NRC Negligently Ignored Massive Dangerous Air Pollution From Limerick Nuclear Plant Despite Health Harms

NRC should have the courage and integrity to tell the truth about the health risks related to Limerick’s massive air pollution. Radiation, toxic chemicals, massive PM-10 from the cooling towers, and chlorine additives are all in our air. No problem according to NRC. Health crisis data around Limerick suggest otherwise.

To protect public health, Limerick needs to close now, and stop polluting our air.

VIDEO BLOG – PART 3 – AUGUST 2013

LIMERICK NUCLEAR PLANT’S DANGEROUS AIR POLLUTION IGNORED BY NRC

LIMERICK’S DANGEROUS AIR POLLUTION HARMS HEALTH.

10-26-11 ACE PROVIDED NRC WITH DOCUMENTED DETAILS FOR LIMERICK’S EIS PUBLIC HEARING COMMENTS.

• Our analysis of Limerick’s Title V air pollution permit and other documentation show why Limerick’s air pollution is a “major” threat to our region.

• NRC ignored this evidence in Limerick’s DRAFT EIS conclusions or NRC could not have concluded Limerick’s air pollution impacts are “small”.

• NO unbiased person could analyze the evidence and the reality and still come to that conclusion!

FACTS SHOW WHY NRC’S DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT IS ABSURD, WHEN CLAIMING LIMERICK’S AIR POLLUTION THREATS ARE “SMALL”

LIMERICK NUCLEAR PLANT’S AIR POLLUTION INCLUDES:
1. Radiation – from routine operations and accidental releases
2. Schuylkill River Toxics – from withdrawing 56.2 Million Gallons Per Day
3. Toxic Chemicals – from adding over 300 pounds per day to Cooling Towers
4. Greenhouse Gases, Combustion Chemicals & By-products – from Boilers, Etc.

• The National Academy of Sciences BEIR VII Report concludes that there is no safe level of radiation. Limerick routinely releases radioactive particulates, the most harmful kind of air pollution because inhaled radionuclides remain in your body causing long-term damage.

• There are additive, cumulative, and synergistic harmful health impacts from all the different radionuclides released into our air with other toxic air pollution. For example: Our region is at high risk for ozone. Ozone works synergistically with radiation to enhance to cancer-causing effects of radiation. Therefore, Limerick’s harmful air pollution impacts have been grossly underestimated.

• Limerick routinely releases a broad range of air pollutants released from 32 different air pollution sources. NONE have filtration.

Limerick’s air pollution contains PM-10, an air pollutant considered more dangerous than ozone, PM-10 is released from 4 different sources at Limerick and is massively released from Limerick’s cooling towers, yet PM-10 is not monitored, but only estimated by Exelon. No agency verifies Exelon’s estimates.

To avoid air pollution permit violations, in 2009, Limerick requested and received a 6-fold INCREASE in its Title V Air Pollution Permit limit for PM-10, dangerous cooling tower air pollution that is considered more deadly than ozone by the American Lung Association.
This was a legal maneuver to make it appear that Exelon complies with its air pollution permit for PM-10.

• Dr. Devra Davis compiled evidence from more than 1,000 air pollution studies in 20 countries showing the certain death rates for asthma, heart disease, and lung disorders were based on the amount of exposure to air pollution.

• Also, Limerick’s cooling towers host pathogens. Those infectious pathogens are transported into our air with the cooling tower plume. They can cause disease in humans and animals. NRC’s DRAFT EIS shows that Limerick’s cooling towers release microbiological organisms including SALMONELLA, LEGIONELLA, AND PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA, which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in immune compromised individuals.

IN 2009 LIMERICK ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED DRASTIC PERMIT INCREASES IN AIR POLLUTION FROM ITS COOLING TOWERS. THIS IS THE KIND OF AIR POLLUTION CONSIDERED MORE DANGEROUS THAN OZONE.

NRC’S 4-13 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT IGNORED ALL THE EVIDENCE OF LIMERICK NUCLEAR PLANT’S DANGEROUS AIR POLLUTION WHEN FALSELY CLAIMING LIMRICK’S AIR POLLUTION IMPACTS ARE “SMALL”.

COOLING TOWER AIR POLLUTION CONTAINS ENOUGH CHLORINE ADDITIVES TO CORRODE STEEL
• Nuclear Industry Studies Show Cracks Can Occur In Stainless Steel In 4 to 52 Weeks.
• Chlorine is added to Limerick’s Cooling Towers as Sodium Hypochlorite
• Limerick Uses 16,000 to 58,000 POUNDS PER DAY of Sodium Hypochlorite

NRC DISMISSED CONCERN ABOUT CORROSIVE AIR FROM LIMERICK’S COOLING TOWERS BY ALLOWING EXELON TO SAY IT DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE THE CORROSIVE AIR FROM THE COOLING TOWERS TRAVELS OFF-SITE.

NRC EXPRESSED NO CONCERN ABOUT IMPACTS TO THE LUNGS OF PEOPLE OFF-SITE WHO ARE FORCED TO BREATHE LIMERICK’S DANGEROUS CHLORINATED AIR POLLUTION.

LIMERICK’S MASSIVE DANGEROUS AIR POLLUTION WILL CONTINUE AS LONG AS LIMERICK CONTINUES TO OPERATE.

NRC SHOULD TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HEALTH RISKS OF LIMERICK’S AIR POLLUTION AND REFUSE TO RELICENSE LIMERICK. TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH, LIMERICK NEEDS TO CLOSE NOW AND STOP POLLUTING OUR AIR.