Tag: nuclear

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Labour’s decision to keep the cracked Torness nuclear reactor going is ‘an experiment and hoping nothing will go wrong’

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By Professor John Robertson OBA Many thanks again to Alan Gordon for alerting me to this. In December 2021, spreading cracks were found in the aging nuclear power station at Torness in East Lothian and its operator EDF decided to shut it down two years early, in 2028. Then in December 2024, the new Labour government’s energy minister, Ed Miliband, in pursuit of their carbon reduction strategy decided it should stay open. Why is this a concern? In 2023, prior to the above decision, Dr Ian Fairlie, an independent consultant on radioactivity in the environment, gave evidence in a briefing … Continue reading Labour’s decision to keep the cracked Torness nuclear reactor going is ‘an experiment and hoping nothing will go wrong’

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Canadian local authority issues free potassium iodide (KI) tablets to all living within 6 miles of nuclear plants but Labour extend life of aging 46-crack Torness in Scotland

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By Professor John Robertson OBA A map of the nuclear power plants in Eastern Canada. The city of Toronto (2.79 million) is contiguous with Pickering. Yesterday, from the local Durham Region Health Department: “Ensuring that our community is prepared for any emergency is our top priority,” says Anthony DiPietro, Director, Health Protection with Durham Region Health Department. “Having a supply of KI tablets on hand is a simple yet effective measure to protect your health in the highly unlikely event of a nuclear accident. We encourage all residents within the designated area to take advantage of this free resource.” https://www.durham.ca/en/news/ki-tablets-jan-21-2025.aspx Meanwhile in … Continue reading Canadian local authority issues free potassium iodide (KI) tablets to all living within 6 miles of nuclear plants but Labour extend life of aging 46-crack Torness in Scotland

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As UK Labour extend life of cracked Torness reactor near Edinburgh, ‘Where is the ‘mature debate’ about the health impacts of nuclear power?’

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From Dr Margaret Beavis, Australian academic and former GP, today: When it comes to nuclear radiation, there is a clear disconnect between the medical evidence and the views of the Coalition. Since the 1950s we have known there is a link between X-rays in pregnant women and leukemia and other cancers in their children. It is not for nothing there are signs in every radiology department asking if you are pregnant. The current shrill denunciations of potential health risks associated with nuclear power plants as a “scare campaign” may yet prove to be an own goal, as it has drawn … Continue reading As UK Labour extend life of cracked Torness reactor near Edinburgh, ‘Where is the ‘mature debate’ about the health impacts of nuclear power?’

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Listen to Australian Labor Party’s academic expert as she warns nuclear energy proposal causes ‘cancer, strokes and heart attacks’

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Professor John Robertson OBA The Labour Party in Scotland fully backs the UK Government plans to build new nuclear power stations in Scotland, regardless of widespread opposition to the idea among the population and UK research linking these installations to a range of cancers, but especially breast cancer, thyroid cancer and child leukaemia, in surrounding areas.1 Meanwhile, in Australia, the Labor Party is campaigning against plans there using research by the former GP now Melbourne University lecturer, Dr Margaret Beavis, who argues: “There are definite increases in cancer, strokes and heart attacks with nuclear power. With renewable energy we have … Continue reading Listen to Australian Labor Party’s academic expert as she warns nuclear energy proposal causes ‘cancer, strokes and heart attacks’

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Labor Party warns nuclear energy proposal causes ‘cancer, strokes and heart attacks’

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The Labour Party in Scotland fully backs the UK Government plans to build new nuclear power stations in Scotland, regardless of widespread opposition to the idea among the population and UK research linking these installations to a range of cancers, but especially breast cancer, thyroid cancer and child leukaemia, in surrounding areas.1 Meanwhile, in Australia, the Labor Party is campaigning against plans there using research by the former GP now Melbourne University lecturer, Dr Margaret Beavis, who argues: “There are definite increases in cancer, strokes and heart attacks with nuclear power. With renewable energy we have much safer alternatives,” she … Continue reading Labor Party warns nuclear energy proposal causes ‘cancer, strokes and heart attacks’

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Just as Labour Government announces extension of 46 crack Torness nuclear power station to keep lights in London on, new research suggests cancer mortality risk is greater and quicker to develop than current estimates

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By Professor John Robertson OBA As a response to evidence that the UK [England] will need nuclear to meet its ‘Clean power by 2030‘ target1, the Torness plant in Scotland, where 46 cracks have recently been identified in the ageing reactor2, is to be kept in service until 2030. Coincidentally, my alert on this topic today revealed, from the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (originally published 2 September 2024): The scientists estimated that the mortality rate due to leukaemia increased by more than 250% per gray (Gy) of exposure (excess relative rate [ERR] per Gy, 2.68; 90% confidence … Continue reading Just as Labour Government announces extension of 46 crack Torness nuclear power station to keep lights in London on, new research suggests cancer mortality risk is greater and quicker to develop than current estimates

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UK Government to risk lives in Scotland by extending life of cracked power station against wishes of Scottish Government

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland, today: The lifespan of Scotland’s last remaining nuclear power station and three other plants in England are to be extended. EDF Energy says Torness, in East Lothian, and its sister site Heysham 2, in Lancashire, will continue generating for an extra two years until 2030. Two other sites – Hartlepool and Heysham 1 – will continue for an extra year until 2027. The French state-owned company says it will now invest £1.3bn across its operational nuclear estate over the next three years.1 This decision has been taken to help with UK Labour’s allegedly ‘clean … Continue reading UK Government to risk lives in Scotland by extending life of cracked power station against wishes of Scottish Government

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Latest – Scottish Labour policy challenged as new research reviewing more than 2 000 studies finds increased risk of thyroid cancer for those living near nuclear power plants

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From The National on 9 July 2024: SCOTTISH Secretary Ian Murray has repeatedly refused to say the new UK Labour government will not overrule its devolved counterpart to see nuclear projects built in Scotland. The Labour MP was speaking on BBC Good Morning Scotland on Tuesday when he was pushed on whether the UK Government under Keir Starmer might step in to force through planning decisions, despite the area being devolved to Holyrood. Murray repeatedly refused to rule out any planning decisions being taken by the UK Government over the heads of local people or devolved representatives. Instead, he said it was “really … Continue reading Latest – Scottish Labour policy challenged as new research reviewing more than 2 000 studies finds increased risk of thyroid cancer for those living near nuclear power plants

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Will Scottish Labour MPs challenge cuts to nuclear safety which will have ‘devastating consequences’ for their own constituents?

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By Professor John Robertson OBA From the Guardian today, the above, and: Rachel Reeves has been urged not to carry out mooted funding cuts for nuclear sites including Sellafield amid safety concerns, as it emerged that the number of incidents where workers narrowly avoided harm had increased at the Cumbrian site. The GMB union has written to Reeves, the chancellor, before Wednesday’s budget to raise safety concerns after rumours emerged that the budget for the taxpayer-owned Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) could be reduced, which could result in cuts at nuclear sites including Sellafield and Dounreay in Scotland. In the letter to Reeves, seen … Continue reading Will Scottish Labour MPs challenge cuts to nuclear safety which will have ‘devastating consequences’ for their own constituents?

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Nuclear waste – cleaning up Sellafield will take 100 years, or more

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By stewartb With the Labour government in Westminster embracing nuclear energy just as much as the Tories before it – committed to more big nuclear power stations and to ‘small modular reactors’ – it’s instructive, sensible and sobering to read about the legacy of the UK’s past investments in civil nuclear power. There is much in the recent National Audit Office (NAO) report that should – but won’t – change Westminster/Whitehall establishment minds about the merits of another generation of nuclear power installations. Source National Audit Office (16 October 2024) Decommissioning Sellafield: managing risks from the nuclear legacy – Department for Energy … Continue reading Nuclear waste – cleaning up Sellafield will take 100 years, or more