The Refurbishment of Gentilly-2: A Bad Decision for Human He

[Oscar]

Media Release
The Refurbishment of Gentilly-2: A Bad Decision for Human Health

Thursday, August 21, 2008 For immediate release

Montreal, August 21, 2008. Three non-governmental organizations today deplored the decision of Hydro Quebec to spend two billion dollars to refurbish an aging nuclear reactor at Bécancour.

“This decision guarantees that the air and water will continue to be polluted with radioactive poisons for decades to come, and that the stockpile of long-lived radioactive wastes sitting by the banks of the St. Lawrence River will continue to accumulate, posing a threat to future generations of Quebeckers,” said Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility. “It is a bad decision, and it should be reversed.”

“According to Hydro-Quebec documents, the Gentilly-2 nuclear reactor releases radioactive poisons into the environment routinely: 49 different varieties go into the atmosphere, and 42 other varieties go into the water,” said Marcel Jetté, president of the Regroupement des travailleurs victimes du nucléaire. “Even the storage area at Gentilly-2, where the radioactive wastes are kept, releases 8 different kinds of radioactive poisons into the environment all the time.”

One of the radioactive materials released from the Gentilly-2 reactor is tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen. It is released into the air in the form of radioactive water vapour, and into the river in the form of radioactive water. When breathed into the lungs, 100 percent of the tritium is absorbed into the body. About half as much again is absorbed directly through the skin. Once inside the body, tritium can cause cancer and genetic damage to DNA molecules; in pregnant women, the tritium is absorbed readily by the developing fetus.

Each year, the Gentilly-2 reactor emits more than 100 trillion becquerels of tritium into the atmosphere, and an even greater amount into the water. (A “becquerel” is a unit of radioactivity: one becquerel indicates what one radioactive disintegration is taking place every second.)

“These figures show that nuclear power is not a clean form of energy,” said André Belisle, president of l’Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA). “In its 2006 report, the BAPE reported that the routine releases of tritium are so great that the radioactivity in the drinking water in nearby communities would be illegal if California drinking water standards were used.”

In Canada, drinking water is allowed to have up to 7,000 becquerels of tritium; in California, no more than 15 becquerels per litre is allowed. In 1993, an independent scientific advisory board asked that the permissible level of tritium in Ontario’s drinking water be reduced to 20 becquerels per litre. Recently, Toronto City Council passed a resolution asking that the more stringent standard be adopted, but so far it hasn’t happened. What about the other 48 radioactive substances that are given off routinely by Gentilly-2? Only one of them is singled out for special attention: iodine-131. Radioactive iodine concentrates in milk and in the thyroid glands of adults and children. It can cause cancer and a host of other developmental problems in children, from stunted growth and mental retardation to other ailments.

Hydro-Quebec has issued a supply of “iodine tablets” to people living around the Gentilly-2 reactor, to be taken in case there is a sudden increase in the release of radioactive iodine. The non-radioactive iodine in the pills will go to the thyroid gland and prevent the uptake of very much
radioactive iodine.

But there is no protection against the other 48 radioactive poisons that are released into the atmosphere, not for the other 42 radioactive materials that go into the drinking water.

“Quebeckers do not need nuclear power,” said André Belisle. “Why should we be adding radioactive poisons to the air we breathe? Quebec has had a moratorium against any new reactors since 1978, but now Hydro-Quebec wants to cheat by building a new reactor inside the shell of the old reactor. This should not be allowed.”

The three organizations are calling on Prime Minister Charest to enforce the existing moratorium and safeguard the environment of Quebec against further radioactive contamination by saying “no” to the proposed refurbishment. The two billion dollars would be much better spent on energy efficiency programs throughout the province, which will save far more energy than the Gentilly-2 reactor will ever be able to produce.
- 30 - For more information, please contact :

Gordon Edwards, Ph.D., president of CCNR,
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
bureau : (514) 489 5118 cellulaire : (514) 839 7214

André Belisle, president of l'AQLPA
l’Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique
bureau : 418-642-1322 cellulaire : 418-386-6992

Marce Jetté, president of RTVN
Le Regroupement des travailleurs victimes du nucléaire
819-376-8785

According to Hydro-Québec, here are some radioactive substances given off into the environment by Gentilly-2 on a regular basis:
Note: the "m" indicates a "metastable" isotope -- that's an isotope that disintegrates by giving off a gamma ray without any accompanying alpha ray or beta ray.

A "radionuclide" is a particular type of radioactive atom.
An "isotope" is a different variety of the same chemical element; differentisotopes have the same chemical properties but different nuclear properties such as radioactive characteristics.

Gordon Edwards, Ph.D., President,
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility

List of radionuclides by source of emission

http://www.hydroquebec.com/gentilly-2/p ... ues/2b.pdf

Gentilly-2 Nuclear Generating Station -- emissions into the air 49 radionuclides:

3H (tritium = hydrogen-3 = radioactive hydrogen),
14C (carbon-14), 60Co (cobalt-60),
85Kr(m), 85Kr, 87Kr, 88Kr (4 isotopes of krypton gas),
88Rb, 89Rb (2 isotopes of rubidium),
89Sr, 90Sr, 91Sr, 92Sr (4 isotopes of strontium),
95Zr, 97Zr (2 isotopes of zirconium),
95Nb, 97Nb (2 isotopes of niobium),
103Ru, 106Ru (2 isotopes of ruthenium),
110Ag, 111Ag (2 isotopes of radioactive silver) ,
124Sb, 125Sb (2 isotopes of antimony),
130I, 131I, 132I, 133I, 134I, 135I (6 isotopes of iodine),
131Xe, 133Xe, 133Xe(m), 135Xe, 135Xe(m), 138Xe (6 isotopes of xenon gas),
134Cs, 136Cs, 138Cs (3 isotopes of cesium),
140Ba (barium-140),
140La, 141La, 142La (3 isotopes of lanthanum),
141Ce, 143Ce, 144Ce (3 isotopes of cerium),
239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu (3 isotopes of plutonium),
241Am (americium-241)

Gentilly-2 Nuclear Generating Station -- emissions into the water 42 radionuclides:

3H (tritium = hydrogen-3 = radioactive hydrogen),
14C (carbon-14), 51Cr (chromium-51),
54Mn (managnese-54), 59Fe (iron-59),
60Co (cobalt-60), 65Zn (zinc-65),
86Rb (rubidium-86), 89Sr, 90Sr (2 isotopes of strontium),
95Zr (zirconium-95), 95Nb (niobium-95),
99Mo (molybdenum-99),
103Ru,106Ru (2 isotopes of ruthenium),
110Ag, 111Ag (2 isotopes of silver),
124Sb, 125Sb (2 isotopes of antimony), 131I (iodine-131),
134Cs, 136Cs, 137Cs (3 isotopes of cesium),
140Ba (baryum-140), 140La (lanthanum-140),
141Ce, 143Ce, 144Ce (3 isotopes of cerium),
154Eu, 155Eu, 156Eu (3 isotopes of europium),
234U, 235U, 238U (3 isotopes of uranium),
238Pu, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu (4 isotopes of plutonium),
241Am, 243Am (2 isotopes of americium),
242Cm, 244Cm (2 isotopes of curium)

G-2 external storage area for radioactive wastes -- emissions 8 radionuclides :

3H (tritium = hydrogen-3 = radioactive hydrogen),
14C (carbon-14), 54Mn (manganese-54),
60Co (cobalt-60), 95Zr (zirconium-95),
95Nb (niobium-95), 124Sb (antimony-124),
181Hf (hafnium-181)

Gentilly-2 Nuclear Generating Station: data on some routine radioactive emissions as identified by H-Q.
[ext = external risk; int = internal risk]

SYMBOL NAME HALF-LIFE RAYS ORGANS RISK

3H tritium (hydrogen-3) 13 years beta whole body, DNA, fetus int
14C carbon-14 5 750 years beta whole body int
51Cr chromium-51 28 days beta, gamma, x intestine, kidney int
54Mn manganese-54 10 months beta, gamma, x bone, whole body int
59Fe iron-59 45 days beta & gamma intestine, spleen int
60Co cobalt-60 5.4 years beta & gamma whole body Int
65Zn zinc-65 144 days beta & gamma whole body int
85Kr(m) krypton-85m 4.4 hours beta & gamma whole body ext
85Kr krypton-85 11 years beta & gamma whole body ext
87Kr krypton-87 76 minutes beta & gamma whole body ext
88Kr krypton-88 2.8 hours beta & gamma whole body ext
86Rb rubidium-86 19 days beta & gamma bone, lung, kidney ext
88Rb rubidium-88 18 minutes beta & gamma bone, lung, kidney ext
89Rb rubidium-89 15 minutes beta & gamma bone, lung, kidney ext
89Sr strontium-89 51 days beta bone, milk, teeth int
90Sr strontium-90 29 years beta bone, milk, teeth int
91Sr strontium-91 9.6 hours beta & gamma bone, milk, teeth ext
92Sr strontium-92 2.7 hours beta & gamma bone, milk, teeth ext
95Zr zirconium-95 64 days beta & gamma liver int
97Zr zirconium-97 17 hours beta & gamma liver ext
95Nb niobium-95 35 jours beta & gamma bone, lung int
97Nb niobium-97 1.2 hours beta & gamma bone, lung ext
99Mo molybdenum-99 2.8 days beta & gamma all organs ext
103Ru ruthenium-103 39 days beta & gamma blood, liver, musc. int
106Ru ruthenium-106 1 year beta & gamma blood, liver, musc. int
110Ag silver-110 25 seconds beta & gamma pancreas, heart ext
111Ag silver-111 7.5 days beta & gamma pancreas, heart ext
124Sb antimony-124 50 days beta & gamma gastrointestinal ext
125Sb antimony-125 2.8 years beta & gamma gastrointestinal ext
130I iodine-130 12 hours beta & gamma thyroid ext
131I iodine-131 8 days beta & gamma thyroid, body ext
132I iodine-132 2.3 hours beta & gamma thyroid ext
133I iodine-133 21 hours beta & gamma thyroid ext
134I iodine-134 53 minutes beta & gamma thyroid ext
135I iodine-135 6.6 hours beta & gamma thyroid ext
131Xe xenon-131 stable none none
133Xe(m) xenon-133m 2 days gamma whole body ext
133Xe xenon-133 5 days beta & gamma whole body ext
135Xe(m) xenon-135m 15 minutes gamma whole body ext
135Xe xenon-135 9 hours beta & gamma whole body ext
138Xe xenon-138 14 minutes beta & gamma whole body ext
134Cs cesium-134 2 years beta & gamma muscle int
136Cs cesium-136 13 days beta & gamma muscle ext
137Cs cesium-137 30 years beta & gamma muscle int
138Cs cesium-138 33 minutes beta & gamma muscle ext
140Ba barium-140 13 days beta & gamma bone int
140La lanthanum-140 1.7 days beta & gamma liver, spleen, fetus int
141La lanthanum-141 3.9 hours beta & gamma liver, spleen, fetus ext
142La lanthanum-142 1.5 hours beta & gamma liver, spleen, fetus ext
141Ce cerium-141 31.5 days beta & gamma liver, spleen, fetus int
143Ce cerium-143 1.4 days beta & gamma liver, spleen, fetus ext
144Ce cerium-144 285 days beta & gamma liver, spleen, fetus int
154Eu europium-154 8.6 years beta & gamma bone ext
155Eu europium-155 4.8 years beta & gamma bone ext
156Eu europium-156 15 days beta & gamma bone ext
181Hf hafnium-181 42 days beta & gamma bone ext
234U uranium-234 250 000 yrs alpha lung, kidney int
235U uranium-235 700 million yr alpha lung, kidney int
238U uranium-238 4.5 billion yrs alpha lung, kidney int
238Pu plutonium-238 88 years alpha bone, lung int
239Pu plutonium-239 24 400 yrs alpha bone, lung int
240Pu plutonium-240 6 567 years alpha bone, lung int
241Pu plutonium-241 14 years beta bone, lung int
241Am americium-241 433 years alpha bone, lung, kidney int
242Am americium-242 16 hours beta bone, lung, kidney int
242Cm curium-242 163 days alpha bone, lung, kidney int
244Cm curium-244 18 years alpha bone, lung, kidney int

Predominant contributors to radiation dose through ingestion:
Sr-90, I-131, Cs-134, Cs-137, Ru-103, Ru-106, Pu-238, Pu-239, and Am-241

[Oscar]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gordon Edwards" <ccnr@web.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 1:30 PM
Subject: letter to be published in Montreal Gazette

This week’s decision by Hydro Quebec to spend two billion dollars to repair the badly degraded nuclear power plant at Bécancour is a poor decision for Quebec. It is a waste of precious capital to invest in a dead-end technology; Quebec has had a moratorium on new nuclear reactors since 1978.

A coalition of over 50 groups has written to Premier Charest asking that the plant be retired and the money invested in community-based energy conservation programs instead.

These groups refuse to accept the Gentilly-2 decision as final. They demand that the Premier respect the BAPE’s advice: that any decision on nuclear power in Quebec should be based on a wide-ranging form of public consultation.

In 2006, the Bureau des audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) reported that levels of radioactive contamination in the drinking water of some communities near the Quebec reactor would be illegal if California standards were used. Canadian standards for radioactive drinking water are 467 times more
permissive than California standards.

The BAPE recommended that refurbishment not be allowed until Hydro-Quebec and the Quebec government have elaborated a policy (including funding) for dealing with the large volumes of highly radioactive waste produced by the refurbishment operation.

This has not been done.

If the two billion dollars needed to refurbish the geriatric Gentilly-2 reactor were invested in community-based projects of energy efficiency throughout Quebec, it would create a LOT more jobs and would save FAR more energy than that reactor will ever produce.

Gordon Edwards, Ph.D., President,
Canadian Coalition fro Nuclear Responsibility,
53 Dufferin Road, Hampstead QC, H3X 2X8
(514) 489 2665 (home)
(514) 839 7214 (cell)

[Oscar]

Nuclear Worries

from CJAD Radio, Montreal
http://www.cjad.com/news/565/774174
Tue, 2008-08-19 17:07. Kathy Coulombe

The Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility is calling for public hearings on whether or not Quebec should continue spending billions of dollars to maintain a nuclear power plant; considering it's our grandchildren who'll be dealing with the waste.

Hydro-Quebec announced today that it'll be spending nearly 2 billion dollars to extend the life of the Gentilly-2 nuclear power plant in Becancour, near Trois-Rivieres.

But the Coalition's Gordon Edwards notes no plans have been made to deal with the radioactive waste, which is stored near St-Lawrence river, raising the spectre of radioactive contamination of the vital waterway/ecosystem.

Hydro-Quebec describes Gentilly-2 as a reliable and clean source of energy which helps stabilize Quebec's power grid.

But Edwards points out the province doesn't need the power plant's electrical output since Quebec's electrical surplus exceeds Gentilly's production.

He also expects cost overruns on the 2-billion dollar refurbishment project, saying nuclear-plant refits in Ontario have cost up to 5 times the original estimates.

[Oscar]

Date: August 20th, 2008
From: Ace Hoffman, Carlsbad, CA

Regarding the "news" item below, they should of course, call themselves "World Pro-Nuclear News." To them, Hydro-Quebec's conclusion that Gentilly 2 can be operated safely for a few more decades is simply assumed to be correct. In their view, problems such as excessive tritium releases, the possibilities of meltdowns due to terrorism, human error, or natural catastrophes, etc. can all be ignored (as they have been for years).

When Gentilly 2 was originally proposed, probably few Canadians thought the used reactor's deadly components would have to be stored next to the operating reactor. Surely, a better solution than that was promised.

The money for decommissioning will accrue much more slowly than the added cost of having to handle MORE waste if the refurbishment goes through.

The proposed intermediate storage system, SRWMFs, are undoubtedly untested for any extended period or against realistic scenarios (such as, against a terrorist's jetliner).

Probably, like here in California, the decision to refurbish rather than build a whole new reactor was made because a new reactor would require significant public participation in the form of environmental hearings at numerous agency levels (even if most of these agencies will speciously claim they have absolutely no jurisdiction over "safety" or "radiation" issues, making their "participation" a mockery).

Instead, owners of old operating reactors choose again and again to try to keep the old reactors running. This requires replacing numerous parts which were, in fact, all designed to last about the same length of time -- time that has run out.

But even immediately after the "refurbishment" old pumps, pipes, valves, vessels, control cables, monitoring equipment, and other parts will continue to be replaced only when they fail, and not before. That's the way these things always go. "Aging" is probably what caused the fire and shutdown of one of the two Diablo Canyon reactors a few days ago, after a transformer, probably decades-old and one of hundreds, caught fire in the switchyard. Age may be a factor in today's crash of a 15-year old, heavily-used Boeing MD-82 in Madrid, Spain, which killed about 150 people. At least it wasn't a nuclear reactor. At least it didn't crash INTO a nuclear reactor!

Don't expect reliable power from nuclear reactors -- especially old reactors -- even though the utilities call them "baseline." It's a very precarious baseline, and their calculations for how profitable it will be for their shareholders requires not having any serious accidents or extended shutdowns.

Nuclear power is iffy, at best. But they don't care; they're "indemnified" -- not liable for criminal prosecution, no matter what they do, even if it's intentional. It's part of the "enclave" of special laws that surround each and every nuclear power plant.

We have ended up with the worst of all possible worlds -- old, dilapidated reactors that are kept running despite their enormous environmental problems, because the utilities do not expect to be able to shut down one reactor and build a new one in its place without a fight.

Thus, the status quo kills again.

Sincerely,

Ace

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