Physicians for Global Survival (Canada) Médecins pour la ... · Dr. Catherine Vakil Turning Point is the newsletter of Physicians for Global Survival (Canada), a non-profit organization

1 Turning Point Vol XV, No 3 | Fall 2008 9

CYANMAGENTAYELLOWBLACK

Nuclear Power:

Is it green?

Vol XVII, No.2, Spring 2011

Physicians for Global Survival (Canada) Médecins pour la Survie Mondiale

I N S I D EPresident’s Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–3La Lettre du Président . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–3 Updates, Upcoming, Great News . . . . . . . 3 Abolishing Nuclear Weapons . . . . . . . . . . 4 Dr . Paul Eisenbarth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Is Nuclear Power Green? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Radiation – It’s Good for You . . . . . . . . . . 7 A Primer on Radiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Questions from our Readers . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Facing Off for Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Upside of Nuclear War . . . . . . . . . . . 11

This issue of Turning Point is printed on 100% recycled, Processed Chlorine Free,

FSC Certified paper.

2 Turning Point

PGS National Office208–145 Spruce St., Ottawa, ON K1R 6P1Tel. (613) 233-1982, Fax. (613) 233-9028

E-mail: [email protected]: www.pgs.ca

Executive Director: Dr. Dale Dewar Administrative Officer: Andrea Levy Accountant: Julie Jenkins

Executive Committee:President: Dr. Richard DentonPast President: Dr. Michael Dworkind Secretary: Dr. Jeannie RosenbergTreasurer: Dr. Vinay JindalInternational Councillor: Dr. Nancy CovingtonInt’l Councillor (alternate): Dr. Douglas Alton

Board Members:Dr. Jason Bailey, Dr. Sharon Baker, Dr. Nancy Covington, Dr. Richard Denton, Dr. Michael Dworkind, Dr. Vinay Jindal, Dr. Donna Lougheed, Dr. Jeannie Rosenberg, Dr. Catherine Vakil

Turning Point is the newsletter of Physicians for Global Survival (Canada), a non-profit organization. To receive Turning Point and support our work we invite you to join PGS.

All contributions over $10 are tax-creditable. Any items for publication, such as articles, cartoons, photos or advertisements, should be submitted to the National Office for consideration (in English or French). Manuscripts should be relevant to the Mission Statement, but do not have to conform strictly to present PGS policy. They must be transmitted via e-mail to: [email protected]’t Registration No: BN10784-2684-RR0001

“Because of our concern for global health, we are committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons, the prevention of war, and the promotion of non-violent means of conflict resolution and social justice in a sustainable world.”

“En raison de notre préoccupation pour la santé mondiale, nous sommes déterminés à faire interdire les armes nucléares, à prévenir la guerre, à promouvoir des moyens pacifiques de résolution de conflit et à instaurer la justice sociale dans un monde viable.”

Affiliate of / Filiale de:International Physicians

for the Prevention of Nuclear War

President’s Letter by Dr. Richard Denton

I am honoured to be the new President of Physicians

for Global Survival, am humbled to be following in the footsteps of Michael

Dworkind, Nancy Covington, and other great leaders like Mary Wynne Ashford and Joanna Santa Barbara, and am encouraged by having a great Executive Director in Dale Dewar.

I have been a Family Physician in Kirkland Lake, Northern Ontario, for over 33 years. In medicine we

try to prevent disease, treat disease, and then treat the complications of disease. Nuclear war is much the same. We can prevent uranium from going into bombs by not mining it in the first place. We can choose not to use nuclear power by using alternatives such as energy conservation, hydro, solar, wind and geothermal. Finally, we can eliminate nuclear weapons through treaties based on humanitarian law, outlaw them as mass weapons of destruction, and effectively monitor the destruction of bombs.

Prevention is easiest, much easier than treating complications such as we have seen at Fukushima, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and

La lettre du Présidentpar Dr. Richard Denton

Je suis très honoré d’avoir été choisi comme nouveau président de Médecins pour la survie

mondiale. En même temps, je suis un peu intimidé par l’exemple des grands leaders qui se sont succédés avant moi à la tête de l’organisation : Michael Dworkind, Nancy Covington, Mary Wynne Ashford, Joanna Santa Barbara... Heureusement, j’ai la grande chance d’être appuyé par une directrice exécutive hors-pair : Dale Dewar.

Il y a plus de 33 ans que j’exerce la médecine familiale à Kirkland Lake, dans le Nord de l’Ontario. En médecine, il s’agit de prévenir et de soigner la maladie, et de traiter les complications qui peuvent en résulter. Dans la lutte à la guerre

nucléaire, c’est un peu la même chose. Pour empêcher qu’on se serve d’uranium pour faire des bombes, on peut déjà commencer par en empêcher l’extraction. Pour éviter le recours à l’énergie nucléaire, on peut faire appel à une gamme de solutions de rechange : économies d’énergie, hydroélectricité, énergie solaire et éolienne, géothermie... Pour se débarrasser des armes nucléaires, on peut se servir de traités internationaux, fondés sur le droit humanitaire, pour interdire l’usage de ces armes de destruction massive et en surveiller le démantèlement.

Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir. Il est beaucoup plus facile de prévenir les complications que de les soigner, comme l’ont prouvé les exemples de Fukushima, Chernobyl et Three Mile Island; sans oublier l’incident de Rolphton/Chalk River (Ontario), en1952. Une bombe nucléaire, c’est

Vol XVII, No .2 | Winter 2011

Turning Point 3Vol XVII, No .2 | Spring 2011

assez petit pour être camouflé dans un conteneur blindé, donc très difficile à déceler. Et puis il y a l’erreur humaine...

Il y a donc de très bonnes raisons d’écrire à vos députés (fédéral et provincial) pour réclamer un moratoire sur les mines d’uranium (ce qui a été fait en Colombie-Britannique et en Nouvelle-Écosse), un moratoire sur l’expansion de l’énergie nucléaire, et le soutien de programmes comme ICAN. Ensemble, comme nous avons réussi à faire abolir les mines antipersonnel et les bombes à sous-munitions. nous pouvons y arriver !

Rolphton/Chalk River in Ontario back in 1952. There is no good way to detect nuclear bombs as they are small, and can be contained in shielded containers. Finally, there is human error.

So there are compelling reasons to write to your federal and provincial representatives to lobby for a moratorium on uranium mining (such as BC and Nova Scotia have done), a moratorium on expansion of nuclear power, and support of programs such as ICAN. Together we can accomplish this, just as we have banned land mines and cluster bombs!

Updates:• F-35s: Sponsored by the Rideau Institute and PGS, Winslow Wheeler (of the

US Centre of Defence Information) visited Ottawa on April 5 to speak about fighter jets. To a shocked audience, Winslow pointed out that not only was the technology unproven but that the quoted cost of over $16 billion did not include the engines!

• Order of Canada Project has more than 561 signatures supporting the call for abolition of nuclear weapons through a nuclear weapons convention!

• Steam Generators: As of May 16, 2011, Bruce Power has withdrawn its request to ship nuclear waste materials to Sweden across the Great Lakes and back again.

• Mayors for Peace inaugurated a new president, Mayor of Hiroshima Kazumi Matsui, on April 11, 2011 and, along with Fongo-Tongo in Cameroon, Montreal became one of the new executive cities. The CANT (Cities Are Not Targets) exhibit – 1.02 million signed petition forms in two three-meter-high towers – has been inaugurated at a formal ceremony into permanent display at the UN headquarters in New York.

• WHO/IAEA: Fukushima has underlined the importance of separating the investigative efforts of the World Health Organization from the International Atomic Energy Association. To date, WHO has merely followed IAEA’s lead with respect to health advice and has not initiated any independent health monitoring or prospective health studies.

Upcoming:• June 25: Nuclear Abolition Day declared by ICAN. At least one event is

planned in Oakville but check the ICAN website (icanw.org) for more ideas.

• August 6: Hiroshima Day. This year it falls on a Saturday. Plan something or look for events in Toronto, Hamilton, Oakville, London, Ottawa, Powell River, Victoria or Halifax.

• September 21 to October 2: Ottawa Festival of Peace.

Great News!• A new PGS chapter has been born in Ottawa – if you want to be part

of it, contact the PGS office or Jason Bailey at [email protected].

• Vancouver Declaration on Law’s Imperative for the Urgent Achievement of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: The declaration – signed by leading lawyers, legal scholars, former officials, parliamentarians and civil society representatives – places the legal status of nuclear weapons in the same category as other indiscriminate weapons that have already been prohibited by treaties.

4 Turning Point Vol XVII, No .2 | Spring 2011

Abolishing Nuclear Weapons An important meeting, Towards A Nuclear Weapons Convention: A Role For Canada,

was sponsored on April 11/12, 2011 by the Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (CNANW), a coalition of which PGS is a member and financial contributor.

By Nancy Covington and Richard DentonBelow the media’s radar, there is progress towards achieving a verifiable global treaty to ban nuclear weapons. As representatives of PGS, we were treated to a smorgasbord of

ambassadors and experts in nuclear disarmament from around the world! Austria, Mexico, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Iran, Norway, Malaysia, Russia, Sweden, Turkey and the Netherlands

were represented. (Canada could not be officially represented due to the election.)

The UN Secretary-General’s High Representative for Disarmament, Sergio Duarte, set the tone stating that nuclear weapons are “an egregious violation of the most fundamental tenets of international humanitarian law and the laws of war.” Mr. Bruhl of the Swiss Embassy said that the Swiss consider nuclear weapons to be “immoral, illegal and an existential threat” and Ambassador Bradstetter of Austria stated that achieving a verifiable legal global ban on nuclear weapons was “a priority of Austrian foreign policy.”

Both “how to achieve” a global legal ban on nuclear weapons and

“how to live” in a world free of nuclear weapons were discussed. Long term examination of compliance issues, political and security requirements, as well as verification of nuclear dismantlement will be essential. Britain is leading with a planned decrease in nuclear arms, with Norway providing transparancy and verification.

In a session entitled “Lessons learned from the Process in the Landmines Treaty” we heard that civil society has to keep the message alive by being keeping it credible, focused and simple. “Civil society sets the agenda, bureaucrats write it up,” says Debbie Grisdale, former Executive Director of PGS.

The Pugwash group is working to create Nuclear Weapons Free Zones such as in the Arctic and in the Middle East. Other topics included Canada’s former major role in verification of disarmament of nuclear weapons, which has crumbled under the current government and the contentious UN Security Council’s veto power of nuclear weapon states. It was noted with some dismay that most of the speakers were older men and the meeting attracted few students and almost no media.

Spurred on by the unanimous all party Senate and Parliamentary motions of 2010 “to deploy a major worldwide Canadian diplomatic

initiative for nuclear disarmament,” the mood was upbeat even as it was acknowledged that motions of this

sort are considered to be advice to the Government, are not binding and may be dropped during a change in government.

The Australian Ambassador, Richard Butler of the Middle Powers Initiative remarked:

“The time is now to make new progress and it’s time that we stop accepting the assurances that a Nuclear Weapons Convention will be formed eventually.” He recommended that we pressure the Canadian Government to initiate “informal consultations” with representatives of willing countries to provide a

“safe space for discourse” in order to implement the conclusions of the Non Proliferation Treaty meetings 2010.

In this process, the role of civil society is essential. Douglas Roche, former MP, Senator and Ambassador of Disarmament to the UN: “Canada should host a meeting of governments and civil society experts to prepare for negotiations for universal, verifiable and irreversible nuclear disarmament as called for by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon”.

The Honourable Douglas Roche also recommended the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) as a tool to mobilize civil society.

Nancy Covington with Pierre Jasmin from Artistes Pour la Paix, also long time

supporters of CNANW

“Canada should host a meeting of governments and civil society experts

to prepare for negotiations for universal, verifiable and irreversible nuclear

disarmament…”


Dr. Paul Eisenbarth

A valued supporter of PGS and member of the board, Paul came to Canada from the United States as a conscientious objector in 1970. He had a lifelong commitment to peace, abolition of nuclear weapons and social justice. He lived the latter with a commitment to First Nations’ health, serving in one of the remotest of remote communities in Ikaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay).

Paul’s widow, Marney Cuff, shared

Paul’s end of life experience. His greatest concern was whether he had

“hugged” the world enough. Because the brain tumor affected his vision, Marney read to him from Dr. Mary Wynne Ashford’s book Enough Blood Shed, reminding him of the examples of positive change taking place in the world. When Marney was not available to read to him, nurses on the night shift took turns reading to him and were moved by what they learned from the book and from Paul. The local book store is now going to carry it as “Dr. Eisenbarth’s book” so that others who loved and respected him can share Paul’s vision for a world without war and violence.

Paul died on March 2, 2011. He was in his 67th year.

Other losses to the peace community include:Hanna Newcombe, who died April

10, 2011 at the age of 89 years. A Ph.D. in Chemistry, she was founder of the Canadian Peace Research Institute.

Michael Wallace died suddenly on March 21, 2011. Mike was a professor emeritus in Political Science at the University of British Columbia.

Not enough can be said to honour these three peacemakers – their greatest wish would be that we, inheritors of their energy, insights and research, would continue their work. We have big shoes to fill….

Following the workshop, six recommendations (summarized below) were submitted to key politicians and bureaucrats as well as being published in the Embassy, Canada’s Foreign Policy Newsweekly:1. Canada should offer to host in 2012 a

preparatory committee meeting of states and civil society representatives to begin planning for the negotiation process toward a Nuclear Weapons Convention to begin at the Prep Com in 2014. Canada should co-sponsor the proposed United Nations resolution.

2. The Minister of Foreign Affairs should welcome the unanimous motions in the Senate and House of Commons calling for a new Canadian diplomatic initiative in support of nuclear disarmament and request that a special joint committee of the Senate and House of Commons hold hearings and prepare a report on how best to implement those unanimous motions. We urge that these hearings plan for parallel negotiations, rather than sequential or “step-by-step” negotiations, on “all key instruments required for the

elimination of nuclear weapons.”

3. The Government of Canada should re-establish a special disarmament verification unit within the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Significant human and financial capital should be directed toward building Canadian expertise with regard to nuclear disarmament. An urgent priority is the development of verification procedures and technology in support of the still to be negotiated fissile materials treaty.

4. Canada should address the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’s “institutional deficit,” including proposals for annual decision-making meetings of the NPT, for the establishment of an ongoing administrative support unit, and for more consistent and comprehensive reporting by States Parties regarding national efforts towards full compliance with the NPT.

5. In support the NPT Review Conference’s call on states “to further diminish the role and significance of nuclear weapons in all military and security

concepts, doctrines and policies,” Canada should initiate discussions within NATO to end the Alliance’s reliance on nuclear deterrence. Such discussions should include the call for a no-first-use pledge by NATO, as well as increased attention to transforming the security relationship between Russia and NATO. Canada should also galvanize support within NATO for the removal of NATO’s tactical nuclear weapons from non-nuclear weapons states in Europe.

6. Canada should restore the inclusion of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) within consultation by taking advantage of expertise within NGOs by restoration of the annual government-civil society consultation and by naming representatives of civil society organizations to the Canadian delegation to the First Session of the NPT Preparatory Committee, 2012.

Sponsored by: Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Canadian Pugwash, Physicians for Global Survival, Project Ploughshares, and World Federalist Movement – Canada.


Is Nuclear Power Green?A survey of 19 studies on greenhouse gas emissions throughout the life cycle of a nuclear power plant resulted in an estimated range of 1.4 to 288 carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour (CO2e/kWh) with a mean of 66 g.* Factors such as prospecting and decommissioning were not included.

The figure to the right illustrates the steps that need to be considered in determining the full carbon footprint for nuclear power.

Open pit mining is more carbon intensive than underground mining. Milling usually occurs at the site of the mine and involves crushing, screening and washing the ore after which it is subjected to alkali and acid bathing to leach out uranium, now about 75% uranium oxide, referred to as “yellow cake.” At this point it is usually transported for further refinement and enrichment. In Canada, uranium travels about twice the distance than in Europe before becoming fuel rods.

Conversion is the process whereby uranium is converted to a fluoride, referred to as “hex,” so that it can be brought up to grades suitable for nuclear power plants. Gas diffusion or gas centrifuge techniques are used for enrichment, bringing the percentage of uranium-235 to reactor grade and leaving the remaining 85% of uranium as waste. The “enrichment tails” account for 16,000 tons of radioactive waste per year in France. An attractive feature of CANDU reactors is that these steps are not required – others argue that the use of

* Sovacool, Benjamin K., Valuing the greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear power: A critical survey, Energy Policy 36 (2008)2940-2953

deuterium outweighs this advantage.The actual fabrication of fuel

involves the creation of ceramic pellets of uranium dioxide which are packed in zirconium alloy tubes and further bundled into fuel rod ensembles.

There are different types of reactors in operation: pressurized water reactors, boiling water reactors, pressurized heavy water reactors, light water graphite reactors and a few prototype experimental reactors. Site selection, labour involvement and construction techniques also vary widely. Again, CANDU reactors have a low carbon footprint; Chinese-built reactors are much higher. Operational capacity and lifetimes also influence estimates of carbon dioxide emission intensities – the greater the capacity and the longer the lifetime, the lower the carbon footprint. Most nuclear reactors have a lifetime of 30 to 40 years but produce electricity at full power for no more than 24 years.** Other considerations involve the types of energy sources used for construction and back-up.

Fuel processing involves “cleaning” fission products, usually with acid and alkali washes to re-cycle, extract products or reuse the fuel.

Short term storage is usually two stages: cooling tanks where the rods are placed in circulating water for about ten years and cask assemblies requiring a further estimated 25 years of monitoring. “Permanent” dispositon of nuclear wastes remains unproven. No plant has been successfully and completely

** Fleming, David, 2007. The Lean Guide to Nuclear Energy: A Lifecycle in Trouble. The Lean Economy Connection, London.

decommissioned. An estimated 60 years will be required using as much as 50% more energy than needed for original construction. Mine sites also need reclamation.

Sovacol concludes: “Those motivated on both sides of the nuclear debate will continue to attempt to make nuclear energy look cleaner or dirtier than it really is.”

So – is nuclear power green?

Prospecting

Mining Transport

Milling Tailings management

Conversion

Enrichment “enrichment tails”

Fuel Fabrication

Construction Reactor

{ Maintenance Decommissioning

Fuel Processing

Interim Storage

Permanent Storage?


Radiation – It’s good for you…By Florian Oelck That was certainly the prevalent opinion between 1900 and 1930. As Dr. C. Davis wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Medicine, “Radioactivity prevents insanity, rouses noble emotions, retards old age, and creates a splendid youthful joyous life…” Radithor, a bottle of water with dissolved radium in it, was produced by William J. Bailey and marketed through a 17% kickback scheme to prescribing physicians.

American Industrialist Eben McBurney Byers was prescribed Radithor after he hurt his arm in 1927. Later, convinced that Radithor had sped up his recovery, he began ordering it by the case.

He consumed Radithor daily, developing severe headaches and loss of weight after a year. His teeth began falling out; eventually his entire jaw had to be removed and he died in great pain at age 51 in 1932. The Wall Street Journal sarcastically commented on Byers’ use of Radithor by writing, “The radium water worked fine until his jaw came off.”

The workplace was another area where people casually handled radium. Grace Fryer began working in the New Jersey radium dial factory in 1917. She and other dial painters sharpened their brushes by licking them. Fryer always wondered why her handkerchief glowed in the dark after she blew her nose, but she never worried. In fact, Fryer and her co-workers routinely painted their teeth and nails with radium to surprise their boyfriends at night.

Fryer left the factory in 1920 feeling healthy. By 1922, her teeth began falling out and X-rays indicated that the bones in her jaw were decaying. In 1927, Fryer and four

former co-workers sued US Radium for $250,000 each. She had now lost all her teeth, could not walk, and was unable to sit without a back brace. In the end, US Radium agreed to pay each a lump sum of $10,000, to cover all legal and medical bills, and to pay $600 per year while the women were alive. By early 1930, all five were dead.

What happened? These people were dealing with radium, an element that decays by alpha emission. Alpha particles are relatively harmless externally, but internally, they are deposited in bones where they damage the DNA of cells. During this process, some cells would die, and some would be repaired. However, some would mutate due to incorrect repair. These cells then replicate incorrectly which can lead to cancer

(see diagram below). It took a few years for Fryer to fall ill and develop bone cancer since latency periods of cancer vary by type. Furthermore, substances continue to decay once they enter the human body. Radium decays to Radon gas which then dissolves in the blood and is transported to the sinuses and brain cavity, resulting in further cancers as cells in those locations mutate.

The last bottle of Radithor was sold in 1930 when Bailey closed down the company. Radioluminescent paint is still used today for diver’s watches among other things. However, sharpening the paintbrush with the mouth was outlawed in the U.S. in 1930.

(See Bill Kovarik, “The Radium Girls” and Charles Glassmire, “Drink Radithor”.)

Repaired cell (no effect)

Mutated cells: two alternatives

Cell function controlled by body

(no effect)

Late effect or stochastic:

ultiplication of cells in the exposed person: cancer

Genetic transfer of modified cells: hereditary effect on

descendants

Dead cell

Grenier, Gilles W. “Lignes directrices pour le dépistage de la contamination et la décontamination des personnes lors d’une urgence nucléaire produites dans le cadre des travaux du plan des mesures d’urgence externe à la centrale nucléaire Gentilly-2 (PMUNE-G2).” Second Edition, April 2006.


A Primer on RadiationCarbon 12, carbon 14, and uraniums 234, 235, and 238… Are you curious about why there can be more than one kind of carbon or uranium?

A proton (a smaller particle which helps form atoms). One or more protons are present in the centre, or nucleus, of each atom, along with neutrons. Protons have a positive charge.

An atomic number is the number of protons in the centre or nucleus of the atom. It defines the element. Carbon, whether it is called carbon 12 or 14, will have six protons in its nuclei; all of the uraniums have 92 protons.

The number of protons in the nucleus is matched by the number of lightweight electrons flying about it like satellites around the earth. Hence, carbon has six and uranium has a whopping 92 electrons! Electrons have a negative charge.

A neutron is basically a proton and an electron stuck together. Neutrons provide the glue that holds the protons in the nucleus together.

The number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus adds up to the atomic weight of an element since electrons don’t weigh much. Hence, carbon 14 is heavier than carbon 12.

Isotopes occur when two molecules of the same element have different atomic weights. Carbon 12 and carbon 14 are isotopes of carbon and all of the uraniums are isotopes of uranium.

As elements become heavier, the numbers of protons and neutrons in the nucleus become more and

more unwieldy and, between a whirlwind of electrons and an unbalanced nucleus, the element tends to become unstable. In an endeavour to become stable, the element will exude part of its load. This process is referred to as

“decay.”

Not all elements decay. Carbon 12 is stable and does not decay. Carbon 14 decays to nitrogen 14, a gas.

Particles released in the decay process are almost always alpha or beta particles. An alpha particle has two neutrons and two protons. Uranium 238 is an alpha emitter so when it decays to thorium 234, it has lost four units of atomic weight and two protons. Alpha particles can be stopped by skin and paper but become lethal to cellular structures when inhaled or ingested.

A beta particle is an electron given off by a neutron as it shifts into a proton. The resulting element has a higher atomic number (more protons) and the same atomic weight. Carbon 14 decays by beta emission to nitrogen 14, with atomic number 7. Beta particles can pass through skin besides entering the body through eating or breathing. They too can disrupt cellular structure and function. Neither beta nor alpha particles are easily detected by conventional means and both may be incorporated into cells and remain for a long time.

The decay of an element may produce a pulse of energy referred to as a gamma emission, which is very much like an x-ray. Pure gamma emitters are designated by “m,” such as technetium 99m used in medical diagnostics. Iodine 131 decays by gamma and beta emission to the stable gas, xenon.

Half-life refers to the length of time it takes for half of the atoms in a lump of an element to decay. One tonne of tritium, a frequent nuclear power plant emission, decays gradually over twelve years to become 500 kilograms of tritium, so its half life is 12 years. Iodine 131 has a half-life of eight days while that of carbon 14 is 5730 years. Uranium 238 goes through a minimum of 13 decays steps and unstable elements before becoming lead 206.

Does this information make nuclear physics clearer – or more confusing? Please let us know.

A carbon atom

6 electrons

6 protons

6 neutrons


What about thorium reactors? Aren’t they cleaner and greener?Thorium, Th-232, is lighter than uranium, and decays rapidly with less high-level waste; a thorium reactor would produce recyclable uranium-233, act as a waste disposal plant for plutonium and generate electricity. A reactor using a particle accelerator to fire neutrons at thorium to keep the reaction going would be readily shut down by turning off the neutron beam. On the other hand, a reactor using an embedded neutron source (like plutonium or uranium-233) would not have this advantage.

However, the elegant cycle that utilizes a plutonium-thorium blend to create electricity and uranium-233 to create a new blend of thorium-uranium-233 which continues to produce more uranium-233 for reprocessing is not clean. To keep it running, the uranium-233 needs to be continually stripped of its fission products or the process clogs up. This reprocessing, with acids and alkalis, produces large volumes of high-level liquid waste. While the process can recycle plutonium, uranium-233 is a weapons-grade material itself.

The fascination with “recycling” probably underlies the resurgence of interest in thorium reactors. AECL (Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd) pursued the concept aggressively in the 1970s but abandoned it when the risks of weapons proliferation became evident.

Why isn’t there more research into fusion reactors?There is research into fusion reactors. The process is so different from current fission reactors that it is

almost misleading to categorize it as part of the same spectrum of “nuclear power.” While it may be the modern version of the theoretical “perpetual motion machine,” research is continuing.

The sun is a natural fusion reactor and replicating it on earth is a fascinating prospect. An attempt in Europe in July 2010 resulted in translating 65% of input energy into output energy. Building a demonstration fusion reactor is projected for as early as 2024.

Fusion reactors, theoretically, would have little or no atmospheric pollution because the light elements would be theoretically harmless and the waste products short lived. There would be no overlap with nuclear weapons. Furthermore, there could be no “melt-down” risks. There is no doubt, however, that construction costs would be extremely high.

If the problem with nuclear reactors is radioactivity, why can’t it just be neutralized? Or the original elements simply restored?When nuclear elements “decay” they give off energy, much like burning wood provides energy. Just as the stick of wood that has been burned cannot be recreated, so it is with the element that decays.

The idea of “neutralizing” radioactivity like acids and alkalis is attractive but not possible. It can be shielded but the actual dispersal of particles and energy cannot be stopped. Natural radiation is present everywhere like the air we breathe but in very low quantities. Even if it is deposited deeply in the ground, it will continue to give off particles and heat.

Why can’t nuclear power plants solve the energy and global warming crisis?Most “global warming” is attributed to rising carbon dioxide levels in the environment which will reach a point-of-no-return in the next two decades (as early as 2015 according to George Monbiot), after which humans will be unable to avert an inevitable “crisis” – rising seawater, totally deranged climate systems, accelerated methane released from the permafrost in the Arctic regions and so on.

Nuclear power provides about 16% of the world’s electrical energy and about 3% of all of the energy used worldwide. Doubling the number of plants currently in operation would not double the energy because of the plants reaching the end of their lifecycles. The construction of nuclear power plants is the most carbon intensive part of the plant’s cycle so, in the building of them, we would create more carbon dioxide. At present there are only a few at the construction stage.

There are two immediate courses available to us: 1. Decrease energy consumption – this was done in the 1980s and had the conversion to renewables been done seriously, no one would likely be talking today about a “crisis.” In any case, we can do it again. 2. Quit supporting military activities, the one single activity with the greatest production of greenhouse gases AND an inordinate consumption of petroleum products. Two hundred household automobiles could run for one year on the amount of gasoline required to send one B-17 from here to Iraq!!

Any more questions? We would be pleased to research the answers for you!

Questions from our Readers

Thanks to CCNR and Gordon Edwards


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Facing Off for Justice in a Militarized Zone

Dr. Donna Lougheed, psychiatrist speaking about Post Traumatic

Stress Disorder

Dr. John Cockburn, delivering medical care

in war and disaster zones

Dr. Helen Caldicott, author of

If you Love this Planet

Dr Jason Bailey, PGS board member

Dr. Sharon Baker, who presented at

the Darlington hearings

Dr. Cathy Vakil, co-author of a critique

on uranium mining

Dr. Art Wiebe, physician and organic farmer

Dr. Janet Christie-Seely,

former board member

Dr. Ian Fairlie, deconstructing nuclear power

Dr. Douglas Alton, founding member

of PGS

Dr. Rachel Thibeault, passionate about

reintegrating combatants

in war zones

Dr. Jeff Turnbull, President of

the CMA

Mr. Ed Lawrence, CBC gardening

columnist



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Help Dr. Jeannie Rosenberg! Nuclear bombs must be good for something?

Revenue Canada claims that PGS spends too much of its time and resources upon advocacy. The line between advocacy and education is virtually impossible to define

but one comment from our auditor drew this from Jeannie, a long time supporter and board member:

The Upside of Nuclear War By Jeannie RosenbergRevenue Canada has found fault with PGS as a charity, for espousing one point of view (the prevention of nuclear war) without giving a balanced view of both sides. To try to redress this balance, I am herewith setting forth, on behalf of PGS, the positive side of nuclear war.1) Nuclear war would solve the

population explosion. An all-out nuclear war, while it would not end all life on earth, would certainly annihilate our species and most other multi-celled organisms. Since there would be vastly increased ultraviolet radiation (once the atmospheric soot dissipated) as well as high levels of radiation, both of which are mutagenic, it might be interesting to see what new life-forms evolved. (It is a moot point whether something is interesting when there is no one there to be interested...)

2) Global warming would be eradicated. A limited war would bring global temperatures down to Little Ice Age levels; an all-out nuclear war would take us down to

temperatures far below the Ice Ages.* Perhaps we could have a limited war that would lower temperatures just enough to offset global warming! Of course this would involve massive famine and disruption of climate, but that would help solve problem 1), above.

3) Face it, we are all fascinated with a great big bang! Nuclear war would bring the fire cracker of all fire crackers to our back yards.

4) Nuclear weapons generate huge corporate profits. While they produce fewer jobs than any other industry, they rake in way more money, and that raises our GNP.

5) The country that is the biggest nuclear power in the world is our best friend, ally and neighbour, and they might feel hurt if we don’t play with them.

6) You can’t put the genie back in the bottle... We have nuclear technology, so we have to continue building nuclear bombs. Now that we have these wonderful objects that cost trillions of dollars – how can we restrain ourselves from using them?

7) The build-up to war would raise the status of the armed forces, and encourage young men and women to join up. In fact, Revenue Canada recognizes that “To provide air cadet training to youth as a means of promoting the efficiency of the armed forces”** qualifies for charitable status.

8) The only possible deterrent to nuclear bombs are more nuclear bombs. When everyone has one, we’ll all be safe. If nuclear bombs become illegal, only criminals will have them. (Oh dear, this is the National Rifle Association’s argument about guns.)

That’s all I can think of, off the top of my head. I would like to think it is enough to convince Revenue Canada that we do have a balanced view of nuclear war, but I doubt it.

* For an explanation of this phenomenon, see PGS website, http://pgs.ca. Click on Resources, then Presentations, then Nuclear Famine)

** See the Revenue Canada website, charitable status, under “Other Purposes Beneficial to the Community”)


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HELP US SPREAD THE WORD.

For information contact Andrea Levy [email protected], by phone at 613-233-1982or visit our website www.pgs.caVisit the CAPE website at www.cape.ca

www.pgs.ca

THETIMEISNOW.HEALING THE PLANET:

Creating a Sustainable and Peaceful FutureFriday evening, September 25 and Saturday, September 26 | 8:30 - 5:00

Jewish General Hospital, 3755 Cote Ste. Catherine Street, Montreal, QuebecNurses Lecture Hall and Pavilion A auditorium

RESETTING THE DOOMSDAY CLOCK:Pushing Back the Threats of Climate Crisis and Nuclear War!

Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada speaking followed by discussionFriday September 25th, 6:30 - 8:00 | Block Amphitheatre, JGH | Admission Free (Donations Welcome)

This program meets the accreditation criteria of The College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been accredited by the Quebec Chapter for up to 6.25 Mainpro-M1 credits

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:WARREN BELL, MD: Past Founding President of CAPE (Canadian Association of Physiciansfor the Environment) and past President of PGS (Physicians for Global Survival).GORDON EDWARDS PHD: President, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility; Professor,award-winning Educator“for demystifying nuclear technology”.THE HON. DOUGLAS ROCHE, O.C.: Author, parliamentarian and diplomat, who has specializedthroughout his 35-year public career in peace and human security issues. He lectureswidely on peace and nuclear disarmament themes.Conference will be in English only but text of presentations will be available in English and French

Daytime Admission: $120 for Physicians, $100 for PGS Physician members, $25 for all others;Students: pay what you can. This special event is sponsored by Physicians for Global Survival.To register or for more information contact Andrea Levy at [email protected], by phoneat 613-233-1982 or visit the PGS website at www.pgs.ca www.pgs.ca

Conflict Zones, Human Rights and Health Care | March 25-26, 2011 | OttawaSaint Paul University, 223 Main Street, Ottawa, Ontario

Friday, March 25, 7:00 - 8:30 pm | Uranium in the Environment panel featuring popular CBC gardening specialist Ed Lawrence followed by Wine and Cheese Reception, Admission $10; in the Amphitheatre

Saturday, March 26, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm | Conflict Zones, Human Rights, and Health Care featuringSpecial Guest Speaker CMA President Dr. Jeff Turnbull in the Amphitheatre

Saturday, March 26, 7:30 - 9:00 pm | Special Guest presentations by Ian Fairlie, PhD and Dr. Helen Caldicott; Admission $10; in the Auditorium

FACING OFFFORSOCIALJUSTICEI N A M I L I T A R I Z E D W O R L D

Global Health and Human Rights:

IT’S NO GAME.

www.pgs.ca

For information contact Andrea Levyat [email protected], by phone at 613-233-1982

or visit our website at www.pgs.ca

CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTSSaturday, March 27, 2010 | Ottawa Public Library | 9:30-4:30

Featuring Hiroshima Survivor and a recent recipient of Order of Canada, Setsuko Thurlow, on nuclear weapons and human rights.

Ardoch First Nation Co-Chief, Bob Lovelace, on “uranium in our backyards”.Conflict Zones, Human Rights and Health Care will be covered with speakers from

Doctors without Borders, Peace Brigades Canada and Mines Action Canada.

Practicing Physicians $120 | PGS Physician Members $100Retired Physicians, Health Care, Students, Public:

Pay what you can (to help PGS cover costs).This program meets the accreditation criteria of The College of Family Physicians of Canada

and has been accredited by the Ontario chapter for up to 5.5 Mainpro-M1 credits.

For information contact Andrea Levy [email protected], by phone at 613-233-1982

or visit our website www.pgs.caVisit the CAPE website at www.cape.ca

www.pgs.ca

HOT PLANET, COLD WAR: Prescriptions for a Healthy Planet in Troubled Times

Saturday, October 2, 2010 | 8:30 - 5:00Location, Speakers and details to come soon. Visit www.pgs.ca for updates.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Sea Sick: The Hidden Crisis in the Global OceanGlobal Effects of a Limited Nuclear War via Climate Change Model

Healthy Planet & Healthy PeopleLiving the Green Life

Now is the Time: Arctic Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Money is Green, Too

Canadian Department of Peace Initiative

THEHEAT ISON.

Gather with us at Quaker Meeting House, 91A Fourth Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario on Friday, August 6, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.Join us for lantern-making and song, followed by speakers and a procession to Brown’s Inlet to float the lanterns at dusk. Guest Speaker: The Honourable Flora MacDonald.

Check the PGS website www.pgs.ca for more information, or call (613) 233-1982. This eventis sponsored by Physicians for Global Survival with the participation of Ploughshares Ottawa,Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), World Without Wars and Without Violence and Lesbâtisseurs de Paix – students from schools in Gatineau, Quebec.

www.pgs.ca

www.pgs.ca

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Physicians for Global Survival (Canada) Médecins pour la ... · Dr. Catherine Vakil Turning Point is the newsletter of Physicians for Global Survival (Canada), a non-profit organization