April 18, 2012 - Daily Helmsman -
Radioactive device found on campus - University of Memphis officials recently discovered a radioactive device inside of a Dumpster on campus. The device was discovered on April 5 and its radioactive nature was confirmed on April 9. A radioactive device was extracted from a scrap metal Dumpster in an alley between the Heating and Cooling Plant and the Meeman Journalism Building on April 12. Sharon Whitaker, who works inside Meeman, said she was alarmed when she looked out her window and saw men in HAZMAT suits inside the Dumpster. "I just kept thinking in my mind, ‘Something is not right,’" she said. "Whenever you put on a HAZMAT suit, it’s got to be something that has to do with your health." The radioactivity in the Dumpster was first detected on April 5 by monitors at Sims Metal Management, where a truck took the bin to dispose of the waste. The metal processing company routinely scans the contents of bins brought there to check for radioactive substances before admitting their contents into its facilities. Monitors initially detected radiation levels that were 35 percent above normal background radiation, also known as naturally-occurring radiation, in the bin brought from The University of Memphis. The truck carrying the Dumpster was scanned two additional times, producing slightly lower percentage results before the Dumpster was returned to its original location on campus that afternoon.
April 18, 2012 - Big Pond News - Radioactive fears on Pacific Highway - Workers upgrading the Pacific Highway near Port Macquarie vomit after unearthing suspected radioactive waste, says the project manager. The upgrade's project manager, Bob Higgins, said the workers became sick after unearthing a strange clay-like material near Port Macquarie. 'As we've taken down the cutting there we exposed the face of the existing material (and) came across a clay material that when it's exposed to air it gets an orange streak through it,' he told ABC Radio. 'There were a number of workers that felt a little bit of nausea and there was a bit of vomiting when they were in close proximity.' A truck carrying radioactive waste from Sydney's Lucas Heights nuclear reactor was involved in a crash on that stretch of highway in 1980. The truck was taking radioactive isotopes to Brisbane so the waste could be shipped to the United Stares. It was subsequently buried near the crash site.
April 18, 2012 - Wauchope Gazette - No radioactive material at Herons Creek: Initial investigation - Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) is continuing investigations into an area near the Herons Creek to Stills Road Pacific Highway project. Before Easter, five workers displayed symptoms of nausea, sore throat, dry mouth and vomiting. An RMS spokesperson said the workers were immediately sent to a doctor as a precaution. "All workers have now recovered from symptoms and have reported back to work," the spokesperson said. "RMS and its contractor BMD Contractors immediately implemented an exclusion zone around the area where the workers were affected until further investigations could be carried out. "No determination has yet been made about the potential source of the suspected contamination but initial investigations have shown there is no radioactive material at the site. "RMS takes the safety of all workers extremely seriously and their health is our first priority." Tests should be able to confirm if there is a chemical present, what it is and how to remove it so work can restart safely. Another 13 workers were also tested but did not show any symptoms.
April 18, 2012 - ChannelOnlineTV - Jersey radon survey ends - Jersey's three month long Radon survey is about to end, and Islanders who were issued with a pair of radon detectors in January are being reminded that it is now time to return them so they can be analysed. The survey followed calls from an islander who feared his father's death in July last year was caused by a build-up of the harmful gas in his house. The radon survey was undertaken in conjunction with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the States of Jersey. High-risk areas were identified in Jersey and Guernsey and home owners were approached about installing detectors this January. Mike Arnold, head of the Environmental Health department said: "The detectors were sent out by the HPA early in January to be placed in homes for a three month period." The HPA are reminding participants that the detectors should be returned to them after 14th April. "Results should be available within a couple of months, and will be sent to householders and shared with the States of Jersey. If action is required to reduce exposure to radon, affected householders will be advised at that time."
April 18, 2012 - Times of India - Smartphones to carry radiation tag from September - The new and stringent radiation emission rules for mobile phones and towers, which will for the first time stipulate emission levels for handsets sold in India and make it compulsory for these levels to be displayed on phones and retail outlets, will come into effect from September 1, 2012, telecom department officials said. All handset makers, mobile phone companies and tower cos will be informed of the deadline before April-end, the telecom department ( DoT) officials quoted above added. ET had first reported in November 2011 that the government had finalised radiation emission norms for cellphones and towers. Radiation emitted by cellphones varies from instrument to instrument and is measured in terms of specific absorption rate (SAR) - the amount of radio waves absorbed by the body tissue when a phone is in use. The new rules state that cellphones can be imported and sold in India only if the SAR level is below 1.6 watts per kg (W/kg). So far, India had unofficially followed European norms, which state that the maximum SAR level must not exceed 2 W/kg. According to the industry body representing handset makers, nearly 650 models of low-end Chinese handsets don't comply with the new emission standards and will have to be redesigned.
April 18, 2012 - Augusta Chronicle - Savannah River Site cancer compensation briefing draws hopeful crowd - Former Savannah River Site workers and their survivors attended a meeting Tuesday on new compensation opportunities for cancers linked to jobs at the site. The new category will make about 800 rejected claims eligible for reconsideration. The program has already paid out $502 million to more than 3,800 SRS workers diagnosed with one or more of 22 cancers related to radiation exposure, said Rachel Leiton, the director of the U.S. Labor Department’s Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation. However, a new category for former SRS workers employed for at least 250 days between Jan. 1, 1953, and Sept. 30, 1972, will make about 800 previously rejected claims eligible for reconsideration for lump-sum payments of $150,000 or benefit combinations worth even more.