Fw: (Radmetal-list) New Radioactive Recycling Docs. on P.C.Website

[Guest guest]

FYI!

MM

Martha Murdock, Director

National Silicone Implant Foundation | Dallas Headquarters

" Supporting Survivors of Medical Implant Devices "

4416 Willow Lane

Dallas, TX 75244-7537

----- Original Message -----

From: " ph Malherek " <jmalherek@...>

Sent: Monday, October 21, 2002 12:01 PM

Subject: (Radmetal-list) New Radioactive Recycling Docs. on P.C.Website

***Notice from Public Citizen***

Public Citizen has posted a brief " Q & A " on radioactive materials recycling

¯ called " Radioactive Recycling 101 " ¯ on its website, in addition to a

sample resolution against radioactive waste recycling, which may be used by

activists as a template for anti-rad recycling resolutions to be offered to

local or state governments.

The text of " RADIOACTIVE RECYCLING 101 " is pasted below, and may be viewed

at this URL on the Public Citizen website:

http://www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/nuclear_waste/low-level/re

cycling/articles.cfm?ID=8409

A template for a RESOLUTION against radioactive materials recycling may be

viewed at this URL on the Public Citizen website:

http://www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/nuclear_waste/low-level/re

cycling/articles.cfm?ID=8407

If you have questions concerning either one of these documents, please

contact either

DAVE RITTER

Policy Analyst, Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment

Program

202-454-5176

dritter@...

~OR~

JOE MALHEREK

Policy Analyst, Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment

Program

202-454-5109

jmalherek@...

_____________

* R A D I O A C T I V E R E C Y C L I N G 1 0 1 *

Q: Isn't recycling a good thing?

A: Not when the materials being recycled are radioactive waste from nuclear

power reactors and nuclear weapons facilities. The radiation in this waste

persists for thousands of years, posing enormous dangers to human health,

such as cancer and genetic mutations.

Q: Does recycling make the waste less radioactive, less dangerous?

A: No. Recycling only disperses the radiation throughout various materials

and products, spreading it out over a wide area. This makes it harder to

detect and essentially impossible to collect, but it doesn't reduce its

radioactivity or its dangers, since a single alpha particle of radiation can

trigger a fatal cancer. Dilution is NOT the solution to pollution!

Q: Who is recycling radioactive waste?

A: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory

Commission (NRC) currently allow " unrestricted release " of some radioactive

wastes from nuclear reactors and weapons facilities. The Department of

Transportation (DOT) is making this easier by weakening radioactive

transport regulations. Permitted to dump the wastes without restrictions,

private companies take the most profitable course. This means that material

that is radioactive from manmade nuclear activities and processes is

" cleared " to be sent to landfills, recycling facilities, incinerators, or

virtually anywhere, since it is (falsely) designated as non-radioactive

before it is released. Now, the drive is on to increase and expand these

practices.

Q: Is this happening now?

A: Yes, materials are being released and recycled now, and it's probably

been occurring in some form since the beginning of the nuclear age. There

has been scant record keeping of these activities. If standards are set

that normalize " radioactive recycling " the floodgates will open and we can

expect massive quantities to enter the commercial marketplace.

Q: What sorts of materials are getting recycled?

A: Virtually anything that is found at a nuclear reactor or weapons

facility could be getting out. This includes metal, concrete, soil,

plastic, asphalt, glass and chemicals. Currently, the NRC allows all

materials to be released on a " case-by-case " basis, while the DOE allows

everything except some metals to be released, also on a case-by-case basis.

Q: Why are they doing this?

A: The nuclear industry wants to unload these wastes to pad its profits

or - at least - to reduce the expense of managing their radioactive wastes.

Radioactive waste disposal can be an expensive activity. By claiming that

these wastes are an " asset, " just another type of commodity that can be sold

or traded (or even donated!), the nuclear industry is trying to avoid the

proper containment and monitoring of the wastes - cutting costs at OUR

expense!

Q: Do recycling companies really want to recycle this stuff?

A: To the extent that recyclers are even aware of the risk that they could

be taking in nuclear waste and mixing it and recycling it with

non-radioactive materials, the vast majority of recyclers don't want it.

The problem is that, in many cases, they might not even know they are

receiving a load of nuclear waste, because it will not be identified,

marked, or labeled as radioactive in any way after it leaves the nuclear

facility. The only way that recyclers can even hope to reduce the risks of

taking in nuclear waste is by installing expensive radiation detection

equipment, which doesn't guarantee protection because it can't detect all

types of ionizing radiation. But right now, metal recyclers are acting as

the public's first (and possibly only) line of defense against industrial

materials and consumer products being made from radioactive waste. They

shouldn't have to do this.

Q: Have consumers ever purchased radioactive products?

A: Yes. Various products tainted with radiation have made it to stores and

ended up in people's homes. In the early 1980s, at least 170 pieces of

radioactively-contaminated jewelry were discovered in New York and

Pennsylvania, already in the possession of consumers. At least fourteen

people developed cancer and several required amputations. In 1997, the

La-Z-Boy chair company unwittingly manufactured about 6,000 recliners with

radioactive steel parts. 1,000 of these recliners were purchased and found

in people's homes. These are just two examples of incidents in which

radiation has ended up where it doesn't belong - and these are only cases

that were discovered. If radioactive release and " recycling " continues, or

is even expanded, we can expect many more of such incidents.

Q: How can I be sure that I'm not buying radioactive products when I shop?

A: Radioactively " hot " consumer products will not be hot to the touch or

look any different than non-radioactive products. Aware that consumer goods

that are labeled " radioactive " will not sell, companies knowingly marketing

" hot " products will not want to label them or identify them as containing

nuclear waste. Short of scanning in-store items with sensitive (and

expensive) radiation detectors, the only way that we can be sure that

products will not be radioactive is to stop nuclear facilities - worldwide -

from releasing radioactive waste. Government regulatory agencies must

protect the public and prohibit the deregulation of nuclear waste and

materials.

Q: What can I do to stop this outrageous practice once and for all?

A:

· Write, phone, fax and e-mail the NRC, DOE, the DOT (and the Environmental

Protection Agency), and insist that they prevent the dispersal of

radioactive materials and wastes into the general environment and protect

the public from nuclear radiation.

· Write to your senators and representatives and insist that they put some

muscle into our nuclear regulations. Make sure your elected officials and

agency decision-makers know you want to be protected from this threat. Tell

them to ban any and all radioactive " recycling " and release practices.

· Write letters to the editor of your local newspapers, and encourage your

friends to do the same.

· Propose a resolution in your city council to ban these practices and the

" hot " products that they create. Sample resolutions are available at:

http://www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/nuclear_waste/low-level/re

cycling/articles.cfm?ID=8407

· Call your local recycling facilities - ask about radiation detection

devices they have installed, if any

· Keep in touch with Public Citizen and Nuclear Information & Resource

Service (NIRS) for the latest updates on this issue.

Public Citizen: phone 202-454-5176, website www.citizen.org/cmep

NIRS: phone 202-328-0002, website www.nirs.org

Remember, as long as the nuclear industry is around, they will want to dump

their deadly waste in someone's back yard (or kitchen, playground or

workplace), and run away from the scene!

###

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