"The Atomic States of America" debuts at Sundance Film Festival

Don Argott and Sheena Joyce of 9.14 Pictures, based in Philadelphia, have debuted their anxiously awaited film, "The Atomic States of America," at the Sundance Film Festival. Featuring an interview with Beyond Nuclear's founding president Helen Caldicott, "The Atomic States of America" was inspired by and based on the book Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town by Kelly McMasters. McMasters was born and raised in Shirley, Long Island, immediately downwind and downstream from leaking experimental atomic reactors and high-level radioactive waste storage pools, which have had a devastating impact on the health of her friends and neighbors. John Anderson has written a good review in Variety, and Democracy Now! radio show host Amy Goodman interviewed Joyce and McMasters at Sundance.

North Anna's twin reactors experience another earthquake

NRC file photo of the North Anna nuclear power plant, located on Lake Anna in Mineral, VAAs reported by a Dominion Nuclear "Notification of Unusual Event," the twin atomic reactors at North Anna nuclear power plant in Mineral, Virginia experienced a 3.2 magntiude earthquake yesterday. Dominion claims no damage was done, and both reactors remain at 100% power. The timing of the earthquake is ironic. Today, NRC announced a new model for determining seismic risks at atomic reactors in the central and eastern U.S. And on Feb. 2nd, an NRC Petition Review Board will hold a second meeting with Beyond Nuclear and environmental allies, regarding an emergency enforcement petition to shut down both North Anna atomic reactors until adequate seismic protections are put in place. A 5.8 magnitude quake, epi-centered just 11 miles from North Anna, damaged high-level radioactive waste storage casks on August 23, 2011.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Dave Lochbaum, Director of the Union of Concerned Scientists' Nuclear Safety Project, on NRC's new seismic risk model:

"Critics said regulators are moving too slowly. 'The NRC does not need a new model—it needs a spine,' said Dave Lochbaum, director of nuclear safety for the Union of Concerned Scientists in Chattanooga, Tenn. The NRC already has sufficient evidence to require immediate upgrades to dozens of plants, he said, adding that further delay amounts to a 'bureaucratic stall tactic.' "

Mysterious fire causes "unusual event" at Byron Unit 2 in Illinois

NRC file photo of Byron Units 1 and 2; Unit 2's cooling tower is not emitting steam currently, but tritiated steam is being released from the turbine hallAs reported by a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) media release, Exelon Nuclear's Byron Unit 2 atomic reactor near Rockford, IL, primary electrical grid power was lost and safety and cooling systems had to run from emergency backup diesel generators when smoke was seen coming from a switchyard transformer. However, when the plant's fire brigade responded, they could not find the fire. The NRC activated its incident response center in Region III headquarters in Lisle, IL to monitor the situation.

As revealed by Exelon's "Event Report," offsite firefighters were called in, Unit 1 is still at full power, and Unit 2's cool down "steam [is] leaving via atmospheric relief valves."

An initial AP report on the incident stated: "The steam contains low levels of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, but federal and plant officials insisted the levels were safe for workers and the public...[NRC] officials also said the release of tritium was expected...[NRC spokeswoman Viktoria] Mitlyng said officials can't yet calculate how much tritium is being released. They know the amounts are small because monitors around the plant aren't showing increased levels of radiation, she said...Tritium molecules are so microscopic that small amounts are able to pass from radioactive steam that originates in the reactor through tubing and into the water used to cool turbines and other equipment outside the reactor, Mitlyng said. The steam that was being released was coming from the turbine side...Tritium is relatively short-lived and penetrates the body weakly through the air compared to other radioactive contaminants."

But the linear no threshold theory, endorsed by the U.S. National Academies of Science for decades, holds that any exposure to radioactvity, no matter how small, still carries a health risk, and such risks are cumulative over a lifetime. It would be more honest for NRC officials to states that the tritium releases from Byron are "acceptably risky," in their judgment, but not "safe." After all, tritium is a potent radionuclide, a clinincally proven cause of cancer, mutations, and birth defects, and if inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin, can integrate anywhere in the human body, right down to the DNA level.

A follow up article by AP quoted NRC spokeswoman Viktoria Mytling as assuring that the reactor would not be re-started until a root cause of the incident was determined, and the problem fixed. However, such a promise by NRC at Davis-Besse, near Toledo, was recently broken by NRC: widespread cracking in the reactor's concrete shield building, a secondary radiological containment structure, did not stop NRC from rubberstamping the reactor's re-start on December 6th, even though the root cause, extent, and fix for the cracking have still not been determined.

The most recent update from AP reports that Exelon has announced a cause for the incident: a failed electrical insulator, which fell off.

The radioactive waste at "The Fourth Reactor and the Destiny of Japan"

In an essay by that title, Akio Matsumura has warned about the risks of Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4's high-level radioactive waste storage pool collapsing:

"In the last weeks, I have been speaking constantly with Japanese government and party leaders on this urgent issue. Surprisingly, most of them were not aware of the dangerous situation. I, along with many eminent scientists, are emphasizing the precarious situation of the fourth reactor that contains 1,535 nuclear fuel rods in the pool and is balanced on the second floor [sic*], outside of the reactor containment vessel. If the fuel rods spill onto the ground, disaster will ensue and force Tokyo and Yokohama to close, creating a gigantic evacuation zone. All scientists I have talked with say that if the structure collapses we will be in a situation well beyond where science has ever gone. The destiny of Japan will be changed and the disaster will certainly compromise the security of neighboring countries and the rest of the world in terms of health, migration and geopolitics.  The Japanese government should immediately create an independent assessment team to determine the structural integrity of the spent fuel pool and its supporting structure. This is of the highest importance: the structure’s security is critical to the country’s future."

Dr. Gordon Edwards, Montreal based President of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (CCNR), agrees wholeheartedly with Matsumura about the risks. Edwards has provided a techical backgrounder, and called for international assistance to prevent a worsening of the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe, as could happen if the Unit 4 high-level radioactive waste storage pool collapses, and the irradiated nuclear fuel catches fire. Edwards presented Matsumura with yet more technical detail in a letter dated January 13th.

[*General Electric Boiling Water Reactors of the Mark 1 design actually have high-level radioactive waste storage pools located several stories up in the air]

"Interim" parking lot dumps for high-level radioactive waste could become de facto permanent

National Public Radio's coverage of the publication of the final report by the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future (BRC) and its recommendations for radioactive waste management briefly mentioned a warning by Beyond Nuclear at the end of its online article: "The anti-nuclear group Beyond Nuclear has weighed in as well, arguing that the interim storage site is a bad idea because it may just become a permanent site." However, Beyond Nuclear was not mentioned in the on air story, while the nuclear establishment, including the BRC co-chairman and Nuclear Energy Institute, were quoted at length.