Airline Crew Radiation Exposure

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I get questions periodically from pilots and flight attendants about occupational radiation exposure.   It has been known for some time that the exposures received by some flight personnel would require monitoring with dosimeters if they were working in the medical or nuclear industries.

The challenges to determining dose to a person in flight is complex in different ways than dosimetry on the surface of the planet.   High altitude radiation includes particles and rays from distant star systems, from the sun, … Continue Reading →

Hiroshima Anniversary 2015 – Seventy Years Later

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It was seventy years ago today, and one 99 year old veteran refuses to give up on his lifeʻs mission to make sure nuclear weapons are never used again.  His story on NBC.

NHK Japan has a number of programs related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and anniversary events here.

This opinion piece on CNN  says that our nuclear policy today is “essentially the hope that our good luck will continue. This policy must change.”

I personally always pause on this … Continue Reading →

Dr. Ken Buesseler: Fukushima Cesium Approaching California

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The good news is that is extremely diluted.  The bad news is that it is still being released at the source at Fukushima Daiichi.   Dr. Buesseler is considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on radioactivity in the world’s oceans.  He shared the results of his findings today in a group conversation on Reddit, and there was a lively discussion that will undoubtedly continue.… Continue Reading →

Nuclear Arms Race Continues

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The top US General in South Korea claims that North Korea is now capable of miniaturizing a nuclear warhead and putting it on an ICBM.  See the NY Times story here.

Stars and Stripes Magazine reports on China’s growing nuclear weapons programs that bring a full triad of land, air and sea delivery capabilities here.

Foreign Policy says Putin has deployed nuclear weapons in Crimea, and may have violated the INF Treaty here.

NY Times covers the major renewal … Continue Reading →

Reflections on the Hiroshima Anniversary

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Today marks the 69th year since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.  The wisdom of the bombing will likely be debated for centuries to come.  This yearʻs commemorative ceremony will be attended by US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, according to The Japan Times.

 

DoomsdayClock_black_5mins_regmarkHow likely is such a horrific event to occur again, for whatever reason?   I occasionally check the “Doomsday Clock” created by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.  It is still standing at 5 minutes to midnight.  The clock hit … Continue Reading →

Fukushima Daiichi Shadow Reveals Light in Quests for Safety and Transparency

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The National Academies of Sciences report on Fukushima, mandated by the US Congress, was released recently.  The focus of this report is on lessons learned that can improve safety at U.S. nuclear power plants. Among many recommendations  is one that the NRC and the U.S. nuclear industry must continuously monitor and maintain a strong safety culture and should examine opportunities to increase the transparency of and communication about their efforts to assess and improve nuclear safety.

Also addressed was the … Continue Reading →