Radioactive Waste
What are officials hiding about Fukushima?
After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, Soviet officials were vilified for hiding the impacts from the public.
But when Japan’s Fukushima nuclear accident took place last March, public officials in Japan and Canada alike jumped straight into Chernobyl-style damage-control mode, dismissing any worries about impacts.
Now evidence has emerged that the radiation in Canada was worse than Canadian officials ever let on.
A Health Canada monitoring station in Calgary detected radioactive material in rainwater that exceeded Canadian guidelines during the month of March, according to Health Canada data obtained by the Georgia Straight.
Canadian government officials didn’t disclose the high radiation readings to the public. Instead, they repeatedly insisted that fallout drifting to Canada was negligible and posed no health concerns.
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Radioactive xenon detected at crippled Fukushima plant sparks fears of resumed nuclear fission
A radioactive gas has been detected at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, the facility's operator says.
Tepco said xenon had been found in reactor two, which was previously thought to be near a stable shutdown.
There has been no increase in temperature or pressure, but the discovery may indicate a problem with the reactor.
Boric acid - used to suppress nuclear reactions - has been injected as a precaution.
Ever since the meltdowns in March triggered by the huge earthquake and tsunami, engineers have been working to bring the Fukushima reactors under control.
The government and Tepco - the Tokyo Electric Power Company - have said they are on track to achieve a stable shutdown by the end of the year.... Read more »
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Environmentalists go to court to halt new Ontario nuclear reactors
TORONTO —Environmental groups have asked a federal court to stop government agencies from approving construction of new nuclear reactors at Darlington until an environmental assessment is fully completed and shows the project won’t negatively impact the environment or human health as required by law.
“The Fukushima nuclear disaster has been a global wake-up call on the risks posed by nuclear power, but here in Canada our authorities have pretended these risks don’t exist. In light of Fukushima, Canadian environmental protection laws must be respected before the next Ontario government can proceed with new reactors," said Shawn-Patrick Stensil, a nuclear analyst with Greenpeace. ... Read more »
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Ontario's plans to store nuclear waste under Lake Huron have Michigan upset
Submitted by Andrew Holownych on Tue, 2011-09-20 12:55
Where does all that nuclear waste go? Unlike in the 1980's when nuclear waste was dumped into oceans, now the preferred method is to bury it somewhere deep. The problem that is no community wants it in their neighbourhood.
One option that has been ignored by goverment and the nuclear industry is above-ground Monitored Retrievable Storage. Instead, the cheapest method - burying the waste deep in old mines - seems to be the only method considered. Not surprisingly, this method saves nuclear companies billions of dollars, not to mention "out of sight, out the mind". ... Read more »
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Pro-nuke Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission applies its rubber stamp once again
OTTAWA - The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) applied its automatic rubber stamp to yet another nuclear boondoggle today. It concluded a new nuclear reactor scheme proposed for the Darlington site “is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects” and is therefore OK to approve.
This shocking conclusion was arrived at despite the CNSC not knowing anything about the ultimate design of the proposed reactor. The Ontario government hasn’t chosen one yet!... Read more »
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