Japan Faces The Same Whitewashing by the IAEA As Russia Did

By Theodora Filis

The general expectation, by most people, is that organizations within the UN dealing with the dangers caused by nuclear disasters will focus on human health and safety.

However, due to the whitewashing of nuclear disasters by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the past one must ask if the WHO and the IAEA are advocates of the nuclear industry rather than nuclear safety.

The WHO, part of the United Nations, is not allowed to independently investigate the results of nuclear accidents, or anything nuclear for that matter, not even future effects without the permission of the IAEA. This legally binding agreement with the IAEA has been around since 1959. The WHO reports to the Development Group while the IAEA reports directly to the UN Security Council and holds absolute power over the entire nuclear industry.

The Chernobyl explosion, on 26 April 1986, led to the substantial airborne release and subsequent ground deposition of a radionuclide mixture that resulted in the long term radioactive contamination of more than 200,000 square kilometres of European territory, most within the borders of what is now Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

Although the accident occurred nearly two decades ago, controversy still surrounds the impact of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The IAEA claims Chernobyl was responsible for “only 31 direct deaths, and maybe 2000 avoidable thyroid cancers in irradiated children." Today, nearly five million people continue to live in areas contaminated by the accident dealing with the environmental, health, social and economic consequences.

In September, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano, announced the IAEA would provide assistance with decontamination plans around the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, which was seriously damaged after an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, sparking the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

In October, IAEA said it was sending twelve international experts to Japan to assist the country with clean-up efforts. Experts “will go to several locations in the Fukushima Prefecture and conduct meetings in Tokyo with Japanese officials to provide assistance to Japan in its plans to manage remediation efforts (and) review the country’s remediation strategies, plans and work,” the IAEA said in a statement.

The mission, requested by the Japanese government, was to be led by Juan Carlos Lentijo, head of radiation protection at the Spanish nuclear regulatory authority. A preliminary report and press conference were to be planned at the end of the proposed mission.

However, on March 21, after returning from a short visit to Japan, the IAEA Director Yukiya Amano said, “Since the accident, I have tried to address some widespread misconceptions in the media about the IAEA's role in nuclear safety. These misunderstandings fueled some criticism of the Agency's response, which was not always justified. I explained that we are not a "nuclear safety watchdog" and that responsibility for nuclear safety lies with our Member States.”

Six months on, emergency crews are still struggling to stop radiation seeping out from the Fukushima plant, while tens of thousands of people remain evacuated from homes, farms and businesses in a 20-kilometre (12-mile) radius around the site.

Amano concluded, “The Agency's role in nuclear safety may need to be re-examined, along with the role of our Safety Standards."

To date, Japan has no assistance from the IAEA.  

Microwave Ovens. Millions Use Them, But Should They?

By Theodora Filis

An estimated 90% of American families have microwave ovens and use them daily for everything from heating their baby’s bottle to meal preparation. Marketed as a safe, efficient, and more convenient way of preparing food, compared to conventional ovens, daily millions use them. Indeed, most could not imagine life without one.

Researchers though found harmful side effects of consuming microwaved food:

o Toxic chemicals contained in the packaging of microwave dinners, pizzas, chips, and popcorn can leak into the food.

o One of the worst contaminants – BPA (Bisphenol A) – can leak out of plastic products that are put in microwave ovens together with food.

o Minerals in vegetables are changed into cancerous free radicals when exposed to microwaves.

The process of microwave cooking was 1st patented in 1945. The first commercially available microwave oven (the Radarange) was produced in 1947, and the percentage of microwave ovens in households has increased ever since.

Russian scientists have been researching microwaves since 1957. As a result of their findings, the use of microwave ovens was banned in Russia in 1976. Unfortunately, the ban was lifted after Perestroika. Other Eastern European scientists reported on the harmful effects of microwave radiation and set up strict environmental limits for their usage.

The EPA states on its website: “Heating up leftovers, popping popcorn for a movie, and making a steaming cup of hot chocolate are all made easy by using a microwave oven. Not only does food cook fast, but cooking with microwave ovens can be more energy efficient than conventional cooking because the energy heats only the food, not the whole oven compartment. Microwave ovens are electrically operated ovens using high-frequency electromagnetic waves that penetrate food, causing its molecules to vibrate and generate heat within the food to cook it very quickly.”

A study published in The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that broccoli cooked in the microwave lost up to 97% of its beneficial antioxidants. By comparison, steamed broccoli lost 11% or fewer of its anti-oxidants.

Indeed with so many potential dangers, here are the benefits of skipping the microwave altogether:

• Eating fresh, uncooked, or minimally heated fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices are the basis of a healthy meal plan. Whole grains and legumes, should be cooked on a stovetop by cooking, boiling, and simmering them until tender.

• Meat, poultry, and fish are best steamed, sauteed, baked, or slow-cooked in crock pot soups and stews.

• Dairy products, such as raw milk cheese, from goats, cows, or sheep, are most nutrient-rich when unheated.

• You can heat food quickly in a convection oven. It’s just an ordinary oven with a fan.

• You can also easily and quickly heat up food, even frozen pasta, by using a saucepan with a lid and a little water, to moisten it with steam.

• If someone is coming home late, and you want to give them warm food when they arrive, put a saucepan lid over the food while it is on a plate. Put the plate of food in a simmering saucepan of water. It will stay warm without drying up.

A periodic microwaved meal won’t kill you, but you should be careful how often you consume microwaved food. The catch? The food industry uses microwaves for drying, cooking, and thawing. Although you might cut back on preparing microwaved food in your home you may still end up eating microwaved food bought in stores without even knowing it.

The EPA offers this advice to protect yourself from microwave oven radiation:

o   Follow the manufacturer’s instruction manual for recommended operating procedures and safety precautions for your oven model.

o Don’t operate an oven if the door does not close firmly or is bent, warped, or otherwise damaged.

o   Never operate an oven if you have reason to believe it will continue to operate with the door open.

o   As an added safety precaution, don’t stand directly against an oven (and don’t allow children to do this) for long periods while it is operating.

o   Users should not heat water or liquids in the microwave oven for excessive amounts of time.

Consider The Health Risks Before Buying Teflon-Coated, Non-Stick Pans

By Theodora Filis

"Industrial products developed with Teflon® fluoropolymer coatings, resins, additives, and films have exceptional resistance to high temperatures, chemical reaction, corrosion, and stress cracking. The properties of Teflon® make it the preferred solution for a host of industrial applications and different processing techniques.” DuPont Industries

Before you buy that new Teflon-coated, non-stick pan, consider this: the EPA has taken action against DuPont (the maker of Teflon) for failing to warn the public of the associated health risks of Perfluorooctanoic Acid, or "PFOA," a synthetic chemical used in manufacturing fluoropolymers.

Perfluorooctanoic Acid, used in some Teflon® products, isn't limited to just non-stick cookware. Products using Teflon range from water-resistant carpets to Gore-Tex jackets to lubricants and more. In fact, Teflon is so prevalent that PF0A has been found to contaminate 92% of US children tested to date, and most of the adult population as well.

The Environmental Working Group wants the Consumer Products Safety Commission to put warning labels on Teflon cookware.

In 1981, DuPont first discovered the toxic, Teflon-related substance in the blood of some pregnant women working in their Teflon production facility. DuPont illegally kept the discovery of this possibly hazardous toxin a secret until 2001.

Although DuPont claims no known PFOA health hazards to humans have ever been discovered or proven, they do acknowledge that Teflon fumes kill birds and that it is not safe for humans to use Teflon in temperatures exceeding 500 degrees. Researchers have also linked PF0A to developmental and reproductive abnormalities in animals, according to Legal Watch.

DuPont denies that "polymer fume fever," which causes flu-like symptoms and shortness of breath, has any long-term health consequences. Substantial amounts of PFOA found in the public water supplies in West Virginia and Ohio have prompted a class action suit against DuPont.

Safe cookware does not produce any toxic substances during cooking. The manufacturing material and coating determine if it is safe. The interior surface material which could be either a coating layer or base material is vital to the safety because it contacts with food directly.

Teflon-coated nonstick fry pans are not safe because they release toxic fumes when heated above a certain temperature. There are many concerns about Teflon nonstick fry pans. Many lawsuits have been filed over the nonstick surface both as a cookware and in its manufacturing.

Too, pure aluminum fry pans are not safe. Colic, rickets, gastrointestinal problems, interference with the metabolism of calcium, extreme nervousness, anemia, headaches, decreased liver and kidney function, memory loss, speech problems, softening of the bones, and aching muscles can all be caused by aluminum toxicity.

Teflon-free titanium has many advantages due to titanium metal properties. They are healthier, lighter, last longer, heat quickly, and easy to clean. But don't be confused with nonstick titanium or titanium-reinforced cookware. Titanium means pure titanium material without any coating while nonstick titanium or titanium reinforced ones have coatings made of material similar to Teflon. There is an easy way to tell the difference. Titanium cookware has a silver metal color while others are dark colors. Choose Teflon-free nonstick.

Hard-anodized aluminum uses Teflon for interior coating.

Green Guidere commends that bird owners replace all pans and avoid using cookie sheets, Teflon-lined ovens, and burners lined with Teflon drip pans. Birds exposed to fumes emitted by heated cookware resulted in bird poisonings called Teflon toxicosis. The lungs of exposed birds are filled with fluid, causing hemorrhage and death from suffocation.

The Society of Plastics Industry acknowledges PFOA as persistent in the environment. The EPA reports that PFCs present (environmental) persistence and have bio-accumulation and toxicity properties to an extraordinary degree.

Read more: Hazards of Nonstick Cookware | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7412478_hazards-nonstick-cookware.html#ixzz1HK505LrQ