***************************************************************** 09/19/02 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 10.240 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** NUCLEAR POLICY 1 Taiwan: Anti-nuclear activists to march across the nation 2 UK: BE bosses brace for court action 3 Belarus to help restore Iraqi energy grid* 4 UK: Green challenge to BE loan 5 Japan: Hitachi allegedly helped TEPCO falsify records on 6 Japan: TEPCO long on words, short on blame 7 Minister satisfied with Russia-US cooperation in N-sphere NUCLEAR REACTORS 8 US: Davis-Besse plans December restart 9 US: Safety first, FirstEnergy says NUCLEAR SAFETY 10 Kenya: Impounded uranium is fake, Police 11 Radioactive container found at private house 12 US: Tainted refrigerator sent to CBC 13 US: IAAP study may become prototype 14 US: Cause of gulf illness is still unknown 15 Letter to NAS Committee Reviewing Global Fallout Feasibility 16 US: Surry plant's neighbors get radiation pills 17 US: Arizona town's cluster of leukemia cases grows* NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 18 US: NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to 19 US: Environmental group wants water cleanup at Dix 20 COUNCIL WANTS CLOSE LOOK AT BNFL PLAN 21 UK: CASH NEEDED TO OFFSET JOB LOSSES 22 UK: NO STRIKE PLEDGE AT SELLAFIELD 23 UK: WE'LL NOT FORGET THIS STUPIDITY 24 UK: SELLAFIELD INQUIRY MAN DIES AT 89 NUCLEAR WEAPONS 25 FCNL: Legislative Action Message (09/19/02) 26 Syrian General Director of Atomic Energy: Israel's nuclear 27 Atomic energy chief: Israel poses no nuclear threat to its 28 'Even if Iraq managed to hide these weapons, what they are now 29 Koizumi: N. Korea OKs Inspections 30 N Korea 'agrees' to nuclear inspections 31 UK: Tories reject nuclear threat - for now 32 Evidence on Iraq Challenged 33 Short history of Kashmir dispute 34 Iran Welcomes Iraqi Decision 35 Reports: Parts Meant for Iraq Nukes 36 Bush Pushes for Action Against Iraq US DEPT. OF ENERGY 37 Cooperative Agreement Finalized Between USEC, DOE and UT-Battelle 38 ORNL taken by surprise by Associated Press story 39 DOE considers Pantex Plant for new facility 40 PACRO earmarking funds for marketing, retraining - 41 DOE Announces $121 Million Cooperative Research &Development 42 Cleanup of Hanford Nuclear Reservation Begins 43 INEL: Citizens panel urges for cleanup of buried nuclear waste OTHER NUCLEAR 44 Antimatter is mass-produced 45 Shundahai Network Hires New Executive Director To Strengthen 46 Bush wants to hasten environmental reviews ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Taiwan: Anti-nuclear activists to march across the nation The Taipei Times Online: 2002-09-19 The Green Party's Kao Cheng-yen, left, and former DPP chairman Lin Yi-hsiung, second left, speak out against nuclear power at a press conference yesterday. PHOTO: LIAO CHENG-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES By Chiu Yu-Tzu STAFF REPORTER Anti-nuclear activists will this weekend launch their first nationwide march since the DPP took power in 2000 to raise environmental awareness and push for the scrapping of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant. The action will be the activists' third march since September 1994, when former DPP chairman Lin Yi-hsiung (ªL¸q¶¯) led a two-month, 1,005km trek to push for a referendum on the nuclear plant. At a press conference yesterday in Taipei, march organizer Cheng Hsien-yu (¾G¥ý¯§) said that greater awareness would form a firm base for a democratic society. According to Cheng, the 1,000-km march across Taiwan will begin Saturday and will again demand a national referendum on the future of the nuclear plant, now under construction. "If we have more people raising consciousness with regard to public affairs, we will get the power to scrap the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant," Cheng said. Plans for the demonstration have participants marching 20km each weekend for at least 50 weeks. Cheng said he hopes a referendum can be held in time for the presidential election in 2004. "A referendum is one of basic rights people have to get involved in the decision-making process," Cheng said. Cheng said that his goal of building a nuclear-free country could be reached soon if the public, in addition to demanding the scrapping of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, seeks the decommissioning of Taiwan's three operational nuclear plants. In addition to activists from groups such as the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union, Taiwan Agenda 21, the Home-makers' Union and Foundation and the Taiwan Peace Foundation, environmentally minded professors will also participate in the march. Campaign staff with DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Ying-yuan (§õÀ³¤¸) have also signed up, Cheng said. The organizer added that people shouldn't see the march as political because it is merely an action designed to educate the public. Former DPP chairman Lin also attended the press conference yesterday but refused to comment when asked if the DPP government had expressed concerns about the event. "I'm just one of the members of the march who wants to raise public awareness on the nuclear power issue," Lin said. Lin's action was interpreted as criticism of the ruling DPP, which reversed its decision in October 2000 to halt construction of the nuclear plant after giving in to opposition parties in January last year. DPP Deputy Secretary-General Michael You (´å¬Õ¶©) said that the DPP's stance was the same as that of NGOs. You said that the party's inability to follow through on its promises can be attributed to the short period of time it has wielded real power in the legislature. You added that the march would not hurt the party. This story has been viewed 214 times. URL=[http://www.taipeitimes.com/news/2002/09/19/story/0000168621] Copyright © 1999-2002 The Taipei Times. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 2 UK: BE bosses brace for court action This is Money /by Richard Inder, Daily Mail/ INVESTORS may take legal action against directors of stricken British Energy for allegedly failing to keep them informed about the nuclear power generator's dire financial state. The threat comes as wholesale power prices rocketed to four-month highs amid fears that BE - which generates nearly a quarter of Britain's energy - may be forced to close plants. Stephen Alexander of Class Law, which mounted a similar action on behalf of Railtrack shareholders after it collapsed last year, is discussing mounting a case with major shareholders. Major US investment funds are also likely to launch claims to avoid being sued by their own investors. BE has insisted it kept the market informed. Shareholders have been all but wiped out since 5 September when BE warned it would be insolvent without Government support. The shares were 250p at the start of the year, but on Wednesday closed down 7p at 5p, a record low, amid continuing fears that the Government will withdraw a £410m emergency loan. Class Law will be paying particular attention to a meeting in August when executive chairman Robin Jeffrey allegedly told investors that BE had sufficient lines of credit to meet all foreseeable cash flow needs. Environmental group Greenpeace warned the government that its emergency support of BE is in 'flagrant breach' of European laws on state aid. © Associated Newspapers Ltd., 19 September 2002 Terms and Conditions This Is London ***************************************************************** 3 Belarus to help restore Iraqi energy grid* * Fri, September 20, 2002, 06:15 GMT * zawya* AFP MINSK, Sept 19 (AFP) - MINSK, Sept 19 (AFP) - Belarus may sign up to five million dollars worth of contracts with Iraq in a bid to help restore that country's energy sector, officials said. According to Iraqi Energy Minister Sahaban Faisal Mahjoub, now on a visit to Belarus, Iraq wanted to use Belarussian experts and equipment to build power stations and restore the energy grid. Speaking to Belarus's Ratsya radio, the Iraqi minister assured that UN inspections would not hamper cooperation efforts, and denied reports that the projects may include construction of nuclear power stations. "We are keen on doing this. This is a noble cause -- unless there is electricity, children will be dying there," the spokesman for the state-owned Belenergo producer, Vladimir Vasilchikov, told AFP. Belarus exported almost 26 million dollars (euros) of goods to Iraq in 2001, and a further 11.5 million dollars in the first five months of this year. Belarus and its authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko are viewed with disfavour by the United States, which accuses Minsk of being implicated in arms sales to countries that support terrorism. vk-cal/bm *Copyright © 2002 Zawya.com Ltd. All rights reserved.* Please ***************************************************************** 4 UK: Green challenge to BE loan Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Terry Macalister Thursday September 19, 2002 The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk] Greenpeace threatened last night to launch a high court challenge against the government unless it withdraws its £410m support package for British Energy. Further pressure came with demands from Sera, an environmental group supported by 100 Labour MPs and four ministers, that no further help be given to the nuclear operator. Investors, too, signalled that they had lost confidence in saving BE from insolvency, and the shares fell nearly 60% to end at another record low of 5p, valuing BE, which supplies a fifth of Britain's electricity and is its largest nuclear generator, at only £37m against £2bn a year ago. Accusations about who is to blame for BE's state also hotted up, with Robin Biggam, a non-executive director from 1996 until June this year, attacking the government for ignoring the nuclear industry's problems over the last 24 months. Greenpeace and renewable energy provider Ecotricity wrote to Patricia Hewitt, the trade and industry secretary, challenging the legality of the BE loan. They said the government had handed out the money without approval from the European commission, in what they described as a "flagrant" breach of state aid rules. "The loan was made without pre-notification and without receiving approval from the from the EC, despite there being a legal requirement to do so. This means that the loan was illegal and must be repaid, and that other power generators which may have suffered commercial damage can make legal claims for compensation as a result of lost profits," said the environmental group. Dale Vince, the managing director of Ecotricity, said propping up the nuclear industry made no sense. "If we were given £410m, instead of British Energy, we could build enough onshore wind energy to power 10% of the country." Meanwhile Sera, the Socialist Environment and Resources Association, said BE's overseas power stations should be sold and its British reactors handed over to the new nuclear liabilities management authority. Sera said the government loan should be repaid immediately and BE put into administration. "There should be no handout for a lame duck business," said Bill Eyre, Sera's chairman. Mr Biggam said the lack of urgency displayed over nuclear power given its growing problems over two years was a cause for concern. "Perhaps now is also 'the time to be tough' with the government," he said in a letter to the Financial Times. Useful links British Energy [http://www.british-energy.com/] Department of trade and industry [http://www.dti.gov.uk/] British Nuclear Fuels Ltd [http://www.bnfl.co.uk/website.nsf/default.htm] Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament [http://www.cnduk.org/] Greenpeace [http://www.greenpeace.org/homepage/] HSE nuclear glossary [http://www.hse.gov.uk/nsd/ilrwglos.htm] UK atomic energy authority [http://www.ukaea.org.uk/] National Radiological Protection Board [http://www.nrpb.org.uk/] World Nuclear Association [http://www.uilondon.org/] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 ***************************************************************** 5 Japan: Hitachi allegedly helped TEPCO falsify records on inspections [Daily Yomiuri On-Line] Yomiuri Shimbun Hitachi, Ltd., a major manufacturer of nuclear reactors, allegedly helped Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) falsify inspection records of its nuclear power plants, it was learned Wednesday. According to the Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency, Hitachi employees found a crack when inspecting TEPCO's No. 4 reactor at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture in 1992. However, it did not report the problem at TEPCO's request. Late last month it was reported that General Electric International, Inc. (GEII) falsified records regarding other TEPCO plants in the prefecture. According to officials, Hitachi employees found a crack in a tube at the bottom of the reactor core. On the basis of Hitachi's evaluation, TEPCO decided the crack would not disrupt the reactor's function and asked Hitachi employees to falsify the record, which was later presented to the government. In 1997, TEPCO again gave the government a false report, stating the crack had been discovered recently and the tube was replaced immediately. Hitachi started its own investigation after the falsification by GEII was revealed. Company officials said employees confirmed the falsification had occurred. Agency officials said they would investigate inspection records of other electric power companies immediately. Copyright 2002 The Yomiuri Shimbun ***************************************************************** 6 Japan: TEPCO long on words, short on blame [Daily Yomiuri On-Line] Yomiuri Shimbun A report released Tuesday by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) admitted that the company falsified inspection records of its nuclear power plants for 16 years, but failed to name names. The nation's leading electric power company has long stressed that nuclear power plants are safe. However, the way it has systematically covered up irregularities is a betrayal of public trust. TEPCO has promised to punish employees responsible for the cover-up and reform its nuclear power department, but it will take a long time for TEPCO to dispel public distrust of nuclear power plants. The 180-page report graphically details the systematic cover-up, but it fails to name the guilty parties at the nuclear power plants and those at head office who gave the nod to falsifying inspection records. Of the 29 suspected cases of falsification, TEPCO determined 16 were "inappropriate" cover-ups. Although it found that there was any risk to operational safety, TEPCO said three of the cover-ups were "egregious." The three worst offenses concerned a cracked steam drier at the No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant; cracks in the core shroud of the No. 2 reactor at the same plant; and cracks in the core shroud of the No. 3 reactor at Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant. Regarding the motivation for falsifying 16 reports, TEPCO said the main concern of engineers at its nuclear power plants was to complete inspections as scheduled and get the plants back on line as soon as possible. "They reported as little as possible to the government if the problems weren't related to safety," TEPCO said. "Even if they knew something was wrong, they had to continue what had become a part of corporate culture. However, it's inappropriate to hold any individual involved in the cover-ups personally accountable. The power plants and the head office's nuclear power department should be held accountable." Executive Vice President Toshiaki Enomoto, who was the director at Kashiwazaki-kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture for two years from 1995, said at a press conference Tuesday he was not interviewed by TEPCO's inspection committee, illustrating the so-called probe was not thorough. The report attributed 16 years of cover-ups to "TEPCO nuclear department's closed corporate culture," but failed to reveal who were involved and how the cover-ups were carried out. Even TEPCO employees said that the investigation was unsatisfactory. "The company will fall if all irregularities at the department aren't brought to light," a member of the investigative team said late last week when investigations were nearing completion. The nuclear power department occupies the entire sixth floor of TEPCO's head office in Uchisaiwaicho, Tokyo. With few employees from other departments going to the sixth floor, the floor is considered a sanctuary for nuclear power department employees. The 230 or so engineers at head office and the 2,400 or so at the three nuclear power plants in Fukushima and Niigata prefectures are often rotated. The nuclear department's workforce accounts for less than 10 percent of TEPCO's 40,000 employees, but nuclear power generation accounts for 42 percent of the company's overall electric power generation. Of the firm's 32 executives, five are from the nuclear power department, the most among departments in the company. "Because engineers think they are the only people who understand nuclear power generation, they become inclined to believe they can affect the fate of the company," a TEPCO employee said with displeasure. This is not the first time the nuclear power department's closed corporate culture was brought to light. In 1989, residents demanded the No. 3 reactor at Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant be X-rayed to determine whether metal fragments had damaged parts of the reactor after the rotation pump was damaged. However, TEPCO engineers said such an inspection was not necessary and resumed operations at the plant. In 1999, a reform committee on corporate culture mapped out measures to improve communications between the nuclear power department and other departments, but problems kept cropping up. Employees have become critical of the nuclear power department, which has failed to improve its corporate culture. "The report is unsatisfactory," a clerk who read the one-centimeter thick report said. === Questionable timing TEPCO President Nobuya Minami began Wednesday morning making the rounds of areas where TEPCO nuclear power plants are located to apologize to residents. However, residents in Fukushima and Niigata prefectures cast doubts over the timing of the release of TEPCO's report, which coincided with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visit to North Korea, on the grounds that TEPCO might have used the summit talks to divert attention from its admission it had lied. Starting at 8 a.m., Minami visited Narahamachi and Tomiokamachi, Fukushima Prefecture, saying, "I regret that my employees covered up the irregularities without bringing them to light in a dignified manner." Narahamachi Mayor Takashi Kusano asked Minami to rebuild the company's credibility by placing importance on relations with local people. Minami met with prefectural Gov. Eisaku Sato in the afternoon and then left for Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, where Kaoru Hasuike and Yukio Okudo were kidnapped by North Korean agents in 1978. The father of Kashiwazaki Municipal Assembly member Hayato Kitaoka, who is against a plan to use plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel at the nuclear power plant in the prefecture, used to play tennis with Hasuike, who Tuesday was confirmed to be alive in North Korea. "I had no time to watch news reports on the TEPCO press conference Tuesday evening. Even if TEPCO did not intentionally schedule the press conference to coincide with the prime minister's visit to Pyongyang, it hurt the feelings of local people," Kitaoka said. Copyright 2002 The Yomiuri Shimbun ***************************************************************** 7 Minister satisfied with Russia-US cooperation in N-sphere ITAR-TASS By Yuri Kozlov VIENNA, September 19, 2002 Cooperation between Russia and the United States is successfully developing. The sides have fulfilled everything over the current year they planned and agreed plans for further cooperation, said here on Thursday Russian Nuclear Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev in an exclusive interview with Tass. He participated in the session of the IAEA General Conference, now underway, and held several bilateral meetings with delegations of other countries, including the U. S. The minister singled out several the most important results of Russian-American cooperation. "We agreed a mechanism of pricing for a long period under an agreement on processing of high-grade into low-grade uranium, which is an earnest for economic and political stability for implementing provisions of this document for a long-term perspective," he emphasized. "We also started extensive work on a search for the so-called dumped sources which had not been registered in old times. They had belonged to various departments and had been used in medicine, industry, for scientific and other purposes. "We are now looking for these sources due to rising terrorist threats in the framework of a special programme. " Noting that the Russian and U. S. presidents gave an instruction at their latest meeting to set up joint expert groups to map out possible areas for cooperation in promising nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel cycles, as well as in involving redundant arms-grade materials into the nuclear power industry, Rumyantsev emphasized that this instruction has been fulfilled. Experts prepared appropriate reports, the last of which was submitted to the heads of the two countries' delegations at the current session of the IAEA General Conference. According to the minister, good results have been also achieved in developing scientific and technical cooperation between Russia and the U. S. These results materialized in specific commercial contracts on supplies of non-arms plutonium (plutonium isotope 238) to manufacture storage batteries used in outer space. Among other bilateral meetings, the minister singled out talks with delegations of India, Iran, Japan and EU countries, noting the constructive nature of talks. Copyright 2002 ITAR-TASS News Agency ***************************************************************** 8 Davis-Besse plans December restart wkyc.com Wednesday, September 18, 2002 OAK HARBOR, Ohio -- The Davis-Besse nuclear plant could be at full power by Dec. 7, a few days after its scheduled restart after replacing a corroded reactor head, FirstEnergy Corp. officials said. But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which has oversight of the repairs and must give approval before a restart, expressed concern with the workmanship of some of repairs and would not commit to FirstEnergy's timetable. A monthly meeting was held Tuesday to review progress in the plant's repair. "This is doable," said Lew Myers, chief operating officer of FirstEnergy Corp.'s nuclear division. "You don't make a schedule to fail." During a planned maintenance shutdown in March, a safety inspection found two boric acid-created cavities, the biggest about six inches wide, on top of the plant's reactor vessel head. It was the most extensive corrosion found on a U.S. nuclear reactor head and led to a nationwide review of all 69 similar plants. Akron-based FirstEnergy is spending $55 million to $75 million to replace the reactor head. The NRC wants to make sure that not only are the equipment repairs completed properly, but also that management lapses that allowed the corrosion to fester for years are fixed. "We are not driven by schedule but by performance," said Jack Grobe, who heads the special NRC panel overseeing the rehabilitation of the plant, in northern Ohio at the Lake Erie shoreline and about 25 miles east of Toledo. On Oct. 30, Davis-Besse managers hope to reload the reactor's radioactive fuel rods into the core. On Nov. 3, they'll bolt down the new reactor head. After tests, the reactor will be brought up to its normal 605-degree operating temperature on Nov. 19, and 15 days later, if the NRC gives its approval, the reactor would be restarted. It should be at full power by Dec. 7. But all that depends on the successful resolution of more than 1,400 reports citing conditions within the plant that need to be corrected. The restart also will require the approval of the NRC's Midwest regional director and other officials. One of the projects FirstEnergy is undertaking to improve Davis-Besse is updating a safety system that keeps the reactor supplied with coolant if there is a large pipe leak. The emergency system pulls spilled coolant from a sump in the floor of the reactor building and recirculates it. The coolant flows through a filter screen, which experts worry could become blocked by debris. At Davis-Besse, engineers have augmented the sump with a network of perforated pipes that will snake across the containment building floor, decreasing the chance of a clog. Plant manager Randy Fast said the improvement will put it in a leadership role in the nuclear industry. Grobe also raised concerns in the meeting about a crane FirstEnergy is using in repairs. Utility officials were not pleased by the quality of work by some contractors hired to make minor improvements to the crane, which will lift the replacement head into place. Mike Stevens, FirstEnergy director of work management, said he ordered a temporary work shutdown after discovering some crane repairs did not meet the utility's standards. © 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material *WKYC in alliance with Cleveland.com* ***************************************************************** 9 Safety first, FirstEnergy says Beacon Journal | 09/19/2002 | Posted on Thu, Sep. 19, 2002 [story:PUB_DESC] But Davis-Besse not there yet, says Nuclear Regulatory Commission By Jim Mackinnon Beacon Journal business writer FirstEnergy told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday that it is putting into place numerous programs and procedures designed to forestall the kind of neglect that created unprecedented boric acid damage at the Davis-Besse nuclear power plant. But a top NRC official, Jack Grobe, said the company ``clearly is not there yet'' in meeting safety goals and expectations that will allow the federal agency to approve a restart once repairs are finished. The NRC and FirstEnergy met at the nuclear plant complex in a nearly four-hour meeting Wednesday that the public could listen in on over telephone. FirstEnergy on Tuesday said it hopes Davis-Besse can be refueled Oct. 30 and be back up to full power Dec. 7. The Oak Harbor plant has been closed since early March after two acid-created cavities were found on top of the reactor's former vessel head, a large steel dome that covers the radioactive fuel. The company bought a replacement vessel head and has placed it inside the massive concrete and steel containment chamber building that protects the reactor. The company's repair schedule calls for bolting the new vessel head in place in early November. The company said it is making safety, not profit, the plant's top priority. FirstEnergy's self-analysis of what went wrong at Davis-Besse reported that previous plant management had emphasized production over safety. ``We're at risk of forgetting that all of this is people,'' Grobe said. ``Your challenge is to get into the hearts and minds of all the people in your organization.... You're clearly not there yet.'' FirstEnergy's plan to revamp how Davis-Besse is managed and operated is aimed at bringing the plant up to NRC requirements, said NRC spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng. The utility was criticized in a meeting with the same NRC officials Tuesday after it acknowledged that a large crane that is a permanent fixture inside the containment chamber failed an inspection by a senior manager after a recent upgrade. While the crane is not a safety issue, the contractors doing the upgrade should have known they needed to maintain the highest standards especially in light of the plant's highly publicized problems, the officials said. As part of its efforts to correct problems, FirstEnergy executives said Wednesday that they have replaced top managers at Davis-Besse and made other organizational changes within its nuclear operating company subsidiary. Also, FirstEnergy has put into place safety training programs for employees and is creating an atmosphere in which employees will not be punished for pointing out problems, they said. FirstEnergy's presentation included a survey of Davis-Besse employees that showed a sharp drop this year in their faith in company management. ``It's news that you need, but it's not good news,'' Grobe said. FirstEnergy's efforts to improve human performance are just now ``starting to have coherence,'' he said. FirstEnergy has to demonstrate that all of the human performance problems have been fixed before the NRC can approve restarting the plant, Grobe said. While FirstEnergy hopes to have Davis-Besse up to full power by Dec. 7, ``we're not driven by the licensee's (FirstEnergy's) schedule,'' said Christine Lipa, a supervisor in the NRC's Chicago regional office that oversees Davis-Besse. Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com [jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com] ***************************************************************** 10 Kenya: Impounded uranium is fake, Police Web posted on:Thursday, September 19, 2002 By KNA Nuclear scientists have proved that contents of substances purported to be uranium found on suspects arrested by police last week was fake and did not contain any substantive levels of radioactivity. Last week, police laid an ambush following a tip-off and arrested three people among them a former senior government official who were peddling material suspected to be uranium. However, analysis from both the Radiation Protection Board and the University of Nairobi's Department of Physics showed that the cache was a small amount of iodine sealed in a glass casing which was embedded in sand and that cannot emit any appreciable level of radiation that can pose any health risk on handling. Displaying the exhibit to the press at the Police headquarters on Thursday, Police spokesman Mr Peter Kimanthi said the red coloured box weighing 20 kg would go for ksh. 120 million on a black market had it been real uranium. Mr Kimanthi also revealed that another sample found on a suspect in Eldoret last month and weighed 40 kg was also not uranium but sand staffed in a metallic container and could fetch about Ksh. 2 billion had it also been real stuff. He however said the containers for both the exhibits had been coated with very thin layers of a radioactive material to hoodwink would be buyers into thinking that the contents were radioactive. Mr Kimanthi cautioned Kenyans to be wary of foreigners who were on the loose peddling fake materials duping unsuspecting buyers that the substances were precious metals. He confirmed that several people had been conned of money after being sold the fake items by the tricksters. The police spokesman said five suspects in connection with the syndicate were in police custody pending investigations and if proved guilty in the dealings, would be charged with an attempt to obtain money by false pretences. Mr. Kimanthi however said among the suspects arrested last week, was a former senior government official who was out on bond on health grounds. * ***************************************************************** 11 Radioactive container found at private house [Daily Yomiuri On-Line] Yomiuri Shimbun Radiation has been detected emanating from a small container found in a hut located on private property in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, prompting an investigation, government officials said Wednesday. The investigation by experts from the Education, Science and Technology Ministry's Nuclear Regulation Office was set in motion by a report filed earlier in the day from experts at Okayama Science University, who had examined the container at the request of a householder. The lead container resembles a tea caddy, the specialists said. The radiation was measured at 300 microsieverts per hour a distance of 50 centimeters from the container. This translates into 2,628 millisieverts a year. By comparison, the government mandates that radioactivity in the neighborhoods of nuclear power plants be held at or below 1 millisievert per year. Copyright 2002 The Yomiuri Shimbun ***************************************************************** 12 Tainted refrigerator sent to CBC This story was published Wed, Sep 18, 2002 By Annette Cary Herald staff writer Pacific Northwest National Laboratory inadvertently sent a surplus refrigerator contaminated with a tiny amount of beryllium to Columbia Basin College in May. Beryllium is an exotic metal used in the nuclear industry. Breathing small particles can cause a chronic and incurable lung disease in people with an allergylike sensitivity to it. Sometime before the appliance was hauled to CBC, a test on a 4-by-4-inch area found 0.26 micrograms of the metal, which is considered low-level contamination. Department of Energy regulations prohibit surplus equipment from being donated for new uses if it is contaminated with 0.2 micrograms of beryllium in an area the same test size. "We discovered the error when we went to (remove) the refrigerator Friday, and it was gone," said Sharon Dossett, the lab's safety and health manager. The room it was in had been posted as having beryllium contamination, but the refrigerator had not been individually tagged. The lab tracked the refrigerator to CBC on Tuesday. It had been donated to the college for chemical storage and had been placed in a trailer on the Pasco campus. "We assume no students came in contact," said Frank Murray, CBC spokesman. Most of the dust would have been on the top of the refrigerator, which was near the ceiling of the trailer. CBC and lab officials will meet this morning to discuss the incident and any possible contamination of college staff. "The risks are negligible to the staff at CBC," Dossett said. The lab is not recommending any precautions. The beryllium was at low enough levels that lab workers would not be required to wear face masks or gloves. The lab retrieved the refrigerator from CBC and plans to give the college another in its place. Lab officials also will make sure individual items contaminated with beryllium will be individually tagged, in addition to tagging the rooms where they are stored. Copyright 2002 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This ***************************************************************** 13 IAAP study may become prototype The Hawk Eye Special: IAAP Thursday, September 19, 2002 [Unknown dangers at IAAP] n Findings could have impact on action regarding other munitions industry workers. By Dennis J. Carroll The Hawk Eye A pending health study of Army contract workers at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, prompted in great part by their tales of illness and death, may serve as a model for similar surveys at munition plants across the country, the lead researcher said this week. A team from the University of Iowa's College of Public Health recently was awarded $1 million to begin a survey of the health of former workers at the plant. Another $1 million has been appropriated by Congress. For the past two years, the University of Iowa College of Public Health has been surveying the health of the first of thousands of the plant's former nuclear weapons workers. The new study begins the process of assessing the health of those who manufactured conventional weapons. Former workers on both Army and nuclear production lines have broken decades of silence to complain of lifelong illnesses and even deaths possibly caused by their exposure to hazardous materials such as chemicals, heavy metals and radioactive agents. Dr. Lar Fu–ortes, who is directing the U of I team's studies, said the university is working out the details of the study with the Army. He said one of the things the Army would like is a survey of the causes of death among plant workers. "Did they die younger than the rest of the population? Did they die of different diseases than the rest of the population?" Fuortes said. He said the study would be the first of its kind among Army munition workers, and could help determine whether there is a historical health problem in the munitions industry that would have implications for compensation and prevention. "In part, this is to respond to a political, social concern in the community," he said. "People are saying 'we turned yellow, my friend died of liver cancer at a young age, my sister died of kidney failure at a young age.' " Fuortes said the Army wants to find out whether "these people suffer ill health because of this industry, and if there is something that ought to be done" He said of particular interest is the extent to which Army workers and contractors may have been exposed to beryllium and whether they developed chronic beryllium disease. Fuortes said that as the survey of nuclear weapons workers continues, there are signs that Army side workers also may have been exposed to shavings or dust from the metal. "A third of the people who tested positive for beryllium sensitivity were not (nuclear workers)," Fuortes said. To date, 15 people have tested positive for beryllium sensitivity, which indicates a possibility that they eventually will contract the disease. Fuortes noted that some workers had thought they may have worked on Line 1, the nuclear production line, and thus became part of the survey, but it later was discovered they had not. Non–nuclear workers who have tested positive for beryllium sensitivity included a former tool and die worker, a laundry worker and a cafeteria worker, Fuortes said. In addition, it appears from X–rays and medical records that one worker who died 20 years ago had succumbed to beryllium lung disease, Fuortes said. Records of the AEC operations at the plant have shown that beryllium dust was discovered in numerous areas and buildings at the plant. The Atomic Energy Commission assembled, took apart and in later years, test–fired components of nuclear weapons at IAAP from the late 1940s until the mid 1970s. Beryllium was used as a hardening agent in the early days of nuclear weapons manufacturing. Plant records obtained by the University of Iowa researchers show that about 38,000 people have worked at the plant over the decades, about one–fourth of them on the nuclear–weapons line. About 12,500 are thought to have died. About 14,500 possible addresses have been obtained, including about 500 in the Quincy, Ill., and Monmouth, Ill., areas. Fuortes said researchers also may attempt to contact building contractors such as plumbers, electricians and carpenters who were not plant employees, but may have been exposed to hazardous materials. He also said last year's terrorist attacks have made it more difficult to obtain some records from American Ordnance, which operates the plant for the Army. "The plant is less willing to share overhead photography and information on how much of what is stored where," Fuortes said. Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack's office has asked the Army to seek arrangements with the contractor so that medical records are more accessible to the workers and the university health team. American Ordnance has halted the release of X–rays and other medical records, citing liability concerns over patient confidentiality and possible loss, destruction or damage to the records. Company officials have not been available for comment. The Hawk Eye 800 S. Main St., Burlington Iowa 52601 319-754-8461 Front Desk · 319-754-6824 FAX · 1-800-397-1708 Toll ***************************************************************** 14 Cause of gulf illness is still unknown Augusta Georgia: Metro: Web posted Thursday, September 19, 2002 By Mike Wynn [mwynn@augustachronicle.com] and Johnny Edwards [johnny.edwards@augustachronicle.com] Staff Writers Willie Wright knew that something he came in contact with during the Persian Gulf War was killing him. Nine years after he returned, he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and later, brain tumors. Even before then, Mr. Wright, a specialist in the 1148th Transportation Company, had suffered from skin rashes and aching joints. "I didn't have any problems before I went over," he said in January, "but I had some when I left there." On May 25, Mr. Wright died of the lung cancer at age 53. Neither the Department of Defense nor the scientific community can say for sure what's causing some soldiers who fought for the liberation of Kuwait to become sick and die. The lack of answers raises concern as the Bush administration pushes for another war against Iraq. An unidentified member of the 1148th Transportation Company looks in the burned hull of an Iraqi tank. The U.S. used depleted uranium in shells, which contains low levels of radiation that some say my cause cancer. SPECIAL There are many theories, and they are as diverse and complex as the symptoms. "I believe it came from the depleted uranium they were exposed to while in the gulf," Mr. Wright's widow, Katrina, said recently at her Atlanta home. U.S. forces used depleted uranium, a heavy metal that is slightly radioactive, on bullets and shells because of its effectiveness in piercing armor. They also used it to enhance armor protection on some M-1 Abrams tanks. When uranium weapons burn, uranium oxide dust is created. The 1148th didn't fight on the front lines, but it hauled fuel into war zones. On the way, members of the unit often passed burned-out Iraqi vehicles and tanks destroyed by U.S. artillery. Mrs. Wright believes that her husband and other soldiers breathed in particles of uranium oxide dust. Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed Aldouri, said depleted uranium used by the United States and Britain is to blame for high rates of cancer among Iraqi troops who fought in the war, in addition to citizens of southern Iraq. He said it's also the source of American veterans' health problems. "At that time, we had chemical weapons" but didn't use them, Mr. Aldouri said in an interview with The Augusta Chronicle. "Your people used this depleted uranium in Iraq during the war. I think the whole area has been affected by the depleted uranium." Doctors discovered Mr. Wright's lung cancer in October 2000 and found brain tumors seven months later. Mrs. Wright acknowledges that her husband of 18 years was a longtime smoker but says his other afflictions strengthen her argument that his death is related to the gulf war. The health problems eventually cost him his job of 20 years at a Scottdale, Ga., steel fabrication plant because he was physically unable to perform his duties, she said. Mr. Wright's brain tumors were removed in September 2001, but an MRI last March revealed more cancerous growths. His condition worsened, and on May 20 he was taken to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. He never left alive. Ten days later, Mrs. Wright and the couple's five children buried him in his uniform, adorned with the medals and pins he had earned. "I knew he wasn't coming back home," she said, "and I think he knew it, too." Willie Wright is seen with his wife, Katrina, at their Atlanta home during his battle with lung cancer. He died May 25. SPECIAL Low-level fallout Through the end of the current fiscal year, the federal government will have spent more than $200 million on at least 200 gulf war research-related projects. They cover the spectrum, ranging from $617,000 spent on the effects of gulf war service on military dogs to nearly $14 million on chronic, multisymptom illnesses. The cost to taxpayers for projects dealing with gulf war illnesses, including funds for research, registry programs, investigations and public relations, is estimated at more than $500 million. Dr. Robert Haley, one of the better known researchers on gulf war illness, has been studying the problems of Desert Shield/Desert Storm vets for eight years. Dr. Haley, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said he believes afflicted soldiers have neurological damage caused by exposure to low levels of chemicals and nerve agents during the war, which is why years later they're experiencing body pain, cognitive problems, rashes and other symptoms. His original benefactor was Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot, who wanted to fund research independent of the government. The search for answers has led Dr. Haley to develop new brain-imaging techniques. Brain scans of gulf war veterans have found cellular abnormalities and deep brain damage, he said. The government acknowledged that sarin gas was released when the Army blew up munitions sites near Khamisiyah, Iraq, but Dr. Haley said the real damage was done a few days into the air war, when U.S. planes bombed hundreds of Iraqi chemical-weapons stores, creating a cloud that drifted over coalition troops and fallout that rained on them for weeks. That would explain the frequency of chemical alarms triggered in base camps but ruled false because no one got sick or died. The Defense Department has reported that two chemical-weapons depots were destroyed during the bombing - at Muhammadiyat and Al Muthanna in central Iraq - but concluded that, with the exception of forward-deployed Special Forces, the fallout could not have reached troops in high enough concentrations to have long-term health effects. Many of the symptoms gulf veterans are listing have been reported by soldiers in conflicts dating back to the Civil War, said Dr. Luis Montalvo, a primary care physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Augusta. He said that stress may be a factor in the illnesses but that it could also be something else. "I've been working with veterans for almost 10 years, and I can tell you I've seen some people with some real problems, to the point that they cannot function, can't work, lost their jobs," said Dr. Montalvo, who spent five months in the Persian Gulf area after shipping out with the 382nd Field Hospital unit from Augusta. "My opinion is that it might still be something that we haven't been able to find out yet." There is little research left to do on the subject, except for one project, said a researcher at the Medical College of Georgia. "One last thing to do is to look at these people on autopsy," said Dr. Jerry Buccafusco, the director of MCG's Alzheimer's Research Center. "Cells die in different ways, and you may be able to tell something from the way the cells die or if the cell death is specific to certain brain regions that control various aspects of behavior or physiology. "That's the other experiment that needs to be done, to look at autopsy tissue, and that will really depend on the willingness of the veteran to allow the tissue to be looked at." Cancer and dying At least two other 1148th veterans, Doug Scott and John O'Donnell, have died of illnesses since the war. Mr. O'Donnell died March 31, 2000, at age 51. His wife, Jane, spoke to The Chronicle briefly about his death but would not elaborate because of potential litigation against the government. He was diagnosed with liver cancer about three weeks before he died. Mrs. O'Donnell said he died of a blood clot in a leg. Mr. Scott, a state probation officer, died last fall. He was 25 during the gulf war, when he served as a lieutenant, and 35 when he succumbed to brain cancer. Before his death, the VA had determined that his illness was connected to his military service. Mr. Scott was on 100 percent disability, unable to work, unable to walk and in his last days confined to his home. His brain tumor was discovered in 1995, after he lost muscle control in his right leg and stubbed his toe. His doctor told him the tumor had been present for two years, his mother said. During his final weeks, his mother, Martha Scott, bathed him, dressed him and put baby monitors in her room and his. An only child, Mr. Scott was fiercely independent. Being in a wheelchair frustrated him. Those closest to him said he never spoke about what might have made him sick - he just kept saying he would get better. Doug Scott presents a saber to the Academy of Richmond County Army JROTC Battalion commander, Brandon Brantley. The saber was dedicated in honor of Mr. Scott on May 9, 2001. He died of brain cancer five months later on Oct. 1. JONATHAN ERNST/FILE "I remember him, just days before he died, sitting on the foot of his bed and saying, 'I'm going to beat this thing."' Mrs. Scott said. On Oct. 1, she woke up at 5:30 a.m. and went into his room to check on him. His hands and body were warm, but his face was white, and she knew he had gone. Mrs. Scott has two U.S. flags, folded into triangles and encased in glass, above the fireplace in her sun room, one for her son, the other for her husband, Rudolph Scott. The elder Mr. Scott, a Vietnam veteran, died of lung cancer about a month before his son. "I don't think he ever regretted going to the gulf war," Mrs. Scott said of her son. "He just said he didn't want to die." Return to Iraq Veterans' advocates fear that the government will repeat how it has treated gulf war soldiers if the United States again sends troops to the region to oust Saddam Hussein. "The real question is, if (the government) cannot tell the truth and right the wrongs of the past, how can the military of today and their families expect them to do the right thing?" said Rick Weidman, the director of government relations for the Vietnam Veterans of America. U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., a member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee and head of the Veterans Administration during the Carter administration, said that the Pentagon and the VA health care system are not prepared to deal with massive casualties from biological and chemical warfare. "If you're going to go for regime change, and commit (200,000 or 300,000) or 400,000 troops to Iraq, it would be extremely bloody, very long, very costly to this country, to our economy, to our forces, and I hope we don't have to do that," Mr. Cleland said. Heeding lessons of the first war with Iraq, the Defense Department has since tightened up its record keeping, hoping to avoid the confusion and lack of information that has frustrated research into gulf war illnesses. In any future conflict in the Persian Gulf, vaccines given to troops in the field would be electronically archived, and the Defense Department would compile data on units' locations and any symptoms reported by soldiers before, during and after deployment, according to Michael Kilpatrick, deputy director of the Deployment Health Support Directorate. The military has also become more cognizant of environmental hazards, including those created when chemicals are dispersed from bombed factories. In Afghanistan, environmental monitoring teams check for toxins in the air, soil and water before ground troops are moved into an area, Dr. Kilpatrick said. Mr. Aldouri, the Iraqi ambassador, said his country won't be using chemical or biological weapons if there is another conflict because it no longer has any. Katrina Wright believes that her husband, Willie, was exposed to depleted uranium during the Persian Gulf War, which she says caused the lung cancer that killed him in May. U.S. troops used the metal on bullets and shells to pierce armor. MICHAEL HOLAHAN/STAFF "Right now, of course, we will not use any unconventional weapons because we don't have any chemical weapons or other kinds of weapons which are forbidden," he said. "All facilities, all factories, all sites have been destroyed by inspections and by the Iraqi government itself, so we are no more belonging to the club of this mass destruction. I find it ridiculous that we are a threat to the American people. "If there will be another illness phenomena as there was before, I think you will have to blame yourself." Broken up The 1148th that deployed to the gulf war was effectively split up in 1995 when the Army moved its parts to Thomasville and Bainbridge, both in southwest Georgia. Some members of the unit retired. Some joined the Army Reserve at Fort Gordon. Some joined up with the 878th Engineer Battalion, housed in the armory near Lake Olmstead that was once the 1148th's. Some recall their time in the unit as some of the best of their lives. The 1148th was particularly close, made up of brothers, cousins, husbands and wives, fellow church members and lifelong friends. "The time I spent in the unit and the time I spent in the military, I treasure that," said Richard Germany, who left the National Guard in 1995. "And I would go anywhere in the world today with these people. This was the tightest bunch of people for any military organization that existed." Some veterans say that, despite everything that has happened since the war - the sickness, the uncertainties over the cause, the battles with the VA, the deaths - they would still go back to the Persian Gulf if their country needed them. That's how Dale Sanders, a sergeant in the 1148th, feels. Mr. Sanders has had throat surgery to help with sleep apnea and has had four biopsies taken from his left ear. He said his father was a Vietnam veteran who died because of exposure to Agent Orange. "I'd do it all over again. That's part of war, I guess," Mr. Sanders said of his ailments. "If you're not willing to fight for your country to be free, you don't need to be here." ABOUT THE SERIES The Augusta Chronicle tracked down 102 of the 166 men and women who served with Augusta's 1148th Transportation Company during the Persian Gulf War and looked at what has happened to its members and their families since, and what could happen if U.S. forces return to the gulf. SUNDAY [http://augustachronicle.com/stories/091502/met_gulf_war1.shtml] : The 1148th Transportation Company's job of hauling fuel during the war put its reservists all over the theater of combat, exposing them to almost every hazard associated with Desert Storm. MONDAY: [http://augustachronicle.com/stories/091602/met_gulf.shtml] On Jan. 12, 1991, members of the 1148th were injected with the anthrax vaccine, in some cases against their will. TUESDAY: [http://augustachronicle.com/stories/091702/met_gulf.shtml] When their bodies began deteriorating after the gulf war, some veterans say, they didn't get the help they needed from the federal agency charged with caring for them. WEDNESDAY: [http://augustachronicle.com/stories/091802/met_gulf.shtml] There is growing evidence that the men and women who served in Desert Storm are not the only victims of gulf war-related health problems. THURSDAY: [http://augustachronicle.com/stories/091902/met_gulf.shtml] Some fear another war with Iraq could bring a repeat of the health problems plaguing so many Persian Gulf War veterans. Reach Mike Wynn at (706) 823-3218 or Johnny Edwards at (706) 823-3225. The Augusta [http://www.augustachronicle.com] ***************************************************************** 15 Letter to NAS Committee Reviewing Global Fallout Feasibility Study IEER [http://www.ieer.org/index.html] Committee of the National Academy of Sciences September 12, 2002 Dr. William Schull, Chair "Review of the CDC-NIH-Feasibility Study of the Health Consequences to the American Population from Nuclear Weapons Tests," Project Number BRER-K-01-02-A National Academy of Sciences Dear Dr. Schull: We are submitting comments and observations for the Committee's consideration as you review A Feasibility Study of the Health Consequences to the American Population from Nuclear Weapons Tests conducted by the United States and other Nations (hereafter, "Study") which was prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER) has studied and been concerned about the health and environmental effects of nuclear weapons production and testing since its inception in 1987. IEER has published a number of books, reports and articles on the subject, including Nuclear Wastelands: A Global Guide to Nuclear Weapons Production and Its Health and Environmental Effects and Radioactive Heaven and Earth: The health and environmental effects of nuclear weapons testing in, on, and above the earth. We are pleased that the U.S. government has over the past decade, after a long and damaging period of denial, begun to face the health and environmental legacy of the Cold War. The Study you are reviewing, which examines several aspects of the health consequences to people in the contiguous United States from radioactive fallout from most atmospheric nuclear testing, is part of that examination. Our review of this work concludes that it will be well worth the effort to actually complete the Study. The methodology will need to be refined and made more transparent, however. We have several concerns about the details in the Study that we hope you will address in your review. We also hope that you will make specific recommendations about the public health measures that must be taken now, so that the public is not waiting in limbo forever while scientists carry out prolonged and complex studies. We also believe that the full study should be conducted expeditiously and released in a timely fashion, unlike the 1997 NCI report on the effects of iodine-131 fallout. Delays in publishing data and analyses are fundamentally unfair to people who have diseases that may be related to fallout and who need information and help. Our specific comments on the Study, organized according to section of the report, and our comments on outreach are as follows: Volume 1 1. The assumption that red bone marrow dose and thyroid dose due to external radiation are the same (p. 54) is questionable and may cause a significant underestimation of bone marrow dose. Since most of the red bone marrow in the body is closer to the ground than the thyroid, and since dose varies as the inverse square of the distance for the source, the bone marrow dose may be several times the effective dose. The methodology in Appendix D does not make clear how the single radiation dose rate for all organs was set in the matter of height. While equation 3.1 in the main report indicates that a wT factor is taken into account for each organ, it appears not to have been done. See comments below relating to Appendix D. 2. External doses are assumed to be age independent. Does that mean that adult wT factors were used for children as well? If so, this could systematically underestimate doses to children (due to the same inverse r-squared dependence of gamma dose discussed above), with the underestimation being greater for farm children spending much of their time outdoors. The Committee should inquire whether adult wT factors were used for children and if so recommend an examination of the implications. 3. Based on the discussion in chapter 3 on external doses, it appears that people who spent most of their time outdoors, such as the shepherds, ranchers, farmers, farm workers, and their families would have had doses several times the average for the county (pp. 55-57). Thus in high fallout areas, external doses could be an order of magnitude greater than the national average for the farming and ranching population. Doses to farm families, with people spending a lot of time outdoors in heavy work, would seem to be a factor of five or ten greater than the average for the county. There may be a high differentiation by ethnicity, since occupation, living structure characteristics, and food habits varied by ethnicity. For instance, some Mormon farm families raised goats. Children drinking goat's milk on such farms would have received very high doses to the thyroid (on the order of 1,000 rem or even more in high fallout areas). Shepherds in Utah and Idaho were disproportionately of Basque origin and hence this population would also have been disproportionately affected. Did the CDC take into account that meat in such areas would be much more highly contaminated and the disproportionate effect that consumption of such meat would have on farming and ranching families? (Note that farm animals, such as sheep dogs and outdoor-grazing animals [cattle, goats, sheep, and horses] would also have been disproportionately affected, with potentially serious economic impact in some cases. The Study does not address such issues.) Doses to farm families, specifically exposures in-utero and exposures of children, should be explicitly calculated and presented. Doses to people, especially those on farms, drinking goat's milk should also be explicitly assessed. 4. Only adults have been considered for internal dose in the Study (p. 62). The age dependence of diet is acknowledged to be great (p. 62). Hence we might expect that the doses to children would be substantially different. Given the special significance of childhood leukemia in the Study, at least some computations of bone marrow dose to children would have been important. The greater importance of milk in the childhood diet would affect this dose significantly, since the milk pathway is important for strontium-90. 5. In-utero carbon-14 and tritium doses were not calculated. Doses to children were not calculated. Doses to ova in formation in females in-utero were not calculated. Not one of these issues is even mentioned in the report, though they may raise the risk of cancer and non-cancer effects, including birth defects and miscarriages. See the 1999 IEER-initiated letter to the BEIR VII committee of the NAS, attached [http://www.ieer.org/comments/beir/ltr0999.html] . Appendix D 1. External exposures in high fallout areas close to the Nevada Test Site (NTS) are "underestimated in this report." These estimates may be "up to 50% too low" (p. 14). These are areas where the fallout cloud would have passed less than 12 hours after the test. Depending on the test, this may affect areas a few tens to a couple of hundred miles from the NTS. These problems should be corrected. 2. A relaxation length of 0.1 cm is used for soil for the first 20 days of deposition. It is not clear that this is a conservative assumption for farming and ranching families in arid areas. 3. What was the distance from the ground for bone marrow as an organ? How does it compare with the effective radius? Was the effective radius weighted appropriately for the non-linearity of gamma dose variation with distance? If the effective height of the person for the external effective dose equivalent (EDE) calculation is about 3 feet, then this would seem to underestimate bone marrow dose, since most of the marrow is below the waist. It would underestimate it even more for children, perhaps by a factor of several fold. The effective height should be closer to a foot or a foot-and-a-half. 4. The discussion on p. 54 does not make clear what EDE factor was actually used for external radiation. In Appendix D, it states that a factor of 0.66 rem/R was used. It is unclear whether a higher factor for children - a 30% higher factor is indicated - was used (p. 15). Based on the statement on p. 16, it appears that none of the factors that would increase dose, including the higher dose conversion factor have been used. "In this report, all calculations of dose are based on the average exposure given above and estimates for any individual should be adjusted up or down based on the above discussion." (p. 16). Children's external doses would seem to be underestimated due to use of the adult EDE factor of 0.66 rem/R. 5. Table A4 on p. 16 indicates that a single factor for mR/hour has been used for external dose estimates. The height at which this radiation dose rate is measured is not specified. The estimation of bone marrow dose in particular, both to adults and children may be considerably affected by this method of calculation. Depending on the height at which the dose rate is specified, it may affect the external radiation dose estimate to the bone marrow by several fold. Appendix E 1. Inhalation doses have not been directly calculated but estimated as fractions of the ingestion dose (pp. 42-44). Equation 3.2 on p. 59 applies only to ingestion dose. This indicates that inhalation doses were entirely omitted. Not even a single example calculation has been done even though air concentration data are available and even though this is the most important pathway for plutonium dose. The only radionuclide for which inhalation doses are estimated to be greater than ingestion is Pu-239/240. The factor estimated is 2.6. This is about a factor of 120 larger than the estimated ratio for I-131, which is soluble, and a factor of 240 greater than Sr-90. This seems strange, since the uptake of plutonium from the gut is only 1 in 10,000. Based on this the inhalation to ingestion ratio for plutonium-239/240 should be approximately 200 or more. It is surprising that the Study does not appear to have done even a small number of calculations using air concentration data to validate its factor of 2.6 for the inhalation to ingestion dose ratio for plutonium. Indeed, no actual results for inhalation dose have been provided. Also note that the inhalation calculation assumes 80 percent of the time spent indoors. The plutonium inhalation doses may have been underestimated due to these assumptions. Were any verification calculations done with air concentrations to see if the inhalation to ingestion dose ratio seemed reasonable in the case of hot spot areas - such as areas where people actually remember fallout settling on laundry hanging out to dry? 2. Special factors may enhance inhalation doses considerably for some populations. It would appear that inhalation doses, including possibly inhalation doses from plutonium, may be important for ranching and farming families in hot spot areas. This does not appear to have been taken into account. (Note: the term farming and ranching families includes farm workers and ranch-hands and their children who may have been outdoors with them much of the time.) In high fallout, high dry deposition areas, such as those in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Idaho, there is ample anecdotal evidence that there was considerable deposition of fallout on laundry hanging outdoors to dry. Women handling this laundry may have therefore received considerable re-suspension doses. These have not been discussed at all, much less estimated. 3. The chart for integrated intake used for Cs-137 shows enormous variation in the May-September period, with a steep drop and then a somewhat steep rise (p. 17). What is the basis for this? 4. Why did the Study redo the I-131 doses with constant value for retention of I-131 by vegetation instead of the rainfall dependent and presumably more accurate retention used in the 1997 NCI study? This assumption resulted in a reduction in population thyroid dose estimate by a factor of 2 (p. 74). Appendix F 1. Little or no continuous data exist for fallout prior to 1958. There was gummed film data since 1952 but this appears not to have been used. 2. The essence of the approach has been to use meteorological data as well as soil and deposition data for Sr-90 to develop a model of geographical variation in Sr-90 deposition. This was then used as a template for all other radionuclides (pp. 9 and 10). This means that the geographical variation due to emissions from nuclear weapons facilities has not been taken into account. Possible emissions of Sr-90 are from reactors and reprocessing plants (Hanford, Savannah River Site, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Oak Ridge, West Valley in New York [commercial reprocessing]) as well as places that may have processed or separated Sr-90 as such. The latter sites would include Hanford (where Sr-90 was separated from high-level waste) as well as those sites at which Sr-90 thermoelectric generators may have been made. This should be done in follow up work. 3. Note that this model results in serous underestimates for areas with low rainfall and high dry deposition. ("There are also large differences for countries in very arid locales where the model's neglect of dry fallout resulted in a significant underestimate of Sr-90 deposition density." p. 15.) These are precisely the areas with high NTS fallout. Some of these are also areas with large farming and ranching populations. Hence a variety of assumptions and simplifications in this report has created a systematic underestimation of doses to farming and ranching families. Some of these factors have been given a quantitative estimate (as for instance in relation to time spent outdoors), but others such as the omission of dry fallout have not. Methodology One important overall issue is that the methodology appendices do not appear to contain a specific method of separating doses due to radionuclide releases from nuclear weapons plants from those attributable to nuclear weapons tests so far as the deposition of radionuclides is concerned. In the case of radionuclides where the total is estimated from weapon explosion megatonnage, notably carbon-14 and tritium, this is not an issue. But it would appear to be an issue for deposition data. Public Health Outreach We have believed since the 1997 NCI study was published that three health measures are of the utmost importance, both for public health and for democracy and trust in government: 1. People who were in the most affected areas during testing should be sought out and informed about the exposures, circumstances and risks. This should include intensive outreach in all high fallout areas with special attention being given to farming and ranching families. 2. Physicians, nurses and other medical personnel throughout the country should be trained to recognize the symptoms of thyroid abnormalities and other radiogenic diseases and to inquire of their patients the geography and circumstances of their upbringing in case of suspicious symptoms or history of residence in a high fallout area. 3. The governments of the United States and other nuclear weapon states have an obligation to assess the damage their nuclear weapons testing and development programs have inflicted upon people in non-nuclear countries. Scientists working in the United States, the country that has done more than any other to assess such damage, should take the lead in urging their counterparts in other countries to examine the harm done by their nuclear weapons programs as well. We would appreciate a statement from the NAS to its counterparts in other countries to that effect. Outreach by the Committee Finally, we would like to express our disappointment with the Committee's lack of proper outreach regarding its formation and activities. We learned of the Committee's establishment only through a cold call to NAS in late May 2002, about a month after the Committee's first meeting. When I spoke with the Study Director, she implied there was not much public interest in the first meeting. When I replied that is likely because no one knew about it, she responded: it was on the web site. This is not acceptable. It is disingenuous, to say the least, for the Committee to assume the public is informed and involved by simply making a posting to the very large and somewhat complex NAS web site. There is not even any indication on the CDC fallout study web site, the original web site containing information on the Study, that the NAS had begun its review of it (www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout/ [http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout/] ). Moreover, the fact that IEER has long been concerned about the health effects of nuclear testing is widely known; it is even documented in newspaper articles and press releases on the Committee's reading list. We are particularly aggrieved and dismayed that the NAS review committee took a pro-forma and completely ineffective approach to notifying the public on an issue of obvious public health importance. If it were not for our cold call, we and many other concerned people and organizations may not have learned of or had opportunity to comment on the review until release of the Committee's final report. The Committee may benefit from our, and others', involvement. We hope the Committee, and the NAS, will be more open and inclusive of the public in the future. Thank you for considering these comments. We look forward to the Committee's detailed and specific response to them. Sincerely, Arjun Makhijani, Ph.D. President Lisa Ledwidge Outreach Director, U.S., and Editor of Science for Democratic Action cc: Dr. Isaf Al-Nabulsi, Study Director Committee Members Present at September 12, 2002 Meeting in Des Moines, Iowa Attached: Letter to BEIR VII Committee from IEER and others, September 3, 1999 (signatures updated December 20, 1999) [http://www.ieer.org/comments/beir/ltr0999.html] Related information: + Official Documents [http://www.ieer.org/offdocs/index.html] relating to A Feasibility Study of the Health Consequences to the American Population of Nuclear Weapons Test Conducted by the United States and Other Nations + NAS Committee web site [http://www4.nas.edu/cp.nsf/852563d50053f0c285255d8b004e349a/8666d28c9a25730d85 256a7a00510b67?OpenDocument] + CDC web site [http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/fallout/] (contains link to Feasibility Study) Institute for Energy and Environmental Research [http://www.ieer.org/index.html] Comments to Outreach Coordinator: ieer@ieer.org [ieer@ieer.org] Takoma Park, Maryland, USA September 12, 2002 Posted September 17, 2002 ***************************************************************** 16 Surry plant's neighbors get radiation pills [http://www.hamptonroads.com By PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, The Virginian-Pilot © September 19, 2002 However, on Wednesday he visited the Isle of Wight County Health Department to pick up free potassium iodide pills for himself and his family. ``It's a precaution,'' he said, glancing down at his 7-year old daughter, Jennie. Potassium iodide, similar to table salt, can protect the thyroid gland from cancer after exposure to radioactive iodine, a contaminant released during a nuclear accident. The pills were made available to anyone who lives or works within 10 miles of the Surry Power Station. ... Read more in The Virginian-Pilot or at PilotOnline.com ISLE OF WIGHT -- The threat of a nuclear accident does not scare John Le. He saw death around him every day before he fled his native Vietnam in 1982. However, on Wednesday he visited the Isle of Wight County Health Department to pick up free potassium iodide pills for himself and his family. ``It's a precaution,'' he said, glancing down at his 7-year old daughter, Jennie. Potassium iodide, similar to table salt, can protect the thyroid gland from cancer after exposure to radioactive iodine, a contaminant released during a nuclear accident. The pills were made available to anyone who lives or works within 10 miles of the Surry Power Station. Background Coverage: Va. to dispense pills for radiation emergency [http://www.pilotonline.com/news/nw0917pil.html] Le, 39, lives in Newport News and works at a Food Lion supermarket not far from the plant. He was among 20 families who had visited the health center within the first hour it was open to distribute the pills. ``These are not worried people -- many of them have lived here a long, long time, and are used to the drills and sirens,'' said Pat Winter, a nurse manager with the Western Tidewater Health Department. ``For them this is a precaution.'' Clarice White, 77, and Mary B. Taylor , 84, both live in Isle of Wight and made the trip to the health department. Neither of the women qualified because they live outside the 10-mile zone, but both said they would try to find the pills elsewhere. ``As soon as I hear a loud plane fly over, I worry,'' White said. Thomas Finderson , an American Red Cross volunteer in his late 50s and an Isle of Wight resident, said he wanted protection in case he was called into duty during an emergency at the plant. ``Nobody thinks anything can happen, but clearly terrorism is a threat,'' Finderson said. In Newport News, Dr. Elaine Perry, director of the Peninsula Health District, said that 643 doses of potassium iodide had been given out as of 4 p.m. She said that many people were concerned about the timing of the distribution. ``They wanted to know why the pills were being distributed now,'' she said. ``The program had been in the works for a year and we wanted to do this in the right way.'' Officials in Richmond have said that the pill distribution was meant to ensure readiness and was not prompted by any known threat. ``It is a commentary on today's world -- no one wants to really have to have these, but you feel a lot better if you have them than if you don't,'' said Alan Morris, president of Anbex Inc., which manufactures the tiny pills. Potassium iodide is most effective when taken within four hours of exposure to radioactive iodine. People with allergies to iodine or shellfish should avoid taking potassium iodide. If there were a nuclear power plant accident, the Virginia Department of Health would advise people living within 10 miles of the plant as to where and when they should receive their dose. The pills are also available to the public for purchase without a prescription through Anbex Inc. at 1-866-463-6754 or at the company's Web site, anbex.com Reach Phyllis Speidell at 483-9161 or at pspeidel@pilotonline.com Copyright 1993-2002, HamptonRoads.com ***************************************************************** 17 Arizona town's cluster of leukemia cases grows* Frank X. Mullen Jr. RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL 9/19/2002 12:14 am A southern Arizona town?s leukemia cluster similar to Fallon?s has increased to nine cases from seven, Arizona officials said Wednesday. When the number of childhood leukemia cases in Sierra Vista, Ariz., reached seven last year, state health officials declared it was an official ?cluster,? an unexpectedly high rate. With nine cases, the small town now has double the expected leukemia rate for the past six years. Fallon, with 16 cases since 1997, normally would expect to see one case every five years, Nevada health officials said. Three of the Fallon children have died and one of the Sierra Vista children has died. Fallon is the focus of a state and federal health investigation, but no probes are planned in Arizona. ?We need to know what?s going on here,? said Kelly Durkit of Sierra Vista, adding that the increasing cases have alarmed the community. Durkit?s daughter, Jessica, 3, has finished her treatment for leukemia and is doing well. ?There may never be an answer for what?s happening here or in Fallon, but at least in Fallon, people are looking for answers. Here, the state isn?t looking, and all we have is the fear,? Durkit said. In Fallon, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state officials have been investigating the cancer cases and a report on their findings is expected later this year. In Arizona, state officials have reviewed water-testing data and reports on environmental problems and said they found no link between environmental hazards and the cancer cluster. But Arizona officials said they don?t have the money to conduct an investigation. Instead, they said, they will wait for the CDC report on Fallon and see whether that sheds any light on the Sierra Vista cluster. CDC officials have said they don?t have the money to study Sierra Vista. Critics said doing nothing is the wrong approach. ?It?s a joke for Arizona to wait and see what happens in Fallon,? said Mark Witten, a University of Arizona professor who is conducting a study of environmental factors in both towns. Witten is using his own money and volunteer experts to conduct the probe, which includes studies of tree rings, metals, the jet fuel used at military bases in both towns, genetics and human leukemia cells. ?The similarities between the two small towns are striking,? Witten said. ?I think the good people of Sierra Vista deserve just as much study and attention on this as the people in Fallon.? The CDC has tested the blood and urine of 205 Fallon residents and found high levels of the metal tungsten, which is toxic in high doses but hasn?t been linked to leukemia. Water test results released Tuesday showed tungsten in the municipal water supply. No one has tested the blood and urine of Sierra Vista residents nor tested the water supply for the metal. But Witten?s research showed increasing levels of tungsten in tree rings sampled in both towns. Witten said he suspects tungsten may play some role in the leukemia clusters, not as a direct cause but in combination with some other environmental factor. He said he is researching sources of airborne tungsten in both areas. ?At this point, we don?t know what tungsten means in these two cities,? he said. ?CDC should come here and research the situation the way they are doing in Fallon.? Churchill County has 17 closed tungsten mines, and the two mountain ranges around Sierra Vista have at least 12 former tungsten mines, according to Paul Sheppard, the University of Arizona tree ring scientist working with Witten. Witten?s team last week exposed human leukemia cells to the JP-8 jet fuel used in both towns, but those cells died, he said. He plans to expose the cells to a smaller amount of the fuel and to tungsten to see whether cell division is affected. He and Sheppard on Wednesday took more tree ring samples on a mountain top near Sierra Vista and the pair plan to return to Fallon next month to get more samples in Churchill County. ?We?re not giving up,? said Witten, who has applied for grants to continue his research but has had no success in getting any money. Witten and the Reno-based Desert Research Institute have applied for funding through Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., but Reid?s staff said the proposal didn?t make the cut for the most recent allocation requests. Witten said he is writing more grant applications. ?So much more needs to be done,? he said. Copyright © 2002 The Reno Gazette-Journal ***************************************************************** 18 NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to NRC: News Release - 2002 - 108 - Meet September 25-26 in Las Vegas U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov [opa@nrc.gov] www.nrc.gov No. 02-108 September 18, 2002 The Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste (ACNW) will hold a meeting September 25-26 in Las Vegas, Nevada, to discuss, among other items, the status of key technical issues on the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, the agencys review of public comments on the Yucca Mountain Review Plan, and the status of the Department of Energys high-level radioactive waste programs. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. both days at the Texas Station Hotel and Casino, Amaryllis Room, 2101 Texas Star Lane, in North Las Vegas. A complete agenda is attached. For additional information on the meeting, please contact Howard J. Larson at 301-415-6805. ACNW meeting notices, transcripts and letter reports are available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/what-we-do/regulatory/advisory/acnw.html. ACNW MEETING AGENDA Wednesday A. 8:30 - 8:40 A.M.: Opening Statement - The ACNW Chairman will open the meeting with brief remarks, outline the topics to be discussed, and indicate items of interest. B. 8:40 - 9:40 A.M.: Status of KTI Issue Resolution - The Committee will receive an information briefing by NRC staff on the status of DOE/NRC issue resolution. C. 10:00 - 11:00 A.M.: Discussion of Integrated Issue Resolution Status Report - The Committee will receive a status briefing from NRC staff on the forthcoming report (NUREG-1762). D. 11:00 - 12:00 Noon: NRC Review of Public Comments Received on the Yucca Mountain Review Plan - The Committee will receive a briefing by NRC staff on public comments received on the Yucca Mountain Review Plan (NUREG-1804). E. 1:00 - 2:00 P.M.: Overview of Well Drilling in the Amargosa Desert Area - The Committee will receive an information briefing by an NRC staff representative on the analysis of well drilling activity in the Amargosa Desert Area covering the last 100 years. F. 2:00 - 4:30 P.M.: Preparation of ACNW Reports - The Committee will discuss proposed reports on the following topics: Orphan Sources Key Technical Issues (KTI) Status Report Integrated Issue Resolution Status Report Public Outreach G. 4:30 - 6:00 P.M.: Stakeholder Interactions - The Committee will reserve this time for interactions with stakeholders and meeting participants. Thursday H. 8:30 - 8:35 A.M.: Opening Statement - The ACNW Chairman will make opening remarks regarding the conduct of the meeting. I. 8:35 - 4:00 P.M.: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Scientific Update for Selected Activities of the Geologic Repository Program at Yucca Mountain - The Committee will hear updates from DOE representatives on the following topics: Rebaselining of DOE Yucca Mountain Program Final Environmental Impact Statement for Yucca Mountain Repository Design Update Proposed Resolution of Anomalous Chlorine-36 Indications. Microbial-Induced Corrosion Considerations J. 4:15 - 5:15 P.M.: Stakeholder Interactions - The Committee will reserve this time for interactions with stakeholders and meeting participants. K. 5:15 - 6:45 P.M.: Preparation of ACNW Reports - The Committee will discuss proposed reports on the following topics: Orphan Sources KTI Status Report Integrated Issue Resolution Status Report DOE Scientific Update (tentative) L. 6:45 - 7:00 P.M.: Miscellaneous - The Committee will discuss matters related to the conduct of Committee activities and matters and specific issues that were not completed during previous meetings, as time and availability of information permit. Privacy Statement | Site Disclaimer Last revised Wednesday, September 18, 2002 ***************************************************************** 19 Environmental group wants water cleanup at Dix phillyBurbs.com | Burlington County Times News [http://www.phillyburbs.com/] By David Levinsky BCT staff writer dlevinsky@phillyBurbs.com FORT DIX - Clean up the chemicals polluting water supplies under this military base in addition to removing radioactive debris and soil, insists a Burlington County-based environmental group. The Pinelands Preservation Alliance, headquartered in Pemberton Borough, is seeking the military's commitment to expand its cleanup plan at the former Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center to include removing trichloroethylene and other volatile organic compounds in the groundwater under the site. McGuire Air Force Base officials have not decided if or when a cleanup would occur. The contamination is not considered a health risk because there are no drinking-water wells nearby. The Pinelands Preservation Alliance, a county-based environmental group that acts as a watchdog over the environmentally sensitive Pinelands reserve, wants the chemicals removed, regardless. The group has sent written requests to base engineers, urging them to determine the source of the contamination and devise a cleanup plan. "It may not be affecting public health but it is impacting open space," said Theresa Lettman, project manager for the alliance. Trichloroethylene is an organic solvent commonly used as an electronics or metal cleaner. Prolonged exposure can damage the nervous system. The contamination is in a 100-acre plume beneath the site of a former Air Force air-defense site in the Ocean County section of Fort Dix. The plume discharges into the Success Branch at Colliers Mill Wildlife Management Area in Ocean County. The stream is not a source of drinking water and those wading, fishing or hunting in or near the stream should not come into contact with harmful levels of the chemicals, base officials said. The source of the contamination is unknown, but military officials have said it may have leaked into the groundwater during a 1960 fire in one of the center's missile shelters. The heat from that blaze melted the warhead and released plutonium into the air and across the 75-acre site. The base began an $11 million cleanup the summer of much of the radioactive soil and debris. McGuire Air Force Base is responsible for the cleanup because the Air Force operated the missile site. Lettman said the alliance supports removal of the plutonium, but said the military also should address chemicals in the groundwater. She said the base's current position is to leave the contamination alone and allow it to break down naturally over time. The alliance wants the base to determine the source of the pollution and return the groundwater to its natural condition. "We feel the base needs to determine the source of the pollution because it's our opinion that the plume is growing larger," Lettman said. McGuire spokeswoman Lt. Diane Weed said the Air Force has not decided on a course of action. "The plutonium was the more immediate concern," Weed said. "Because the plume is not on our short-term (environmental cleanup) goals, we haven't come up with a plan for that yet." She said allowing the chemicals to break down naturally was a possible action, but said no decision has been made. September 19, 2002 ***************************************************************** 20 COUNCIL WANTS CLOSE LOOK AT BNFL PLAN [The Whitehaven News] AMBITIOUS plans for six new offices, that would allow almost 2,000 Sellafield workers to be relocated outside the nuclear plant, will be the subject of a site visit by councillors. Copeland Planning Panel last week voted to defer any consideration of the plan for land, at Yottenfews, until after a site visit. The proposed three-storey offices would be built, along with more than 1,000 car parking spaces, at the Yottenfews car park, near Sellafield. They would accommodate 1,800 workers currently based at the Sellafield site. The six new buildings are part of an ongoing scheme by BNFL to move non-essential staff off the nuclear plant. "The reason for moving staff from the site is both to relieve the congestion on the local road network, moving non-essential workers off the site, and also as a security measure," said a BNFL spokesman. "The fewer people on site the better, and we're willing to work with the local authorities to move as many into new locations as possible." n The panel is also to site visit the former Scawfell Hotel, at Seascale, where Pinemoor Construction Ltd wishes to build an estate of 10 homes. The meeting heard from Gosforth resident John Collier, who said that it "beggared belief" that planners originally allowed the demolition of the Scawfell Hotel. "That demolition did Seascale and its visitors no favours whatsoever.'' www.whitehaven-news.co.uk ***************************************************************** 21 UK: CASH NEEDED TO OFFSET JOB LOSSES [The Whitehaven News] By Alan Irving COPELAND Council sees safety as the top priority in the massive task of cleaning up Sellafield's nuclear waste legacy but it is looking for a multi-million government cash injection to offset major job losses. Nearly £50 billion is to be spent - mostly at Sellafield - by a new Liabilities Management Authority in cleaning up the waste which has built up at the UK's nuclear sites. A government white paper which will lead to the formal setting up of the LMA, which will effectively replace BNFL and the UKAEA as the owner of Sellafield, has recognised that West Cumbria's socio-economic issues is part of the nuclear legacy. But Copeland Council, in its response to the White Paper, is not happy that it fails to say any more about how the issues will be tackled or funded. "There is a pressing urgency for action in view of the projection of job losses in the next five years," says the council's response. The loss of some 15,000 West Cumbrian jobs is predicted by 2020 as employment falls at Sellafield and in the next four or five years alone up to 6,000 jobs will go. "If not effectively managed, these changes will have severe effects on a local community which is already one of the most deprived in the county," said Copeland's community regeneration director, Fergus McMorrow. In a report presented to the council's Executive on Tuesday, the director said: "Diversification on a major scale is urgent. "What's needed now is a major plan of investment focused initially on infrastructure and backed up by a government-wide commitment to seek to locate new public sector generated employment opportunities in the area when opportunities arise." Copeland Council wants an assurance that funding arrangements for dealing with the nuclear legacy will also cover the area's socio-economic recovery by ring-fencing money from a separate fund. The national non-domestic rate which was collected from Sellafield and taken out of the area should be put into a fund. More than £1 billion a year is going to be spent on cleaning up waste at Sellafield. Mr McMorrow said a fund towards public infrastructure, development and support would be relatively small in proportion but would still make a significant impact. Council leader, George Usher, told the Executive meeting: "It is a great opportunity for Copeland to benefit from the LMA and we have to keep on lobbying." Coun Geoff Blackwell, a Sellafield BNFL worker, said: "We are a major player in all this and should play a major part of the decision-making process." Copeland council is pushing not only for the new LMA to be set up at Westlakes Science Park but also to have the local community represented on its Board. On safety - the number one concern - the council says: "This must not be compromised by any new arrangements. "The skills and commitment of the operational employees are the most vital factor in ensuring safety on site." Because the LMA plan to put future Sellafield work out to contract, the council fear this could lessen the quality of the workforce and jeopardise safety. But Coun Mike Ashbrook, who is the BNFL industrial relations manager for the construction site, said: "The LMA will pay close attention to safety in awarding contracts." Coun Brian Dixon, a former GMB regional organiser, said the West Cumbrian economy had already lost millions of pounds through job losses. "We have to ensure, from the cradle to the grave, that there are opportunities through the LMA for our peopled to learn and advance their skills and keep them in the area." The council's White Paper response along with others will be considered by the government before legislation is put in place to set up the LMA. "If we think something is not going in the right direction we will stop it - have no doubts about that," said council leader George Usher SRC="http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk ***************************************************************** 22 UK: NO STRIKE PLEDGE AT SELLAFIELD [The Whitehaven News] SELLAFIELD will be in safe hands even if the nation's firefighters go on strike next month for the first time in 25 years. The nuclear site has its own brigade and this week their union, the GMB, gave a categorial assurance to The Whitehaven News that the Sellafield firefighters would not be pulled out to join any national stoppage by the Fire Brigades Union. Regional organiser Ged Caig said yesterday: "We would do nothing to jeapordise the safe running of Sellafield. It would be irresponsible to behave in such a manner. Health and safety at the site is paramount." Britain's fourth biggest trades union alligned itself to a TUC resolution to support the Fire Brigades Union in its fight but the GMB has refuted a Sunday Times report that its members will be instructed not to turn up for work at nuclear, coal and gas-fired power stations on days when firefighters are on strike. Cleator Moor-born Mr Caig said: "We are not going to stage any walkouts in Cumbria as far as I am aware." The GMB provides the bulk of Sellafield's industrial workforce, around 2,500 members. The site has 50 GMB firefighters, plus five officers. "Sellafield firefighters are a separate entity, they are paid by BNFL on a different pay structure to those in the FBU and are not part of any proposed strike action. The GMB will not be asking them or any other GMB members at Sellafield to go on strike," said Mr Caig. But he warned: "We have not ruled out strike action if Sellafield is privatised. We have serious concerns about this because our fear is it will lead to a relaxation of safety standards. There would be a clear safety risk." GMB convenor at Sellafield Peter Kane said: "Yes, our firemen are my members and we have to provide safety cover. We rely on the work's brigade to provide the initial response to a fire alert on site and then call in the county fire service as back up." Delegates of the Fire Brigades Union have voted for a strike ballot to press a 40 per cent pay claim and it could lead to the first national strike since 1977. In the event of a strike and a fire breaking out at Sellafield, the nuclear site could still get back-up from part-time county firefighters at nearby Seascale and Egremont. As retained fire-fighters it is likely they would carry on working and are familiar with operations at Sellafield, having gone in to assist the Works' brigade to deal with outbreaks in the past. Coun David Moore, chairman of the Sellafield Local Liaison Committee, said: "As I understand it, there is a strong possibility that retained fire crews near the site would be in a position to turn out if needed and that has to be reassuring." Doubts have been expressed about the ability of internal fire services to cover with a major incident in the event of a strike but BNFL has full confidence in its own well-equipped Brigade being able to cope. Sellafield's 55-strong fire fighting force has a minimum manning level of 10 per shift working on a round-the-clock five shift system and the site has just taken delivery of some of the most poserful fire-fighting machinery in the world in the shape of two airport-type tenders costing £500,000 each. BNFL said yesterday: "In the event of a Sellafield incident that requires the site brigade to be deployed in significant numbers, Cumbria Fire Service would normally provide cover. We are currently reviewing options to guarantee the continued safe operation of the Sellafield site in the event of any industrial action taking place." n On average, with site and shift allowances, they earn up to £25,000 a year, several thousands more than Fire Brigade Union firefighters, who are said to have more attractiove pension arrangements. SRC="http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk ***************************************************************** 23 UK: WE'LL NOT FORGET THIS STUPIDITY [The Whitehaven News] "PEOPLE on this site will never forget the stupidity of what happened," over the controversial Mox fuel saga, according to BNFL chief executive, Norman Askew. He was speaking on Tuesday, after the Japanese fuel was safely returned the nuclear complex. The fuel elements had completed their 35,000 miles unnecessary trip to and from Japan. Hundreds of police from Cumbria, Lancashire, and even Wales, were drafted in to protect the flask of Mox fuel elements as they were brought into Barrow docks and onwards by rail to Sellafield. A police helicopter flew above the train as it made the last stage of its epic return journey. A second empty dummy flask had also been brought back from Japan as a decoy for any attempted terrorist moves on the plutonium rich Mox fuel. Mr Askew said: "Today is a landmark day for BNFL had given a personal commitment that we would bring back the fuel and today we fulfilled that promise.'' He said that Mox already had 40% of its load spoken for by European customers and he was confident that by the end of this year the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate would sign off on its reports allowing Mox to regain Japanese business. He admitted that the plutonium in the Mox fuel would have to make yet another voyage back to Japan in future because "the material is owned by the customer and has to go back to the customer.'' Asked by the media: "Do you feel any humility about this?'' Mr Askew replied: "This came about from something that should not have happened and the people on this site will never forget the stupidity of what happened.'' But he and site director, Brian Watson, predicted that a growing Mox business would mean up to eight shipments of Mox fuel each year. On Saturday four Irish anti-nuclear protesters were arrested after they scrambled onto the roof of Sellafield's £5 million React visitor centre. It was Saturday that Cumbria police had to arrest the four. They were charged with public order offences and will have to answer to the charges at Whitehaven magistrates court on September 24. [http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk ***************************************************************** 24 UK: SELLAFIELD INQUIRY MAN DIES AT 89 [The Whitehaven News] THE President of the Royal College of Physicians, Sir Douglas Black, who led the inquiry that found definite evidence of a cluster of child cancer cases around Seascale, has died at the age of 89. The Black Inquiry found that there was an above average level of childhood cancers near Sellafield, but it did not find any causal link. The son of a Scottish clergyman, Sir Douglas Black, had before the Sellafield inquiry been famous for research which identified that people on lower incomes had higher death rates and worse health, at every stage of their lives. He was also an avid supporter of the infant NHS in the 1940s [news@whitehaven-news.co.uk ***************************************************************** 25 FCNL: Legislative Action Message (09/19/02) Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 17:10:23 -0500 (CDT) FCNL LEGISLATIVE ACTION MESSAGE - September 19, 2002 The following action items from the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) focus on federal policy issues currently before Congress or the Administration. TOPICS: HELP PREVENT WAR WITH IRAQ and SEPTEMBER 30 EMERGENCY LOBBY DAY HELP PREVENT WAR WITH IRAQ: This week, under mounting international pressure, the government of Iraq said it would allow UN weapons inspections to resume without conditions, reversing its previous position. The head of the UN inspection team (UNMOVIC), Hans Blix, quickly met with Iraqi officials to begin making arrangements for the return of the inspectors. The Bush Administration dismissed the Iraqi offer, saying it was just another ploy to stall for time and thwart united action by the UN Security Council (UNSC). The Administration is continuing to press the UNSC to adopt a new resolution that would require Iraq to come into compliance with UNSC resolutions soon or face the consequences. In Washington, President Bush is pressing congressional leaders to vote quickly - not to wait for the UNSC to act - on a joint resolution that would grant the President broad authority to take action against Iraq as he deems necessary and appropriate, with or without the cooperation of the UN. Congressional leaders agreed to vote on a resolution before they recess for the election. The Administration is expected to send its proposed draft resolution to the Hill this week (by 9/20). The final language, which will likely differ from the Administration's draft, will be hammered out in the coming days. A House vote is expected next week, and the Senate is likely to vote shortly thereafter. ACTION: (1) Please write to your representative. (See below for link to sample letter.) (2) On Monday afternoon, Sept. 23, please call your representative and encourage all your friends to do so as well. (See below for information on contacting members of Congress.) The message for both the letter and the call should be to urge your representative to oppose the war resolution. There is no need to rush a congressional resolution concerning war with Iraq. This is a matter for the UN Security Council to act upon, first. UN weapons inspectors should be given a chance to complete their task without interference from either the Iraqi or U.S. government. Urge your representative to support, at a minimum, resolution language that (1) opposes unilateral U.S. military action to overthrow the Iraqi regime, (2) supports resuming and completing UN weapons inspections, and (3) insists that this matter be addressed by the UN Security Council through peaceful means. USE FCNL'S WEB SITE TO MAKE LETTER-WRITING EASIER: Start with the sample letter posted in our Legislative Action Center, personalize the language, then email or fax your message directly from our site. You can also print it out and mail it. To view the sample letter, click on the link below, then enter your zip code and click in the box. Here is the link: http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=530051&type=CO SEPTEMBER 30 EMERGENCY LOBBY DAY: Come to Washington, DC on Monday, September 30 for an emergency Lobby Day to stop the rush toward war. Organize a delegation from your state or district. Be sure to make appointments with your members in advance. A briefing and materials will be provided. For additional information and to register, please link to http://epic-usa.org/lobbydays/ or call Anna Staab at FCNL (800-630-1330, ext. 114). This Lobby Day is a joint effort of FCNL, NETWORK - A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Peace Action, MoveOn.org, WAND, and the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC). If you are unable to make it to Washington, please call your elected officials that day or make an appointment with the district office near you. BACKGROUND: THE TOP TEN REASONS TO OPPOSE WAR: 1. The government of Iraq does not pose an imminent threat to the U.S. 2. A preemptive, unilateral U.S. military strike against Iraq will undermine efforts to bring to justice those who helped carry out the attacks of September 11, 2001 and hinder efforts to reduce acts of international terror. 3. The U.S. and the UN have not exhausted all alternatives to war. 4. Few in the U.S. or around the world support preemptive, unilateral U.S. military action against Iraq. 5. A preemptive attack against Iraq will set a dangerous precedent which others may follow. 6. War in Iraq risks a humanitarian disaster. 7. There is no guarantee that the next regime in Iraq will be any better than the current one with respect to democracy, human rights, disarmament, or maintaining peaceful relations with its neighbors. 8. A unilateral attack would force the U.S. to bear the full costs of war. 9. The U.S. has a dismal record on picking allies and installing democracies in other countries. 10. International pressure can effectively deter Saddam Hussein from acts of military aggression. For more background information about the Administration's efforts to expand the war with Iraq, please go to the Iraq index page on FCNL's web site http://www.fcnl.org/issues/int/iraindx.htm. CONTACTING LEGISLATORS Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 Sen. ________ U.S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 Rep. ________ U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Information on your members is available on FCNL's web site: http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/directory/directory.dbq?command=congdi r CONTACTING THE ADMINISTRATION White House Comment Desk: 202-456-1111 FAX: 202-456-2461 E-MAIL: president@whitehouse.gov WEB PAGE: http://www.whitehouse.gov President George W. Bush The White House Washington, DC 20500 ----------------------------------------------------------------- This message supplements other FCNL materials and does not reflect FCNL's complete policy position on any issue. For further information, please contact FCNL. Mail: 245 Second Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-5795 Email: fcnl@fcnl.org Phone: (202) 547-6000 Toll Free: (800) 630-1330 Fax: (202) 547-6019 Web: http://www.fcnl.org Your contributions sustain our Quaker witness in Washington. 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The message should read "unsubscribe fcnl-news." ----------------------------------------------------------------- We seek a world free of war and the threat of war We seek a society with equity and justice for all We seek a community where every person's potential may be fulfilled We seek an earth restored... ***************************************************************** 26 Syrian General Director of Atomic Energy: Israel's nuclear capabilities threatening region* Sep 19, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) -- The general director of atomic energy in Syria, Ibrahim Othman asserted that the unprecedented dangerous escalation in the Middle East confirms the expansionist and aggressive orientations of the Israeli policy against the Palestinians in the occupied territories, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported Wednesday. In his speech Tuesday before the 46th conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is currently being held in Vienna, Othman stressed Syria's position, which "calls for the realization of a just and comprehensive peace based on the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from all the occupied Arab territories". Othman further cautioned against the international community's ignorance regarding Israeli nuclear capabilities, which threaten the region, adding that this ignorance has encouraged Israel to threaten its Arab neighbors with utilizing nuclear arms. (Albawaba.com) By Al-Bawaba Reporters ***************************************************************** 27 Atomic energy chief: Israel poses no nuclear threat to its neighbors Gideon Frank, director-general of the Atomic Energy Commission in the Prime Minister's Office, told the International Atomic Energy Agency's 46th General Conference in Vienna yesterday that Israel opposes Iraq's proposal to the conference agenda that it discuss "Israeli Nuclear Capabilities and Threat." Frank said that "many dangerous proliferation developments in our region and in other regions have occurred in recent years, none of which involve Israel. On the contrary: Israel has neither threatened any of its neighbors nor has it acted in defiance of international commitments." He added that the Iraqi proposal for the agenda lacks "factual justification" and that "there is no need to single out Israel." Adopting the Iraqi proposal for the agenda debate, said Frank, "is bound to make it impossible for us to join any consensus resolution concerning the 'Application of IAEA Safeguards in the Middle East.' Once broken, the tradition of consensus resolution on the Middle East will be very difficult to revive." As in previous years, Frank's speech focused on Israeli readiness to turn the Middle East into a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (NWFZ) "eventually, as an important complement to the overall peace in the region." Israel is demanding that discussions on turning the Middle East into a NWFZ take place in direct contacts between the states of the region. Other Middle East countries, however, led by Egypt, are opposed to Israel's condition for first peace and then denuclearization of the region. In a document presented by Israel in advance of the conference to IAEA director-general, Dr. Mohammed El Baradei of Egypt, Israel proposes that regional discussions about nuclear issues in the Middle East begin with learning from the Tlatelolco Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America, and how Latin American countries agreed on verification and tangible security for nuclear facilities and material. El Baradei opened the conference with the announcement that Cuba will be signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. When it does, only Israel, India, and Pakistan will remain outside the NPT. Arab states want an Israeli ratification of the NPT as a condition for moving toward confidence-building measures for regional security in the Middle East. The working groups for these issues, which began operating in the multinational tracks established by the Madrid Conference in 1991, have not met since 1994. In his report to the board of governors of the IAEA, El Baradei said that as in the past, "due to the circumstances in the region," his efforts had failed to bring nuclear facilities in the region under inspection in preparation for making the region a NWFZ. Last year, Frank said in his speech, a new threat emerged: "Terrorists targeting civilians populations with non-discriminating (including non-conventional) means. Israel can attest from its own experience how devastating even conventional indiscriminate attacks can be. Moreover, there is an alarming correlation between states currently seeking weapons of mass destruction capabilities and states which are still sponsoring terrorism. This state of affairs creates an urgent need to prevent deadly capabilities from falling into the wrong hands by taking effective measures to block the spread of weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups as well as to states supporting them." He said "a new balance" is needed between concerns about nuclear proliferation and "further development and improvement in the area of nuclear power production," saying nuclear energy would "foster a future of sustainable energy, that will decrease the dependence on fossil fuel sources." That position contradicts the U.S. claims against the Iranian investments in their nuclear facility in Bushar. Only a week ago, a senior Pentagon official, briefing reporters, said Iran burns more waste gas annually than the entire energy production capabilities of the planned plant at Bushar. The official said that was evidence of Iran's military ambitions for nuclear capability, and added that Syria's nuclear relationship with Russia, which is helping build the Bushar plant, worries the Pentagon. Iranian Vice President Reza Aghazedah, who heads Iran's Atomic Energy Commission, told the conference that Iran first called for a nuclear free zone in the Middle East in 1974, when the Shah was still in power. "Israel, however, the only non-adherent party [to the NPT], has so far not been cooperative in this regard." Israel's signature on the NPT is "an essential preliminary step" toward the establishment of a Middle East NWFZ, he said. "On the basis of its Islamic tenets, beliefs, and human affinity, [Iran] has always condemned the possession of weapons of mass destruction," said Aghazedah. © Copyright 2002 Ha`aretz. All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 28 'Even if Iraq managed to hide these weapons, what they are now hiding is harmless goo' Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Thursday September 19, 2002 The Guardian [http://www.guardian.co.uk] UN weapons inspectors are poised to return to Iraq, but does Saddam Hussein have any weapons of mass destruction for them to find? The Bush administration insists he still has chemical and biological stockpiles and is well on the way to building a nuclear bomb. Scott Ritter, a former marine officer who spent seven years hunting and destroying Saddam's arsenal, is better placed than most to know the truth. Here, in an exclusive extract from his new book, he tells William Rivers Pitt why he believes the threat posed by the Iraqi dictator has been overstated. Pitt: Does Iraq have weapons of mass destruction? Ritter: It's not black-and-white, as some in the Bush administration make it appear. There's no doubt that Iraq hasn't fully complied with its disarmament obligations as set forth by the UN security council in its resolution. But on the other hand, since 1998 Iraq has been fundamentally disarmed: 90-95% of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capability has been verifiably eliminated. This includes all of the factories used to produce chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, and long-range ballistic missiles; the associated equipment of these factories; and the vast majority of the products coming out of these factories. Iraq was supposed to turn everything over to the UN, which would supervise its destruction and removal. Iraq instead chose to destroy - unilaterally, without UN supervision - a great deal of this equipment. We were later able to verify this. But the problem is that this destruction took place without documentation, which means the question of verification gets messy very quickly. P: Why did Iraq destroy the weapons instead of turning them over? R: In many cases, the Iraqis were trying to conceal the weapons' existence. And the unilateral destruction could have been a ruse to maintain a cache of weapons of mass destruction by claiming they had been destroyed. It is important to not give Iraq the benefit of the doubt. Iraq has lied to the international community. It has lied to inspectors. There are many people who believe Iraq still seeks to retain the capability to produce these weapons. That said, we have no evidence that Iraq retains either the capability or material. In fact, a considerable amount of evidence suggests Iraq doesn't retain the necessary material. I believe the primary problem at this point is one of accounting. Iraq has destroyed 90 to 95% of its weapons of mass destruction. Okay. We have to remember that this missing 5 to 10% doesn't necessarily constitute a threat. It doesn't even constitute a weapons programme. It constitutes bits and pieces of a weapons programme which, in its totality, doesn't amount to much, but which is still prohibited. Likewise, just because we can't account for it, doesn't mean Iraq retains it. There is no evidence that Iraq retains this material. That is the quandary we are in. We can't give Iraq a clean bill of health, therefore we can't close the book on its weapons of mass destruction. But simultaneously we can't reasonably talk about Iraqi non-compliance as representing a de facto retention of a prohibited capability worthy of war. Nuclear weapons R: When I left Iraq in 1998, when the UN inspection programme ended, the infrastructure and facilities had been 100% eliminated. There's no debate about that. All of their instruments and facilities had been destroyed. The weapons design facility had been destroyed. The production equipment had been hunted down and destroyed. And we had in place means to monitor - both from vehicles and from the air - the gamma rays that accompany attempts to enrich uranium or plutonium. We never found anything. We can say unequivocally that the industrial infrastructure needed by Iraq to produce nuclear weapons had been eliminated. Even this, however, is not simple, because Iraq still had thousands of scientists who had been dedicated to this nuclear weaponisation effort. The scientists were organised in a very specific manner, with different sub-elements focused on different technologies of interest. Even though the physical infrastructure had been eliminated, the Iraqis chose to retain the organisational structure of the scientists. This means that Iraq has thousands of nuclear scientists - along with their knowledge and expertise - still organised in the same manner as when Iraq had a nuclear weapons programme and its infrastructure. Those scientists are today involved in legitimate tasks. These jobs aren't illegal per se, but they do allow these scientists to work in fields similar to those in which they had work where they were, in fact, carrying out a nuclear weapons programme. There is concern, then, that the Iraqis might intend in the long run to re-establish or reconstitute a nuclear weapons programme. But this concern must be tempered by reality. That is not something that could happen overnight. For Iraq to reacquire nuclear weapons capability, they would have to build enrichment and weaponisation capabilities that would cost tens of billions of dollars. Nuclear weapons cannot be created in a basement or cave. They require modern industrial infrastructures that in turn require massive amounts of electricity and highly controlled technologies not readily available on the open market. P: Like neutron reflectors, tampers... R: Iraq could design and build these itself. I'm talking more about flash cameras and the centrifuges needed to enrich uranium. There are also specific chemicals required. None of this can be done on the cheap. It's very expensive, and readily detectable. The vice-president has been saying that Iraq might be two years away from building a nuclear bomb. Unless he knows something we don't, that's nonsense. And it doesn't appear that he does, because whenever you press the vice-president or other Bush administration officials on these claims, they fall back on testimony by Richard Butler, my former boss, an Australian diplomat, and Khidir Hamza, an Iraqi defector who claims to be Saddam's bomb-maker. And of course, that's not good enough, especially when we have the UN record of Iraqi disarmament from 1991 to 1998. That record is without dispute. It is well documented. We eliminated the nuclear programme, and for Iraq to have reconstituted it would require undertaking activities eminently detectable by intelligence services. P: Are you saying that Iraq could not hide, for example, gas centrifuge facilities, because of the energy the facilities would require and the heat they would emit? R: It is not just heat. Centrifuge facilities emit gamma radiation, as well as many other frequencies. It is detectable. Iraq could not get around this. Chemical weapons R: Iraq manufactured three nerve agents: sarin, tabun, and VX. Some people who want war with Iraq describe 20,000 munitions filled with sarin and tabun nerve agents that could be used against Americans. The facts, however, don't support this. Sarin and tabun have a shelf-life of five years. Even if Iraq had somehow managed to hide this vast number of weapons from inspectors, what they are now storing is nothing more than useless, harmless goo. Chemical weapons were produced in the Muthanna state establishment: a massive chemical weapons factory. It was bombed during the Gulf war, and then weapons inspectors came and completed the task of eliminating the facility. That means Iraq lost its sarin and tabun manufacturing base. We destroyed thousands of tons of chemical agent. It is not as though we said, "Oh we destroyed a factory, now we are going to wait for everything else to expire." We had an incineration plant operating full-time for years, burning tons of the stuff every day. We went out and blew up bombs, missiles and warheads filled with this agent. We emptied Scud missile warheads filled with this agent. We hunted down this stuff and destroyed it. P: Couldn't the Iraqis have hidden some? R: That's a very real possibility. The problem is that whatever they diverted would have had to have been produced in the Muthanna state establishment, which means that once we blew it up, the Iraqis no longer had the ability to produce new agent, and in five years the sarin and tabun would have degraded and become useless sludge. All this talk about Iraq having chemical weapons is no longer valid. P: Isn't VX gas a greater concern? R: VX is different, for a couple of reasons. First, unlike sarin and tabun, which the Iraqis admitted to, for the longest time the Iraqis denied they had a programme to manufacture VX. Only through the hard work of inspectors were we able to uncover the existence of the programme. We knew the Iraqis wanted to build a full-scale VX nerve agent plant, and we had information that they had actually acquired equipment to do this. We hunted and hunted, and finally, in 1996, were able to track down 200 crates of glass-lined production equipment Iraq had procured specifically for a VX nerve agent factory. They had been hiding it from the inspectors. We destroyed it. With that, Iraq lost its ability to produce VX. All of this highlights the complexity of these issues. We clearly still have an unresolved VX issue in Iraq. But when you step away from the emotion of the lie and look at the evidence, you see a destroyed research and development plant, destroyed precursors, destroyed agent, destroyed weapons and a destroyed factory. That is pretty darned good. Even if Iraq had held on to stabilised VX agent, it is likely it would have degraded by today. Real questions exist as to whether Iraq perfected the stabilisation process. Even a minor deviation in the formula creates proteins that destroy the VX within months. The real question is: is there a VX nerve agent factory in Iraq today? Not on your life. P: Could those facilities have been rebuilt? R: No weapons inspection team has set foot in Iraq since 1998. I think Iraq was technically capable of restarting its weapons manufacturing capabilities within six months of our departure. That leaves three-and-a-half years for Iraq to have manufactured and weaponised all the horrors the Bush administration claims as motivations for the attack. The important phrase here, however, is "technically capable". If no one were watching, Iraq could do this. But just as with the nuclear weapons programme, they would have to start from scratch, having been deprived of all equipment, facilities and research. They would have to procure the complicated tools and technology required through front companies. This would be detected. The manufacture of chemical weapons emits vented gases that would have been detected by now if they existed. We have been watching, via satellite and other means, and have seen none of this. If Iraq was producing weapons today, we would have definitive proof, plain and simple. Biological weapons R: If you listen to Richard Butler, biological weapons are a "black hole" about which we know nothing. But a review of the record reveals we actually know quite a bit. We monitored more biological facilities than any other category, inspecting more than 1,000 sites and repeatedly monitoring several hundred. We found the same problem with biological weapons programmes that we found with VX: it took Iraq four years even to admit to having such a programme. They denied it from 1991 to 1995, finally admitting it that summer. P: What did they try to make? R: They didn't just try. They actually made it, primarily anthrax in liquid bulk agent form. They also produced a significant quantity of liquid botulinum toxin. They were able to weaponise both of these, put them in warheads and bombs. They lied about this capability for some time. When they finally admitted it in 1995, we got to work on destroying the factories and equipment that produced it. Contrary to popular mythology, there is no evidence that Iraq worked on smallpox, Ebola, or any other horrific nightmare weapons the media likes to talk about today. The Al Hakum factory provides a case study of the difficulties we faced, and how we dealt with them. We had known of this plant since 1991, and had inspectors there who were very suspicious. Iraq declared it to be a single-cell protein manufacturing plant used to produce animal feed. That was ridiculous. No one produces animal feed that way. It would be the most expensive animal feed in the world. The place had high-quality fermentation and other processing units. We knew it was a weapons plant. The Iraqis denied it. Finally they admitted it, and we blew up the plant. Iraq was able to produce liquid bulk anthrax. That is without dispute. Liquid bulk anthrax, even under ideal storage conditions, germinates in three years, becoming useless. So, even if Iraq lied to us and held on to anthrax - and there's no evidence to substantiate this - it is pure theoretical speculation on the part of certain inspectors. Iraq has no biological weapons today, because both the anthrax and botulinum toxin are useless. For Iraq to have biological weapons today, they would have to reconstitute a biological manufacturing base. And again, biological research and development was one of the things most heavily inspected. We blanketed Iraq - every research and development facility, every university, every school, every hospital, every beer factory: anything with a potential fermentation capability was inspected - and we never found any evidence of ongoing research and development or retention. Delivery systems R: Iraq is prohibited from having ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 kilometres, but permitted to have missile systems with a lesser range. Iraq was working on two designs. One was a solid rocket motor design, and the other, the Al Samoud, uses liquid propulsion. We monitored this project very closely, and found that the Iraqis have severe limitations on what they can produce within the country. Prior to the Gulf war, Iraq acquired a lot of technology, as well as parts, from Germany, which has a record of precision machinery. After the war, the Iraqis tried to replicate that, but with very little success. We watched them assemble their rockets, and because many of the members of our team were rocket scientists, we would notice their mistakes. They had to show us their designs and, of course, we didn't comment on them. But it quickly became apparent that the programme was run by intelligent, energetic amateurs who were just not getting it right. They would manufacture rockets that would spin and cartwheel, that would go north instead of south, that would blow up. Eventually they would figure it out. But as of 1998 they were, according to optimistic estimates, five years away, even if sanctions were lifted and Iraq gained access to necessary technologies. I often hear people talk about Iraq having multi-staging rockets. But Iraq doesn't have multi-staging capability. They tried that once in 1989, when the country had full access to this technology, and the rocket blew up in midair. I hear people talk about clustering, but Iraq tried that, too, and it didn't work. Iraq doesn't have the capability to do long-range ballistic missiles. There's a lot of testing that has to take place, and this testing is all carried out outdoors. They can't avoid detection. Of course, now the inspectors have left Iraq, we don't know what happens inside factories. But that doesn't really matter, since you have to bring rockets out and, fire them on test stands. This is detectable. No one has detected any evidence of Iraq doing this. Iraq continues to declare its missile tests, normally around eight to 12 per year. Our radar detects the tests, we know what the characteristics are, and we know there's nothing to be worried about. Ritter - the man Scott Ritter was once the all-American hero. Now, at the age of 42, he is regarded by Washington as an apologist for Iraq, branded in the New York Times as "the most famous renegade marine officer since Oliver North". A Republican-voting major in the Marine corps, he earned a reputation as an expert intelligence officer and arms inspector in the late 80s, performing arms control inspections in the former Soviet Union. During the Gulf war he was assigned to an intelligence unit of General Norman Schwartzkopf's staff responsible for tracking Scud missiles. Leaving in 1991, he was then recruited by Unscom, the UN special commission authorised to find and destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Seven years later, after frustrating attempts to get behind Saddam's lies and concealments, he resigned accusing the American government of trying to engineer an unnecessary confrontation with Iraq and using Unscom to spy on Iraq. But his conversion to full-time critic of American policy was not instantaneous. Just after his resignation he said: "I think the danger right now is that without effective inspections, without effective monitoring, Iraq can, in a very short period of time, reconstitute chemical biological weapons, long-range ballistic missiles to deliver these weapons, and even certain aspects of their nuclear weaponisation programme." Only 100% disarmament would do, he insisted. A year later, however, he was saying: "As of December 1998 we had accounted for 90 to 95% of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capability. We destroyed all the factories, all of the means of production. We couldn't account for some of the weaponry, but chemical weapons have a shelf-life of five years. Biological weapons have a shelf-life of three. To have weapons today, they would have had to rebuild the factories and start producing these weapons since December 1998." In an interview this week, days after appealing to the Iraqi national assembly to readmit the inspectors, he appears to have hardened his position again. "The problem is the last time Iraq chose to cheat and retreat, the UN did nothing about it. The US was not a fair and honest broker in this game. We were pushing a policy of regime removal that took precedent over disarmament. "So this time around, let us not play that game. Let us focus on weapons of mass destruction, let us focus on doing what the international community has said and, if Iraq chooses to play cat and mouse and cheat, we don't play that game. We back off and the security council takes decisive action." David Pallister Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 ***************************************************************** 29 Koizumi: N. Korea OKs Inspections Las Vegas SUN Today: September 19, 2002 at 0:10:20 PDT ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has pledged to fully accept international inspections of his country's nuclear facilities, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday. Koizumi, in a speech, said Kim vowed the North will observe international arrangements related to its suspected nuclear weapons program when the two met in Pyongyang for a summit on Tuesday. North Korea did not say in a joint statement released after the summit whether it would accept International Atomic Energy Agency inspections. Japan has asked the North to do so. Koizumi did not elaborate. In a 1994 agreement with the United States, North Korea agreed to halt its suspected development of nuclear weapons in exchange for help building light water nuclear reactors. The deal was made because of concerns that North Korea could use plutonium to develop nuclear weapons. Light water reactors do not use plutonium. The International Atomic Energy Agency has demanded inspections on how much weapons-grade plutonium the North extracted before it froze its suspected nuclear program in 1994. The North claims that the amount was negligible, but the U.S. suspects that it might have been enough to make one or two atomic bombs. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 30 N Korea 'agrees' to nuclear inspections BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Thursday, 19 September, 2002, 09:11 GMT 10:11 UK [Kim Jong-il (left) and Junichiro Koizumi shake hands after their meeting this week] Kim Jong-il (L) has made several concessions this week The Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, says North Korea's Kim Jong-il agreed to allow international inspections of his country's nuclear facilities when the two men met earlier this week. It was announced at the time that Mr Kim had only agreed to abide by international agreements on Pyongyang's nuclear programme. But Mr Koizumi said on Thursday that the North Korean leader went further - agreeing to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to check the country's nuclear sites. [Unidentified family members of a Japanese kidnapped by North Korea weep during a protest] The news that abductees are dead has shocked Japan His announcement came as more details emerged on the deaths of several Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea some 20 years ago. North Korea agreed with the United States in 1994 to dismantle its nuclear programme, in return for the building of two proliferation-proof nuclear power stations. But it has refused, until now, to allow international inspectors to check whether it already had enough nuclear material to build a bomb. North Korea did not mention its willingness to allow the inspections in a joint statement released after the summit with Mr Koizumi. The BBC's correspondent in Tokyo, Charles Scanlon, says that if North Korea does let in the inspectors, that could help resolve growing tensions with Washington. Pyongyang also agreed at the summit to extend a moratorium on missile tests beyond 2003. But the Bush administration has other demands as well, including an end to the North's export of ballistic missiles. Anger at home Japan has now agreed to begin negotiations for establishing diplomatic relations with North Korea, but that decision has come under attack from the relatives of the abductees. [Shuichi Ichikawa (AFP)] Japan's missing + Eight Japanese confirmed dead + Four still alive in North Korea + Kim Jong-il says he has punished the culprits See also: Profiles of the missing Mr Kim admitted his agents kidnapped at least 12 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s and that eight have since died. Japanese foreign ministry officials initially concealed the dates of their deaths from the families waiting at home. But it emerged on Thursday that two of them - Keiko Arimoto and Toru Ishioka - died on the same day in November 1988, two months after one of them smuggled a letter home. According to Japan's Asahi Shimbun, of the four women who died, three were in their 20s and one was in their 30s at the time of death. Mr Kim says the Japanese died from natural causes or natural disasters. Their apparently untimely deaths will fuel questions amongst relatives. Despite the unexpected shock regarding the kidnapped people, polls show that the popularity of Mr Koizumi has risen since the summit. A poll by Asahi Shimbun showed support for the prime minister has jumped 10 points to 61% and that 81% of those polled approved of his handling of the meeting. © MMII | News Sources | Privacy ***************************************************************** 31 UK: Tories reject nuclear threat - for now BBC NEWS | UK | Politics | Thursday, 19 September, 2002, 11:37 GMT 12:37 UK [Ministry of Defence pictures of chemical weapons found by previous weapons inspections] Iraq has now offered to let weapons inspections restart It would not be right to threaten Iraq with nuclear action now - but if its weapons programmes were not tackled it might eventually become the only option, the Conservative leader has warned. Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said the nuclear option was not proportionate to the threat currently posed by Saddam Hussein. I do not believe any momentum has been lost Jack Straw Foreign Secretary It has also emerged that Tony Blair has agreed to face detailed questioning about Iraq from a joint session of the Parliament's defence, foreign affairs and intelligence select committees. Donald Anderson, chairman of the Commons defence select committee, told the ePolitix.com website the prime minister had agreed "in principle" to the idea. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw on Tuesday rejected suggestions that momentum in United Nations talks on Iraq had been lost because of Iraq's offer to readmit weapons inspectors. Need for new resolution Mr Straw said: "The international community has to take account of the fact that only by resolute action and resolutions of the Security Council that we are going to deal with the central threat posed by Iraq." Talks about a fresh resolution continue at the United Nations and Mr Straw would not discuss the details. A new UN resolution was needed so Iraq again got the message if it did not comply with the resolutions, military action would have to follow, he said. [Iain Duncan Smith] Duncan Smith says he has been pushing for more debate Baghdad's offer to give weapons inspectors unconditional access appears to have split the Security Council. Russia says the offer means no fresh resolution is needed. But UK ministers are treating the offer with scepticism and Tony Blair has insisted the international pressure on Iraq must continue. Mr Duncan Smith said the offer showed Saddam Hussein was "panicking". The threat of military action must remain until his weapons programmes were eradicated and constantly checked, he argued. Former Prime Minister John Major has delivered an implied rebuke to Mr Duncan Smith for not raising questions about the aftermath of a possible war. Mr Duncan Smith said he had been underlining the need to tackle Iraq's weapons programmes since 1995 and calling for debate about what happened post-Saddam. 'Out of proportion' He was asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme whether it would be right to threaten to "nuke" Baghdad if Saddam Hussein used chemical or biological weapons against UK and US troops. Mr Duncan Smith replied: "I don't think that is a proper way in which to deal with the threat, simply because I think it is out of proportion with the threat that at the moment he poses. "That's the point that makes the importance of what we're talking about in terms of military action. [John Major, former Prime Minister] John Major implied nuclear retaliation was threatened in 1991 "If we don't and aren't prepared to eradicate these programmes that he possesses now then you will be left with only that option in a few years time." Mr Duncan Smith has already warned that Iraq may be working on ballistic missiles that could reach Europe. On Wednesday, Mr Major, Prime Minister during the Gulf War, implied nuclear action had been threatened in 1991. Iraq had been given an "unmistakeable message" about the response it could expect if it used chemical and biological weapons. Protect Now policy makers would be considering whether Saddam Hussein would seek to cause "maximum chaos" and possibly even target a foreign capital. "We can prepare against that, we can largely protect against that - don't press me how," added Mr Major. MPs return to Westminster on Tuesday when Parliament is recalled from early from its summer break. On the same day, the government's dossier of evidence against Iraq will be published. Mr Duncan Smith said it was not enough for Tony Blair to make a statement and answer some questions. He should lead the Iraq debate himself, rather than leaving it to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. © MMII | News Sources | Privacy ***************************************************************** 32 Evidence on Iraq Challenged (washingtonpost.com) Experts Question if Tubes Were Meant for Weapons Program By Joby Warrick Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, September 19, 2002; Page A18 A key piece of evidence in the Bush administration's case against Iraq is being challenged in a report by independent experts who question whether thousands of high-strength aluminum tubes recently sought by Iraq were intended for a secret nuclear weapons program. The White House last week said attempts by Iraq to acquire the tubes point to a clandestine program to make enriched uranium for nuclear bombs. But the experts say in a new report that the evidence is ambiguous, and in some ways contradicts what is known about Iraq's past nuclear efforts. The report, from the Institute for Science and International Security, also contends that the Bush administration is trying to quiet dissent among its own analysts over how to interpret the evidence. The report, a draft of which was obtained by The Washington Post, was authored by David Albright, a physicist who investigated Iraq's nuclear weapons program following the 1991 Persian Gulf War as a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspection team. The institute, headquartered in Washington, is an independent group that studies nuclear and other security issues. "By themselves, these attempted procurements are not evidence that Iraq is in possession of, or close to possessing, nuclear weapons," the report said. "They do not provide evidence that Iraq has an operating centrifuge plant or when such a plant could be operational." The controversy stems from shipments to Iraq of specialized aluminum metal that were seized en route by governments allied with the United States. A U.S. intelligence official confirmed that at least two such shipments were seized within the past 14 months, although he declined to give details. The Associated Press, citing sources familiar with the shipments, reported that one originated in China and was intercepted in Jordan. The shipments sparked concern among U.S. intelligence analysts because of the potential use of such tubes in centrifuges, fast-spinning machines used in making enriched uranium for nuclear bombs. High-strength, heat-resistant metals are needed for centrifuge casings as well as for the rotors, which turn at up to 1,000 rotations per minute. There is no evidence that any of the tubes reached Iraq. But in its white paper on Iraq released to the United Nations last week, the Bush administration cited the seized shipments as evidence that Iraq is actively seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Bush's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said in a televised interview that the tubes "are only really suited for nuclear weapons programs, centrifuge programs." Since then, U.S. officials have acknowledged differing opinions within the U.S. intelligence community about possible uses for the tubes -- with some experts contending that a more plausible explanation was that the aluminum was meant to build launch tubes for Iraq's artillery rockets. "But the majority view, held by senior officials here, is that they were most likely intended for gas centrifuges," one U.S. intelligence official said in an interview. The new report questions that conclusion on several grounds, most of them technical. It says the seized tubes were made of a kind of aluminum that is ill-suited for welding. Other specifications of the imported metal are at odds with what is known about Iraq's previous attempts to build centrifuges. In fact, the report said, Iraq had largely abandoned aluminum for other materials, such as specialized steel and carbon fiber, in its centrifuges at the time its nuclear program was destroyed by allied bombers in the Gulf War. According to Albright, government experts on nuclear technology who dissented from the Bush administration's view told him they were expected to remain silent. Several Energy Department officials familiar with the aluminum shipments declined to comment. © 2002 The Washington Post Company ***************************************************************** 33 Short history of Kashmir dispute IEER | By Arjun Makhijani 6 September 2002 1947: August 14/15. British India is partitioned into India and Pakistan as part of the independence process. Majority Muslim areas in the West (now all of Pakistan) and East (the place now called Bangladesh) form Pakistan. The British also allow the nominal rulers of several hundred "princely states," who were tax collectors for the British and served at British pleasure, to decide whether they wanted to join India or Pakistan. Pakistan demands Kashmir accede to it. The Hindu ruler of Kashmir does not make a choice. Kashmir has three major ethnic areas: Ladakh in the northwest, which is majority Buddhist; the Kashmir Valley (controlled by India) and the part now controlled by Pakistan, which is majority Muslim, and Jammu (in the south), which is majority Hindu. The overall majority is Muslim. 1948: "Tribesmen" from Pakistan invade Kashmir with the support of the Pakistani government. The ruler of Kashmir asks India for help. India demands that Kashmir should accede to India first. The ruler agrees. India sends forces to Kashmir and the invasion is blocked. Kashmir is divided into a Pakistani controlled part and an Indian controlled part. This de facto partition continues to this date with the dividing line being known as the Line of Control. 1948: India takes the Kashmir issue to the U.N. Security Council, which passes a resolution calling on Pakistan to do all it can "secure the withdrawal" of Pakistani citizens and "tribesmen" and asking that a plebiscite be held to determine the wishes of the people of Kashmir. Neither the force withdrawal nor the plebiscite has taken place. 1962: India and China fight a border war. China occupies a part of Ladakh. 1965: India and Pakistan fight a border war along the India-West Pakistan border and the Line of Control in Kashmir. U.N. brokered cease fire and withdrawal to pre-war lines affirmed by the leaders of the two countries at a 1966 summit meeting in Tashkent, USSR (now Toshkent, Uzbekistan). 1970-1971: An election in (East and West) Pakistan results in an overall majority for an East Pakistani party, which is ethnically mainly Bengali. The Pakistani military refuses to allow the Parliament to convene. East Pakistanis demand autonomy, then independence in the face of brutal repression by the Pakistani military. Guerilla warfare ensues. About ten million refugees stream into India from East Pakistan. India also provides sanctuary to Bangladeshi guerillas. Pakistan attacks airfields in India and Indian-controlled Kashmir. India strikes back in West Pakistan and also intervenes in the East on the side of the Bangladeshis. The U.S., in a "tilt" towards Pakistan, sends a nuclear-armed aircraft carrier, the Enterprise, and its battlegroup, to the region, in an implicit nuclear threat to India (which influences nuclear politics of India in favor of nuclear testing). Pakistan loses the war on both fronts and Bangladesh becomes independent. 1972: India and Pakistan sign a peace accord, known as the Simla (or Shimla) agreement, according to which both sides agree "to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed upon between them." Both countries agree that they will not unilaterally try to alter the Line of Control in Kashmir. 1974: India tests a nuclear device. Pakistan accelerates its nuclear weapons program. 1980s: U.S. supports Islamic resistance to Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and also the dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan, which promotes Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistan. Late 1980s: There is a state-level election in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. There is evidence of fraud. Militancy rises in Kashmir. In 1989, the Soviets quit Afghanistan. Islamic militants from outside South Asia now become engaged in Kashmir, with the support of the Pakistani government. The violence in Kashmir becomes more dominated by foreign fighters and by religious fundamentalism. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hindu fundamentalism begins to become more powerful as a political force in India. 1990s: Violence intensifies in Kashmir. Islamic militants carry out ethnic cleansing in the Kashmir Valley, terrorizing non-Muslims, mainly Kashmiri pundits, causing large numbers of people to flee, mainly to Jammu. Pakistan supports the cross border infiltration. The Indian military responds with repression to the terrorism, foreign infiltration, and the domestic insurgency, which are now all mixed up. There are serious human rights abuses on all sides. 1998: A coalition led by the Hindu-fundamentalist party, the BJP, comes to power in India. India and Pakistan carry out nuclear weapons tests and declare themselves nuclear weapon states. Pakistan announces that it may, under certain circumstances, use nuclear weapons first to neutralize India's conventional superiority, making reference to NATO's Cold War doctrine of potential first use in case of a European war with the Soviets. India says it will not use nuclear weapons first. 1999: Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, travels to Lahore, Pakistan for a peace meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. There is great hope for peace. Three months later Pakistan-based militants invade the Kargil area in Indian-controlled Kashmir, with the support of the military. A military confrontation, with the possibility of nuclear war, ensues. Nawaz Sharif travels to Washington and President Clinton convinces him to withdraw Pakistani forces from Kargil. Confrontation ends. Nawaz Sharif is overthrown in a military coup led by General Musharraf, one of the architects of the Kargil war. (Musharraf proclaims himself President of Pakistan in the year 2000.) September 11, 2001: Well-known tragic events in the United States. Terrorist attacks kill about 3,000 people. October 1, 2001: A terrorist attack on the Kashmir state legislature in Srinagar. 38 people are killed. October 7, 2001: U.S. launches a war in Afghanistan, under the rubric of the War on Terrorism. President Musharraf becomes a U.S. ally and allows Pakistan to become a base of operations for the United States. Al Qaeda, Taliban, and their supporters in Pakistan feel severe pressure. December 13, 2001: A terrorist attack on India's Parliament. Fourteen people (including five attackers, as well as security guards and two civilians) are killed. Aftermath of December 13: India mobilizes and moves hundreds of thousands of soldiers to the border with Pakistan, including the Line of Control in Kashmir. The danger of conventional and nuclear war rises. May 14, 2002 to date (early Sept 2002): A terrorist attack on families of Indian servicemen. More than 30 people killed. India threatens to retaliate. Pakistan makes implicit threats of nuclear weapons use in case of Indian attack. Peak of the conventional and nuclear confrontation reached in May-June 2002. Greatest threat of nuclear war since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. U.S. troops and war strategy in the region imperiled. U.S. shuttle diplomacy defuses the immediate crisis as Pakistan promises to end cross border infiltration. India does not retaliate. Tensions remain high and the threat of war and nuclear weapons use persists. Other resources: + More Sign Posts for Peace in South Asia [http://www.ieer.org/comments/dsmt/ramuplan.html] by Admiral L Ramdas + IEER web resources on South Asia [http://www.ieer.org/webindex.html#sasia] Institute for Energy and Environmental Research [http://www.ieer.org/index.html] Comments to Outreach Coordinator: ieer@ieer.org [ieer@ieer.org] Takoma Park, Maryland, USA September 6, 2002 Posted September 17, 2002 ***************************************************************** 34 Iran Welcomes Iraqi Decision Las Vegas SUN: September 18, 2002 ASSOCIATED PRESS TEHRAN, Iran- Iran would back U.N.-led action against Iraq if inspectors prove that Baghdad has developed weapons of mass destruction, the government said Wednesday, adding that the same checks should apply to Israel. Iranian President Mohamad Khatami reiterated his country's opposition to any unilateral action by the United States and said Baghdad must abide by U.N. resolutions on weapons inspections. Government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said that since "we are a signatory to the international conventions that prohibits weapons of mass destruction, Iran will support any U.N. action against any country." Ramezanzadeh said the same standard should apply to "all violators (of the conventions) including Israel." Israel has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty nor opened its facilities to international inspection. The Israeli government refuses to discuss its nuclear capability but the CIA has estimated Israel has between 200 and 400 nuclear weapons. Under tremendous international pressure, Iraq agreed this week to the resumption of U.N. inspections for the first time in nearly four years. But the United States, which aims to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, says Baghdad's offer is a "ploy" to avoid tougher action against it. Khatami on Wednesday welcomed Iraq's decision, telling reporters, "We hope the region does not witness yet another crisis as a result of a military invasion." "The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been that Iraq must give in to international regulations especially the U.N. Security Council resolutions," Khatami said. The night before, the Iranian president spoke with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan by telephone, telling him, "We have explicitly opposed America's unilateral actions and call for a U.N.-led decision" on Iraq, state-run Tehran radio reported. Iran fought a 1980-88 war with neighboring Iraq and the two sides still view each other with suspicion. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 35 Reports: Parts Meant for Iraq Nukes Las Vegas SUN September 18, 2002 By GEORGE JAHN ASSOCIATED PRESS VIENNA, Austria- Aluminum tubing sent from China to Jordan may have been destined for Iraq to be used in enriching uranium for atomic weapons, international nuclear officials and a former U.N. weapons inspector say. The reports could suggest that contrary to its denials, Iraq harbors nuclear ambitions but hasn't been able to buy the uranium it needs on the open market. On the other hand, some experts say the data isn't complete enough to make a definite judgment of Iraq's intentions. The shipment of aluminum tubing was reported by officials working for international organizations in Western Europe in interviews last week and Tuesday. The tubes were found in Jordan in the last 14 months, said one of the officials. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity. Authorities in both China and Jordan denied there was any such shipment, however. The Bush administration alleges thousands of pieces of such tubing have been intercepted en route to Iraq. Administration experts believe the material was being sent to Iraq to build centrifuges for developing nuclear weapons. The centrifuges are high-speed rotating drums that take raw uranium and separate it into different varieties of the element. A heavier form, which is not useful in nuclear weapons, accumulates toward the outside of the spinning drum and is siphoned off. The lighter form, which is used in nuclear bombs, tends to stay in the middle. Because the process is highly inefficient, it requires hundreds or thousands of linked centrifuges to concentrate the light form of uranium sufficiently to be used in an atomic bomb. In the past, Iraq has used heavy-gauge aluminum tubing to build centrifuges for refining raw uranium into fuel for a nuclear weapon. Those devices were destroyed during the 1990s by U.N. weapons inspectors. If Iraq is seeking to rebuild centrifuges for a nuclear program, it could indicate it lacks an outside source of weapons-grade nuclear fuel. Garry Dillon, who went to Iraq as a weapons inspector in the 1990s, said the lack of information from the Bush administration makes it difficult to determine the significance of the alleged Iraqi attempts to ship in aluminum tubes. "Aluminum tubes come in all shapes and forms, from crutches to centrifuge" parts, Dillon said from London. "Nobody has enough information to decide what was the objective of this piping." Because the material must be spun repeatedly by hundreds of centrifuges, Iraq would need "miles" of such aluminum tubing, Dillon said. Tim Brown of the Global Security.org, a nongovernment nuclear monitoring group based in Alexandria, Va., said the centrifuges Iraq once used spin at speeds of 1,000 revolutions per minute. He described their appearance as similar to "spinning Coke cans ... the size of two wastepaper baskets." One of the two nuclear officials who spoke to The Associated Press said the tubing intercepted in Jordan fits a profile that would raise alarm bells in Washington, but added it was not clear if U.S. officials were referring to that shipment. "The end user was never officially identified," the official told AP. "But this may be one of the shipments they are referring to." President Bush touched on the aluminum tube shipments in a speech to the United Nations last week, warning that Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction posed a threat to the world. While asking for international support, he suggested the United States was prepared to confront Iraq alone. Baghdad on Tuesday announced it would allow the return of U.N. weapons inspectors. But the United States dismissed the offer as a tactic meant to split the Security Council, where the administration has been lobbying for a resolution that would authorize force against Iraq. One U.S.-based expert said Bush administration officials have told him of at least two attempts to secure aluminum tubing in the past 14 months. The expert, who has close ties to the administration and formerly worked with the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor Iraq's nuclear program, spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. He said he had been consulted over the past year by a government other than the United States for his opinion on a shipment of aluminum tubing apparently suspected of having been ordered by Baghdad. He said the government divulged no details on the find. On the Net: IAEA, www.iaea.org Global Security.org, www.GlobalSecurity.org Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, www.thebulletin.org All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 36 Bush Pushes for Action Against Iraq Las Vegas SUN September 18, 2002 By MATT KELLEY ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON- The Bush administration sharpened its push for a quick congressional vote authorizing possible military action against Iraq, drafting a strongly worded resolution for delivery to lawmakers Thursday. Three senior White House aides familiar with the draft said it would give Bush maximum flexibility to confront the threat posed by Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, including an explicit OK to use military force. One of the officials said the resolution also would adopt much of the same language found in the 1998 law calling for a regime change in Iraq. As administration officials laid the groundwork for any Iraqi campaign, U.S. officials at the United Nations worked to reconstruct an anti-Iraq consensus shattered by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's offer Monday to let U.N. weapons inspectors return after nearly four years. The U.N. Security Council was to discuss plans for inspections at a session Thursday. Secretary of State Colin Powell gave President Bush a progress report Wednesday on U.S. efforts at the United Nations. Powell was due back at the White House on Thursday morning for more strategy talks on the administration's next moves with wary allies, a senior White House official said. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that Congress must act before the Security Council does. "Delaying a vote in the Congress would send a message that the U.S. may be unprepared to take a stand, just as we are asking the international community to take a stand and as we are cautioning the Iraqi regime to consider its options," Rumsfeld said. The Iraq resolution was expected to win overwhelming support from both parties in the House and Senate, possibly within two weeks. Although some prominent Democrats have called for caution, both Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., said they supported Bush on the issue. "We want to make sure that whatever we do, we make the right decision," said Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Texas. Russia and France, two of the five Security Council members with veto power, were against any new U.N. resolutions concerning Iraq, as were Arab nations. Rumsfeld and Bush dismissed Saddam's latest offer as a ploy to stall for time. "He's not going to fool anybody," Bush said after meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday. While U.N. officials in New York prepared for the inspectors' return, U.S. and British officials began working on a new U.N. resolution aimed at authorizing use of force should Baghdad fail to comply with Security Council resolutions. Western diplomats said the U.S.-British draft likely would include new instructions for weapons inspectors and a timetable for disarmament that would be tighter than one laid out in an existing resolution passed in December 1999. Britain, which helps the United States patrol the no-fly zone over southern Iraq, has been the staunchest public ally for Bush's threats of war. Rumsfeld said several other U.S. allies have said privately they would support a military strike against Iraq, but he declined to say which countries or how many. "There are a number of countries afraid of Saddam Hussein" and therefore reluctant to let their cooperation be known publicly, Rumsfeld said. Although Rumsfeld said Bush had not decided whether to wage war against Iraq, his comments left little room for any other option. Removing Saddam, Rumsfeld said, was the only way to ensure that Iraq's chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs were completely destroyed - and not secretly given to terrorists. "Our job today - the president's, the Congress' and the United Nations' - is to ... anticipate vastly more lethal attacks before they happen and to make the right decision as to whether or now it's appropriate for this country to take action," Rumsfeld said. Rumsfeld suggested that Iraq had concealed evidence of its weapons programs in a labyrinth of tunnels and other elaborate hiding places, certain to complicate and prolong any new inspection effort. "The goal is not inspections, the goal is disarmament," Rumsfeld said. Rumsfeld said the Pentagon would have to call up more National Guard and Reserve forces if Bush decided to invade Iraq. More than 72,000 reservists have been called to active duty so far in the war on terrorism, and more than 20,000 soldiers in key specialties have been blocked from leaving active duty. But there's "not a chance" that a draft would be needed to augment U.S. military forces, Rumsfeld told the House panel. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 37 Cooperative Agreement Finalized Between USEC, DOE and UT-Battelle For Deploying Advanced Nuclear Fuel Technology * *BW2261 SEP 19,2002 8:08 PACIFIC 11:08 EASTERN BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2002-- Five-Year, $121 Million USEC-Financed CRADA Supports U.S. Centrifuge Test Facility USEC Inc. (NYSE:USU) announced today that it has finalized a $121 million agreement with UT-Battelle LLC, approved by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), to expand cooperative efforts to deploy proven U.S. gas centrifuge uranium enrichment technology. The new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) extends through June 2007 and will be funded entirely by USEC. "This CRADA enables expanded cooperation with DOE to support the deployment of what we expect to be the most efficient uranium enrichment technology in the world," said Dennis Spurgeon, USEC executive vice president and chief operating officer. "In 2005 we will be operating a commercial-sized module of hundreds of next generation U.S. centrifuge uranium enrichment machines that will lead to the start of commercial plant operations in this decade." "We're extremely pleased to be teaming with USEC on this project of vital importance to our energy security needs and to the nation," said Gil Gilliland, associate director for energy and engineering sciences at DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). "This represents a commitment to support the growth of nuclear energy, a clean power source that is not dependent on foreign suppliers." USEC employees and technical personnel from ORNL, a DOE multi-program research facility managed by UT-Battelle, will work to deploy USEC's "lead cascade" test facility, which will showcase improvements to DOE's proven centrifuge technology. Of the $121 million USEC will be spending within the scope of the CRADA, UT-Battelle will receive $28.5 million for specific design, testing and analysis work. The CRADA work makes up the bulk of the approximately $150 million that USEC has announced it will spend over the next five years to deploy its lead cascade. USEC's centrifuge program builds upon a proven uranium enrichment technology developed by DOE. "USEC's centrifuge program uses the same technology that DOE spent more than two decades and $3 billion developing and improves its economics through the use of state-of-the-art materials and manufacturing processes," said Spurgeon. DOE built thousands of centrifuge machines that operated for thousands of hours at performance levels superior to today's best-installed centrifuge technology. The improvements USEC will use in its lead cascade program will further enhance its performance and result in a lower-risk construction program. On September 5, USEC announced that it had received initial proposals from the states of Kentucky and Ohio for the siting of USEC's lead cascade facility. When operations begin in 2005, this facility will feature up to 240 full-scale centrifuge machines enriching uranium in a closed cycle. Its purpose is to provide updated cost, schedule and performance data for building a $1 billion to $1.5 billion commercial centrifuge uranium enrichment plant. The project will provide several hundred contract manufacturing and construction jobs, and approximately 500 operating jobs in Kentucky or Ohio when the commercial plant is finished. USEC will announce the lead cascade site later this year. "USEC's deployment of U.S. centrifuge technology will meet future worldwide demand for nuclear fuel, ensure domestic energy security, better serve customers and ensure USEC's long-term competitive position," said Spurgeon. USEC Inc., a global energy company, is the world's leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants. CONTACT: USEC Inc. Elizabeth Stuckle, 301/564-3399 Charles Yulish, 301/564-3391 KEYWORD: MARYLAND DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENERGY UTILITIES MARKETING AGREEMENTS SOURCE: USEC Inc. ***************************************************************** 38 ORNL taken by surprise by Associated Press story The Oak Ridger Online -- Area News -- Associated Press story 09/19/02 R. Cathey Daniels Oak Ridger staff An Associated Press story announcing that Oak Ridge National Laboratory is in the running for a $4.1 billion new facility came as a surprise to local officials. "I don't understand why ORNL was mentioned in the story," said Billy Stair, spokesman for ORNL. "To my knowledge we have never been considered as a potential site for this facility." The story, generated in Los Alamos and published locally this morning, said that the lab is one of five sites under consideration for a $4.1 billion modern plutonium pit facility, along with Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the Pantex Plant in Texas and the Nevada Test Site. "To the best of our knowledge Oak Ridge is not a site under consideration, and that includes the lab and Y-12," said Stair. Bryan Wilkes, senior manager of public affairs for the National Nuclear Security Administration headquarters in Washington, D.C., said this morning that while he would not comment on which sites are in the running, "the folks there (in Oak Ridge) should know." Wilkes said an announcement would be made "very soon" on preparation of an environmental impact statement for the facility and on which sites are under consideration. The NNSA announced in May it would begin this month to evaluate sites for the $2.2 billion to $4.1 billion facility, which is expected to start operating by 2020. The United States' pit production operations were shut down in 1989 at DOE's Rocky Flats facility near Denver. No plutonium pits have been produced since then. The lack of a pit production facility has been identified by Congress as a critical defense "readiness gap" in ensuring the viability of the nation's nuclear deterrent, while the environmental group Greenpeace opposes the federal plan, saying it "legitimizes the use of nuclear weapons." R. Cathey Daniels can be contacted at (865) 220-5515 or [danielsrcd@oakridger.com] . [http://www.oakridger.com] All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** 39 DOE considers Pantex Plant for new facility Amarillo Globe-News: Local News: 09/19/02 From staff and wire reports The Department of Energy is considering five sites, including the Pantex Plant, to house a facility to manufacture plutonium weapons cores called pits. Pantex is the nation's primary assembly and disassembly plant for nuclear warheads and now stores more than 12,000 plutonium pits. "I understand that we are one of the sites that are being considered," Dan Glenn, director of DOE's Amarillo Site Operations for Pantex, said Wednesday. Lab spokesman Jim Danneskiold said the Los Alamos lab also is among the sites the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration is considering for the $4.1 billion pit facility. The plutonium pits provide the fissile material for nuclear bombs. Danneskiold declined to comment on whether the lab is actively lobbying to become home of the facility. The National Nuclear Security Administration said in May it would begin this month to evaluate sites for the facility, which is expected to start operating by 2020. The DOE's Savannah River Site in South Carolina has been considered the front-runner for the pit facility. Other sites being considered are the Nevada Test Site and Oak Ridge in Tennessee. The United States' pit production operations were shut down for safety reasons in 1989 at DOE's Rocky Flats facility near Denver. No plutonium pits have been produced since then. Los Alamos is developing an interim pit production facility that will begin making as many as 50 certified plutonium pits a year by 2007. Danneskiold said the interim pit facility will maintain the United States' capability to make plutonium pits and will transfer what's learned to a new, permanent facility. The environmental group Greenpeace said in a news release this week that it opposes federal plans to build the pit facility. "Efforts toward building such a large facility is a provocative step aimed at legitimizing the use of nuclear weapons and must be halted," said Tom Clements, senior campaigner with Greenpeace. "Cooler heads must prevail and not allow this cornerstone of nuclear war fighting to go forward." The Associated Press and Amarillo Globe-News Staff Writer Jim McBride contributed to this report. [webmaster@amarillonet.com] 1996-2002 Amarillo Globe-News ***************************************************************** 40 PACRO earmarking funds for marketing, retraining - [http://www.paducahsun.com/] The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Thursday, September 19, 2002 By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 Besides helping with regional industrial park work, a new $1 million Department of Energy grant will support area marketing efforts and a system to help displaced nuclear workers find jobs. The executive committee of the Paducah Area Community Reuse Organization, a conduit for Energy Department money, approved on Wednesday using some of the new grant for these projects during the next year: + Up to $50,000 to equally match private funds raised by CenterPointe USA, a regional marketing organization, during the next year. CenterPointe is developing a Web site — expected to be on-line in about 60 days — to provide demographics, work force data, building sites and other information to help recruit business and industry. CenterPointe representatives also are visiting key site-selection consultants and trade shows nationwide, and have launched a direct-mail marketing program. + As much as $6,000 to reimburse West Kentucky Technical College for staff member Dr. Paul McInturff's time developing a program to help terminated Paducah uranium enrichment plant workers with retraining and finding new jobs. + A maximum of $24,000 to the plant nuclear workers' union to maintain a skills database used in the college program. The union, known as PACE, will provide up to $6,000. Much of the grant, announced last month, will be used for engineering and infrastructure work on more than 2,000 acres under option in the Viola-Folsomdale area for a regional industrial park. Before the executive committee meeting, the PACRO finance committee approved a low-interest loan of $85,500 to 20-year enrichment plant employee Lorn Honey and his wife, Mei-Yu, for a new Chinese-American restaurant being built at 5450 Old Cairo Road next to the Huddle House. Loan program administrator Norma Drouin said the buffet-style eatery will be called Yu's Kitchen and provide seven full-time and two part-time jobs. It is expected to be open later this fall in a new building that will also have two office suites, she said. Drouin said the loan program, geared for enrichment plant workers, has about $350,000 available. She also handles similar low-interest loans for non-USEC people, available through the Paducah Area Development District office in Mayfield. ***************************************************************** 41 DOE Announces $121 Million Cooperative Research &Development Agreement Reached with USEC Inc. To Fund Research in Advance Uranium Enrichment Technology energy.gov - Headquarters' Press Release RELEASE DATE: September 19, 2002 WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced that a five-year, $121 million Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was signed with USEC Inc., that will allow the department's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and USEC Inc. to develop and deploy a highly efficient gas centrifuge uranium technology that could greatly reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources. "We are pleased that we continue to identify opportunities to improve the technology and use of nuclear power," Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham said. "As outlined in the President's National Energy Plan, this administration supports the expansion and research of nuclear power, ensuring that it remains a significant contributor to our nation's energy needs and a clean, reliable, and economic energy source for consumers." Over the next few years, ORNL will receive $28.5 million from USEC Inc. for specific design, testing and analysis work to improve DOE's centrifuge technologies for the production of enriched uranium for nuclear power purposes. Technical personnel from ORNL, operated for DOE by UT-Batelle, and USEC will design and test equipment that will be deployed in USEC's "lead cascade" uranium enrichment test facility. Operation of this full-scale centrifuge test facility will provide the cost, schedule and performance data necessary to plan the future construction of a $1 billion to $1.5 billion commercial centrifuge uranium enrichment plant. The gas centrifuge process produces a uranium stream concentrated in uranium-235, a radioisotope suitable for making fuel for nuclear power plants. The CRADA and the research governed by it extends through 2007 and will be funded entirely by USEC Inc. USEC Inc. is a supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial power plants. Media Contact: Joe Davis, 202/586-4940 Hope Williams, 202/586-5806 Release No. PR-02-192 ***************************************************************** 42 Cleanup of Hanford Nuclear Reservation Begins 9/18/2002 2:43:00 AM Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.* RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) - In a scrubby sagebrush desert not far from the Columbia River, lethal leftovers from the Cold War era are finally about to be cleaned up. After a decade of fits and starts, construction has begun on a $4 billion waste treatment complex at the Hanford nuclear reservation, the biggest environmental cleanup project in the country. Environmental advocates say it's none too soon. At least 67 of Hanford's 177 underground tanks, some of them decrepit and well past their intended service lives, have leaked more than 1 million gallons of radioactive brew into the soil. The waste has contaminated the aquifer, and the tanks are just seven miles from the Columbia River, which borders Hanford. ``There's a lot at stake,'' said John Britton, a spokesman for Bechtel National, which was hired to rescue the stranded project last year after the previous contractor's cost estimates doubled to $15.2 billion. State regulators have squabbled with the Energy Department over the project since the early 1990s, when the department scuttled a plan to turn some of the waste into grout and bury it in sealed containers. The agencies later argued over missed deadlines and uncertain federal budgets, until a kind of detente was achieved. ``Right now our focus is on getting the thing built,'' said Sheryl Hutchison, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Ecology. The new plant will turn radioactive waste from plutonium production into more manageable glass cylinders. The process, called vitrification, mixes radioactive waste with glass-forming materials, then melts them at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit to make a molten glass that is poured into canisters for long-term storage. The most radioactive glass will end up at some kind of national repository, likely Yucca Mountain in Nevada, where it will take 10,000 years to decay. The less radioactive waste will be buried in trenches in the 560-square-mile reservation here. But exactly how much of the nearly 54 million gallons of radioactive waste will be turned into glass is still being debated within the Energy Department. The Bush administration wants the agency to study less expensive but still effective ways to treat low-activity radioactive waste. ``There's a lot of concern they'll not empty those tanks,'' Hutchison said. Another source of concern is an Energy Department plan to reclassify some highly radioactive residual waste at several sites, including Hanford, which could mean it would be left in the tanks. The Natural Resources Defense Council and two Indian tribes are suing the Energy Department in federal court in Idaho over the plan. Roy Schepens, the new manager for the Energy Department's Office of River Protection, which is overseeing the project, wouldn't comment on the litigation. But he said he's considering a number of alternatives for low-activity waste, including a technology that uses superheated steam to treat waste and turn it into a cat litter-like substance, and bulk vitrification, where waste is turned into glass in an existing container rather than transferred to one later. Any such plans would have to be approved by state regulators. For now, the focus is on constructing the plant. In 2005, the plant should be ready for non-radioactive testing and in 2007, ``hot'' testing is scheduled to begin. Crews at a test facility will use safe, simulated waste to find the best way to remove the radioactive mix of liquid, salt cake and sludge from the tanks. Plutonium was made at the site for more than 40 years for the nation's nuclear arsenal, including the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki during World War II. Hutchison said the Energy Department and its contractors are making good progress on the cleanup, which is being closely watched. The legal decree governing cleanup at Hanford sets a goal of retrieving 99 percent of the waste from the tanks, or as much as is technically feasible, and treating the waste by 2028. ``I intend to beat the 2028 date,'' Schepens said. On the Net: Bechtel River Protection Project: http://www.waste2glass.com DOE Office of River Protection: http://www.hanford.gov/orp State Department of Ecology: http://www.ecy.wa.gov *Associated Press* *LINDA ASHTON Associated Press Writer* ***************************************************************** 43 INEL: Citizens panel urges for cleanup of buried nuclear waste *Thursday, September 19, 2002* *Twin Falls, Idaho* By Jennifer Sandmann Times-News writer SUN VALLEY -- Making cleanup of buried nuclear waste a priority is the message a citizens panel sent the Energy Department this week. The waste buried above the regional aquifer puts the Magic Valley's economy at risk, said Buhl City Councilman Charles Geska, a member of the panel. The valley relies on the aquifer to water its farms. "If in the Magic Valley, the perception overall was that (the aquifer) was polluted, we wouldn't sell a crop. Perception is a very big deal and needs to be addressed immediately," Geska said Wednesday. Geska joined the Citizens Advisory Board in May. The 15-member board, which meets every other month, is a public advisory panel for Energy Department activities at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory near Idaho Falls. The board concluded a two-day meeting Wednesday in Sun Valley. An 88-acre burial ground at INEEL holds radioactive and other hazardous waste generated by nuclear weapons production in the 1950s and 1960s at the Rocky Flats nuclear bomb factory near Denver. The landfill is unlined, and some of the boxes and barrels that once held the waste -- contaminated lab coats, tools, cleaning solvents and more -- are broken or rusted. So far, the Energy Department says, no contamination in the aquifer has reached beyond INEEL's boundaries. "This is something we did in my generation. It needs to be cleaned up in my generation," said board member Karen Corrigan of Pocatello. "We don't need to leave it there for another 500 years. We made the mess. We need to clean it up." The Energy Department is considering leaving the waste buried over the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer. The department and the state of Idaho are in the midst of a lawsuit over whether a 1995 agreement requires the Energy Department to dig up and remove all of the buried waste from Idaho. There is no question that the Energy Department is bound through an agreement with the state to excavate one acre of the waste at the now infamous Pit 9. Pit 9 is supposed to serve as a project to demonstrate how to handle the rest of the buried waste. Probes capturing underground pictures of Pit 9 so far haven't found any evidence that drums are intact, said Kathleen Hain, director of environmental cleanup for the Energy Department at the INEEL. "I haven't seen a rim, a drum, a piece of metal," she told the citizens panel. A contained excavation system is being developed for Pit 9, Hain said. And a mock-up system is being built to train workers. "We are building for the worst case, and we won't know what worst case is until we get down there," she said. The citizens board urged the Energy Department to make handling the buried waste problem a higher priority. The department is moving forward in other areas, such as converting spent nuclear fuel from cooling ponds to dry storage and emptying tanks holding radioactive liquids and sludge. These areas pose more of a threat in the event of an earthquake, said Jeff Perry of the Energy Department's Idaho offices. Liquids aren't an issue with the buried waste. If the Energy Department ultimately leaves the buried waste in the ground, cementing the waste in place is one of the options under consideration to stop it from leaching into the aquifer. But several advisory board members questioned the viability of such a plan. "I just have a hard time visualizing how you would grout around this solid material and effectively keep it in place," said William Flannery of Twin Falls. Hailey board member David Kipping, president of the Snake River Alliance, said grout's 100-or-more-year life-span is relatively short. Plutonium has a half-life of thousands of years. The buried waste has been a point of conflict for decades. It has been more than 30 years since the Atomic Energy Commission -- the Energy Department's predecessor agency -- promised Idaho that buried waste would be removed from Idaho within the decade. An agreement in 1993 was reached to excavate Pit 9. It was renegotiated in 1997 after missed deadlines. Last year, the Energy Department wanted to delay the project by another seven to 13 years. Idaho said no and crafted a new agreement that requires actual excavation of Pit 9 to begin in March 2004. How long it will be until all of the buried waste is addressed is unclear. As of spring of this year, Pit 9-related costs totaled $156.8 million, according to the Energy Department. Times-News writer Jennifer Sandmann can be reached at 733-0931, Ext. 237, or jsandmann@magicvalley.com. ***************************************************************** 44 Antimatter is mass-produced BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Wednesday, 18 September, 2002, 19:51 GMT 20:51 UK [Radiation, Cern] Radiation from a cloud of antihydrogen atoms By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor Physicists have mass produced antimatter, a crucial first step towards precision studies of its properties that may help solve one of the greatest mysteries of the Universe. This one is a big step David Christian Antihydrogen has been made before, but only a few atoms at a time. Now, the Cern particle accelerator in Geneva, Switzerland, has produced more than 50,000. Antimatter is the mirror image of ordinary matter and both should have been created in equal quantities at the birth of the Universe. That everything around is predominantly ordinary matter is therefore a major puzzle. Cern is the European Organisation for Nuclear Research. Pool of positrons "This is a milestone that has opened up new horizons, to enable scientists to study symmetry in nature and explore the fundamental laws of physics which govern the Universe," said Professor Michael Charlton University of Wales at Swansea. [Cern] Keeping the experiment going In the latest experiment, researchers used the Cern accelerator to create antiprotons and trapped them in a vacuum chamber. A radioactive source, meanwhile, was used to create positrons, which were held in a separate trap. The antiprotons were then fed into the pool of positrons, where the two combined to form antihydrogen. The antimatter was short-lived being destroyed when it bumped into normal matter. Detectors picked up the unique radiation signatures of antimatter as it was annihilated. Early stages For years researchers have wanted to create significant amounts of antimatter to test the so-called Standard Model, which describes fundamental particles and their interactions. Such a test is important because if antihydrogen does not behave the same way as normal hydrogen "the textbooks would have to be rewritten", says Cern's Jeffrey Hangst. Antimatter is destroyed whenever it collides with matter, turning both into bursts of radiation. Scientists believe this process was crucial in the earliest stages of the Universe billions of years ago. Today, the Universe consists of predominantly one form of matter and scientists are not sure why this is so. Praise and doubt David Christian of Fermilab in the US praised Cern's achievement. "They've got a lot more big steps they need to make, but this one is a big step," he said. However, not everyone is convinced by the latest research which has been published in the journal Nature. Even within Cern, there are questions being raised. A spokesman for a rival research group said he doubted that antihydrogen had been produced in the latest experiment. Harvard physicist Gerald Gabrielse said: "Our long experience with these very difficult experiments warns that antihydrogen may not have really been produced." He added that upcoming publications by his group "will show how it is possible to be fooled". Any thoughts of using antimatter to power a starship or create a weapon is still in the realm of science fiction. Making antiprotons requires 10 billion times more energy than it produces. For example, the antimatter produced each year at Cern could power a 100 watt light bulb for just 15 minutes. © MMII | News Sources | Privacy ***************************************************************** 45 Shundahai Network Hires New Executive Director To Strengthen and Expand Grassroots efforts to oppose Yucca Mountain and support Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Indigenous Sovereignty. Shundahai Network September 13, 2002 Las Vegas, NV- Shundahai Network, has hired long-time activist Kalynda Tilges as the new Executive Director for the organization. Shundahai Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the nuclear chain by building alliances with indigenous and environmental peace and human rights movements. Shundahai Network seeks to abolish all nuclear weapons and end nuclear testing. Shundahai also works to stop the Yucca Mountain project and the interim nuclear waste storage facility in Utah at the Skull Valley Goshute Indian Reservation. "My roots come from direct action and I have worked with Shundahai for a long time. I am extremely excited and honored to have been chosen for this position." stated Ms. Tilges. "I look forward to continuing my work protecting the Great Basin and its citizens from continued nuclear death and destruction." Ms. Tilges has been active in nuclear issues since 1988 and until recently, had been the Nuclear Issues Coordinator in Las Vegas for the group Citizen Alert. In the two and a half years she worked for Citizen Alert, Kalynda rebuilt the organization’s Southern Nevada office. She brought in volunteers, helped rebuild the membership base and make Citizen Alert the place where citizens, politicians and media could go to for quality information on Yucca Mountain and other nuclear issues. Most recently, she and her 9 year old son Chasen drove a mock nuclear waste cask across the United States as part of a national tour to influence the Senate vote on the Yucca Mt. Project. The month-long tour brought her in contact with affected citizens along the proposed transportation routes. Kalynda has also organized many successful anti-Yucca events in Las Vegas, including a Labor Day weekend demonstration in 2001 on the Las Vegas Strip to bring awareness to the last public hearings on the project. That demonstration was largely responsible for the over-capacity turnout at DOE headquarters. The hearing was scheduled to end at 9:00 PM, but lasted until 2:15 AM, with many people still unable to testify. Tilges is also responsible for starting the "Peoples’ Tour" of Yucca Mt. to counter the misleading and incomplete information given on the DOE public tours. Numerous national and international journalists have taken Tilges’s tour and have been able to bring a more balanced perspective of the Yucca Mountain issue to the American public and world community. "We are excited that Kalynda has chosen to work with Shundahai Network as Executive Director," said Reinard Knutsen, Campaign Coordinator for Shundahai Network. "We are sure that under her leadership, our organization will continue to expand and confront the many injustices perpetrated by the U.S. government and nuclear industries." Kalynda will be active in this October’s "Action for Nuclear Abolition" at the Nevada Test Site that will highlight Indigenous Peoples Day on Saturday, October 12th. This will be a day of ceremonies, rallies and nonviolent direct action to honor and stand in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of the world who have suffered the deadly consequences of nuclear colonialism. For more information on the October Gathering, email shundahai@shundahai.org [shundahai@shundahai.org] , or at www.shundahai.org or call 1.800.471.4737. Shundahai Network was based in Pahrump, NV until January 2002, when the office was relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah. Tilges will move the main office to Las Vegas after the Nevada Test Site gathering, but will maintain an office in Utah to monitor and resist the Skull Valley nuclear waste dump. ***************************************************************** 46 Bush wants to hasten environmental reviews The Oak Ridger Online -- State News -- 11:58 a.m. on Thursday, September 19, 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush has told federal agencies to speed up environmental reviews of transportation projects that are vital to the economy. The order drew criticism from environmentalists and Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., whose Senate Environment and Public Works Committee was holding a hearing today on administration efforts to streamline environmental reviews. "This executive order is about as clear as a rainy day," said Jeffords. "It seems to raise more questions than it answers." Bush's order on Wednesday calls on the transportation secretary to create a list of projects for expedited review. A Cabinet-level task force would review the priority list every few months and make it easier to get the proper approvals. Some of those reviews involve environmental impact statements, which can take years to complete. Most, however, are environmental assessments, which can be done in months. The typical time for environmental reviews of major highway projects is 4 1/2 years, while airport runway proposals take three years, according to the White House. Bush's order said progress on such projects "in an efficient and environmentally sound manner is essential to the well-being of the American people and a strong American economy." The White House is conducting a review of the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act, which requires lengthy studies of the effects a proposed project would have on the environment and ways to minimize that impact. Deron Lovaas, a transportation specialist with Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, said Bush's order seemed to chip away at environmental safeguards. He said federal highway data shows that delays with transportation projects are usually caused by a project's complexity or lack of money, not environmental reviews. "This is a way to circumvent NEPA, mostly by setting up this new category of high-priority projects and giving the (transportation) secretary so much latitude to determine how the process moves forward," Lovaas said. Officials with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, which is overseeing the broad NEPA review, have said they hope to update a law that often means bureaucratic delays for developers. "Any and all reviews under this executive order will fully comply with NEPA and all other environmental statutes," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. Speeding up these transportation projects, he said, can ease congestion and reduce pollution at the same time. All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************