, you mentioned, "recycled radioactive metals mixed into consumer products, cars that are too hot for Russia or China are okay in the USA." Going back about 5-6 years ago, I read an article in a Consumer Reports Magazine that reported that medal cookware especially iron skillets made in China were stopped at Customs due to a radiation read out. That just about floored me! I went and checked all my stainless steel cookware pots, pans and bowls. Thank Gawd, I have all Revere ware. I trust "nothing" from China any more.

As for the "hot" cars, I wonder how hot those Military tanks and custom fitted SWAT trucks that local law enforcement are getting to patrol our streets are - from Iraq, etc. since they're no longer needed in the Middle East?
 
angelburst29 said:
As for the "hot" cars, I wonder how hot those Military tanks and custom fitted SWAT trucks that local law enforcement are getting to patrol our streets are - from Iraq, etc. since they're no longer needed in the Middle East?

Hadn't thought of that one. Seventy five of the crew of the US Ronald Reagan battle group are trying to sue Japan for their contamination. The ships can't be decontaminated, too hot for ports, they are sending them back out to patrol Japan. Would not want that duty assignment.

I have been following 311, concerned and wondering how bad it really is. ENENews is a news aggregator that has educated me to the extent of the disaster. The bloggers there share information and insight that I'm sharing here. Watching the webcams became something of a hobby and motivated me to post instead of my usual lurking.
ENENews:
http://enenews.com/
http://enenews.com/forum-fukushima-webcam-discussion-thread-dec-26-1013-present

From the session: http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,32366.0.html
"Q: (Belibaste)We had an assumption that industrial plumes could be attractors for cometary discharges? Is this a valid assumption?

A: Yes

Q: (Belibaste)Is it because the plume is electrically charged?

A: Yes

Q: (Belibaste)Is the charge of the plume more negative than the charge of the incoming body?

A: Yes"

I think the Fukushima radiation releases qualify as an industrial plume. I've wondered what charge the Fukushima radiation releases have and how the Universe will react to high energy particles man has released into the environment.
 
SeekinTruth said:
Interesting take on that C's session, Horse. I hadn't thought about nuke ions in that scenario.
The cesium pink sunsets indicate the chemistry of the atmosphere might have changed. I don' think its a good sign.
 
SeekinTruth said:
Interesting take on that C's session, Horse. I hadn't thought about nuke ions in that scenario.

When I read that session, I wondered if the C's were pointing to unconsidered ramifications of Fukushima's releases. Massive amounts of radioactive inert gases were released in the meltdowns which are trace elements in our atmosphere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Earth

One of the worst would be:
Krypton 85
half-life of 10.76 years
Greenhouse gas
electrically conductive

Agreenroad had two articles:
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2013/10/could-krypton-85-gas-and-open-air.html

http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2013/01/krypton-85-dangers-cancer-causing.html

referencing this German study: http://www.opengrey.eu/item/display/10068/255704

In the 60's, during the test ban talks, the dangers of radiation were at least discussed in the public forums and I started learning about this risk. In the 70's, industry tested how much could be released without drawing local notice of fish kills or cancers and information to the public became more controlled. More NPP's were built, now so many the total releases are a 'nuclear disaster' every year spread over a wider area, slowly dispersed locally. The emissions, all legal locally, keep adding to the global burden. Fukushima is impacting the Ocean in ways not yet tested, but the nuclear industry is modifying our atmosphere with radioactive noble gases and Fukushima is only the latest 'nuclear disaster'.

Will electrically charged comets be attracted to a more electrically conductive atmosphere? How much more energy would an incoming rock deliver impacting radioactive particles as it screamed through the atmosphere? Could air burst events now produce more radioactive toxic gases? Comets weren't considered to be a threat. The electric nature of the Universe isn't mainstream science yet. I see the cesium pink sunsets and have to infer what else is really in the air.
 
U.K. Sellafiels Nuclear Plant Staff told to stay home after "elevated elvels of radioactivity"
_http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/nuclearpower/10609073/Sellafield-nuclear-plant-staff-told-to-stay-home-after-elevated-levels-of-radioactivity-detected.html

The Sellafield nuclear plant has been evacuated after “elevated levels of radioactivity” were detected.

More than 10,000 non-essential staff have been told to stay at home following problems at the site in Cumbria, which is the biggest nuclear site in the UK.
A perimeter alarm was triggered at the north of the site, leading to buildings being checked by safety staff, but it was later discovered the higher than normal levels had occurred “naturally”. This is the first time the site has been run on limited staff for safety reasons in recent memory, although a large number of staff were also told to stay away due to heavy snow last March. Sellafield said the site posed no risk to the general public or workforce.

A spokesman said on Friday morning: “As a result of a conservative and prudent decision, the Sellafield site is operating normally but with reduced manning levels today. “This follows the detection of elevated levels of radioactivity at one of the on-site radiation monitors at the north end of the site. “Essential workers only are being asked to report for work.”

“Levels of radioactivity detected are above naturally occurring radiation but well below that which would call for any actions to be taken by the workforce on or off the site. A later statement released by Sellafield said that “following investigation and analysis, we can now confirm these levels to be naturally occurring background radon”.

There is no active nuclear reactor at Sellafield but the site stores and reprocesses waste.
 
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