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Six Fukushima victims file suit over thyroid cancers
The Japan Times is reporting that “six people are set to sue Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (Tepco) over thyroid cancer that they claim they developed due to exposure to radioactive substances released from the 2011 triple reactor meltdown at its stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.” They are represented by campaigning lawyers…
Read MoreIt’s still 100 seconds to midnight
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has kept the hands of its now 75-year old Doomsday Clock at 100 seconds to midnight for the third consecutive year, the closest it has ever been to midnight. While the panel of science and security experts noted some positive developments, it also observed that humanity remains unprepared to…
Read MoreLAST CHANCE! Attend and comment on the future of radiation research
The National Academies is hosting what will probably be the last of 7 virtual public meetings examining how to move forward on low-dose radiation research. The two-day meeting is on Monday and Tuesday, January 24-25, 2022, starting at 2 PM Monday. Public comment times are 6:30-6:45 PM Monday and 11-11:30 AM Tuesday. Agenda subject to…
Read MoreBan Treaty anniversary reminds us of its importance
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force on January 22, 2021. As we approach its one-year anniversary, too many reminders have emerged that its importance is more urgent now than ever. More than 60 U.S. organizations — including Beyond Nuclear — issued a joint statement on January 12 calling for the…
Read MoreImpacted communities speak out on radiation impacts
The National Academies hosted a virtual public meeting over two days in October 2021, to examine how to move forward with low-dose radiation research. This was part of a larger NAS effort, which will end with a report of recommendations. To NAS’s credit, the October meeting featured powerful and important presentations by downwinder and other…
Read MoreThe Washington Post gets it wrong (again) on nuclear power
The Washington Post ran a January 1, 2022 pro-nuclear editorial full of the usual clichéd misconceptions about both France and Germany. This followed an article replete with similar errors of fact. Both times, we wrote in, but the Post has declined to publish our responses. Here is the letter to the editor sent in response to…
Read MoreReal progress or empty rhetoric?
“The People’s Republic of China, the French Republic, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America consider the avoidance of war between Nuclear-Weapon States and the reduction of strategic risks as our foremost responsibilities.” This was the opening paragraph of a January 3, 2022 joint…
Read MoreNRC rejects Oklo application to build and operate a micro-reactor
Oklo Corporation does a better job of painting a picture of its Aurora micro-reactor mirage than convincing the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff to jointly “pave the road as they travel” for an unproven technology. In this case, “A picture is worth a thousand words” literally does not apply to producing a cogent technical safety…
Read MoreNuclear, gas labeled ‘green’?
The European Commission is poised to make a decision that would classify nuclear power and fossil gas as ‘sustainable investments’ under the EU ‘taxonomy.’ Countries such as Germany have vociferously objected to this and now the World Wildlife Fund has exposed the backroom deal that may ensure the public has no voice in opposing this…
Read MoreNuclear prospects are shriveling
And the numbers don’t lie: “Making 10% of world and 20% of U.S. commercial electricity, nuclear power is historically significant but now stagnant. In 2020, its global capacity additions minus retirements totaled only 0.4 GW (billion watts). Renewables in contrast added 278.3 GW—782x more capacity—able to produce about 232x more annual electricity (based on U.S. 2020…
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