© Unknown
The
New York Times reported this week that the Mark 1 nuclear reactors were developed in the 1960s by General Electric (NYSE: GE).
As far back as 1972, there were warnings that, if a Mark 1 reactor's cooling system failed, the fuel rods would overheat and, as a result, the primary containment vessel surrounding the reactor would burst, spilling radiation into the environment. That warning is dangerously close to becoming a premonition, with a containment vessel damaged at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan.
Soon after GE began production of the Mark 1 reactors, American regulators began identifying weaknesses. Stephen H. Hanauer, then a safety official with the Atomic Energy Commission, said in 1972 that the Mark 1 system should be discontinued because, among other concerns, the smaller containment design is more susceptible to explosion and rupture from a buildup of hydrogen, which may be the case at Fukushima Daiichi.
Also in 1972, Joseph HenGdry, who later became the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said that while the idea of banning Mark 1 systems was attractive, it could also spell "the end of nuclear power" due to the fact that the technology had become so widely accepted.
Comment: For more information about mercury and thimerosal being 'potentially damaging to the health of children' read the following:
Pediatric Love Affair with Mercury Continues
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Dangerous Mercury Contamination of Human Body Increasing, Study Finds The following is helpful information about how to detox mercury from your body:
Detoxification: Heavy Metals, Mercury and how to get rid of them
Mercury: How to Get this Lethal Poison Out of Your Body
Health Videos: Mercury Amalgams, Toxic Chemicals and Foods, Activated Charcoal