August 17, 2016 – The Sun – Cold Finger; Secret US military base hidden under ice sheet to be exposed due to climate change – IT SEEMS a story straight from a Cold War thriller — only the case of Camp Century is 100 per cent fact. Now scientists have discovered the secretive military base in Greenland created by Danish and US governments during the 1950s and thought to be locked under the ice forever could be exposed by climate change. A recent study published in the journal of Geophysical Research Letters found the submerged city could be exposed within 75 years under a “business as usual” approach to global warming, reports news.com.au. It means low-level radioactive material, sewage, diesel and other waste that governments assumed would be locked up indefinitely in the ice could be leaked into the surrounding environment with no plan as to who is responsible. “Two generations ago, people were interring waste in different areas of the world, and now climate change is modifying those sites,” lead author William Colgan, of Canada’s York University told the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES).

August 17, 2016 – The Recorder – Rowe seeks money for nuke waste storage – The Yankee Atomic Electric Co. nuclear power plant in Rowe shut down its 185-megawatt reactor in 1992, leaving in place 15 dry casks of radioactive spent fuel, along with one cask of higher-level nuclear waste, until the federal government finds a permanent home for waste like this. Now, Rowe and other U.S. communities with “de facto” interim spent nuclear fuel storage sites are seeking annual compensation for this storage from the federal government. Congressman Richard E. Neal, D-First District, has agreed to co-sponsor the “Interim Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Site Compensation Act of 2016,” which would require annual payments of $15 per kilogram of spent nuclear fuel stored at the sites of former nuclear power plants built for electricity generation.

August 17, 2016 – MENAFN.com – UAE’s nuclear regulator conducts workshop on radioactive material safety – The UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) last week completed a workshop with the Dubai Police to support its officials’ understanding of nuclear and radioactive material safety and security as they serve in a first-responder role to UAE security incidents. The FANR workshop provided information to familiarize officials with the basics of nuclear science, nuclear safety and security, radiation protection and the UAE’s nuclear nonproliferation obligations. Participants received extensive briefings from FANR staff representing the departments of nuclear safety, security, safegurds and education and training.

August 17, 2016 – Medgadget – Gamma Knife Market Poised to Rake in US$ 411.0 Mn by 2025 – 6Future Market Insights (FMI) announces the release of its latest report titled, “Gamma Knife Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015 – 2025”. According to the report, the global gamma knife market was valued at US$ 156.8 Mn in 2014 and is anticipated to reach US$ 411.0 Mn by 2025, registering a compound annual growth rate of 9.0% over the forecast period. Global Gamma Knife market growth is majorly driven by rising ageing population, increasing incidence of cancer and increasing prevalence of neurological disorders. By disease indication, brain metastasis cases undergoing Gamma Knife treatment accounts for highest market share as compared to other indications. Painless and non-invasive elective surgeries with high success rate have recently become the treatment of choice. Leading Gamma Knife manufacturers are entering into tie-ups with premium healthcare organisations in developed and emerging economies for setting up Gamma Knife surgery centres and Gamma Knife installations.

August 17, 2016 – International Business Times – North Korea resumes plutonium production with no plans to stop nuclear tests – North Korea has resumed its production of plutonium by reprocessing spent fuel rods, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on 16 August. In an interview with North Korea’s Atomic Energy Institute, a spokesperson confirmed that the country has no plans to stop nuclear tests as long as they perceive a remaining US threat. The Atomic Energy Institute has jurisdiction over the country’s main Yongbyon nuclear facilities. They confirmed that North Korea is continuing to produce highly enriched uranium that is necessary for nuclear power and nuclear arms. A spokesperson for the institute told Kyodo news: “We have reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods removed from a graphite-moderated reactor.”

August 17, 2016 – KWQC TV 6 – Cambridge looks for ways to remove radium from drinking water – The Village of Cambridge has a problem with radium in the water and it could cost a half million dollars to fix it. The village operates two wells and one of them has a radium level over 5(MCL), which is the EPA threshold for action. The city has been addressing the problem by mixing water from both wells to reduce the radium levels, but that is only a short-term solution. Village of Cambridge City Administrator Dwaine Van Meenan stresses the water is safe to drink. The Village of Cambridge held a meeting Monday night to consider its options. VanMeenan says they looked at three possible solutions to fix the problem. One involves installing a reverse osmosis system at the water treatment plant; another involves filtering with Hydrous Manganese Oxide to remove the radium; another would be to build an Absorption Resin Residue plant. Officials decided that method (ARR) would create hazardous by-products, so they decided to remove it from consideration.

August 17, 2016 – Fox28 Spokane – Radon testing at Spokane Valley apartment complex has residents feeling the heat – Last week folks living in the Pine Terra and Pine Manor Apartments got a letter letting them know that for three days starting Monday, the management would be testing for radon gas. That testing required everyone living in the apartments to keep windows and doors closed, house fans off, and air conditioning units could only be run in recirculation mode. Worried about the heat, a relative of a person living in the apartments who didn’t want to be identified contacted KHQ about what they thought could be a danger to those living there. “I’m concerned for their safety,” the woman said. “We’re talking 90 degree heat outside, and then you close everything up and it’s going to get really hot in those apartments.”

August 17, 2016 – PhysOrg – Light-emitting glass to enhance solar panel efficiency – Researchers from ITMO University have developed optical luminescent glass that emits visible light under ultraviolet radiation. Due to this property, the new material has applications for increasing the efficiency and lifetime of solar cells. Ultraviolet radiation, which normally negatively affects solar cells, will be converted and used for extra charging of the cells. The glass is easy to manufacture and can also be used to increase the lifetime of white LEDs and ensure better color rendering. The study was published in the Journal of Luminescence.

August 17, 2016 – Science World Report – Is Russia’s Financial Crunch Forcing Roscosmos To Reduce International Space Station Crew Size? – New reports suggest Russia is planning to reduce the size of its crew on the International Space Station from three to just two. The typical ISS team comprises of six members- three Russians, two Americans, and generally one astronaut from Canada, Japan, or one of the 11 countries that belong to the European Space Agency (ESA). According to Russian newspaper Izvestia, the country’s state-run space corporation, Roscosmos, is considering to reduce its presence on the International Space Station as a move to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Roscosmos director of human spaceflight, Sergei Krikalev, said that they have already sent a letter about the possible move to the participants of the ISS program, reported Space.com.

August 17, 2016 – Business Standard – Secret clocks in tree-rings may help date ancient events – Tree-rings may serve as secret ‘time-markers’ that could help archaeologists date events of intense radiation bursts from thousands of years ago, a new Oxford study has found. Harvesting such data could revolutionise the study of ancient civilisations such as the Egyptian and Mayan worlds, researchers said. Until now scholars have had only vague evidence for dating when events happened during the earliest periods of civilisation, with estimates being within hundreds of years. However, the unusually high levels of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 found in tree-rings laid down during the radiation bursts could help reliably pinpoint dates, according to researchers from Oxford University in the UK.

August 17, 2016 – Compound Semiconductor – US team develops hexagonal BN nuclear detectors – To prevent terrorists from smuggling nuclear weapons into its ports, the US Security and Accountability for Every Port Act mandates that all overseas cargo containers be scanned for possible nuclear materials or weapons. This is done by detecting neutron signals with detectors based on scarce and costly Helium-3 gas. Now a group of Texas Tech University researchers has developed an alternative approach based on hexagonal BN semiconductors. The team, led by Hongxing Jiang and Jingyu Lin, think the material fulfills many key requirements for helium gas detector replacements and can serve as a low-cost alternative in the future.

August 17, 2016 – Gulf Business – Construction of UAE’s first nuclear plant now 68% complete – The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has confirmed that work on its four-unit nuclear energy plant at Barakah is “progressing steadily.” Overall, construction of Units 1 to 4 is now almost 68 per cent complete, it said in a statement on Wednesday. ENEC also confirmed that it has installed the Unit 3 steam generators – which play a key role in the conversion of the energy generated by nuclear fission into electricity.

August 17, 2016 – WYFF 4 – Sirens to be tested at Oconee Nuclear Station – Duke Energy officials will test sirens at the Oconee Nuclear Station today. The three-minute test is scheduled for 11:50 a.m. There are 65 sirens within 10 miles of the Oconee Nuclear Station. The testing today is part of new software installations.

August 17, 2016 – NDTV – Nuclear Plant Delay May Shift United Kingdom’s Energy Policy – Britain’s decision to stall a Franco-Chinese project to build its first nuclear power plant in a generation has fuelled speculation that the new government is reviewing its energy strategy to boost the role of renewables. Prime Minister Theresa May has given no clear reason for delaying final approval of the Hinkley Point plant, with her spokesman saying only that it was “an extremely important decision that we have to get right”. Critics cite the enormous cost of the 18-billion pounds (21-billion-euro, $23 billion) project as well as security concerns about the involvement of China’s major energy group CGN.

August 17, 2016 – NewsMaker – Global Nuclear Medicine/Radiopharmaceuticals Market 2016:SPECT, PET, Alpha Emitters, Beta Emitters – Radiopharmaceuticals, also known as molecular nuclear medicine, are pharmaceutical formulations comprising radioactive isotopes used in diagnosis and therapeutics. They are used in tracer quantities to mark, trace, and locate targeted parts of the body. Radiopharmaceuticals are most commonly used for diagnosis of various diseases and syndromes with the help of positron emission tomography (PET) and single proton emission computerized tomography (SPECT). Both these medical imaging devices use a radiation detection camera that captures the radiation emitted from radiopharmaceuticals within the body. Therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals are designed to deliver a healing dose of ionizing radiation to the specific disease site, including cancerous tumors, with high specificity in the body. These products have addressed the rising need for better diagnostics and targeted therapeutic tools. It has outpaced conventional chemotherapy by more convenient therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals for oncology and cancer treatment. Moreover, it helps physicians in diagnosis, and works as a convenient and safer alternative for the patients when compared to X-rays and other external radiation imaging devices.

August 17, 2016 – NewsMaker – Global Nuclear Power Plant and Equipment Market 2016: HTGR, PWR, BWR, PHWR, FBR – Latest industry research report on: World Nuclear Power Plant and Equipment Market. Rising need for cleaner and new energy sources have played an eminent role in increasing the importance of nuclear power plant and equipment market. Today, regions such as Asia Pacific has emerged as the largest market for nuclear power. Besides promising a higher growth rate the market will soon fulfill the growing demand for electricity generation. Popularity of clean generation of electricity has contributed to the growth of the market to a greater extent. Moreover, rising need for energy has also added to the growth of the nuclear power plant and equipment market. Growing focus on the security of supply is also driving the market worldwide. High cost associated with the nuclear power plant has hindered the progress of the market to a greater extent. However, demand for clean energy across different countries would create greater opportunities for the market. Rising need for safer nuclear operation would open new avenues for market growth.

August 17, 2016 – WSYR TV – Report: ‘Highly radioactive materials’ leaked in FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant – A new report by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says that there has been an ongoing, uncontrolled radioactive leak at the Fitzpatrick Nuclear Plant. The report says that “Entergy, by its inaction over four years to correct the spillage, degradation of the solid radwaste system, and inaction to clean-up, package, and ship offsite the resultant accumulation of significant amounts of radioactive material, failed to minimize the introduction of residual radioactivity into the site.” The plant experienced a shutdown due to an oil leak into Lake Ontario on June 24 and has not been able to operate at full-power since, due to a condensate booster pump remaining out of service, according to the report.

August 17, 2016 – Platts – Dominion’s Millstone-2 nuclear unit at 100% capacity after maintenance outage – Dominion’s 918-MW Millstone-2 nuclear reactor in Waterford, Connecticut, was operating at 100% of capacity early Monday after completing a two-day maintenance outage over the weekend, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in its daily reactor status report. The unit synchronized with the grid at 9:20 am EDT (1320 GMT) Saturday, Dominion said in a statement provided Monday by spokesman Richard Zuercher. The adjacent 1,276-MW Millstone-3 was not affected by the shutdown and has continued to operate at 100% of capacity, according to NRC’s daily reports.

August 17, 2016 – World Nuclear News – Regulator sets out corrective actions for fabrication plant – The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has outlined corrective actions to be completed before Westinghouse’s nuclear fuel fabrication facility in Columbia, South Carolina can resume some of its uranium processing operations following the discovery of a build-up of uranium in a plant component. Plant employees discovered an accumulation of uranium-bearing material in a scrubber system, which is designed to remove unwanted material from a number of plant processes, during an annual maintenance shutdown in May. The NRC ordered an augmented inspection of the facility after further analysis found the amount of uranium was higher than anticipated and potentially exceeded limits for the section of the scrubber involved. There were no actual safety-related consequences as a result of the buildup, but the “potential for such consequences may have existed,” the NRC said.

August 17, 2016 – Mountain XPress – Seven nonprofits seek injunction to stop radioactive waste transport – Activists with a nonprofit coalition calling for an injunction to stop the proposed transportation of liquid radioactive waste from Canada to the Savannah River Site near Augusta, South Carolina say the waste could pass through Asheville along its route. One hundred fifty truckloads of inherently dangerous liquid radioactive waste are slated to drive through Canadian and US communities and across major waterway crossings, from Chalk River, Ontario, Canada to the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, USA.

August 17, 2016 – LeRoy FarmerCity Press – Local leaders urge action on nuclear plant – This week, a group of mayors and community leaders across Illinois sent a letter to Illinois’ Governor and legislative leaders urging them to follow the state of New York’s lead in adopting a new energy program that will preserve the economic and environmental benefits of nuclear plants. Backed by business, labor, and environmental groups, the New York Public Service Commission recently approved a Clean Energy Standard (CES) that includes provisions to value nuclear energy for its low carbon attributes and will help preserve several struggling nuclear plants in upstate New York. Among them, the James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant was slated for closure but now has new life after Exelon announced this morning it is assuming ownership and operation of the facility thanks to the adoption of the landmark CES.

August 17, 2016 – Courthouse News Service – Greens Sue to Stop Nuclear Waste Transport – The U.S. Energy Department’s unprecedented proposed transfer of “a toxic liquid stew” containing nuclear waste between Canada and the U.S violates federal law, seven environmental groups claim in court. The proposed $60 million deal would see more than 6,000 gallons of the liquid waste transported more than 1,100 miles from the Fissile Solutions Storage Tank at Chalk River in Ontario, Canada to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, according to a 47-page lawsuit filed Friday in Washington, D.C., Federal Court. “The radioactive waste byproducts resulting from processing the HEU targets at Chalk River are acknowledged to be among the most radioactively hazardous materials on Earth,” the complaint states, abbreviating highly enriched uranium. “They would be more easily dispersed into the environment in liquid form than in solid form, in the event of a breach of containment during transport.”

August 17, 2016 – Michigan State University – Dr. Richard R. Parizek: What Ever Happened To Yucca Mountain? – Dr. Richard R. Parizek from the Department of Geosciences at Penn State joins us Friday, October 19th from 12:30-1:30pm to discuss “What Ever Happened To Yucca Mountain?”. He begins his talk in Room 204 Natural Science Building. Please feel welcome to join us!

August 17, 2017 – KTVI Fox2Now – Radiation contamination concerns after Cold Water Creek flooding in Hazelwood – Residents at a Hazelwood apartment complex woke up this morning to find their cars submerged after a nearby creek over flowed. There’s more to be worried about then just water damage from Cold Water Creek. The water has receded, but it was a different story, when the parking lot filled with water overnight damaging vehicles. As the water went down we found crawdads in the parking lot. Residents were using buckets trying to get the water out of their cars. This apartment complex sits next to Coldwater Creek. Last year the Army Corps of Engineers confirmed that it had discovered what it described as low levels of radioactive contamination. The radioactive waste is the byproduct of uranium from the Manhattan Project that was stored near the airport. So this has only added to concerns for residents living near the creek.

August 17, 2016 – Los Alamos Monitor – DOE responds to new WIPP leak theory – The Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office of the Department of Energy responded this week to a former Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist’s alternate theory about what caused a 2014 radiation leak at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad. The DOE is standing by its initial analysis of what happened to cause the rupture of a barrel of transuranic waste Feb. 14, 2014. “The overarching conclusion of the technical assessment team was that specific chemical contents inside one particular drum, in combination with physical configuration of the materials led to a chemical reaction that breached the drum,” said Steve Horak, a communications specialist with the DOE Environmental Management Field Office in Los Alamos. “A separate DOE board of experts and an independent expert board confirmed these results and we see no reason to question them now.”

August 17, 2016 – San Diego Union-Tribune – State leaders don’t see value of nuclear power – Regarding “Proposal filed to shut down Diablo Canyon” (Aug. 12): Everyone but a “climate denier” knows the vital importance of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. So why are we proposing to close the single remaining nuclear generating plant that produces 9 percent of our electrical power without any carbon dioxide emissions? Sure, they can make up the reductions through “green power,” but why not keep the nuke plant and close fossil fuel generators? Maybe there are other agendas that aren’t mentioned?

August 17, 2016 – San Francisco Bay View – Treasure Island whistleblower Mitchell Herrington faces immediate retaliation from power broker – Treasure Islanders who speak out about the radiation, chemicals, asbestos, lead and mold sickening John Stewart’s market rate renters and formerly homeless subsidized renters alike know they face swift retaliation engineered by the powers-that-be – wealthy, connected politicians who fear protest will alert potential buyers of mega-developer Lennar Corp.’s high rise and luxury condos to the toxins lurking in he groundwater of the liquefaction-prone island as they gaze at San Francisco Bay’s fabulous views.