The purpose of this paper is to urge you to include a plank in the Democratic Party Platform to close all nuclear power plants now, not to build any new ones, not to allocate money in bills for research for new nuclear technology, new kinds of "safer" nuclear power plants and to once and for all acknowledge that nuclear power is not clean, green, renewable. To exclude such a plank puts the Democratic Party on the side of the nuclear industry and against We the People. We absolutely do not need nuclear power to save the climate, now or ever. Not the old nuclear power plants nor new technology nuclear power plants. It is an oymoron to talk about how many renewables will be built while nuclear power plants are still up and running and adding more radioactive waste that will remain hazardous for hundreds of thousands, even millions of years. No nuclear power plants are ever safe. There is no way to prevent disasters from happening at any nuclear power plant. There is no way to fix these disasters once they do happen - think Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima. Another nuclear power catastrophe will surely happen. There is no way of knowing where or when. No one wants radioactive waste in their back or front yards. You must not, I know you do not want, to leave this legacy of leukemia and other cancers to our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and their children, more than seven generations out and into eternity.
After providing expert research on the dangers of nuclear power plants, I give information on six nuclear power plants that are on the brink of disaster now.
Nuclear Power Is a Moral, Public Health and Public Safety Issue, a Crime Against Humanity, All Living Creatures, and Our One and Only Home - Planet Earth, Because:
"There's a very clear association between increased child leukemias and proximity to NPPs," [nuclear power plants] Dr. Ian Fairlie warns us, 7/25/2014. "Childhood Leukemias Near Nuclear Power Stations: new article." His well known special interest is in radiation doses and risks coming from radioactive releases at npp's.
In "The Medical Implications of Fukushima," 9/25/2013 Dr. Helen Caldicott, internationally acclaimed pediatrician and founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, says "Children are 10 to 20 times more vulnerable to the carcinogenic effects of radiation than adults . Little girls are twice as sensitive as little boys and women are more sensitive than men. Fetuses are thousands of times more sensitive." Elsewhere, she calls nuclear power plants "cancer factories."
Radiation tragically affected plants, birds and butterflies very strongly in Chernobyl and Fukushima, [4:06-8:07 sum up], Dr. Timothy Mousseau, researcher and biology professor, has reported, 8/14/2014.
"A group of engineers within the U.S. nuclear power regulator is concerned that a design flaw in nearly all U.S. nuclear plants could endanger emergency core cooling systems . The group has urged the regulator to order power station operators to either fix the problem or face mandatory shutdowns." This article is posted on Reuters, 3/1/2016.
Radioactive waste is the most toxic poison made by humankind. Greenpeace says "Nuclear waste is produced at every stage of the nuclear fuel cycle from uranium mining and enrichment, to reactor operation and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. Much of this nuclear waste will remain hazardous for hundreds of thousands of years, leaving a poisonous legacy to future generations." Plutonium 239 remains hazardous for 240,000 years, Uranium 235 for 7.13 billion years.
Nuclear power has a big carbon footprint, radiation truth tells us. "People that claim nuclear power is carbon-neutral are considering only the direct emissions of the plant itself. In fact, it has the largest carbon footprint of any energy source other than fossil fuels". Monitoring of radioactive waste - Carbon pollution generated by monitoring and guarding the radwaste for eternity." Nuclear power has another footprint: "Mobile Chernobyl - Transporting nuclear waste to a central repository risks contamination along highways and rail lines, by accident or terrorists"."
On the other hand, James Hansen et al's. wrote an open letter to "policy influencers" about the crucial importance of using nuclear power to save the world from climate catastrophe. This link takes you to the letter and some responses to it.
Here are six nuclear power plant flashpoints that need immediate attention now. Will one of these nuclear power plants be the next one to go? Do you or people you love live near any of these plants?
Indian Point Energy Center, NY - Entergy Nuclear Operations
On 5/5/2016, in THE WATCHDOG, Hudson Riverkeeper Paul Gallway blog, "NRC officials finally admit: Indian Point is not safe as they told us"." "With this reversal, the NRC admits that their analysis was misleading, used erroneous data and was in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. -- Indian Point is on the Hudson River and is about 25 miles from New York City.
Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station, FL - Florida Power & Light Company "Turkey Point Nuclear Plant Is Pumping Polluted Water Into Biscayne Bay"saysan article in Miami New Times on 3/8/2016. -- results of a study into whether Turkey Point has been leaking dangerous wastewater into Biscayne Bay. County water monitors found more than 200 times the normal levels of tritium, a radioactive isotope linked to nuclear power production, in the bay water"."The plant is about 25 miles from Miami.
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