[ RadSafe ] Global Warming, Energy Needs Spur Renewed Nuclear Interest

[Sandy Perle]

Index:

Global Warming, Energy Needs Spur Renewed Nuclear Interest
Nuclear conference opens with energy on agenda,
Experts Discuss Nuclear Power As Energy
Indonesia wants nuke power, aware of terrorist threat 
Cameco Makes Progress on Adding Nuclear Capacity at Bruce Power
International nuclear inspections may end in Oak Ridge
Critics complain water samples at former nuke lab being filtered
Japan-built nuclear reactor installed at Taiwan power plant
Yucca Mountain woes seen having little effect on Yankee
State board collecting public comments on Monticello plan
Kids and cells phones: Are health risks worth the convenience?
===========================================

Global Warming, Energy Needs Spur Renewed Nuclear Interest

PARIS (AP) -- Only by building more nuclear power stations can the 
world meet its soaring energy needs while averting environmental 
disaster, experts at an international conference said Monday.

Energy ministers and officials from 74 countries were in Paris for 
the two-day meeting on the future of nuclear energy, as concerns 
about global warming and fossil fuel supplies renew governments' 
interest in atomic power.

"It's clear that nuclear energy is regaining stature as a serious 
option," said Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic 
Energy Agency - the U.N. nuclear watchdog - which organized the 
conference.

ElBaradei said the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, which 
commits governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, was focusing 
minds.

Power plants fired by oil, coal and gas are major sources of carbon 
dioxide and other gases that cause global warming. The Kyoto accord 
will force plant operators to pay for their pollution, making nuclear 
power facilities more competitive by comparison.

"In the past, the virtual absence of restrictions or taxes on 
greenhouse gas emissions has meant that nuclear power's advantage, 
low emissions, has had no tangible economic value," ElBaradei said. 
But the Kyoto Protocol "will likely change that over the longer 
term."

Soaring fossil fuel costs, including the historic highs charted by 
oil prices during the past year, are a more immediate worry for 
governments -and a reminder of the petroleum shocks of the 1970s that 
persuaded countries, including France, to intensify nuclear 
production.

But accidents at the Three Mile Island facility in Pennsylvania in 
1979 and at Chernobyl, Ukraine, seven years later undermined public 
confidence in nuclear power.

Although there is still deep public concern about the risk of 
accidents and transportation and storage of radioactive waste, 
nuclear advocates say there also is a new awareness that relying on 
fossil fuels could lead to an even greater environmental catastrophe.

"The climate will probably change no matter what we now do, but we 
should, at the very least, make every effort to slow it down," Donald 
Johnston, secretary general of the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development, said in a video statement. "We ignore 
its importance at our peril."

Environmental groups, however, insist that nuclear power is not the 
solution to the climate problem.

"Today, nuclear energy accounts for 17% of electricity consumption 
and 3% of energy consumption," said Helene Gassin, who heads 
Greenpeace's energy campaign in France. The climate problem "goes far 
beyond the electricity issue."

When Finland begins construction of a new reactor later this year, it 
will become the first Western European country to do so since 1991. 
France plans to start building a new-generation reactor in 2007.

Nuclear plants produce one-third of Europe's electricity, saving 
greenhouse emissions "equivalent to those of all of Europe's cars," 
French Industry Minister Patrick Devedjian said.

In a message to the conference, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman 
cited a University of Chicago study that showed nuclear power "can 
become competitive with electricity produced by plants fueled by coal 
or gas" because of new technologies delivering more efficient 
reactors.

Echoing recent comments by President Bush, Bodman said: "America 
hasn't ordered a new nuclear power plant since the 1970s and it's 
time to start building again."

Even in some countries that have been fiercely opposed to nuclear 
power, the mood is shifting. For example, Italians voted against the 
use of atomic energy in a referendum the year after Chernobyl, and 
the government began gradually decommissioning plants.

"Regarding nuclear power, we perceive a clear change in public 
opinion, notably by the young generations," Italian Industry Minister 
Antonio Marzano said.

The real boom in nuclear power is expected to focus on developing 
countries, particularly in Asia.

China is expected to increase its nuclear production capacity from 
the current 6.5 gigawatts to 36 GW by 2020, according to IAEA 
figures, while India plans to multiply its production capacity 
tenfold and Russia is expected to double its capacity to about 45 GW.

A gigawatt equals one billion watts.

U.S. nuclear plant builder Westinghouse Electric Co. is among 
contenders for an $8 billion contract for four new Chinese reactors 
to be awarded by year's end.
-------------------

Nuclear conference opens with energy on agenda, terrorism, 
proliferation fears not far off

PARIS (AP) - World leaders face a race against time to keep 
radioactive materials away from terrorists as dozens of countries 
consider developing civilian nuclear power programs, the head of the 
U.N. nuclear watchdog said Monday.

Growing interest in nuclear power presents an increased risk that 
terror networks could try to exploit security weaknesses and steal 
atomic material, Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the United Nations' 
International Atomic Energy Agency, said at the opening of a high-
level conference on civilian atomic power programs.

"We need to do everything to make sure that we protect all the 
nuclear material, better protecting radiological sources," he told 
officials at the conference in Paris.

ElBaradei said governments have made significant progress in 
protecting nuclear material since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but 
that terrorists could still get their hands on a nuclear bomb.

"We need to do a better job - quick - because there is a race against 
time," ElBaradei said. "We need to be ahead of the terrorists in 
protecting ourselves from such a possibility."

The premise of the two-day conference is that the world today is so 
interlocking that the movement of nuclear materials can be manageable 
- under the careful watch of agencies like the IAEA.

Facing intense international pressure, Iran recently struck a deal 
with Moscow to return to Russia spent nuclear fuel used in its 
plants.

ElBaradei called that accord a "model" for other countries 
considering whether to develop civilian nuclear programs. He said no 
country should be denied a right to address its energy needs.

He expressed hope that ongoing talks between Iran and France, Germany 
and Britain aimed at ensuring that Tehran does not develop nuclear 
weapons would continue.

"I think this is the best approach, dialogue based on verification," 
he said.

The partners in dialogue are to meet again on Wednesday, and Iran's 
agreement last year to suspend all uranium enrichment-related 
activities - a confidence-building measure - is likely to be on the 
agenda.

Pakistan, chastened for giving away nuclear technology, was among 
countries represented at the conference along with the United States 
and potential nuclear newcomer Iran.

The conference, sponsored by the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development and the IAEA, was designed to plot energy 
needs and examine threats to the global environment in a world that 
could become increasingly dependent on nuclear fuel.

Billed as the first of its kind in decades, the gathering focused on 
economic goals of developing nuclear energy to help meet surging 
consumer demand and the security issues surrounding atomic programs.

Officials said countries would have to weigh the potential costs and 
benefits of going nuclear - and brace for the prospect that terror 
groups could seek to steal atomic material.

"The pursuit of civil nuclear power carries with it a great 
responsibility," said Connie Morella, U.S. ambassador to the OECD, 
reading a statement from U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. "We 
must ensure that this benefit to humankind is not diverted to 
activities that increase the risk of nuclear proliferation."

Uranium used in nuclear power plants is rarely potent enough to build 
bombs. The trouble comes when uranium is enriched or converted to 
plutonium - the key building block for a nuclear bomb.

Pakistan, which caused a diplomatic storm over the dealings of its 
top nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, said Monday that it has turned the 
corner.

Khan was exposed last year as the key player in an international 
black market in nuclear weapons technology that supplied Iran, North 
Korea and Libya. He now lives under virtual house arrest in Pakistan.

"We are now cooperating with the international community. We are 
making sure that such things do not happen," said Pervez Butt, head 
of Pakistan's atomic energy commission.

"We are fully cooperating. We have a very strong control system in 
place," he said.
-----------------

Experts Discuss Nuclear Power As Energy

PARIS (AP) - Only by building more nuclear power stations can the 
world meet its soaring energy needs while averting environmental 
disaster, experts at an international conference said Monday.

Energy ministers and officials from 74 countries were in Paris for 
the two-day meeting on the future of nuclear energy, as concerns 
about global warming and fossil fuel supplies renew governments' 
interest in atomic power.

"It's clear that nuclear energy is regaining stature as a serious 
option," said Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic 
Energy Agency - the U.N. nuclear watchdog - which organized the 
conference.

ElBaradei said the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, which 
commits governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, was focusing 
minds.

Power plants fired by oil, coal and gas are major sources of carbon 
dioxide and other gases that cause global warming. The Kyoto accord 
will force plant operators to pay for their pollution, making nuclear 
power facilities more competitive by comparison.

"In the past, the virtual absence of restrictions or taxes on 
greenhouse gas emissions has meant that nuclear power's advantage, 
low emissions, has had no tangible economic value," ElBaradei said. 
But the Kyoto Protocol "will likely change that over the longer 
term."

Soaring fossil fuel costs, including the historic highs charted by 
oil prices during the past year, are a more immediate worry for 
governments - and a reminder of the petroleum shocks of the 1970s 
that persuaded countries, including France, to intensify nuclear 
production.

But accidents at the Three Mile Island facility in Pennsylvania in 
1979 and at Chernobyl, Ukraine, seven years later undermined public 
confidence in nuclear power.

Although there is still deep public concern about the risk of 
accidents and transportation and storage of radioactive waste, 
nuclear advocates say there also is a new awareness that relying on 
fossil fuels could lead to an even greater environmental catastrophe.

"The climate will probably change no matter what we now do, but we 
should, at the very least, make every effort to slow it down," Donald 
Johnston, secretary general of the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development, said in a video statement. "We ignore 
its importance at our peril."

Environmental groups, however, insist that nuclear power is not the 
solution to the climate problem.

"Today, nuclear energy accounts for 17 percent of electricity 
consumption and 3 percent of energy consumption," said Helene Gassin, 
who heads Greenpeace's energy campaign in France. The climate problem 
"goes far beyond the electricity issue."

When Finland begins construction of a new reactor later this year, it 
will become the first Western European country to do so since 1991. 
France plans to start building a new-generation reactor in 2007.

Nuclear plants produce one-third of Europe's electricity, saving 
greenhouse emissions "equivalent to those of all of Europe's cars," 
French Industry Minister Patrick Devedjian said.

In a message to the conference, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman 
cited a University of Chicago study that showed nuclear power "can 
become competitive with electricity produced by plants fueled by coal 
or gas" because of new technologies delivering more efficient 
reactors.

Echoing recent comments by President Bush, Bodman said: "America 
hasn't ordered a new nuclear power plant since the 1970s and it's 
time to start building again."

Even in some countries that have been fiercely opposed to nuclear 
power, the mood is shifting. For example, Italians voted against the 
use of atomic energy in a referendum the year after Chernobyl, and 
the government began gradually decommissioning plants.

"Regarding nuclear power, we perceive a clear change in public 
opinion, notably by the young generations," Italian Industry Minister 
Antonio Marzano said.

The real boom in nuclear power is expected to focus on developing 
countries, particularly in Asia.

China is expected to increase its nuclear production capacity from 
the current 6.5 gigawatts to 36 gigawatts by 2020, according to IAEA 
figures, while India plans to multiply its production capacity 
tenfold and Russia is expected to double its capacity to about 45 
gigawatts.
--------------------

Indonesia wants nuke power, aware of terrorist threat 

PARIS, March 21 (Reuters) - Indonesia is committed to developing 
nuclear power to meet its rising energy needs and has taken all the 
necessary steps to protect its facilities against terrorist attacks, 
an Indonesian official said on Monday.

"Indonesia is preparing to operate (an) NPP (nuclear power plant) 
most likely in the next decade," Indonesia's ambassador to the U.N. 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Thomas Aquino Sriwidjaja, 
told a conference on the future of nuclear power.

"The introduction of a nuclear power programme by the Indonesian 
government would not only serve as a solution to the rising demand 
for electricity, but is also expected to help save and prolong fossil 
energy for other purposes, as well as a part of global efforts to 
reduce global warming effects," he said.

Nuclear energy produces almost no greenhouse gases, in contrast to 
fuel fuels.

Sriwidjaja called on the more developed countries of the world to 
help Indonesia develop its nuclear energy programme.

He also said Indonesia -- which has signed the nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the IAEA's Additional Protocol 
permitting more intrusive, short-notice inspections -- was aware of 
the threat posed by terrorists aiming to acquire nuclear materials to 
use in weapons or to attack atomic facilities.

"Indonesia has taken the necessary measures to minimise any possible 
threat to its own nuclear facilities (and) has also improved and 
strengthened the physical protection of the existing nuclear 
facilities in accordance with international standard requirements," 
Sriwidjaja said.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Moslem country, has suffered the 
most bomb attacks of any state in Southeast Asia, including the 2003 
bombing of the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Jakarta that killed 12 people, 
and nightclub bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 that 
killed 202, mostly foreign tourists.
------------------

Cameco Makes Progress on Adding Nuclear Capacity at Bruce Power

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan--(BUSINESS WIRE)----Cameco Corporation 
(TSX:CCO) (NYSE:CCJ) confirmed today that, together with its partners 
TransCanada and BPC Generation Infrastructure Trust, it is making 
progress towards restarting the two shutdown reactors at the Bruce 
Power site in Ontario.

As part of this process, Bruce Power and the negotiator appointed by 
the Ontario government announced today they have reached a tentative 
agreement on restarting the two reactors. Cameco has approved in 
principle this tentative agreement which requires final government 
approval. The process of reaching a mutually acceptable binding 
agreement continues, but has not been completed.

Cameco will provide an update on the status of the project once the 
company has entered a mutually acceptable, binding agreement with all 
parties. Cameco indirectly holds a 31.6% interest in Bruce Power 
Limited Partnership, which leases the Bruce nuclear plants in 
Ontario.

Cameco, with its head office in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is the 
world's largest uranium producer. The company's uranium products are 
used to generate electricity in nuclear energy plants around the 
world, providing one of the cleanest sources of energy available 
today. Cameco's shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock 
exchanges.
-----------------

International nuclear inspections may end in Oak Ridge

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) - Monthly international inspections at the Y-12 
nuclear weapons plant may cease by the end of the decade after 10 
years.

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have been 
checking a vault at the plant containing 10 tons of bomb-grade 
uranium. President Clinton declared the material surplus in 1993, and 
the United States promised not to use it to make any more nuclear 
weapons. The IAEA was invited to verify those actions as part of the 
U.S. commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Now, however, the government is developing a plan that would "down-
blend" the highly enriched uranium to eliminate its weapons 
usefulness and then convert it into fuel for nuclear reactors. The 
uranium in the IAEA inspection vault would be declared surplus, along 
with other stocks - up to a total of 100 metric tons - in a plan 
first proposed a year ago by then-Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.

The question is whether the United States would make other bomb 
materials at Y-12 available for international inspection, continuing 
what's largely a symbolic gesture to encourage other nations to open 
up their nuclear programs.

"At this point, there are no plans to place additional U.S. (highly 
enriched uranium) in storage safeguards," Steven Wyatt, a spokesman 
at Y-12, told The Knoxville News Sentinel. The long-term plan calls 
for uranium stocks equivalent to what's in the IAEA vault to be 
transferred to a commercial facility, Wyatt said.

The enriched material would be blended with other uranium to reduce 
the U-235 concentration, he said. After that, the lower-enriched 
uranium would be available for use as fuel in commercial power 
reactors.

The IAEA would verify the processing that eliminates the uranium's 
weapons capability, Wyatt said. After that, the nuclear material 
currently subject to IAEA inspection at Y-12 "would be withdrawn from 
safeguards" and used for other non-weapons purposes, he said.

"Activities associated with this work are expected to begin later 
this year with down-blending to be completed by 2009," he said. Once 
that is done, the IAEA inspections would be halted, according to 
Wyatt, who works in the Oak Ridge office of the National Nuclear 
Security Administration.

Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist with the Union of Concerned 
Scientists' Global Security Program, said he was outraged when he 
learned of the plan. "There is no commitment, no matter how minor, 
that will go unbroken in the Bush administration," Lyman said.

He said the important point is not the end of IAEA inspections in Oak 
Ridge. The key, according to Lyman, is that the United States wants 
to use the high-grade material for purposes such as fueling its 
nuclear submarines. Instead of actually down-blending the highly 
enriched uranium in the IAEA vaults, the United States plans to 
convert other, lower-quality "junk" materials in storage, Lyman said. 
The government would then save the really good material that had been 
set aside for international inspections, he said.
------------------

Critics complain water samples at former nuke lab being filtered 
before testing

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Water samples taken from the site of a former 
nuclear testing facility are being filtered before they are submitted 
to radioactivity tests, according to critics of the cleanup effort at 
Rocketdyne's Santa Susana field laboratory.

As a result, the levels of contamination could be 10 to 15 times 
higher than what is being recorded by the tests, said Daniel Hirsch, 
a member of an interagency group monitoring the cleanup.

Rocketdyne's director of safety, health and environmental affairs, 
called the criticism "sort of a red herring," saying water tested at 
the site has met all public health standards.

"People should be assured that the water meets all standards to 
protect public health and the environment," said Steve Lafflam.

To determine how much readings vary between filtered and unfiltered 
water, Lafflam said regional water quality officials have instructed 
Rocketdyne to gather water samples during the next six storms and 
send them to a lab certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. 
There, both filtered and unfiltered samples will be tested.

Rocketdyne's field lab, located in the hills between Simi Valley and 
Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, was used for decades until the 
1980s to test rocket engines and perform nuclear tests. The work 
resulted in a number of spills and accidents over the years, 
including a partial nuclear reactor meltdown in 1959.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., complained about water testing measures 
at the lab in a letter sent last week to federal Energy Secretary 
Samuel Bodman.

"In the scientific community, there is also concern that the testing 
at Rocketdyne has been inadequate, and in some cases, incorrect," 
Boxer wrote.

Gregg Dempsey, a senior radiation scientist with the EPA in Las 
Vegas, said filtering water samples before testing them may sometimes 
be necessary to eliminate large amounts of impurities. But he added 
that unfiltered samples are preferred.

"It's not a good way to run water samples," Dempsey said of filtered 
samples. "We would call it a biased sample. It's no longer 
representative of the environment."
-------------------

Japan-built nuclear reactor installed at Taiwan power plant

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - A Japanese-built nuclear reactor was being 
installed Sunday in an oceanside nuclear power plant in Taiwan, 
officials said.

The 1,350-megawatt boiling water reactor was designed by America's 
General Electric Co. and built by Japan's Hitachi Ltd.

The reactor will generate less waste and run more effectively than 
those using older technology, said the Taiwan Power Company, which 
runs the plant in Kungliao, northern Taiwan.

The installation will take at least 12 hours to complete with a giant 
crane employed to lift the 1,000-ton (1,100-short ton) reactor, 
officials said.

Dutch engineering firm Mammoet oversaw the entire installation, said 
Lin Yuan-teh, a Taiwan Power official.

The installation was delayed for months and the nuclear power plant 
may not be operational until 2008, Lin said, two years behind 
schedule.

A second reactor for the power plant, built by Japan's Toshiba 
Company, arrived in Taiwan last July. It is scheduled to be installed 
by the end of 2005, officials said.
-----------------

Yucca Mountain woes seen having little effect on Yankee

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Leading lawmakers say the latest bad news for 
the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site in Nevada is expected 
to have little effect on their deliberations about radioactive waste 
storage at Vermont's lone reactor.

Yucca Mountain has been identified as the eventual home for the 
highly radioactive spent fuel that Vermont Yankee wants to store in 
concrete and steel canisters on its property in Vernon.

But the long-planned Nevada project has seen numerous delays, and has 
suffered another blow in recent days with revelations that U.S. 
Geological Survey data on water movement around the site, generated 
in the late 1990s, may have been falsified.

Yucca Mountain was supposed to open by 1998; more recently federal 
officials put its opening at 2010 but in recent months have been 
backing away from that date as too optimistic.

Meanwhile, spent fuel pools like Vermont Yankee's have been filling 
up around the country. Officials with Entergy Nuclear, Vermont 
Yankee's owner, have estimated the Vernon reactor's spent fuel could 
fill up be 2007 or 2008 - potentially forcing the plant to close four 
or five years short of its currently scheduled shutdown date of 2012.

Vermont Yankee officials have been pushing dry cask storage as the 
solution to the waste storage problem. Last year they tried and 
failed and this year they've been trying again to get lawmakers to 
extend to Entergy an exemption the plant's previous owners had from a 
state law requiring that the Legislature approve any new plan to 
store nuclear waste in Vermont.

Chairs of the House and Senate Natural Resources Committee, which 
have been taking testimony on the dry cask storage issue, said they 
doubt the latest troubles at Yucca Mountain will have much impact on 
their deliberations.

"I think there are many Vermonters who have been concerned all along 
that Yucca Mountain might never open or might open many decades from 
now," said House Speaker Gaye Symington.

"Whatever we do with dry cask storage has the potential to become 
essentially permanent storage," she added. "It just makes it that 
much more important that we be very thoughtful about how we go about 
this."

During legislative hearings lawmakers repeatedly have mused about the 
meaning of the word "temporary" when applied to dry cask storage. The 
spent fuel storage pool was called a temporary solution to the 
nuclear waste disposal problem when it was built 33 years ago.

Both Symington and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Welch said 
consensus among key lawmakers appears to be gelling around a plan 
that would allow Vermont Yankee to use the multi-layered concrete and 
steel casks to store radioactive waste, but would charge the plant an 
annual fee for each cask.

Lawmakers said money from the annual fees could be used toward other 
energy projects in Vermont, with an eye toward addressing the state's 
energy needs a decade from now when Vermont Yankee - unless it seeks 
and wins a license extension - will be closed and the state's power 
import contracts with Hydro-Quebec will be phasing out.

In addition, said Rep. Robert Dostis, D-Waterbury and chairman of the 
House Natural Resources Committee, "If those casks are on Vermont 
soil, paying a fee would be a disincentive for them (Entergy) keeping 
them here."

Dostis said lawmakers are facing the prospect that whatever they 
decide, Vermont Yankee's property eventually is almost certain to 
contain dry casks containing radioactive waste. He noted that the 
casks will be used in removing radioactive plant components when the 
reactor eventually is dismantled.

But the lawmakers also said they wanted to limit the number of dry 
casks to those the plant would need to continue making its current 
level of electricity until its current license expires in 2012. 
Vermont Yankee would be expected to seek a larger number of casks if 
it wins the permission it is currently seeking to boost its power 
output by 20 percent and if it is allowed to extend its license.

Welch said he is sensing among his fellow legislators "a reluctance 
and a resistance to allowing dry cask (storage) to be an open door to 
uprate and license extension."
-------------------

State board collecting public comments on Monticello plan

ST. PAUL (AP) - A state agency has given the public until April 13 to 
comment on the first phase of an environmental review of Xcel 
Energy's plan to store more nuclear waste at its Monticello plant.

The Environmental Quality Board is collecting public input on the 
proposed scope of the environmental impact statement, an in-depth 
study of the effects of the project on the environment.

Xcel wants to build a facility at the plant to store up to 30 dry 
casks of spent nuclear fuel and get a 20-year license renewal that 
would allow it to continue operating the plant until 2030. The cost 
of the facility is estimated at $55 million.

The Monticello plant currently stores spent fuel rods in a cooling 
pool inside the plant, but the pool will be full in 2010.

The EQB is proposing that the environmental review cover a range of 
issues, including radiation levels, groundwater protection and the 
length of time the waste would be stored. It also will cover 
alternatives to building the storage facility, such as storing the 
waste at another site or re-racking the existing pool to make more 
room.

A draft of the environmental review is expected to be completed by 
August. The final document will be submitted to the Public Utilities 
Commission around October.

A public open house on the scope of the environmental impact 
statement is scheduled for 2 p.m. on April 4 at the Monticello 
Community Center, with a presentation at 7 p.m.
--------------------

Kids and cells phones: Are health risks worth the convenience?

SEATTLE (AP) - Parents should think twice before giving in to a 
middle-schooler's demands for a cell phone, some scientists say, 
because potential long-term health risks remain unclear.

Researchers have speculated for more than 10 years that the 
electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phones may damage DNA and 
cause benign brain tumors, said Henry Lai, a bioengineering professor 
at the University of Washington.

"We don't know very much about the health effects of cell phone use 
on kids, but there are speculations," Lai said.

In Britain, the chairman of the National Radiological Protection 
Board advised in January that parents should not give mobile phones 
to children age 8 or younger as a precaution against the potential 
harm of radiation from the devices.

When you use a cell phone, 70 to 80 percent of the energy emitted 
from the antenna is absorbed by the head, Lai said.

Last week, a federal appeals court in Maryland reinstated five class-
action lawsuits claiming that the cell phone industry has failed to 
protect consumers from unsafe levels of radiation.

Several research studies have pointed to the potential impacts of 
long-term absorption of cell phone-emitted radiation but little of 
the research has focused on the children.

Lai said he was concerned about the impact on children because young 
skulls are thinner and the growing brain may be more susceptible to 
radiation.

He also said that because brain tumors usually take 30 to 40 years to 
develop, children who use cell phones from their teen years onward 
would have a longer period of time to see a cumulative impact.

"We don't know if kids are really more susceptible," Lai said, but he 
encourages everyone to use a headset to keep the antenna away from 
the brain, "even if they're not cool."

Most research on the subject has stopped in the United States except 
for some work supported by the cell phone industry, he added. 
Independent studies continue in Europe.

A Swedish study published in October suggested that people who use a 
cell phone for at least 10 years might increase their risk of 
developing a rare benign tumor along a nerve on the side of the head 
where they hold the phone.

The study's subjects had been using cell phones for at least 10 
years, nearly all analog models that emit more electromagnetic 
radiation than the digital models now on the market.

Digital phones emit radiation in pulses; the older analog varieties 
emit continuous waves. Since cell phones exploded in popularity in 
the late 1990s, most of those sold used digital technology.

-------------------------------------
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) 296-1902 

E-Mail: sperle at dosimetry.com
E-Mail: sandyfl at earthlink.net 

Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/ 
Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com/