Tiny amount of radioactive particles reach Iceland

Radioactive Moss - Landmannalaugar, Iceland.

Miniscule amounts of radioactive particles believed to have come from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant have been detected as far away as Iceland, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.

They stressed the tiny traces of iodine — measured by a network of international monitoring stations as they spread eastwards from Japan across the Pacific, North America and to the Atlantic — were far too low to cause any harm to humans.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), a Vienna-based U.N. body for monitoring possible breaches of the atom bomb test ban, has 63 stations worldwide for observing such particles, including one in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik.

They can pick up very small amounts of radioactive particles, in this case iodine isotopes.

“They measure extremely small amounts,” one Vienna-based diplomat said. “It has nothing to do with any health risks.”

Another source said several CTBTO stations had so far detected particles believes to originate from the Fukushima nuclear complex, which emitted some radioactivity in the days after it was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami.

“Reykjavik is the first in Europe,” the source added.

Experts and diplomats had earlier predicted that very small amounts of radioactive particles were expected to reach Europe.

NO “HEALTH RISK WHATSOEVER”

The U.S. Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency late last week confirmed “miniscule” amounts of radiation that appeared to have come from Japan’s damaged reactors were detected in California, where the CTBTO also has a station.

The agencies also said between March 16 and 17 trace amounts of radiation that may have come from Japan were detected in Washington state. They said the radiation amounted to one-millionth of the dose rate that a person normally receives from natural sources such as rocks, bricks and the sun.

Austria’s Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics said on its website on Monday that levels of radiation which posed no “health risk whatsoever” had been observed also in Alaska and western Canada.

France’s nuclear safety authority ASN said that tiny amounts were set to reach the country on Wednesday.

“Very slightly contaminated air, with levels in the order of 1,000 to 10,000 times below those measured after the Chernobyl accident, should reach France on Wednesday with no consequences for human health,” it said in a statement.

While only tiny traces of radioactivity have been detected in countries outside Japan, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday “high levels of contamination” have been measured around the Fukushima plant itself.

At the site on Tuesday, smoke and steam rose from two of the most threatening reactors at Japan’s quake-crippled nuclear plant on Tuesday, suggesting the battle to avert a disastrous meltdown and stop the spread of radiation was far from won.

Radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 spread around the globe and reached the west coast of the United States in 10 days, its levels measurable but minuscule.

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Tiny amount of radioactive particles reach Iceland

Radioactive Moss - Landmannalaugar, Iceland.

Miniscule amounts of radioactive particles believed to have come from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant have been detected as far away as Iceland, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.

They stressed the tiny traces of iodine — measured by a network of international monitoring stations as they spread eastwards from Japan across the Pacific, North America and to the Atlantic — were far too low to cause any harm to humans.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), a Vienna-based U.N. body for monitoring possible breaches of the atom bomb test ban, has 63 stations worldwide for observing such particles, including one in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik.

They can pick up very small amounts of radioactive particles, in this case iodine isotopes.

“They measure extremely small amounts,” one Vienna-based diplomat said. “It has nothing to do with any health risks.”

Another source said several CTBTO stations had so far detected particles believes to originate from the Fukushima nuclear complex, which emitted some radioactivity in the days after it was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami.

“Reykjavik is the first in Europe,” the source added.

Experts and diplomats had earlier predicted that very small amounts of radioactive particles were expected to reach Europe.

NO “HEALTH RISK WHATSOEVER”

The U.S. Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency late last week confirmed “miniscule” amounts of radiation that appeared to have come from Japan’s damaged reactors were detected in California, where the CTBTO also has a station.

The agencies also said between March 16 and 17 trace amounts of radiation that may have come from Japan were detected in Washington state. They said the radiation amounted to one-millionth of the dose rate that a person normally receives from natural sources such as rocks, bricks and the sun.

Austria’s Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics said on its website on Monday that levels of radiation which posed no “health risk whatsoever” had been observed also in Alaska and western Canada.

France’s nuclear safety authority ASN said that tiny amounts were set to reach the country on Wednesday.

“Very slightly contaminated air, with levels in the order of 1,000 to 10,000 times below those measured after the Chernobyl accident, should reach France on Wednesday with no consequences for human health,” it said in a statement.

While only tiny traces of radioactivity have been detected in countries outside Japan, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Monday “high levels of contamination” have been measured around the Fukushima plant itself.

At the site on Tuesday, smoke and steam rose from two of the most threatening reactors at Japan’s quake-crippled nuclear plant on Tuesday, suggesting the battle to avert a disastrous meltdown and stop the spread of radiation was far from won.

Radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 spread around the globe and reached the west coast of the United States in 10 days, its levels measurable but minuscule.

Source

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Secret Iran Gold Holdings Leaked: Tehran Holds Same Amount Of Gold As United Kingdom, And Is Buying More

While it will not come as a major surprise to most, according to senior BOE individuals and Wikileaks, Iran, as well as Qatar and Jordan have been actively purchasing gold well over the amount reported to and by the IMF, in an accelerated attempt to diversify their holdings away from the US dollar. "Iran has bought large amounts of gold in the international market, according to a senior Bank of England official, in a sign of how growing political pressure has driven Tehran to reduce its exposure to the US dollar. Andrew Bailey, head of banking at the Bank of England, told an American official that the central bank had observed “significant moves by Iran to purchase gold”, according to a US diplomatic cable obtained by WikiLeaks and seen by the Financial Times." The reason for Tehran's scramble into gold: "an attempt by Iran to protect its reserves from risk of seizure”. The misrepresentation of Iran's holdings could be so vast that Iran could possibly be one of the largest holders of goldin the world. "Market observers believe Tehran has been one of the biggest buyers of bullion over the past decade after China, Russia and India, and is among the 20 largest holders of gold reserves... with an alleged 300 tons, big enough to challenge the UK at 310 tons, and more than Spain! " As a reminder according to the WGC, Iran is not even disclosed as an official holder of gold. Also, Iran is not the only one: "Cables obtained by WikiLeaks cite Jordan’s prime minister as saying the central bank was “instructed to increase its holdings” of gold, and a Qatar Investment Authority official as saying the QIA was interested in buying gold and silver." Which means that there is far more marginal demand by countries supposedly friendly to the dollar, as many more than previously expected are actively dumping linen and buying bullion. What all this means for the future price of gold, especially with geopolitical tension in the region,  and QE3 imminent, is rather self-evident.

From the FT:

Andrew Bailey, head of banking at the Bank of England, told an American official that the central bank had observed “significant moves by Iran to purchase gold”, according to a US diplomatic cable obtained by WikiLeaks and seen by the Financial Times.

Mr Bailey said the gold buying “was an attempt by Iran to protect its reserves from risk of seizure”.

Market observers believe Tehran has been one of the biggest buyers of bullion over the past decade after China, Russia and India, and is among the 20 largest holders of gold reserves.

They estimate it holds more than 300 tonnes of gold, up from 168.4 tonnes in 1996, the date of the most recent International Monetary Fund data.

Ummm, according to the WGC the UK (thank you Gordon Brown) has 310 tons of gold... Iran has the same amount of gold in storage as the (formerly) biggest colonial power in the history of the world. And this is not breaking news?

The cable, dated June 2006, is the first official confirmation of Tehran’s buying. Last year central banks became net buyers of bullion after 22 years of large sales, helping drive gold prices to all-time nominal highs. Trades by central banks are often kept secret.

Bankers said other Middle Eastern countries had also been quietly adding to gold holdings to diversify away from the dollar amid political tensions and volatility in currency markets.

“The totality of central bank reserves is not what is reported to the IMF,” said Philip Klapwijk, executive chairman of GFMS, a precious metals consultancy. “There’s probably another 10 per cent on top of that.”

Cables obtained by WikiLeaks cite Jordan’s prime minister as saying the central bank was “instructed to increase its holdings” of gold, and a Qatar Investment Authority official as saying the QIA was interested in buying gold and silver.

“There is no question some Middle Eastern countries are very interested in buying gold,” said George Milling-Stanley, head of government affairs at the mining industry-backed World Gold Council.

Secret undisclosed purchases of physical gold... What next: secret undisclosed selling of paper gold by such unusual suspects as JPM? Unpossible.

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