Tag: radiation

EPA finds radioactive contamination in more areas of West Lake Landfill

Radioactive waste in the West Lake Landfill is more widespread than previously thought, officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

The finding is based on two years of testing at the St. Louis County site, which has held thousands of tons of radioactive waste for decades. An underground “fire” in another area of the landfill threatens to exacerbate the issue, which residents believe is responsible for a host of mysterious illnesses.

Chris Jump, the EPA’s remedial project manager for the site, said the findings don’t change the agency’s planned cleanup strategy or the level of risk the site poses to the surrounding residents. The radioactive waste is still within the footprint of the landfill, she said.

“The site boundaries themselves aren’t expanding, but the area that will need the radioactive protective cover is larger than previously known,” Jump said to a crowd of about 50 Tuesday night at the District 9 Machinists hall in Bridgeton.

The Missouri Independent and MuckRock are partnering to investigate the history of dumping and cleanup efforts of radioactive waste in the St. Louis area.

St. Louis was pivotal to the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, and community members say they’re still suffering. Waste from uranium processing in downtown St. Louis — part of the Manhattan Project — contaminated Coldwater Creek, exposing generations of children who played in the creek and most recently forcing the shutdown of an area elementary school.

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US nuclear plant admits to radioactive leak

The authorities in the northern US state of Minnesota revealed on Thursday that a nuclear power plant near Minneapolis had suffered a radioactive water spill amounting to over 1.5 million liters. Xcel Energy, which owns the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, is working to clean up the spill and insists there is no danger to the general public.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) said that around 400,000 gallons of tritiated water leaked from a broken pipe at the facility. The leak was first discovered on November 22, and its source was found on December 19 and patched “soon after.”

The authorities decided to keep the public in the dark about the incident, while Xcel Energy and the state were “actively managing” the situation to prevent the underground plume of irradiated water from spreading to the nearby Mississippi River, MPCA assistant commissioner Kirk Koudelka told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

“Now that we have all the information about where the leak occurred, how much was released into groundwater, and that contaminated groundwater had moved beyond the original location, we are sharing this information,” MPCA spokesman Michael Rafferty added on Thursday.

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Another, Possibly Deadlier, Ohio Eco-Disaster Still Festers Near Train Derailment Site

Some 200 miles from the toxic train derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio, another environmental disaster still festers due to years of neglect by the U.S. government.

This other environmental disaster in Piketon, Ohio, the home of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, also known as PORTS.

In the Cold War era, the U.S. government used PORTS to enrich uranium for nuclear bombs. Then, in the 1990s, the site was likely the recipient of polluted uranium from Russia in the 1990s due to a Bill Clinton-era program called “Swords to Ploughshares,” which entailed the United States converting Soviet Union nuclear warheads to uranium that could be used to power U.S. nuclear reactors.

Now, Piketon has a cancer problem—more than 500 cases per 100,000, or about 10% above state average, according to the Ohio Cancer Atlas.

Former PORTS worker Jeff Walburn told Headline USA that the disaster in Piketon could be worse than even what the people in East Palestine are dealing with.

“Here’s the difference: You saw wreckage of a train, you saw an explosion, you saw fire, and you see dead fish. Nuclear material is silent, invisible, and it’s a deadly killer. And the chemicals being transported outside of the plant to the community are just as deadly, but you’re not seeing the explosion or fire,” he said.

As someone who’s tried to hold the companies and federal agencies responsible for poisoning his community accountable for decades, Walburn also has advice for the residents of East Palestine.

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Defense Wants to Prevent Expert Testimony in Cell Phone Radiation Lawsuit Because They Fear It Would “unfairly prejudice Defendants”

Cell phone injury lawsuits have existed for many years in the U.S. and worldwide (see 1, 2, 3, 4).

In the U.S. defense attorneys are currently trying to stop scientific testimony from being allowed in one case.

From Microwave News:

Defense Seeks To Bar Portier Testimony

As expected, defense lawyers have asked the DC court to not allow Christopher Portier to be an expert witness in this case.

In a filing yesterday, the team representing the cell phone industry, argued that, “[A]llowing a new expert four months before the long-planned Daubert hearing would disrupt the existing schedule and unfairly prejudice Defendants.”

The filing was signed by Terry Dee of McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago on behalf of himself and 37 other lawyers at 23 law firms.

Portier was retained by the plaintiff attorneys in March 15, 2015 with the payment of a $5,000 retainer. It is not clear why his report was filed last month, close to six years later.

No word on when the judge may rule on Portier’s participation.

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Public and Media Excluded from Global RadioFrequency Radiation (RF) Health Briefing

Last year, the World Health Organization warned that exposure to high levels of Electromagnetic Fields (aka “Electrosmog”) could cause health issues in a significant percentage of the population. Electrosmog sources include anything that emits RadioFrequency (RF) radiation, also referred to as wireless. Sources include activity trackers, Apple AirPods, cell phones, cell towers, home assistants (Alexa, Google Nest, etc.), utility “Smart” Meters and other “Smart” technology, WiFi routers, and more.

Unfortunately, many health care professionals don’t consider exposure when diagnosing and treating patients even though scientists worldwide seem to know that it’s a problem … and not just for American embassy workers and others targeted by microwave weapons (see 1, 2). Otherwise, there probably wouldn’t have been a recent health briefing about it.

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