TVA's Browns Ferry Continues Leaking Radioactive Tritium - TVA OIG Report on Ground Water Protection

TVA image, Fair Use for Non-profit News Reporting

photo by G. Morgan

Full Report on Ground Water Protection and regulatory failures at Browns Ferry Alabama relating to radioactive substances leaks.

Tritium Leaks at Browns Ferry, January 15, 2015 Chattanooga Times Free Press article - http://www.timesfreepress.com/…/tvreports-tritium-l…/282080/

Recent Tritium Leak History
September 2013: http://legacy.decaturdaily.com/decaturd…/…/060903/leak.shtml
April 2010: http://www.timesfreepress.com/…/tva-reports-tritium-…/12541/
June 2010 Report, this report covers other radionuclide releases including tritium into the environment: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1100/ML110050287.pdf

TVA OIG, Office of the Inspector General, Report
September 2014 TVA-OIG Report 15056, TVA's Ground Water Protection Program:  https://oig.tva.gov/reports/PDF/14rpts/2014-15056.pdf
What the OIG found - 1) TVA does monitor groundwater and actions were taken to correct the leaks or spills; 2) the Office of the Inspector General could not verify that "Standard Programs and Processes were followed." 3) Weaknesses of the past 5 years were not corrected. 4) "...External assessments of the program were downgraded or excluded when the NPG, Nuclear Power Group, performed its' fleet assessments." 5) When external assessments were provided to the TVA (e.g. INPO, WANO, EPRI) it was discovered there is no process in place to implement recommendations and action items brought forth by the external consultants.

TVA Claims = False Statements - (current Times Free Press article) "But TVA officials said radiation occurs naturally in the environment and its own sampling has not shown levels above EPA standards." TVA's comment is contradicted by the NRC Event Report as indicated below.

NRC Event Report - The tritium leaked was in excess of 20,000 pCu/l. Quote from NRC Event report 50725 dated 01/08/2015 - http://www.nrc.gov/…/event-stat…/event/2015/20150109en.html… : "On January 7, 2015, at approximately 0700 CST, a leak to the environment was identified. Tritium was present at a concentration of 7.52E-3 uCi/mL, which is above the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standard of 20,000 picocuries per liter. No other radioactive isotopes were identified. The leak rate was estimated at approximately 0.5 gpm and determined to be from the condensate head tank. Water was accumulating on the concrete-lined reactor/refuel air zone air intake plenum with some accumulation of water on the ground in the area. The intake plenum contains three floor drains. Actions were immediately taken to terminate the leak once the flowpath was identified. The flowpath was terminated two hours and 45 minutes after identification. Based on system review and analysis, any tritiated water that would have made it to the floor drains would then be mixed with incoming raw water at two million gallons per minute. This mixed volume of water would then be circulated through the plant and discharged to the river with a resultant tritium concentration that is much less than detectable levels and well below US EPA drinking water standards. The station has established increased monitoring of groundwater at designated sample wells."

My Comments in Today's Times Free Press Article:
"But a representative of an anti-nuclear group said any radiation release is potentially dangerous.
Garry Morgan, a retired U.S. Army medical officer who has monitored radiation around Browns Ferry for Mothers Against Tennessee River Radiation, said the release was similar to one reported at Browns Ferry in April 2010. Other tritium leaks have occurred at the Sequoyah and Watts Bar plants in Tennessee."

"Any leak of a radionuclide contaminant into the environment indicates a failure of oversight and/or attention to detail, maybe both, on the part of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Tennessee Valley Authority," Morgan said Saturday."

"He said health surveys by his group show that the increase in cancer mortality rates in the Tennessee River valley grew to 20 percent above the U.S. average since Browns Ferry began generating power in 1974. Morgan has sampled radiation levels around TVA nuclear plants for six years and claims the elevated cancer rate in the region "is attributable to chemical and radionuclide contamination." Again, the link: http://www.timesfreepress.com/…/tvreports-tritium-l…/282080/

SUMMARY
This is a continuation of an old story - TVA leadership failing to identify problems and following through with corrective actions. Unfortunately, the NRC is failing to protect the people by not requiring strict adherence to Nuclear Regulations regarding the operations of nuclear power facilities. Strict attention to detail, identification of all problems and the resolution of those problems must be accomplished to insure the safety of citizens surrounding nuclear power and nuclear fuel facilities.

GARRY MORGAN, U.S. Army Medical Department, Retired
BREDL/BEST/MATRR
http://www.matrr.org

TVA photo, Fair Use for Non-profit News Reporting

Whistle Blower Actions Correct TVA Flooding Issues at Watts Bar and Sequoyah - NRC Regulatory Performance Inspection Reports and Citizen Comments

 

How resilient are TVA nuclear plants? Are they susceptible to flooding which would cause a non-design basis disaster such as occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility in Japan?

This is what the recent inspections were about.  Flooding is an issue, according to the TVA and the NRC inspectors, deficiencies have been corrected.

During the Watts Bar meeting the NRC was asked about the reason we are having this issue about flooding. They were reminded that the reason the flooding issue is an issue is because an NRC whistleblower came forward. NRC Region 2 Officials deny that ever happened and stated it was their senior resident inspector at Watts Bar who brought the issue forward.

Union of Concerned Scientists on the NRC, Flooding Issue and Whistleblowers: "Dam failures are common..."  http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/nuclear_power/floods-from-dam-failure-10-19-12.pdf

 

VIDEO

                                            Dam Failure Incident Map

 

BACKGROUND ON THE ISSUE

October 2012 - "NRC Whistleblowers: Risk of Nuclear Melt-Down In U.S. Is Even HIGHER Than It Was at Fukushima...Massive Cover-Up of Risks from Flooding to Numerous U.S. Nuclear Facilities...Numerous American nuclear reactors are built within flood zones" http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/10/nrc-whistleblowers-higher-risk-of-nuclear-melt-down-in-u-s-than-fukushima.html

 

REACTOR MELTDOWN IS ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY

An engineer with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) … Richard Perkins, an NRC reliability and risk engineer, was the lead author on a July 2011 NRC report detailing flood preparedness. He said the NRC blocked information from the public regarding the potential for upstream dam failures to damage nuclear sites...Perkins, in a letter submitted Friday with the NRC Office of Inspector General, said that the NRC “intentionally mischaracterized relevant and noteworthy safety information as sensitive, security information in an effort to conceal the information from the public.” The Huffington Post first obtained the letter.

 

Huntsville Times, al.com - "A tornado or a ravaging flood could just as easily be like the tsunami that unleashed the final blow at Fukushima." http://blog.al.com/times-views/2011/03/editorial_mother_nature_not_ea.html

As a result of the NRC Engineer's disclosure improvements are made. What is wrong with a regulatory system where it takes brave individuals who must file complaints about their bosses supporting the nuclear industry instead of protecting the public's health and welfare?

ISSUES CORRECTED SAYS NRC -
"Regulators remove negative findings against TVA nuclear plants...TVA's nuclear power program, rated among the country's worst two years ago after regulators discovered safety problems at all three of the utility's plants, is on the mend.The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is lifting negative findings against each of TVA's operating nuclear plants this month after inspections late last year showed TVA has resolved questions over potential flood risks to the riverfront power plants."
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/feb/06/tva-nuclear-program-improvesregulators-remove/

SEQUOYAH


NRC Inspection Report - Public Session


Sequoyah Public Comments Make Radiation Visible


WATTS BAR
NRC Inspection Report - Public Session



Watts Bar Public Comments
 

The Saga of a Defective Nuclear Reactor System and Negligent Managers

THE BROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR PLANT NEAR ATHENS AND DECATUR, ALABAMA HAS BEEN OPERATING UNSAFELY (TVA photo)

TVA's largest nuclear facility at Browns Ferry, Alabama has been operating unsafely according to multiple sources: NRC, TVA and a TVA Engineer who specializes in "root cause analysis" of nuclear plant malfunctions. Yet, the unsafe Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant has been allowed to continue operations with unsafe systems, antiquated electronic parts and negligent management.

Browns Ferry has a dubious history as this PBS video explains.




MANAGEMENT DISCONNECT REGARDING SAFETY AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS

There appears to be a large TVA management and NRC disconnect relative to safety and corrective actions programs for the flawed and defective GE Mark 1 Browns Ferry Nuclear Reactors. The three Browns Ferry Nuclear Reactors are the same type which melted down at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Reactor site and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of citizens surrounding the highly contaminated nuclear facility.

A "station blackout" scenario at Browns Ferry Alabama similar to the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear reactor station blackout and subsequent meltdowns could make the areas of Athens, Decatur, Madison and parts of Huntsville, Alabama a "no mans land." Depending on the wind direction, over 250,000 citizens could be left homeless, never to be able to return to their homes due to area radiation contamination. In the case of a reactor disaster the food chain in the area would be contaminated up to 100 miles and greater from Browns Ferry depending on wind direction. Cancer risks would sky rocket for citizens residing in areas greater than 100 miles of Browns Ferry.

After the fiasco with the January 2012 control room fire at Browns Ferry it became apparent the NRC and the TVA were intentionally covering up failures which could compromise the safety of North Alabama citizens. http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/07/browns_ferry_nuclear_plant_had.html

The control room fire revealed: 1) an inoperative corrective actions program; 2) TVA management failed to implement corrective actions identified multiple times for several years; 3) TVA management failed to replace antiquated electrical components throughout the Browns Ferry facility; 4) the TVA and NRC have attempted to cover-up the extent of management failures relative to corrective action programs (CAP) and the existence of antiquated analog electrical components in critical safety systems throughout the plant. 

REGULATORY FAILURE OF THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION, NRC
On March 4, 2013 the NRC stated in its Annual Assessment Report on Browns Ferry that the TVA at Browns Ferry has problems identified as "Significant Cross cutting Issues, SCCI," which after several notices of violations were not corrected. The report stated specifically that management at Browns Ferry did not take “appropriate and timely corrective actions," notified in 5 different letters, nor did they conduct a "thorough evaluation of identified problems," notified in 7 different letters.  The March 4, 2013 NRC letter contains dates and facility areas for the increased inspection programs out to June 2014. http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/bf_2012q4.pdf   


WHISTLEBLOWER REVEALS FLAWED SAFETY CULTURE
Yesterday, July 7, 2013 the Huntsville Times released an expose on "Browns Ferry: Shrinking the safety margin at Alabama's largest nuclear plant" - http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/browns_ferry.html ; and a story revealing a "flawed safety culture" and accusations of nuclear safety shortcuts being taken: http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/browns_ferry_engineer_never_ex.html  The expose also reveals serious allegations of sexual harassment pointed at the female engineer whistleblower.

Aging nuclear plants corrode and all nuclear facilities release highly radioactive nuclear contaminants into the water, land and atmosphere surrounding the nuclear facility. After 8 months of investigations concerning radiation levels surrounding the Browns Ferry Nuclear Facility a Radioactive Emissions and Health Hazards report was issued by the BREDL Chapter BEST/MATRR on June 6, 2013 revealing  there are radiation levels greater than 40 times background levels present in downwind areas of Browns Ferry.


DOWNWIND RADIATION - ADULT and INFANT DEATH RATES INCREASE
An Epidemiology study of the North Alabama areas downwind of the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant reveal a steady increase of Adult Death Rates greater than 20% of the U.S. Death Rates and an Infant Death Rate greater than 21% of the U.S. Death Rates since the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant has been in operation.
This report may be viewed at http://bredl.org/pdf4/AL_BFN_Report_2013-final-digit.pdf or our BEST/MATRR web site at http://www.matrr.org .

Because of the failed safety culture, management neglect and the defective antiquated reactor's systems it is time to close the three TVA, defective and unsafe GE Mark 1 nuclear reactors at Browns Ferry Alabama.

A concerned citizens  video report about BEST/MATRR's report.

TVA Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant - NRC 95001 & 95003 Inspection Reports/Citizen Input

NRC 95001 & 95003  INSPECTION-PUBLIC REPORT

On Wednesday December 5, 2012 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC, held an update and safety/inspection report for the 3 nuclear reactors at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Browns Ferry Nuclear Facility. This report was related to three White findings, 95001 Inspection and one Red finding, 95003 Inspection. Huntsville Times/Al.com report: http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/12/browns_ferry_preparing_for_fin.html 

NRC Browns Ferry Unit 1 information and Reports: http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/bf1.html

NRC Browns Ferry Unit 2 information and reports: http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/bf2.html

NRC Browns Ferry Unit 3 information and reports: http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/bf3.html

 

All U.S. civilian nuclear power reactor reports and status may be found at this NRC link:  http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/index.html 

 

GE Mark 1 Nuclear Reactor Diagram

 

Chattanooga Times Free Press article by Pam Sohn: "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's regulators told TVA nuclear officials Wednesday that it is lifting the white safety findings from the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. TVA chief nuclear officer Preston Swafford and Browns Ferry's plant manager Keith Polson said they will in January ask NRC to schedule a third volley of inspections aimed at lifting the NRC's most serious safety flag -- a red finding that has been hanging over the plant for more than a year."

"The red flag stemmed from a faulty valve on a shutdown cooling system on Unit 1 that went unnoticed for 18 months. RC found that the failure was a one of TVA's safety and maintenance culture there. n Wednesday, plant manager Polson told NRC officials that TVA had created an improvement plan containing over 1,000 action items."To date 72 percent of those actions are complete," Polson said." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/dec/06/browns-ferry-gets-green-light-on-some/

If the TVA requests the final inspection in January 2013 it is expected that the comprehensive final inspection to remove the "Red Flag Finding," the most serious safety finding reflecting degraded conditions, will begin in April 2013 according to NRC officials.

Previous articles about the TVA Browns Ferry Nuclear Facility and the GE Mark 1 type of nuclear reactors on this blog: http://arklite.blogspot.com/search/label/TVA%20Browns%20Ferry This listing contains previous NRC meetings on Browns Ferry and the related issues concerning defects in the GE Mark 1 type of nuclear reactors which exploded and melted down at Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Facility in Japan due toan extended Station Blackout as a result of a natural disaster.

VIDEO Part 1-NRC and TVA Presentations


VIDEO Part 2 Public Presentations The Browns Ferry Incident - If we forget our history, we are doomed to repeat it.

SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL POOLS/NUCLEAR TRASH-A NATIONAL SAFETY & SECURITY THREAT

Boiling Water Reactors are a National Security threat. Fact Sheet on hazards of Boiling Water Reactors (BWR). https://www.nirs.org/factsheets/boiling-water-reactors/

"A drained spent fuel pool in the U.S. could lead to a catastrophic fire that would result in long-term land contamination substantially worse than what the Chernobyl accident unleashed." https://www.ips-dc.org/blog/safeguarding_spent_fuel_pools_in_the_united_states

Brookhaven National Laboratory studied the consequences of a severe spent fuel pool accident at a closed U.S. reactor in a 1997 report prepared for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "In the most severe case, if the fuel rods rapidly caught fire after water completely drained from the spent fuel pool, an accident could:"

• Contaminate up to 2,790 square miles of land, makng it unfit for human habitation,
• Cause as many as 143,000 cancer fatalities over time, in a radius of 500 miles from the accident site, and
• Cause property damage up to $780 billion (in 2011 dollars).

"In short, the possibility of a Fukushima-like loss of coolant to spent fuel pools - and ensuing release of radiation - is quite real in the United States, whether as a result of an earthquake, terrorist attack or other disaster. The risk of such a disaster varies from plant to plant and can be mitigated in various ways, but it cannot be fully eliminated given current spent fuel pool designs." https://www.frontiergroup.org/blogs/blog/fg/what-are-risks-posed-spent-fuel-pools-united-states

Foundation for Resilient Societies NRC petitions on issue.
https://www.resilientsocieties.org/nuclear-regulatory-commission.html

Radioactivity and the Systematic Falsification of Nuclear Risk

https://www.ratical.org/radiation/radioactivity/

The Nuclear Truth in Video

What the nuclear industry and their puppet politicians will not tell you the citizen - Nuclear power is dangerous and it kills people. A series of video exposes.

Dr. Jeffrey Patterson on Nuclear Power and Human Health ( Dr. Patterson's bio: http://www.psr.org/about/board-of-directors/jeff-patterson.html )

Dr. Ernest J. Sternglass on Nuclear Contamination and Cancer, unfortunately the embed mode is disabled for these videos.
Part1: http://youtu.be/TPO7Tft0YlQ
Part2: http://youtu.be/hN7rcjSnxZs  
Part 3: http://youtu.be/sf5v83xnd1A

April 13, 2011- Dr. Ernest Sternglass is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Pittsburgh. He is Co-founder and Director of the Radiation and Public Health Project (www.rphp.org), and author of "Secret Fallout: Low-Level Radiation from Hiroshima to Three Mile Island". Dr Sternglass has extensively studied and published on the public health effects of atomic bomb testing and nuclear power.

 

Down Wind Death - Dr. Ernest Sternglass speaks on the bad effects of radiation

The truth of 3-Mile Island, a coverup to protect the nuclear industry.

Savanah River Site and Small Modular Reactors

"Shh," says DOE.  "We have secrets, we are killing people but don't tell them the truth." (claims and costs: http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/regs/compliance/weeklystats.htm )

Ionizing Radiation from nuclear plants, fuel facilities and weapons complexes-colorless, odorless, tasteless radiation death. In many instances you will not know the extent of cellular mutations until you are diagnosed with cancer. In some cases, many years later. For more info: http://radioactivepoison.blogspot.com/

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin - credits: Medical Pictures from uIowa.edu: UI Dermatology / Tom Ray.

 

""Under a Cloud" presents evidence that the Savannah River Site in South Carolina had a recent, unreported radioactive fallout event. That fallout threatens human and environmental health. This is a "wake-up call" for the communities neighboring the Savannah River Site: we must take action to secure site accountability and to protect our health and our environment."




The TVA is spending hundreds of millions of dollars of your money for a project you will never see any results. Welcome to the SMR (small modular reactor) story, a project which you the rate payer are paying so the nuclear industry will benefit. A project in which there are no orders for the atomic mechanism, no approvals; our government is spending hundreds of millions of your hard earned dollars in the experiment for which only the nuclear industry reaps the financial benefits.

SMALL MODULAR REACTORS, SMR,  PRESENTATION BY TOM CLEMENTS
"“While SRS may superficially appear to present certain attractive aspects for the location of SMRs, the site has not had experience with operation of nuclear reactors in over twenty years and has no current expertise in reactor operation,” said Clements.

  “While DOE is set to chose two SMR designs to fund for further development, SRS affirms that no construction funds will be provided, leaving vendors with the difficult and perhaps insurmountable task to find private funding for SMR construction.”"

"Two of the three separate “Memoranda of Agreement” for three different and still hypothetical SMR designs include deployment timelines which are already admitted by DOE to be inaccurate since they were signed less than six months ago."

"As SMRs are being promoted for overseas markets, SRS officials will not say what plans are for used reactor vessels or highly radioactive spent fuel which would be taken back to the production site." http://aikenleader.villagesoup.com/p/documents-reveal-time-line-and-plans-for-small-modular-reactors-smrs-at-the-savannah-river-site-sr/840884

TVA and SMR's http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/advanced/clinch-river.html

Tom Clements Small Modular Reactor Overview for tva meeting 6.26.2012 from MATRRorg
 

The Nuclear Mafia in the Tennessee River Valley

"The nuclear industry is full of sadistic, lazy managers...TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority ) is involved in one of the most corrupt and dangerous industries in the nation...nuclear workers suffer death and cancer within the nuclear power industry...the nuclear industry lies about discharges, storage problems and health effects to the civilian populace concerning nuclear waste;" says Ann Harris.

Ms. Harris is a retired TVA employee and nuclear industry whistle blower who has won six law suits and 5 Equal Opportunity harassment complaints against the TVA and their contractors costing TVA rate payers millions upon millions of dollars.  Ms. Harris and TVA nuclear industry workers, who have expressed concerns about nuclear power plant construction safety, illegal documentation (fraud), general safe operations and nuclear industry corruption, have experienced harassment, intimidation, threats and attempted murder.

The below videos chronicle this story which should concern every citizen and elected representative in the TVA area of operations.  This is a story of nuclear industry corruption and failed regulatory actions, "The Nuclear Mafia."

Some will say, "oh, that was in the old days of the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's, we don't have those problems now." Attorneys and Ms. Harris say not true, the harassment and threats pointed at nuclear whistle blowers continue to this day.

CBS News Special Part 1


CBS NEWS Special Part 2


NUKES, TVA, Health & Safety, The NRC & the Nuclear Industry. Interview of Ms. Ann Harris, a near 1 hour interview about Ms. Harris' experiances within the TVA's "nuclear money sinkhole." No embedding for this video, You Tube link: http://youtu.be/77vkuPtqN4A

What the nuclear industry does not want you to know about nuclear reactors and nuclear power.




Nuclear power electrical generation originated in the United States as a political plan called "Atoms for Peace." There is no "atoms for peace" program designed to protect the public. It is a plan developed for the purpose of supporting the multinational nuclear industry; an industry whose only purpose is the bottom line profit of the nuclear corporations. Those who support the industry will do anything, and I do mean anything, to support the industry and cover up the sickness and death of suffering nuclear workers, their families and the criminal activity of the "nuclear mafia."

The scene below can happen in any number of our aging, dangerous nuclear power reactors. If it happens at Browns Ferry Alabama - Athens, Decatur and parts of Madison County Alabama will be  uninhabitable for centuries. If you live there and survive, you will not have a home to go back to. If a serious nuclear accident were to occur at a completed Bellefonte nuclear facility, which results in a loss of containment - citizens and the children of Scottsboro Alabama would never be able to return.

STOP THE MADNESS BEFORE IT KILLS US!

Currently, local politicians believe everything the TVA and the nuclear power industry tells them. They ask very few questions and apparently are only interested in increased tax revenues. When the truth is presented to local political leadership concerning dangerous, expensive nuclear power, they prefer to take the path of full faith in the nuclear industry and refuse to believe scientists and concerned local citizens presenting facts.

 

Then, if the risks and hiding of the truth is not enough, there is the millions upon millions of pounds of deadly, radioactive nuclear reactor trash with no solutions of future safe, secure storage.

 

Over 7 million pounds of the deadly, highly radioactive trash is stored at TVA nuclear plants in the Tennessee River Valley area.  Over 3.5 million pounds of the dangerous radioactive trash is stored at TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Facility. Most of the radioactive trash is in the three defective, GE Mark 1 Reactors overhead "spent fuel (radioactive trash) cooling pools" with no horizontal or overhead reinforced containment protecting this highly radioactive fuel trash above the "cooling pool" level. 

 

Placing the value of money before human life is not a Christian value and reflects not only bad judgement, but a compromised system of moral values.

  

Fukushima Chronicles - 1 Year After

One year after the Fukushima disaster there are distinct, demonstrated shortcomings in the nuclear industry. Nuclear power has great risks which the nuclear industry fails to convey to the public. The nuclear industry and government regulators within the United States express an attitude which is deadly and dangerous. Attitude failures-vanity, invincibility, neglect and a failed value system relating to money before human life and health with no regard and respect for the realities of our natural world is a dangerous combination which resulted in the Japanese Fukushima disaster.


Cancer Risk To Young Children Near Fukushima Daiichi Underestimated from Fairewinds Energy Education on Vimeo.
"Fairewinds analyzes cancer rates for young children near Fukushima using the National Academy of Science's BEIR (Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation) VII Report. Based on BEIR VII, Fairewinds determines that at least one in every 100 young girls will develop cancer for every year they are exposed to 20 millisieverts [millisievert (1 mSv = 0.001 Sv)] of radiation. The 20-millisievert/ year figure is what the Japanese government is currently calculating as the legal limit of radiological exposure to allow habitation of contaminated areas near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In this video, Fairewinds introduces additional analysis by Ian Goddard showing that the BEIR VII report underestimates the true cancer rates to young children living near Fukushima Daiichi. Looking at the scientific data presented by Mr. Goddard, Fairewinds has determined that at least one out of every 20 young girls (5%) living in an area where the radiological exposure is 20 millisieverts for five years will develop cancer in their lifetime."

"Fukushima Nuclear plant released  far more radiation than reported...Caesium-137 fallout, however, is a much greater concern because it will linger in the environment for decades. The new model shows that Fukushima released 3.5 × 1016  Bq caesium-137, roughly twice the official government figure..."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fukushima-nuclear-planet-released-more-radiation-government-said

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) Blog, Fukushima-One Year After: http://blog.cleanenergy.org/2012/03/08/remembering-fukushima-one-year-later/

Perhaps the greatest error of Fukushima is based on an attitude of invincibility and a non-scientific approach to risk and problem solving as expressed in the Carnigie Report on the Fukushima disaster introduction. The last sentence sums up the dangerous attitude- "... perhaps most importantly, many believed that a severe accident was simply impossible."

The Carnigie Endowment for International Peace Report: "Why Fukushima Was Preventable"-

"Though there is no single reason for TEPCO and NISA’s failure to follow international best practices and standards, a number of potential underlying causes can be identified. NISA lacked independence from both the government agencies responsible for promoting nuclear power and also from industry. In the Japanese nuclear industry, there has been a focus on seismic safety to the exclusion of other possible risks. Bureaucratic and professional stovepiping made nuclear officials unwilling to take advice from experts outside of the field. Those nuclear professionals also may have failed to effectively utilize local knowledge. And, perhaps most importantly, many believed that a severe accident was simply impossible." http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/03/06/why-fukushima-was-preventable/a0i7

From Fairewinds engineer Arnie Gunderson: "This Carnegie Study is similar to the Greenpeace study but Carnegie is more supportive of nuclear and portrays these problems as solvable. Greenpeace said the accidents were due to regulatory capture and the echo chamber effect and suggests international nuclear pressures are systemic." 

The Fukushima Report from Greenpeace leads off in one segment with this quote: " For a successful technology, reality must take precedent over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." Quote by Richard Feynman. The Greenpeace study is at http://www.fairewinds.com/content/echo-chamber-regulatory-capture-and-fukushima-daiichi-disaster

"Fairewinds shows that the nuclear industry's plan to vent the containment at Fukushima Daiichi could not have prevented a containment failure and the ensuing explosions. Look at the graphics from the containment stress tests conducted more than 40 years ago at a US nuclear reactor identical to Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1. This video and its graphics provide important clues about why Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 exploded."

FOIA disclosures reveal deceit on the part of the NRC: "USS Ronald Reagan measured 0.6 mR/hr direct gamma shine from clouds 130 miles from Fukushima Daiichi" - 
http://enformable.com/2012/03/uss-ronald-reagan-measured-0-6-mrhr-direct-gamma-shine-from-clouds-130-miles-from-fukushima-daiichi/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+Enformable+%28Enformable%29

Indications of intentional cover-up by Nuclear Regulatory Commission - nuclear industry concerns placed before human safety health & welfare.

“Really troubling” wind shift said NRC: 1,000 microSv thyroid dose south of Tokyo over ten hour period on Mar. 14 reported US Navy — 300km from Fukushima — “This reminds me of the drill” http://enenews.com/really-troubling-1000-microsievert-thyroid-dose-south-of-tokyo-over-ten-hour-period-on-march-14-reported-us-navy-nrc-over-300km-from-fukushima/comment-page-1

Intentional cover-up by the NRC: US Regulator: We’ve got to stop labs from testing for Fukushima radiation — “Tell them to back off” — Worried about them talking to press about ‘consequences’ http://enenews.com/nrc-weve-stop-labs-testing-fukushima-radiation-directors-knock-doe-cool-worried-about-talking-press-about-consequences

FOIA disclosure, NRC report from Japan: "There is spent fuel and pellets and whatever all over the place around the plant." http://enenews.com/nrcs-top-man-japan-spent-fuel-pellets-all-place-around-plant-trying-clean-dose-going-be-incredible

Top US nuke official in Japan: "Take it slow “without just running the military in there to kill people” for us to feel better..." http://enenews.com/top-us-nuke-official-in-japan-take-it-slow-without-just-running-the-military-in-there-to-kill-people-wait-so-its-without-a-lot-of-loss-of-life-300-millisieverts-per-hour-outside-react

As we examine the after action reports and news stories it should become obvious where the actual failure lies. Unfortunately, it seems the problem in the United States, as it was in Japan, we do not learn the lessons of history, nor consider that human error and the attitudes and failed values associated with the failures, which lead to the disaster, is occuring in the United States today. The real questions: How much pain, suffering and costs will it take? Will it take making a United States city a ghost town before our political leadership and the nuclear industry's supportive bureaucrats of the NRC learn the lessons of Chernobyl and Fukushima Japan? 

Human reliability failure is the "clear and present danger" with any nuclear program. Deception is being practiced at the highest levels today concerning the risks of nuclear electrical power generation. Deception, the lack of scientific process and the ignoring of natural events will eventually lead to a disaster. The failure of values, placing money before life and health, will multiply the effect of a nuclear disaster. It is not possible to engineer your way out of a failed value system and a deceitful bureaucracy. 



The other Fukushima Chronicles: http://arklite.blogspot.com/search/label/Fukushima%20Japan
For more information concerning the dangers of nuclear power: http://www.matrr.org

NRC Inspection - Red Findings - TVA Browns Ferry Nuclear Facility

Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NRC,  inspectors on Monday, October 3, 2011 told TVA and the public that the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant is safe to continue operating. However, there are testing and documentation program failure problems which must be corrected. Read more from the Chattanooga Times Free Press about the RED LEVEL Inspection findings. http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/oct/04/104-a1-browns-ferry-safe-to-operate/

                 TVA Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant near Athens, Al.

"The Nuclear Regulatory Commission in early May gave the Tennessee Valley Authority a "red" or "high safety significance" rating in connection with last fall's failure of a cooling-water injection valve at Browns Ferry on the Tennessee River near Athens, Ala." Chattanooga Times Free Press Sep 28, 2011 http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/sep/28/regulators-to-discuss-browns-ferry-findings/

The NRC officials stated the issue of the faulty heat removal system check valve is still an open issue that will continue to be evaluated by the NRC.

Several other issues were stated to be a problem which were discovered during the inspection process: 1)The failed valve issue remains an open issue, it was reported there was one instance that an inaccurate report concerning the questionable valve was entered. 2)  Apparently there is a question concerning the wording of the code regulating valve inspections and the issue of an open and closed valve status. 3) A continuous historical finding of no documentation in relationship of corrective actions programs. 4) Over torquing of valve, employee listed vendor document information on inspection reports that valve was operable when it was not. 5) Inaccurate information listed on inspection reports by Browns Ferry Operators concerning valves. 6) Corrective actions relied on singular procedural functions. There was no program to ascertain the cause of failures for the purpose of correction of a given problem. 7) There was no Design Basis Document concerning component proper or improper function. The NRC Inspectors stated there was no requirement for such a document. (My comment: This is a very peculiar finding, but it helps to explain the next finding. This finding is significant and disturbing as it is an indication of a general lack of concern and mismanagement concerning critical scientific and engineering controls.)  8) There is a general lack of "rigor" (rigor-Strictness or severity, as in temperament, action, or judgment;  the quality of being valid.) in corrective actions; multiple instances of a lack of engineering standards as to problem resolution and solution discovery to problems. 9) Browns Ferry management was reactive to equipment issues but had no motivation to discover the cause of problems experienced.

TVA photo of Browns Ferry Spent Fuel Pool located above the reactor pressure vessel. Below is a diagram of the General Electric Mark 1 Type of Boiling Water Reactor. The spent fuel pools are located on the left side of the diagram. Note there is only metal siding above the cooling pool level.

Segment from the Chattanooga Times Free Press article by Pam Sohn relating to the issue of the secondary reactor containment as it relates to the lack of reinforced containment above the spent fuel cooling pool level. http://timesfreepress.com/news/2011/oct/04/104-a1-browns-ferry-safe-to-operate/  "At least three residents from communities in Northeast Alabama attended Monday's meeting. Two of them, Garry Morgan and Gretel Johnston, both of Scottsboro, asked NRC officials if they will require safer containment covers to be built over spent fuel storage pools at nuclear reactors designed like Browns Ferry."

"Like the Fukushima, Japan, plant that's still in crisis after a 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in March, Browns Ferry stores its spent radioactive fuel rods in pools on upper levels of the plant. The pools are covered with heavy metal sheeting much like carports and shell buildings. Other designs cover the pools with concrete."

""What if the tornado that struck [near the plant] on April 27 had torn off that [sheeting] roof and sucked the contaminated water out and scattered it over the community?" Johnston asked. "I want some reassurance.""

"One NRC inspector told the audience that those containments were upgraded for assaults such as that on the heels of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks."

"But David Lochbaum, a former TVA nuclear engineer and a former NRC training instructor, took that answer to task. "That's not accurate," said Lochbaum, a Chattanoogan who now works for the Union of Concerned Scientists. "It may be reassuring, but it's not accurate. The 9/11 changes were only about airplanes, not multiple problems such as what the tornadoes caused or could have caused if one had made a direct hit on the plant,"  he said."

"The tornadoes did knock out much of [north and central] Alabama's and Mississippi's electric grid, stranding Browns Ferry plant for seven days on diesel power as the plant went into emergency shutdown. "

TVA's Chief Nuclear Officer Preston Swafford was present and stated, paraphrased, "An Integrated Improvement Plan will be accelerated and the TVA Executive Management concurs with all NRC findings."

To learn more about the dangers of commercial nuclear power and plans for a sustainable energy future please go to http://www.matrr.org

Shh, We Have Nuclear Power Secrets

Location of U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities: http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/materials/fuel-cycle/

The nuclear disaster at Fukushima Japan. Satellite photos showing steam rising from the boiling water of the melted reactors and fuel pools. The false mantra by the nuclear power industry that nuclear power is safe, reliable and cheap is fiction.

Nuclear power plants in the TVA system cannot operate without incoming power to operate cooling systems. a loss of incoming electrical power results in a scram, emergency shutdown, of the reactor. Back up diesel generators supply power to the reactor cooling system. Nothing reliable about nuclear power as you must have another power source to power the reactor cooling systems. Loose offsite power and you loose the electrical generating capacity of TVA nuclear power. In the information and fact points below it is demonstrated that nuclear power has sickened and killed over 48,000 American citizens in the past 7 years.


When dealing with nuclear materials some degree of secrecy is required, nuclear materials have the capability to be utilized as a weapon of mass destruction. Security at civilian fuel facilities has been a long time concern, so has telling the true story of the domestic nuclear threat at nuclear fuels facilities. A secret such as nuclear materials loss ( declassified document http://www.irmep.org/ila/nukes/NUMEC/default.asp ), and just as dangerous is the clear and present danger at the nuclear fuel manufacturing plants spread across our nation.

Today the costs to U.S. taxpayers for health and death claims paid to nuclear fuels workers exceeds $7.2 billion dollars, the costs in human pain and suffering is unimaginable. (Dept of Labor part B & E Statistics of the EEOICP http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/regs/compliance/weeklystats.htm )

Current government information on the nuclear fuels process tends to lead (trick) those interested in the problem of human suffering due to the nuclear fuels process down the road of weaponization of Uranium. In the days of "tickling the dragon" [Manhattan Project] and the Cold War, up to the middle 1960's, this was certainly true. For the past 40 plus years, the major usage of refined Uranium is in civilian, military and experimental nuclear reactors, the major usage of nuclear fuels is for commercial nuclear power plants.

The following is a partial listing of

"Commercial Nuclear Power Secrets, shh-don't tell-nuclear fuels processing is killing folks."

( Wise Uranium Project links and listings http://www.wise-uranium.org/indexc.html )
-->NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) Event Report 45785-Global Nuclear Fuels, Wilmington, NC, March 23, 2010 [reported Mar 24, 2010] - 8.7KG (19.14 pounds) of Uranium Oxide found in a waste receptacle containing vacuum bags. An observant operator discovered the problem when the waste bag had broken free of its holder, the 8.7kg of nuclear fuel was found in vacuum bags.
NRC, Event Reports link http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/2010/20100324en.html#en45785

More on Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas, L.L.C., Wilmington nuclear fuel plant, North Carolina, NRC License No. SNM-1097
-->Violation of criticality rules at GNF Wilmington nuclear fuel plant
On March 2, 2011, the NRC was notified through Event Notification 46650 that GNF-A had failed to maintain mass control of UO2 powder in the sinter test grinding station HEPA filter enclosure. Specifically, on March 1, 2011, GNF staff identified that approximately 46 kilograms of UO2 powder had been present in the sinter test grinder filter housing, which was greater than the analyzed safe mass to prevent a criticality.
Based on the results of an inspection conducted March 14 - 18, 2011, the NRC has determined that two Severity Level IV violations of NRC requirements occurred. (NRC Special Inspection Report and Notice of Violation, June 29, 2011, ADAMS Acc. No. ML111810118 )

-->Global Nuclear Fuel, NRC finds two violations at GNF Wilmington nuclear fuel plant During an NRC inspection conducted February 22-26, 2010, two violations of NRC requirements were identified: the licensee failed to report within 24 hours of discovery, a loss or degradation of an item relied on for criticality safety, and, the licensee failed to install automatic fire detection equipment in the Process Technology laboratory area where fire hazards were present. (ADAMS Acc. No. ML100850027 )

-->Global Nuclear Fuel, NRC finds five apparent violations at GNF Wilmington nuclear fuel plant

During inspections conducted from November 7, 2008, through August 28, 2009, five apparent violations were identified and are being considered for escalated enforcement action. The apparent violations involve the failure to identify credible accident scenarios during process hazard analyses or document them in the Integrated Safety Analysis Reference Report; the failure to identify criticality accident scenarios as high consequence events; and three separate failures to designate controls as items relied on for safety.

"The apparent violations are of concern to the NRC because they appear to indicate a programmatic issue with your Integrated Safety Analysis. Specifically, these apparent violations indicate a systematic and consistent failure to identify and categorize accident sequences and declare items relied on for safety in accordance with your Integrated Safety Analysis methodology and the requirements of 10 CFR Part 70." (NRC letter to GNF, Nov. 6, 2009, ADAMS Acc. No. ML093100078 )

-->Global Nuclear Fuel, Violation of criticality rules at GNF Wilmington nuclear fuel plant
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has established a Special Inspection Team at the Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas commercial nuclear fuel plant near Wilmington, N.C., to inspect and assess facts and circumstances associated with an event in which moisture was detected on Jan. 30, 2008, in a process vessel which should not have contained moisture so as to prevent a nuclear criticality.
> View NRC release Feb. 1, 2008
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $16,250 civil penalty against Global Nuclear Fuel - Americas, L.L.C., for incorrectly categorizing an emergency level declaration during a Jan. 30, 2008, incident at the plant's low-enriched uranium processing line in Wilmington, N.C.
> View NRC release Aug. 14, 2008

--> The Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Plant, Columbia, SC. On Feb. 25, 2011, NRC issued a Notice of Violation to Westinghouse Electric Company for violations of criticality protection rules identified at its Columbia nuclear fuel plant.

-->Spill at WEC Columbia nuclear fuel plant, South Carolina
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has dispatched a Special Inspection Team to the Westinghouse commercial nuclear fuel plant near Columbia, S.C., to review the circumstances associated with a Jan. 24 event involving a spill of about 200 gallons of waste water containing ammonia and low levels of uranium.
The spill was the result of a pump failure and operators shut down the process after a few minutes. Plant employees cleaned the area, no workers were exposed to significant concentrations and no medical attention was needed. Westinghouse reported the event to the NRC on Jan. 25 and the NRC staff decided that a special inspection to review the facts surrounding the event, assess the Westinghouse response and evaluate the company's corrective actions was the appropriate course of action.
> View NRC release Feb. 1, 2010
NRC proposes $17,500 fine against Westinghouse for violations at Columbia nuclear fuel plant: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has proposed a $17,500 civil penalty against Westinghouse Electric Company for violations of nuclear safety requirements at its commercial nuclear fuel plant in Columbia, S.C. NRC officials said the proposed civil penalty is based on violations identified during an NRC review of a Jan. 24, 2010 event involving a spill inside the plant of about 200 gallons of waste water containing ammonia and low levels of uranium. NRC release Nov. 4, 2010 (PDF)

-->Nuclear fuel pellets missing from WEC Columbia nuclear fuel plant, South Carolina
The operators of a Bluff Road nuclear fuel plant can't find 25 pounds of radioactive material - and federal investigators say that's a problem. Officials with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission suspect someone at the Westinghouse nuclear fuel factory deliberately moved uranium fuel pellets without properly accounting for them. Neither Westinghouse nor the NRC has been able to pinpoint the person. Investigators say the fuel pellets, first reported missing in May, pose little danger to the public because the material likely never left the site. The pellets were probably recycled in the fuel plant, according to the NRC. (The State Oct. 2, 2009) (Problematic is the assumption that the fuel pellets remained in the plant, a dangerous assumption.)
> View NRC release Sep. 17, 2009 Notice of Violation and NRC Inspection Report , Oct. 15, 2010

-->U.S. NRC issues Confirmatory Order regarding falsifications at Westinghouse Electric Company's Columbia nuclear fuel facility
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a Confirmatory Order to Westinghouse Electric Company's Columbia facility as part of a settlement agreement involving the actions of a former contractor foreman. That individual deliberately created inaccurate training records for his work group and also falsified ventilation system data when the required readings had not been taken. The foreman caused Westinghouse to be in violation of NRC requirements.
> View NRC release Aug. 7, 2009

-->BWX Technologies, Inc., Lynchburg, Va., Nuclear Fuel Plant
NRC finds further violation of criticality safety procedures at B&W Lynchburg nuclear fuel plant
> Download Inspection Report and Notice of Violation, July 15, 2011

-->NRC finds further violation of criticality safety procedures at B&W Lynchburg nuclear fuel plant
> Download Inspection Report and Notice of Violation, Nov. 4, 2010

-->Alert over potential criticality issue after discharge of highly enriched uranium at B&W Lynchburg nuclear fuel plant
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a $35,000 civil penalty against the Babcock & Wilcox facility in Lynchburg, Va., for a violation of NRC requirements related to the company's emergency declaration for an event in July 2009. The violation involved a failure of Babcock & Wilcox facility staff to declare an Alert emergency classification in a timely manner as required by their emergency plan. On July 15, 2009, company employees failed to declare the emergency for more than two hours after they discovered a band saw cooling reservoir did not have the proper criticality controls.
> View NRC release Jan. 12, 2010
> Download Notice of Violation Jan. 11, 2010 (ADAMS Acc. No. ML100110209)
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a predecisional enforcement conference in Atlanta for Nov. 6, 2009, to discuss with officials of Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Operations Group in Lynchburg, Va., apparent violations of NRC requirements associated with the loss of nuclear criticality controls on a mechanical saw.
> View NRC release Oct. 29, 2009

A scare at the B&W Nuclear Operations Group in Lynchburg Wednesday (July 15) prompted a review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after oil containing an unknown amount of highly enriched uranium discharged at the facility. The incident began around 7:45 p.m. Wednesday (July 15). According to a news release from the NRC, a saw used to cut fuel components discharged some of that oil. The facility declared an alert and the NRC called in its response teams. Staff at the facility analyzed the materials and determined only a small amount of uranium was in the oil. (WDBJ7 Roanoke News July 16, 2009)

The problems at nuclear fuel plants are great. There is a serious health risk to employees in nuclear fuel plants and one interested in the story of civilian nuclear reactors and their safety cannot overlook the fuels cycle processes. Further reports at the nuclear fuel facilities may be found at these WISE Uranium Project links:

· Nuclear Fuel Services Erwin (Tennessee) plant (extra page)

· BWX Technologies, Inc. Lynchburg nuclear fuel plant (Virginia)

· CE Nuclear Power LLC's Hematite nuclear fuel plant (Missouri)

· AREVA NP Inc. Lynchburg nuclear fuel plant (Virginia)

· AREVA NP Inc. Richland nuclear fuel plant (Washington)

· Shaw Areva MOX Services, LLC, MOX fuel fabrication plant project (South Carolina)

All to often we hear the political propaganda in some form, "there have been no accidents taking life at civilian nuclear reactors." That statement twists and distorts the full story of nuclear power. One must look at all aspects of the nuclear power generation, from Uranium mining to plant decommissioning and all aspects of nuclear power in between. Failure to consider all the facts results in facilitating a danger on our citizenry.

I periodically review NRC event reports at this link: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/ When reading the reports I take particular interest in the events which indicate radiation exposures. What is not told in the event reports are the end results of exposures to radioactive materials, a colorless, odorless, most times-tasteless material. Unless the exposure is immediately life threatning, the cellular mutations which occur from radioactive material exposures may not become problematic or discovered until many years later, the NRC reports do not reflect the end results related to the health of the exposed workers.

Some of the workers lives, suffering and death are told at our web site and other sites listed at our site. The extent of health problems and their costs relating to nuclear power are partially exposed at the Department of Labor link in the first paragraph begining this article and again listed here: Dept of Labor part B & E Statistics of the EEOICP http://www.dol.gov/owcp/energy/regs/compliance/weeklystats.htm . Failure to expose the rest of the story concerning the nuclear fuels workers and the cost in human suffering related to the nuclear fuels process is nothing less than negligence and hiding the truth of nuclear power from the public. Shhh, we have nuclear power secrets! link: http://radioactivepoison.blogspot.com/