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Cold War Research Baby Teeth Found
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Index:
Cold War Research Baby Teeth Found
Ever cautious Swiss drill for nuclear accident
Greens sue Britain over nuclear fuel plant
Ministry orders recall of radioactive Italian mushrooms
Confab on nuke fusion plant ends, Tokyo to host next meeting
Eagle Building Technologies Presents X-Ray Airport Security Equipment to U.S
More radiation may help some breast cancer patients
Ontario in running for C$12 bln fusion center
============================================
Cold War Research Baby Teeth Found
ST. LOUIS (AP) - About 85,000 baby teeth collected from 1959 to 1970 and only
discovered recently could help pinpoint whether fallout from Cold War nuclear bomb
tests caused cancer and other health problems years later, researchers say.
The teeth from the St. Louis Baby Tooth Survey determined that children were
absorbing radioactive fallout from nuclear bomb tests by the United States and the
Soviet Union. The study received international attention and helped persuade the
nation to adopt a 1963 treaty banning atmospheric bomb tests.
The teeth were found in May in hundreds of boxes by Washington University officials
cleaning out a school bunker where they'd been stored since the 1970s. They were
in small envelopes fastened by rusty paper clips to cards with details about the
children who gave the teeth to science instead of the tooth fairy.
``We flipped out when we heard about the 85,000 teeth,'' Joseph Mangano, national
coordinator with the independent, nonprofit Radiation and Public Health Project
research group, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for a story Friday. ``It was like an
early Christmas present.''
Now, researchers in New York are hoping to find the owners of the teeth and
determine whether they've experienced health problems, such as thyroid cancer, in
the decades since.
Mangano wants anyone born and living in St. Louis from the late 1940s through the
1960s - especially if they believe they submitted teeth - to contact his group. If
matched with any of the baby teeth, the person would be mailed a health
questionnaire.
``I see no reason not to join in a study like that, to be part of history,'' said Eric
Pickles, given that his is include among the baby teeth. Pickles, 43, said he hasn't
had health problems.
After World War II, the U.S. government set off about 100 nuclear bombs in
aboveground tests in the West. Public concern about radioactive fallout rose as
scientists began to find it in the environment and milk supply downwind from the
explosions.
The survey, which began in late 1958, became so well-known that letters addressed
simply ``Tooth Fairy, St. Louis'' got to the committee's office. By the time it ended in
1970, the project had collected nearly 300,000 baby teeth, mostly within a 150-mile
radius of St. Louis.
All seemed forgotten until this spring, when the teeth were found.
The new study has no funding. The study's results will be published in peer-reviewed
medical journals, Mangano said.
On the Net:
Washington University, http://www.wustl.edu
Radiation and Public Health Project, http://www.radiation.org
-----------------
Ever cautious Swiss drill for nuclear accident
ZURICH, Nov 9 (Reuters) - As the world wrings its hands over a potential nuclear
attack by extremists, Switzerland is readying a drill to test how it can cope with an
accident that spews radiation into the air.
In the works for more than a year, the exercise next week assumes that an atomic
weapon contaminates the broad plain that stretches from Lake Geneva to Lake
Constance, forcing millions into thousands of bomb shelters in houses and public
buildings.
"This is absolutely the first time that we are practising for such a thing," Felix Blumer,
spokesman for the National Alarm Centre, said on Friday.
With typical Swiss precision, its timing coincides perfectly with growing public
concern that extremists could unleash biological, chemical or nuclear attacks that
would outdo even the events of September 11.
"We could not have picked a better time," Blumer said.
Government officials, army officers, radiation experts and civil defence groups will
conduct the computer-simulation drill on Monday and Tuesday from reinforced
bunkers. Swiss citizens will not actually have to move underground.
"The assumption is there will be an accident with an atomic weapon that is so
radioactive that practically the entire Swiss central plain has to go into the
underground shelters. That of course would have wide-ranging consequences. All
public life comes to a halt. People are not able to go to work," he said.
The point of the exercise is not so much getting people into the shelters, as getting
them out again.
"How do you communicate that they should come out? Food will be contaminated.
How do you deal with that? What can you eat, what can't you eat? All these things
will be examined," Blumer said.
The drill underscores the importance Switzerland places on civil defence, even years
after the Cold War.
Thousands of Swiss homes, hospitals and public structures have basement bomb
shelters, thanks to a 1963 law requiring them in practically every new building.
In neutral Switzerland, a nation of 7.2 million that largely escaped the ravages of two
world wars, telephone books carry instructions on what to do if an attack or accident
dumps chemicals or radiation.
A siren system, regularly tested, warns the population to gather emergency rations
and take cover in shelters now more widely used to store wine, vegetables, suitcases
and furniture.
-----------------
Greens sue Britain over nuclear fuel plant
LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Two environmental groups began a legal challenge in
London's High Court on Thursday against Britain's decision to give the go-ahead for
a controversial plant to begin manufacturing nuclear fuel.
A six-metre (20 ft) high model of a nuclear missile accompanied Greenpeace and
Friends of the Earth as their lawyers argued that the government had acted
unlawfully in October when it decided to allow state-owned British Nuclear Fuels
(BNFL) to launch the Sellafield MOX Plant in Cumbria, northwest England.
"The MOX plant is not only an environmental threat and a potential terrorist target,
but simply does not make business sense," Greenpeace executive director Stephen
Tiddle told reporters outside the court.
The green lawyers said the government had not showed sufficient economic
justification for the plant, as required by tEU law, because its 470 million pound ($690
million) cost was not taken into account when assessing its commercial viability.
It was also argued there was insufficient evidence there would be enough customers
for the fuel -- a mixture of highly-toxic plutonium and uranium oxides.
Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth say launching the plant would lead to more
plutonium production at Sellafield.
Some nuclear experts believe it would be relatively easy to extract plutonium, which
could be used in a nuclear device, from MOX fuel rods.
BNFL said it was awaiting the outcome of the judicial review before the plant.
BENEFITS V COSTS
A government-commissioned study, conducted by consulting firm Arthur D. Little and
published in July, said the plant would deliver net financial benefits of 216 million
pounds.
The report also said the cost of not opening the plant could run into hundreds of
millions of pounds largely due to potential loss of future contracts for THORP,
BNFL's nuclear reprocessing plant.
The Sellafield MOX Plant has lain idle since 1996 because regulatory approval to
start-up was repeatedly withheld over fears it would not make any money.
BNFL says the MOX plant can be profitable and that it already boasts a healthy order
book from overseas customers. The group also dismisses suggestions it would be
easy to extract plutonium from MOX to make a nuclear device.
More legal battles face BNFL, which had its partial privatisation shelved in 2000 after
a scandal erupted when it was discovered staff had falsified data on pilot batches of
MOX fuel sent to customers.
On Friday, the Irish government will ask the Hamburg-based International Tribunal
for the Law of the Sea, to order an immediate suspension of the MOX's plant's
authorisation and to stop the international movement of radioactive material
associated with the plant in and around the Irish Sea.
--------------------
Ministry orders recall of radioactive Italian mushrooms
TOKYO, Nov. 9 (Kyodo) - The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Thursday
36.1 kilograms of porcini mushrooms imported from Italy through Narita airport
contained levels of cesium 134 and cesium 137 radiation above the government-set
level.
Ministry officials told the importer to return the mushrooms to the exporter.
Radiation leaked from the former Soviet nuclear plant at Chernobyl, which suffered
one of the worst nuclear accidents on record in 1986, may have polluted the
mushrooms.
While excessive radiation levels were frequently detected in imported food products
in the 1980s, there have been no reports of detection in recent years.
The last such incident occurred in January 1998 when excessive radiation was
detected in a cargo of dried porcini mushrooms imported from Italy.
According to the health ministry, since the accident at Chernobyl, the government set
the maximum level of cesium 134 and cesium-137 radiation at 370 becquerels per
kilogram for food products imported from the former Soviet Union and Europe.
The radiation in the latest cargo of mushrooms from Italy measured 418 becquerels,
ministry officials said.
Porcini mushrooms are used in Italian cooking for pasta and sauteed dishes. Given
that radioactive materials can easily accumulate within mushrooms, imports of
mushrooms from all countries suspected of nuclear pollution are subject to
inspection.
-------------------
Hamaoka reactor pipe likely ruptured quickly: gov't
SHIZUOKA, Japan Nov. 8 (Kyodo) - Enormous pressure may have suddenly
cracked a carbon steel pipe Wednesday at a nuclear reactor in Hamaoka, Shizuoka
Prefecture, resulting in a leakage of steam and some radioactive material in a
pressure-injection system, the government said Thursday.
The leak occurred during testing of a start-up system for a high-pressure core
injection (HPCI) system at the No. 1 reactor unit in Chubu Electric Power Co.'s
Hamaoka nuclear power plant, the Nagoya-based utility said.
The HPCI system is designed to cool the reactor core in the event of an emergency.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry said it is the first time for such a pipe to crack, and it intends to order similar
pipes be inspected at other plants in Japan if necessary.
The agency dispatched four inspectors to the plant and is investigating the cause of
the incident.
It said the 1-centimeter-thick, 15-cm-diameter pipe is made of carbon steel. The
rupture was found in an elbowed part of the pipe, which carries 290 C steam under
70 atmospheres of pressure.
The company checks the HPCI system every month and conducts annual overall
inspections to look for leaks, but had found no problems, it said.
The agency also said the accident was provisionally designated Level 1, or
''anomaly,'' on the International Nuclear Event Scale and was a deviation from
operational safety limits.
Level 1 is the second category on a scale of 8 that begins at zero. It is more serious
than a Level Zero ''deviation'' of no safety significance and less serious than a Level
2 ''incident'' that involves significant spread of contamination or worker overexposure.
Other Level 1 accidents in Japan include a 1995 sodium leak at a prototype fast-
breeder nuclear reactor in Fukui Prefecture and a massive coolant water leakage in
1999 at another Fukui reactor.
In the 1995 accident, 2-3 tons of liquid sodium compounds used as a coolant leaked
from the Monju reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui, forcing the plant to shut down.
In the July 1999 event, an estimated 89 tons of radioactive coolant water leaked at
the No. 2 reactor at Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tsuruga plant. An 8-centimeter-long
crack was found in a pipe in a plant containment building.
Japan's worst nuclear accident, which took place at a uranium processing plant in
the village of Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture in September 1999, was designated
Level 4, which has the classification ''accident without significant off-site risk.''
On Sept. 30, 1999, a self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction occurred at the
plant, located 120 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, killing two people and exposing
more than 600 to radiation.
In the latest mishap, Chubu Electric estimated the level of radioactive material leaked
to be 400 becquerels per cubic cm. It added it completely shut down the reactor early
Thursday.
The HPCI system stopped operating around 5 p.m. Wednesday during a test run
after smoke alarms in the building went off, it said.
No fire was reported at the site, and the alarms may have been activated by the
steam, local government officials said.
The plant operator immediately began a manual shutdown of the reactor to pinpoint
the cause of the trouble. The No. 1 unit houses a boiling-water reactor capable of
generating up to 540,000 kilowatts of electricity.
The company is cleaning up radioactive materials remaining in the residual heat-
removal system. When the removal is completed, plant employees will investigate
the cause of the rupture, the utility said.
The company reported the accident to the state, Shizuoka Prefecture and five towns
surrounding the plant.
There is no risk of the radioactive materials leaking outside the plant and no
employees were confirmed to have been exposed to the radioactive material, it
added.
-----------------
Confab on nuke fusion plant ends, Tokyo to host next meeting
TOKYO, Nov. 9 (Kyodo) - The first international conference on a planned
experimental nuclear fusion plant ended Thursday night in Toronto with a second
conference slated to be held in Tokyo next January, Japanese government officials
said Friday.
Government officials from Japan, Russia, Canada and Europe discussed the
framework of an international accord to build and operate the International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor at the two-day conference.
Participating countries aim to reach final agreements on matters such as the site of
the plant and allocation of construction costs by the end of next year, according to
the officials.
The reactor will generate electricity through nuclear fusion, using a method similar to
that of energy generation by the sun.
---------------
Eagle Building Technologies Presents X-Ray Airport Security Equipment to U.S
Congress
BOCA RATON, Fla., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Eagle Building Technologies, Inc. (OTC
Bulletin Board: EGBT), representative of BioSterile's Insight Detection System, the
Sentinel(TM), will demonstrate before congressional leaders hashing out the Federal
Air Security Bill as to how the Sentinel's X-Ray technology engineered for airport
security checkpoints surpasses today's systems.
The demonstration comes after the personal invitation by U.S. Representative Jay
Inslee (D-WA), who has taken a lead role in ensuring 100% baggage checking.
"It is my hope that by having these demonstrations, we will increase Congress'
resolve in achieving the goal of screening 100% baggage," said Rep. Inslee.
Unlike conventional systems currently installed in the majority of America's 450
commercial airports, the Sentinel's superior X-Ray technology is smarter than current
systems because not only can it detect potentially deadly objects, it identifies with
accuracy what exactly appears. From TNT to plastic bombs, the surveillance system
alerts security personnel immediately of any suspicious substances.
"We commend the congressional effort taking place in improving aviation security in
the wake of the September 11 tragedy, and welcome the opportunity to present our
security checkpoint system. We are confident that the cost- effectiveness and unique
dual display technology of the Sentinel will make this surveillance system the most
viable option for the nation's airports and in turn restore America's confidence in air
travel," said Eagle President & CEO Paul-Emile Desrosiers.
The Sentinel is currently utilized in Turkey and is in the pipeline for government
buildings in India.
----------------
More radiation may help some breast cancer patients
BOSTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - When it comes to treating breast cancer with radiation,
more may be better, according to research published in Thursday's New England
Journal of Medicine.
The researchers reported that a "booster dose" of radiation can dramatically lower
the risk of the cancer reappearing in women aged 40 and under.
The results from a study of 5,318 women "may influence the treatment of young
women who have undergone" surgical removal of their tumor and would normally
only receive one series of radiation treatments, according to the Journal editors.
After a breast tumor is removed, doctors typically give about 50 units of radiation
over five weeks to prevent the cancer from reappearing. But the success of the
treatment is limited.
To test the impact of additional radiation, Dr. Harry Bartelink of the Netherlands
Cancer Institute in Amsterdam and his colleagues gave 2,661 of the women an extra
16 units.
After five years, the booster dose had little effect on the survival rate for women 41 to
50. But for younger women, the chance of having the tumor reappear was just 10.2
percent, compared with 19.5 percent for women who didn't receive the extra
radiation.
"We found that an additional dose to the primary tumor area nearly halved the annual
odds of local recurrence," the researchers concluded.
The extra radiation seemed to help younger women suggesting that their tumors
responded more to radiation, although the reason remains unclear, the Dutch team
said.
Although the results are "promising," the Journal's editors said, the study "will have to
be continued with a long follow-up to determine whether the booster dose of radiation
affects survival without increasing the risk of long-term complications" of radiation
therapy.
-------------------
Ontario in running for C$12 bln fusion center
TORONTO (Reuters) - Ontario is one of four locations in the running for a C$12
billion ($7.5 billion) nuclear fusion research center, the province's energy minister
said Thursday.
Ontario, Canada's most populous province and home to 12 operating nuclear plants,
hopes to win the right to build the Iter fusion reactor research and development
center. The center will study nuclear fusion as a means of generating electricity.
Representatives from Canada, the European Union, Russia and Japan are currently
in Toronto to select a host country for the project.
"These discussions represent a major step toward making the Iter project a reality,"
Jim Wilson, Ontario's energy minister said in a release. "Ontario is recognized as a
global leader in research, development and innovation, and this makes the province
a perfect location for the Iter project."
If Ontario wins the bid it will build the center next to the province's Darlington nuclear
plant, just east of Toronto.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100
Director, Technical Extension 2306
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service Fax:(714) 668-3149
ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc. E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com
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