MONUMENTAL DISASTER ALERT: Radiation Leak Reported At The Indian Point Nuclear Facility In New York - "ALARMING LEVELS OF RADIOACTIVITY"; 65,000 PERCENT Above Normal; Governor Cuomo Is "Deeply Concerned,... Significant Failure"; Officials Worried About PUBLIC HEALTH; Extent And Duration Of Release "UNCLEAR"; Radiation Experts Being Sent In!

 Indian Point Nuclear Plant.

February 10, 2016 - NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - A leak at the Indian Point nuclear facility in New York has sent contaminant into the area groundwater, causing radioactivity levels 65,000% higher than normal, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday… The groundwater beneath the nuclear plant… flows into the Hudson River at a point about 25 miles north of New York City… [T]he NRC plans to send an expert in health physics and radiation protection to the site… - CNN.


Gov. Cuomo said the plant’s operator, Entergy, reported “alarming levels” of radioactivity at three monitoring wells, with one well’s radioactivity increasing nearly 65,000%… Other state officials also blasted the controversial nuclear facility’s most recent mishap. Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee (D-Suffern) said she was concerned not only for the surrounding community but also for the “impact this radioactive water may have on public health and our environment,” Jaffee added. - NY Daily News.


“Tonight on News 12 — a radioactive leak at Indian Point sparking a full investigation by the State over concerns of contamination… Officials discover alarming levels of radioactivity at several monitoring wells… with one’s radioactivity increasing by nearly 65,000%… Officials say… there is no immediate threat to the public.” - News 12 transcript.


It was unclear how much water spilled, but samples showed the water had a radioactivity level of more than 8 million picocuries per liter… The levels are the highest regulators have seen at Indian Point… Contaminated groundwater would likely slowly make its way to the Hudson River, [an NRC spokesman] said… Tritium [is] a radioactive form of hydrogen that poses the greatest risk of causing cancer when it ends up in drinking water. - AP.


“Yesterday I learned that radioactive tritium-contaminated water leaked… The company reported alarming levels of radioactivity at three monitoring wells, with one well’s radioactivity increasing nearly 65,000 percent.” - Gov. Andrew Cuomo.


“I am deeply concerned… Indian Point has experienced significant failure in its operation and maintenance… levels of radioactivity reported this week are significantly higher than in past incidents… Our first concern is for the health and safety of the residents… I am directing you to fully investigate this incident… to determine the extent of the release, its likely duration, its causes, its potential impacts to the environment and public health, and how the release can be contained.” - Gov. Cuomo’s letter to Commissioner Zucker (Dept. of Health) & Acting Commissioner Seggos (Dept. of Environmental Conservation).


“I am concerned about the alarming increase in radioactive water leaking… My primary concern is the potential impact this… may have on public health and our environment.” - Ellen Jaffee, New York Assembly member.


“[The NRC] says that exposure to high levels of tritium may cause cancer in humans or genetic defects.” - CBS 6 Albany transcript.


Watch broadcasts here: News 12 | News 10 | CBS 6 | CBS NY


- ENE News.

MONUMENTAL DISASTER ALERT: Officials Declare An EMERGENCY ALERT As Fire And EXPLOSION Is Reported At Brunswick Nuclear Plant In North Carolina - Fire And Explosion Occurred After "UNEXPECTED POWER DECREASE" In Reactor; "Emergency Response Facilities Staffed"; "ABNORMAL EVENT With Potential To Impact Plant Equipment Or PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY"!

Officials at the Brunswick Nuclear Plant declared an Emergency Alert.

February 10, 2016 - NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES - Facility: BRUNSWICK [Nuclear Plant in N.C.]… Emergency Class: ALERT… EMERGENCY DECLARED… RPS [Reactor Protection System] ACTUATION – CRITICAL… MANUAL SCRAM AND ALERT DECLARATION DUE TO ELECTRICAL FAULT RESULTING IN FIRE/EXPLOSION…

Unit 1 declared an Alert… due to an explosion/fire in the Balance of Plant 4 kV switchgear bus area. Prior to the Alert declaration, the operators initiated a manual SCRAM due to an unexpected power decrease from 88% to 40%. The licensee has visually verified that there is no ongoing fire and is investigating the initial cause of the event…

[T]he licensee reported the following… “a manual reactor scram was initiated due to loss of both recirculation system variable speed drives as a result of an electrical fault. At this time, a Startup Auxiliary Transformer (SAT) experienced a lockout fault; interrupting offsite power to emergency buses 1 and 2.

Emergency Diesel Generators (EDGs) 1, 2, 3, and 4 automatically started”… The licensee has notified… DHS, FEMA, USDA, HHS, DOE, DHS NICC, EPA… FDA… and Nuclear SSA…- U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.



Electrical damage sets off alert at Brunswick Nuclear Plant… An Alert is the second in increasing significance of four nuclear emergency classifications... - WWAY.


WATCH: Electrical damage sets off alert at Brunswick Nuclear Plant

[Unit 1] remains in shutdown mode, while officials work through “detailed process/procedures to fully understand this event and make the needed repairs”… An alert… is used when abnormal events have the potential to impact plant equipment or public health and safety… No estimated timeline has been given for getting Unit 1 back into service.. - WECT.


Duke Energy notified the emergency management agencies… of damaged electrical equipment at the Brunswick Nuclear Plant…. - North Carolina Department of Public Safety.


Alert declared and exited at Brunswick… federal, state and local officials were notified, and Brunswick plant emergency response facilities were staffed…. - Duke Energy.


- ENE News.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Measles Outbreak Spreads To Three More U.S. States - 121 People Now Affected!

February 9, 2015 - UNITED STATES - The measles outbreak spread to three more states and 19 additional people last week, according to an update posted Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The highly contagious disease is now in 17 states, with 121 people affected. The vast majority of the cases are part of the large outbreak that began in Southern California Disney theme parks in late December, the health agency said.

That total is on pace to easily surpass the 644 cases in the United States in 2014, the greatest number since measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. Last week, the CDC reported 102 cases in 14 states.

Authorities have said the resurgence is mostly caused by the growing number of people who are declining to vaccinate their children for personal reasons, or delaying the vaccinations.

Measles cases: Jan. 1 to Feb. 6, 2015. There are 121 cases reported in Washington, DC and 17 states (California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, South
Dakota, Utah, Texas, Washington, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware). (CDC)

"This is a teachable moment for this country," former U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman said at a conference Monday at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomber School of Public Health. "When we see a disease that was almost eliminated in the early 1980s now come back with a jolt all around this country, we have to ask ourselves what’s going on.

"Not even vaccines are immune to politics ... I've seen politics threaten vaccination efforts time and time again," he added. - Washington Post.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: "We Are Very Concerned" - CDC Warns Of "LARGE OUTBREAK" Of Measles In The United States, As Anxiety Spreads!

 Dr. Charles Goodman gave 1-year-old Cameron Fierro the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine at his practice in Northridge, Calif., on Thursday.
Credit Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

February 2, 2015 - UNITED STATES - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden on Sunday warned that the U.S. could see a "large outbreak" of measles. "We are very concerned by the growing number of people who are susceptible to measles, and the possibility that we could have a large outbreak in this country as a result," Frieden said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

There are at least 102 reported cases in 14 states, according to the CDC. Frieden said that the U.S. is "likely to see more cases."

Frieden said there is "aggressive public health action" to identify those with measles, isolate those sick and quarantine those who have been exposed.

But he said the best way to prevent the spread of measles was vaccination.

Frieden said despite the U.S.'s 92 percent vaccination rate, there is growing evidence more parents are not vaccinating their children.


WATCH: CDC warns of 'large outbreak' of measles.

"What we’ve seen is, as over the last few years, a small but growing number of people, have not been vaccinated. That number is building up among young adults in society, and that makes us vulnerable," he said.

Frieden acknowledged that some parents are concerned about the safety of vaccines, or think measles no longer exists.

"One in six kids could have a fever ten days after, but the vaccine is safe and effective. And for those parents that may think that measles is gone, it’s still here, and it can be quite serious," he said.

Frieden also appeared on ABC's "This Week," urging parents to vaccinate their children.

"What you do for your own kids doesn't just affect your family. It affects other families as well," he said. "The more kids who are not vaccinated, the more they're at risk and the more they put their neighbors' kids at risk as well.” - The Hill.

As Measles Cases Spread in U.S., So Does Anxiety

The measles outbreak tied to Disneyland continued to spread anxiety Friday as two new cases emerged overnight in Marin County in California — along with at least one in Nebraska — while Arizona officials warned that at least 1,000 people may have been exposed to the virus through seven others in that state.

Since Jan. 1, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed 84 measles cases in 14 states. California’s health department, which is updating a measles count more frequently, has found more than 90 cases in the United States and Mexico so far, with 52 linked to the Disneyland outbreak.

Concern about the highly contagious disease intensified Friday in several states, including Minnesota, where health officials are notifying hundreds of people who may have come into contact with a University of Minnesota student with measles.

There was also anxiety in Arizona, where thousands of people are arriving in Phoenix for the Super Bowl on Sunday. The disease centers are now advising anyone with symptoms not to attend the game.

“The very large outbreaks we’ve seen around the world often started with a small number of cases,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the agency’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Officials in three counties in the Phoenix area — Maricopa, Gila and Pinal — have already asked residents who have not been vaccinated and who might have been exposed to stay home from school, work or day care for 21 days. Schools in some other states are considering more formal bans on unvaccinated children.

“This is a critical point in this outbreak,” the Arizona state health director, Will Humble, wrote on his blog. Any missed cases, he wrote, could cause “a long and protracted outbreak.”

Each case so far has spawned an exhaustive public health response.

News sites in Pennsylvania and other states are alerting readers when measles-infected individuals have visited local establishments, an effort to warn residents of exposure. And in places like New Mexico, where the number of unvaccinated children increased 17 percent from 2012 to 2014, health officials are warning that the disease could soon hit.

In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Health said Friday that it is working with the University of Minnesota to manage the case of measles diagnosed in a 20-year-old male university student. It has notified other students who may have been exposed, along with health officials at the hospital where he sought treatment.

“We are going to be watching this situation very closely,” the Minnesota commissioner of health, Dr. Edward Ehlinger, said.

Dr. Ehlinger emphasized that the potential risk to the general public is very low, but said people should take precautions to protect themselves and their children. In particular, he called on parents to make sure their children have been properly immunized.

A spokesman for the state health department, Doug Schultz, said the student had probably contracted the measles on a trip to Indonesia. The student told health authorities that he had received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, Mr. Schultz said, but that it was unclear when he had received his last shot.

The vaccine, Mr. Schultz said, is about 95 percent effective, so it is possible for people who are current with their vaccinations to contract the virus. In Minnesota, about 1.6 percent of people decline to be vaccinated, Mr. Schultz said.

In Nebraska, Leah Bucco-White, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said Friday that officials had confirmed two cases of measles in children in the eastern part of the state.

The first case is related to the Disneyland outbreak, Ms. Bucco-White said, but the origin of the second case remained unclear. “We’re still investigating the source of exposure.”

Health officials in Nebraska are recommending a quarantine for individuals who may have been exposed, and are sending out information to health care providers on what kind of symptoms to watch for.

Public health officials from across the nation have made appeals in recent days to have their children immunized, and there are signs that the trend away from vaccination may be reversing in at least some locations.

In Maricopa County, Arizona, three clinics have experienced a surge in visitors requesting measles vaccinations for their children, according to health officials, who reported a 50 percent rise in vaccination requests over last year.

The clinics have added nurses, and lines have begun to form. One visitor was a parent from Mesa who had two children, ages 12 and 14, who had not received measles vaccinations.

“If you’re trying to make lemonade out of the situation,” said Jeanene Fowler, a spokeswoman for the county health department, “that’s the best we can ask for.” - NY Times.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Up To 1,000 Exposed To Measles In Arizona - Health Officials Believe The Cases Will Grow, Asks People Who May Have Come In Contact With The Virus To Isolate Themselves!

A doctor prepares to administer a measles vaccination to a child at in Miami.(Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images)

January 30, 2015 - ARIZONA, UNITED STATES - With as many as 1,000 people across three Arizona counties potentially exposed to the measles, state public-health officials are asking people who think they may have come in contact with the virus to isolate themselves.

In addition, they are asking those who may have been exposed not to show up at doctors' offices, emergency rooms or urgent-care centers, where others could be exposed to the highly contagious virus, which can linger in the air for two hours.

Maricopa County Public Health Director Bob England said parents who are concerned about sending their children to school or day care should start asking direct questions.

"It is perfectly reasonable to ask their child-care provider or school how many kids in that school are not vaccinated because parents chose not to," he said.

To date, officials have confirmed seven cases of measles: five in Pinal County, two in Maricopa County. In addition, health officials in Gila County are working to identify anyone who might have come in contact with one of the Pinal County patients, who visited a hospital there in mid-January.

The possible exposure rate of 1,000 people is tied in large part to those who may have come in contact with 195 children who Maricopa County health officials say were exposed to measles between Jan. 20 and 21 at the Phoenix Children's East Valley Center in Mesa.

Public-health officials believe the cases of measles will probably grow, but they do not want to instill panic.

The general public is not advised to wear masks or avoid public transportation, England said.

"I don't want people to change their lives," he said. "If you go out in public, you are way more likely to get the flu. What we're trying to do is nip this in the bud, track people who've been exposed, keep them out of child care and work, so it doesn't become widespread."

Mesa resident Shana Bereche, 30, is one of the people potentially exposed and is waiting to see if her 4-month-old daughter, Leighton, shows any symptoms.

Bereche said she had taken Leighton to the Phoenix Children's East Valley Center Jan. 21 for a doctor's appointment.

She said the county told her they were at the clinic 30 minutes before and two hours after the person with measles had been there. "So, I don't know if we shared a room, passed in the hall," she said.
Wednesday was the first possible day Leighton was considered contagious, said Bereche, who is keeping her daughter quarantined at home. "But it could take up to Feb. 10 to show signs or symptoms," she said. "If she wakes up on Feb. 11 with no rash, we're in the clear."

The difficult part, Bereche said, is that Leighton has excessive drooling and coughs, some of the symptoms of having measles. "But that's common for a baby," she said.

On Monday, Leighton received a shot of immunoglobulin, to help build her immune system.

Those who have been notified they were exposed or believe they have come in contact with someone carrying the measles virus are urged to go into self-quarantine.

"Anybody who is unvaccinated or undervaccinated (received only the first of two recommended doses) who has been exposed to measles patients, needs to be in isolation for 21 days," said Will Humble, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.


WATCH: Gila County health officials are tracking 14 people who might have been exposed to measles at a hospital.

Local pharmacies can give the measles shot, but those interested are advised to call ahead to make sure your local drugstore has the vaccine in stock. The co-pay will vary depending on a person's health plan. If you are not insured, expect to pay about $100 per shot.

Vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella in Maricopa and Pinal vary greatly among county kindergartens for the 2013-14 school year, according to Arizona Department of Health Services records. Rates range from 100% to as low as 38%.

The statistics are for kindergartens with more than 20 students enrolled. The state would not release information regarding those smaller schools, citing concerns over privacy.

All three state universities — Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University — require students to provide verification they've had two measles vaccinations before they can register for classes.

The most proactive approach against the disease is to ensure that someone has been vaccinated or check to see if they have had the measles, England and Humble stress.

It's a matter of taking the personal responsibility to guard against the spread of the disease, Humble added. "Everybody needs to tell the truth" about whether they've had the measles or have been vaccinated, Humble said. And those who know they have not gotten the vaccine should comply for the good of the community, he said, adding: "We all have to do this together. It's the golden rule. It's not complicated."

He noted that the measles can cause blindness, deafness and even death — especially in young children.

Health officials say measles begins with a fever, red and watery eyes, a cough and a runny nose, followed by a red, raised and blotchy rash that begins on the head at the hairline and moves to the lower extremities. Symptoms typically appear seven to 12 days after exposure to measles but it may take up to 21 days.

Dr. Amy Shoptaugh, a pediatrician at All About Kids Pediatrics in Tempe, said her office has had an increase in calls from parents whose children have not been vaccinated.

Shoptaugh said she last saw a case of measles 20 years ago, when she was working in Nepal.

"If you get the measles, you can get very sick," she said. "There can be a fever of 104 or 105 with a rash that is pretty significant."

The only real treatment is taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

The recent outbreak likely originated at Disneyland before Christmas. The California Department of Public Health reported last week that the state has 59 confirmed cases, with 42 linked to Disneyland or California Adventure in Anaheim. The outbreak has spread to Washington, Utah, Colorado, Oregon and Arizona.

The two Arizona cases confirmed Tuesday involve a man in Pinal County and a woman in Phoenix and were tied to a Kearny-area family of four whose measles cases were confirmed last week following travel to Disneyland.

Gila County health officials said the patient in question visited the Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center at 1:47 a.m. on Jan. 14. Anyone who was working at the hospital or visited between 1:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 14 was potentially exposed, and health officials have identified nine staff members and eight non-staff members whom they are tracking.

Last week, Maricopa County officials reported that a woman in her 50s tested positive for measles, which they believe she contracted at Disneyland.

Republic reporters Anne Ryman, Caitlin McGlade and Sarah Jarvis contributed to this article.
Measles symptoms

Typically appear seven to 21 days after exposure to measles.

Begin with fever (101 F or higher), red and watery eyes, cough and runny nose.

Are followed by a rash that is red, raised and blotchy. The rash begins on the face at the hairline and moves down the body. The rash may last for five to six days and may turn brownish.
If you think you have measles

Contact your health-care provider, emergency room or urgent-care center by phone. They will direct you when to visit so as not to expose others in the waiting area. - USA Today.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: First Documented Cat-To-Human TB Infection Revealed - The Public Health Experts In England Say That Transmission Risk Is Low, But Recommend Putting Down Cats Confirmed To Have Disease!

March 28, 2014 - ENGLAND - The first documented evidence that TB can spread from cats to humans has been reported by public health officials, confirming long-held concerns about the disease's capacity to jump from one of Britain's favourite pets.

Two people developed active TB after close contact with cats in 2013 following an outbreak involving
nine animals in west Berkshire and Hampshire. Photograph: Petr Bonek/Alamy

Public Health England (PHE) said on Thursday that the risk of the disease being transmitted from cats to people was very low. However, putting down cats confirmed to have TB was the most sensible course of action because people having close contact with them faced a potentially significant risk of infection, it said.

Two people were found to have developed active TB after close contact with cats last year following an outbreak involving nine animals in west Berkshire and Hampshire. They are said to be responding to treatment. Two other people were found to have latent TB, meaning they had been exposed to the disease at some point but it was not active.

The risk of the spread of TB from cats to humans had previously been regarded by UK advisers as negligible despite the potential for transmission being recognised after years of serious outbreaks in cattle, which have led to controversial badger culls.

The outbreak of the disease in cats, caused by a strain known as Mycobacterium bovis (M bovis), came to light via a veterinary practice, and led to screening being offered to 39 people, 24 of whom accepted. Six of the nine cats were put down, three were treated.

The head of gastrointestinal, emerging and zoonotic diseases at PHE, Dilys Morgan, said: "It's important to remember that this was a very unusual cluster of TB in domestic cats. M bovis is still uncommon in cats – it mainly affects livestock animals. These are the first documented cases of cat-to-human transmission, and so although PHE has assessed the risk of people catching this infection from infected cats as being very low, we are recommending that household and close contacts of cats with confirmed M bovis infection should be assessed and receive public health advice."

Molecular analysis at the government's Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AVHLA) showed that M bovis isolated from the infected cats and the people with active TB were indistinguishable, indicating transmission of the bacterium from an infected cat. In the cases of latent TB, it has not been possible to confirm the source of their exposure or whether they were caused by M bovis.

The findings on the animal health side were due to be published in The Veterinary Record on Thursday.

Transmission of M bovis from infected animals to humans can occur by inhaling or ingesting bacteria shed by the animal or through contamination of unprotected cuts in the skin while handling infected animals or their carcasses.

The head of the bovine TB genotyping group at AHVLA, Noel Smith, said: "Testing of nearby herds revealed a small number of infected cattle with the same strain of M bovis as the cats. However, direct contact of the cats with these cattle was unlikely considering their roaming ranges. The most likely source of infection is infected wildlife, but cat-to-cat transmission cannot be ruled out."

Cattle herds with confirmed cases of bovine TB in the area have all been placed under movement restrictions to prevent the spread of disease. Experts are said to be on the lookout for further cases of disease caused by M bovis in humans, cats or any other pet and livestock animal species.

In the 1930s, TB caused by M bovis killed 2,500 people a year and infected 50,000, but now the route is diagnosed in fewer than 40 Britons a year, mostly in over-65s through reactivation of latent infection dating from before the introduction of hygiene controls, including routine milk pasteurisation. This accounts for less than 1% of all diagnosed TB cases in the country, and those who work closely with livestock and/or drink unpasteurised milk are most at risk.

Fewer than 30 cats in Britain were identified as having TB between 2006 and 2012, although research from Edinburgh University last year suggested far more cats developed the disease than had previously been thought. The government's cross-UK Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group (Hairs) also considers present figures to be underestimated. Incidents usually happen where TB is endemic in cattle and wildlife.

The Berkshire/Hampshire outbreak, involving seven confirmed and two suspected cases between December 2012 and March 2013, has taken time to report because of the detailed investigations necessary. The nine cats belonged to nine separate homes, six of them within 250 metres of each other. Seven cases matched a distinct M bovis strain, detected in cattle in the area in 2008. All the cats had severe systemic infection. Some had non-healing or discharging wounds, or a recent history of bites.

The Hairs report on the incidents said: "There is currently no evidence to suggest that transmission of M bovis from cat to human is anything other than a rare event." - Guardian.

PARADISE LOST: "Public Health and Human Rights Catastrophe" - Smoke From Riverton Dump Fire Blankets Jamaica's Capital!

Acrid smoke from a fire at a sprawling trash dump blanketed swaths of Jamaica's capital Thursday, and officials warned people to stay indoors to avoid exposure to potentially dangerous pollutants.

Firefighters try to extinguish blaze at the Riverton landfill.

Jamaica's emergency management office said it would likely take three more days to bring the fire under control and five days after that before the foul-smelling smoke stopped billowing from the Riverton City solid waste dump.

Firefighters have struggled to extinguish the blaze at the seaside dump since it erupted Monday night. On Thursday, the waste management authority appealed for help to people with water trucks and heavy-duty equipment.

Officials in the control tower at Norman Manley International Airport on the outskirts of Kingston said no flights had been delayed or rerouted, but air traffic controllers and pilots struggled in the hazy conditions.

Shantytowns ring the open-air landfill, and government housing complexes and middle class neighborhoods have been built nearby. Smoke also hung over the southern city of Portmore, just west of Kingston and downwind from the dump.

The Jamaica Environment Trust said the health of all Kingston residents was being threatened by the gray smoke wafting from the dump, calling the fire an "environmental, human rights and public health catastrophe."

There has been virtually no control over what is unloaded at the site so fluorescent bulbs containing mercury, car batteries, tires and all manner of industrial, commercial and animal waste are burning there, the group said. - The Associated Press.