U.S. government to allow radioactive waste metals to be 'recycled' into consumers products like be

reply to post by SloAnPainful

I'm calling BS on this one guys. The idea that refineries or scrap yards (who ship to refineries) would ever allow any radioactively contaminated (scrap) metal into their yards is preposterous. I know because I have extensive experience with both. Anybody else who collects scrap metal and delivers it knows there are radiation detectors at every scale in every yard across the nation. To allow contaminated metal from some poor saps truck load of dumpster dive medical waste into heir stores of metal that will eventually ship out is to make that entire shipment contaminated and unusable. They would never allow it. They don't buy scrap metal all day to just throw it all away.

I have been at yards when the radiation alarms go off and it's a panic moment for them. The load of whatever it is is confiscated by law. The hand held detectors come out and determine the amount of contamination. I've seen them run their meters over unfortunate people and later tell me, "Poor dude. He was hot as hell." Where does he go? To decontamination. They have showers there. They also have spectrometers to determine what isotope or nuclide is present and they sequester the load for later disposal ( I don't know where). Thing is they always get upset whenever the alarms used to go off and are very careful about what metals they accept. If a trainload of copper or aluminum heading to a refinery is contaminated it is refused by the refineries and they lose the entire load.

The refineries are even stiffer. They will not accept any radioactive contamination and all metals are checked prior to smelting or other refining processes. They are not about to contaminate their refining equipment with anything radioactive or endanger their employees. The metals they produce for manufacturing must be clean or are unsellable to their various clients. This includes steel, copper and aluminum ingots as well as gold and other precious metals. If one process is contaminated then they all can be. Slag and filters would all have to be processed as contaminated and costs for that are exorbitant. The whole factory would become contaminated. They'd have to shut down and clean everything. This is lost time and money.

Nobody is going to "seed" batches of scrap metal that are going into the furnace with radioactive metal. If you knew just how careful they all are with their metallurgy all down the line in this industry you would know that this is patently and utterly false.

Which begs the question... why would they print this garbage? They surely wouldn't tell us this if it were even possible (which it isn't), so why this article?

And there is no indication that things have improved since that time, according to Ross Bartley, a metallurgist who has been tracking radioactive contamination since the early 1990s. In all likelihood, he says, the problem has remained the same or even gotten worse.

My answer to the "gotten worse" part is one word: "Fukushima". As rad levels increase around the world they are going to eventually need excuses why everyone and everything is becoming moire and more contaminated with radioactivity. Ahhh, source this article. That is why. They told us they were going to do it, didn't they?

reply to post by Alchemst7

What would happen if you dropped nuclear waste into the pit of a volcano? Would the Volcano eventually encase and seal the waste?

An erupting one? It would go into the atmosphere with all the ash and smoke and travel around the world. An inactive volcano is even worse. There are multiple tubes and channels in and around it and rain water would carrry the decaying waste down the slopes in rivers to the sea and into the environment eventually. That is why waste is typically buried or stored in special, "safe" underground storage facilities like Yucca flats.

reply to post by Wildmanimal

That is rather unnerving..... Just so you know, this behavior has been going on for Years.
This convenient little technique is performed worldwide by companies/governments with scrap
metal of this type.Not just the U.S. Even used in furniture and appliances. In other words, right in your livingroom
Bro. Generally, it is Low Grade Emission material. But , who knows what they toss into The Smelter when
the regulators are having lunch.

That is utterly ridiculous. Maybe you have a link to the refiners that accept radioactively contaminated metals that are routinely refined and sold to manufacturers of "appliances and furniture"?

Metals industry would no more knowingly accept or refine rad contaminated scrap metal than someone who grows beef would accept animal stock that has been diseased. They test for it before hand and would never allow it.

Though DOE insists that the amount of radiation emitted from radioactive waste is "negligible" in terms of being a public health threat, science says otherwise. Cumulative exposure to even low-dose radiation over the course of many months or even years can damage cells, DNA, and even hormone balance.

This quote from the source not crystal clear and may be subject to interpretation. It is also misleading when the corrections are made.

It should read:

'Though DOE insists that the amount of radiation emitted from radioactive waste is "negligible" in terms of being a public health threat, science says otherwise. Cumulative exposure at even low dose-rates over the course of many months or even years can damage cells, DNA, and even hormone balance.'

Given two identical doses, radiation will tend to be less damaging at low-dose rates, however it is quiet right in pointing out that low dose-rates over a long period of time will add up to a large collective dose which will cause more damage than a small dose. The current theory is that damage is directly proportional (linear) with the dose. Therefore, if that dose and dose-rate are small enough, then the health risks will be small (they still exist) or perhaps some could consider them negligible. Like the DOE.

Or in other words, the little factoid natural-news gave isn't necessarily incompatible with what the DOE says. And since no information was presented on the actual risk this poses, natural news certainly hasn't shown that DOE is making a faulty decision. Then again, I haven't looked up the DOE analysis, so perhaps they are wrong too.


reply to post by Pervius

America spent Billions making that new mountain cave in Nevada to store alll of America's nuclear waste. They haven't put 1 piece of radioactive waste in there.

Why when they can make money putting it in things? Besides they want to thin the worlds population.

Yucca Mountain was taken off the table for political reasons. The primary type of nuclear waste it was designed to store, spent nuclear fuel, will remain where it has always been (until an alternative to Yucca mountain is established) - in spent fuel pools and dry storage at nuclear power stations across the country.

I'm not sure what kind of nuclear waste they plan to recycle, but it sure isn't spent nuclear fuel.

Originally posted by alfa1

Originally posted by SloAnPainful
How can they get away with doing something like that. Of course they will give the argument that "It's below 'toxic' levels" or something along those line.

For those who took the time to read the links, the limit planned is 1 millirem above background levels.

I'm no expert on radioactive safety, but wikipedia says a whole 1 rem gives an extra 0.055% chance of eventually developing cancer.
If the effect is linear (but I dont know if it is) , the the government would let you get an extra 0.000055 percent chance of getting cancer by purchasing an item made from the recycled waste.

Any experts on nuclear safety here?

That's not the point. Doing this would eventually lead to someone somewhere getting cancer... several people probably. If you look at it from the perspective of any individuals risk it looks harmless, but from a wider perspective it's a damaging move. I don't really think it matters how harmful it is, the fact is it's harmful.

reply to post by intrptr


Hey There Intrptr, just because it is utterly ridiculous does not mean it does not occur.

Here are some links to not only answer your good questions, but to support my arguement as well.

www.ccnr.org...

www.ccnr.org...

earth911.com...

www.nti.org...

online.wsj.com...

www.epa.gov...

Unfortunately it is a profitable business in the Black Market.

Sorry for the bad news. Maybe you should keep your eyes wide shut, and go play videogames

on your metal framed chair.

Assuming the OP is right as it appears from these sources, then my background as an environmental chemist/biologist is saying OH HELL NO you don't want to live your life taking in small amounts of radiation constantly!

What if this has been going on for some time? If this is truly so, it could be evidence that someone or group of someones high in the world of influence have decided to poison us all. For now, I would like to suppose it is just a scam to get rid of the waste like Fluoride waste. But these scams have consequences.

Now to address the scrap metal and radiation detectors. They didn't use such things at the local scrap yard here in Tennessee unless they just started. I paid my way through college by driving a wrecker for a garage operation that also recycled cars. When I carried a vehicle to the scrap yard, the only things of a technical nature I observed were a scale, the heavy equipment used to move the metal around and the scrap metal shredder. Lately I have noticed when I tried to sell some metal from an old Land Rover motor I had, that the scrap business has been unprofitable for selling iron but copper and aluminum are hot items.

So if this is all true, maybe they make money adding the radioactive materials in a "put it in /you get payed scheme"?

reply to post by intrptr


While I believe what you are saying about refineries in US.Canada etc, I would be surprised that this is the same for oversea refineries in places like India, china etc where the environmental laws are lacking or non existent , and where we get most of our consumer products from....just another reason to buy local , Hmmmmm do I want to buy a set of cheap radioactive spoon/forks from china or a set of more expensive ones from the US/Canada.

reply to post by Reevster


Good thinking there Reevster.

Salute.

reply to post by Justoneman


HHhhmm, Didn't you notice that Old Wooden American Furniture is extremely valuable
these days.
As for current, the "Well to Do" are purchasing Stickley and Thos. Moser & Sons Handcrafted
Wooden furniture.
S A V V Y ?

Originally posted by intrptr
My answer to the "gotten worse" part is one word: "Fukushima". As rad levels increase around the world they are going to eventually need excuses why everyone and everything is becoming moire and more contaminated with radioactivity. Ahhh, source this article. That is why. They told us they were going to do it, didn't they

Yes, my thoughts exactly. Fukushima. The seed has been sown and people will think that this is where the increase has come from. Even if recycling doesn't happen and background levels increase, rogue and illegal recycling can be blamed and, like the recent "horseburgergate", people will be distracted from asking any more questions and will go back to sleep.

This might even be used as an excuse to raise the background levels too.

reply to post by intrptr


Horse Manure. Maybe after nine leven some outfits have incorporated the modern techniques
that you mentioned. I have been to scrap yards that never had any of that tech.
Maybe the scrapyards you are referring to are just outside kennedy Space Port?

Hoo Haa. Your a real Joker.

reply to post by C0bzz


Your Damn Right C0bzz.

And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

If the metal is below toxic levels then there is no reason they can`t just go bury it somewhere or dump it in the ocean,right?
If it`s safe to make consumer products with it then it certainly is safe to just dispose of it like you would with any other debris so there is really no reason to recycle it.
I mean,is there a shortage of low radioactive metals on the market that requires the government to recycle it rather than just dump it somewhere,is there even a big demand for low radioactive recycled metals?

Maybe they can put little stickers on the products they make with this radioactive metal that say:
" proudly made in the U.S.A. with recycled radioactive waste"

Anytime you have government and radioactive it's generally not good. But we have to remember that when looking at the government disposing of the radioactive waste metal they are probably paying for it to be disposed instead of receiving compensation. In other words it's cheaper in the long run for them to pay for someone else to take the metal than to try to dispose of it the responsible way. And I would imagine most of it goes over seas to places like China where there are lax laws covering the use of such materials. And I also have never seen these radioactive meters at scrap yards or heard of anyone tripping the alarm either.

People are saying amounts would be minimal
What does minimal mean when it's in surgical tools?

Understand what you are saying!!

Dust is minimal right? Dust is harmless right?
My father is on dialysis and his room has to be sterile while he gets prepped up.
So if dust is not harmless.......

But now, DOE is trying once again to secretly dispose of this radioactive waste stock by allowing scrap companies to sell it to consumer product manufacturers.

Somehow, I get the feeling this has already happened to some degree...

I recall reading sometime ago about metal from China being radioactive as well.

Yep, here is a snip circa 2009

Scripps Howard News Service published an in-depth report by Isaac Wolf regarding the broad range of consumer products imported from China that contain harmful amounts of radioactive metal contaminates. The story, published June 6, 2009, reveals that there is no U.S. agency checking the radioactivity of imported goods. "Thousands of everyday products and materials containing radioactive metals are surfacing across the United States and around the world," Wolf reported

ProLiberty.com

Maybe a radioactivity detector for the home, like a smoke alarm might be a great marketable item...

reply to post by alfa1


Yes but isn't radiation exposure cumulative in terms of harm?

Also I don't like the way they highlight uses that appear to leave people the most vulnetable. Cutlery, goes in the mouth, surgical tools cut and even enter the body, and radioactive materials near the groin are bound to affect fertility/sperm rates.

I fully expect metal safety headgear to be included to help along brain tumours and cancers.

Seems to me that China exporting radiation contaminated consumer products to western democracies is a very clever way of waging a quiet war against the west, and the fertility of the west.

Makes me think of "Silent weapons for quiet wars".

I have no doubt that this kind of thing is going on. A while back there was a scare about some Chinese pottery that came into Canada. But in the United States there has been an ongoing attempt to find uses for depleted uranium beyond its use as ammunition. It was for a time used for balance weights in certain airliners and it is being used to make shaped charge "liners" for the oil exploration industry.

The corporate/corporatist/fascist/Nazi response to a by product of any industrial process is to cycle it into a product if possible, even if it is poisonous.

The paradigm is changing. People have to educate themselves about radiation detection and have to think about the upgrade to the detection device rather than the upgrade to the sound system as a priority at home.

We have to learn to deal with radiation. There is no "green" way around it. We either master it or it will destroy us.