Scientists contain radiation in Chernobyl, Ukraine, with a newly built shield. Engineers working at the site of the famous nuclear reactor failure 30 years ago are close to finishing a new protective shelter to house the reactor and protect the surrounding area from more radiation. The radiation shield is to be the largest movable structure ever built, weighing 30,000 tons and standing the size of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. It is to replace the previous radiation shelter, which was hastily built by Soviet engineers right after the meltdown and only supposed to last 20 years. Full Article
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Health consequences of Fukushima reexamined
During her appearance on the Today Show, Geraldine Thomas, head of the Chernobyl Tissue Bank at Imperial College, London, explained that the scientific community drastically overestimated the real health consequences of the nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi, Japan. Five years after the disaster made headlines around the world, data from the affected areas is coming in, showing the radiation experienced was far smaller than previously calculated. While many compared the accident to an atomic weapon blast, 95% of the population received a mere 1 millisievert of gamma radiation – comparable to a tenth of an average CT scan. Thomas went
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S. Korean firm under probe for neglecting radiation safety
A local South Korean radiographic inspection firm was got punished for violating a law on nuclear safety. An employee at the firm’s subcontractors was exposed to radiation while he was conducting a radiation test alone and without carrying a radiation measuring instrument. The firm covered it up and did not report to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission immediately. Full Article
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Uzbekistan to create radiation safety center
The Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences was abolished in Uzbekistan and the Radiation Safety Center will be created. It will deactivate the nuclear reactor of the Nuclear Physics Institute as well as to ensure the proper storage, disposal and liquidation of storage facilities for radioactive materials on the country’s territory. Full Article
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Government Admits Cell Phones Cause Cancer
According to a report conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), cellphones increased the risk of two types of tumors: gliomas and schwannomas. The findings show that the non-ionizing radiation can cause these tumors. The government made an admission of the findings. Full Article
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Former McDonnell Douglas workers, residents file suit over radiation exposure
Representing about 250 plaintiffs who lived and worked near airport waste site, Coldwater Creek, and another storage site in Hazelwood, the lawsuit was filed in 2012 to over radiation exposure. Three former aircraft workers and seven north St. Louis County residents hope to join this case. Full Article
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Health experts want doctors to consider CT scan radiation risks
To ensure that patients are not unnecessarily exposed to ionizing radiation and that diagnostic medical radiation use is justified or appropriate for every patient, Royal Perth Hospital and University of WA radiation experts Richard Fox and Richard Mendelson developed RaysAware. Full Article
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Chernobyl Disaster Radiation Exposure in Russia Mostly at Safe Levels
According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, the exposure levels of the living areas affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster have dropped substantially. Full Article
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Radiation exposure increases risk of health problems for medical staff
Health care workers, such as cardiologists, electrophysiologists, and cath lab workers are at greater risk for orthopedic problems, cataracts, skin lesions and cancers. Full Article
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Safety campaign reduces medical radiation risks in Africa
While protecting patients from radiation risks can be a challenge in many parts of Africa, in 2015, the Pan African Congress of Radiology and Imaging launched a campaign called AFROSAFE to ensure all radiation-based medical procedures are necessary and performed safely in Africa. Full Article
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