[ RadSafe ] [nuclear news] Quick facts: The effects of radiation from a dirty bomb

[John R Johnson]

Sandy

Are Canadians different than Americans? -:)

John
***************
John R Johnson, PhD
CEO, IDIAS, Inc.
Vancouver, B. C.
Canada
(604) 222-9840
idias at interchange.ubc.ca

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sandy Perle" <sandyfl at cox.net>
To: <radsafe at radlab.nl>; <powernet at hps1.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2007 12:57 PM
Subject: [ RadSafe ] [nuclear news] Quick facts: The effects of radiation 
from a dirty bomb


> Quick facts: The effects of radiation from a dirty bomb
>
> (CP) - Canadians are exposed daily to small amounts of natural
> background radiation from the ground, building materials, air, food,
> cosmic rays from outer space and naturally occurring elements in the
> human body. Man-made radiation sources typically include X-rays,
> televisions and smoke detectors.
>
> Radiation exposure is measured by a unit called a millisievert (mSv).
> Most Canadians can expect to receive between two and four mSv each
> year.
>
> Ionizing radiation is the type encountered by workers in the nuclear
> industry and those who use X-ray equipment, for example. The Canadian
> Nuclear Safety Commission limits workplace exposure to 50 mSv in a
> single year and 100 mSv over five years (an average of 20 mSv per
> year).
>
> Long-term or sudden exposure to higher amounts of radiation can cause
> illness or even death. Extremely high levels of acute radiation
> exposure can kill a person within a few hours, days or weeks
> depending on the dose. Death is often due to bone marrow damage
> causing infection and internal bleeding.
>
> In less extreme cases, chronic exposure to radiation levels exceeding
> safety guidelines may increase the risk of cancer, benign tumours,
> cataracts, birth defects and nausea. Anemia may require blood
> transfusions.
>
> Any amount of radiation can disrupt cellular systems. However, the
> human body can generally replace cells damaged by low doses. Amounts
> of radiation received in cancer treatment, for example, may be high
> enough to cause some symptoms of radiation sickness.
>
> Even tiny amounts of some materials can deliver fatally high doses of
> radiation. Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko had traces of
> polonium-210 in his urine when he died in a London hospital last
> November. He accused the Russian government of poisoning him in
> retaliation for his public criticism of heavy-handed tactics.
> -----------------
>
> Governor Rendell Says State's Radiation Protection Act Strengthened
>
> HARRISBURG, Pa. (Map) - Governor Edward G. Rendell said today that
> the Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Emergency
> Management Agency and state police will be better able to protect the
> public and monitor nuclear and radiological activities in the
> commonwealth following passage of House Bill 496.
>
> "I applaud the General Assembly for acting in the best interests of
> the commonwealth," said Governor Rendell. "With this bill, the
> commonwealth will be better equipped to monitor nuclear power plant
> and transportation activities and protect the public's health and
> safety."
>
> HB 496 amends the state Radiation Protection Act (Act 147).
>
> Similar to other states with nuclear power reactors, HB 496
> authorizes and sets reasonable, annual plant fees to cover DEP's
> independent nuclear safety oversight, emergency response and
> environmental surveillance activities.
>
> Nuclear power plant fees collected by PEMA will fund interagency
> coordination and county emergency preparedness. The new amendments to
> Act 147 also allow the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) to escort
> certain large shipments of radioactive material and waste transported
> through the state.
>
> Among those fees included or amended in Act 147 are: -- A one-time
> fee of $100,000 per site to DEP from any entity that holds, or has
> applied for, a nuclear power reactor operating license from the U.S.
> Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and an increased annual fee of
> $400,000 to $550,000 per site; -- A one-time fee of $150,000 per site
> to PEMA from any entity that holds or has applied for a nuclear power
> reactor operating license from the NRC, and an increased annual fee
> from $200,000 to $350,000 per site; -- Fees to DEP, PEMA and PSP that
> cover oversight and escort expenses incurred by the commonwealth to
> ship spent nuclear fuel and other large quantity radioactive
> materials through the state; and -- Continued fees under Act 147 that
> allow DEP and the Environmental Quality Board to regulate radiation
> sources users (e.g., x-ray or radioactive materials).
>
> After 2009, two working groups of DEP and PEMA personnel, with
> representatives of the state's nuclear facilities, shall review
> program expenses and issue a report to the legislature recommending
> any fee changes deemed appropriate.
>
> The state's General Fund does not support the commonwealth's
> radiation protection programs. Act 147 and HB 496 direct that fees be
> used to support three special funds created under the legislation:
> the radiation protection, radiation emergency response, and radiation
> transportation emergency response. These special funds help pay for
> work by DEP, PEMA and numerous counties to monitor nuclear power
> plant operations, train and prepare for emergency response actions,
> purchase new equipment and coordinate protection when nuclear
> materials are transported.
>
> "With the homeland security needs of our state today, it's important
> that our state, county and local personnel be trained and equipped to
> respond quickly and properly to any nuclear or radiation emergency,"
> said Governor Rendell. "Emergency preparedness takes continued
> training and the latest equipment, and this bill will provide the
> resources necessary to achieve that."
>
> Act 147 requires DEP and PEMA to develop a Radiation Emergency
> Response Program for incorporation into the state's emergency plan.
> The emergency plan must address the potential for nuclear accidents
> or incidents, the radiological consequences, and the protective
> measures needed to mitigate the effects of these accidents or
> incidents on the public.
>
> The fees provided for under HB 496 allow such work to continue and
> provide for improvements.
>
> For more information on the state's radiation protection program,
> statutes and regulations, visit http://www.depweb.state.pa.us,
> keyword: Radiation.
>
> The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate
> public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and
> continuing economic investment to support our communities and
> businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and
> to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at:
> http://www.governor.state.pa.us.
> -----------------
>
> Russia's nuclear plant may not meet Iranian timeframe 15 minutes ago
>
> WASHINGTON (AFP) - Russia indicated Tuesday that a nuclear reactor
> plant it is constructing in Iran could not be completed in two months
> as expected by Tehran, citing "technical and economic questions."
>
> Russian news agencies had quoted a senior Iranian nuclear official as
> saying that Tehran hoped to start operations at the Bushehr power
> plant soon after its completion in two months.
>
> But Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Kislyak, speaking at a
> press conference in Washington, said the time frame was "too
> ambitious."
>
> He was asked to comment about the differences between Russia and Iran
> on the project and on reported remarks by Mohamed Amiri, the head of
> a group of Iranian nuclear and radiation safety agencies, that the
> plant would be completed by September and that Russian delivery of
> atomic fuel was imminent.
>
> "What I know about the timing is that it would be, I think ... too
> ambitious to say that it would be completed within two months,"
> Kislyak said.
>
> "It's not doable, physically, because the state of development
> requires, I think, a number of additional months to complete it. And
> certainly, they need to sort out all these technical and economic
> questions that need to be resolved," he said, without elaborating on
> the problems.
>
> "So the issue of sending fuel to Iran is not something that we'll
> have to resolve tomorrow," he said.
>
> The project has been hit by successive delays and mutual accusations
> that either side were not living up to their financial obligations.
>
> The Unites States, which is leading international efforts to stop
> Iran's controversial nuclear activities, has urged Russia to halt
> work on the plant.
>
> Iranian officials have on occasion accused Russia of being half-
> hearted in finishing the project at a time when the United States is
> pushing for more sanctions over Iran's nuclear program.
>
> But Kislyak stressed that work on the Bushehr plant would continue,
> saying it was "fully compliant with all the requirements" of the
> global atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency
> (IAEA), and based on a "win-win" formula.
>
> "And I would say that the arrangement around Bushehr is an example of
> what Iran would be well-advised to choose as a method and way of
> developing its nuclear energy, whereby it gets a reactor based on
> cooperation with other countries," he said.
>
> "And from the point of view of nonproliferation, it's one of the best
> schemes one can envisage," he said.
>
> Robert Joseph, the special US envoy on nuclear non-proliferation who
> was with Kislyak at the news conference, accused Iran of violating
> its nuclear safeguards agreement.
>
> "Iran, of course, is in violation of its safeguards obligations and
> there are many questions that are still outstanding with regard to
> the IAEA's investigation of the Iranian nuclear program," he said.'
> ---------------
>
> Legislator receive 1.5 km-long banner rejecting nuclear power plant
>
> Semarang, Central Java (ANTARA News) - The Central Java legislative
> body (DPRD) on Tuesday received a 1.5 km-long banner containing
> thousands of signatures rejecting the government`s plan to set up a
> nuclear power plant in the Muria peninsula, Jepara district.
>
> Academicians of the Semarang-based Soegijapranata Catholic University
> (Unika) handed over the banner after holding a meeting with the
> legislative body.
>
> Nuclear energy was not a solution to the electrical power crisis as
> the country still had a lot of alternative energy sources such as
> water and biofuel to generate electricity, Hermawan Pancasiwi,
> assistant to the dean of the university`s school of law, said.
>
> "A nuclear power plant poses great risks to human beings` safety. The
> Chernobyl radiation leakage and accidents in other nuclear power
> plants prove that nuclear energy is not the proper answer to our need
> for greater power supply," he said.
>
> Nuclear radiation leakages could occur in industrialized nations, the
> more so in developing nations which in general were not properly
> prepared for nuclear power plants. "Have the Indonesian human
> resources been prepared for a nuclear power plant with all its
> consequences?" he asked.
>
> Meanwhile, Rukma Setia Budi, chief of the legislative body`s
> commission D, said the legislature also did not agree with the plan
> to build a nuclear power plant in the peninsula.
>
> He said the government should review its plan which had come under
> fire from the general public.
>
> Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar said last month the
> government`s plan to set up a nuclear power plant in the peninsula
> was not yet final.
>
> Speaking to the press after delivering a keynote speech at a seminar
> to mark the 50th anniversary of Diponegoro University (Undip), the
> minister said the government appreciated the people`s objections to
> its plan to build a nuclear power plant in the area.
>
> He said his office was keeping a close watch on what was being done
> to implement the plan, including the tackling of the project`s
> environmental aspects which normally had to be done by an analysis
> and assessment of the project`s possible impact on the local
> environment.
>
> As long as the proposed nuclear power plant had not yet been built,
> the plan should be considered as just a "discourse" so that there was
> no need for people to make a fuss about it too often, Rachmat said.
>
> He said his ministry was not in a position to decide whether the plan
> would be continued or not but it would keep abreast of the process,
> among others, by requiring the project to be covered by an
> environmental impact analysis (Amdal).
> ---------------
>
> GE sees nuclear projects in Europe, China
>
> HELSINKI (Reuters) - General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE - news) sees
> opportunities in nuclear investments in Europe and China, but a
> nuclear boom in the United States would require some form of carbon
> emission pricing, GE's Chief Executive said.
>
> GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt told Finnish financial daily
> Kauppalehti GE believes it could win at least one major nuclear
> project in the Baltic countries, Poland or elsewhere in eastern
> Europe, where nuclear energy is currently being considered.
>
> "First, carbon emissions need to be given a price in some way. If
> that is done, nuclear power investments will surge everywhere, not
> just in the United States," Immelt told Kauppalehti in comments
> published on Tuesday.
>
> Immelt told the paper GE expects nuclear deals from China after five
> to 10 years, but not so much from Russia unless it was with a Russian
> partner.
>
> New nuclear projects are currently planned also in Finland, but
> Immelt said GE would not necessarily be interested in them.
>
> "This needs not to be taken the wrong way, as I am not saying
> 'definitely not'. We just want to see how everything goes and which
> technology is chosen," Immelt said.
>
> Finnish utility Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) is currently building the
> country's fifth nuclear reactor and the first new reactor in western
> Europe for more than a decade.
>
> GE took part aggressively in the bidding for the TVO project so2me
> years ago, Immelt said, but lost to a consortium led by France's
> Areva (CEPFi.PA).
> ------------------
>
> Scan risks exposed
>
> Courier Mail, Australia - GENERAL practitioners are exposing their
> patients to high doses of radiation, and potentially cancer, by
> ordering unnecessary CT scans, a study has found.
>
> Researchers reviewed 50 requests for computed tomography scans of the
> chest at two private radiology practices in Cairns between August
> 2004 and March 2005.
> About two-thirds were considered inappropriate and could have been
> avoided or replaced by tests with lower radiation exposure, they
> said.
>
> Cairns Base Hospital respiratory physician Graham Simpson, one of the
> study authors, said CT scans exposed patients to 400 times the
> radiation of an X-ray.
>
> "GPs are requesting these because they're scared of getting sued. In
> the current climate, everyone wants to do every hi-tech test they can
> so that nobody can say that they didn't do everything," Dr Simpson
> said.
>
> "All the GPs I've spoken to have been absolutely horrified when
> they've learnt what the dose of radiation involved is.
>
> "Nobody ever really thinks that that can have a consequence of
> causing cancer down the track but they should."
>
> Medicare Australia statistics show that more than 235,000 CT scans of
> the chest were performed by private radiology practices in 2004-05.
>
> That excludes those performed in public hospitals and those billed to
> the Veterans Affairs Department.
>
> "Assuming that 70 per cent of requests (the average of the estimates
> from the two radiology practices) come from GPs and that two-thirds
> are inappropriate, this means that there may be an annual cost to
> Australian taxpayers of over $35 million for unnecessary CT
> examinations of the chest," the authors wrote in the latest Medical
> Journal of Australia.
>
> They said the International Commission on Radiological Protection had
> estimated an overall risk of one fatal cancer for every 2000 to 3000
> CT scans of the chest performed.
>
> That translates to about 40 fatal cancers a year in Australia.
>
> Dr Simpson said the figure did not include avoidable CT scans being
> ordered for other parts of the body.
>
> In a corresponding editorial in the MJA, radiologists Richard
> Mendelson and Conor Murray said specialists were aware that
> diagnostic imaging was often inappropriately used.
>
> "Perhaps up to a third of radiological examinations are totally or
> partially unnecessary," they wrote.
>
> However, they said prohibiting referrals for CT scans by GPs would
> result in unacceptable stress on specialist services, long waiting
> times and, probably, increased costs.
>
> The radiologists called for more education for GPs and for
> specialists to take on a wider consultative role.
> -----------------
>
> VY contractor fired for failing to check room's radiation levels
>
> BRATTLEBORO -- A contracted employee was fired from his job at
> Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant after he violated Entergy policies
> and Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations.
> The contractor, with 31 years of experience as a radiation protection
> technician, was fired for not conducting a radiation survey of the
> reactor's water clean up room "prior to allowing access to an
> auxiliary operator," according to a statement from the NRC.
>
> No one was harmed by the technician's failure to check the radiation
> level in the room, said Larry Smith, spokesman for Vermont Yankee,
> and Entergy does not tolerate such violations.
>
> "He is no longer working for Entergy," Smith said.
>
> The incident in question occurred Aug. 17, 2006, when the contractor
> failed to check the occupational dose limits of radiation in the room
> and allowed a plant technician to enter the room, according to the
> NRC statement.
>
> "The NRC further determined that the technician's actions were
> willful, in careless disregard for the requirements," wrote David C.
> Lew, the director of the NRC's division of reactor projects.
>
> Vermont Yankee supervisors were not to blame for the incident, wrote
>
> Because the contractor had 31 years of experience, wrote Lew, "it was
> reasonable to expect (that he) would not need significant oversight
> to perform this task."
>
> Therefore, "the violation appeared to be an isolated action of the
> employee without management involvement and was not caused by a lack
> of management oversight."
>
> Entergy is required to report such incidents to the NRC and was
> commended for its quick response in the matter.
>
> "The NRC gave us a non-cited violation because of our strong and
> prompt actions following the incident," he added.
> --------------
> -----------------------------------------
> Sander C. Perle
> President
> Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc.
> 2652 McGaw Avenue
> Irvine, CA 92614
>
> Tel: (949) 296-2306 / (888) 437-1714  Extension 2306
> Fax:(949) 296-1144
>
> E-Mail: sperle at dosimetry.com
> E-Mail: sandyfl at cox.net
>
> Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/
>
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