Radiation

Parliamentary panel highlights gaps in medical radiation device testing

A parliamentary committee on Monday raised serious concerns about the country's capability to test and regulate radiation-emitting medical devices, urging immediate reforms in the national testing infrastructure. The Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution revealed significant gaps in the testing framework for critical medical equipment like X-ray and MRI machines in its fifth report submitted to Parliament. The National Testing House (NTH) currently lacks the expertise and capacity to comprehensively test and certify radiation-emitting medical devices, despite existing regulatory oversight from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO). The committee recommended establishing a collaborative framework between NTH, AERB, and CDSCO to address the identified regulatory shortcomings. Key recommendations include developing specialised testing capabilities at NTH, investing in advanced testing ...

Apple to update iPhone 12 in France after regulator flagged radiation limit

Apple has agreed to install updates for the iPhone 12 in France after French regulators ordered the company to stop selling the model because it emits electromagnetic radiation levels that exceed European Union standards. The company, which just unveiled its newest generation of iPhones, insists the 12 model is safe and the phones have been certified in countries around the world since its introduction in 2020. It says the problem raised by the French government agency that manages wireless communications frequencies is related to a specific testing protocol. The French agency said the iPhone 12 recently failed one of two types of tests for electromagnetic waves capable of being absorbed by the body. On Tuesday, France's government ordered a halt to sales of the iPhone 12 and told Apple to issue a software update to address the problem or face a recall. Apple said in a statement Friday that it will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by Frenc

iPhone 12 complies with radiation standards: Apple disputes French findings

It said it was contesting the results of the review made by AFNR and would continue to engage with the authority to show it is compliant

Ukraine holds drill at Zaporizhzhia plant to prepare for radiation leaks

Dressed in white and yellow protective suits and armed with devices to detect radiation levels, Ukrainian emergency workers took part in a drill on Thursday to prepare for a potential risk of radiation leakage from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Dozens of civilians joined the drill on the outskirts of the city of Zaporizhzhia, located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the nuclear power plant, Europe's largest. In a tent set up to provide first aid, emergency workers practised hosing people down with soap and going through the motions of administering treatment to individuals who play-acted victims from possible radiation-affected areas. Russia occupied the plant in the early stages of the war. Over the past year, it has become a focal point of concern as Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the plant. Ukraine's military intelligence recently claimed, without providing evidence, that Russia is planning a large-scale provocation at the nuclear

Japan's fisheries head against pumping treated radioactive water into sea

The head of Japan's national fisheries cooperatives has reiterated his group's opposition to the planned discharge of treated radioactive water into the sea from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, demanding the government take full responsibility for any negative impact on the industry. We cannot support the government's stance that an ocean release is the only solution, said Masanobu Sakamoto, president of JF Zengyoren, or the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives. A release is expected to begin this summer, though the exact date has not been set. Sakamoto met Economy and Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on Thursday and handed him a statement of objection to the treated wastewater release plan. Whether to release the water into the sea or not is a government decision, and in that case we want the government to fully take responsibility, he told reporters after meeting with Nishimura. Japan's government announced plans in April 2021 to gradually release the treat

Ozone layer not healing as fast as expected, surface UV radiation rising

The ozone layer is not healing as quickly as expected, leading to higher levels of surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation in recent years, according to a study. Despite projections that the ozone layer would fully recover by mid-century, researchers found rising UV radiation levels in the tropics and northern mid-latitudes after 2010, posing risks to human health and the environment. "Our analysis shows disturbed ozone levels and enhanced surface UV radiation for more than a decade after 2010," said study lead author Yan Xia of Beijing Normal University, China. "The slower recovery of stratospheric ozone is largely unexpected," Xia said in a statement. The study, published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, analysed satellite data and model simulations to assess long-term changes in ozone and surface UV levels around the globe. "We observed a decrease in ozone levels and an increase in UV radiation over latitudes between 30 degrees South-60 degrees North after 2010," Xia

Ukraine warns of radiation leak risk after power cut at Chernobyl plant

The plant was captured by Russian forces after the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24

Fire out at key Ukraine nuclear plant, no radiation released: Officials

IAEA's director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said Friday the building hit by a Russian projectile at the Zaporizhzhia plant was not part of the reactor but instead a training center at the plant

Russian seizure of Ukraine nuclear plant sparks worries about radiation

Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia plant - Europe's largest - after attacking it in the early hours of Friday, setting an adjacent five-storey training facility on fire

Russia War: Fighting stops in Ukraine's power plant, radiation level normal

Fighting has stopped near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on Friday and radiation levels are currently normal.Zaporizhzhia power plant spokesperson Andrey Tuz said the plant has not sustained any critical damage, although only one power generation unit out of six is operational as the fire continued at the facilityAs per Eastern European media, NEXTA, there was no threat of radiation spread."According to Andrey Tuz, spokesman of the press service of the nuclear power plant, there is no threat of radiation spread," tweeted NEXTA.Earlier Friday, Ukrainian officials said firefighters were unable to access the nuclear plant. Tuz said when firefighters initially arrived, they were met with guns and turned around.Ukrainian authorities said about 2:30 a.m. local time Friday that a fire had broken out at the nuclear power complex, located in Enerhodar, southeastern Ukraine.The plant is the largest of its kind in Ukraine and contains six of the country's 15 nuclear energy reactors, ...

Russia-Ukraine crisis: Higher radiation levels reported at Chernobyl

The still-radioactive site of the 1986 nuclear disaster lies some 100 kilometres from Kyiv

TV Ramachandran: False alarm over mobile tower radiation

Scientific evidence coupled with court judgments shows that mobile tower emission is not a health hazard