Category: business ethics

Potassium Iodide and You

On By southwerkIn business ethics5 Comments

If radiation reaches the United States from the partial meltdowns in Japan, you may need

Potassium Iodide.

Why?

From Katy Waldman’s Article at Slate – Me, Myself and Iodine –

Of these, the most troubling is iodine-131, which can be absorbed by the thyroid when inhaled, causing thyroid cancer and leukemia. Gases like krypton-85 and xenon-133 don’t interact with bones or tissue, but since they are highly unstable they decay in bursts of radiation that can prove harmful to other bodily systems. But the body tolerates a certain amount of radiation every day, from cosmic rays to watching TV, and it’s only in much larger quantities that the byproducts of a nuclear power plant become dangerous. While radiation spiked to 1,000 times normal levels in one reactor control room, Japanese officials insist that exposure levels outside the plant are not highly hazardous. Even so, area residents have been advised to drink bottled water, stay indoors, and hold washcloths over their noses and mouths. As a precaution against iodine-131, officials have also announced plans to distribute potassium iodide pills, which saturate the thyroid with a stable form of iodine before the more dangerous isotope can be absorbed. They only work, however, if swallowed pre-emptively.

The CDC’s take on it (Centers for Disease Control) –

Following a radiological or nuclear event, radioactive iodine may be released into the air and then be breathed into the lungs. Radioactive iodine may also contaminate the local food supply and get into the body through food or through drink. When radioactive materials get into the body through breathing, eating, or drinking, we say that “internal contamination” has occurred. In the case of internal contamination with radioactive iodine, the thyroid gland quickly absorbs this chemical. Radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid can then injure the gland. Because non-radioactive KI acts to block radioactive iodine from being taken into the thyroid gland, it can help protect this gland from injury.

This is Wikipedia’s take on it –

SSKI may be used in radioiodine-contamination emergencies (i.e., nuclear accidents) to “block” the thyroid’s uptake of radioiodine (this is not the same as blocking the thyroid’s release of thyroid hormone).

Potassium iodide was approved in 1982 by the US FDA to protect the thyroid glands from radioactive iodine from accidents or fission emergencies. In the event of an accident or attack at a nuclear power plant, or fallout from a nuclear bomb, volatile fission product radionuclides may be released, of which 131I is one of the most common by-products and a particularly dangerous one due to thyroid gland concentration of it, which may lead to thyroid cancer. By saturating the body with a source of stable iodide prior to exposure, inhaled or ingested 131I tends to be excreted.

Potassium iodide cannot protect against any other causes of radiation poisoning, nor can it provide any degree of protection against dirty bombs that produce radionuclides other than isotopes of iodine. …

Buy some.

James Pilant

Japan ministers ignored safety warnings over nuclear reactors (via The Guardian)

On By southwerkIn business ethics
From Wikipedia

Could nuclear power be used safely? I’m not sure. But it is clear that the humans managing those reactors cannot be trusted. Corporate PR, governmental incompetence and lies have encompassed the industry from the beginning. It hasn’t gotten any better.

Over and over again we are assured that everything is okay. They can’t melt down. The safety mechanisms are foolproof. The containment vessel cannot be breached. Multiple backup systems insure safety. And then the impossible happens. We are of course immediately assured that this was an unusual event, unprecedented and could never happen here.

It is incredible how many pundits and agencies have rushed to out to defend the nuclear industry in the last few hours.

They come right back. They are already back. It doesn’t matter what happens. It doesn’t matter the warnings ignored, the stupid decisions made or even the scope of the disaster, the nuclear power industry keeps right on going.

Is this it?

Do we live in a nation where business gets its way, no matter what the risk?

From The Guardian (UK):

The timing of the near nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi could not have been more appropriate. In only a few weeks the world will mark the 25th anniversary of the worst nuclear plant disaster ever to affect our planet – at Chernobyl in Ukraine. A major core meltdown released a deadly cloud of radioactive material over Europe and gave the name Chernobyl a terrible resonance.

This weekend it is clear that the name Fukushima came perilously close to achieving a similar notoriety. However, the real embarrassment for the Japanese government is not so much the nature of the accident but the fact it was warned long ago about the risks it faced in building nuclear plants in areas of intense seismic activity. Several years ago, the seismologist Ishibashi Katsuhiko stated, specifically, that such an accident was highly likely to occur. Nuclear power plants in Japan have a “fundamental vulnerability” to major earthquakes, Katsuhiko said in 2007. The government, the power industry and the academic community had seriously underestimated the potential risks posed by major quakes.

The financialization of our society has become so intense, so pervasive, that profit outweighs all other consideration.

I have serious doubts whether a full scale melt down with thousands of dead and a thousands of square miles of land radioactive for generations will stop the industry from building plants in the United States.

In the pursuit of profit, human intelligence and judgment have largely ceased to exist.

Let me explain this once and then I’ll quit. If there is a nuclear melt down, depending on its location there will a lot of deaths or few deaths, a large area will be permanently contaminated (Chernobyl was 10,800 square miles) and useless for any human activity, and lastly, the radiation will spread causing damage to the genetic code of those it touches. The damage to the genetic code will probably be trans generational working its way through all of humanity as we reproduce.

Compare these risks to the power generated and ask yourself if they balance out.

James Pilant

What to Do if Radiation from Japan Arrives in the United States

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I located this publication. It appears to be from the Department of Homeland Security. It has a rather impressive name. However, it includes a lot of information about radiation that can be released from reactors. It details precautions that people can take and probable effects of the radiation.

NUCLEAR GENERATING STATION PLUME AND POST-PLUME EXERCISES AND INCIDENTS
LIBRARY OF PRESS RELEASES

Here’s an excerpt –

There are two important concepts that help in understanding radiation: exposure and contamination. Both can occur when radioactive materials are released in a power plant emergency.
Exposure: Radioactive materials give off a form of energy that travels in waves or particles. This energy is similar to an x-ray, and can penetrate the body. This exposure ends when the radioactive material is no longer present, for example, after the noble gases disperse. Some of the radioactive material deposited on the ground may also contribute to external exposure. You may hear this referred to as “groundshine.”
Contamination: Contamination occurs when radioactive materials (dusts) are deposited on or in an object or person. External contamination occurs when radioactive material or dust comes into contact with a person’s skin hair or clothing.
People who are externally contaminated can become internally contaminated if radioactive materials get into their bodies. This could happen if people swallow or breathe in radioactive materials. Some types of radioactive materials stay in the body and are deposited in different body organs. Other types are eliminated from the body in blood, sweat, urine, and feces.
Limiting skin contamination: Both external and internal contamination can cause exposure to radioactive materials. Removing contaminated clothing and washing off the radioactive materials will minimize exposure from external contamination.
If you think you have been contaminated, you should:
•
Remove the outer layer of your clothing.
•
Place the clothing in a plastic bag.
•
Wash all of the exposed parts of your body, as you would normally, with soap and warm water. There is no need to scrub.
Do not eat, drink or smoke until you have removed contamination as described above.

This material was written for a small release of radiation, a plume, from an American nuclear power plant. It may not be totally relevant to radiation arriving from a meltdown. However, based on my reading in the area, I believe the information to be useful. Certainly, if you read the full report, you can decide for yourself if it is on point. I think it is.

James Pilant

Meltdown Caused Nuke Plant Explosion: Safety Body (via Nikkei.com)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I don’t know if this is correct. I hope not.

James Pilant

TOKYO (Nikkei)—The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) said Saturday afternoon the explosion at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant could only have been caused by a meltdown of the reactor core.

The same day, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501), which runs the plant, began to flood the damaged reactor with seawater to cool it down, resorting to measures that could rust the reactor and force the utility to scrap it.

Cesium and iodine, by-products of nuclear fission, were detected around the plant, which would make the explosion the worst accident in the roughly 50-year history of Japanese nuclear power generation.

An explosion was heard near the plant’s No. 1 reactor about 3:30 p.m. and plumes of white smoke went up 10 minutes later. The ceiling of the building housing the reactor collapsed, according to information obtained by Fukushima prefectural authorities.

Industry Press Release for Nuclear Power

On By southwerkIn business ethics

In Japan, a nuclear plant was damaged by an earthquake. It’s cooling system went off line. The back up diesel power system to maintain the cooling system failed. The building housing the nuclear reactor exploded.

However, this is how nuclear power was described at the opening of a new plant.

From STPNOC press release – (PRINCETON, NJ, September 24, 2007)

“It is a new day for energy in America. Advanced technology nuclear power plants like STP 3 and 4, generating a vast amount of electricity cleanly, safely and reliably, will make an enormous contribution toward the greater energy security of the United States,” said David Crane, NRG’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “But equally, this announcement heralds a new day for the environment. Advanced nuclear technology is the only currently viable large-scale alternative to traditional coal-fueled generation to produce none of the traditional air emissions—and most importantly in this age of climate change—no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases.”

From further down in the press release –

“This is an historic event for the future of nuclear power in America. Around the world, consumers are benefiting from clean, efficient nuclear power. Finally, as a result of years of hard work, our nation is now on the verge of taking greater advantage of this technology.  I’m excited to see an investor-owned company submit the first combined operating license application in nearly 30 years, and I hope it is the first of many to come,” said United States Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), who serves as ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

A little further –

“Nuclear power is an essential component of any comprehensive national energy plan,” said United States Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.). “It has been 20 years since we have built a nuclear power plant, and it is long past time that we build a new one. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, 35 new nuclear power plants are needed in the next 40 years to keep pace with our escalating energy demand. A new power plant in Texas will prove to help combat the impact of global climate change and allow America to continue on a path toward energy independence.”

And here is the reality of nuclear power –

The Reality of Nuclear Power (via bharatian)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

David Lochbaum delivers a devastating take down of the arguments for building nuclear reactors in the United States.

His analysis of the safety concerns is something that should have been more widely read.

James Pilant

The Reality of Nuclear Power The Reality of Nuclear Power   Speech at Syracuse University, October 20, 1999 David Lochbaum. Good evening. My name is David Lochbaum. I have been the Nuclear Safety Engineer for Union of Concerned Scientists for the past three years. Prior to joining UCS, I worked for over 17 years as a nuclear engineer in the nuclear industry. Between 1992 and 1995, I was a consultant to the New York Power Authority working pr … Read More

via bharatian

Is Nuclear Power a Clean/Green Technology? (via Gas-Engineless Machines)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

One of our prophets.

Nuclear power was never a good idea.

James Pilant

Switzerland, my other home country, is in the midst of an energy discussion that transports me back to the 70s: Whether or not to build nuclear power plants. I was a teenager when this discussion raged in and around Basel because authorities were planning on building a nuclear power station about thirty kilometers away. They were sit ins, demonstrations, and a huge movement against nuclear power. On the other hand, there was the nuclear power ind … Read More

via Gas-Engineless Machines

Michigan Kills Democracy, FDA Kills Babies (via Consciously Evolving Our Planet)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Anger and a lot of it.

I’ve been watching it now for years. But I’ve noticed changes in the past few weeks. Generally, I would see tea partiers or the like raging against the government. Now I’m seeing regular bloggers more and more often. They are outraged. They are disgusted. They want something to change.

We’re crossing some kind of line here in America. I don’t understand what’s happening. I can’t help but believe that something is.

This article is well written and thoughtful. You should read it.

James Pilant

In the three years of the Great Recession, more than 5 million families have lost their American Dream. Through foreclosure or short sale, another 6 million face the same fate during the next 3 years. As more than 10% of us endure this particular type of “homelessness”, with its anxiety, shame, and loss, no one has gone to jail. The few who protest openly are mocked or ignored. Corporate profits are at record levels, driven primarily by the incre … Read More

via Consciously Evolving Our Planet

Emmanuel Tchividjian’s Insights on Questionable Connections

On By southwerkIn business ethics1 Comment
Emmanuel Tchividjian

Mr. Tchividjian’s writes about the American government’s association with Colonel Muhammar Qaddafi which as you are probably aware has not turned out well. As the author says, the implications of having the wrong associations is also true for business and friends. I have excerpted his recommended rules below.

From the Ruder Finn Ethics Blog written by Emmanuel Tchividjian.

Where do we draw the line between an association we can tolerate and one we can’t, and what are the criteria that will determine our decision?

Let me list some ideas. We should:

1.     Make sure we make a distinction between hearsay and facts. We have to be reasonably sure that the information we have is accurate.

2.     Be aware that bad associations taint us, causing damage to our own reputation and may, in some cases, make us an accomplice to a crime.

3.     Ask ourselves whether by our association we are somehow enabling the individual in question in pursuing the precise behavior we disapprove of?

4.      Be aware there may be a cost to our refusal to associate ourselves with certain individuals or organizations and be ready to pay for that cost.

5.     Remember that ultimately it is our decision to make and that we may have more options than we think. I never like to hear the sentence “we had no other choices” because most to the time we do.

Here’s a link to the full article –

Questionable Connections by Emmanuel Tchividjian from the site, Ruder Finn Ethics Blog

America is confronted once again with the near demise of a head of state with which we had established a diplomatic relationship: Colonel Muhammar Qaddafi, who by all accounts is a brutal dictator. American foreign policy has a long history of associating with questionable characters and brutal dictators such … Read More …

You may also find one of his earlier articles interesting –

Egypt: Reflection on Leadership

Egypt

The Fight Against Corruption

His work is always good. I recommend you add this ethics blog to your favorites.

James Pilant

Ethics (via changetheworldforgood)

On By southwerkIn business ethics1 Comment

Some genuine thinking about ethics. I like this. We live in a time where the ethical thought is an endangered species.

It’s a constant issue for me too. I wish the author well. Please go and read the entire post.

James Pilant

While brainstorming the topic of changingtheworldforgood, the topic that really stood out to me was ethics.  I laid in bed last night and pondered why is this so important to me?  Why do I seem to be more consumed and more upset about unethical behavior than many of my loved ones and business associates?  What is it about my background that makes this such an area of constant contention for me?  Why is it that the friends I love and respect the m … Read More

via changetheworldforgood