WARNING...IMPORTANT...PLEASE SHARE...COPY PASTE OR EMAIL TO ALL... Radioactive leakage accident at Pelindaba uranium-enrichment reactor in Pretoria: authorities tightlipped13:02 Nov 10 2013 Pelindaba, South Africa Radioactive leakage accident at Pelindaba uranium-enrichment reactor in Pretoria2013-11-10 0 Jana van der Merwe of Rapport newspaper writes that the uranium-enrichment site in Pelindaba was closed down after radioactive gasleaked into the atmosphere. It is located 2km from Pretoria.This is the third accident over the past 17 years at the apartheid-era plant. Van der Merwe reports that the radiation leak poses a danger to hundreds of thousands of people around the large Hartbeespoort dam - which is a major source of fresh water for Johannesburg and Pretoria.She quotes unnamed experts as saying the possibility of danger is seen as extremely small as the leak represented an anomaly-level1 incident, defined as smaller problems with safety components or where someone was exposed to radiation inside internationally-accepted norms.The National Nuclear Research Institutes sudden closure at Pelindaba already has a large impact on the treatment of thousands of cancer-patients, she reports, as radioactive medicines sell by dates expire after five days.The entire countrys supplies ran out on Thursday and theres a struggle to obtain foreign supplies that quickly. The expert she quoted could not be identified by name for professional reasons, she wrote.He said the problem is worsened by the fact that NTP RadioIsotopes - an affiliate of the state-owned SA Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) is the worlds second-largest manufactuer of radio-chemical medical products.Pelindabas closure has a world-wide impact. The affiliates most important products are the radioactive isotope Molibdeen-99 (Mo-99) and Iodine-131.Inside SA a daily 400 cancer patients are treated in a process relying on the use of MO-99 which determines how widely the cancer spreads through the body.It is also used to identify diseases in the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and brains and the radio-pharmaceutical substance which is is in widespread use worldwide.A specialist in nuclear medicine describes the sudden shortage of Mo-00 as devastating. Especially lung-patients are treated most effectively with molibdeen to identify blood-clots in the lungs with.Many cancer-patients now receiving chemotherapy will also have to stop their treatment because tegnesium-99m (Tc99m – a byproduct of Mo-00) is injected to get a complete view of the spread of the cancer and the effectiveness of the treatment.Iodine131 is used to treat overactive thyroid gland and for treatment of thyroid cancer.The Pelindaba-installation was closed Friday after radioactive iodine and other gases such as radon and zenon also started leaking. These gases could lead to serious lung-ailments.ECSAs executive manager, Mr Phumzile Tshelane said the gas-leak probably started after pressure built up inside a warm cell where radio-active materials are handled with robotic arms.He wouldnt say that level of radioactivity is polluting the area other than to say that it never exceeded any international norms.Thats part of the investigation being launched. The National Nuclear Power Regulation authority has already started this and have drawn in Swiss experts to help them.NPR-spokesman Gino Moonsamy said the probe could take two to three weeks. No-one was injured nor exposed to dangerous radiation he said.However Earthlife Africa s Judith Taylor is appalled, and said they doubt whether this was such a small accident and she doesnt agree with the methods used to monitor radioactivity in the victinity.Since NECSA does not have a decent evacuation plan for the region, they fear the results of a really large accident.Testing for radiation leakage should not be done just every quarter of the year - it should be done weekly to get a complete picture. Two serious radiation incidents occured at Pelindaba in the past 17 years. In 1997 chief-security guard Harold Daniels died of brain-cancer. Widow Amanda believes hewas sent into the plant without protective clothing to douse a fire in 1995. In 2009 an abnormal amount of radioactive gases (radon and zenon) was also released into the atmosphere. Personnel were evacuated but the radiation-danger was said to be limited only within the Pelindaba-complex itself.Pictures taken by Liza Hnatowiz and Leon Botha accompanying this RAPPORT article relate to a 2009 safety-practice.rapport.co.za/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Ongeluk-by-kern-aanleg-20131109censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports/view/1803?l=zh_TW************************What You Should Be Doing Now to Protect Yourself from Nuclear Radiation therebel.org/news/global-research/what-you-should-be-doing-now-to-protect-yourself-from-nuclear-radiation
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 22:56:45 +0000
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