• Background radioactivity - radioactive elements in the natural environment including those in the crust of the earth (like radioactive potassium, uranium, and thorium isotopes) and those produced by cosmic rays. (cdc.gov)
  • A Cold War-era liquid-fueled reactor design could transform thorium - a radioactive waste from mining - into a practically limitless energy source. (businessinsider.com)
  • Refueling releases a huge radioactive emissions plume The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) in which heat is generated by the fission of uranium atoms is like a pressure cooker. (countercurrents.org)
  • Activation products - radionuclides that result from the absorption of neutrons by uranium, and other materials present in a nuclear reactor. (cdc.gov)
  • Taking notice of the growing military use of DU, we must consider not only the increased threats of radioactive battlefields but also the whole dirty cycle in the uranium industry connected with the DU technology and its impact on health and the environment in the surroundings of test areas and in the uranium industry itself. (ratical.org)
  • For the use of uranium as fuel in light water reactors, the percentage of the fissile uranium isotope uranium-235 has to be raised from its value of 0.71% in natural uranium to a reactor grade of 3.2% (for Boiling Water Reactors - BWRs) or 3.6% (for Pressurized Water Reactors - PWRs). (ratical.org)
  • Further health hazards result from the chemical toxicity of the uranium to the kidneys, and from the radiation of the uranium (an alpha emitter). (ratical.org)
  • Radioactive uranium contamination would become part of the 'dross' during the melting, leaving the majority of metals to be cast as ingots for future use. (wise-uranium.org)
  • The uranium 'dross' would be sent to low level radioactive disposal cells in the West. (wise-uranium.org)
  • In the aftermath of both the earthquake and tsunami, this radioactive contamination has added to the public health concerns of the island nation. (patimes.org)
  • In particular, citizens should be cognizant of environmental concerns, community health concerns, general public health concerns and personal health concerns as they relate to the hazards caused by the earthquake, tsunami and radioactive contamination. (patimes.org)
  • Dozens of nuclear reactors operate in earthquake-prone regions around the world. (sanonofre.com)
  • The earthquake exceeded the level for which the reactors had been designed, calling into question earlier seismic assessments. (sanonofre.com)
  • The worst scenario is the coolant water of the reactors are directly leaking to underground to cause sea contamination. (fukushima-diary.com)
  • In addition, there are legitimate as well as media-driven fears of radioactive contamination of food, water, dairy products (such as milk, cheese, and eggs), and freshly grown vegetables (i.e., spinach). (patimes.org)
  • The facility is safe, but the event raises concerns about safety protocols at the site and warrants additional NRC inspection as it involves a breakdown of controls designed to prevent chemical, radiological, and criticality hazards - the primary concern at U.S. fuel cycle facilities. (tmia.com)
  • This situation has changed as the German Green Party parliamentarians forced the government to provide the half hourly data of release of radionuclides by the Gundremmingen NPP -in Bavaria, during its refueling operation in September 2011. (countercurrents.org)
  • Operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) contain large volumes of radioactive gases at high pressures and temperatures. (countercurrents.org)
  • These recycled metals should only be used under control conditions at DOE sites or possibly in the construction of nuclear reactors and associated equipment at nuclear power plants,' the recommendation states. (wise-uranium.org)
  • Nuclear power plants can generate bountiful, carbon-free electricity, but their solid fuel is problematic, and aging reactors are being shut down. (businessinsider.com)
  • Many environmental hazards impact citizens such as gas leaks, floodwaters, downed power lines, wet electrical outlets, gasoline/oil spills, and hazardous debris. (patimes.org)
  • During December 2016, the world's first Generation-III pressusrized water reactor (PWR)at Kudamkulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) in India will be shut down for its second refueling. (countercurrents.org)
  • Today, they supply about 20% of America's energy, though by the 2040s, this share may drop to 10% as companies shut down decades-old reactors, according to a January 2017 report released by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). (businessinsider.com)
  • By law, nuclear plants must be able to withstand earthquakes "without functional impairment of those features necessary to shut down the reactor, maintain the station in safe condition and prevent undue risk to the health and safety of the public. (sanonofre.com)
  • This is the time when majority of the scientists and reactor personnel avail their well-deserved annual holidays. (countercurrents.org)
  • As is well known, a nuclear reactor releases radioactive gases like tritium, argon, xenon, carbon14 and iodine, regularly during normal operations, mainly through its 100 meters high stack. (countercurrents.org)
  • Anisokinetic sampling - a sampling condition that involves a mismatch between the air or \fluid velocity in the sampling probe and that in the stack releasing airborne effluents. (cdc.gov)
  • About 56 used (spent) fuel assemblies will be removed from the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) and 56 fresh assemblies will be inserted. (countercurrents.org)
  • The measured levels can be caused by a reduced amount of shielding above the still radioactive used fuel. (atomicinsights.com)
  • Called a molten-salt reactor , the technology was conceived during the Cold War and forgoes solid nuclear fuel for a liquid one, which it can "burn" with far greater efficiency than any power technology in existence. (businessinsider.com)
  • An earlier study by Dr Pugazhendi and Padmanabhan also showed significant increase of thyroid anomalies among the women in reproductive age in villages within 50 km of the reactor site. (countercurrents.org)
  • The event overwhelmed the defenses of reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi site, causing widespread damage and radioactive releases. (sanonofre.com)
  • The data of annual releases from each commercial reactor in the world are reported by the United Nations' Scientific Committee on Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) periodically. (countercurrents.org)
  • So Cal Edison is now burying 136 Chernobyl's of radioactive waste 100 feet from the ocean in thin cans. (sanonofre.com)
  • The NRC has previously issued similar licenses for away-from-reactor storage installations. (tmia.com)
  • When the reactor is depressurised and opened to refuel once a year, these gases escape creating a spiked emission and a large radioactive plume downwind of the station. (countercurrents.org)
  • This maintenance work requires moving of the cylinders, causing further hazards from breaching of corroded cylinders, and from handling errors. (ratical.org)
  • The term background is also sometimes used in this report to indicate radioactive elements present in the environment that are not a direct result of SRS activities (e.g. atmospheric weapons testing fallout, see definition for fallout ). (cdc.gov)
  • During the aftermath of a catastrophe, many survivors of the initial disaster are either killed, maimed, or severely injured due to environmental and/or public health hazards. (patimes.org)
  • Citizens must be aware of both environmental and/or public health hazards to ensure individual as well as community wellness post-disaster. (patimes.org)
  • Activity - the mean number of decays per unit time of a radioactive nuclide expressed as disintegrations per second. (cdc.gov)
  • If cylinders are involved in long-lasting fires, large amounts of UF 6 can be released within a short time. (ratical.org)
  • [ 1 ] The main challenge was adapting the existing models, whose primary focus was containing a hazardous material release, to one that reflected the chaos of a large-scale disaster involving a large number of affected individuals. (medscape.com)
  • Manhattan Project chemist Glenn Seaborg sits at the controls of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment in 1968. (businessinsider.com)
  • Nuclear reactors in the central and eastern U.S. face previously unrecognized threats from big earthquakes, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday. (sanonofre.com)
  • Alpha particle ( ionizing radiation ) - two neutrons and two protons bound as a single particle (a helium nucleus) that is emitted from the nucleus of certain radioactive isotopes in the process of disintegration. (cdc.gov)
  • Constellation says the IRA's tax credits for nuclear could boost its profits by $100 million per year and help extend the life of its reactors to 80 years. (tmia.com)
  • Any mediation relating to disputes arising under the licence shall be conducted in accordance with the mediation rules of the World Intellectual Property Organization (http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/mediation/rules). (who.int)
  • If the whole contents of a cylinder is released during a fire, lethal air concentrations of toxic substances can occur within distances of 500 to 1,000 meters. (ratical.org)
  • Citizens should be cognizant of the hazards presented by damaged gas lines including both fire and explosion. (patimes.org)