[ RadSafe ] Swedish Centre Party makes nuclear u-turn

[Sandy Perle]

Index:

Swedish Centre Party makes nuclear u-turn
Benefits of Medical Imaging Exams Outweigh Risks
Beaver Valley Unit 2 Establishes Performance Record
Agreement, cleaning waste from proposed N.M. uranium enrichment plant
Radioactive isotopes and hazardous chemicals in Hanford groundwater
State argues that state high court should rule on Hanford initiative
Final Livermore shipment arrives at WIPP 
Nevada panel optimistic Yucca Mountain project can be killed 
US Nuclear Development Could Continue Without Yucca-Execs
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Swedish Centre Party makes nuclear u-turn

STOCKHOLM, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Sweden's opposition Centre Party has
changed its long-standing opposition to nuclear power, a Swedish
business daily reported on Thursday.

The newspaper Dagens Industri (DI) quoted party leader Maud Olofsson 
as saying all but one of Sweden's existing nuclear power plants, 
which generate half of the electricity consumed in the chilly Nordic 
country, should be allowed to keep running.  

"The remaining reactors should be allowed to serve for as long as 
they last," she said.  

After Olofsson's change of heart all four alliance parties now see 
eye-to-eye on nuclear power. According to recent opinion polls the 
alliance has pulled marginally ahead of the SDP and its left and 
green support parties.  

As recently as October 2004 the Centre Party agreed with the long-
ruling centre-left Social Democrats (SDP) in backing the closure of
the 600 megawatt Barseback-2 nuclear reactor by May 2005. Barseback-1
was shut in 1999.

In Sweden's multi-party democracy, dominated for decades by the SDP, 
such deals on specific issues are occasionally struck across the left-
right political divide.  

A government-appointed expert proposed in October that the next of 
the then remaining 10 reactors ought to be decommissioned by 2015. 
Prime Minister Goran Persson has said nuclear energy, which he sees 
as old fashioned, should be replaced by natural gas and wind power.  

Olofsson's party is a member of a four-party centre-right alliance
intent on breaking the SDP's stranglehold on government power. DI
quoted a political analyst as saying the Centre's nuclear power u-
turn was likely to boost the alliance's chances in the next general
election in September 2006.

Energy-intensive Swedish companies in the forestry and metal 
industries -- and many traditionally SDP-friendly trade unions in
these sectors -- oppose the government's plans to phase out nuclear
power.

Sweden's Nordic neighbour Finland has decided to build a new nuclear 
reactor, the country's fifth. 
---------------  

Benefits of Medical Imaging Exams Outweigh Risks

CHICAGO, Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Radiologists and medical physicists 
are urging patients not to forego diagnostic imaging exams because of 
the fear of radiation. Such fears are expected to surface in light of 
today's release of the National Toxicology Program's (NTP) 11th 
Report on Carcinogens. The report names x-radiation and gamma- 
radiation to its list of known human carcinogens.  

"Patients should understand that there are many benefits from medical
imaging," said G. Donald Frey, Ph.D., professor of radiology at
Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. "It would be a
tragedy if the fear of radiation as a possible cause of cancer kept
anyone from getting a needed study."

Dr. Frey pointed out that NTP based its information on data from
people who received radiation doses from 20 to several hundred times
the amount used for medical imaging. "The risk to people who receive
diagnostic studies is extremely low," he said.

The knowledge that radiation could cause cancer is not new. The link
between high doses of radiation and cancer was established shortly
after Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays in 1895. Since that time,
radiologists and medical physicists have worked closely together to
maximize image quality, while reducing dose of diagnostic x-rays to
minimize if not eliminate the risks associated with medical imaging
procedures.

"Today's x-ray procedures are done with monitored doses below the 
range that has been definitively proven to cause cancer," said 
Michael Brant- Zawadzki, M.D., clinical professor of radiology at 
Stanford University School of Medicine and medical director of 
radiology at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, Calif.  

The decision to have an x-ray exam is based on the likelihood of
benefit from the exam and the potential risk from radiation. For low-
dose procedures, such as plain-film x-rays, the benefits far outweigh
the minimal risks. For higher dose exams, such as computed tomography
(CT) scans or those that use contrast materials like barium, the
radiologist may want to consider the patient's history of x-ray
exposure. If a patient has had numerous x-ray exams, keeping an x-ray
history record will help a doctor make an informed decision. As with
other medical procedures, x-rays are safe when used with care.

"If people have concerns about radiation they should discuss the
issues with the radiologist or medical physicist," Dr. Frey said.

For more information on x-ray safety and a listing of the effective
radiation dosages associated with common medical imaging procedures,
visit http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/safety/xray_safety.htm
-----------------

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company's Beaver Valley Unit 2 
Establishes Performance Record

Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating 
Company (FENOC) announced today the Beaver Valley Power Station's 
Unit 2 reactor established unit and plant records on Thursday, 
February 3, by operating safely and reliably for 477 consecutive 
days.  

The previous record for continuous days online was 476 days, which
ended when the unit was shut down for a planned refueling in the fall
of 2003. Unit 2's current run began on October 16, 2003.

"This accomplishment is the result of a coordinated effort by all 
plant personnel to properly maintain plant equipment and operate it 
safely and reliably," said Rick Mende, director of Performance 
Improvement at Beaver Valley. "It also results from good teamwork on 
the part of everyone on site." 
-----------------  

Agreement reached on cleaning waste from proposed N.M. uranium 
enrichment plant  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A consortium hoping to build a uranium 
enrichment factory in southern New Mexico announced Thursday it has
reached an agreement with a French company to build a facility to
handle the waste.

Areva Inc., a nuclear energy company based in France, and Louisiana
Energy Services said they have a memorandum of understanding on
construction of a private uranium deconversion plant that would
support LES's proposed National Uranium Enrichment Facility near
Eunice.

Deconversion would change radioactive waste to a material that could
be shipped to a low-level nuclear waste dump outside New Mexico,
possibly in Texas.

Getting rid of the 217,000 tons of depleted uranium the plant could
produce over its lifetime has been a major concern of Gov. Bill
Richardson and environmental groups, among others.

In a prepared statement, Richardson said the agreement announced 
Thursday represents LES's good faith but added that "it doesn't yet 
provide the assurance that there will be no long-term storage of 
waste in New Mexico."  

The deconversion plant would be built after the LES facility, and the
exact site and design of the second plant may not be chosen for 
years.

LES, a consortium of predominantly European backers, wants to build
the $1.2 billion plant to refine uranium for nuclear reactors. It
first proposed the New Mexico site in August 2003 after encountering
significant resistance to proposed sites in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Since waste from the plant could not be disposed of anywhere in the
United States, officials have pressed for a promise that it will not
be left in the state when LES leaves town.

Areva has operated a similar plant in France since 1984. Clement said 
the company has treated about 330,000 tons of waste since then 
without any serious accidents.  

LES applied for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license in December,
2003 for its enrichment plant, which would provide fuel for nuclear
power plants through a gas centrifuge process that increases the
concentration of the fissionable uranium-235 isotope.

A round of hearings surrounding the LES plant's license will begin 
next week in Hobbs. Water contamination issues and the need for the 
plant are among the items to be discussed. The NRC would have to 
issue a separate license for the deconversion facility. 
-------------------  

West Wire: Radioactive isotopes and hazardous chemicals in Hanford
groundwater

A look at the known radioactive isotopes and hazardous chemicals
contaminating groundwater at south-central Washington's Hanford
nuclear site:

Hexavalent chromium - Used as a corrosion inhibitor in nuclear 
reactors. Moves easily with water. The cancer-causing agent is 
particularly dangerous to salmon in the nearby Columbia River.

Strontium-90 - Radioactive byproduct of the nuclear reaction that can
cause cancer in sufficient doses. Binds tightly to sediments in
groundwater, increasing future threat to groundwater quality. Has a
relatively short half-life of 30 years.

Carbon tetrachloride - A colorless, poisonous liquid solvent - 
extremely common - used in processing plutonium. A dense liquid that
is heavier than water and can move with water or form globules. Can
break down naturally, but the process is very slow.

Uranium - Radioactive byproduct of the weapons production process.
Slightly soluble. Uranium isotopes have extremely long half-lives and
can take billions of years to decay.

Technetium-99 - Radioactive byproduct of the weapons production 
process. Travels with water, but is easy to remove from water, and
decays at a very slow rate with a half-life of 212,000 years.

Iodine-129 - Radioactive byproduct of the weapons production process.
Travels easily with water, and there are few cleanup technologies to
treat it. Takes millions of years to decay.

Tritium - Radioactive byproduct of the weapons production process 
that moves easily with water. Less damaging, it decays quickly with a 
half-life of 12 years.  

Nitrates - Used in reprocessing of fuel. Often used in agricultural
uses. Tend to be pretty mobile. 
---------------

State argues that state high court should rule on Hanford initiative

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - The Washington Supreme Court must decide how a 
Hanford waste initiative should be interpreted before a federal court 
can rule on the constitutionality of the measure, state lawyers told 
a federal judge Thursday.  

It was the latest step in the dispute over Initiative 297, approved 
by state voters last fall. The measure bars the U.S. Department of 
Energy from sending any out-of-state nuclear waste to the Hanford 
nuclear site until all existing waste there is cleaned up.  

The federal government has filed suit in federal court seeking to 
overturn the measure on grounds that it violates federal laws 
governing nuclear waste and interstate commerce, among other things.  


"The state strongly believes it's the responsibility of the state
court to have the first stab at determining the voters' intent with
the statute," state Assistant Attorney General Laura Watson argued in
a telephone conference call with U.S. District Judge Alan McDonald.

But the intent of voters, and the people who drafted the initiative,
was clear, said Kenneth Amaditz, a federal Justice Department lawyer.

"They regularly sold this to the public as an effort to prevent 
Hanford from becoming a radioactive waste dump," Amaditz said.

The state has no authority over radioactive waste with regards to
health and safety, he said, and questions about federal law belong
before a federal court. Sending the case to the state Supreme Court
would be an unnecessary diversion that will only delay Hanford
cleanup, Amaditz said.

Specifically, the state wants clarification on the definition of 
"mixed waste" under state law and how waste in unlined trenches 
should be characterized.  

The state also questions whether the initiative bars movement of 
waste already on the site or disposal of sealed nuclear reactor 
vessels from retired U.S. Navy submarines. In the event that the 
federal judge finds only part of the initiative constitutional, the 
state also wants the state Supreme Court to decide if the entire 
measure would be nullified.  

McDonald gave no indication of when he might rule. However, he said 
it was difficult to see how either side would be prejudiced by 
getting the benefit of the Supreme Court's input.  

"At least we wouldn't have to be sitting here arguing about 
interpretation," he said.

At issue are the federal government's plans for disposing of waste 
from nuclear weapons production nationwide. The Energy Department 
chose Hanford to dispose of some mildly radioactive waste and mixed 
low-level waste, which is laced with chemicals.  

The south-central Washington site also would serve as a packaging
center for some transuranic waste before it is shipped elsewhere for
long-term disposal. Transuranic waste is highly radioactive and can
take thousands of years to decay to safe levels.

Waste shipments to the site already had been halted under another 
lawsuit. The initiative, overwhelming approved by voters, has not 
been enforced pending resolution of the lawsuit. 
-------------------  

Final Livermore shipment arrives at WIPP

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southeastern 
New Mexico has accepted Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's 
final shipment of so-called legacy waste, officials said.  

It is considered legacy waste because it has been in storage for 
years and was generated during the development and production of 
nuclear weapons.  

The California lab began shipping the waste to WIPP in October, 
according to a statement from the National Nuclear Security 
Administration's Livermore office. The last of the 18 shipments 
arrived in New Mexico on Sunday.

A total of 682 55-gallon drums were shipped, the NNSA said.
-----------------

Nevada panel optimistic Yucca Mountain project can be killed

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - A proposed southern Nevada nuclear waste 
dump is on the "verge of collapse" because of legal and budgetary 
setbacks, a report by a state board concludes.  

The Nevada Commission on Nuclear Projects, which oversees the state's
fight against the dump at Yucca Mountain, called the project a "dead
man walking" and expressed optimism that it could be killed.

The report was delivered to Gov. Kenny Guinn and the Legislature just
before Monday's start of the 2005 session. The panel is urging
legislators to continue funding the state's anti-Yucca Mountain
efforts.

"While the proposed Southern Nevada repository may be in the category 
of a `dead man walking,' much remains to be done in the next two 
years to assure the state does, in fact, prevail," the seven-member 
panel wrote.  

Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis disputed the report. "We 
continue to move forward," he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Former Nevada Gov. Bob List, a consultant to the Nuclear Energy 
Institute, said the report was designed to boost support for the anti-
Yucca Mountain campaign in the Legislature.  

"There's quite a lot of hyperbole in there," List said. "One of the
clear objectives is to promote and justify the expenditure of state
dollars to underwrite the costs of this fight."

The 32-page report recounted DOE delays after a federal court last
year rejected proposed radiation standards for the underground waste
dump. New standards are being developed.

The report predicted DOE would run into broad opposition whenever it
announces details of a nationwide nuclear waste shipping campaign.

The state is making inroads against Yucca Mountain because of the
aggressiveness of its lawyers and Energy Department missteps, the
report added.

"DOE's problems, many of them the result of the department's own
politicized science and mismanagement, continue to mount," commission
Chairman Brian McKay said in the report.

Construction of the waste facility at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles 
northwest of Las Vegas, has been a top priority of the White House 
and the nuclear industry.  

Plans had called for it to be completed and accepting high-level
nuclear waste by 2010. But officials have acknowledged that schedule
will not be met. 
-----------------

US Nuclear Development Could Continue Without Yucca-Execs

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The U.S. nuclear industry could move to build a
new reactor before a federal depository for used fuel begins
operating, company executives said Thursday.

A central storage facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada was to have
opened in 1998 but now isn't expected to begin receiving deliveries
for at least another five years.

"I don't see the fact that Yucca is not in operation as an impediment
by itself," Joe Colvin, the departing chief executive of the Nuclear
Energy Institute, said at the policy group's annual Wall Street
briefing.

Nuclear plants store their used fuel rods on site. Developing the
controversial Nevada facility, to eliminate concerns about the risks
of radioactive waste in local communities, has been considered a
prerequisite to new reactor development.

But companies could continue their quests to build, provided the
industry continues to show progress in resolving the spent-fuel
dilemma, Ruth Shaw, president of Duke Energy Corp.'s (DUK) utility
unit, and Christopher Crane, Exelon Corp.'s (EXC) chief nuclear
officer, said separately.

"You need to have progress toward a long-term solution," Shaw said.

Duke and Exelon, the biggest U.S. nuclear operator, are members of a
consortium exploring new reactor development.

The New York Times reported Monday that the nuclear industry was
backing away from its position that Yucca be in service before new
reactors are developed and considering alternatives to that storage
plan.

U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who opposes storage at Yucca, said
she'll continue to push for federal funding to allow plant owners to
continue holding their spent fuel.

Still, eliminating the uncertainties surrounding the licensing and
financing of new reactors remains a more pressing short-term issue
than spent fuel storage, Colvin said.

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Sandy Perle 
Senior Vice President, Technical Operations 
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc. 
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614

Tel: (949) 296-2306 / (888) 437-1714 Extension 2306 
Fax:(949) 296-1144

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