INSIDIOUS- causing harm in a way that is gradual or not easily noticed
ISOTOPE - any one of various forms in which the atoms of a chemical element can occur
I'm writing this now because of two alarming developments in the US:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2015/15-055.pdf 2) The NRC is seriously considering a proposal to eliminate the "Linear No-Threshold" (LNT) basis of radiation protection that the U.S. has used for decades and replace it with the "radiation hormesis"
theory--which holds that low doses of radioactivity are good for people.
The current U.S. requirement that nuclear plant operators reduce exposures to the public to "as low as reasonably achievable" would be tossed out the window. Emergency planning zones would be significantly reduced or abolished entirely. Instead of being forced to spend money
to limit radiation releases, nuclear utilities could pocket greater profits. In addition, adoption of the radiation model by the NRC would throw the entire government's radiation protection rules
into disarray, since other agencies, like the EPA, also rely on the LNT model.
Comments on this, due by Nov. 19th, may be sent to: To: omments|AT|nrc.gov Email address">Rulemaking.C omments|AT|nrc.govEmail address
cc: allagher|AT|nrc.gov Email address">Carol.G allagher|AT|nrc.govEmail address
ref: Docket ID NRC-2015-0057
Clearly, we are being brainwashed into ignoring the danger of radiation.
We live in a radioactive world. Residue from the bomb testing of the 1950's continues to pollute the planet. E.g., a recent dieoff of antelopes is near a former underground testing site in Kazakhstan http://enenews.com/rapid-stunning-complete-crash-animal-population-nuclear-site-150000-antelopes-dead-after-bleeding-internal-organs-experts-100-mortality-example-history-like-really-unheard-doesnt-make-sense-infe
Harmful isotopes lurk wherever "depleted" uranium weaponry has been used, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia. They cause spontaneous abortions, deformed babies, childhood and adult cancers.
The
wrecked reactor at Chernobyl continues to release radioactive vapors over
Europe, and the complex at Fukushima Daiichi continues to poison the Pacific, at the rate of at least 300 tons of radioactive water every day, and more when there are storms, leaks, or other mishaps.
Every single hour, Fukushima's stricken reactors discharge 960.000Bq of Cs-134/137 to the air. Last week, Typhoon Etau flooded the site,
causing thousand of extra tons of radioactive water to flow into the
Pacific. Another supertyphoon is on
its way.
Fish stocks have declined precipitously, whales are stranding with cancers and leukemia, birds are dying of starvation all along the North American West Coast. http://enenews.com/skyrocketing-animal-deaths-west-coast-extreme-mortality-event-dying-high-numbers-great-numbers-mysterious-going-definitive-conclusion-radiation-video
In response, the Japanese government has gone so far as to increase the public limit for radiation in Japan from 1 mSv to 20 mSv per year, while its scientists are making efforts to convince the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) to accept this enormous increase. Read more: http://sputniknews.com/analysis/20150820/1025992771.html#ixzz3kvSRRlNa
There are 437 opeative nuclear power plants world wide,
and
another 68 under construction. A dozen more are at the planning stage. Many of them are in areas which could be hit
by an earthquake, volcano, tsunami, flood, typhoon or hurricane. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster was caused by
human error
Radiation harms all life forms by attacking the DNA, especially of quickly dividing cells, such as are found in fetuses and young organisms. In older creatures, it accumulates and causes cancer, heart disease and other ills. In high doses, it is lethal, either immediately or over a period of weeks, depending on the exposure. Cancer started skyrocketing in 1945, after the bombs were exploded over Fukushima and Nagasaki, and rates have continued to rise.
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