Finns Hoard Iodine Fearing Russian Nuclear Mishap & other news

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Wednesday December 29 7:53 AM ET 

Finns Hoard Iodine Fearing Russian Nuclear Mishap  

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finns have bought record amounts of iodine 
tablets this week in fear of a millennium-triggered nuclear accident 
at nearby Russian power plants, officials said on Wednesday.  

Pharmacies had run out of the most common 10-tablet box of iodine, 
which protects against the effects of nuclear radiation, though 
larger packages were still available, they said.  

In the past two days, Finns have bought as much of the small-dose 
iodine packages as they normally do in two years, said an official at 
pharmaceuticals group Orion.  

``It has been quite busy at pharmacies today, with people going in to 
buy iodine,'' Orion Senior Vice President Pekka Kaivola told Reuters. 
 

``We've sold 30,000 of the 10-tablet boxes (in the past few days) 
whereas monthly sales are usually only 1,500 boxes,'' he said.  

Finns became widely aware of the preventative use of iodine during 
the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, when winds carried small amounts of 
radioactive dust all the way to Finland and other corners of Western 
Europe.  

That accident, the world's worst civilian nuclear disaster, created 
lingering fears in Finland of the potential dangers of an accident at 
other nearby Russian and Soviet-era Baltic nuclear power stations.  

Finland itself has two nuclear power installations, but Finns tend to 
trust in the safety of those plants.  

``We're all pretty calm about Finland, but we're worried about the 
big neighbor,'' one government spokesman said.  

Russia's Sosnovy Bor nuclear power plant near St Petersburg on the 
Gulf of Finland is just 230 km (144 miles) east of Helsinki and 
another Russian plant on the Kola Peninsula is only about 100 km (60 
miles) from Finland's northeastern border.  

A Soviet-built nuclear plant at Ignalina in Lithuania lies about 530 
km (330 miles) south of Helsinki.  

Finnish nuclear safety officials said on Tuesday they were confident 
their own preparations for the change of millennium had ensured 
safety at Finland's plants, and that plants abroad were also expected 
to operate safely. 
-----  

Nuclear Waste Group Approved - (SALT LAKE CITY) -- A company planning 
to store nuclear waste on the Goshute reservation has passed a major 
hurdle. Private Fuel Storage met most of the guidelines required 
during a safety evaluation report filed by the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission. But the N-R-C says the group still has to resolve how it 
will deal with  earthquakes and military over-flights. 
----

Wednesday December 29, 9:36 am Eastern Time

Company Press Release

ABB To Sell Nuclear Business To BNFL

ABB Continues Strategic Shift In Business Portfolio

ZURICH, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 29, 1999--ABB, the global 
technology group, and nuclear technology company BNFL today announced 
that BNFL will purchase ABB's nuclear power businesses.  

The value of the transaction is US$ 485 million. The sale is subject 
to the customary regulatory approvals. 

Under the terms of the agreement, U.K.-based BNFL will purchase ABB's 
worldwide nuclear systems businesses, headquartered in the United 
States in Windsor, Connecticut. Apart from the U.S., ABB's main 
nuclear operations are in Sweden, France, and Germany. The divested 
businesses also include nuclear control systems. In total, the 
divested businesses employ about 3,000 people and reported revenues 
in 1998 of about US$ 500 million.  

Goran Lindahl, ABB President and CEO, said the divestiture is in line 
with ABB's strategy to expand in knowledge and service sectors, and 
to focus on those businesses where clear synergies can be created. 
``We think BNFL is in a solid position to develop the nuclear 
business, while we concentrate on those areas where we can combine 
our expertise across a broad range of industries and tap our global 
presence for greater growth,'' Lindahl said. ``That means delivering 
intelligent solutions in, for example, industrial automation, 
service, power transmission and distribution, building systems, oil, 
gas and petrochemicals, and in financial services.''  

BNFL Chief Executive John Taylor said: ``This acquisition builds on 
BNFL's purchase earlier this year of Westinghouse Electric Company 
and represents an opportunity to offer an even broader range of 
services to our customers and to build value for our shareholder.''  

``ABB's nuclear power businesses fit well with those of the BNFL 
Group in both product and geographic scope,'' Taylor said. ``The 
acquisition expands our technology portfolio by bringing ABB's 
boiling water reactor (BWR) systems into our product mix which we 
will be able to offer to our customers. This move also allows us to 
further expand our activities in the U.S., Europe and Asia, enabling 
us to provide our customers with a broader range of product and 
service offerings supplied by an expanded global sales and service 
organization.''  

In addition to nuclear products, services and technology, BNFL will 
also acquire ABB's strong presence in Asia where, among other things, 
the company has delivered eight Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) to 
Korea. In the United States and Europe, ABB's nuclear plant design, 
fuel and service capabilities will expand those offered by the BNFL 
Group through the Westinghouse Electric Company.  

Earlier this year, ABB merged most of its power generation business 
into a 50-50 joint venture with ALSTOM of France, called ABB ALSTOM 
POWER. Following the divestment of its nuclear business, ABB's 
remaining power generation business will focus on renewable energy 
and distributed power.  

BNFL is a leading specialist in nuclear technology and a global 
supplier of nuclear fuel, products and services. 
-----





------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
ICN Biomedicals, Inc.				E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Personal Website:  http://www.geocities.com/scperle
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

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