Latest news with #nucleardisaster
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
What are the nuclear contamination risks from Israel's attacks on Iran?
Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities in its military campaign, but that it also wants to avoid any nuclear disaster in a region that is home to tens of millions of people and produces much of the world's oil. Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on Thursday when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr on the Gulf coast – home to Iran's only nuclear power station – only to later say the announcement was a mistake. Below are details on the damage caused so far by Israel's attacks, and what experts are saying about the risks of contamination and other disasters. What has Israel hit so far? Israel has announced attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. Israel says it aims to stop Iran building an atom bomb. Iran denies ever seeking one. The international nuclear watchdog IAEA has reported damage to the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, to the nuclear complex at Isfahan, including the Uranium Conversion Facility, and to centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran. A satellite image shows the damaged Arak heavy water reactor facilities in Iran on Thursday. Image: Maxar Technologies via Reuters Israel said on Wednesday it had targeted Arak, also known as Khondab, the location of a partially built heavy-water research reactor, a type that can easily produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb.
Reuters
a day ago
- Politics
- Reuters
What are the nuclear contamination risks from Israel's attacks on Iran?
June 19 (Reuters) - Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities in its military campaign, but that it also wants to avoid any nuclear disaster in a region that is home to tens of millions of people and produces much of the world's oil. Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on Thursday when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr on the Gulf coast - home to Iran's only nuclear power station - only to later say the announcement was a mistake. Below are details on the damage caused so far by Israel's attacks, and what experts are saying about the risks of contamination and other disasters. Israel has announced attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. Israel says it aims to stop Iran building an atom bomb. Iran denies ever seeking one. The international nuclear watchdog IAEA has reported damage to the uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, to the nuclear complex at Isfahan, including the Uranium Conversion Facility, and to centrifuge production facilities in Karaj and Tehran. Israel said on Wednesday it had targeted Arak, also known as Khondab, the location of a partially built heavy-water research reactor, a type that can easily produce plutonium which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. The IAEA said it had information that the Khondab heavy water research reactor had been hit, but that it was not operational and reported no radiological effects. Peter Bryant, a professor at the University of Liverpool in England who specialises in radiation protection science and nuclear energy policy, said he is not too concerned about fallout risks from the strikes so far. He noted that the Arak site was not operational while the Natanz facility was underground and no release of radiation was reported. "The issue is controlling what has happened inside that facility, but nuclear facilities are designed for that," he said. "Uranium is only dangerous if it gets physically inhaled or ingested or gets into the body at low enrichments," he said. Darya Dolzikova, a senior research fellow at London think tank RUSI, said attacks on facilities at the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle - the stages where uranium is prepared for use in a reactor - pose primarily chemical, not radiological risks. At enrichment facilities, UF6, or uranium hexafluoride, is the concern. "When UF6 interacts with water vapour in the air, it produces harmful chemicals," she said. The extent to which any material is dispersed would depend on factors including weather conditions, she added. "In low winds, much of the material can be expected to settle in the vicinity of the facility; in high winds, the material will travel farther, but is also likely to disperse more widely." The risk of dispersal is lower for underground facilities. The major concern would be a strike on Iran's nuclear reactor at Bushehr. Richard Wakeford, Honorary Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Manchester, said that while contamination from attacks on enrichment facilities would be "mainly a chemical problem" for the surrounding areas, extensive damage to large power reactors "is a different story". Radioactive elements would be released either through a plume of volatile materials or into the sea, he added. James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said an attack on Bushehr "could cause an absolute radiological catastrophe", but that attacks on enrichment facilities were "unlikely to cause significant off-site consequences". Before uranium goes into a nuclear reactor it is barely radioactive, he said. "The chemical form uranium hexafluoride is toxic ... but it actually doesn't tend to travel large distances and it's barely radioactive. So far the radiological consequences of Israel's attacks have been virtually nil," he added, while stating his opposition to Israel's campaign. For Gulf states, the impact of any strike on Bushehr would be worsened by the potential contamination of Gulf waters, jeopardizing a critical source of desalinated potable water. In the UAE, desalinated water accounts for more than 80% of drinking water, while Bahrain became fully reliant on desalinated water in 2016, with 100% of groundwater reserved for contingency plans, according to authorities. Qatar is 100% dependent on desalinated water. In Saudi Arabia, a much larger nation with a greater reserve of natural groundwater, about 50% of the water supply came from desalinated water as of 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics. While some Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates have access to more than one sea to draw water from, countries like Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait are crowded along the shoreline of the Gulf with no other coastline. "If a natural disaster, oil spill, or even a targeted attack were to disrupt a desalination plant, hundreds of thousands could lose access to freshwater almost instantly," said Nidal Hilal, Professor of Engineering and Director of New York University Abu Dhabi's Water Research Center. "Coastal desalination plants are especially vulnerable to regional hazards like oil spills and potential nuclear contamination," he said.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Pregnant woman's nuclear-inspired baby name sparks meltdown on social media
A woman is sparking debate by sharing the baby name of an expectant mother inspired by a nuclear disaster. Posted in the "r/tragedeigh" forum on Reddit, a user shared a photo of a baby shower invite, captioning the post "I'm speechless." "Please join us for a baby shower," reads the pink invite, showing clip art of balloons, a star, moon, and an elephant. "Join us to celebrate the upcoming arrival of a little bundle of joy! In honor of: Chernobyl Hope," the invite reveals. The name reflects the deadly 1986 Ukraine nuclear accident that took place at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Ukraine was under the control of the communist Soviet Union at the time, and the disaster took place at a plant built by the Soviets. Ukraine declared its independence in 1991. The Chernobyl tragedy released radioactive material into the atmosphere, making the city an exclusion zone, killing an estimated 31 people. The mom-to-be's post garnered over thirty-two thousand reactions with thousands of Redditors taking to the comment section to discuss. "If I were a guest at that shower and heard that name I'd have a total meltdown," commented a user. One person wrote, "I actually cackled when I saw they combined 'Hope' with this." "I refuse to believe this is real lol," said one user. A user commented, "are all friends invited, or is this just for nuclear family." "I don't want to believe this is real, but if it is, could you PLEASE come back here and update us on how the baby shower went (please go)? You know everyone in that room is going to be super uncomfortable, waiting for the one brave person to bust wide open and just ask the question," asked a user. "Im sure everyone at the celebration will be radiant," joked a user. "I worked with a lady named Chernobyl. She went by Che," claimed one user. One person asked, "What in the end of the world." "This has to be fake. There's no way this is real," said another user. Olivia and Liam were America's most popular baby names in 2024, according to the Social Security Administration. Noah, Oliver, Theodore, and James rounded out the top five boy names. For girls, Emma, Amelia, Charlotte, and Mia were the most popular.
South China Morning Post
01-06-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Can Japan find a new home for contaminated Fukushima soil?
To reduce radiation across Japan 's northern Fukushima region after the 2011 nuclear disaster, authorities scraped a layer of contaminated soil from swathes of land. Now, as young farmers seek to bring life back to the region once known for its delicious fruit, authorities are deliberating what to do with the mass of removed soil – enough to fill more than 10 baseball stadiums. On March 11, 2011, Japan's strongest earthquake on record triggered a huge tsunami that hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant , causing a devastating meltdown. Topsoil was collected as part of large-scale decontamination efforts that also included blasting buildings and roads with high-pressure jets of water. Almost all areas of Fukushima have gradually been declared safe, but many evacuees have been reluctant to return because they remain worried about radiation, or have fully resettled elsewhere. Fukushima has, however, welcomed new residents such as 25-year-old kiwi farmer Takuya Haraguchi.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Recycling contaminated soil from Fukushima: Japan's dilemma
To reduce radiation across Japan's northern Fukushima region after the 2011 nuclear disaster, authorities scraped a layer of contaminated soil from swathes of land. Now, as young farmers seek to bring life back to the region once known for its delicious fruit, authorities are deliberating what to do with the mass of removed soil -- enough to fill more than 10 baseball stadiums. Here are some key things to know: - Why was the soil removed? - On March 11, 2011, Japan's strongest earthquake on record triggered a huge tsunami that hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, causing a devastating meltdown. Topsoil was collected as part of large-scale decontamination efforts that also included blasting buildings and roads with high-pressure jets of water. Almost all areas of Fukushima have gradually been declared safe, but many evacuees have been reluctant to return because they remain worried about radiation, or have fully resettled elsewhere. Fukushima has, however, welcomed new residents such as 25-year-old kiwi farmer Takuya Haraguchi. "I want people to become interested in and learn about what Fukushima is really like these days," he told AFP. - Where is the soil being stored? - A vast quantity of soil -- 14 million cubic metres -- is being stored at interim storage facilities near the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The government has promised residents of Fukushima region that it will find permanent storage for the soil elsewhere in the country by 2045. For now, the huge mounds are kept inside guarded grounds, protected by layers of clean soil and a manmade sheet to prevent runoff into the environment. - What will Japan do with it? - The government wants to use the soil for building road and railway embankments among other projects. It has vowed to do this outside Fukushima to avoid further burdening the region, where the crippled nuclear plant generated electricity not for local residents, but for Tokyo and its surrounding urban areas. So far few takers have been found in other parts of Japan, and some local officials suggest that realistically, a portion of the soil may need to stay in Fukushima. The prime minister's office recently said it would symbolically recycle some of the soil to show it is safe, with reports saying it will be used in flower beds. - How safe is the soil? - Around 75 percent of the stored soil has a radioactivity level equivalent to or less than one X-ray per year for people who directly stand on or work with it, according to the environment ministry. Asphalt, farm soil or layers of other materials should be used to seal in the radioactivity, said Akira Asakawa, a ministry official working on the Fukushima soil project. In a test, the government has constructed roads and fields in Fukushima by using the contaminated soil as filling material. Those locations did not show elevated levels of radioactivity, and there was no runoff of radioactive material to surrounding areas, Asakawa said. - What pushback has there been? - In 2022, local communities reacted angrily to plans floated by the national government to bring the Fukushima soil to a popular park in Tokyo and other areas near the capital. That plan has not moved forward and other locations have not yet been secured, despite public sympathy for the people of Fukushima. The environment ministry says it will step up efforts to explain the safety of its plan to the public from this year. hih/kaf/dan/rsc Sign in to access your portfolio
