When people debate about nuclear energy, the point that other countries like France have "successfully" harnessed nuclear power always arises BUT the pro-nuclear party NEVER mentions the nuclear waste crisis France has and will continue to face...
The nuclear waste crisis in France
briefing document May 30th 2006
Since the origins of the French nuclear industry some 50 years ago, the management of nuclear waste has been largely neglected. Even today, large quantities of waste remain in unconditioned and unstable form, inventories of historical dump sites are lacking or were lost and one of the largest dump sites in the world near the La Hague reprocessing plant is leaking into the underground water. Now evidence is emerging that a new nuclear dump site in the Champagne region of France is leaking radioactivity into the ground water threatening contamination of tritium and at a later stage other radionuclides.
The French nuclear waste authority ANDRA has only a partial inventory of the multitude of existing waste categories, as large quantities have not yet been declared by the main waste producers EDF and Cogema, including spent nuclear fuel or waste from the uranium enrichment industry. Even French government regulators are expressing their concerns over the conditions at both dump sites.
New nuclear projects threaten to make a crisis into an even greater nuclear catastrophe...
The nuclear power and reprocessing industry have created large volumes of waste, of which many are stored in an unstable condition. They have also illegally dumped tens of thousands of cubic meters of waste in France, without an option to ever take them back. The European liberalization of the electricity market and the partial privatization of EdF have raised the question of who is going to pay. In 2004, in a first case, EdF has reached an agreement to transfer the financial liabilities for the waste it generated at the Marcoule reprocessing plant, in return for a one-off payment likely to be more than a billion of euros lower than the real disposal cost.
A deal heavily criticized by the French Court of Auditors and currently under investigation by the European Commission for illegal state aid. For almost 20 years, Greenpeace has consistently and successfully challenged these dangerous practices. A major breakthrough has been to halt reprocessing contracts of foreign clients with Cogema-La Hague, thereby effectively reducing the discharges of liquid radioactive waste and the transports of highly radioactive waste.
Furthermore, in a landmark ruling, the French Supreme Court in December 2005 condemned Cogema for illegal storage of foreign reprocessing waste in France. But still the nuclear waste crisis in France is growing. The French parliament is currently debating a revision of the nuclear waste legislation. This risks maintaining current practices of EdF and foreign electricity companies to dump the liability of their nuclear waste on French citizens, while maximizing their privatized benefits. As no solution has been found for a sound management of nuclear waste, problems are meanwhile transferred to future generations. This is the real crisis of nuclear waste.
View the article in its entirety here.
Showing posts with label nuclear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nuclear. Show all posts
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Radioactive Waste Leaks Into Aquifer In France
Radioactive waste leaks into aquifer
By Wendy Frew Environment Reporter
May 24, 2006
RADIOACTIVE waste from a storage site in Normandy, France, is leaking into groundwater used by dairy cattle, says a report by a French laboratory, ACRO.
The aquifers showed levels of radioactivity, on average, more than seven times the European safety limit, said the report, published yesterday. Scientists from ACRO and Greenpeace have surveyed the contamination leaking from the low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste disposal plant at La Hague.
In the aquifer near the site, radioactivity was 90 times above the safety limit during 2005, the report said.
Greenpeace said the report followed news that a proposed Electricite de France nuclear reactor was unable to withstand the impact of a commercial aircraft.
The nuclear waste contaminating the Normandy environment was produced by reactors operated by Electricite de France and overseas customers of the reprocessing company.
Greenpeace has criticised the French Government for not seriously dealing with what it says is France's nuclear waste crisis.
The director of ACRO, Dr David Boiley, said mismanagement was damaging the environment.
"Repeated incidents have led to a constant release and, as a consequence, the groundwater and many outlets are highly contaminated with tritium [a radioactive form of hydrogen]," Dr Boiley said.
"We must note that for a long time there has been a lack of information regarding this chronic pollution, and even now a precise assessment of its impacts still needs to be done," he said.
"As far as the future situation, it could worsen in the long run because there is no guarantee that the wrappings of the older wastes, which also contain more hazardous elements, will last for long periods of time."
By Wendy Frew Environment Reporter
May 24, 2006
RADIOACTIVE waste from a storage site in Normandy, France, is leaking into groundwater used by dairy cattle, says a report by a French laboratory, ACRO.
The aquifers showed levels of radioactivity, on average, more than seven times the European safety limit, said the report, published yesterday. Scientists from ACRO and Greenpeace have surveyed the contamination leaking from the low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste disposal plant at La Hague.
In the aquifer near the site, radioactivity was 90 times above the safety limit during 2005, the report said.
Greenpeace said the report followed news that a proposed Electricite de France nuclear reactor was unable to withstand the impact of a commercial aircraft.
The nuclear waste contaminating the Normandy environment was produced by reactors operated by Electricite de France and overseas customers of the reprocessing company.
Greenpeace has criticised the French Government for not seriously dealing with what it says is France's nuclear waste crisis.
The director of ACRO, Dr David Boiley, said mismanagement was damaging the environment.
"Repeated incidents have led to a constant release and, as a consequence, the groundwater and many outlets are highly contaminated with tritium [a radioactive form of hydrogen]," Dr Boiley said.
"We must note that for a long time there has been a lack of information regarding this chronic pollution, and even now a precise assessment of its impacts still needs to be done," he said.
"As far as the future situation, it could worsen in the long run because there is no guarantee that the wrappings of the older wastes, which also contain more hazardous elements, will last for long periods of time."
Saturday, November 1, 2008
China: Nuclear device exploded in Sichuan (underground installation; during May 12 earthquake)
Posted on Monday, June 02, 2008 8:57:38 PM by TigerLikesRooster:
Nuclear device exploded in Sichuan
By Boxun
Jun 1, 2008 - 6:46:34 PM
Lu Shishen, who reported the cover up of the earthquake forecast, said that there was a strong nuclear explosion in Sichuan during the earthquake.
Xinhua reported yesterday that an explosion of “volcano was observed in the earthquake”, people said that concrete debris was burst out of the crack during the quake.
Experts tested the debris and found it is radioactive, according to Lu Shishen’s report.
Full report in Chinese:
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/06/200806020720.shtml
UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR TESTING CONTAMINATES DRINKING WATER AND POLLUTES TESTING AREAS WITH A PLETHORA OF RADIOACTIVE CARCINOGENS.
Nuclear device exploded in Sichuan
By Boxun
Jun 1, 2008 - 6:46:34 PM
Lu Shishen, who reported the cover up of the earthquake forecast, said that there was a strong nuclear explosion in Sichuan during the earthquake.
Xinhua reported yesterday that an explosion of “volcano was observed in the earthquake”, people said that concrete debris was burst out of the crack during the quake.
Experts tested the debris and found it is radioactive, according to Lu Shishen’s report.
Full report in Chinese:
http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/06/200806020720.shtml
UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR TESTING CONTAMINATES DRINKING WATER AND POLLUTES TESTING AREAS WITH A PLETHORA OF RADIOACTIVE CARCINOGENS.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
You Have A Voice So Use It.
I'm on the late bus but I just found out that New Jersey Governor Corzine wants to build another nuclear power plant in New Jersey so like every concerned 20-something New Jerseyian (HA!) I just took the time to write the following email to Corzine:
Governor Corzine,
I'm writing to you because I do not think you understand the hazardous implications of nuclear power. Nuclear power is the most unsafe, COSTLY form of power. As of 1995, the nuclear power plant in Toms River, NJ leaked 421 tons of radioactive waste. This plant continues to contaminate our water supply. Do you have plans or intentions of cleaning this hazardous site?
Nuclear waste never goes away nor is there any "safe" way to store the waste. Nuclear power plants contaminate our water supply and land, cause and give off radiation which is a known carcinogen. I know you think nuclear power is the answer to lower CO2 emissions but radiation as is FAR worse than carbon dioxide.
I urge you to research the dangers of nuclear power. It's not a coincidence that cancer, mercury poisoning and autoimmune disease rates are higher near nuclear power plants. Please help protect New Jersey's health.
Hopefully, one day the government will embrace CLEAN technology like solar and wind instead of adding to our arsenal of nuclear waste.
I hope this message did not fall on deaf ears,
Jena Ardell
If you are also concerned about the dangers of nuclear energy now is the time to allow decision makers to hear your voice. Please write a similar message to your governor, explaining the dangers of nuclear power. Be sure to let him or her know how much money your state WON'T be saving between the cost to build the plant, train and hire workers, mantain the plant and the costly cleanup that will be necessary after one or more of the reactors leak (and trust me, they all leak) radioactive waste into your water supply.
An email or letter takes only minutes to write and your opinion is important, especially if it has the power to make someone rethink their actions. Your health is at stake.
Governor Corzine,
I'm writing to you because I do not think you understand the hazardous implications of nuclear power. Nuclear power is the most unsafe, COSTLY form of power. As of 1995, the nuclear power plant in Toms River, NJ leaked 421 tons of radioactive waste. This plant continues to contaminate our water supply. Do you have plans or intentions of cleaning this hazardous site?
Nuclear waste never goes away nor is there any "safe" way to store the waste. Nuclear power plants contaminate our water supply and land, cause and give off radiation which is a known carcinogen. I know you think nuclear power is the answer to lower CO2 emissions but radiation as is FAR worse than carbon dioxide.
I urge you to research the dangers of nuclear power. It's not a coincidence that cancer, mercury poisoning and autoimmune disease rates are higher near nuclear power plants. Please help protect New Jersey's health.
Hopefully, one day the government will embrace CLEAN technology like solar and wind instead of adding to our arsenal of nuclear waste.
I hope this message did not fall on deaf ears,
Jena Ardell
NOTE: You can also contact Governor Corzine by writing to the Office of the Governor, P.O. Box 001, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0001, or by calling (609) 777-2500.
If you are also concerned about the dangers of nuclear energy now is the time to allow decision makers to hear your voice. Please write a similar message to your governor, explaining the dangers of nuclear power. Be sure to let him or her know how much money your state WON'T be saving between the cost to build the plant, train and hire workers, mantain the plant and the costly cleanup that will be necessary after one or more of the reactors leak (and trust me, they all leak) radioactive waste into your water supply.
An email or letter takes only minutes to write and your opinion is important, especially if it has the power to make someone rethink their actions. Your health is at stake.
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