NOxVille, Tennessee

BEWARE SUNSHINE WITH TEMPERATURE INVERSION OR CLOUDS WITH ACID RAIN
ACIDOSIS ALERT: ACID RAIN EQUALS ACID AIR
ALKALIZE OR DIE: COMBAT KILLER ACIDOSIS
FMS/CFS/IBD/RHEUMATISM, OSTEOARTHRITIS, DIABETES, HYPOGLYCEMIA, ASTHMA, URINARY CANCERS, DEAD ATHLETES

INTRODUCTION

Knoxville/Oak Ridge has a 60+ year history of pollution from nuclear radation and related processes with many SuperFund sites, some with residential housing developments built on top of them. Radioactive garbage is burned in Oak Ridge and in downtown Knoxville, and has been for 60 years. Radioactive scrap metal from nuclear bomb factories in Oak Ridge was melted in downtown South Knoxville (David Witherspoon) for recycling into eating utensils, orthodontic appliances, dental mercury/silver amalgams, exercise equipment, jewelry and many other consumer items. Unregulated diesel exhaust pollution combines with other typres of air pollution to form deadly smog, especially on sunny days of temperature inversions. All this pollution remains trapped in the Tennessee Valley of Death between the Cumberland Plateau and the Great Smokey Mountains. "Weather" reports from local "News" corporations do their part to censor these facts of life from residents of Knoxville, Knox County and surrounding areas. Meanwhile, cancer rates skyrocket and acidosis deaths claim lives of young "healthy" people who just drop dead in their homes after breathing Knoxville's acidic air. This author has known two local people in their 30s die this way in the past 12 months.

08/19/2001 - Updated 10:49 PM ET
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2001/08/20/aqi/metros.htm

Knoxville TN Ranks #1 In Rank Air USA

KNOX, ANDERSON, LOUDON, ROANE COUNTIES RANK IN TOP 90% OF USA
FOR HUNDREDS OF OTHER AIR-POISONS (1996 EPA)

Smokey Mountains and Cumberland Plateau blocks exit of smog from E TN Valley.

American Lung Association gave Knox County, TN an "F" for lack of air quality (2001)

http://www.lungusa.org/air2001/states/f_tenn.html

http://www.lungusa.org/press/envir/air_072301.html

The EPA advisors are reviewing the summary of scientific literature about fine particle soot compiled by EPA scientists. This review is a preliminary step as EPA re-examines its current health standards. Six dozen new short-term studies from across the U.S. and around the world "confirm the effects of particle pollution on premature mortality, hospital admissions, emergency department visits, doctor's visits, respiratory and cardiac effects. New studies demonstrate that infants and children, especially asthmatic children, the elderly, and those with heart or lung disease are especially sensitive to the effects of fine particle pollution. DeLucia also called on EPA to set a meaningful new "coarse" particle standard to prevent health damage from bigger, but still respirable, chunks of soot.

HOME OF ORNL NUKES

• 2-million lbs radioactive incineration began 2001 (not included in this data)
• radioactive waste incinerated by UT Hospital in downtown Knoxville (Mouse Genome Project at ORNL)
• PROBABLY #1 IN RADIATION POISONING (2000 DOE)

http://sites.netscape.net/gostryter/usdoenukeindex.html

Knoxville TN is HQ of BFI/Waste Management/Allied Waste, owner of 10,000 garbage trucks, which owns Miller Industries/RoadOne, owner of 10,000 towing trucks and world's largest manufacturer of towing equipment, which had 25 subcontractors convicted in 1997 for RICO as members of Gambino and Genovese crime families in NY City, according to A&E TV, Investigative Reports with Bill Curtis, Modern Mobs, 2001. Garbage and scrap dealers currently embroiled in $500-Million lawsuit over contracting fraud at ORNL nuke plants over purchasing of radioactive scrap metal to resell to the public for consumer items. Plaintiff in lawsuit had business burned down by arson in 2001. Miller Industries and RoadOne currently sued in class action in federal court in Knoxville TN over illegal towing, extortion and car theft, and represented by Ambassador Howard Baker's international law firm of 250 lawyers, along with partner Cedar Bluff Towing in Knoxville (owner's son in Knoxville is world's top lawyer in towing class actions to sue state and local governments to deregulate towing prices, and lobby US Congress).

www.bfi.com
www.millerind.com
www.roadone.com
www.towtimes.com
www.aande.com/tv/shows/billkurtis/index.html
www.oocities.org/towcrime

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2001/08/20/aqi/metros.htm

USA TODAY

US EPA (2001) 2-year old data
Number of unhealthful air days
Code Orange or worse 
Metropolitan Statistical Area 
1990 to 1999 
Knoxville, TN 
Dead Air Days per year: 23, 10, 7, 25, 16, 24, 20, 36, 54, 59

Riverside CA = 93 days (50% decreasing)
Bakersfield CA = 88 days (decreasing)
Fresno CA = 81 days (decreasing)
Atlanta GA = 61 days (increasing)
Knoxville TN = 59 days (#1 increasing USA)
Houston TX = 50 days (decreasing)
Baltimore MD = 40 days (decreasing)
Washington DC = 39 days (decreasing)
Sacramento CA = 38 days (decreasing)
Memphis TN = 36 days (increasing)
Charlotte NC = 34 days (decreasing)
Nashville, TN = 33 days (increasing)
Philadelphia PA = 32 days (decreasing)
St. Louis MO-IL = 29 days (decreasing)
Los Angeles-Long Beach CA = 27 days (600% decreasing)
Raleigh NC = 26 days (increasing)
Richmond VA = 25 days (decreasing)
New York City NY = 24 days (decreasing)
Pittsburgh PA = 23 days (decreasing)
Dallas TX = 23 days (decreasing)
Newark NJ = 21 days (decreasing)
Indianapolis IN = 21 days (decreasing)
Fort Worth TX = 19 days (decreasing)
Cleveland OH = 18 days (decreasing)
New Orleans LA = 18 days (decreasing)
Jersey City NJ = 17 days (decreasing)
San Diego CA = 16 days (decreasing)
Detroit MI = 15 days (decreasing)
Chicago IL = 12 days (decreasing)
Cincinnati OH = 12 days (decreasing)
Phoenix AZ = 12 days (decreasing)
San Antonio TX = 9 days (decreasing)
Rochester NY = 9 days (decreasing)
Buffalo NY = 8 days (decreasing)
Austin TX = 8 days (decreasing)
Albany NY = 6 days (decreasing)
Little Rock AR = 6 days (decreasing)
El Paso TX = 6 days (decreasing)
Charleston SC = 5 days (increasing)
Boston MA = 5 days (decreasing)
Oakland CA = 5 days (decreasing)
Miami FL = 5 days (decreasing)
Syracuse NY = 4 days (decreasing)
Orlando FL = 4 days (decreasing)
Jacksonville FL = 3 days (decreasing)
Salt Lake City UT = 2 days (decreasing)
San Jose CA = 2 days (decreasing)
Portland-Vancouver OR-WA = 2 days (decreasing)
Tuscon AZ = 2 days (decreasing) 
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA = 1 day
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, FL = 1 day
Orange County, CA = 1 day (4,500% decrease)
Denver CO = 1 day (1,100% decrease)
Albuquerque NM = 1 day (800% decrease)
San Francisco CA = 0 days (decreasing)
Minneapolis-St. Paul MN-WI = 0 days
Las Vegas NV-AZ = 0 days (decreasing)
Honolulu, HI = 0 days (always zero days)

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/nata/mapemis.html

National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment
Results: Map of 1996 Emission Densities

KNOX COUNTY, TN
ranking in USA 1996

http://www.wbir.com/News/news.asp?ID=4021
 
Knoxville, TN 
8/20/2001 1:32 A.M. 

EPA ASKING DOE FOR MORE DATA ON POLLUTION

The EPA wants more data on pollution possibly linked to health problems in small  communities near the government's Oak Ridge reservation. 

A letter had been sent to the Department of Energy outlining complaints received from  the Coalition for a Healthy Environment. It asks for DOE's Oak Ridge office to devise a  plan to address contamination issues. 

Coalition member Harry Williams says the group isn't happy with the thought of DOE  leading the investigation. He would prefer the EPA take an independent look at the  situation. 

Among the concerns are Roane County communities located along the Clinch River  and near a former uranium-enrichment plant. It's still the site of an incinerator that  burns radioactive and hazardous wastes. 

8/15/01 5:51:13 PM 
Reporter: AP Copyright- 2001 

INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF THE EAST TENNESSEE TECHNOLOGY PARK

Office of Environment, Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Energy (2000)

Pollution above toxic levels surrounding Oak Ridge Nuclear Laboratory (ETTP)

HTML Report (200 pages)
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/gdps/0010ettp/index.html

PDF Report (200 pages)
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/gdps/0010ettp/0010ettp.html

Verbatum from the declassified portion of the Report:

"Conservative estimates indicated that 35,000 pounds of uranium were released into the air from all sources. 4,300 pounds of uranium a month was unaccounted for or released to the environment. ETTP operates an incinerator which handles radioactive, hazardous and uranium-contaminated PCB wastes. ETTP generated transuranic elements (isotopes with atomic numbers greater than uranium) such as neptunium-237 and plutonium-239; fission products such as techneitum-99; PCBs; toxic metals; and volatile organic compunds such as trichloroethene (TCE) and present risk to the public. Some contaminants migrated outside the Plant boundary. Waste disposal practices included direct discharge of radioactive materials, toxics and caustics to holding ponds and storm drains, and incineration and burial. Reports reflected a number of spills of nitric and hydrochloric acids, in one case 200 gallons. Numerous large fires and explosions were reported. It is impossible to characterize exposure because of inadequate surveys and incomplete records. Records indicate that as contamination levels increased, exposure controls were reduced. Contamination above limits was commonly detected. Operations have released a variety of contaminants into the environment, such as burial of low-level and hazardous waste in landfills and dumping directly into the Clinch River. Large amounts of contaminated equipment and scrap material were sold at public auction. Tens of thousands of pounds of flourine and hydrogen flouride were emitted annually. The investigation team identified over 600 releases of uranium hexaflouride, and a large, visible cloud was released outside a building. Exposure to 'intense clouds' of uranium powder dusts was prevalent and resulted in intense beta radiation fields. Each month dozens or workers were identified as having exposures exceeding plant control guides. Extensive contamination was prevalent. Records indicate many air samples in excess of Plant Allowable Limits. Both chemical and radiological materials have routinely been discharged from the Plant, from both sanitary sewage and storm water systems and materials were directly discharged in Mitchell Branch and Poplar Creek. One million pounds of blowdown water was discharged a day. The hexavalent chromium concentration in Poplar Creek is equal to the level regulated by the site's permit. Contents of 500 uranium hexafloride and other gas cylinders were emptied into the unlined holding pond by shooting the cylinders with high-powered rifles, and this pond discharged into Poplar Creek. Records confirm that radiation exceeded drinking water standards. Over 80,000 drums of pond sludge with low concentrations of uranium were generated in 1988. Ventilation was modified to discharge mercury fumes above the roof. Elevated levels of mercury were found in urinalyses. Records refer to the recovery of tons of mercury. Traps would blow out spilling mercury on the floor. Air sampling in the 1990s identified mercury levels several times the Threshold Limit Value. Continual and volumnous process leaks (blowoffs) were vented to the atmosphere. 4,300 pounds of uranium hexaflouride were released per month. Losses were excessive. 10,000 union grievances were filed and management disputed grievances concerning safety in favor of economic considerations. Many storm drains were not moitored before 1992, and routine and accidental wastes have adversely impacted the environment and the aquatic habitat. Weaknesses in the sampling and monitoring of air pollutant emissions raise concerns regarding the accuracy of public dose and exposure calculations. Environmental radiological protection and surveillance are not compliant with DOE Order. Few records reflect involvement by the Atomic Energy Commission in investigations of serious events. Levels of airborne radioactivity were as high as 35,800 dpm/ft3, and far exceeded the PAL of 2 dpm/ft3. [That's radiation levels over 17,000 times the maximum limit.] Airborne radioactivity far in excess of normal background levels was measured off-site as far as five miles away. A number of criticality and sub-criticality accident experiments were performed and posed a severe radiation hazard. Bladder cancer rates were seven times higher than for the general population, and stomach ulcers were 6.5 times greater. Inhalation of airborn radiation can increase the risk of future cancer." [verbatum from the Report]

NOTE: This report only covered the K-25 plant, not the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration's Y-12 nuclear bombs factory, not the thousands of contaminated lab rats from ORNL's Y-12 nuclear bombs factory Mouse House that are incinerated at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in central Knoxville, and did not cover Top Secret "criticality" pollution, "referred to as 'special hazards'" (ie, "small" explosions due to accidental nuclear reactions), and "are discussed in a separate classifed document." The GOPS government of Tennessee previously gave ETTP/ORNL a clean bill of health in 1999.

RALPH NADER ON NUKES: "High-level nuclear waste will be hazardous for more than 200,000 years. An Energy Department study found that a severe accident in a rural area could contaminate a 42-square-mile area, require over a year to 'clean up', and cost $620 million."

US Dept of Energy Disaster Reports
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/reviews/index.html

Y12 criticality appx 5mb
Type A Accident Investigation of the December 8, 1999 Multiple Injury Accident Resulting from the Sodium-Potassium Explosion
in Building 9201-5 at the Y-12 Plant at the Y-12 plant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/reviews/0001y12/0001y12.pdf

Review of Criticality Safety - Field Report for the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant Buildings 9212 and 9818, January 2000
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/reviews/0001y12/0001y12.pdf

ORNL Y-12 special agent fatality [heart attack on treadmill]
Type A Accident Investigation Board Report on the April 19, 1999
Special Agent Fatality at the Southeast Courier Section, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/accidents/typea/9904ornl/9904ornl.pdf

Office of Oversight Review of the Occupational Medicine Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, September 1998
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/reviews/9809ornl/9809ornl.pdf
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/reviews/9904y12/9904y12.html

Type B Accident Investigation Board Report on the February 27, 1998 Shipping Violations Involving the Corehole 8 Project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennesee
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/accidents/typeb/9802ornl/9802ornl.pdf

Type B Investigation Board Report on the June 19, 1997, Occupational Illness at the Y-12 Plant Oak Ridge, Tennessee
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/oversight/reports/accidents/typeb/9706ornl/9706ornl.pdf

Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE)

http://gwis.circ.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/radiation/

US government at ORNL conducted secret Nazi experiments on Tennesseans as human guinea pigs into deadly hazards of nuclear radiation.

ACHRE was created by President Clinton on January 15, 1994 to investigate and report on the use of human beings as subjects of federally funded research using ionizing radiation. ACHRE constructed a gopher site to provide public electronic access to information about its activities. Created by Executive Order and subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Advisory Committee was obligated to provide public access to its activities, processes and papers. The Advisory Committee believed, however, that the nature of the subject it investigated and the human stories that comprise it placed on it a special responsibility to disseminate as broadly as possible the results of its investigations, the implications of that history for our own time, and its best judgment concerning the rights and responsibilities of those involved.

The National Security Archive obtained the data from the ACHRE gopher when the Advisory Committee was dissolved in October of 1995. The information acquired from the original internet site includes:

• Information about the original ACHRE gopher

• Background of ACHRE, human radiation experiments, government records

• Committee meetings

• ACHRE offices and personnel

• The Interim Report of October 21, 1994

• Glossary, experiment and document collection descriptions, bibliography

• The Final Report

This data was obtained by the National Security Archive with the generous support of the W. Alton Jones Foundation (Charlottesville, VA).

Introduction - The Atomic Century

Part I - Ethics of Human Subjects Research: A Historical Perspective

Overview

1.   Government Standards for Human Experiments: The 1940s and 1950s

2.   Postwar Professional Standards and Practices for Human Experiments

3.   Government Standards for Human Experiments: The 1960s and 1970s

4.   Ethics Standards in Retrospect

Part II - Case Studies

Overview

5.   Experiments with Plutonium, Uranium, and Polonium

6.   The AEC Program of Radioisotope Distribution

7.   Nontherapeutic Research on Children

8.   Total-Body Irradiation: Problems When Research and Treatment Are Intertwined

9.   Prisoners: A Captive Research Population

10.   Atomic Veterans: Human Experimentation in Connection with Bomb Tests

11.   Intentional Releases: Lifting the Veil of Secrecy

12.   Observational Data Gathering

13.   Secrecy, Human Radiation Experiments, and Intentional Releases

Part III - Contemporary Projects

Overview

14.   Current Federal Policies Governing Human Subjects Research

15.   Research Proposal Review Project

16.   Subject Interview Study

Part IV - Coming to Terms with the Past, Looking Ahead to the Future

Overview

17.   Findings

18.   Recommendations

Statement By Committee Member Jay Katz

Official Documents

Executive Order

Charter

Appendices

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Glossary

Selected Bibliography

Public Comment Participants

A Citizen's Guide to the Nation's Archives: Where the Records Are and How to Find Them

One-time Plutonium Bioassay Service for Nuclear Test Personnel Review Program

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) (into which the Defense Special Weapons Agency consolidated) is the Executive Agent for the Nuclear Test Personnel Review (NTPR) Program, which serves veterans who participated in U.S. atmospheric nuclear tests or with the occupation forces of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Japan. Since its inception in 1978, the NTPR Program has identified approximately 400,000-plus Department of Defense (DoD) personnel who participated in these activities. The primary purpose of the NTPR Program is to provide participation data and radiation dose information to veterans.

DTRA made available a voluntary, one-time, limited plutonium bioassay test for eligible veterans in July 1998. Congress authorized funding for the testing in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1998. The funding was sufficient to test 100 eligible veterans. Eligible veterans are those who are confirmed participants of U.S. atmospheric nuclear tests or the occupation forces of Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Japan. The NTPR Program has received commitments for all the bioassays that can be offered.

NTPR internal dose reconstructions are prepared following Title 32, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 218. The Government Printing Office has an Internet site (http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html) to access the Code of Federal Regulations. If the bioassay result significantly exceeds the plutonium level of the veteran's NTPR-prepared internal dose reconstruction, the veteran's internal dose will be reevaluated. No veteran's internal dose assessment will be lowered as a result of the bioassay test. While it is premature to predict the outcome of all 100 bioassays, initial results of 39 bioassay measurements are consistent with previously compiled NTPR internal dose information. Upon the completion of the 100 bioassay samples, this one-time limited testing will be reviewed to assess its value.

Questions or requests for further information may be directed to the following agencies: The NTPR toll-free telephone number is (800) 462-3683. The address is: Defense Threat Reduction Agency/Tel, (ATTN: TDANP/NTPR), 6801 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22310-3398; or internet (http://www.dtra.mil). The VA telephone number is (202) 273-8575. Their address is: Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards (13), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20420.

www.militarycorruption.com

MILITARY CORRUPTION DOT COM

News articles and links for disabled and pissed-off veterans.

KILLER MUSHROOMS

The Years of Atmospheric Testing: 1945-1963

From 1945 to 1963 the U.S.A. conducted an extensive campaign of atmospheric nuclear tests, grouped into roughly 20 test "series." After 1963 when the Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed testing for the U.S., Soviet Union, and Great Britain moved underground. France continued atmospheric testing until 1974 and China did so until 1980. This page focuses mainly on U.S. testing because those documents are most readily available.

Summary Table of U.S. Nuclear Test Series
This table shows the year, location, number of detonations, and approximate number of personnel for each of the twenty named atmospheric nuclear test series.

U.S. Nuclear Testing from Project TRINITY to the PLOWSHARE Program
This document gives a historical overview of the U.S. atmospheric nuclear testing program. It lists every detonation by name and summarizes the radiation exposures of test participants. Also available as Adobe Acrobat PDF [592Kb].

Map of. Nuclear Test Sites Worldwide
This map shows the name, approximate location, and years tests were conducted for each site of atmospheric nuclear tests through 1963.

Videos of Nuclear Tests

Note: These video clips were digitized from the best available copies of U.S. Government films. For additional information about these films, see the Historical Nuclear Test Films page at the DOE Nevada Test Site.

Crossroads ABLE Test [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 1.9 MB]
The ABLE test in 1946 was an air drop of the same Fatman-type weapon dropped on Nagasaki.
Crossroads BAKER Test [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 2.1 MB]
The BAKER test in 1946 was a Fatman-type weapon detonated 96 feet below the surface of the ocean.

Buster-Jangle Test [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 3.3 MB]
This video clip shows one of the test detonations from the Buster-Jangle series in Nevada. The narrator describes the visible characteristics of a nuclear detonation.
Tumbler-Snapper DOG [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 2.9 MB]
Tumbler-Snapper DOG was a 20 kiloton airdrop detonated on May 1, 1952. Army and Marine troops participated in four of the eight Tumber-Snapper shots, as shown in the two video clips below.
Desert Rock IV [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 1.9 MB]
Marine troops observed DOG shots at Tumbler-Snapper from trenches just 7,000 yards from ground zero.
Desert Rock IV [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 1.4 MB]
This video shows the blast wave crossing the desert and hitting the troop trenches.

Ivy MIKE, slow-motion closeup of fireball [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 900 KB]
The Ivy MIKE shot was the first U.S. thermonuclear test using the Teller-Ulam radiation-implosion principle. It used liquid deuterium as the fusion fuel and yielded 10.7 megatons. The fireball reached a diameter of 3.5 miles.
Ivy MIKE, distant fireball and cloud [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 1.9 MB]
This clip shows a real-time view of MIKE from a safe distance.
Ivy MIKE, later cloud stage [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 1.1 MB]
The MIKE cloud eventually rose to a height of 20 miles (into the stratosphere) and spread out to a width of 100 miles.
Ivy KING detonation [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 3.1 MB]
Ivy KING was an air-drop of the "Super-Oralloy" all-fission bomb, with a yield of 500 kilotons.

Castle BRAVO test [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 2.7 MB]
The Castle BRAVO test on March 1, 1954, yielded 15 megatons, the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated by the United States. By accident the inhabited atolls of Rongelap, Rongerik and Utirik were contaminated with fallout, as was the Japanese fishing trawler Fukuryu Maru or Lucky Dragon. The controversy over fallout that simmered around the Nevada Test Site erupted into international alarm.
Castle ROMEO test [160x120 Quicktime MOV, 2.1 MB]
The Castle ROMEO test yielded 11 megatons. It was detonated from a barge in the BRAVO crater.

Atmospheric Test Photo Web Sites

Gallery of Nuclear Test Photos [Mirror--Original server has gone off-line indefinitely.]
This site has a large number of atmospheric nuclear detonation photos as GIF images.

Nevada Test Site Historical Photos and Films
This site has a large number of photos and some video clips showing atmospheric detonations. There is also information on how to order VHS videos of recently declassified DOE nuclear test films.

Other Web Sites about Nuclear Testing

Chart of Global Nuclear Weapons tests, 1945-1996
This year-by-year chart of the number of nuclear weapons tests is one example of the information available at the Brookings Institution's U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project.

Table of Known Nuclear Tests Worldwide: 1945-1996
This table breaks down the number of worldwide nuclear tests by country, year, and whether it was atmospheric or underground. There is a wealth of information, particularly about nuclear weapons stockpiles, at the home page for the Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) Nuclear Weapons Program.

Nuclear Test Personnel Review
This page at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency describes the study that was done to catalog radiation exposure to participants in U.S. atmospheric nuclear tests.

Copyright © 1995-2000 Gregory Walker (gwalker@jump.net), Creator of Trinity Atomic Web Site
These HTML pages are published under the Open Content License (OPL), which is the non-software equivalent of the (GNU) General Public License. Basically, the license allows anyone to modify and distribute the documents as long as they make it freely available. For more information, visit the OpenContent organization. Here is a plain text copy of the OPL.

Most of the documents, photos, maps and videos presented here are from U.S. Government documents and believed to be in the public domain, unless specifically noted.

Last updated: April 2, 2000.
http://www.enviroweb.org/enviroissues/nuketesting/atmosphr/index.html
http://www.fas.org/nuke/trinity/atmosphr/index.html

Historical footnote: Hundreds of American POWs died in the American bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

http://www.prn.usm.my/my.html

INTRODUCTION

In 1945, a technology turned deadly. It could obliterate the world and has been man's scariest nightmare since. Attempts to control it has not been too successful despite more than 150 countries having signed the Comprehensive [Nuclear] Test Ban Treaty, including Malaysia recently. Throughout 1995-1996, a series of nuclear tests were conducted near Mururoa Atoll in South Pacific. Again in May 1998, similar nuclear tests were conducted in the South Asia, further threatening humankind.

Abdul Razak Abdul Hamid, the only Malaysian to have survived the mass killing as a result of an Atomic Bomb explosion reminds us of his unforgetable experience.

Includes list of speeches and published news articles.

This website was developed as an integral part of the Malaysian Drug & Poison Net by Pusat Racun Negara, USM in conjunction with the 53th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1998 at 8.15am.

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_818659,00.html

KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL

Beryllium makers not liable for ill effects

Oak Ridge workers' lawsuits dismissed
(1 case of 10 cases in class action of thousands of dead or disabled workers)

By Laura Ayo
September 7, 2001

A federal judge's dismissal of a lawsuit against manufacturers and distributors of beryllium used at nuclear weapons plants in Oak Ridge could mean the dismissal of similar lawsuits pending before the same judge, lawyers in the case said.

"If the other plaintiffs asserted similar claims in connection with the same sites, I would think if it's in the same court and (before) the same judge, I don't see how those claims would not be disposed of the same way," said John Traficonte, litigation counsel for Cabot Corp. of Pennsylvania. "Logically, they would have to be."

U.S. District Judge James Jarvis' order on Tuesday granting summary judgment to Cabot, Brush Wellman Inc. of Ohio, NGK Metal Corp. of Pennsylvania and Ceradyne Inc. of California dismisses one of 10 lawsuits pending before him.

In the lawsuit brought in 1994 by Y-12 workers Troy Murphy Morgan, Corky Dean McCarter, Richard Emory Myers Sr. and Kathleen Beatty and in the other nine lawsuits, Y-12 or K-25 workers claim they contracted a debilitating respiratory illness called chronic beryllium disease or tested positive for beryllium sensitivity from being exposed to airborne beryllium dust and fumes while working at the plants.

"In the remaining cases, there are motions filed similar to the ones filed in Morgan and the court's ruling should apply to those as well," said Jim Wright, who represents Ceradyne.

But Wright and other lawyers in the case said they'd only be guessing if they tried to conclude what effect the ruling would have on the pending cases. Court records show, however, that a motion for voluntary dismissal of all claims against all defendants in one of the other lawsuits was filed about two weeks after Jarvis indicated he was granting summary judgment in the Morgan case.

While Jarvis noted his decision in an Aug. 1 order, the order didn't become final until Tuesday when he issued a detailed 42-page opinion. Steve Jensen, one of the lawyers for the workers in the Morgan case and other cases, said he couldn't comment about pending litigation because an appeal is possible.

Most of the 10 lawsuits complained that the manufacturers and distributors, as well as other similar companies and the federal government, deliberately concealed for decades the true health risks to those who worked with the substance.

"Because the government and its contractors were the only parties in a position to warn the plaintiffs and protect them from the dangers of beryllium, the defendants had no duty to warn the plaintiffs," Jarvis ruled. "The duty was assumed by the United States and its contractors."

The judge noted Congress recently enacted a compensation plan entitling plaintiffs and other injured beryllium workers to receive a $150,000 lump-sum payment and medical benefits (part of the Tennessee 2nd Injury Fund for Workers Compensation).

Jarvis - like a Jefferson County, Colo., jury during a trial in a similar case in June - also rejected the workers' argument that the companies participated in a 50-year conspiracy to keep the actual dangers of beryllium exposure secret. Patrick Carpenter, a spokesman for Brush Wellman, said he received word late Wednesday that the plaintiffs' motion for new trial in the Colorado case had been denied.

The judge also rejected the workers' arguments on two other issues.

"We are extremely pleased that the District Court granted this motion," Brush Wellman wrote in a statement. "The Court can be commended for being thorough and reasoned in evaluating our position that Brush Wellman was not responsible for the health and safety of another company's employees."

Laura Ayo may be reached at 865-342-6341 or ayo@knews.com.

Copyright 2001 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co.

1. Beryllium Related Legislation
Beryllium Support Group
http://dimensional.com/~mhj/legislation.html

2. National Beryllium Support Group
Provides fact sheets and articles about the incurable disease, plus details about government regulations regarding exposure to beryllium.
http://www.dimensional.com/~mhj

3. Office of Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski, United States Congress, United States House of Representatives, 11th District
Do you or a loved one have questions about beryllium exposure? Please call the Department of Energy Beryllium Hotline (toll-free): 877-447-9756 or contact me at (800)222-2346
http://www.house.gov/kanjorski/welcome.htm

4. Beryllium Injuries Lawyers Brayton Purcell: Beryllium Workers and Chronic Beryllium Disease
Is compensation provided to beryllium workers by The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 adequate?
http://www.braytonlaw.com/news/legalnews/120100-beryllium.htm

5. Office of Environment, Safety and Health
Summary of Legislation for Energy Employees' Beryllium Compensation Act
http://nattie.eh.doe.gov/portal/feature/pr99308.htm

6. Congress to consider compensation
By Kathy Kiely, USA TODAY WASHINGTON
Questions about whether to compensate sick workers from private companies that were secretly hired to process hazardous material for the nuclear weapons production.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/poison/020.htm

7. Some Historical Suggested Reading Pertaining to Chronic Beryllium Diseases
Gary Foster LMES/Y-12 (423)947-7824 fostergs@usit.net 1. Sterner JH, Eisenbud M. Epidemiology of Beryllium Intoxication. A.M.A. Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Medicine
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/be/workshop/foster/refdenv.html

The Emperor's New Clothes:
Thompson Amendment is a farce on the American people

Ed Slavin - Letter to the Oak Ridger
June 15, 2000

The recent Senate Floor Amendment by Senator Thompson does not meet the reasonable expectations of sick Oak Ridge workers and residents for meaningful compensation legislation. On June 10, by E-mail, I asked Senator Thompson 50 questions about it: I have not received any substantive response.

Sadly, U.S. Senator Fred Dalton Thompson, on advice from DOE, passed an inept compensation bill, Senate Amendment 3250 to S.2549 does not pass the laugh test.

Senator Thompson has staged a farce for his colleagues and the American people. The Thompson-DOE Amendment does not meet minimum standards of Due Process -- set in Black Lung compensation -- as discussed by Oak Ridge lawyer Gene Joyce in his columns. Senator Thompson has dashed reasonable expectations of probity of the sick workers and residents. The Thompson-DOE Amendment does not require:

1. coverage of all sick workers and residents hurt by DOE toxicants

2. full funding of lifetime compensation and medical benefits by making the polluters pay

3. open public hearings with testimony under oath before independent DOL Administrative Law Judges, as provided for Black Lung claims (instead, the Thompson Amendment uses Government doctors to decide claims)

4. subpoena power and easy access to documents and answers from DOE and contractor managers (incredibly Thompson Amendment requires a separate Federal Court lawsuit to force discovery, after first waiting 180 days!)

5. appeals to the DOL Benefits Review Board and judicial review by the Court of Appeals, as provided for Black Lung and Longshore workers' compensation claims (Longshore legal precedents that provide penalties for employers who deceive workers about hazards and health)

6. strict action-forcing deadlines for Government action, with claims being granted if the Government waits too long

7. payment of full reasonable attorney fees, expert witness fees and other litigation expenses at market rates and a ban on attorney solicitation and percentage contingency fees, as in Black Lung (instead, attorneys would be free to charge contingency fees, reducing the $200,000 lump sum to as little as $100,000 after expenses)

8. an end to the Federal Tort Claims Act discretionary function exemption for ultrahazardous activities, preserving worker rights to sue

9. coverage for genetic injuries to spouses, families, children and grandchildren of workers and for injuries caused by dangerous chemicals and heavy metals like cyanide, mercury and hydrogen fluoride

10. independence of the Department of Energy in deciding compensation and independent lifetime medical care and research, free of influence by DOE and its contractors

Rather than a fitting memorial to sick workers and residents whose suffering made the Cold War victory possible, Senator Thompson's bill is a snare and a delusion, guaranteed to result in denials and delays. Just what does Senator Thompson think his weak DOE-drafted Amendment is going to accomplish? Is his intention to pass a reform that is not worthy of the word? How many sick workers does Senator Thompson really think will be compensated under this restrictive bill?

Why does Senator Thompson think that U.S. Government doctors lacking in independence could fairly decide cases? He must not remember the Reagan Administration's efforts to pressure independent Social Security Administration Administrative Law Judges to deny benefits, sending SSA judges those who found too many workers disabled to what Rep. Barney Frank called "remedial judging school."

In one of my favorite movies, "The Hunt for Red October," a U.S. Navy Admiral (portrayed by none other than veteran character actor Fred Dalton Thompson) said (I must paraphrase): "The Russians don't [go to the bathroom] without a plan." What is Senator Thompson's plan in fronting for and passing such an monstrous piece of DOE-drafted legislation and acting like it is progress? Senator Thompson's fatally flawed Floor Amendment shows no character and makes it appear that Senator Thompson was indeed acting when he promised to help DOE's victims. If the devil is in the details, then the Thompson Amendment is an energumen: it will not silence the victims or meet their needs.

The U.S. House of Representatives and House-Senate Conference Committee must devise a just compensation system to cover all victims with full benefits, making polluters pay. We don't need another farce, written and run by the same DOE that created the ultrahazardous facilities and covered them up for nearly six decades.

With kindest regards, I am
Sincerely yours,
Edward A. Slavin, Jr.
Box 3084
St. Augustine, Florida 32085-3084
(904) 471-7023
(904) 471-9918 (fax)

Back to Downwinders

KUB REACHES 2,000 SIGN-UPS, WINS FIRST GREEN POWER LEADERSHIP AWARD

The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) continues to show their commitment to clean energy by reaching their goal of having 2,000 customers signed up for Green Power Switch by July 4th, 2001. KUB hosted a customer appreciation event to celebrate this accomplishment on August 2nd at Market Square. The event was a huge success and received media coverage from Knoxville's three major TV stations and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Attendees were given free green snow cones. KUB held this activity both to mark their milestone and to challenge even more people and businesses to participate in the program.

BUSHIT ALERT: KUB has no "Green Power" and publicly admits it has no intention of inventing any in the future. In fact, it abandoned its ugly Green HQ downtown, selling it for $500,000 to a criminal lawyer next door on Gay Street, to finance its old $15-million boob job and luxury palace on Gay Street, complete with VIP bedroom suites with jacuuzis and numerous VIP dining facilities with monogramed crystal goblets and fine bone china. KUB merely uses its "Green Power" donation scheme as propaganda to siphon money from political hacks extorted to contribute their paychecks in order to please the Republican Skull and Bones mayor and trial lawyer trying to stay one step ahead of impeachment, imprisonment and/or lynching. So mayor Ashe jumped at his promotion from fellow Bonesman George Bush Jr to take his Widenass to help loot Fannie Mae Savings and Loan.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"It's beautiful, man!"
—Tom "Machine Gun" Cruise to Timothy "Follow The Orders" Hutton, from the movie Taps