One Minute Activist
September, 2001

The Department of Energy is pursuing a plan - under heavy pressure from the nuclear industry - to "recycle" radioactive metal into everyday household products in an "unrestricted release." Let them know how you feel about this subject!

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Text of One Minute Activist Letter:

August-September 2001

Kenneth G. Picha, Jr.
Office of Technical Program Integration, EM-22
Attn: Metals Disposition PEIS
Office of Environmental Management
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20585-0113

We have learned that the Department of Energy (DOE) is developing a plan - under heavy pressure from the nuclear industry - to unload vast quantities of their radioactive scrap metal into municipal landfills and to "recycle" it into everyday household products and industrial materials.

It is well established that radiation is a health hazard, and that radiation exposures should be avoided and minimized. This DOE program would allow radioactive metals to be recycled without any restrictions, which would mean that any metal products that you come into contact with could contain radiation. In essence, this would make all of us the guinea pigs in an experiment to determine the long-term health effects of repeated and unavoidable exposures to radiation. Since the radioactive metal would not be labeled, monitored or tracked ("unrestricted release"), it is highly unlikely that we would ever really know the results of this tragic, unnecessary experiment.

"DOE has also failed to supply records of what radioactive materials have been and are currently being dumped into unregulated disposal and ‘recycled’ into everyday products," stated Jane Kelly, Director of Public Citizen’s California office.

I urge the Department of Energy to stop dispersing radioactive materials - such as concrete, soil, asphalt, plastics, wood, metals and more - into municipal landfills and the open marketplace, and to strengthen and expand its current bans on ‘recycling’ radioactive metal."

Sincerely,

Name__________________________Signature___________________________

Address___________________________________________________________

Phone_______________________________e-mail_________________________