***************************************************************** 10/07/01 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 9.263 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER CONTENTS 1 An X-Rayed X-mas: Should the USPS Irradiate Your Mail? 2 Audit turns up imprecise nuclear records 3 ROUNDUP British Energy urges UK to sanction plant replacement 4 Austria not abandoning demand for closure of Czech nuclear plant 5 Austrian minister's remark on Czech nuclear plant causes stir 6 Emergency alert training at Lithuanian nuclear power plant 7 Ukrainian energy company denies reports of fire at nuclear power 8 Berkley seeks inquiry into document release 9 Russia's Nuclear Power Plants To Generate 144 Billion Kilowatt 10 Nuclear Solutions and Washington Nuclear Sign Contract 11 The Nuke Factor 12 Ukraine's Green party protests against spent nuclear fuel transportation - 13 NRC Approves Power Uprate for Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant 14 NB-Nuclear-Security, Bgt 15 WNA NEWS BRIEFING 01.45 | 31 October - 6 November 2001 16 UCI might close its nuclear reactor 17 Japan: Rupture of pipe causes steam leakage at nuclear power 18 Troubled Japanese nuclear reactor says no radioactive leakage NUCLEAR WEAPONS CONTENTS 1 CONFERENCE ON DU - PRAGUE - INVITATION - INFORMATION - DEADLINE 2 [southnews] Depleted Uranium Toxicity in Afghanistan 3 Congresswoman wants EPA Superfund cleanup of Nevada Test Site 4 Police Detain Turks Smuggling Uranium 5 Russian study says reduced combat readiness of nuclear force 6 Putin dismisses possibility of nuclear technology draining out of 7 Nuclear Scientists Map Transformed Nuclear Weapons Landscape 8 Nuclear threat is real - Bush 9 Col. Lunev Tells CBS of Nuclear Threat 10 Hanford glassification plan may be reconsidered 11 Atomic test one of largest in U. 12 A closer look: Nuclear terrorism 13 Turkish police detain suspects selling uranium - 14 Funding for OR: $2.6 billion 15 DOMESTIC SECURITY: Funds to curb nuclear arms spread being cut 16 Paducahans, pollution group meet despite DOE reschedule 17 Final Request for Proposals to Convert Weapons-Related Legacy 18 Bin Laden is looking for a nuclear weapon. How close has he come? 19 Risk of nuclear terrorism weighs heavy on Ensign 20 Leftovers From an Old War **************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POWER ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 An X-Rayed X-mas: Should the USPS Irradiate Your Mail? Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 11:00:46 -0600 (CST) Here's a much better article than the one I posted on 11/3. For additional information on food irradiation, see Food & Water's Irradiation Primer at http://www.foodandwater.org/Irrad/index.htm For more information & alerts on nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues, go to the NIRS website at http://www.nirs.org/ Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project is online at http://www.citizen.org/cmep/index.cfm ================================================ Organic Issues (organic@iatp.org) Posted: 11/06/2001 By mritchie@iatp.org ======================================================= An X-Rayed X-mas: Should the USPS Irradiate Your Mail? J.A. Savage, AlterNet November 5, 2001 http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11852 Imagine if the fruitcake Aunt Emma sends you every year is, in 2001, subjected not just to auntie's stove, but to an oven the size of a house that zaps the poor loaf at 25 kiloGrays, delivering the radioactive equivalent of 825 million chest X-rays to the X-mas cake. And you thought it tasted funky last year. In response to the current anthrax-in-the-mail scare, the federal government has bought eight such irradiation devices, with an option for 12 more, for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). At $5 million per device, they are possibly the USPS's most expensive attempt to quiet public fears about bioterrorism. But will the devices actually make the public safer? Or will irradiating our letters, bills, catalogs, mail- order do-dads and holiday presents have unintended health and environmental consequences, either in the long or short term? Unfortunately, the government isn't answering those question, or hardly any questions at all, about mail irradiation. Unable to get such information, consumer advocates and activists who cut their teeth struggling against irradiated foods have filed a number of public information requests. On Nov. 1, Public Citizen filed a Freedom of Information Act request asking for copies of scientific studies used by the USPS to prove that irradiation technology kills anthrax spores. The Nuclear Information and Research Service (NIRS), also sent a formal letter to the USPS on Nov. 2, asking for full disclosure on mail irradiation. Among their concerns, according to NIRS Project Coordinator Cindy Folkers, are what might happen if the irradiation process isn't fully effective. "If spores are not destroyed with irradiation, mutation is risked," their Nov. 2 letter pointed out. As Folkers asks, "Might you end up with something worse if you irradiate anthrax?" In a testimony to Congress at the end of October, USPS Vice President Tom Day referred to an armed forces microbiology study to support his claim that this irradiation technology kills anthrax spores, according to Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's energy project, who was at the hearing. But Hauter said the study was neither peer-reviewed in the scientific community nor published. "I just want to know how much radiation" will be used, she added. In Hauter's experience with food irradiation, a process similar to mail irradiation, objects are bombarded with about 7 kiloGrays -- the equivalent of 233 million chest X-rays. She believes the USPS machines, which use a slightly different "e-beam" technology, would deliver 25 kiloGrays. Even at that high level of irradiation, Hauter and Folkers question the devices' efficacy for killing anthrax spores. "There is not very much research out there," said Hauter, and what there is, she says, does not address the e-beam technology. What research Folkers found indicated there is scientific evidence that water must be present to have irradiation kill spores. But, she said, spores contain only 15 percent to 20 percent water, while normal cells contain about 70 percent water. "Radiation kills by breaking down water," she said. Hauter also claims that e-beams only penetrate 1.5 inches through a package, so thick materials with spores on the bottom would not be sterilized, even if the technology does work. Titan Scan, the military contractor that is selling the e-beam units to the USPS, did not return numerous calls for comment. Its major competitor, Belgium-based IBA, would not remark on whether it was negotiating with the U.S. government over selling its irradiation units. IBA did announce, however, on Oct. 23, that its e-beam technology "can kill anthrax spores." The American Postal Workers Union severely limited media interviews last week, so there's no official word on workers' choice between the dangers of anthrax inhalation or potential dangers from ionizing radiation. In the current climate of anthrax fears, it's likely that postal workers would choose the latter risk. However, if anyone may suffer from irradiation devices, it would be USPS employees. Most of the bad history with irradiation devices, including fatalities, have involved a technology that uses gamma rays as the source of irradiation, not the e-beam technology pursued by the USPS. But there are two instances of workers in e-beam food irradiation facilities losing extremities in the 1990s, according to Public Citizen, and one instance in which two cancer patients were killed when an e-beam irradiator used in cancer therapy malfunctioned. What might prove more hazardous to workers is the ozone given off by the electron beam. "The long-term effect on lungs can be deadly," noted Hauter, who added that the devices must have plenty of fresh air to minimize exposure. Like the fruitcake initially in question, ionizing radiation may alter more than its intended target -- if it's going to try to kill a tough little anthrax spore, it's going to have some effects on everything else it passes through. NIRS, in its request for information from USPS, asked for details on damage to film, computer equipment, magnetic media, scientific research materials and blood. Public Citizen, in its Freedom of Information Act request, added questions of e-beam's effect on pharmaceuticals, eyeglasses and credit cards. For certain, irradiation would make it impossible to ship certain products through the USPS. Food items would have to forfeit any "organic" labels after being zapped, which could be a major blow to the organic foods market. It is unlikely that seeds would be able to germinate after being passed through an e-beam. And in its literature, Titan admits to color changes in plastics as well as embrittlement. IBA admits there are side effects to mail, but deems them "limited" and gives no details. No one wants to be the target -- intended or unintended -- of biological warfare. But in its hurry to protect the postal system, the government may not be adequately addressing public concerns in the matter. Folkers, for one, would rather have her questions answered than finding out 20 years from now about deadly long-term consequences of irradiated mail -- and she works in Washington, D.C. "I'd rather take my chance [with anthrax]," she admits, "than the government take these measures without full disclosure." J.A. Savage is a senior correspondent for California Energy Markets newsletter. --------- "How to effectively eliminate the root cause of terrorism and war", a new video featuring Major General Singh, a 35-year career army veteran, and John Hagelin PhD, award-winning quantum physicist, speaking recently on APTV throughout the USA: See: http://www.worldpeaceendowment.org/videos/solution010918.ram [Streaming video - requires media player such as RealPlayer] See also: http://www.worldpeaceendowment.org/ [Includes peer reviewed research published in respected publications such as Journal of Conflict Resolution] "Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them." Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) ***************************************************************** 2 Audit turns up imprecise nuclear records Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 07:50:51 -0600 (CST) Audit turns up imprecise nuclear records By JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press WASHINGTON (November 6, 2001 4:40 p.m. EST) - The Energy Department and Nuclear Regulatory Commission are not keeping an accurate inventory of nuclear materials loaned out for domestic research, government investigators report. An audit by the Energy Department's inspector general between April and August found that 119 locations handling government-owned enriched uranium, plutonium and other nuclear materials had returned more to the department than had been loaned out or leased. While finding no evidence of nuclear materials being diverted or misused, the government's inaccurate records could undermine its ability to detect stolen or lost materials, said Gregory H. Friedman, the department's inspector general. The records entered into a federal electronic database run by the Energy Department and the NRC "are not logical and almost certainly incorrect," said Friedman in the Oct. 26 report, released this week. He warned that a proper inventory must be done if the government is to keep "the strictest possible control over materials that could, in the wrong hands, threaten national security." The report showed an excess of 4.2 million kilograms of depleted uranium, 1.3 million grams of enriched uranium and 2,500 grams of plutonium in the department's inventory. Some of the record-keeping problems were found as early as 1994 but the department did not try to correct them until this year, the audit says. "The department did not provide adequate oversight of the system," Friedman said in his report to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. He added that the department should not assume that the public is protected until all records have been explained and corrected. Security officials within the department also told auditors that it was "unlikely" more material had been returned than was loaned or leased, the audit says. Those officials said a more probable explanation was that the wrong ownership codes were entered into the records when the radioactive materials were transferred to another location. Other inaccuracies included records showing "a significant quantity" of plutonium existed at two facilities, despite NRC officials saying those facilities had not held plutonium for years. Officials said one facility had not housed plutonium since 1996 and the other facility likewise had no plutonium since its license had expired in 1993. To its credit, the Energy Department had accounted for all 2,500 grams of plutonium by September, five months after being notified of a problem, the audit says. Security officials believe the plutonium was washed away during decontamination and decommissioning of the facilities, the audit says, though there was no documentation at the time of the audit to show what happened to the material. The department's security and emergency operations director, Joseph S. Mahaley, said he had met with NRC officials in mid-October to begin accounting for all the loaned or leased inventories of department-owned nuclear materials. The NRC licenses the research institutions. ***************************************************************** 3 ROUNDUP British Energy urges UK to sanction plant replacement programme AFX Europe; Nov 7, 2001 LONDON (AFX) - British Energy PLC has urged the government not to turn its back on nuclear power which currently supplies 25 pct of the UK's energy needs. And, it wants ministers to sanction a plant replacement programme which would maintain current levels of production. "Nuclear power is the only large scale generation option that does not contribute to global warming whilst delivering security of energy supply," chairman Robin Jeffrey said as the company posted first half results. Weekend reports suggested the UK Government will exempt the atomic industry from a 'green' energy tax. The exemption -- to be recommended by the Government's energy review chaired by Trade and Industry Minister Brian Wilson -- will make nuclear power more competitive than coal and gas. The findings will be published on Nov 15. Also today, the company said it is very hopeful that the strike action threatened by employees over a pay dispute can be avoided. It is facing industrial action by staff after union ballots showed workers were prepared to take industrial action over this year's pay round and has accepted an offer by the conciliatory service, ACAS, to seek a solution. "We are very hopeful that, with the intervention of ACAS, this matter can be resolved to the satisfaction of both sides," chairman Robin Jeffrey told reporters on a conference call. The company is waiting for the unions to approve the involvement of ACAS before further talks can be held. Seven days' notice must be given before any industrial action takes place and the company confirmed it has not received that yet. Jeffrey confirmed that the "great majority" of its employees are involved, including skilled engineering staff. He said it was "too premature" to assess whether a strike would involve the shutdown of plants. In the six months to Sept 30, the company narrowed its seasonal pretax loss to 17 mln stg from 56 mln and said it would be paying a 2.7 pence a share dividend. The figures, which beat analysts forecasts of 20-39 mln stg pretax loss, were boosted by a first time contribution from the group's new Canadian nuclear plant, Bruce. Bruce contributed 40 mln stg to an operating profit of 72 mln stg, up from 57 mln stg the previous year. Net debts at the period end, however, increased to 880 mln stg from 714 mln and the group was bearish on its outlook. The group said, by the year-end, because of the regulatory regime, prices will have fallen around 10 pct and it said the outlook was challenging. British Energy said it does not expect any contribution from its North American operation because of planned outages at its nuclear power plants there. The figures were well-received by the market. At 1.30 pm, British Energy shares were trading at 286 pence, up 12. mps/sk World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 4 Austria not abandoning demand for closure of Czech nuclear plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 7, 2001 Vienna, 7 November: Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said today that the Austrian government had not abandoned its demand for the closure of the Temelin nuclear power plant [southern Bohemia] at its talks with the Czech Republic. "We are negotiating towards achieving the highest possible safety standards or a complete closure of Temelin," Schuessel told journalists. "However, we cannot force (the Czech Republic) not to put Temelin into operation," he added. Schuessel was reacting to criticism from the opposition and environmental organizations that the government is not seeking the closure of Temelin. Environment Minister Wilhelm Molterer's recent statement that the Czech Republic has the right to operate Temelin has recently provoked indignation of opponents of nuclear energy. Schuessel said today that the "current discussions" on Temelin were "unnecessary". Schuessel said again that Prague could not expect the closure of the "energy chapter" at its accession talks with the European Union until all the questions concerning Temelin were clarified and until it pledged to observe the safety standards. "The safety standards should be ensured in any case," Schuessel said, adding that the talks within the "Melk process" had not yet been completed. There is a joint position of the Austrian government and parliament on the question of the closure of the Czech Republic's energy chapter, he stressed... The Melk process, or Temelin's safety and environment impact assessment, was agreed upon by Schuessel and Czech Prime Minister Zeman in Melk, Austria, last December... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1129 gmt 7 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 5 Austrian minister's remark on Czech nuclear plant causes stir in government BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 7, 2001 Text of report by "sitt": "Controversy over Molterer's statements; FPOe: 'This is not the government's line'" by Austrian newspaper Die Presse on 7 November Vienna: The statement by Agriculture and Environment Minister Wilhelm Molterer in an interview for Die Presse that the Czech Republic has the sovereign right to decide on its energy sources and thus also to operate the Temelin nuclear power plant caused quite a stir on Tuesday [6 November]. Not only the opposition's environmental spokeswoman Uli Sima (Social Democratic Party of Austria) and Eva Glawischnig (Greens), but also FPOe [Freedom Party of Austria] floor leader Peter Westenthaler criticized Molterer severely. Molterer himself was surprised about the controversy because this had "always" been his line, as he stressed. According to Westenthaler, granting the Czechs the right to operate Temelin is not the government's line and even less so the FPOe's position. The opposition parties stated that Molterer stabbed the opponents to Temelin in the back. For Glawischnig, the statement was completely incomprehensible because the report on the state of the Temelin negotiations, presented to the four parties represented in parliament by Molterer listed a number of security risks. Therefore it is not possible for the Greens - contrary to Molterer - to conclude the Melk process in the next few weeks. Greenpeace spoke of a "political turn-about" on the part of Molterer. The report stated literally: "Differences of opinion continue to exist over several major security issues. From an Austrian viewpoint, the need for very specific measures (...) is evident." The danger of earthquakes in the region as well as the quality of the reactor pressure vessel and of the safety valves were among the controversial issues. Source: Die Presse, Vienna, in German 7 Nov 01 p 9 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to Copyright ***************************************************************** 6 Emergency alert training at Lithuanian nuclear power plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 7, 2001 Text of report by Lithuanian radio on 7 November [Presenter] The Ignalina nuclear power plant is getting prepared for possible accidents; the danger of natural disasters is also being discussed there. A one-day emergency alert training is taking place at the plant. During the training, an accident at the plant will be simulated. Source: Lithuanian Radio, Vilnius, in Lithuanian 1100 gmt 7 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 7 Ukrainian energy company denies reports of fire at nuclear power plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 7, 2001 Text of report by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN Kiev, 7 November: Ukraine's nuclear energy company Enerhoatom has officially dismissed reports that a fire allegedly broke out at the Khmelnytskyy nuclear power station as not fitting facts. The station's No 1 reactor is operating normally with an output of 1,000 MW, Enerhoatom's public relations department has told Interfax-Ukraine. Of Ukraine's 13 reactors, 11 are in operation today. The No 3 reactor at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power station and the No 3 at the South-Ukrainian nuclear station are under repairs. Source: UNIAN news agency, Kiev, in Ukrainian 0742 gmt 7 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 8 Berkley seeks inquiry into document release [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Wednesday, November 07, 2001 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal By STEVE TETREAULT DONREY WASHINGTON BUREAU WASHINGTON -- Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., on Tuesday asked the District of Columbia Bar to investigate an impropriety allegation against a law firm working on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project. Berkley said she is seeking an inquiry into Winston &Strawn, a Chicago-based firm that holds a $16.5 million contract to advise the Department of Energy on license preparations for a proposed spent fuel repository. Thursday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission confirmed it was checking accusations that someone in the agency gave a Winston &Strawn representative a licensing document that has not been made public. According to Nevada officials, the document later turned up with officials in the Yucca Mountain program. They said the document, which the commission was expected to make public in coming months, could give program managers an advantage in preparing a license application over the objections of the state and environmentalists who oppose the project. Berkley's letter said "premature release" of the document is a "breach of agency procedure" and is "further corrupting the licensing process for the Yucca Mountain project." Charles Connor, a Winston &Strawn attorney and spokesman, said Tuesday he had not seen the Berkley letter and wouldn't comment on it. Cynthia Kuhn, a spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C., bar, said Berkley's letter will be forwarded to the Office of Bar Counsel, which fields complaints against lawyers licensed to work in the city and conducts hearings into allegations of wrongdoing. The bar counsel has a separate conflict of interest complaint Berkley filed Oct. 12 against Winston &Strawn, Kuhn said. That complaint was based on reports that the firm had been performing work on the nuclear waste program while it was registered to lobby Congress on behalf of the Nuclear Energy Institute, which favors a Yucca Mountain repository. The Energy Department's inspector general also is investigating possible conflicts of interest by the law firm. This story is located at: http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-07-Wed-2001/news/17394312.html [http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2001/Nov-07-Wed-2001/news/17394312.html] ***************************************************************** 9 Russia's Nuclear Power Plants To Generate 144 Billion Kilowatt hours Of Electricity In 2002 Pravda.RU Nov, 05 2001 In 2002, the Russian nuclear power facilities are expected to produce 144 billion kilowatt/hours of electricity, or 7 billion more than was the target for this year, RIA Novosti was told at the press center of Rosenergoatom nuclear power concern. This year, electricity generation at nuclear facilities will also increase by 7 billion kilowatt/hours year-on-year. The Russian nuclear power sector has a great potential for further boosting the efficiency of nuclear power reactors. There is also a reserve in the utilisation rate of installed capacity of power units. The world's average indicator is 79 percent, Russia's approximately 70 percent. RIA 'Novosti' Copyright ©1999 by "Pravda.RU [http://www.pravda.ru/] ". When reproducing our ***************************************************************** 10 Nuclear Solutions and Washington Nuclear Sign Contract [Business Wire] Wednesday November 7, 9:04 am Eastern Time Press Release SOURCE: Nuclear Solutions MERIDIAN, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2001--Nuclear Solutions, Inc. (OTCBB:NSOL [http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=nsol.ob&d=t] - news) and Washington Nuclear Corporation (WNC) have signed a contract under which WNC will provide consulting services and identify market opportunities leading to demonstration, financing, and commercial deployment of NSOL's HYPERCON(TM) ADS process for transmutation of nuclear materials and generation of electricity. WNC is an international consulting and information services company. Based in suburban Washington, D.C., the company provides services to all segments of the commercial nuclear power industry and the international political arena and has clients in the United States, Asia, Australia, Canada, and Europe. ``We are excited to have WNC on board as we look to the possibilities for our technology,'' said Nuclear Solutions President Dr. Paul M. Brown. ``We are confident that WNC's international experience in the nuclear arena will position us well.'' WNC Director Eric Lindeman added, ``We believe the Nuclear Solutions technology holds tremendous promise for the safe handling of nuclear materials, particularly radioactive waste, while at the same time generating electric power.'' This press release may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements that could affect the financial condition and results of operations of the company and its subsidiaries. Further information on potential factors that could affect the financial condition, results of operations, and expansion projects of the company are included in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. NOTES TO THE EDITORS: 1. The Nuclear Solutions technology is an electron accelerator-based photodisintegration process that reduces the atomic mass of radioactive materials, thereby rendering them non-radioactive or radioactive with a short half-life. These processes involve accelerator-driven technology and photo-nuclear reactions, incorporating the most recent advances in the photo-nuclear industry. 2. The technology could be developed into new applications for remediation of nuclear waste. Industrially, it would operate at a sub-critical level, so the heat produced by the process could also be used to generate electricity in a safe and environmentally benign manner. Contact: Nuclear Solutions Dr. Paul M. Brown, 208/846-7868 Copyright © 2001 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy ***************************************************************** 11 The Nuke Factor (washingtonpost.com) Wednesday, November 7, 2001; Page A28 George Will ["The F-16 Solution," op-ed, Nov. 1] got a basic fact wrong about Israel's preemptive 1981 attack. He wrote, "Iraq was about to receive a shipment of enriched uranium for its reactor near Baghdad -- enough to build four or five Hiroshima-size bombs." Although highly enriched uranium can be used to build a bomb, Iraq received only about 25 pounds of such fuel, barely adequate for a single high-tech weapon and insufficient for a Hiroshima-style bomb. The real threat was that Iraq would operate the reactor to produce sufficient plutonium for a much bigger nuclear arsenal. But Mr. Will is correct that highly enriched uranium fuel can be diverted for nuclear weapons, which is why the United States and its allies stopped building reactors with such fuel in 1978 and have converted nearly all their reactors to low-enriched fuel unsuitable for weapons. In this light, it is remarkable that Germany recently built a research reactor near Munich that will use 800 pounds of bomb-grade uranium fuel during the next decade. Given today's terrorist threat, it is reckless in the extreme to provide such a tempting target. American officials should tell their German counterparts to cease and desist from a plan that endangers us all. ALAN J. KUPERMAN Venice, Calif. © 2001 The Washington Post Company ***************************************************************** 12 Ukraine's Green party protests against spent nuclear fuel transportation - 11/7/2001 - ENN.com Wednesday, November 07, 2001 By Associated Press KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine's Green party started to collect people's signatures across the country against spent nuclear fuel transportation from Bulgaria to Russia through Ukraine, the party's leader said. A train carrying 41 metric tons (45.1 short tons) of spent nuclear fuel from an atomic power plant in the Bulgarian town of Kozlodui is due to pass through Ukraine on its way to a Russian chemical plant. The Green party is especially alarmed by the lack of information about the transportation route and the nuclear fuel containers' quality, said party leader Vitaliy Kononov, according to the Interfax news agency. Ukraine was the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986, when a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded and caught fire, sending a radioactive cloud over much of Europe. Nuclear safety issues remain sensitive in the country. "Does a country, which went through the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, need alien nuclear waste to be taken across its territory?" Kononov said. He said parliament should cancel Ukraine's participation in the 1997 accord signed with Bulgaria, Russia, and Moldova that authorizes such shipments. Kononov spoke a week after a group of Russian and Ukrainian environmental organizations appealed to Ukraine's parliament and President Leonid Kuchma to stop the shipment. Russia has long imported spent nuclear fuel rods from Ukraine, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Hungary for reprocessing under a Soviet-era system, but a 1992 law prohibits the practice from being expanded. Earlier this summer, a new law overturned that ban, raising fears among environment protection activists that Russia could be turned into a nuclear dump. Proponents of the plan maintain it is safe and say it could earn the country US$20 billion over the next decade that could be spent on environment clean-up efforts. Copyright 2001, Associated Press ***************************************************************** 13 NRC Approves Power Uprate for Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant Press Release - 2001 - 127 - U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-001 E-mail: [opa@nrc.gov] Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov No. 01-127 November 7, 2001 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a request by Nuclear Management Company to increase the generating capacity of the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant by about 15.3 percent, or 80 megawatts. The power uprate at the plant, near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will increase the generating capacity of the reactor to about 600 megawatts of electricity. The facility intends to implement the power increase immediately. The application for the increase in power was submitted to the NRC on November 16, 2000. The NRC's safety evaluation of the requested power uprate for the plant focused on several areas, including nuclear steam supply systems, instrumentation and control systems, electrical systems, accident evaluations, radiological consequences, operations and technical specification changes. The NRC staff determined that the licensee could safely increase the power output of the reactor with replacement of the main transformer and other modifications to plant equipment. ***************************************************************** 14 NB-Nuclear-Security, Bgt NB nuclear plant could bristle with missiles as tighter security considered CHRIS MORRIS FREDERICTON (CP) - While New Brunswick officials are downplaying the threat, there's a possibility the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant could soon bristle with surface-to-air missiles as a precaution against airborne terrorist attacks. Major security enhancements at all Canadian nuclear facilities are under consideration by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the Department of National Defence, and Transport Canada. An armed military presence capable of enforcing no-fly zones is one possibility. "Everything is on the table, including this business with missiles," said Jim Leveque, a spokesman for the safety commission, the federal agency that oversees nuclear safety. Other countries already have high-security measures in place as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, including France which has surface-to-air missiles guarding one of its nuclear facilities. Rod White, spokesman for nuclear operations at NB Power, that owns and operates the Lepreau station in southern New Brunswick, said the plant will comply with all security directives from the safety commission. But White said there have been no specific threats against Lepreau, Atlantic Canada's only nuclear power plant. He said the station, situated on the shore of the Bay of Fundy, is fairly isolated. "It's in a remote location, it's not in highly populated area and it's probably not as exposed in terms of a credible threat as other areas might be," he said. Nevertheless, like most nuclear reactors in Canada, Lepreau is close to the border with the United States. Critics of Canada's nuclear power industry complain not enough is being done to safeguard nuclear facilities. At least two industry watchdogs, Energy Probe and the Sierra Club of Canada, have called on government regulators to shut down all of Canada's 22 reactors until a system is in place to protect them from both ground and air attacks. Tom Adams, of Energy Probe, said his organization has made that recommendation to the New Brunswick government. He said power demands are fairly low at this time of year, so Lepreau's energy wouldn't be missed. "Nuclear power plants are the ultimate environmental terror weapon because of the inventory of toxicity that's on hand," Adams said. Dave Martin, a nuclear policy analyst with the Sierra Club, said Canadians are in denial about the possibility of a terrorist strike at home. "There's a very bad attitude in Canada that it can't happen here," Martin said. "Well it can happen here." Martin said the risk of a nuclear attack is greater in Ontario than in New Brunswick or Quebec because Ontario's multi-reactor stations are much larger targets and are situated near populated areas. He said the Pickering plant is closer to more people than any other nuclear plant in the world. "The risk is much greater. A terrorist could get a bigger bang for the buck out of Ontario's multi-unit nuclear stations." Last week, the Ontario government announced a $4.5-million new rapid-response unit of the provincial police to be specially equipped to combat terrorist threats and protect nuclear and water treatment facilities. Adams said both the Pickering and Lepreau stations have the security disadvantage of being well-known internationally. He said the plants have been showcase models in Canada's efforts to market the Candu reactor around the world. "We've had literally thousands of nuclear technicians from all over the world traipsing through those nuclear stations, studying them in detail, comparing notes and taking away technical drawings," Adams said. "The dispersion of knowledge about these stations represents an intelligence challenge for Canada." Federal Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale recently said Ottawa is considering putting soldiers, armed with ground-to-air weapons, at nuclear facilities. His comments followed warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency that an act of nuclear terrorism is now far more likely due to the Sept. 11 attacks. Martin said military protection is probably the only solution. "It's not good enough to put a no-fly zone around these facilities," he said. "That's a rather meaningless gesture." © The Canadian Press, 2001 ***************************************************************** 15 WNA NEWS BRIEFING 01.45 | 31 October - 6 November 2001 A weekly summary of international news relevant to the nuclear energy industry. [NB01.45-1] The ruthlessness of the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September make it 'far more likely' that terrorists could target nuclear facilities, nuclear material and radioactive sources worldwide, according to Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). While the structural resistance of reactors in particular and the level of security at nuclear facilities is generally considered to be very high, security of medical and industrial radiation sources is disturbingly weak in some countries. 'Loose nuclear material in any country is a potential threat to the entire world', ElBaradei said. (IAEA, 1 November) John Ritch, director general of the World Nuclear Association (WNA), speaking at the IAEA conference on nuclear safeguards and terrorism, said the 'impetus toward nuclear power' is likely to be strengthened following the terrorist attacks in the US due to the need for energy security. He called for the nuclear industry to identify and correct aspects of the fuel cycle that may be 'vulnerable to extreme and malicious acts'. The full texts of the IAEA press release and Ritch's presentation are available on the WNA website. (NucNet News, 329/01, 5 November; see also News Briefing 01.39-1) [NB01.45-2] US: A temporary ban on private aircraft flying within a radius of 10 nautical miles and below 18 000 feet of 86 sensitive nuclear sites was imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The move followed a security alert issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). (FAA, 30 October) Other countries have also introduced such measures. The UK government has imposed a no-fly zone over the country's nuclear power plants. Aircraft must not fly below 2000 feet within two miles of the centre of a site. (Daily Telegraph, 5 November, p32; see also News Briefing 01.43-9). [NB01.45-3] The US House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee approved a 15-year extension of the Price-Anderson Act, which would extend it to 2017. The legislation limits the liability of nuclear power plant owners for damage associated with nuclear accidents. The Energy and Commerce Commission also voted to add a provision to the Act that aims to strengthen security at nuclear plants in the US. The provision would require the President rather than the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to direct a study to determine how to best protect nuclear reactors against infiltration by terrorists. See WNA information paper on 'Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage' for further details of the Price-Anderson Act - http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf67.htm. (Ux Weekly, 5 November, p5; Nuclear Market Review, 2 November, p2; Reuters, 31 October; see also News Briefing 01.41-2) [NB01.45-4] US: A consortium of utilities and other business partners are seeking support for the licensing of a new uranium enrichment plant in the US. In a letter to President Bush, Exelon Corp and Duke Energy Corp stated they are 'actively seeking to deploy proven and competitive enrichment technology' in the US. The group aims to file an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in early 2002 for the construction of a new enrichment plant. The letter also argues that USEC Inc should not be permitted to continue as an exclusive executive agent under the US-Russian HEU agreement. (Ux Weekly, 5 November, p1; FreshFUEL, 5 November, p2; Nuclear Market Review, 31 October, p3; see also News Briefing 01.41-5) [NB01.45-5] Canada: The operating licences for Cameco Corp's Rabbit Lake, McArthur River and Key Lake uranium operations have been renewed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The operating licence for Rabbit Lake was renewed until 31 October 2003, while those for McArthur River and Key Lake were extended until 28 February 2004. (FreshFUEL, 5 November, p5; see also News Briefings 97.34-1 and 99.46-2) [NB01.45-6] A proposed joint venture between Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to mine and produce uranium from the Zechnoye deposit in Kazakhstan has been put on hold. The plans, originally negotiated by Russia's former Minister of Atomic Energy, Yevgeny Adamov, are now being reviewed by his replacement, Alexander Rumyantsev. (Ux Weekly, 5 November, p3; see also News Briefing 00.42-7) [NB01.45-7] UK: An agreement to assess the feasibility of CANDU reactor technology as a potential nuclear power plant option in the UK has been signed by British Energy (BE) and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL). Under the agreement, which will run for one year, BE and AECL will: prepare a case including CANDU as an option for new plants in the UK; assess the technical suitability of CANDU reactors on existing sites; prepare a business model addressing issues such as launch costs, economics, risk sharing and government support; and document key factors associated with CANDU use and recommend an implementation strategy. (AECL, 2 November; see also News Briefing 01.43-1) [NB01.45-8] Canada: Approval for the restart of Ontario Power Generation's (OPG's) Pickering A nuclear power plant has been given by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) following public hearings. Conditions stipulate that OPG must obtain the approval of CNSC staff before restarting each of the plant's four reactors and before each increase in reactor power. (NucNet News, 332/01, 6 November; Nuclear Canada, 5 November, p1; see also News Briefing 01.35-7) [NB01.45-9] US: A new world record for the continuous operation of a boiling water reactor (BWR) has been set by Carolina Light & Power's Brunswick-1. The 815MWe reactor broke the previous record, set in 1996 by Brunswick-2, of 581 consecutive days on 27 October. Brunswick-1 is scheduled for a refuelling outage in spring of 2002. (Progress Energy, 29 October; see also News Briefing 98-04.14) [NB01.45-10] Slovakia: The operating licence for the 408 MWe Bohunice-2 VVER reactor has been renewed for 10 years by the Nuclear Regulatory Office of the Slovak Republic. The reactor will be decommissioned in 2008. (FreshFUEL, 5 November, p5; see also News Briefing 01.36-4) [NB01.45-11] Japan: The governor of Fukui prefecture, Yukio Kurita, has been urged by Hirobumi Kono, director general of the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy to support the construction of two new 1530 MWe nuclear power reactors in the prefecture. Japan Atomic Power Co hopes to build the new advanced PWR reactors at its Tsuruga plant and bring them online by 2010. (Ux Weekly, 5 November, p6; Asia Pulse, 5 November; see also News Briefing 00.09-2) [NB01.45-12] Germany: The unused mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility at Hanau will be decommissioned, Siemens Power Generation has confirmed. The company had planned to export equipment from the plant for use in a new MOX plant in Russia, but has decided the project is 'no longer feasible' in the 'current political situation'. (NucNet Background, 20/01, 2 November; see also News Briefing 01.37-16) [NB01.45-13] US: A report from the Department of Energy (DOE), expected to released shortly, is likely to recommend that the majority of a surplus of off-spec high-enriched uranium (HEU) is converted into reactor fuel. If the DOE adopts the recommendations, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) could receive more than the 33 tonnes of off-spec HEU it is already handling for the DOE. (Nuclear Fuel, 29 October, p1; see also News Briefing 99.10-3) [NB01.45-14] Europe: The unauthorised publication of parts of a study into the La Hague and Sellafield reprocessing plants has been criticised by the Scientific and Technological Options Assessment (STOA) panel of the European Parliament. 'Subjective leaking' of parts of the study by anti-plutonium consultants WISE-Paris, who prepared the report for STOA under contract, was said to lead to the 'misrepresentation' of a decision on the issue. The report said European reprocessing plants discharge the radioactivity equivalent of a large nuclear plant accident each year. (NucNet News, 325/01, 31 October; Nuclear Fuel, 29 October, p13) [NB01.45-15] Sweden: The go-ahead for in-depth studies at three potential sites for a spent fuel repository has been given by the government. The environment ministry said that site investigations could be pursued at Oskarshamn, Tierp and Osthammar, as outlined in proposals presented in 2000 by the Swedish nuclear fuel and waste management company, SKB. The company must now receive approval from each of the municipalities for such investigations to be conducted within the three areas. SKB hopes to make a final site proposal by around 2007. (NucNet News, 328/01, 1 November; see also News Briefing 00.47-12) [NB01.45-16] US: Congress has set 28 February 2002 as the deadline for recommending the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste (HLW) repository site. The Department of Energy (DOE) has been ordered to complete an environmental impact study and submit a site recommendation on whether the area is suitable for housing 77 000 tonnes of radioactive waste. In its recently passed budget, Congress allocated US$375 million for the project. (SpentFUEL, 5 November, p1; Nuclear Market Review, 2 November, p2; see also News Briefing 01.44-9) [NB01.45-17] Russia: Commercial operation of the third furnace for radioactive waste vitrification at the Mayak site has started, the Russian atomic energy ministry (Minatom) announced. (NucNet News, 330/01, 5 November; see also News Briefing 01.34-13) [NB01.45-18] As the COP7 climate change negotiations continue in Marrakech, the European Commission has asked the 15 member states of the European Union (EU) for a ratification date of 14 June 2002 for the Kyoto Protocol, and has put forward proposals on how reductions in greenhouse gases can be achieved. (Nature, 1 November, p8) Japan has decided to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, according to unconfirmed reports. The Kyodo news agency, citing Japanese government sources, said ministers would ratify the treaty even in the face of continuing US opposition. (BBC News Online, 5 November; see also News Briefings 01.44-2 and 01.28-2) Previous News Briefing NB01.44 ***************************************************************** 16 UCI might close its nuclear reactor Orange County Register - Local The device, which has studied Martian meteorites and Kennedy assassination bullets, has seen declining use. November 7, 2001 By GARY ROBBINS The Orange County Register The University of California, Irvine, is considering closing its historic nuclear reactor, which has been used to study everything from bullets involved in the assassination of President Kennedy to the nature of lunar rocks and the type of marble found in a famous Greco-Roman statue. Campus officials say the fate of the 250-kilowatt fission reactor is in doubt because fewer people are studying radiochemistry, a field that uses radioactive material to study chemical reactions and identify materials. There also is declining national interest in nuclear engineering because the country is not building new nuclear-power plants. UCI's reactor operated only 98 hours during the fiscal year that ended June 30. That's less than a third of the hours the reactor typically logged throughout the 1970s. The decline reflects a nationwide trend. There are only 28 university reactors in the United States, fewer than half the number that existed in the late 1960s. UCI is the only UC campus in Southern California that operates one of the facilities. The 32- year-old reactor is so good that researchers from other campuses often have used it. "If we could find a couple of faculty members to build a research group around the reactor, it'd probably be worth keeping it in operation. But so far, we don't have any likely candidates," said F. Sherwood Rowland, a UCI chemist and Nobel laureate. The recent terrorist attacks have hastened discussions about the future of the reactor, campus officials say. But the facility's possible closure stems primarily from a lack of use by faculty. The reactor produces neutrons that are used to bombard unknown chemical substances. This causes atoms within the substances to become radioactive. A spectrometer is then used to identify the substances. UCI commissioned the reactor in 1969 to support Rowland's basic research into the nature of atoms. A couple of years later, Rowland and UCI chemist Vince Guinn irradiated tissue from very old and new tuna and a swordfish, to measure concentrations of mercury. The study found virtually no difference in concentrations, disproving claims by environmentalists that the fish were absorbing increasing amounts of the toxic chemical. Guinn also used the reactor in a series of high-profile forensic studies. His work included studying the so-called "magic bullet" that passed through the bodies of President John F. Kennedy and Texas Gov. John Connelly when Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated the president in 1963. The research showed that the bullet lost only 1 percent of its lead, despite hitting two people. Until then, many people thought such small degradation was not possible. The chemist also examined fragments of a second bullet, the one that killed the president. Guinn later used the reactor to prove a bullet fired by a SWAT team member killed Donald DeFreeze, leader of the Symbionese Liberation Army, a radical group that engaged in a shootout with Los Angeles police. Some SLA supporters had claimed DeFreeze committed suicide before police shot him. During the 1970s, the reactor was used to analyze rock samples brought back from the moon by Apollo astronauts. And UCI chemist George Miller, who has operated the facility since it opened, used the reactor to show that a marble head that had been broken off a statue likely belonged atop the famous Greco-Roman statue Crouching Aphrodite. News of the reactor's possible closure bothered John Wasson, a renowned University of California, Los Angeles, geochemist who has regularly used it to study Martian meteorites and other cosmic material. Losing the reactor "would reduce the quality of our research," Wasson said. "We wouldn't be able to get irradiated samples as quickly as we need them." UCI hasn't announced a timetable for deciding whether it will close the reactor. Shutting the facility would be expensive. Campus officials estimate that it would cost about $1 million to decommission the reactor, which involves dismantling the device, neutralizing radioactive elements and returning uranium 235 fuel to the federal government. "The reactor would probably be operational for a year or two, because decommissioning takes time," said Miller, who said he is somewhat saddened by the prospect. "I helped install it in the '60s, I've run it since then, and I may now see the decommissioning of equipment that's provided a lot of opportunity to a lot of people." Register news researcher Pam Eisenberg contributed to this report. The Orange County Register ocregister@link.freedom.com--> ***************************************************************** 17 Japan: Rupture of pipe causes steam leakage at nuclear power plant BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 7, 2001 Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Shizuoka, Japan, 8 November [local time]: A small amount of radioactive material was detected in steam that leaked from a pressure injection system of a nuclear power reactor in Hamaoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, caused by a rupture in a pipe, Chubu Electric Power Co said Wednesday [7 November] night. Radioactive material was detected at the No 1 reactor unit of Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant, the Nagoya-based power utility company said. The high-pressure injection system, designed to cool the reactor core in an emergency, stopped operating at around 5 p.m. during a test run, after fire alarms in the building went off, Chubu Electric said. No fire was reported at the site, but the fire alarms may have been activated by the steam, local government officials said. The plant operator began a manual shutdown of the reactor so as to pinpoint the cause of the trouble, the company said. The No 1 unit houses a boiling water reactor capable of generating a maximum 540,000 kilowatts of electricity. Source: Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 1506 gmt 7 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 18 Troubled Japanese nuclear reactor says no radioactive leakage BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 7, 2001 Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Shizuoka, Japan, 7 November: A pressure injection system of a nuclear power reactor in the town of Hamaoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, stopped operating Wednesday [7 November] afternoon during a test run, after fire alarms in the building went off, Chubu Electric Power Co said. There was no leakage of radioactivity from the No 1 reactor unit of Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant, the Nagoya-based power utility company said. The high-pressure injection system, designed to cool the reactor core in an emergency, shut down at around 5 p.m. [all times local], according to Chubu Electric. No fire was reported at the site, but it is possible steam containing radioactive material could be leaking within the facility accommodating the reactor. Steam may have activated the fire alarms, according to local government officials. The plant operator began a manual shutdown of the reactor at around 6.20 p.m. so as to pinpoint the cause of the trouble, Chubu Electric said. The No 1 unit houses a boiling water reactor capable of generating a maximum 540,000 kilowatts of electricity. Source: Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 1141 gmt 7 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARTICLES ***************************************************************** 1 CONFERENCE ON DU - PRAGUE - INVITATION - INFORMATION - DEADLINE Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 16:19:21 -0600 (CST) Res publica, association for information Prague, Czech Republic Facts on Depleted Uranium On 24th and 25th November 2001 We are sending you last information and official invitation to the conference dedicated to the problems of Depleted Uranium. A) WHERE IT WILL TAKE PLACE Conference Facts on depleted Uranium is to take place in the rooms of Technicians Club (Klub techniku), Novotnho lvka 5, Prague 1, several meters from the Charles bridge B) CONFERENCE TIMES SCHEDULE Conference is to proceed according to the following time schedule Saturday 10.00 am presentation, information of accommodation, from 10.30 am a brief seeing of the Old City will be arranged in case of your interest 12.00 lunches 13.00 pm conference opening 13.15 - 18.00 pm contributions of participants and following discussions 16.15 coffee break 18.00 closing the first day, 18.30 pm dinner, r, possibility of social meeting, sightseeing Prague, in case of cultural program interest Sunday 10.00 am opening of the second day of the conference, continuation of participants presentations and discussion 14.30 pm topics, appreciations and conclusions of the conference 15.30 lunch C) TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION This conference organizer will provide free of charget accommodation to participants from 24th to 25th November, in extraordinary cases from time reasons of the travel it is possible to book the accommodation from 23rd November. Participants of the Conference are expected to cover their own travel expenses. We beg you to send the application form and information on your arrival and departure, so that we would be able to organize you receival in Prague and accommodation. D) PARTICIPATION In this moment there are about 30 participants registered from abroad and we take into account the participation of about 10 persons from the Czech Republic. We anticipate still more registrations. E) CONTRIBUTIONS The conference is being conducted in English language. The scope of the contribution will take about 20 minutes. We would appreciate if the contribution would be sent to us prior the conference opening or handed over to us at the presentation before the conference opening. We would like to hand over all contributions still in this form to participants at this conference. F) SUMMARY CONFERENCE VOLUME Considering the facts that some of the participants have already notified their discussion contributions, eventually their themes or even sent already theses of contributions, we are already now firmly decided that the conference results are to be published in the form of a conference summary volume. Each of the attendants will receive for their needs gratis ten copies. As we have given in the first information, the conference results will be handed over also to the president Vaclav Havel. G) EMERGENCY CALL In case of emergency call no. +420+2+83850402 or +420+0723570859 (GSM) - Mr. Stanislav Patejdl. Reply slip I would like to participate in the Conference Facts on Depleted Uranium, Prague, Czech Republic, November 24.-25. 2001 Name .......................... Surname .......................... Date of birth Sex (man, woman) Address (City, State) .......................... E-mail.............. Web site.............. Arrival .......................... Departure .......................... I would like to submit a paper on.......................................... Deadline for registration: November 14, 2001 Please complete this slip and return it to the Res publica, association for information, Prague, Czech Republic: du@publica.cz, post@publica.cz Invitation Res publica, association for information and partners are organising an international conference on the theme FACTS ON DEPLETED URANIUM 24th and 25th November 2001 Prague - Czech Republic Novotniho lavka 5, Praha 1 Klub techniky (Technicians Club) Saturday 24th November 10.00 am presentation, accommodation, touring the Old City of Prague, 12.00 lunches 13.00 pm conference opening - Prof Jiri Matousek from the Institute of Environmental Chemistry and Technology Faculty of Chemistry, Brno University of Technology from the Czech Republic, expert moderator at this Conference 13.15 - 18.00 pm coming up of conference participants in the discussion to individual appearances 18.30 pm dinner, afterwards the possibility of seeing the city, a visit to cultural program Sunday 25th November 10.00 am opening of the second day of the conference, appearances of participants and continuations of the discussion 14.30 pm topics, appreciations and conclusions of the conference 15.30 lunch By means of this conference we endeavour to contribute to an expert appreciation of the problem of the depleted uranium deployment. This necessity was pointed out by the Czech president V. Havel in his answer to letter of vice-chairman of the Res publica PhDr Jiri Horak, who directed the attention to the problematic nature in using arms with DU. Consequently all contributions presented at this conference will be provided to Mr. Vaclav Havel. We believe that also you by your participation and contribution delivered at this conference will help to meet its purpose, to judge expertly the not negligible problem of depleted uranium deployment. We are looking forward to meet you. Stanislav Kliment Association chairman Jiri Horak, Ph. D. Association vice-chairman Reply slip I would like to participate in the Conference Facts on Depleted Uranium, Prague, Czech Republic, November 24.-25. 2001 Name .......................... Surname .......................... Date of birth Sex (man, woman) Address (City, State) .......................... E-mail.............. Web site.............. Arrival .......................... Departure .......................... I would like to submit a paper on.......................................... Deadline for registration: November 14, 2001 Please complete this slip and return it to the Res publica, association for information, Prague, Czech Republic: du@publica.cz, post@publica.cz ***************************************************************** 2 [southnews] Depleted Uranium Toxicity in Afghanistan Date: Tue, 6 Nov 2001 22:46:04 -0600 (CST) Depleted Uranium Toxicity in Afghanistan by Richard S. Ehrlich http://www.zolatimes.com/V5.44/afghan_uranium.html ISLAMABAD, Pakistan American warplanes are attacking Afghanistan with depleted uranium weapons which could poison combatants and civilians, especially children, according to U.S. officials. The possibility of radioactive dust storms sweeping across Afghanistan and polluting rivers has meanwhile sparked fears in Pakistan. "The radioactive dust released by the impact of these weapons can easily get into the food chain and the water supply through the Kabul River in Afghanistan and thus into Pakistan's Indus [River]," reported Dawn newspaper. "There are simply no contingency measures to brace people against such a disastrous humanitarian fallout," Dawn added. The narrow Kabul River cuts through the center of the heavily bombed, mile-high Afghan capital and provides drinking water for the people who dwell there. After meandering east along the highway past Jalalabad and other U.S. bomb targets, the Kabul River crosses into Pakistan and feeds the Indus River, the country's biggest waterway. The Indus provides much of the liquid nourishment to Pakistan's farms and people along its route south to the Arabian Sea. Pakistani Dr. Ali Rind warned Dawn's readers: "All flying bombs Tomahawk, JDAM etc. are made of depleted uranium metal." Many experts insist the dangers of depleted uranium are often exaggerated. Dr. Michael H. Repacholi of the World Health Organization, however, said in a January report: "DU [deleted uranium] is released from fired weapons in the form of small particles that may be inhaled, ingested or remain in the environment." Dr. Repacholi said, "For smaller particles, a larger fraction will deposit in the lungs, where they may remain for months or years, unless they dissolve. Very small amounts may be retained in the lymphatic system for longer." He added, "Breathing ultra-fine particles could lead to a theoretical risk of cancer. "In arid regions, most DU remains on the surface as dust. It is dispersed in [non-arid] soil more easily, particularly in the areas of higher rainfall." Dr. Repacholi stressed, "Children rather than adults may be considered to be more at risk of DU exposure when returning to normal activities within a war zone through contaminated food and water, since typical hand-to-mouth activity of inquisitive play could lead to high DU ingestion from contaminated soil." Depleted uranium is "used in several types of munitions, but primarily in two types: it's used in 120-millimeter tank rounds and it's used in 30-millimeter rounds fired by the A-10," Defense Department spokesperson Kenneth H. Bacon told a newsconference in January. The dreaded A-10 "Wart Hog" is a so-called a "tank killing" aircraft. Every 30-millimeter round it fires has a 0.3-kilogram, depleted uranium "penetrator" to bust through armor, according to military reports. Depleted uranium is "primarily for anti-armor, and those are its main uses," Mr. Bacon said. "We obviously put out instructions about avoiding depleted uranium dust," he added. "Troops are instructed to wear masks if they're around what they consider to be atomized or particle-ized depleted uranium that is if rounds have struck tanks, there could be depleted uranium dust around. "So if they were working around an [enemy] tank that had been disabled by a depleted uranium round, they would be instructed to wear some sort of mask to prevent breathing in particles," Mr. Bacon said. "All our studies show that in cases where there is dust, it [depleted uranium] is washed away and nullified by the first heavy rain. "But there aren't a lot of heavy rains in the desert, so obviously, when we were advising our soldiers how to deal with depleted uranium damage, or damaged vehicles in the desert, we were careful to point out that they should wear masks." Depleted uranium is described as uranium that is 40 percent less radioactive than natural uranium, though it retains identical chemical properties. Natural uranium is found in everyday air, water and soil and, as a result, is also in each person's body. Depleted uranium, however, has a half-life of 4.5 billion years. In 1998, the Pentagon noted: "Depleted uranium is the most effective material for [military] uses because of its high density and the metallic properties that allow it to 'self-sharpen' as it penetrates armor. "Armor containing depleted uranium is very effective at blunting anti-tank weapons," the Pentagon added. "The major health concerns about DU relate to its chemical properties as a heavy metal rather than to its radioactivity, which is very low." Shrapnel from a depleted uranium weapon's explosion can pepper a victim's body much like a shotgun blast. If the shrapnel remains embedded in a person, then the radiation "isn't eliminated," an expert said at a Defense Department briefing. "By accumulation, is the [radioactive] dose increasing with time? Yes, it is," the expert added. Dr. Ross Anthony, from the Rand Corporation, told the Defense Department briefing, "The kidney is the part that is the most susceptible." In experiments with animals, however, "there seem to be no real highly negative effects until you get a very, very high dose," Dr. Anthony said. In 1999, Steve Fetter and Frank von Hippel wrote in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: "Radiation doses for soldiers with embedded fragments of depleted uranium may be troublesome. "Apart from radiation, however, the risks related to the heavy-metal toxicity of uranium inhaled and ingested by soldiers in direct and unprotected contact with vehicles struck with DU munitions could be significant. "Primarily at risk are those who were in vehicles when they were struck, or their rescuers, as well as those who worked for extended periods in cleanup efforts inside the vehicles without adequate respiratory protection," they added. "Very prolonged exposure to high concentrations of depleted uranium is required to give radiation doses significantly above [normal] background" levels. "Pieces and particles of depleted uranium lying about would be sources of most of the external radiation dose, which would come primarily from penetrating gamma rays. "Inhalation of DU-contaminated dust either directly or after resuspension [in the air] would be the source of most of the internal dose, which would be primarily from very short-range alpha particles." Referring to desert dust storms, the bulletin said, "The ground the DU-contaminated plumes passed over would be coated with a thin layer of DU dust, some of which would be later kicked up by wind and human activity. "The munitions could deposit a layer of [depleted uranium] dust on crops that could be eaten directly by humans or by animals later consumed by humans. "However, rough estimates suggest that the cancer risk from consumption of contaminated produce would be less than from inhalation." As a result of the U.S.-Gulf War, "the number of Iraqi soldiers with embedded DU fragments could be in the thousands," the bulletin said. "Natural curiosity may also lead children and other passersby to investigate the interiors of destroyed tanks and other vehicles...which would subject them to danger from DU dust," it warned. "Such vehicles should be made inaccessible, perhaps by being buried and then pumped full of concrete." Critics have expressed concern over depleted uranium contamination on battlefields which do not receive environmental clean-ups. Some critics claimed birth defects among babies born in Iraq after the Gulf War including headless victims and others with deformed limbs may be linked to the U.S. use of depleted uranium. ----------------------------------------- Richard S. Ehrlich lives in Bangkok, Thailand. His web page is located at http://members.tripod.com/ehrlich, and he may be reached by email at animists@yahoo.com. from The Laissez Faire City Times, Vol 5, No 44, October 29, 2001 -------------------------------------- Interactive Forum Depleted Uranium Toxicity in Afghanistan ---------- DEPLETED URANIUM: Contamination Found In Four Yugoslav Sites U.N. experts have discovered depleted uranium contamination in four of six Yugoslav sites targeted during the 1999 Kosovo conflict by weapons containing the material, the U.N. Environment Program said Sunday. Wrapping up a weeklong visit to Serbia and Montenegro, a UNEP team said that, despite its report, there is no widespread contamination. "The work that has been carried out by the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and of Montenegro to avoid any environmental or health risks at the targeted areas has been very professional," said Pekka Haavisto, chairman of the assessment team. "The areas are clearly posted, there are fences to limit public access and decontamination has already been done in most of the areas" (UNEP release, Nov. 4). The team, which included specialists from Greece, Italy, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency, took more than 200 air, water, soil and bioindicator samples, UNEP said. The team also visited the Vinca laboratory near Belgrade, where previously removed depleted uranium material is stored, taking samples from a military vehicle hit by the ammunition U.N. First Committee Calls On Annan To Compile U.N., Other Views The U.N. General Assembly's First Committee, which handles disarmament and international security, yesterday narrowly approved a resolution calling on U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to compile the views of U.N. members and international organizations on the health and environmental effects of depleted uranium. The report will be delivered to the General Assembly next year. The resolution passed by a vote of 49-45 with 39 abstentions. The United States, the United Kingdom and France voted against the resolution. Iraqi representative Matook Matook spoke for the resolution, saying depleted uranium is a kind of nuclear weapon and has caused blood cancers and other dangerous diseases. Depleted uranium emits radioactive material into the soil and lasts millions of years, he said. The European Parliament has issued a resolution about the growing concern over depleted uranium, Matook said, and the use of depleted uranium must be eliminated. The committee's U.S. representative said the IAEA and the World Health Organization have concluded that depleted uranium has no noticeable effect on human beings or the environment, adding that the resolution's implication that depleted uranium weapons are weapons of mass destruction should not be taken seriously [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: southnews-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 3 Congresswoman wants EPA Superfund cleanup of Nevada Test Site RGJ.com - ASSOCIATED PRESS Wednesday November 7th, 2001 LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada’s congresswoman is calling for the federal Environmental Protection Agency to designate the Nevada Test Site as a Superfund cleanup site. “The conditions at the Nevada Test Site present an immediate threat to the local communities and state of Nevada, warranting immediate action,” Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Las Vegas, said in a letter Monday to EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman. In a similar letter to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, Berkley urged him to delay a pending recommendation to President Bush about whether to entomb the nation’s nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain — on the edge of the vast test site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Berkley referred to 35 years of nuclear testing during which more than 900 devices were detonated. She said 260 below-ground detonations were close enough to the water table to produce some of the nation’s most-contaminated groundwater. “The people of Nevada have long suffered from the legacy of those nuclear tests,” she said. “We owe it to them to move quickly and clean up this groundwater problem.” Government scientists have put the cost of cleaning up groundwater tainted by underground atomic detonations in the trillions of dollars and say it would needlessly put workers at risk. Abraham is expected to recommend within weeks whether the nation’s commercial, industrial and military radioactive waste should be moved to Nevada for permanent storage. Berkley asked Whitman whether the Yucca Mountain project would be halted if contamination from the test site and a high-level nuclear waste repository in the mountain violated the EPA radiation safety standard. Berkley asked Abraham to commission a study of how and when contamination from previous underground testing will affect groundwater at Yucca Mountain. Government scientists estimate that roughly 130 million curies — a unit of radioactivity — were in the test site’s groundwater in 1994. Most was tritium, an isotope that will decay to insignificant levels after 1,000 years. Earlier this year, the EPA set a 4 millirem per year standard for groundwater radiation around Yucca Mountain over a 10,000-year regulatory period. A chest X-ray exposes a person to about 5 millirem of radiation. Berkley said the chance that groundwater radiation from the Nevada Test Site might contaminate groundwater beneath Yucca Mountain had been overlooked in Yucca Mountain studies. Energy Department spokesman Joe Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the department received Berkley’s letter and will respond. A 1997 analysis by researchers for the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the test site, put the cost of cleanup at $7.2 trillion. It said open pit mining of the test cavities, the most effective method, would pose a health risk to workers. Bob Bangerter, the nuclear safety administration project manager, said the 1997 study showed a cleanup worker would receive in one hour the maximum exposure level that safety regulations allow for a year. Monitoring the test site’s contamination, he said, is projected to cost $1.5 billion from 2030 to 2130. The monitoring effort, which began in 1989, will cost more than $700 million through 2030. Berkley said the projected costs for cleanup and monitoring strengthens her case for dealing with the problem now. She said coupling the current potential for a nuclear accident with a proposal to store 77,000 tons of toxic nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain yields a “potential monumental environmental disaster.” Designation as a Superfund site would place the test site among the most contaminated locations in the nation and would make cleanup a higher priority. © Reno Gazette-Journal ***************************************************************** 4 Police Detain Turks Smuggling Uranium Las Vegas SUN November 06, 2001 ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Undercover police arrested an ambulance driver and his friend in a sting operation as they tried to sell agents uranium smuggled from the former Soviet Union, the Turkish news agency reported Tuesday. The Anatolia Agency said it was not clear if the 3.52 pounds of uranium was enriched for use in weapons or reactors. Undercover agents arrested the two in Istanbul after they showed up in an ambulance to make the sale. The uranium was wrapped in newspaper and the men demanded $750,000, Anatolia said. Istanbul police would not comment on the Anatolia report, which said it was not clear when the arrests were made. Interior Ministry officials confirmed the seizure but gave no other detail. Anatolia said the uranium was originally smuggled from one of the former Soviet republics. All contents copyright 2001 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 5 Russian study says reduced combat readiness of nuclear force makes it safer BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 7, 2001 The country's political leadership has 3-4 minutes to make the decision to deliver a retaliatory nuclear strike. One minute afterward silo-based ballistic missiles are launched, in 5 minutes strategic bombers take off, and in 15 minutes nuclear-powered submarines begin launching... The Apocalypse begins in 36 minutes. In the opinion of the authors collective of the centre for political and military estimates of IMEMO RAN [the institute of world economics and international relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences], this is a scenario for an accidental nuclear war between Russia and the United States. In any case, this is the conclusion one would come to after reading the report prepared by them entitled reducing the combat readiness of Russian and US nuclear forces - a path to decrease the nuclear threat... According to the project's leader, Aleksandr Pikayev, a "theoretician", the two states urgently need to discuss the problems of reducing the degree of readiness of their strategic nuclear forces. The scholars suggest that the concept "retaliatory counter strike", which foresees the permanent combat readiness of the most vulnerable stationary launch installations, in combination with an imperfect missile-attack warning system increases the risk of an accidental nuclear war. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the number of nuclear warheads which are in a high state of combat readiness. Experts estimate that today both countries have 3,500 to 4,000. A representative of the practitioners, a science manager in the strategic nuclear forces centre of the Academy of Military Sciences, Vladimir Dvorkin, believes that such measures will not accomplish anything. In light of the absence of overt political discord between the United States and Russia, the level of combat readiness falls in the category of a technical problem. It is more a symbol, the expert believes, like a "zero" flight assignment for strategic missiles. Professionals know that only several seconds are needed to enter target coordinates into a strategic missile. Thus, reducing the number of nuclear warheads deployed on the missiles does not look persuasive - those left are fully sufficient... Source: Izvestiya, Moscow, in Russian 1 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter ***************************************************************** 6 Putin dismisses possibility of nuclear technology draining out of Russia BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Nov 7, 2001 Text of report by Russian news agency RIA Moscow, 7 November: Vladimir Putin has described the possibility of nuclear technology and materials escaping out of Russia as a "legend". In an interview for the US television company ABC, the Russian president stressed that the possibility of this happening "does not corresponded to reality". "One can assume that someone has tried to sell some nuclear secrets, but there is no confirmation, no documentary confirmation, of such cases," Putin said. However, the Russian president described "the problem of the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons" as one of "the most serious threats to the present day". Putin stressed that it was necessary to pool efforts in order to counteract the possible proliferation of nuclear technology and weapons of mass destruction. Source: RIA news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1350 gmt 7 Nov 01 /BBC Monitoring/ © BBC. World Reporter All Material Subject to ***************************************************************** 7 Nuclear Scientists Map Transformed Nuclear Weapons Landscape U.S. Newswire 6 Nov 11:11 Leading Nuclear Scientists Map the Transformed Nuclear Weapons Landscape: Fewer, but Loose, Low-Yield and More Likely to Be Used? To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor Contact: Stephen Kent of Kent Communications, 845-424-8382, or 914-589-5988 (cell) News Advisory: Leading nuclear weapons policy experts will give a media briefing on practical dimensions of the new nuclear landscape, including likely real-world security outcomes of next week's Bush-Putin summit Nov. 13-15, negotiations with Russia on deep cuts linked to Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty modification to permit missile defense, on fissile cutoff and on urgent non-proliferation efforts amid heightened fears of loose nuclear material falling into terrorist hands. While Presidents Bush and Putin meet in Washington and Crawford, Texas, delegates at the United Nations in New York will review the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Nov. 11-13, at a time when the United States is considering its options for developing and testing a new generation of low-yield nuclear weapons such as ground-penetrating weapons to use against suspected terrorist bunkers. Sponsored by the Federation of American Scientists. WHO: A panel of nationally recognized security experts including: Moderator: -- Federation of American Scientists President Henry Kelly, former assistant director for technology of the White House Office of Science and Technology. Presenters: -- Richard Garwin, senior fellow for science and technology at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York and IBM fellow emeritus at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center on prospects for and security implications of cutting U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals -- Robert Nelson, Princeton University physicist and FAS consultant, an authority on low-yield nuclear weapons -- Frank von Hippel, former assistant director for national security in the White House Office of Science and Technology on security of Russian and U.S. fissile material and prospective agreements on a fissile cutoff On hand to answer questions: -- Robert Sherman, director of FAS's Strategic Security Project and nuclear strategy expert. -- Barbara Rosenberg of SUNY Purchase, an authority on the Biological Weapons Convention, and -- Lynn Sykes of Columbia University, an authority on verification of nuclear tests. WHEN: Thursday, Nov. 8, 2001, 2:30 p.m. WHERE: Willard Hotel, Brandeis Room, 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. For further information contact Stephen Kent, Kent Communications, 845-424-8382 Copyright 2001, U.S. Newswire ***************************************************************** 8 Nuclear threat is real - Bush Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Court overturns $5bn damages award against oil spill company How tycoon made millions Film said to show sons taunting US How friendly Arab states fell out of favour with US Barbed wire and cold await the thousands fleeing bombardment President says all nations must join fight Matthew Engel in Washington Wednesday November 7, 2001 The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk] President Bush yesterday delivered his most belligerent speech since the wavering US bombing campaign began, issuing two extraordinary messages to his allies as he tried to keep them in line. After first raising the stakes of the war by giving a bone-chilling description of the consequences if Osama bin Laden should have nuclear weapons, Mr Bush then threatened his less steady allies with action should they remain tepid in the face of the terrorist threat. "A coalition-builder must do more than just express sympathy. A coalition-builder must perform," the president said. "All nations, if they want to fight terrorism, must do something. It's time for action." He again insisted that each country must help in its own way, and said he had no specific nation in mind, for now, but added: "It's going to be important for nations to know they will be held accountable for inactivity. You're either with us or you're against us in the fight against terror." Mr Bush was speaking outside the White House alongside President Chirac of France after the first of an intensive round of meetings over the next few days designed to bolster the alliance and his own standing as both its leader and its cheerleader. Mr Bush's new phase of activity comes amid growing concerns of an international wobble exactly one month after the beginning of the US bombing campaign. He began with an early-morning broadcast to the anti-terrorism conference in Warsaw, when he warned of the nuclear threat from al-Qaida. "They're seeking chemical, biological and nuclear weapons," he said. "Given the means, our enemies would be a threat to every nation; and, eventually, to civilisation itself. So, we're determined to fight this evil and fight until we are rid of it. We will not wait for more innocent deaths." When he was questioned about this later, the president reverted to his old tactic of verbally confronting his chief enemy by name. "I did say that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida were seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction. And the reason I said that is because I was using his own words. He announced that this was his intention, and I believe we need to take him seriously. "If he does have them, we will work hard to make sure he doesn't. If he does, we'll make sure he doesn't deploy them. This is an evil man that we're dealing with, and I wouldn't put it past him to develop evil weapons to try to harm civilisation as we know it." The mood in the autumn sunlight, as the stars and stripes and the tricolour hung side by side, was one of bonhomie, and the two presidents smiled broadly. But once again, it was clear that American preoccupations in the war are not quite the same as those of their allies. "I must say the military aspect is necessary, yes," said Mr Chirac. "But there are other aspects." And he talked of those: about nation-building, the "urgent" need for humanitarian aid and "the crises in the world, crises that can fuel terrorism". Like Britain, France is likely to play a leading European role in the coalition. Mr Chirac said he had already mobilised 2,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen for military operations to fight terrorism but gave no further details. Mr Bush will play host today to Tony Blair, who is flying in on Concorde. It will be Mr Blair's second visit to Washington since the start of the crisis. Tomorrow the president will continue his confidence-building push by addressing the American people, concentrating on domestic terrorism. On Saturday he will deliver his maiden address to the UN general assembly at the summit in New York, where he intends to repeat the warning that other countries must act or else. And next week he is expected to adopt a more measured tone when meeting Russia's President Putin. The president has remained in the wings during the anthrax crisis and the indifferent news from Afghanistan over the past few weeks, but he is now seeking to control the agenda once again. With US politicians and military chiefs giving conflicting signals in recent days over the length of the campaign, Mr Bush made clear his view that he was in it for the long haul - and that Afghanistan was only the start. "We are at the beginning of our efforts in Afghanistan. And Afghanistan is the beginning of our efforts in the world." Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001 ***************************************************************** 9 Col. Lunev Tells CBS of Nuclear Threat NewsMax.com: With Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2001 In case you missed the appearance of NewsMax's Col. Stanislav Lunev on the "CBS Evening News" last night, here's a transcript. Note that although CBS poured cold water on Lunev's statements, they are more worthy of scrutiny than ever after Sept. 11. DAN RATHER: Tonight's "Eye on America" is the first in a series of hard news reports this week assessing possible terror threats facing the U.S. There are many fears and many scenarios, but what are the real risks? Tonight's focus: the threat of nuclear terror. CBS's Jerry Bowen brings you the facts. JERRY BOWEN: The country's Customs agents have something fairly new in the fight against nuclear terrorism: hidden radiation detectors that go off if anyone tries to smuggle in any radioactive material. But if some of America's one-time enemies are correct, the threat may already be here. COL. LUNEV (former Soviet military intelligence officer): So unfortunately, some of these devices are still located on American soil. BOWEN: Stanislav Lunev is a former Soviet military intelligence officer, a defector who's now in the federal Witness Protection Program. He claims that before the Cold War ended a decade ago, Soviet agents planted so-called suitcase nuclear bombs - similar to this mock-up - in the United States and other Western countries, nuclear bombs that could be triggered if war broke out. LUNEV: They were designed to destroy extremely highly protected American targets. BOWEN: Lunev, his identity protected, told the same story to Congress, and a former Soviet general told CBS's "60 Minutes" that the suitcase bombs existed. But many U.S. defense analysts are convinced Russia actually retrieved and dismantled all the small nuclear devices. MICHAEL O'HANLON (Brookings Institution): My own view is that's not a major worry. Those kinds of weapons, if they ever existed, were under the clear control of the Russian or Soviet state, and I don't think they would have been available to terrorists. BOWEN: But the Soviets weren't the only ones to create a so-called suitcase nuke. This recently declassified film shows how the United States had them in its arsenal in the early '60s. Defense experts dismiss the possibility that terrorists can build one themselves. JOHN LEPINGWELL (Center for Nonproliferation Studies): And certainly, to do something like that in the mountains of Afghanistan would be extraordinarily difficult. BOWEN: But four years ago, Osama bin Laden was named in a federal indictment for attempting to buy enriched uranium, nuclear material which experts say can be used in a conventional explosive, the poor man's way to spread radioactive fallout. (Excerpt from terrorist training video) LEPINGWELL: But it's difficult to get that much radioactive material into the bomb and then disperse it around an area in such a way as to cause major casualties. BOWEN: But might bin Laden have obtained some larger nuclear warheads with outside help? LUNEV: I know from intelligence estimations that he obtained several devices from former Soviet Union, tactical nuclear devices. BOWEN: Reports like this are unsubstantiated. And whether Al-Qaeda could handle and smuggle such things is thought to be highly improbable. Still, U.S. Customs agents are training border guards from countries surrounding Afghanistan to detect nuclear material, one more small front in a very different kind of war where nothing is being taken for granted. In Los Angeles, this is Jerry Bowen for "Eye on America." Get Col. Lunev's new tape, "CIA Files: Defector Reveals Russia’s Secret Plans," exclusively through NewsMax. NewsMax.com Privacy Statement ***************************************************************** 10 Hanford glassification plan may be reconsidered Wednesday, November 7, 2001 By LISA STIFFLER SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER RICHLAND -- Not a single drop of radioactive waste has been turned to glass at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, but already the government is talking about converting some of it into less-stable grout or leaving it in underground tanks. For years, the nation's largest environmental cleanup project has struggled to get off the ground. The current plan is to turn 99 percent of the 54 million gallons of radioactive waste here into a stable, glasslike compound for long-term storage. Under the shadow of a slowing economy and an expensive war on terrorism, Harry Boston, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of River Protection, said recently that cheaper means of disposal should be considered for some of the less radioactive waste. "There are lots of ways to solve this problem," Boston told the Hanford Advisory Board, an independent panel of representatives from government agencies, tribes and the public helping oversee cleanup. "We need to think about it." Similar proposals to turn the waste to grout were defeated in the early 1990s when it was realized that the grout could fail and allow the release of radioactive materials. And some board members were alarmed by the new suggestions. They said altering the glassification plan could erode needed public support. And they were afraid that the cost-cutting move indicated a lack of commitment by the federal government to properly clean up the most contaminated nuclear site in the nation. "It's the first step to putting a fence up around the place and walking away," said Jeff Luke, a board member representing Hanford workers. The U.S. House and Senate have approved a Hanford cleanup budget of more than $1.8 billion for fiscal-year 2002. The budget now goes to President Bush. Despite earlier signs that his administration might cut funding for Hanford cleanup, local DOE officials are cautiously hopeful that the entire amount will be approved. The tank waste was created during plutonium production for nuclear bombs beginning in 1944. It is being stored in 177 massive underground tanks, one-third of which have leaked. The strategy is to build a plant that will separate low and high level waste and then vitrify it --turning it into a glasslike substance that can be stored safely. After three failed efforts, the project for turning the waste into glass appears to be making significant progress. Plant construction is scheduled to begin in December 2002, with operation by 2007. The goal is by 2018 to have processed 10 percent of the waste volume and 25 percent of its radioactivity. It's anticipated that the first plant will be able to treat half the waste. All the waste is supposed to be treated by 2028, which would require construction of another plant beginning in 2011. The project is expensive. An annual budget of $1 billion is required to build and operate the first plant. Building a second plant would inflate the budget to $3 billion to $4 billion a year. Although there is no formal proposal to alter the cleanup plan, the Bush administration has ordered a "top-to-bottom review" of Department of Energy cleanup projects around the country in an attempt to find ways to save money. "There's a lot of interest under the new administration to look at all the programs," said Steve Wiegman, senior technical advisor with the Office of River Protection. He agreed there is pressure to cut costs. Boston urged the advisory board to keep an open mind to alternative cleanup methods for some of the less radioactive waste. "The technology you use should be tailored to the problem," Boston said. If there are ways to more cheaply handle the waste while protecting the environment and people, "shouldn't we talk about it?" he asked. Glassification won't make the waste less radioactive, but will trap it in a stable form. Alternative treatments include combining it with cement, clay and ash to form a grout, mixing it with an absorbent kitty-litterlike substance or perhaps even leaving some waste in tanks. Changing treatment plans would mean modifying a cleanup agreement among the Energy Department, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Ecology Department. It would involve a long process and public comment. Many Hanford Advisory Board members, as well as officials from the Ecology Department, said it was too soon to talk about backtracking from glassification before the process had even started. "We would really like to see what the technology can do, before we say what it can't do," said Suzanne Dahl, state waste project manager. P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com [Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 98119 (206) 448-8000 ***************************************************************** 11 Atomic test one of largest in U. S. (with video clips) Anchorage Daiy News "> [http://www.adn.com] Atomic test one of largest in U.S. (with video clips) AMCHITKA: The effects of Cannikin are still notable today. [http://www.adn.com/ips_rich_content/496-s-cannikin.ram] (U.S. Atomic Energy Commision film of 1971 nuclear test on Amchitka - 3:30 ) [http://www.adn.com/ips_rich_content/241-cannikin.ram] (U.S. Atomic Energy Commission film of 1971 nuclear test on Amchitka - 11:30 ) By Peter Porco Anchorage Daiy News (Published: November 7, 2001) People gather before the old Federal Building on West Fourth Avenue in Anchorage on Nov. 3, 1971, to protest the upcoming Cannikin test firing of a nuclear warhead on Amchitka Island in the Aleutians. The five-megaton bomb was detonated a mile underground on Nov. 6, 1971. (Anchorage Times File Photo) In October 1971, workers for the Atomic Energy Commission lowered the Spartan Missile nuclear warhead into a mile-deep hole on Amchitka Island. They later detonated a five-megaton blast beneath the island. (Photo Courtesy of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Archives) The dimensions of Cannikin, the underground test of a nuclear bomb on Amchitka Island in the Aleutians 30 years ago this week, remain staggering. The five-megaton warhead, one of the largest sub-surface nuclear blasts ever conducted by the United States, exploded on Nov. 6, 1971, with a force equal to that produced by 5 million tons of TNT. For about two years, workers had drilled what was then the deepest single-lift mine shaft in the Western Hemisphere, more than a mile down. After the 8-foot wide shaft was plugged, the bomb was detonated in a 52-foot-wide cavity mined at the bottom. The device's diagnostic cannister -- holding sensors that reported explosion data to scientists before being obliterated -- was nearly 300 feet long and weighed 105 tons. The blast shook 42-mile-long Amchitka with the power of an earthquake that at the time measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. It widened the underground cavity at ground zero to a diameter of 200 feet. Thirty-eight hours later, a 11/2-mile wide section of rock and ground above the blast site fell by as much as 50 feet. The blast rattled the ocean nearby, bounced work-camp buildings as if they were toys, collapsed rocky outcrops into the sea and splashed whole lakes into the air. Cannikin was the first major project in the country to fall under the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. The federal government furnished the required environmental impact statement after six weeks of analysis and paperwork. The Cannikin project cost $118 million and was the third and last test firing of a nuclear device beneath Amchitka. The Spartan warhead was intended for the U.S. Safeguard Anti-Ballistic Missile System, designed to explode at high altitude amid a cluster of incoming enemy missiles. The Nixon administration and its supporters in Congress said the test was a matter of national security. But Cannikin had numerous opponents, including U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel, D-Alaska, who urged a delay that "might add to a proper climate in the world (and) be the better part of wisdom," as he said months before the test in the Senate. Today, Cannikin and the two previous Amchitka atomic tests continue to cause concern. The federal Department of Energy is financing a medical surveillance of people who worked on the island during the atomic era because of possible radiation-related cancers, while Congress has authorized benefits for former workers who later developed some cancers. Sources: U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, Daily News, Anchorage Times, Associated Press and former Amchitka worker Thomas C. Bay of Anchorage. [http://www.adn.com/ips_rich_content/496-s-cannikin.ram] (U.S. Atomic Energy Commision film of 1971 nuclear test on Amchitka - 3:30 ) [http://www.adn.com/ips_rich_content/241-cannikin.ram] (U.S. Atomic Energy Commission film of 1971 nuclear test on Amchitka - 11:30 ) You will need RealPlayer to watch to video ( ) clips. A free version is available [http://www.real.com/player/] . [http://www.real.com/player/] If you are having troubles viewing the videos after downloading and installing RealPlayer 8 (the latest version), you may need to change your browser configuration. Instructions for setting up your browser for RealPlayer can be found [http://service.real.com/help/faq/rp8/rpb8cfg.html] . Copyright © 2001 [http://www.adn.com] ***************************************************************** 12 A closer look: Nuclear terrorism Orange County Register - Top News November 7, 2001 The possibility that a terrorist group could obtain a nuclear weapon and detonate it in the United States has drawn increasing focus in recent weeks. The Register's Chris Reed talked about the prospect with Michael Levi, deputy director of the Strategic Security Project of the Federation of Atomic Scientists. The text has been edited for length. Q. How likely is it that a terrorist group has or could soon have a crude nuclear weapon? A. It's a real threat. In the short term, it's not nearly as a big as threat as it will be in long term if we don't deal with it now. Q. What steps should we take? A. We should enhance the security of weapons and nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union. We have cooperative security programs that the administration's been trying to cut, which they shouldn't be doing. We should help Pakistan try to secure its nuclear weapons - it's a very volatile area. Q. There have been reports that fissionable materials in Russia and some former Soviet republics are protected by little more than padlocks. How bad is security? A. Security is better now than it was. I don't think we have a padlock situation anymore. The U.S. has put a lot of money into security there. The human aspect is the problem. Your security is only as good as the people you trust. The conditions for people in Russia get worse and worse. The army people controlling the materials are unpaid; the nuclear scientists are unemployed. Q. Does what happened Sept. 11 make the "suitcase nuke" scenario seem more likely? A. Nothing's changed from the perspective of whether terrorists may have or may be building nuclear weapons. What's changed is the analysis of whether they would use them if they had them. September 11 was sort of the first act of megaterrorism. That's what's scared the hell out of the nuclear-weapons and arms-control community. Q. What kind of damage would a primitive atomic bomb do in an urban area? A. It would do massive damage. Even with a basic device, there would be hundreds of thousands of deaths. The Orange County Register ***************************************************************** 13 Turkish police detain suspects selling uranium - CNN.com - November 6, 2001 ISTANBUL, Turkey (Reuters) -- Paramilitary police arrested two Turks on Tuesday after they attempted to sell weapons-grade uranium to undercover officers, police said. The suspects had agreed to sell the officers 1.16 kg (2.56 pounds) of uranium of a quality which could be used to develop a nuclear weapon, the police official told Reuters. CountryWatch: Turkey The arrests came the same day U.S. President George W. Bush warned East European leaders that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network could be seeking nuclear weapons to step up its fight against the United States. Bush said bin Laden's agents were active in at least 60 countries. The president named bin Laden as prime suspect behind the hijacked airliner attacks on New York and Washington which killed nearly 5,000 people. Turkey's state-run Anatolian news agency reported the men had bought the weapons-grade uranium earlier this year from an unidentified source, who had brought the uranium from an East European country into Turkey. The suspects had offered the uranium, wrapped in newspaper, to the officers for $750,000, Anatolian said. Turkey's state nuclear research authority is now in possession of the material, the agency said. Copyright 2001 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. © 2001 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. ***************************************************************** 14 Funding for OR: $2.6 billion Oak Ridger Online --> Story last updated at 10:41 a.m. on Wednesday, November 7, 2001 by Paul Parson Oak Ridger staff Oak Ridge scored a post-Cold-War-era high this fiscal year with $2.6 billion in funding for Department of Energy projects, including a couple of significant research facilities. "We're up to a new record," said U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd District, during a phone interview Tuesday evening. He is on the subcommittee for the energy and water appropriations bill, which includes the Oak Ridge funding. Fiscal year 2002's funding level of $2.6 billion for Oak Ridge tops last year's high of $2.5 billion. Funding in Oak Ridge for the past five years has been $2 billion in fiscal year 1996; $1.9 billion in 1997; $1.9 billion in 1998; $2.08 billion in 1999; and $2.15 billion in 2000. After consulting with DOE officials, Wamp provided The Oak Ridger with a breakdown of FY 2002 funding figures for several Oak Ridge projects, including some major research efforts involving Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Spallation Neutron Source received the full funding request for FY 2002 of $291 million -- a $16.8 million increase over last year's level. The $1.4 billion SNS project, which is scheduled for completion in 2006, will be used for scientific and medical research in addition to the development of a variety of industrial materials. Science programs other than the SNS project should get around $338 million -- $1 million more than the administration's request -- while renewable energy and energy efficiency programs are expected to get $29 million more than requested for a total of $149 million. One notable item included in this year's budget is the $11.4 million set aside to fully construct a new Mouse House -- officially known as the Laboratory for Comparative and Functional Genomics. The new, state-of-the-art Mouse House is expected to house more than 60,000 mice that researchers will study in order to get a better understanding of the functioning of genes in order to treat human genetic diseases such as cancer, obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. It will replace the current facility, which is more than 50 years old and is located at the Y-12 National Security Complex. "We were very, very pleased with the overall funding," said Bill Madia, director of ORNL. The account for environmental management efforts covered under DOE's Oak Ridge Operations office jumped from the $760 million that the administration requested to $843 million. This funding level includes cleanup projects in Oak Ridge, Paducah, Ky., and Portsmouth, Ohio. Funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration should get around $674 million, which is about $47 million more than requested. The NNSA is the quasi-independent agency within DOE that oversees the nuclear weapons complex, which includes the Y-12 National Security Complex. John Mitchell, president of BWXT Y-12, which manages Y-12, said funding levels for the facility look good. Y-12 is on track for a major, long-term modernization effort. "Obviously this news is good," Wamp said of Oak Ridge's FY 2002 funding. "It could get even better. The numbers could rise on two accounts." Wamp said Y-12 should benefit from a $200 million facilities revitalization account that received a lot of support from the Senate. However, he was unsure of how much of this funding would go to the Oak Ridge plant. The congressman also said that at least one or two supplemental bills could be moved during FY 2002 which could mean more money for cleanup efforts. [http://www.oakridger.com/contact/index.html] All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 15 DOMESTIC SECURITY: Funds to curb nuclear arms spread being cut Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ajc.com TODAY • November 7, 2001 Jeff Nesmith - Cox Washington Bureau Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Washington --- Congress is on the verge of approving part of President Bush's request to cut Department of Energy nuclear nonproliferation funding, even as Bush warned Tuesday that Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization is trying to acquire nuclear weapons. A bill for spending on energy and water development that the House passed last week would cut about $20 million from DOE programs that help Russia and other former Soviet republics keep nuclear weapons material from terrorist groups and "rogue states." Bush had asked Congress in March to cut the Energy Department's Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Programs, which received $872 million during the last year of the Clinton administration, to $773 million. But congressional negotiators approved $853 million. The Senate is expected to give final approval to the spending bill as early as this week. Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas), who served on a joint House-Senate conference committee that approved final wording of the bill, assailed the cuts. "I find it unbelievable that one week ago this House said we could afford to give $7.4 billion in unearned corporate rebate checks to just 16 Fortune 500 corporations, yet today this Congress will have cut funding for programs designed to keep nuclear weapons and materials out of the hands of terrorists," Edwards said. When Bush submitted a budget proposal to Congress in March, he recommended reducing the nonproliferation program because it was being "reviewed" by the National Security Council, said the White House Office of Management and Budget. Laura Holgate, a vice president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, said that in January, when managers of nonproliferation programs in the Energy Department submitted their budget requests for fiscal 2002, they asked for $1.3 billion. "So, while the president's budget in March looks like a cut of $100 million from the previous year," she said, "it was actually a $600 million cut from needs." © 2001 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ***************************************************************** 16 Paducahans, pollution group meet despite DOE reschedule The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Wednesday, November 07, 2001 The public meeting, which DOE postponed until Dec. 9, went ahead as gaseous diffusion plant neighbors discussed depleted uranium conversion. By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 Some Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant neighbors want answers about the safety of converting about 14 billion pounds of hazardous depleted uranium hexafluoride into another form for recycling or disposal. "When they get the uranium out of those cylinders, where are they going to ship it and what are they going to do with the cylinders?" said Ray English, who lives near the plant. "This is going to take a long time to do, and we live here in the neighborhood and have concerns." He and others hosted a public meeting Tuesday night featuring the Military Toxics Project, a Lewiston, Maine-based, nonprofit network of community groups that speaks out about the adverse impacts of military pollution. The Paducah plant, which enriches uranium for nuclear fuel, made and dismantled nuclear weapons parts during the Cold War. Members of the project had planned to attend a Department of Energy public meeting Tuesday night to help prepare an environmental impact statement for cylinder conversion, but the meeting was postponed until Dec. 6. English said an informal meeting at the Kentucky Wildlife Management Area building was arranged to give the group a forum anyway. The Department of Energy intends to hire a firm or firms to convert the UF6, a waste by-product of enrichment, into a safer material that might be used commercially. A consortium involving USEC Inc., the Paducah plant operator, is among three finalists for the work. The winning bidder was expected to be named by the end of October, but the process has been delayed for unspecified reasons thought to be related to terrorism. DOE's preferred option of converting the material into uranium dioxide is expected to cost $1.2 billion to $1.5 billon, create several hundred construction jobs and employ at least 100 people long-term at both Paducah and Piketon, Ohio, where conversion facilities would be built. Construction must start by Jan. 31, 2004, according to federal law. Vina Colley, a former worker at the closed Piketon enrichment plant, attended the Paducah meeting. She has various health problems she believes stemmed from enrichment work, and worries about the health effects of conversion on workers and the public. A new program to provide lump-sum benefits to sick enrichment workers should be extended to conversion work, and a community health survey should be done, she said. "We're not against jobs, but we want the workers and the public to be protected." The compensation extends to people with specified cancers related to radiation exposure, but wrongly excludes diseases from chemical exposure, Colley said. The environmental study will assess worker and public health and environmental impacts of the conversion project. UF6 in its normal, solid form resembles rock salt and contains low-level radiation. When released to the atmosphere, it reacts with water vapor to form chemically toxic substances, notably hydrogen fluoride, the department said. Besides environmental impact, the study will gauge the facilities’ construction and operational effect on local employment, income, population, housing and public services. About two-thirds of the nearly 58,000 steel cylinders are at the Paducah plant and the rest are at Piketon and a third closed plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Lisa Helms, national organizer for the Military Toxics Project, said she hopes to coordinate public efforts in the three communities, and the chief concerns are handling, transportation and disposal. "Some of these cylinders were created back in the ’50s and are extremely rusty," Helms said. "If they're going to try to move them, we have deep concerns about the number of breeches, what happens on the roads, and all these questions that pop up." If the waste can't be commercially recycled, it will go to an approved disposal facility. The Nevada Test Site, a vast land area north of Las Vegas, is the preferred site with two low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities. A June 2000 DOE report said there are "significant uncertainties regarding the time and cost" of making the material compliant with Nevada Test Site regulations. Plant neighbors and activists also point out that some of the waste uranium has traces of highly radioactive plutonium from facilities elsewhere that made nuclear fuel. Certain amounts of plutonium are deadly if inhaled. In January 2000, DOE responded to Toxics Project questions in writing, saying the amounts of plutonium are so miniscule that the "major health concern" is from the depleted uranium. A DOE report issued five months later also downplayed the plutonium risk, but said it could be a significant public issue because of "heightened concern" about plutonium and the large volume of material to be converted. ***************************************************************** 17 Final Request for Proposals to Convert Weapons-Related Legacy Material into Weapon Against Cancer on Hold energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: November 7, 2001 [Print Friendly Version] ---> WASHINGTON, DC – Release of the final Request for Proposals to obtain U-233 from legacy material at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is on hold, pending submission of a detailed project plan to Congress. This plan is requested in the Conference Report on the FY 2002 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act. The Conference Report has been passed by Congress and is awaiting presidential approval. Media Contact: Hope Williams, 202/586-5806 Release No. R-01-192 Back to Previous Page> ***************************************************************** 18 Bin Laden is looking for a nuclear weapon. How close has he come? Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Atomic device Bin Laden is looking for a nuclear weapon. How close has he come? Suitcase bombs and old Soviet material pose danger to US Julian Borger in Washington and Ewen MacAskill Wednesday November 7, 2001 [http://www.guardian.co.uk] The seller was an ambulance driver, who had turned up to the meeting in Istanbul with a friend and over a kilogram of uranium wrapped in newspaper. The merchandise was from one of the old Soviet republics, the man said, and he wanted $750,000 for it. Instead, he ended up in jail. The buyers were undercover policemen. The uranium seizure, confirmed yesterday by the Turkish interior ministry, was a police sting operation, but it is hardly reassuring. It raises the question of how many similar deals are being made by more competent salesmen of what is potentially the world's most deadly commodity. The chilling uncertainty loomed over President Bush's blunt statements yesterday. His remarks have added the White House's authority to a conclusion reached years ago by most proliferation experts. The threat of a terrorist nuclear weapon is real. The only significant uncertainty is the timing of the first attempt at a nuclear attack, and what kind of bomb would be used. As the president pointed out, in raising the spectre of an al-Qaida nuclear attack he was simply quoting Osama bin Laden himself, who has told journalists that it would be a "sin" not to develop an Islamic bomb. "He announced that this was his intention and I believe we need to take him seriously," Mr Bush said at a joint appearance with President Jacques Chirac of France at the White House. There is also no doubt that Bin Laden is in the nuclear market. In February this year, one of the Saudi fugitive's aides, Jamal al-Fadl, told a US court of his role in an attempt to buy $1.5m (£1.03m) worth of uranium in Sudan. Mr al-Fadl, who was giving evidence in the embassy bombings trial, testified that in 1993 he was sent to meet a man near Khartoum who was selling uranium apparently from South Africa. He did not know if the deal went through, but he said that al-Qaida was "very serious" about making the purchase. Awash with uranium Once Bin Laden arrived in Afghanistan, getting hold of uranium and other nuclear material did not present a serious problem. The black market in Afghanistan is awash with it. Robert Puffer, an American antiquities dealer in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, said he was frequently offered enriched uranium. "It was in lead containers with cyrillic writing on it," Mr Puffer told the Guardian. "They would carry yellow cake [Uranium] in matchboxes in their breast pockets. They would have rashes and they would ask me why. And I said: "You're stupid - that stuff is dangerous." Mr Puffer said he was once taken to a warehouse in Peshawar where canisters of nuclear material from the former Soviet Union, wrapped in sacking, were stored under the floor. The radioactivity sent a geiger counter buzzing from outside the building. Having access to such radioactive material, however, is a long way from making a real nuclear bomb. That would require plutonium and highly enriched uranium and a lot of technical knowhow. However, the mishmash of nuclear fuel and radioactive junk being touted in Istanbul over the weekend and which Mr Puffer saw in Peshawar would suffice to make a "dirty bomb". Such a weapon would consist of a rough assembly of radioactive material clumped around conventional explosives. When detonated, the blast would send up a plume of radioactive particles into the atmosphere killing and contaminating hundreds of thousands of people for miles around. The International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) was initially sceptical about the "dirty bomb" threat but has changed its mind since September 11. "We think this is entirely a live possibility," said David Kyd, a spokesman for the IAEA, which is based in Vienna. Mr Kyd said it could be delivered in the same way that the IRA took explosives into the City of London: inside a medium-sized van or lorry. Immediate fatalities would be confined to those caught up in an explosion but over the longer term there could be deaths from contamination. The main problem would be the sense of panic it would create. Before September 11, the IAEA had assumed that terrorists were unlikely to take their own lives in detonating the bomb: "Our attitude has changed because 20 terrorists were prepared to sacrifice their own lives and because of the level of sophistication on September 11." A real nuclear bomb is far more difficult to make. It is conceivable that a terrorist organisation might be able to put together a crude atom bomb, of the sort that was dropped on Hiroshima. It would require eight kilos of plutonium or 25 kilos of highly enriched uranium. There is clearly a lot of bogus material on sale in Afghanistan, but it is also possible that some of it really is enriched uranium, or even plutonium. The Pakistan nuclear programme produces about 100 kilos of enriched uranium a year, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nuclear watchdog publication. Furthermore, the pioneer of the Pakistani programme, Bahiruddin Mahmood, is a fervent Islamist with close ties with the Taliban. He has been detained by the Islamabad government and is reported to have suffered a heart attack in detention. It remains unclear if he shared any of his knowledge or smuggled any nuclear materials in his frequent trips to Afghanistan in recent years to meet Taliban leaders. Russian stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium are also a cause for concern. Security is reported to be lax and a US programme to provide alternative employment for unemployed Russian nuclear scientists and employees at defunct nuclear plants had ironically been scaled back by the Bush administration a few months before the terrorists struck. It is expected that the aid programme will be on the agenda at next week's summit between Mr Bush and President Putin. No evidence There is no evidence as yet that Bin Laden is close to building his own atomic device and his chances of constructing one have lessened considerably since the bombs began to fall on his bases. Another way to acquire a nuclear weapon is to steal or buy one. There have been numerous unconfirmed reports of ex-Soviet warheads going missing and ending up in the volatile central Asian republics. There have also been rumours of KGB suitcase bombs (whose existence has never been definitively confirmed) being put on the market by Chechen warlords. However, most experts look sceptically on these stories. Israeli intelligence, which monitors such proliferation closely, has rejected speculation that nuclear weapons have gone missing from the Soviet Union. Brigadier General Yossi Cooperwasser, chief of research for Israel's military intelligence, said:"We've checked out the reports and don't have any evidence to support concerns over lost, stolen or misappropriated nuclear devices." However, the threat of a "dirty bomb" is serious enough. There is no doubt that this eminently feasible weapon is the most serious terrorist threat facing the US and the rest of the world. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2001 ***************************************************************** 19 Risk of nuclear terrorism weighs heavy on Ensign Pahrump Valley Times By RICH THURLOW, EditorNovember 07, 2001 Media representatives on a tour Saturday ride a train into the south portal of the U.S. Department of Energy’s five-mile tunnel through Yucca Mountain. (PVT photo by Henry Brean) Senator says dialog on YMP changed on Sept. 11. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) says the new threat of terrorism casts serious doubts on plans to safely ship thousand of tons of high-level radioactive waste to this site. Although the focus was supposed to be on local issues that involve Washington, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) spent much of his time dealing with terrorism-related issues in a recent conference call with rural Nevada reporters. Key among them, from a Nye County perspective, regards Yucca Mountain, which is being studied as the possible repository for 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste. Yucca Mountain is about 20 miles east of Beatty and 20 miles north of Amargosa Valley, and the Dept. of Energy appears to be on the verge of recommending it to President Bush as the storage site. The dialog regarding the YMP changed after Sept. 11, as was evident in the public hearings held in Nye, where the focus of many comments was on how best to prevent the terrorists from using the waste. For Ensign, the focus has strongly shifted to transporting the waste, much of it from the east. The case is now "much easier for us to make," he said of the possible dangers of transporting the huge waste-filled casks on trucks. Ensign suggested a scenario of one of the trucks traveling through a large metropolitan area, such as Denver, and getting destroyed by terrorists. DOE has touted the strength of the casks, Ensign noted, but it wasn't all that long ago that engineers were saying the World Trade Center towers could withstand a direct hit by an airliner. Those experts underestimated the heat such a crash would create, heat that eventually led to the towers' collapse. Because of that, "we obviously need to take a fresh look (at transporting the waste)," Ensign said. Ensign also said the idea of using the Nevada Test Site as an interim storage site was "dead, and I expect it to stay dead." Ensign also spoke against the federal government taking over security at airports, including bag checks. He said he preferred the "European model" where the security is handled by contract with private firms and is overseen by the government. Such a system would "work more efficiently" and the oversight would make sure security precautions were being adhered to. Another reason to support privatization, Ensign added, is that it is "literally impossible" to fire an incompetent federal employee. "If we've got someone incompetent (performing the security work), we want to be able to fire them," he said. "The system we have is not working, but with federal guidelines and training I think it's the best of both worlds." In the same vein, Ensign said he is not in favor of armed airline pilots or marshals armed with firearms on flights. A high number of terrorists could identify and disarm marshals, he said, and for that reason marshals should be armed with non-lethal weapons, such as stun guns. Terrorists who possess less than lethal weapons taken from marshals create "a much different situation." At the same time, Ensign also supports making cockpits "impregnable." Ensign, a veterinarian, downplayed the threat of anthrax on domestic livestock. The U.S. food supply, and in particular beef, is the safest in the world, he said. Anthrax is already in the environment, and generally not at levels that sicken or kill animals. Animal anthrax is not communicable to other animals, Ensign said. Measures to boost tourism in the wake of the terrorist attacks include travel tax credits and increasing deductions for travel. Some have suggested spending $100 million overseas to advertise U.S. travel, but "the hotel people say they can take care of the advertising," Ensign said. "We just need to give people a little encouragement to take a trip in the next three months, and then they (the tourism industry) are on their own." ©Pahrump Valley Times 2001 ***************************************************************** 20 Leftovers From an Old War November 7, 2001 Leftovers From an Old War By KARL F. INDERFURTH CLEAN, Va. -- After a recent meeting with Russia's foreign minister, Igor Ivanov, Secretary of State Colin Powell proclaimed a new era: "Not only is the cold war over, the post-cold war period is also over." When President Vladimir Putin visits President Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Tex., next week, they will have an extraordinary opportunity to turn Secretary Powell's encouraging words into reality. Unfortunately, they will have their work cut out for them — the nuclear arsenals of the two nations are still stuck in the cold war. The United States and Russia continue to maintain a combined total of over 13,000 long-range, or strategic, nuclear weapons, with the only plausible targets of such destructive power being each other. The two nations also have an estimated 6,000 tactical nuclear weapons — currently operational warheads intended for use on short-range battlefield sytems — most of them on the Russian side. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, among others, has pointed out how preposterous this is. Nonetheless the United States and Russia still have prompt retaliatory war plans, with over 4,000 warheads ready to be launched in a matter of minutes. These missiles cannot be stopped once fired. Russia's deteriorating command and control system further increases the risk of an inadvertent or mistaken launch. There is also the serious matter of reducing the threat of Russian nuclear weapons, materials and expertise ending up in hostile hands. In the past decade, cooperative efforts have produced impressive results, including the neutralization of more than 200 tons of nuclear material. But it is estimated that Russia still has a stockpile of enough plutonium and uranium, much of it inadequately secured, to produce the equivalent of tens of thousands of nuclear bombs. If even a minuscule fraction of Russia's nuclear weaponry, material or expertise leaked out of the country, it would be a bonanza for states or terrorist organizations that might do us harm. Clearly the safety of Russia's nuclear arsenal and America's own security are inextricably linked. As President Bush and President Putin discuss these matters, they should know that Congress, during its latest session, has taken a number of steps to reduce the nuclear threat — and is likely to offer bipartisan support for further initiatives that result from the two presidents' efforts in Crawford. Both houses have added funds to Bush administration requests for American-Russian nonproliferation programs. The Senate has repealed the law preventing reductions in American nuclear forces below the floor — 6,000 strategic nuclear weapons — set by strategic arms reduction treaties, allowing Mr. Bush to make the deep cuts he has said he wants. President Putin has already proposed that the United States and Russia each go down to 1,500 strategic warheads. President Bush's response should be commensurate and include provisions to ensure that mutual reductions are verifiable. In June, Representatives John Spratt and Ellen Tauscher and Senator Mary Landrieu introduced the Nuclear Threat Reduction Act of 2001. It includes a call for cuts in nuclear arms across the board — which would encompass tactical weapons not covered by current treaties — and should become a Congressional priority after the Crawford meeting. A decade ago, President George H. W. Bush said that we had an "unparalleled opportunity" to "dramatically shrink the arsenal of the world's nuclear weapons." Rarely does history present second chances. President Putin and President Bush have been given one. If they seize it, we will indeed have entered the new era Secretary Powell proclaimed, in which not only the cold war but the post-cold war era will finally be over. Karl F. Inderfurth was assistant secretary of state for South Asian affairs from 1997 to 2001. He is senior adviser to the Nuclear Threat Reduction Campaign. 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