Xcel Energy admits radioactivity and toxic chemicals leaked into soil and groundwater at Prairie Island

NRC file photo of Prairie Island nuclear power plantXcel Energy's Prairie Island nuclear power plant has made what appears to be two admissions of separate toxic chemical and radiological spills in less than a week. Residents, and the tribal day care center, of the Prairie Island Indian Community are located within hundreds of yards of the nuclear power plant. Read more...

Update on February 8, 2012 by admin

The Saint Paul, Minnesota Pioneer Press ran a front page article about the recent spills at Prairie Island nuclear power plant, quoting Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps responding to Xcel Energy's and the NRC's downplaying of the risks of the tritium spills:

"But Kevin Kamps, a radioactive-waste specialist at Beyond Nuclear, a Maryland-based watchdog group that focuses on the nuclear power industry, said it was irresponsible to claim that there was no danger.

'We do take exception to that flippant disregard they have. Tritium is a clinically proven cause of cancer, birth defects, and genetic mutations,' Kamps said. 'It's long known that any exposure carries a health risk.'

...But just because the level is below the EPA's limit does not mean there's no risk, Kamps said.

'It's long known that any exposure to radioactivity, no matter how small, still carries a risk of cancer," he said. "And those risks accumulate over a lifetime."

The articles reports that Xcel Energy did not notify the Prairie Island Indian Community, located 600 yards from the nuclear power plant, about last November's spill until last week, and waited till Monday to notify them about last Friday's spill, as it had occurred "after business hours" just before a weekend.

Safety significant replacement parts failing at atomic reactors

A tube rupture in a brand new replacement steam generator at San Onofre Unit 3 last week, and a defective brand new replacement reactor head at Palisades, show that safety significant structures at atomic reactors are of questionable integrity and quality assurance. Three Mile Island and Arkansas Nuclear One have also experienced premature degradation of new replacement steam generators, manufactured by Areva of France.

Extraordinary music video: Japanese youth speak truth to power in aftermath of Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe

FRYING DUTCHMAN humanERROR rocks the street with spoken word in an anguished, angry, yet hopeful, inspiring, and empowering "No Nukes!" marathon jam session.

"Fermi 3 foes urge health analysis"

NRC file photo of Fermi 2, located on the Lake Erie shore near Monroe, MI, about 8 miles as the crow flies from OntarioThe Detroit News has reported, in an article entitled "Fermi 3 foes urge health analysis," that indications of health damage from the operations of Fermi 2 be further studied before any plans for a new reactor at Fermi 3 move forward. The article reports on the questions raised in a recent report by Joe Mangano, Executive Director of the Radiation and Public Health Project, such as why Monroe County suffers from inexplicably high rates of infant mortality, low birth weights, cancer mortality, and non-fatal cancer incidence.

Mangano serves as an expert witness for the international environmental coalition officially intervening against the Fermi 3 proposal. The coalition's member groups are Beyond Nuclear, Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination, Citizen Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario, and the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter.

The article quoted from Mangano's submission: "Of 19 indicators, the Monroe County rate change (before and after Fermi 2 began operating) exceeded the state or nation for all 19...".

The article also quoted from Don't Waste Michigan's Michael Keegan: "It's important to establish what the situation is...If you're talking about putting another reactor into play, you need to know where you are with baseline cancer statistics."

"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 interviews with Beyond Nuclear's founding president Helen Caldicott and Beyond Nuclear board member Karl Grossman, "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.