Nuclear Regulators Stick Their Heads In The Sand

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Nuclear Regulators Stick Their Heads In The Sand

Bad things happen when regulators do not enforce nuclear power plant regulations.  This week's podcast discusses secret, closed-door meetings between top regulators in Japan, as well as the failure of regulation much closer to home: in Michigan. Arnie Gundersen is joined by Kevin Kamps, a radioactive waste specialist with Beyond Nuclear.  Finally, surprising radioactive discoveries at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi site call into question the key assumptions regulators use when trying to decide just how well the public is protected from nuclear power plant accidents.

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Nuclear Contamination Knows No Borders

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Nuclear Contamination Knows No Borders

On today’s podcast, Arnie talks about international nuclear contamination with Dr. Gordon Edwards, President of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility. 

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Can't Win? Change the Rules!

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Can't Win? Change the Rules!

The US and Japan are trying to raise acceptable radiation exposure limits. "If you can't decrease the water level, you elevate the bridge," says pediatrician and author Dr. Helen Caldicott. 

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Tipping the Scale: The 3/11 Formula

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Tipping the Scale: The 3/11 Formula

Former NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko was forced out of the NRC by Congress for not adequately supporting the nuclear industry. The NRC claims all nuclear plants are still safe, but how are they doing their math?

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Hot Air

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Hot Air

TEPCO claims water around Fukushima reactors filtered out the cesium.  Could water really exist at these high temperatures or is it just a bunch of hot air?

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Forgotten Fukushima - Japan Two Years After the Daiichi Accident

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Forgotten Fukushima - Japan Two Years After the Daiichi Accident

Dr. Caldicott details the impressive credentials of the international scientists who will be presenting their evidence at an important Scientific Symposium at the The New York Academy of Medicine in New York City.  Entitled: the Medical and Ecological Consequences of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident, the symposium is being held on March 11th and 12th on the second anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi accident.

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Not Returning to Normal

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Not Returning to Normal

What Is Life Like In Northeastern Japan After the Fukushima Daiichi Disaster? Arnie talks with Fairewinds board member Chiho Kaneko to discuss her recent trip to northeastern Japan. Ms. Kaneko discusses the difficulties of trying to live there surrounded by radioactive contamination, and the psychological pressure people experience as the try to reestablish their lives after the accident.

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Nuclear Industry Double Standards

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Nuclear Industry Double Standards

Fairewinds Maggie Gundersen and Arnie Gundersen share this podcast to discuss the  recent internet attack against the Fairewinds website. Maggie and Arnie also discuss the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's double standard of allowing Nuclear Senior managers off the hook for significant violations while strongly reprimanding, firing, or filing criminal charges against its technicians and engineers.  Lastly, Arnie Gundersen then discusses saltwater intrusions and what that means for Japan's Hamaoka nuclear plant and how nuke speak is used to confuse the general public and press.

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What Are The Consequences Of Siting A Nuclear Plant In a Seismically Active Area?

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What Are The Consequences Of Siting A Nuclear Plant In a Seismically Active Area?

In today's Fairewinds' podcast with Arnie Gundersen, we examine the effect of the recent earthquakes on both the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini sites, as well as potential damage from other quakes still to come. Arnie discusses Japan's previous large quakes and the impact on Japanese society. Finally, we discuss future problems with removing the spent fuel from the fuel racks in Daiichi Units 3 and 4.

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Unit 3 Fuel Pool Repairs Support "Detonation" and More Contamination Found in Fish and Tokyo Suburb

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Unit 3 Fuel Pool Repairs Support "Detonation" and More Contamination Found in Fish and Tokyo Suburb

Events in Japan begin the Fairewinds weekly podcast this week. Gundersen analyzes TEPCO's recently released plans to install a protective cover over Unit 3 and discovers more proof that a detonation (not deflagration) did indeed occur in Unit 3 back in March 2011. Gundersen then analyzes recent radiation readings in Japan and concludes that the contamination is not abating.

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Unit 4 and TEPCO

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Unit 4 and TEPCO

Arnie Gundersen and KH discuss the deteriorating status of Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4, the ramifications of a recent TEPCO announcement, and how it all relates to nuclear reactors in the United States.

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