[Peace-discuss] Help? Dept of Energy to Release Radioactive Metal to Recycling into Consumer and Industrial Products

[Barbara Dyskant]

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've come home to C-U but I still consider myself part of AWARE!  I miss you!

Can you please help spread the word?  I'm trying to get over 20,000 signatures on a petition I've made, to the Dept of Energy (many people are helping) , and ALSO am helping the Nuclear Information and Resource Service get letters sent to the Dept of Energy. 

Can any of you please sign both of these and send them wherever you can?  It would mean a lot. 

PETITION LINK:   http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/STOP_PLAN_TO_RELEASE_RADIOACTIVE_METAL_INTO_RECYCLED_PRODUCTS_AND_LANDFILLS/?kPSZyc

DOE COMMENT LINK:  http://bit.ly/TcUmrG  .

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes to release nearly 14,000 metric tonnes of metal from radiologically contaminated weapons related sites into the recycling stream, to be incorporated into consumer and industrial products such as water bottles, pants zippers, baby toys, dental braces, and building frames, mixed with "clean" metals, and disposed of as ordinary garbage in landfills.  Once released, they will no longer be trackable.  Much more waste could be released later. In addition to the fact that radiation, even so-called "low level", causes irreversible damage such as disease and genetic destruction for thousands of years, disposal of this radioactive waste would pave the way for more weapons manufacture and nuclear power plants etc.
 THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD EXTENDS TO FEB 11th!!  

I'm not sure all of you know that my daughter Nadine was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009 at 17.  She was lucky and after some miserable times (during which she had an amazing attitude) she got through it, and is now a very happy college sophomore at the Univ of Mich studying music and biology.  She will always have a higher risk of cancer, though.  Having gone through having a daughter with leukemia leads to an extra resolve to try to keep this from happening to others.  

Women and children are more susceptible to radiation than men, although studies are based on men.  

The DOE bases its proposal on a flimsy Environmental Assessemt  at  http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/DOE-EA-1919_Draft_EA_December_2012.pdf  Projects that have possibility of harm are supposed to have a full Environmental Impact Statement with extensive public hearings.

NIRS does a detailed study at:  http://www.nirs.org/radwaste/outofcontrol/outofcontrolreport.pdf

 Some of this radiation lasts thousands of years.  Examples are extremely long-lasting isotopes like plutonium-239 (hazardous for a quarter to half million years) and niobium-94 (200 to 400 thousand years hazardous) and unusually intense shorter-lived ones like cobalt-60 and polonium-210.  

It's almost impossible to monitor for accidents.  Cobalt-60 was recently found in imported tissue-holders sold at 200 Bed Bath and Beyond stores, and other radioactive material was found in dog bowls and bike baskets, having exposed workers and customers.

 In 1990, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission made a similar proposal to deregulate and send so-called “low level” radioactive metal to landfills and recycle it into consumer products.  Because of widespread public objections, then-DOE Secretary Richardson issued an order indefinitely suspending the practice.  At that time, he assured the public that no radioactive metal would get into consumer products. .  This ban has stayed in effect until the most recent DOE proposal, and we would like to see  the DOE keep its word and keep this dangerous metal out of the "clean" waste stream. 

  Congressman Ed Markey has written a letter to DOE Secretary Chu urging him to stop this process.

Enough for now!  

I'm so happy to be on this listserv, on which I've read a lot of material that's important.  I miss all of you!

Thanks for being there,

Barbara Dyskant
from the "Snowy Olean" area I call "Snowlean".  


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