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USDA mulling food safety measures for meat plants
Index:
USDA mulling food safety measures for meat plants
N.Y. Gov. reviews nuclear plants' emergency plans
PSEG seeks to boost power from New Jersey nuke
Hiroshima nat'l atomic bomb memorial hall opens
Supporters for A-bomb survivor in Brazil slam gov't policy
Indian censors try to block anti-nuke film
======================================
USDA mulling food safety measures for meat plants
WASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department,
trying to repair its image after the second-largest recall in
history, is considering new regulations that would require meat
companies to implement more food safety safeguards, consumer groups
said on Wednesday.
USDA has asked consumers groups and the meat industry to provide
suggestions on how it could avoid a repeat of ConAgra Foods Inc.
<CAG.N> massive beef recall earlier this month. Twenty-eight people
in seven states have fallen ill in the past six weeks after eating
meat tainted with E. coli.
Public health groups have criticized USDA on its handling of the
ConAgra recall, saying lax oversight of meat plants and inconsistent
enforcement allowed the contamination to occur.
"Its shocking how many holes in the safety net there are," said Tony
Carbo, senior policy analyst for the Washington-based Government
Accountability Project.
The Bush administration has strongly defended its food safety system
as the best in the world, but admits there may be room for
improvement.
"I do think there is a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking now on
what happened with (ConAgra's recall)," Agriculture Secretary Ann
Veneman told reporters.
"We're going to try to go through this entire thing and see where we
need to make changes in the system," she said.
ConAgra on July 19 recalled 18.6 million pounds of ground beef
products from its Greeley, Colorado plant after USDA inspectors found
samples that tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. The bacteria can be
deadly for young children and the elderly, but can be avoided by
proper cooking.
USDA SEEKS FEEDBACK
In the past two weeks, USDA has distributed a questionnaire to the
meat industry and consumer groups asking if federal E. coli testing
was effective and whether plants should implement more safeguards.
"We want to come up with a strategy that will certify a higher degree
of safety," said Steve Cohen, spokesman for USDA's Foods Safety and
Inspection Service.
"Testing alone is not sufficient, no matter how much you do, to
guarantee you will not have E. coli," he said.
Consumer advocates, which met privately with top USDA officials on
Wednesday, said the department was mulling over regulations requiring
that meat companies implement new technology to kill harmful bacteria
in food.
Carol Tucker Foreman, food policy director for the Consumer
Federation of America, said one option USDA was looking into was
mandatory irradiation of meat for certain plants.
Irradiation, which exposes foods to low doses of electrons or gamma
rays in order to destroy microorganisms, is accepted scientifically
as a processing technique, but some consumer groups have raised fears
about foods subjected to any radiation.
Gary Weber, director of regulatory affairs for the National
Cattlemen's Beef Association, said the group was planning to issue a
set of food safety recommendations to USDA by September.
-------------------
N.Y. Gov. reviews nuclear plants' emergency plans
NEW YORK, Aug 1 (Reuters) - New York Gov. George Pataki said Thursday
that former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director James Lee
Witt will begin an independent review of emergency plans for the
state's nuclear power plants, starting with Indian Point in
Westchester County.
"Following the horrific terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the safety of
our nuclear power plants has been a heightened concern for all New
Yorkers," Pataki said in a statement.
"While we have asked the federal government to review the standards
for these safety plans in light of the new threats we face, it is
clear that we must move forward on our own to ensure our residents
are protected," Pataki added.
The governor emphasized "safety must be our top priority" and said
"we cannot wait for the federal government to act."
Witt will review all local emergency preparedness and evacuation
plans beginning with Indian Point, which is located about 35 miles
north of New York City on the shores of the Hudson River in the town
of Buchanan.
In addition to Indian Point, there are three nuclear plants located
on Lake Ontario -- Nine Mile Point and Fitzpatrick in the town of
Scriba and Ginna in the town of Ontario.
"My team and I plan to listen to the concerns of the communities and
make recommendations that will allow Governor Pataki to further
protect and improve the sustainability of New York's communities and
economy," said Witt, president of emergency planning consultant firm
James Lee Witt Associates LLC.
POST SEPT. 11
In light of heightened public concerns following the Sept. 11
attacks, Pataki asked the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission and
FEMA to review the federal standards for emergency plans at the
nuclear plants in February.
In May, the federal agencies told the governor the current planning
standards now in place for both facilities and off-site community
preparedness did not require any revision.
Last month, the governor again asked for a federal review, while
deciding to move ahead with an independent review at the state level.
Witt will start the review at Indian Point and the Millstone nuclear
plant in Waterford, Connecticut, as it affects Fishers' Island, New
York, in Long Island Sound.
The price for the first phase of the contract is not to exceed
$800,554.
The second phase of the review will focus on Nine Mile Point,
FitzPatrick and Ginna at a cost of $122,475.
The final report is due in July 2003.
Entergy Corp. <ETR.N> of New Orleans owns Indian Point and
Fitzpatrick.
Constellation Energy Group Inc. <CEG.N> of Baltimore owns Unit 1 at
Nine Mile Point and 82 percent of Unit 2. The state-owned Long Island
Power Authority owns the remaining 18 percent of Nine Mile 2.
The Rochester Gas and Electric unit of Energy East Corp. <EAS.N> of
Albany, New York, owns Ginna.
Dominion Resources Inc. <D.N> of Richmond, Virginia, owns Unit 2 at
Millstone and 93 percent of Unit 3. The Massachusetts Municipal
Wholesale Electric Co. and Central Vermont Public Service Corp.
<CV.N> own the rest of Unit 3. Unit 1 was retired in 1998.
-------------------
PSEG seeks to boost power from New Jersey nuke
NEW YORK, Aug 1 (Reuters) - PSEG Nuclear will ask the federal Nuclear
Regulatory Commission for permission to generate more power at its
Hope Creek nuclear station in southern New Jersey, the company said
on Thursday.
"Producing more power from our existing assets is a good deal for
everyone," said Harry Keiser, PSEG Nuclear president, in a press
release.
The company said the 1,100 megawatt Hope Creek plant can generate
about 10 percent more electricity while maintaining all safety
margins and environmental standards.
PSEG Nuclear hopes to achieve the increased generating capacity by,
among other things, installing more efficient equipment.
PSEG Nuclear chose General Electric Co. <GE.N>, which will provide a
new main steam turbine, to serve as the major contractor on the
project.
The company said it has already started on some of the work, and
expects complete the job during the plant's scheduled outage in 2004.
Earlier this year, PSEG Nuclear announced it would also upgrade the
turbines at its two 1,150 MW units at the Salem nuclear station,
located at the same site as Hope Creek in Salem County.
When both the Hope Creek and Salem projects are completed, PSEG
Nuclear will be able to produce about 200 additional megawatts of
power.
PSEG Nuclear is a subsidiary of independent power producer and energy
marketer PSEG Power, a subsidiary of diversified energy giant Public
Service Enterprise Group Inc. <PEG.N> of Newark, New Jersey.
-----------------
Hiroshima nat'l atomic bomb memorial hall opens
HIROSHIMA, Aug. 1 (Kyodo) - A state-run memorial hall for victims of
the 1945 atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima opened Thursday in the
western Japan city with the aim of reminding later generations of the
terror of atomic bombs.
The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb
Victims houses more than 4,700 photographs of victims and a database
of around 100,000 testimonies about survivors' experiences.
Veteran Japanese actress Sayuri Yoshinaga recorded an audio guidance
for the museum. She is also appealing for the eradication of nuclear
weapons by holding meetings to read poems about the atomic bombing.
Yoshinaga held a news conference in the museum and criticized
comments made regarding the possible use of nuclear weapons after the
Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States, as well as Chief
Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda's remarks on May 31 hinting at a
review of Japan's non-nuclear policies.
Regarding U.S. President George W. Bush, Yoshinaga said, ''U.S.
President Bush is the very person I want to visit the museum.''
''If he see articles (left by A-bomb victims) and photographs, he
will not think of using nuclear weapons,'' she said.
Yoshinaga also criticized the recent cancellation of an atomic bomb
exhibition which survivors planned to hold at the United Nations
headquarters in New York from September.
''I heard it was canceled as the A-bomb photos were too miserable to
be seen. It is strange because the exhibition is meant to convey
misery,'' she said.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony
at the facility on the 57th anniversary of the bombing next Tuesday.
The hall, built in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima's Naka Ward,
recreates on a small scale the devastated city by using about 140,000
tiles, which was the death toll by the end of 1945 from the U.S.
bombing and its aftereffects.
An explanatory passage says people were victimized due to erroneous
state policy and includes condolence remarks for them.
The hall opened a special exhibition Thursday on the experiences of
students mobilized to work at military plants in the city during
World War II. The exhibition will run through the end of next March.
A similar facility is expected to open next year in Nagasaki, which
was attacked with an atomic bomb three days after Hiroshima.
-----------------
Supporters for A-bomb survivor in Brazil slam gov't policy
HIROSHIMA, Aug. 1 (Kyodo) - About 30 supporters for Shunji Mukai, a
survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing who now lives in Brazil,
gathered in Hiroshima on Thursday and criticized the government's
policy toward overseas A-bomb survivors.
Kazuyuki Tamura, a professor at Hiroshima University and a
representative of the support group, slammed the policy requiring
overseas A-bomb survivors to travel to Japan for medical treatment.
''It takes 30 hours (to visit Japan) from Sao Paulo by plane. People
who really need medical treatment cannot come,'' Tamura said.
The government started a new policy in June to assist overseas A-bomb
survivors by shouldering travel expenses to Japan, but the plan came
under fire as it forced aging survivors to make a long trip.
The 72-year-old Mukai said at the gathering, ''My health condition is
getting worse each year, but medical costs are high in Brazil and it
is difficult for us to pay.''
''I feel vexed as I am discriminated against simply because of being
overseas,'' he said.
Mukai was exposed to radiation at age 15 when the United States
dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. He moved to
Brazil in 1955.
He and six other A-bomb survivors living in Brazil on Wednesday filed
a joint lawsuit with the Hiroshima District Court against the
government's refusal to provide them with health-care allowances.
A similar suit was filed on March 1 by Takashi Morita, 78, the head
of an association of A-bomb victims in Brazil.
-----------------
Indian censors try to block anti-nuke film
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Development of a nuclear bomb may be one of
India's proudest scientific achievements, but the country's
censor board wants to use its scissors on an award-winning
documentary about the bomb's effects.
The board, often accused by film critics of heavy-handedness, has
demanded that veteran documentary-maker Anand Patwardhan
make cuts only weeks after nuclear rivals India and Pakistan pulled
back from the brink of war.
The movie grabbed the best film and international jury awards at the
Bombay International Film Festival this year but the board's
approval is needed before it can be shown domestically.
The film shows the patriotic chest-thumping that followed India's
underground tests in 1998, which marked the country's entry into
the exclusive club of nuclear powers.
Patwardhan said he was concerned India was caught up in "nuclear
machismo" and had strayed from independence leader
Mahatma Gandhi's message of nonviolence.
The Bombay movie maker said he wanted to "let people know the horror
of nuclear war" while India and Pakistan were locked in a
military standoff over the disputed territory of Kashmir.
The board's demands have stirred a ruckus in the media and Patwardhan
has vowed to "fight it out" with the board in order to show
the film without any cuts.
Among scenes the board wants cut are those showing leaders of the
Hindu nationalist ruling coalition proclaiming at public rallies
that the nuclear tests had put India on the world map.
"Some board members felt these were defamatory," said a censor
official, saying there was an appeals process and Patwardhan
would have a chance to argue his case.
Patwardhan has always emerged the victor in his frequent battles with
the censor board. He rejected the board's latest objections,
saying all the political footage had been aired publicly already.
The film shows crowds dancing in the streets, newspaper headlines
roaring "Bravo India" and young men writing congratulatory
messages in blood after the nuclear tests, which prompted Pakistan to
do similar tests and stoked fears of an arms race in South
Asia.
Set against the scenes of jubilation are devastating accounts from
survivors of the atomic bomb attacks on the Japanese cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki that forced Japan to surrender at the end of
World War Two.
STRAIT-LACED
The censor board has a reputation for a strait-laced approach and
forbids graphic sex. Kissing on the lips is allowed, but it is rarely
shown.
The board comes under the country's Information and Broadcasting
Ministry, headed by Sushma Swaraj, a rising star of the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling coalition.
The BJP won re-election in 1999, helped by a wave of national
euphoria that greeted the nuclear blasts.
Patwardhan said his film is topical and needed to be shown to Indian
audiences while India and Pakistan have a million troops
massed on the border.
Film critic Nikhat Kazmi says Patwardhan, who ran afoul of
authorities with an earlier film on the rise of Hindu fundamentalism
that
propelled the BJP to political center-stage, has long been a thorn in
the side of authorities.
"His films are so powerful they have the power to change people's
minds. That's what disturbs them," Kazmi said.
The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a trigger for two of three
wars between India and Pakistan since they won independence
in 1947 when Britain split the subcontinent.
The latest crisis eased in May and June after intense U.S.-led
diplomatic efforts, but tension is rising again after India said
Pakistan
has failed to meet a pledge to halt militant infiltration into Indian
Kashmir.
India accuses Pakistan of stoking a rebellion in Kashmir against its
rule.
"It's hard for people to understand what a nuclear bomb does unless
they've seen what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and there
aren't many Indians who have," Patwardhan said.
Anti-nuclear activists also say they are often accused of being
unpatriotic as the country's membership in the nuclear club is seen
by many Indians as affirmation of its big-power status.
-------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle
Director, Technical
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100 Extension 2306
Fax:(714) 668-3149
E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/
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