Initiative for the Immediate Phase-out of Nuclear Energy

Only united, we can achieve the immediate phase-out of nuclear energy! Our initiative is looking for a dedicated person or several persons to take on a leadership position.

Right now each one of us has lots of opportunities to avoid radioactive contamination of our environment, therefore we advise you to:

For ways to help yourself and us, please see the following links! (You can open and print the texts by copying their contents into your word processing program, the pdf files offered here can be read using Acrobat Reader – available for free over the internet at www.adobe.de or use the www.google.de search engine to find it. This initiative is not responsible for the contents of linked web sites.)

Additional support of our initiative, for the internet, the media and the new petition has been denied by the German parliament (Bundestag) for `economic reasons´.

Letter to be mailed to Nuclear Power Operators and those Responsible in the Government
Initiative for the Immediate Phase-out of Nuclear Energy
(as PDF file to be downloaded and distributed )

Dear Mr. ______________________,

I wish to protest against the release of large amounts of radioactively contaminated materials from nuclear plants being dismantled into the environment and residential areas. The EU guideline limits exposure to 10 microsievert/year per person. With the release level set by you the effective cumulative exposure dose for individuals will already be reached with single nuclides, exceeding the intended 10 microsievert by a factor of 6,500.

You decided in the new Radiation Safety Law that tritium (H-3) can be released without limit as long as its specific activity remains just below one million Becquerel per litre (or four million per gallon). I protest against that and demand that the current H-3 content in ground water of 0.5 Becquerel per litre shall not be exceeded.
I demand an immediate stop to the disposal of radioactive residues on regular waste deposits and to the recycling of weakly radioactive scrap metal. Weakly radioactive substances must be stored in special containers.
I demand the increase to 1 millisievert for the permissible drainage of radioactive materials from nuclear plants into air and water be lowered to the old limit of 0.3 millisievert.
I object to the current and planned interim storage deposits near nuclear power plants due to the increase they cause in gamma and neutron radiation and the danger of possible terrorist attacks.
I demand the stop of the Castor transports because these transports constantly release radioactivity into the surroundings.
In addition, I demand the stop of reprocessing nuclear waste because nuclear waste reprocessing plants continuously release radioactivity.
The German Umweltministerium für Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit (Environmental Ministry for the Protection of Nature and Reactor Safety) informed us in Dr. Geigl´s letter, dated 6.16.2000, that scientific literature now cites numerous findings regarding the mutation of normal cells into malignant cells caused by low intensity radiation. As early as 1972, the Canadian scientist Petkau established that chronic low intensity radiation causes damage to the cell membrane. Intact cell membranes are indispensable for a good immune system. Prof. Dr. John Gofmann who participated in the development of the atomic bomb, said: “Now that we know the dangers of weak radiation the crime we committed was no longer an experiment we made, but murder.” (abbreviated quote)
According to the statistic of disease types compiled by the AOK West (General Local Health Insurance, West Germany) in 1995 cases of hospitalisation due to tumours have increased 65% between 1980 and 1995 and those due to dietary illnesses, metabolic diseases and disturbances of the immune system increased by about a third.
The right to life and to be free from bodily harm, article 2 of the German constitution, is being violated. I reserve the right to hold you responsible for any bodily and material damage caused to me by this violation. In your own interest and in the interest of all human beings I demand that you support the immediate intensified usage of renewable energy sources, their specific promotion and the immediate shut-down of all nuclear power plants. The fuel rods accumulating until then must be stored in the storage basins inside the plants.

Yours sincerely

Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder Kanzleramt D-10557 Berlin	RWE-AG Dr. Dietmar Kuhnt Vorstandsvorsitzender Opernplatz 1 D-45128 Essen	EON-AG Ulrich Hartmann Vorstandsvorsitzender Bennigsen Platz 1 D-40444 Düsseldorf	Jürgen Trittin Umweltminister Alexanderplatz 6 D-10178 Berlin
Energie Baden-Württemberg AG ENBW Gerhard Goll Vorstandsvorsitzender Durlacher-Allee 93 D-76011 Karlsruhe	Vattenfall Europe AG Vorsitzender Chausseestraße 23 D-10115 Berlin	Wolfgang Klement Wirtschafts-Arbeits- und Sozialminister, Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft undTechnologie Scharnhorststr. 34-37 D-10115 Berlin	Wolfram König Präsident des Bundesamtes für Strahlenschutz Postfach 100149 D-38201 Salzgitter

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Initiative for the Immediate Phase-out of Nuclear Energy

(currently comprised of more than 100 associations and over 2000 individual members)

Final storage and disposal of nuclear waste – high risk and tremendous cost
(as PDF file to be downloaded and distributed)
The safety of the experimental nuclear end storage depot at Asse, Germany, is being endangered by the penetration of 11 cubic meters of brine (saline solution) each day. Partial filling costs the tax payer 125 million Euros.₁ The nuclear end storage depot Morsleben, Germany, is being endangered by chunks of salt weighing a ton each, threatening to fall onto the barrels containing the atomic waste. Filling the storage chambers with salt is very expensive. In the pilot reprocessing plant in Gorleben, Germany, fuel elements are intended to be regrouped and liquid wastes vaporised. This plant runs up to 400 million Euros in costs.₂
Cheap release and “disposal” of nuclear waste for nuclear power operators as agreed with the current government.

high risk for the health of the population
release of large amounts of radioactively contaminated materials from nuclear plants being dismantled with still high radioactive concentrations into the environment and residential areas. The European Union´s guideline sets a limit of 10 microsievert /year per person. The above mentioned release leads to an accumulated exposure dose in individuals which is 6 00 times higher than the intended 10 microsievert ₃ (e.g. after the purchase of a radioactive chair, coffee cups, silverware – the exposure accumulates!)
tritium containing water may be released without limits as long as its specific activity remains below 1 million Becquerel per litre (about 4 million Becquerel per gallon), even to baby food production. For comparison: ground water has a tritium content of 0.5 Bq/l ! ₄
elimination of radioactive remnants on garbage dumps as well as recycling of weakly radioactive scrap metal (allowed under certain conditions since the end of the seventies) ₅ is possible today in large amounts ₆, e.g. as dental braces or beverage cans. ₇
increase of the introduction of radioactive substances from nuclear facilities into air or water from 0.3 millisievert to 1 millisievert ₈.
construction of interim storage facilities (cement halls) for the storage of fuel rods near atomic power plants causes an increase in the gamma and neutron radiation in the surrounding areas and poses a serious danger due to possible terrorist attacks.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Umweltministerium für Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit) has told our initiative in a letter from Dr. Greipl that scientific literature meanwhile cites numerous cases of mutations of normal cells to malignant ones caused by low intensity radioactivity. As early as 1972 the Canadian scientist Petkau noted damage to cell membranes due to chronic exposure to weak radiation. Intact cell membranes are indispensable for a healthy immune system. Prof. Dr. John Gofmann who participated in the development of the atomic bomb, said: “Now that we know the dangers of weak radiation the crime we committed was no longer an experiment we made, but murder.” ₉ (abbreviated quote)

According to the statistic of disease types compiled by the AOK West (German health insurance company) in 1997 cases of hospitalisation due to tumours have increased by about 50% between 1985 and 1997 and those due to dietary illnesses, metabolic diseases and disorders of the immune system increased by about a third.

The right to life and to be free from bodily harm is being violated.
(Article 2 of the German basic law)

Please help yourself and us by switching to ecologic energy providers and by printing and mailing the information given by the following internet addresses.

Kontakt:	Unterstützer/Verlinkung
www.sofortiger-atomausstieg.info	www.bbu-online.de	www.veganleben.de.vu

1. Schaumburger Nachrichten, 27.02.2001; 2. Newspaper Widerstand Nr. 1 1/2001 p.3; 3. Messerschmidt, H., Strahlentelex mit Elektrosmogreport Nr.344-345/2001, p.3; 4. Dr. Pflugbeil, S. (Präsident der Gesellschaft für Strahlenschutz e. V.) Strahlentelex mit Elektrosmogreport Nr. 348/349, 2001, p.7 ;
5. Neumann W. „Freigabe von schwachradioaktiven Reststoffen“, report 21-22, p.86 Otto Hug Strahleninstitut Berlin, April 2000; 6. Ebda, p.86, Otto Hug Strahleninstitut Berlin, April 2000; 7. Öko-Test 7/2000; 8. Dersee, T., Berlin Strahlentelex mit Elektrosmogreport Nr. 342/343, 2001, p.2; 9. Graueb, R., „Der Petkau-Effekt“ Bern 1990, introduction and p.113

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updated in Berlin City, January, 16th, 2004

Initiative for the Immediate Phase-out of Nuclear Energy
We are a politically independent initiative operating throughout Germany; currently we consist of more than 100 associations and over 2000 individual members.		We are also trying to encourage foreign initiatives to also get involved in the phasing out of nuclear energy in order to make a global phasing-out of nuclear energy possible.

Contact:	Other	Links
www.sofortiger-atomausstieg.info	www.bbu-online.de	www.veganleben.de.vu