On December 21st 2006 the Inspectorate was notified by te Customs Office at Rotterdam Maasvlakte that they had a radiation alarm of their portal detector. Using handheld survey equipment an enhanced radiation level at the surface of a 20 ft container of 1.5 microSieverts per hour could be determined. The container identification number is FCIU 260145-9. The container was unloaded by the VROM-Inspectorate South-West Unit. The container was completely filled with several types of bags, most of them ladies handbags. An enchanced radiation level at the surface of 44 of these handbags of at most 35 microsieverts per hour was measured, due to the presence of cobalt-60. Several handbags were further examined by a specialised firm. The cobalt-60 was incorporated in the buckle of the shoulder strap of the handbags. The activity was calculated to be at least 38 kBq per handbag. The total activity of the cobalt-60 was calculated to be at least 1.6 MBq. The handbags were manufactured in India. The buckles with the cobalt-60 contamination were supplied by K.S. International, Kolkata, India, in a total amount of 141 pieces. The 44 buckles with cobalt-60 will be transported to COVRA, the radioactive waste facility in the Netherlands.
An analysis by the Norwegian NGO Bellona of transborder trade operations with the customs code 840130 (irradiated fuel assemblies or fuel elements) show a more than twofold increase of import to EU countries of fresh nuclear fuel in cash terms – from 280 million Euros in 2022 to 686 million Euros in 2023. In physical […]
The French government has said it is "seriously" studying the option of building a plant to convert and enrich reprocessed uranium to cut its reliance on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. The only plant in the world that currently converts reprocessed uranium for use in nuclear power plants is in Russia. "The option of […]
Jan vd Putte quickly changed from dressing as the pied piper at the protest during the IAEA nuclear power conference to warn for the Russian nuclear power conglomerate Rosatom and its role in Ukraine.
Anke Herold, Executive Director Oeko-Institut, Freiburg (Germany), in Brussels about the claim to triple nuclear by 2050: IPCC scenarios vs forecast development of nuclear.
