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The nuclear games begin

New Delhi: As many skeptics had suspected, the 123 Agreement was not going to be the end of India's quest for recognition in the global order. Indeed, it was very clear to many, from the start, that the 123 Agreement was part of an attempt to bring India into the non-proliferation tent. Thanks to the dil ....Read more

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ColBy: J C Dhall | Friday , 17 Jul '09 19:14:41 PM Reply | Forward India has shaken off the NSG blacklist and uranium is coming from France, Russia and Kazakhstan. Except for reactors from Russia, Any more imports are not cost effective but French reactor deal may be necessary to ensure fuel imports. It is time publicity to nuclear power is cut off and only hard decisions and groundwork are continued with.

the nuclear games beginBy: Kaushik | Wednesday , 15 Jul '09 1:10:14 AM Reply | Forward a timely warning that needs to be heeded

Next Chernobyl could be in Kalppakkam or in TrombayBy: n.krishna | Tuesday , 14 Jul '09 20:09:04 PM Reply | Forward In 82 there was a rocket attack on the Superphenix nuclear power station in France. In July 2008, 18,000 litres of Uranium solution were accidentally released from Tricastin Nuclear Power Center in to the nearby Gaffière and Lauzon rivers. France banned the use of water from the rivers for drinking and watering of crops. Swimming, water sports and fishing were also banned. In July 2008, some 100 employees of were exposed to radiation from a reactor that had been shut down. Contrary to this, when radioactive heavy water was released to the river in Rajastan in RAPP, it was not even acknowledged, leave alone banning the river water usage. In June 1997, France announced the closure of its one of the newer nuclear plant. After the 1986 Chernobyl accident, a nuclear phase out plan is in progress in France. As Chernobyl Russians were not up to the task and the situation in India is no different.

After the 1986 Chernobyl accident, a nuclear phase out plan is in progress in France. By: n.krishna | Tuesday , 14 Jul '09 19:54:48 PM Reply | Forward Other nations have enslaved some 250 lakh Africans of which the European share was some 120 lakh. This does not mean that India can follow the same path. Public have no idea, about a woman working as a shift engineer in a nuclear reactor, and a woman researcher working in a reactor. No point is explaining to persons who does not understand these things. From 1960 to 1996 Frence carried out some 210 nuclear tests in the Sahara desert. Out of these, 17 nuclear tests were in Algeria including four atmospheric trials and some 193 tests were carried out near the French Polynesian islands of Mururoa and at Fangataufa. These have resulted in some 1.5 lakh victims in French Polynesia and Algeria. France recently offered to compensate the nuclear test victims. After the 1973 oil shock France decided to go nuclear the next year as it had no oil, no gas, and no coal. Yet it is now finding that it has no waste disposal program.

, a cancer registry was established by Govt, in coastal Karunagappally in KeralaBy: n.krishna | Tuesday , 14 Jul '09 18:20:25 PM Reply | Forward Years back while in the selection committee for fresh engineers to the DAE training school, I had not seen any engineers from good institutions as applicants. Shortage of engineers are so severe that women are employed as shift engineers in reactors, a most dangerous trend as girls are born will all eggs and exposure to radiation can put future generations in danger. Low levels of radiation are good for health as per old scientific thinking and even seminars were conducted based on this. European researchers now say that radiation may damage living cells at surprisingly low energy levels, challenging earlier beliefs about the levels of radiation likely to prove deadly and can cause long lasting, cross generational damage. From 1990, a cancer registry was established by Govt, in coastal Karunagappally in Kerala, because of the high outdoor radiation level of 4mGy per year from thorium containing monazite sands compared to the natural background radiation of 2.4 milliGray per year

Jaduguda mines are causing large scale cancers among the tribals By: n.krishna | Tuesday , 14 Jul '09 18:17:55 PM Reply | Forward From mining state nuclear power is a danger to humans, and environment. In Bihar radiation from the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) mines in Jaduguda, , is causing large scale cancers among the tribals living in the adjoining areas. UCIL is all the time bluffing in the media. Some 46 affected tribal families in the mining areas of east Singhbhum were rehabilitated by the state. Exposure to radiation from uranium is causing intestinal ulceration, diarrhea, tissue fibrosis, premature ageing, anaemia, hypertension, cataracts, cancer etc. The environmental clearance offered to the Koodankulam reactors in Tamil Nadu is not based upon the potential impacts on the environment and livelihoods and does it incorporate public concerns. The designers of nuclear power plants and reactors did not take in to account the higher levels of earthquake magnitude in India and they were not even aware of a thing called Tsunami, till Kalppakkam nuclear plant was flooded with sea water.

In many Pune and Mumbai houses have radioactive stainless steel utensils and shelvesBy: n.krishna | Tuesday , 14 Jul '09 18:14:38 PM Reply | Forward In November 2008, radioactive trail from 500 Otis lift buttons in France that exposed 20 French workers to its radiation, was traced to Pune. These radioactive buttons contained radioactive cobalt-60 and came from Vipras Castings Ltd in Pune that supplied it to SKM that in turn supplied then components to Bunts and Laxmi Electricals that finally sold to Mafelec to finally to Otis and exposed all along its supply chain. In August 2007 in Michigan, United States one was arrested for accumulating large amounts of commercial radioactive sources including americium, thorium, radium, and tritium, in an effort to build a homemade breeder reactor. In November 2006 a Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB agent was assassinated by a dose of radioactive polonium-210 poisoning. Polonium-210 is an alpha emitter with a half-life of 138 days and is primarily used to create neutrons for the Atom bomb. Later some 139 were found contaminated with Polonium-210 in UK.

15,000 billion becquerels of radioactivity have reached the Arctic. By: n.krishna | Tuesday , 14 Jul '09 18:12:33 PM Reply | Forward In Trombay the radioactive liquid waste is discharged to the sea and the same is followed in many other plants. As no one is there to question this it goes on merrily over the decades. Tarapur radiation exposre of most DAE staff for repair work is unprecedented in the annals of nuclear power history. On 21-1-2003, six were overexposed in Kalpakkam reprocessing plant. Europeans or Americans are not better. The iodine-129, caesium-137 etc from the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in UK has spread to Arctic Ocean into Canadian waters. Of the released 40,000 billion becquerels of caesium-137, around 15,000 billion becquerels have reached the Arctic. This is three times the contamination from Chernobyl, which is reaching the Arctic via the Baltic and the North seas. In France,waste repository programme is non-existent and its reprocessing plants dissolves fuel and liquid wastes discharged to the English Channel polluting it and spreading radioactivity in the seas of Western Europe.

There are plenty of nuclear terrorist incidents which ignorant public who praise nuke power wont readBy: n.krishna | Tuesday , 14 Jul '09 18:10:09 PM Reply | Forward Nuclear terrorism is a regular thing and we should not go further with nuclear power. In 2001 six nuclear terrorist incidents were reported. In Osaka, in Dec 2000, a man scattered iodine-125 at a subway ticket gate. In Los Angeles, on Aug 1999 a man spread phosphorous-32 on the chair of a co-worker. In May 1997 a number of Soviet Nuclear Suitcase Bombs or atomic demolition munitions (ADMs) were reported as missing. In Russia in November 1993 two nuclear warheads were stolen by two employees, and the weapons were later recovered from a residential garage. In 1993 in Russia a radioactive substance was planted in the chair and killed the director of a Russian firm. In January 1992 Iran purchased three Soviet nuclear warheads(4 as per US) from Kazakhstan for $150 million. In New York in June 1996 many were arrested in plot to kill Republicans with radioactive materials. In France in 1995, saboteurs put salt into a cooling contour of one of the Blayais nuclear power reactors.

bad deal???By: sundar | Tuesday , 14 Jul '09 17:08:34 PM Reply | Forward I am not here to rate the blabbering of krishna but would like to add few points and leave it to readers to form their own opinion. Canada allows women to work in nuclear reactors until they conceive. Our uranium ore is very limited. France produce 70% of power using reactors. With NSG approval we don't need to buy reactors only from US. Reprocessing issue was contentious even at the timing of the signing of nuclear deal with America. Thorium technology is decades away and need power now to match the economic surge. Finally it is very fortunate to have Mr. Manmohan Singh as our PM.

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