Not on Our Fault Line calls on NRC to distribute KI within 20 miles of North Anna

U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA)Not on Our Fault Line, a group of concerned citizens which formed in response to the 5.8 magnitude earthquake of August 23, 2011 epicentered just 11 miles from the North Anna nuclear power plant, is calling on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to enforce a 2002 law requiring the distribution of potassium iodide (KI) tablets within 20 miles of U.S. atomic reactors. KI saturates the human thyroid gland, blocking uptake of hazardous Iodine-131, a viciously radioactive substance that escaped during the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, causing an epidemic of thyroid disease downwind in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Large quantities of I-131 also escaped during the Fukushima triple reactor core meltdown and radioactive waste storage pool fire that began in March 2011, leading the Japanese federal government to warn parents not to use Tokyo's tap water for infants during the early days of the catastrophe due to I-131 contamination. I-131 has an 8 day half life; thus, its hazardous persistence lasts 80 to 160 days.

Section 127 of the Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 was sponsored as a successful amendment by U.S. Representative Ed Markey (D-MA, pictured above left), a long time watchdog on the nuclear power industry. In May, 2011, Markey led a bipartisan letter of House Members addressed to President Obama, calling for implementation of the law. 9 long years after its enactment, NRC still had not enforced the law. Markey issued a press release about the letter to Obama, signed by 30 Members of Congress. As the congressional letter to the president states, "Children are the most vulnerable because their thyroid glands concentrate more iodine on a mass basis than adults and are more sensitive to radiation because of their rapidly growing cells."

Cesium found in Japan baby formula

Traces of radiation spilled from Japan’s hobbled nuclear plant were detected December 6 in baby formula manufactured by Meiji Co, a major food and candy maker. The formula had been manufactured in March. The company has recalled the formula although the Japanese authorities insist there is no risk to babies' health. This despite the scientifically-held position that there is "no safe dose" of radiation and studies that show prolonged exposure to low levels of radiation can be harmful.

Hazardous radiation dusts all of Japan

"Radioactive substances from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have now been confirmed in all prefectures [in Japan], including Uruma, Okinawa Prefecture, about 1,700 kilometers from the plant, according to the science ministry," reports the Japan daily, the Asahi Shimbun. "The highest combined cumulative density of radioactive cesium-134 and cesium-137 was found in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture, at 40,801 becquerels per square meter. That was followed by 22,570 becquerels per square meter in Yamagata, the capital of Yamagata Prefecture, and 17,354 becquerels per square meter in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward."

Cancer panel to issue final report. Please give comments!

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission requested that the National Academy of Sciences investigate the cancer risks around NRC licensed facilities. NAS started work in September, 2010, determining that this charge would be best handled by two phases of investigation with a report to follow each phase. Phase one, examining what methods would best be used for such a health assessment, will issue a report with recommendations in February 2012. Subsequent to this final report, there will be a two month public comment period. However, before the February report is released, NAS is encouraging continued public comments at crs@nas.edu. If comments are made before the February report issue, there is a better chance that they may be considered in writing the report. Beyond Nuclear has provided the panel with formal written comments, highlighting vulnerability of children and our gene pool to radiation damage. We encourage you to read our comments and submit your own. For more information on the study background, timeline, or to view past public meetings, click here.

Hot radioactive particles from Fukushima found in the US, new study shows; children's shoes in Japan contaminated with cesium

Scientist Marco Kaltofen of Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) confirmed at a presentation on Monday that hot radioactive particles from the Fukushima-Daiichi reactor accidents in Japan have been found in the US. In a presentation of his analysis at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), Kaltofen said that his research also found airborne and ground contamination in northern Japan.

Kaltofen analyzed dust on the US West Coast, found to contain radioactive cesium, and examined car air filters in Seattle and in Japan which revealed high levels of radioactivity, in the case of the filters in Japan high enough to be classified as “radioactive waste.” He also tested children’s shoes which were contaminated with cesium.

 Kaltofen’s research also found elevated levels of alpha and beta radiation in the Boston area approximately one month after the Fukushima explosions. Levels in both Seattle and Boston have since declined. Soil samples in the United States showed higher than normal levels of cesium. See Beyond Nuclear's full press release.