THE STARS COME OUT CELEBRITIES BACK BAN ON NUKE WASTE.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer Music diva Barbra Streisand Noun 1. Barbra Streisand - United States singer and actress (born in 1942) Barbra Joan Streisand, Streisand and a host of Hollywood stars have written letters strongly urging Gov. Gray Davis to sign a bill that would ban radioactive waste radioactive waste, material containing the unusable radioactive byproducts of the scientific, military, and industrial applications of nuclear energy. Since its radioactivity presents a serious health hazard (see radiation sickness), disposing of such material is a from San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. and other urban dumps and recycling centers. At least 16 celebrities endorsed letters encouraging the governor to sign Senate Bill 1970, a measure outlawing further dumping of nuclear waste at Sunshine Canyon, Calabasas, Bradley and other landfills. A spokesman for the governor said Davis has not yet taken a position on the bill and will either sign or veto it by the midnight Monday deadline. ``The possibility of exposing humans to radioactive waste through recycled materials is too great a risk to take with the public's health,'' actor-director Rob Reiner Robert "Rob" Reiner (born March 6, 1945) is an American actor, director, producer, writer, children's advocate and political activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie Bunker's and Edith Baines-Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on of ``All in the Family'' fame said in a letter to the governor posted late Wednesday. In a separate letter faxed to Davis on Monday, Streisand said: ``Common sense tells us that radioactive waste must always be isolated from human surroundings and contact. I'm writing you to indicate my strong support for this bill.'' Actors Robert Redford and Martin Sheen were also among 14 celebrities to send a letter to Davis on Friday urging approval of the measure. The bill, known as the Radiation Safety Act of 2002, follows disclosure that low-level nuclear waste was dumped into nearby landfills or recycled into scrap that the celebrities said could be converted to spoons, zippers and children's strollers. The waste included radioactive soil and debris from Rocketdyne's Santa Susana Field Laboratory in the hills west of Chatsworth at levels estimated by the U.S. Department of Energy to be the radioactive equivalent of two chest X-rays. Lawmakers and anti-nuclear activists accuse the state Department of Health Services Department of Health Services may refer to:
tr.v. de·reg·u·lat·ed, de·reg·u·lat·ing, de·reg·u·lates To free from regulation, especially to remove government regulations from: deregulate the airline industry. the disposal of low-level radioactive waste Noun 1. low-level radioactive waste - (medicine) radioactive waste consisting of objects that have been briefly exposed to radioactivity (as in certain medical tests) by allowing the dumping of such contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. materials in municipal landfills. The deregulation Deregulation The reduction or elimination of government power in a particular industry, usually enacted to create more competition within the industry. Notes: Traditional areas that have been deregulated are the telephone and airline industries. was struck down by a Superior Court judge in April. Rocketdyne officials maintain that current laws are adequate to safeguard the health of California residents. ``We're opposed to this bill,'' said Dan Beck, spokesman for Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power, a division of the Boeing Co., in Canoga Park. ``It would have a tremendous impact to all the users of radioactive materials in California, including hospitals, universities and laboratories, as well as those engaged in radioactive cleanup. ``We believe current laws do a good job in protecting public health and in keeping manageable levels of radioactivity out of landfills,'' he said. SB 1970, written by state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Rosemead, would require the disposal of radioactive waste in facilities licensed and designed for radioactive refuse, thereby prohibiting their disposal into California municipal and hazardous waste Hazardous waste Any solid, liquid, or gaseous waste materials that, if improperly managed or disposed of, may pose substantial hazards to human health and the environment. Every industrial country in the world has had problems with managing hazardous wastes. dumps. The bill would also bar the recycling of radioactive metals into any consumer products. The letter signed by the 14 celebrities - including actors Ed Begley Jr. (``St. Elsewhere'') and Mike Farrell (``Providence'') and comedian Howie Mandel - urges Davis to sign SB 1970, stating ``a veto of this bill would be unacceptable.'' Also signing the letter are husband-wife actors Susan Clark and Alex Karras of the '70s sitcom ``Webster,'' Academy Award-winning producer Marshall Herskovitz (``Traffic'') and director-screenwriter David Zucker. Musicians Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt and Don Henley also attached their names to the list. ``Municipal landfills are designed for household garbage, not radioactive waste,'' said the letter. ``Municipal landfills are for rotting cabbages, not plutonium from reactors. ``Spoons and children's braces shouldn't be made of radioactively contaminated reactor parts. Kids should be exposed to learning in their classrooms, not radiation.'' Anti-nuclear activists said campaign contributions by Boeing and nuclear plant operators Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (or SCE Corp), the largest subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 11 million people with electricity. and Pacific Gas & Electric could influence the governor's decision, an allegation the Governor's Office and Boeing officials adamantly denied. ``You would think it was a no-brainer for the governor to sign this bill,'' said Dan Hirsch, president of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, which sued the state over the disposal of radioactive waste into urban landfills. ``Radioactive waste is carcinogenic carcinogenic having a capacity for carcinogenesis. and should only be disposed in places designed and licensed for radioactive waste.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) no caption (collage of celebrities, signatures) |
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