Newsletter XXVII 2025

June 29nd to July 5nd

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Radioactivity accumulates; this means that radioactive particles continue to accumulate in the living organism and over time similar damage can occur as with a short-term, massive exposure to radiation...

The PDF file "Nuclear Power Accidents" contains a number of other incidents from various areas of the nuclear industry. Some of the events were never published through official channels, so this information could only be made available to the public in a roundabout way. The list of incidents in the PDF file is therefore not 100 % identical with "INES and the disturbances in nuclear facilities", but represents an addition.

July 5, 2000 (INES Class.?) NPP Grafenrheinfeld, DEU

July 8, 2008 (INES 1 Class.?) Nuclear factory Eurodif, Pierrelatte, FRA

July 10, 1991 (INES 3) NPP Bilibino, RUS

July 10, 1985 (Terror) Rainbow Warrior I, Auckland, NZ

July 14, 1955 (INES 3) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

July 16, 1979 (INES 3 NAMS 1,9) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

July 16, 1945 (1. Atomic Bomb Test) Trinity, NM, USA

July 17, 1984 (INES 3 NAMS 1,8) Nuclear factory Windscale/Sellafield, GBR

July 22, 2007 (INES Class.?) NPP Unterweser, GER

July 23, 2008 (INES 0 Class.?) Nuclear factory Tricastin, FRA

July 24, 1964 (INES 4) Nuclear factory UNC Charlestown, RI, USA

July 25, 2006 (INES 2) NPP Forsmark, SWE

July 25, 1979 (INES Class.?) Research reactor EL-3, Paris-Saclay, FRA

July 26, 1959 (INES 6) Nuclear factory SNL, Simi Valley, CA, USA

July 27, 2004 (INES 1 Class.?) NPP Neckarwestheim, BW, DEU

July 27, 1972 (INES Class.?) NPP Surry, VA, USA

We are always looking for up-to-date information. Anyone who can help, please send a message to:
nuclear-world@reaktorpleite.de

5 July

Hundreds of arrests

How the Mullah regime in Iran is acting against its own population

Following the war with Israel, the Iranian regime is increasingly cracking down on its own population. Hundreds of Iranians have reportedly been arrested in recent days. The number of executions is reaching a record level, human rights organizations warn.

Cologne-based Islamic scholar Donja Amirpur explained in the magazine Publik-Forum that more than 900 Iranians have been arrested since the twelve-day war between Israel and Iran. She criticized the Israeli attacks on Iran as a "disservice" to the Iranian opposition. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's calculation that the attacks could strengthen the Iranian protest movement was cynical and hopeless: "The people of Iran are supposed to protest in the streets while Israeli bombs fall on their heads, or how did Netanyahu envision it?" The fact that the mullah regime appeared weak during the attacks is now being concealed through massive internal repression.

[...] In order to maintain control and prevent opponents from organizing in the country, Tehran is now relying on repression and fear.

According to the non-profit organization Iran Human Rights Monitor, more than 570 people are said to have been executed this year alone.

*

Blow to Trump's tax law

Elon Musk announces the founding of his own party

Tech billionaire Musk wants to found his own political party called the America Party. The former advisor to President Trump, with whom he is now at odds, announced this on his Platform X. For weeks, the Tesla founder has been attacking the US government's debt law.

Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced the founding of his own political party. "Today, the America Party is founded to give you back your freedom," Musk wrote on his online service X. In the dispute over US President Donald Trump's tax law, he had already threatened in recent days to found a rival party to Trump's Republican Party.

"When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste and corruption, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy," the multi-billionaire continued on X. He wants to challenge this system by founding the America Party.

[...] Musk had temporarily kept a low profile after his falling out with Trump in early June. However, before the bill's passage in early July, he returned, calling Republicans the "Piggy Dick Party." If the bill were passed, he continued, "the America Party will be founded the next day." Trump subsequently threatened Musk with the withdrawal of government contracts.

Tax cuts on credit

Trump signed the most important legislation of his second term into law on Independence Day. "This is a good law," Trump said as he signed the document with a marker at a pompous ceremony marking the national holiday on Friday.

[...] The US President intends to implement key campaign promises: tax cuts and more money for border security and defense. New debt and cuts in health insurance for low-income citizens are planned to offset these. Resistance has also been met within the ranks of Trump's Republican Party, particularly due to the expected record US debt.

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Erdoğan's fight against the CHP

Three more opposition mayors arrested in Turkey

More than 100 days after the arrest of opposition politician Ekrem İmamoğlu, arrests continue in Turkey. The mayors of Antalya, Adıyaman, and Adana are now reportedly being arrested.

The mayors of two major cities in southern Turkey were arrested on Saturday, according to Turkey's state news agency. This adds to the list of opposition politicians detained since the mayor of Istanbul was arrested in March.

Abdurrahman Tutdere, the mayor of Adıyaman, and Zeydan Karalar, the mayor of Adana, were arrested in early morning raids, according to the Anadolu News Agency. Both are members of Turkey's largest opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP).

The mayor of Antalya, Muhittin Böcek, is also said to have been arrested, according to Anadolu. He is also a member of the CHP.

Karalar was reportedly arrested in Istanbul, and Tutdere in the capital Ankara, where he lives. Tutdere posted on X that he was being extradited to Istanbul.

A total of ten people were reportedly arrested as part of an investigation by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office. They are allegedly accused of organized crime, bribery, and anti-competitive agreements. The exact charges were not initially known.

[...] Recently, the largest street protests in Turkey in over a decade

Many believe the numerous waves of arrests of CHP officials are aimed at cracking down on Turkey's largest opposition party. The arrest of Istanbul's İmamoğlu sparked the largest street protests in Turkey since the so-called Gezi protests in 2013. Thousands of people were arrested at the time.

Following his imprisonment, Ekrem İmamoğlu was officially nominated as his party's presidential candidate. The next elections in Turkey will take place in 2028, but could also be brought forward.

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Humanitarian aid as a death trap

Thousands of Palestinians are trying to reach the distribution centers of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the Gaza Strip. There, in addition to the limited food supplies, they often encounter gunfire from guards.

When the news that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is distributing food is shared on Facebook and WhatsApp at two or three in the morning, the few remaining hospitals and field hospitals in the Gaza Strip prepare to receive the dead and injured. "Then it's clear to everyone: Okay, we'll keep a few beds ready in the emergency room," says Katja Storck, emergency nurse for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Gaza Strip.

Sometimes there are 120, sometimes 150, or 170 injured. Recently, more than 200 people were injured after trying to get relief supplies at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution centers. The injuries, in turn, are unequivocal: "These are very often gunshot wounds," says Christof Johnen of the German Red Cross (DRK), which runs a hospital in the Gaza Strip together with the Palestinian Red Crescent. "There may also be cases where injuries occur due to the crush of people. But the majority are actually injuries caused by the use of firearms."

Security guards are said to have opened fire

People are repeatedly killed in the centers of the private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which are supported by the US and Israel, UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said on Friday. Palestinians come there to receive food. The aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) therefore accuses the GHF of luring those in need into "death traps" and speaks of a "massacre disguised as humanitarian aid" [tagesschau.de].

According to the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz", which cites army personnel who wish to remain anonymous, soldiers were even ordered to shoot unarmed Palestinians in front of distribution centers.

Also the "BBC" reports, citing a former security officer at the distribution centers, that his colleagues opened fire on starving Palestinians who posed no threat on several occasions. In one case, a guard opened fire with a machine gun from a watchtower because a group of women, children, and elderly people were moving too slowly away from the site...

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July 5, 2000 (INES Class.?) NPP Grafenrheinfeld, DEU

Wikipedia de

Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant

On July 5, 2000, there was a fire at the nuclear power plant, which damaged the motor of a main coolant pump in the immediate vicinity of the reactor pressure vessel...
 

AtomkraftwerkePlag

Grafenrheinfeld (Bavaria)

In the summer of 1973, Bayernwerk AG submitted an application to build and operate the Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant, which was followed by partial approval from the Bavarian state government in the summer of 1974. Despite bitter resistance from the population and a collection of signatures, construction work began in 1974/75 and the nuclear power plant was put into operation on December 9, 1981...
 

SPIEGEL report on hidden nuclear power plant incidents around the world

»A cold shiver runs down my spine«

Humanity has slipped past the catastrophe several times by a hair's breadth. This is revealed by 48 accident reports that were kept secret by the Vienna International Atomic Energy Agency: breakdowns, often of the most bizarre, profane kind from the United States and Argentina to Bulgaria and Pakistan ...

4 July

Unredacted report is available

Spahn allegedly failed to check demand for mask deals

The procurement of masks during the coronavirus crisis threatens to cause billions in damages. Former Health Minister Spahn is under fire for his decisions. He doesn't see any misconduct on his part. But now explosive details are coming to light.

In the federal government's controversial mask deals with the Swiss company Emix-Trading, which then-Health Minister Jens Spahn personally approved via email, there appears to be no evidence that demand was previously assessed. This is evident from a redacted passage in the report by special mask investigator Margaretha Sudhof, which was made available unredacted to "Der Spiegel." Health Minister Nina Warken submitted the redacted report to the Bundestag's Budget Committee last week.

During the pandemic, Spahn ordered 100 million masks for €5,40 each from the small company represented by Andrea Tandler, even though he had previously canceled other purchases for €4,50 each due to oversupply. Andrea Tandler is the daughter of former CSU politician Gerold Tandler.

According to her own statements, special investigator Sudhof was only able to determine in two previous federal contracts with Emix from mid-March that a department within the ministry "expressed skepticism regarding the demand." These were for surgical gloves. The ministry's contracting office inquired internally: "Since we're currently on a tight budget, could you please check how urgent the need for these gloves is?" Sudhof was unable to find an answer to this question in the ministry files; the gloves were ordered.

Regarding the subsequent, much larger mask deals with Emix, the Sudhof report then states: "No explanations/considerations/balances concerning demand are found for any of the Emix procurements." The report also provides new insights into the settlement, which was used to reduce the purchasing volume at Emix from 2020 to just under 967 million euros in May 750, just a few weeks after the last order.

[...] Green Party health politician Janosch Dahmen sharply criticizes Spahn. "The unredacted report shows in black and white: Spahn systematically lied," he says. The former minister has repeatedly stated that he had no evidence to call into question his decisions at the time. It is these "finely distilled untruths that Spahn constantly spreads and that create the impression that he is not personally responsible," Dahmen says.

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Cattenom NPP

Cattenom nuclear power plant will remain online for at least another ten years

The Cattenom nuclear power plant in Lorraine will not be shut down until further notice – this has been announced by the French nuclear regulatory authority. The plant is expected to remain in operation for at least another ten years.

The Cattenom nuclear power plant is one of 20 reactors in France whose operating lifespans have been extended to 50 years by the nuclear regulator ASNR. These nuclear power plants are actually designed to operate for 40 years. Cattenom's oldest reactor will reach this operating lifespan next year.

And because the reactors were not originally designed to last more than 40 years, the French nuclear regulator has asked the operator EDF to improve the safety of the old reactors.

This also includes replacing old equipment. According to EDF, the cost of extending the operating life of the 20 reactors is expected to amount to six billion euros.

Criticism from Luxembourg

Greenpeace Luxembourg has criticized the French nuclear regulator's decision as unacceptable. Even if the operator EDF makes improvements and replaces materials at Cattenom as requested, fundamental safety problems remain, Roger Spautz of Greenpeace Luxembourg told SR in response to an inquiry.

These included, for example, a lack of backup safety systems in case of an accident. Fundamentally, the aging reactors could never achieve the safety levels of a new-generation reactor.

Construction of six new nuclear power plants planned

In addition to extending the operating life of old reactors, the construction of at least six new reactors of the so-called EPR2 generation is planned in France...

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"Big Beautiful Bill"

The poorest will now pay Trump's bill

Healthcare, climate protection, inflation: Trump's major tax bill will have nasty consequences for millions of Americans. And it could also prove dangerous for Trump's Republicans.

It was a day of victory for Donald Trump, one he will certainly revel in. But the president's victory comes at a high price for millions of people whose health care depends on the Medicaid program. Trump's Republicans claim that only fraudsters and illegal immigrants are affected by the cuts. All those who truly need Medicaid will continue to receive help.

With planned cuts of $800 billion—the main item on the bill's savings list—that can hardly be true. It will hit low-income earners and middle-class retirees who can't afford health insurance—and are now brutally cut off from medical care.

The poorest Americans are paying for the tax cuts celebrated by Trump. Companies will also benefit from this in the long term – this could give the economy a small boost and create new job opportunities.

Law sets politically wrong priorities

But that, too, comes at a cost because it drives record debt to new heights. This will deter investors who already only lend their money to the US at significantly higher interest rates, which will place an additional burden on the federal budget and further limit the scope for sensible spending.

Politically, the "Big Ugly Bill" also sets the wrong priorities. New billions are flowing into border security and defense. But does the US really need to become a fortress? Does the country need the "Golden Dome," a missile defense system modeled on Israel's? These are megalomaniacal projects...

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Corrupt Trump uses his office to enrich himself immensely

No presidential family has ever enriched itself as brazenly as Trump. It has become "normal," marvels the New York Times.

The president and his family are using the White House more than any other president to personally enrich themselves. What once triggered fierce backlash and official investigations is now becoming the norm under Trump.

Peter Baker, chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, drew this conclusion at the end of May.

The outrage over Hillary Clinton is ridiculous in comparison

Hillary Clinton earned $1000 from a $100 investment in cattle futures. When she became First Lady, a wave of outrage erupted—even though she made this investment a dozen years before her husband's presidency. The scandal lasted weeks and forced the White House to launch an investigation.

Thirty-one years later, after a dinner at Mar-a-Lago, Jeff Bezos agreed to finance a promotional film about Melania Trump. The current First Lady will reportedly earn $31 million—28 times Clinton's earnings. Furthermore, as an investor, Bezos has a personal interest in her husband's administration's policies.

"Scandal? Uproar? Washington went back to business as usual and barely noticed," the New York Times noted.

The Trump family isn't the first to profit from their time in power. But the monetization of their presidency is unparalleled in its scale and brazenness.

[...] "On the list of the most corrupt presidents"

President Trump makes the list of the most corrupt presidents of all time, says Fred Wertheimer, founder of the NGO Democracy 21, which documents Trump's corruption: "He ranks among the top ten. […] I think it will take some time, but it will catch up with him."

*

Lubmin nuclear power plant

Dismantling of nuclear power plant

More radiation than expected

The dismantling of the nuclear power plant near Greifswald is delayed and costs are exploding: the plant is more contaminated than expected.

Berlin taz | Members of the SED Politburo and a Soviet delegation traveled there especially when the first unit of the "VEB Nuclear Power Plant Bruno Leuschner" near Greifswald went online in 1974. Seven more reactors were to follow the pressurized water reactor; the GDR wanted to build a nuclear complex on the Baltic Sea with a total capacity of 3.520 megawatts. However, things never got that far: Although Unit 6 was completed in 1990, it was never put online. All reactors were shut down in the course of reunification.

Since then, dismantling has been underway, with the goal of creating a "greenfield" site. However, this is proving extremely difficult, as new delays demonstrate: The work will not be completed in 2028 as originally planned, but only in the 2040s, as confirmed by the managing director of the responsible federally owned nuclear waste disposal facility (EWN). "In addition, there have been significant cost increases in recent years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which have impacted our financial and scheduling plans," the spokesperson continued.

This means that the dismantling will take more than four times as long as the reactors were in operation. This is due to greater radioactive contamination than initially expected. In addition, the federal government cut funding in 2022 (EWN). 80 employees had to be laid off. Instead of the planned 6,6 billion euros, costs are now expected to reach 10 billion euros.

Delays and resulting cost increases like those in Lubmin are not isolated cases. The Obrigheim nuclear power plant on the Neckar, which was shut down in 2005, was originally scheduled to be dismantled next year; now, it's said, work could be completed by the early 2030s.

[...] AfD unsettles operators

At the western German sites, the operators of the nuclear power plants are responsible for the costs of dismantling, and they had to set aside appropriate provisions for this. However, at the eastern German sites of Lubmin and Rheinsberg, the situation is different: Here, dismantling is financed with taxpayers' money.

Added to this are political uncertainties: At the end of May, the AfD submitted a motion to the Bundestag for a moratorium on the dismantling of nuclear power plants, describing the shutdown as an “energy and economic mistake” and demanding a halt to the work.

"The dismantling of the nuclear power plants, initiated immediately after their shutdown, is in the process of creating a fait accompli at the expense of Germany's energy supply," the justification states. The motion was referred to the Bundestag's Environment Committee, which does not increase planning security for the work.

3 July

Asse II mine

Asse operators submit first application for recovery of nuclear waste

The licensing process for the retrieval of radioactive waste from the dilapidated Asse II mine has officially begun. The operators have submitted an initial application to the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment.

The first permit application for the retrieval was submitted to the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment in Hanover last Monday, according to the responsible Federal Agency for Final Storage (BGE), based in Peine. The application calls for the construction of a retrieval shaft (Asse 5). This shaft would be connected to the existing mine via an underground retrieval mine, according to BGE. The new shaft is therefore an important prerequisite for safely transporting the radioactive waste from the old, unstable mine to the surface.

Retrieval of the barrels should begin in 2033 at the earliest

However, BGE pointed out that the application was not yet complete. "The project description now submitted will be supplemented in the coming years with concrete approval, review, and information documents," the authority explained. According to BGE's plans, retrieval of the waste is not scheduled to begin until 2033 at the earliest. The Asse mine contains approximately 126.000 barrels of low- and medium-level radioactive waste that were stored there between 1967 and 1978. Because the shaft is unstable and threatens to fill with water, the plans call for the containers to be brought to the surface...

*

Climate goals easier to achieve

More prosperity without coal subsidies

A study shows that fewer subsidies for fossil fuels such as coal and oil lead to greater prosperity. About one in three countries could achieve its climate goals this way.

Berlin rtr | According to a study, reducing subsidies for fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas is worthwhile for countries. It could lead to greater prosperity and increased tax revenues – despite the burden of higher energy prices. This is the conclusion of the study by the Center for European Economic Research (ZEW). The study was made available to the Reuters news agency in advance on Thursday.

Approximately one in three countries could achieve their climate targets in this way – without additional measures such as carbon pricing, including China, India, and Indonesia. Industrialized countries such as Germany, the USA, Japan, and the United Kingdom could also achieve around a third of their climate targets in this way. This would make economic, fiscal, and climate policy goals more compatible than previously assumed.

Governments would have considerable fiscal resources at their disposal through the savings on subsidies and revenues from pricing external costs of fossil energy use, such as health costs. On average, they could generate tax revenues of 4,9 percent of total consumption. Estimates range from 1,8 percent to 16,2 percent, depending on the region.

In addition, countries would have to pay for less environmental and health damage. Significant additional economic costs caused by advancing climate change could also be prevented. The economic consequences of higher energy prices could thus be offset, the study concludes...

*

A Swedish village is drowning in PFAS

The population of Kallinge has large amounts of PFAS in their blood. Authorities calmed the situation, and those affected took legal action.

Initially, the administration downplayed the issue, claiming that the substances in the drinking water were harmless, and that they were therefore switching water suppliers. There was no danger, the administration stated at the end of 2013. Residents of the small Swedish town of Kallinge had been drinking contaminated water for decades.

Nevertheless, the people of the 4600-person town in the municipality of Ronneby weren't worried. "PFAS" was a term hardly known to anyone in 2013. The chemicals in the water came from the nearby air force base. They had seeped into the ground almost daily during firefighting drills – for years. One woman remembers riding her bike through the foam residue as a child, the Guardian describes in a report.

A thousand times more PFAS in the blood than is safe

In 2014, the municipality had the children tested, then the adults. The municipality continued to try to allay concerns. It wrote in a press release that there was no reason anyone should get sick.

When the blood test results came back, many were shocked. His PFAS levels were at least nine times higher than those of people outside the town, says IT manager Herman Afzelius, who moved to Kallinge in 2002. That's still low. Some residents were found to have a thousand times more PFAS in their blood than is currently considered safe, writes the Guardian.

[...] Sweden's Supreme Court rules: PFAS are bodily harm

Sweden's Supreme Court delivered its ruling on December 5, 2023. The Supreme Court definitively ruled that the mere presence of PFAS in the blood constitutes bodily harm, regardless of whether someone is sick or not. This means that product liability applies. This does not address the nature and extent of compensation...

*

How far-right politicians plundered Brussels' parliamentary coffers

Bizarre donations and contracts: The ID faction is said to have squandered 4,3 million euros – on animal rights activists, anti-abortion activists, and dubious companies. One is close to the AfD.

For years, the far-right MEPs' charitable giving was almost unstoppable: They donated €3.250 for abused greyhounds in the French Alps, €1.100 for stray cats in Lazio, Italy, and €3.500 each to veterans of the Foreign Legion and an anti-abortion initiative in Hesse. When their Identity and Democracy (ID) group finally dissolved a year ago, the parliamentarians had distributed more than €700.000 from the EU Parliament's budget to all sorts of initiatives and associations.

However, these generous donations are said to have all been improperly accounted for. This is stated in an internal audit report from the European Parliament administration, which was made available to ZEIT and the ARD political magazine Kontraste. In total, according to the parliamentary administration, the ID parliamentary group spent at least €4,3 million on donations and other contracts during the last legislative period "unjustifiably to the detriment of the European Parliament's budget." The ultra-right parliamentary group, which also included AfD members until the split in May 2024, also ignored procurement rules. For example, it is said to have waived mandatory tenders and allegedly even paid a friendly company – without receiving anything in return. Since only a sample of the parliamentary group's accounting was apparently examined for the report, the actual damages could be even greater.

The whole thing came to light because the administration was reviewing the ID group's final accounts after its dissolution in July 2024. The budget auditors discovered numerous allegedly illegal transactions. Their report traces how brazenly and at times creatively the far-right allegedly circumvented the EU Parliament's regulations.

[...] A simple check would probably have been enough to stop the generous donations for stray cats and abused greyhounds. The ID parliamentary group had by no means concealed these expenses. It blatantly reported the total donations in its public financial report, recorded as so-called donations in Chapter 7, Article 68 of Budget 400. The ID even successfully had these reports approved by a Belgian auditing firm. Only during the audit did it become apparent: Article 68, under which the donations had been recorded, does not even exist in Parliament's budget law. In order to be able to give away money from the budget for parliamentary group work, the parliamentary administration noted, the ID parliamentary group had simply "invented a new Article 68 for subsidies."

Former ID Secretary General Claeys did not deny this allegation, but said everything was "fully compliant."

*

US politics

Big Beautiful War

US law against migrants and the destitute passed by Senate

One Big Beautiful Bill. One can certainly be glad that he avoided superlatives this time. But Trump can't do without the Trump sound. Whatever the president verbally mentions comes across as child-friendly megalomaniacal. Even if it's true. The bill is truly huge, 950 pages long, and the regulations it contains have been described as the most costly in U.S. history.

Behind the "one big, beautiful bill" lies a bundle of tax and spending provisions that currently divides Congress almost equally. On Tuesday, after a long session, 50 senators voted for and 50 against. J.D. Vance's vote tipped the scales in favor of the bill. According to the Senate's rules, the Vice President presides over the Senate and, although not a senator, has the right to vote. Thus, the Big Beautiful Bill was passed in the first of the two chambers of Congress.

[...] An additional 3,3 trillion US dollars (national debt) would be added over the next ten years, according to estimates by non-partisan experts.

This is primarily due to the installation of an extensive, costly machine for deporting primarily South American immigrants. As well as far-reaching tax cuts, which naturally benefit those who have more to tax, and therefore more. But the bill also takes the poor into account. Severe cuts to social programs and the healthcare system, especially Medicaid, are intended to offset Trump's war on migrants and his comprehensive relief for the wealthy and the rich.

2 July

Police officer, anti-Semite and hate-monger finds lenient judges at the Bavarian Administrative Court

Police officer remains on duty despite hate speech against Knobloch

He used anti-Semitic slogans in private chats, yet a police officer is allowed to remain on duty according to a ruling. Central Council President Schuster expressed his "irritation." The Munich police pointed out that the officer was demoted.

The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, has reacted with criticism to the continued service of a Munich police officer who made anti-Semitic comments in private chats. This "absolutely irritates me," Schuster told BR. The officer also served as personal security guard for Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community in Munich and Upper Bavaria.

[...] Official allegedly wanted protected person to be sent to concentration camp

The court emphasized that the anti-Semitic statements were made in private chats, and that the confidentiality of the communication and freedom of expression must be respected. Among other things, the police officer allegedly stated during an operation for Knobloch that his protected person should be taken to a concentration camp.

[...] When asked, Munich Police Headquarters spokesperson Thomas Schelshorn stated that the officer was now only working in an office capacity. Schelshorn made it clear that the agency intended to remove the officer from service due to the allegations. Following the final ruling, which only allowed a one-grade demotion, the headquarters examined how and where the former bodyguard could be deployed in the future. The result: He would now only be deployed in an office capacity, for activities outside of uniform. Furthermore, he would be "closely supervised" by superiors.

Auschwitz Committee: Verdict "disgraceful" and "sad"

Knobloch himself said loudly "Süddeutsche Zeitung" on the case: "Unfortunately, hatred of Jews can be found everywhere. But that shouldn't be the case with those who protect minorities." She would like to see a greater awareness in the judiciary that hatred of Jews threatens not only Jewish people, but democracy and with it the rule of law.

The International Auschwitz Committee called the verdict "disgraceful" and "sad." Knobloch did not deserve the "shabby and absurd omissions" of the judges at the Administrative Court, emphasized the committee's president, Eva Umlauf.

The Bavarian state government's anti-Semitism commissioner, Ludwig Spaenle, stated: "We must be able to expect our police officers not to make or share anti-Semitic or racist statements, even on their private platforms. I find it intolerable when a police officer wishes a fate like that of the Nazi dictatorship upon those he is supposed to protect."

*

The request to prepare an application to ban the AfD is met with little enthusiasm by the SPD interior ministers.

Dispute over AfD ban

SPD Interior Minister hesitates despite party conference resolution

At its party conference, the SPD advocated reviewing the AfD ban. However, many SPD interior ministers remain hesitant, as a taz survey shows.

Berlin taz | At their party conference this weekend, the Social Democrats unanimously decided on "immediate, serious preparations" for a ban on the AfD. "It is our historic task to get them out of parliaments again," said Vice Chancellor and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil regarding the decision on the far-right party. But now it's clear: the SPD's state interior ministers are surprisingly hesitant when it comes to implementation.

[...] For example, Bremen's Interior Senator Ulrich Mäurer (SPD) refuses to comment on the SPD party conference's resolution. The taz newspaper wanted to know whether this would have concrete consequences for the Interior Ministry. The answer was: No. Or more precisely: "The Bremen Interior Senator is not currently commenting on the general discussion about an AfD ban."

[...] SPD Bundestag member Carmen Wegge, who also launched a Bundestag initiative for a ban during the last legislative period, sees things differently than her colleagues. She told the taz newspaper: "The SPD party conference resolution contains a clear mandate for all SPD members who are part of the committees authorized to file applications to advocate for the next step toward a review of the AfD before the Federal Constitutional Court. This also includes the SPD interior ministers."

Wegge herself will now officially resume talks with the coalition partner in the Bundestag, she said: "It is our democratic duty to use the means available to us from our mothers and fathers of the Basic Law, should our democracy be in danger."

[...] Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier, in whose state the AfD's regional association, led by Björn Höcke, is particularly radical, has been calling for this for some time. In response to an inquiry from taz, he again called for the rapid establishment of a federal-state group on the issue and the initiation of ban proceedings as quickly as possible: "The party's radical nature is clearly evident; one should not focus solely on the Office for the Protection of the Constitution on this issue."

However, Maier could understand if the SPD interior ministers in states with less radical regional associations saw things differently. However, after the discussions at the Interior Ministers' Conference, he certainly sees movement within the SPD and even within the CDU/CSU, from which, for example, Schleswig-Holstein's Minister President Daniel Günther recently spoke out in favor of a ban: "The decision is being closely monitored by the CDU/CSU, and there are also more discussions there about how to deal with the AfD."

He rejected Interior Minister Dobrindt's usual excuses about wanting to get rid of the AfD: "The opponents of the ban do not want to accept that the AfD does not play on our turf, it lies and wants to undermine democracy from within – politically, you cannot get rid of that, as we can see in the USA."

*

Natural gas field off Borkum:

Federal Cabinet votes for controversial agreement on natural gas production

Up to 13 billion cubic meters of gas and much criticism: Natural gas production off the coast of Borkum is getting closer. The German government has approved an agreement with the Netherlands.

The German government has approved an agreement with the Netherlands for joint natural gas production off the North Sea island of Borkum. The agreement is highly controversial and has been strongly criticized by environmental activists.

The cabinet decision creates the legal prerequisites for the signing of the international treaty. The so-called unitarization agreement is intended to form the basis for both countries to jointly exploit a cross-border deposit. Before the treaty can enter into force, the Bundestag must ratify it by law.

[...] ONE-Dyas plans to install a gas production platform on Dutch territory. The drilling will extend partially beneath the seabed into German territory. The Lower Saxony State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG), which is responsible for conducting the relevant environmental assessments, has no objections.

Habeck slowed down project

Environmental organizations warn of threats to the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea. The German North Sea Coast Protection Association (SDN) had previously appealed to the German government not to conclude an agreement. "Not only the North Sea, but even the Wadden Sea nature reserve itself is increasingly being drawn into the vortex of increasing industrialization," said SDN chairman Gerd-Christian Wagner.

[...] Environmental Aid: "Gift to the fossil industry"

The Fridays for Future group also criticized the planned drilling: "The fact that the government is allowing a new gas field off Borkum on the day that extreme heat is reaching new highs across Germany is a bad fever dream."

German Environmental Aid (DGU) called it a "gift to the fossil fuel industry." "The CDU/CSU and SPD want to create political realities, despite our ongoing legal proceedings against gas drilling off the coast of Borkum," said Environmental Aid's Federal Director Sascha Müller-Kraenner. Environmental Aid, along with other organizations and the city of Borkum, is suing the gas drilling project before the Lower Saxony Higher Administrative Court.

*

Spahnism or The False Debate about Jens Spahn

It took a long time, but now former Health Minister Jens Spahn has finally come into the public spotlight. However, the debate is focused on the "waste of money," when there should be much more discussion about other issues.

Especially during the still-unresolved coronavirus period, lobbying deals, corruption, and cronyism were rampant. The self-enrichment through mask deals by politicians like Georg Nüsslein probably isn't even the tip of the iceberg. Many have enriched themselves, benefited, and been punished – but virtually no one has been punished.

“Avert harm from the German people”

All of us, government and opposition alike, are united by one goal: (...) to avert harm from the German people. (...) The Civil Protection Act is the basis for encroachments on fundamental rights such as physical integrity, personal freedom, and freedom of assembly. However, the law also empowers the Federal Minister of Health to intervene comprehensively and on a case-by-case basis, in particular to guarantee healthcare. Ladies and gentlemen, this is an indispensable vote of confidence in the Minister of Health. Jens Spahn has shown greatness in crisis management and has already justified this trust in a very special way. (...) Good health and God's blessing to you all.

These were the words of CSU MP Georg Nüsslein in the Bundestag on March 20, 2020. As a parliamentarian, this made my stomach turn. In my book, "Corrupted," I devote an entire chapter to the speech and the subsequent events—in which Jens Spahn plays a central role. The conclusion is that although Nüsslein was convicted of corruption, he was not punished because the court pointed out that members of parliament set their own rules. In Germany, we have a considerable amount of legal corruption.

[...] Only through networks and proximity to profit lobbyists can one gain truly influential political positions these days. Jens Spahn is no exception; he's more the prototype. Admittedly, he's a particularly aggressive type, which may still cause him to stumble. So perhaps we should talk about Spahnism, but view it as a general symptom. The mixing of politicians and lobbyists is becoming increasingly "normal," the taking of advantage ever more obvious. This endangers democracy as a whole, frustrates people, but also numbs us. Of course, this is also about money, but much more about our actual capital: the foundations of our society and politics.

*

Imamoğlu's One Hundred Days in Prison

"Erdoğan would lose in a democratic election"

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated again in Istanbul for the release of imprisoned mayor İmamoğlu. The government responded harshly because, for Erdoğan, his future is at stake, says a political scientist.

Tens of thousands of people chanted "President Imamoğlu" that evening in front of Istanbul City Hall, the former official residence of Ekrem Imamoğlu. He is still the CHP's presidential candidate, but he has been in prison for 100 days. According to the demonstrators, it's because of President Erdoğan—in their eyes the mastermind behind the dismantling of Imamoğlu and the CHP.

And yet, fewer people are demonstrating for İmamoğlu and against Erdoğan than at the first rallies in March, immediately after his arrest. Apparently, some are intimidated – like this student: "I'd rather not be registered. They're picking up demonstrators who have been filmed."

Arrests at rally in Izmir

Just a few hours before the rally, news from Izmir demonstrated the extent to which the state is cracking down. There, too, around 150 CHP local politicians and city administration employees were arrested on suspicion of corruption—just like hundreds previously in Istanbul, most notably İmamoğlu.

[...] Imamoğlu far ahead in polls

In fact, Erdoğan is far behind İmamoğlu in some polls. Whether he will ever be able to run as a candidate remains unclear, even after 100 days in prison.

Political scientist Suat Özçelebi told ARD that Erdoğan can only remain in power if he prevents İmamoğlu from taking office. To do so, he is putting democracy at risk: "He knows he would lose if he runs against İmamoğlu in a constitutional democracy, in a state governed by the rule of law, in a truly democratic election."

*

SMRs in Tusimice Power Plant They arrive, if at all, too late.

Czech Republic admits that new nuclear power plants are coming too late for climate change

The Czech Republic must halve fossil primary energy consumption by 2030 and shut down coal-fired power plants by 2033

All four units of the outdated lignite-fired power plant in Tusimice, Czech Republic, are to be shut down by 4. Construction of SMR nuclear power plants to replace them is not scheduled to begin until 2030 at the earliest. This makes it abundantly clear that nuclear power plants cannot contribute to the necessary energy transition, also due to time constraints.

In the Czech Republic, a scoping procedure is currently underway as part of the environmental impact assessment for the construction of up to six SMRs - Smart Marketing Reactors - in Tusimice. According to the procedural documents, these should enable the complete phase-out of coal-fired power generation. To achieve the energy transition, the Czech Republic must halve its fossil primary energy consumption by 6 and shut down all coal-fired power plants by 2030. SMRs in Tusimice will certainly not generate any electricity by then, as construction is not scheduled to begin until 2033. Even this construction start, which is years too late for the energy transition, will remain wishful thinking on the part of the nuclear industry, because so far none of the more than 2034 different models that have been researched for decades have been brought to market. In fact, the most advanced project was discontinued.

"The only realistic chance for the necessary energy transition, in addition to sensible savings, also in the Czech Republic lies in the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources...

1 July

Climate change

False hydrogen promises

The gas lobby is touting heating systems that will eventually run on hydrogen. But more and more experts are doubting their success: green hydrogen is lacking and would be far too expensive for private households.

Lennart Feldmann needs less than an hour to explain the heating of the future. "I show them the numbers in a matter-of-fact way, and then everyone understands: A heat pump or district heating is safe in the future – the idea that we'll be heating our homes with hydrogen in the next 20 years is a fairy tale," says the energy consultant. Feldmann predicts that there will be neither hydrogen pipelines in residential areas nor will the green gas be sufficiently available. Feldmann is on the board of the GIH, the German Association of Energy Consultants. He knows that after around 680.000 energy consultations in 2024, hardly anyone in Germany is relying on hydrogen heating.

Like him, other experts see no future for hydrogen in heating systems for private households.

“Far too expensive and inefficient,” says a former senior employee from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

“Green hydrogen is needed for industry and should not be wasted in gas heating,” says an energy economist.

“Hydrogen will not play a role as an energy source for private customers in Munich in the foreseeable future,” says Munich’s municipal utilities.

Lobby: Gas industry wants hydrogen – tenants bear the costs

Green hydrogen is often touted as a solution for the energy transition – especially by the natural gas industry, which hopes to be able to convert its networks to hydrogen and continue to use it in the future. For them, the hydrogen promise offers the opportunity to continue selling fossil natural gas in the future – and to point to a supposedly climate-friendly and affordable solution in the distant future. For customers, however, it means higher heating bills...

"If I have a garage, I can also say it's 'Ferrari-ready.' I could park a very expensive sports car in there. Hardly anyone does that because it's too expensive—like H2-ready heaters." 

Jan Rosenow, environmental economist and author of the Cell Reports study
 

[...] Municipalities without concrete hydrogen plans continue to allow the installation of natural gas heating systems – but only if they are "H2-ready," meaning they can theoretically add a small amount of hydrogen to natural gas. But without a binding supply, it's extremely unlikely that hydrogen will ever be delivered. Those who rely on this technology ultimately risk high costs – and a heating system that waits for hydrogen but never receives any...

*

Russia supplies uranium for European nuclear power plants; the EU Parliament now wants to end this.

Nuclear energy: EU Parliament calls for ban on Russian uranium

In plenary, the resolution criticizes the Kremlin's excessive consumption of the energy resource: a quarter of total purchases are still made in Moscow, which still enriches 30 percent of the uranium used in Europe

Brussels - Ban Russian uranium: If Europe wants to use nuclear power, it will have to rely on raw materials from other countries. The European Parliament is trying to exert new, additional pressure on member states to finally embark on the path to energy autonomy and independence in the EU Council by calling for a ban on Russian uranium, which has so far remained unaffected by European sanctions and even the roadmap to end oil and gas purchases from 2027, but not on "fuel" for nuclear reactors.

As early as next week's plenary session, Parliament is expected to vote on the report, scheduled for Monday, July 7, which highlights the EU's continued excessive dependence on the Russian Federation. The text, for which Conservative MEP Beata Szylo (ECR) is the rapporteur, points out that in 2023, 23,5% of the uranium consumed in the EU came from Russia, and Russia enriched 30,1% of the uranium used in the EU nuclear fleet. Therefore, the European Parliament "notes with concern that Russian nuclear fuel continues to be present on the EU market, including through indirect supply chains." ...

Translation https://www.DeepL.com/Translator

*

Golfech NPP | Bugey and Saint Alban NPPs

EDF throttles nuclear power plants due to heatwave:
A challenge for France's energy supply

Although electricity consumption is increasing, EDF is shutting down its first nuclear power plants

Paris – Due to the ongoing heat wave in France, France's state-owned energy company EDF is once again forced to shut down nuclear power plants or reduce their output.

EDF warned of possible reduced power production as early as mid-June. On Sunday, June 29, 2025, Unit 1 of the Golfech nuclear power plant had to be shut down due to excessively high water temperatures in the Garonne River, even though Unit 2 is also currently offline for maintenance. Output reductions have also already been necessary at the Bugey and Saint-Alban power plants on the Rhône. This heat-related throttling is a direct consequence of the need to comply with temperature limits for the cooling water of the rivers from which the plants draw and discharge water.

French nuclear power plants typically use river water to cool their reactors. When river temperatures rise due to heat waves, the heated cooling water discharged can exceed ecological limits and endanger aquatic ecosystems. 

[...] In recent years, particularly during the extreme summers of 2003, 2018, 2019, and 2022, EDF has had to shut down or curb the majority of its nuclear power plants due to similar circumstances. This can lead to shortages in the electricity supply, especially during periods of high demand, which almost always occur on hot days. Experts warn that such events could become the norm with the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves as a result of climate change. "The heat-related curbing of nuclear power plants is a clear sign that climate change is having a direct impact on our critical infrastructure," says Dr. Jeanne Dubois, energy expert at the French Institute for Environmental Research. "France must review its energy strategy and invest more heavily in renewable energies and energy storage to ensure a stable and sustainable supply in the long term."

The French government has already announced plans to diversify its energy sources, focusing on a mix of nuclear power, renewable energy, and gas storage. However, the current cuts could increase pressure to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
The exact number of affected power plants and the extent of the power reductions will be continuously evaluated by EDF and communicated to the public. The situation is expected to continue as long as the high river temperatures persist.

*

AfD ban:

Where there is no will, there is no way

The SPD's initiative to ban the AfD will likely fizzle out. While there are supporters within the CDU/CSU, the Chancellor is pursuing a different strategy.

For the SPD itself, its decision to initiate proceedings to ban the AfD was important. At the end of its party conference, where it debated at length about a return to conscription and punished its party leader, there was still a moment of unity: All SPD delegates voted in favor of a motion to prepare the way for a ban on the AfD. For that moment, the SPD seemed at peace with itself.

"This was an important signal that our party leadership is now also supporting the review of a ban," Carmen Wegge told ZEIT the following day. As a legal policy expert in the Bundestag, she has long advocated for joint action by the parliamentary groups against the AfD. "Now it's about the Union finally addressing the issues of a possible AfD ban in a professional manner."

The SPD is thus putting pressure on its coalition partner: How to deal with the far-right party is once again an issue that the CDU/CSU and the Red Party must reach agreement on. However, whether Sunday's decision will actually have concrete consequences remains uncertain. Although the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution recently classified the AfD as "certainly right-wing extremist" at the federal level, there is no discernible sufficient will in the political center to seek a ban on the party.

In any case, there is no coalition breakdown, it is now said after the party conference. The SPD "did not advocate for an immediate ban on the AfD," emphasized government spokesman Stefan Kornelius.

The last party ban proceedings began with a working group

In fact, the SPD's resolution is only about setting up a working group of federal and state governments to feed a possible ban application with material that is intended to prove unconstitutionality.

[...] The CDU/CSU would only be expected to make any progress, if at all, once the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's classification of the AfD has been confirmed by the court. The AfD had filed a lawsuit against the upgrade from a suspected case to a "confirmed right-wing extremist" party, and the domestic intelligence agency subsequently issued a so-called standstill pledge: As long as the AfD's urgent application has not been decided, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution will suspend the upgrade. And as long as this legal question is not resolved, the political debate in the center is unlikely to progress either.

*

At the tipping point

The oceans keep the ecosystem in balance. This is precisely why they are now at risk of acidification

Global warming isn't just progressing. It's accelerating, as a study recently published on the Earth System Science Data platform shows. Between 2015 and 2024, it increased by 0,27 degrees Celsius per decade. In 2024, averaged across the entire planet and throughout the year, it was 1,52 degrees Celsius warmer than in the second half of the 19th century. This period is generally used as a reference for a pre-industrial state of the planet because greenhouse gas emissions were still minimal at that time, but a sufficient amount of temperature data had already been collected for comparison.

We in Central Europe are also feeling the effects of global warming. Last week, Germany was hit by several severe storms, which claimed one life in Berlin and on Thursday toppled several thousand trees in a forest in the northwest of the city. The storm front moved down into Austria, causing destruction and flooding. The thunderstorms and gale-force winds had barely passed when a heat wave hit, expected to reach its peak this Wednesday. In the southwest, temperatures could climb to as high as 39 degrees Celsius. But that's just a small sample of the milder and more severe climate disasters that have ravaged the planet this past week. The heat wave now reaching us has previously set a new national heat record in southern Spain with temperatures of 46 degrees Celsius. The previous record, from 1965, was 45,2 degrees Celsius. Severe heat waves, unusually severe wildfires, and catastrophic flooding have also been reported in recent weeks from Andorra, the USA, India, France, Russia, Greece, New Zealand, Canada, Croatia, France, Mexico, Thailand, Pakistan, Turkey, and China. The southeastern Chinese city of Rongjiang, with a population of 300.000, was hit by cloudbursts twice within a week, causing unprecedented flooding and displacing tens of thousands of people from their homes.

All of this could be far worse if the world's oceans didn't have the capacity to absorb CO2 on a large scale. Otherwise, global warming would accelerate. Between 2014 and 2023, the oceans absorbed 26 percent of global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and land-use change, according to calculations by the Global Carbon Project, an international scientific consortium.

[...] But now acidification is progressing even faster than previously thought. This is the conclusion of a study published three weeks ago by British and US researchers in the journal Global Change Biology. The study finds that 40 percent of surface waters and 60 percent of slightly deeper waters, up to 200 meters below the surface, have already reached a state close to critical thresholds. These mark nothing less than tipping points, beyond which the system suddenly shifts into a fundamentally different state, in this case one without crustaceans and with collapsing food chains.

However, these water depths are precisely the areas where most aquatic life occurs. Accordingly, the authors conclude that the potential habitats for tropical and subtropical coral reefs have already shrunk by 43 percent, and for mussels in shallow coastal waters by 13 percent. The situation is particularly dire with a 61 percent decline for polar pteropods. These tiny snails are a component of plankton, which is a direct or indirect food source for fish and marine mammals. With every additional ton of coal, natural gas, or petroleum that is burned, we are rapidly approaching the collapse of marine ecosystems.

30. June

Fighter jets: 150 liters of fuel per minute

The fuel consumption of military aircraft is gigantic – but such items are excluded from the climate agreements.

Depending on the model, a fighter aircraft can carry six to eight tons of fuel. It's consumed within five minutes when the pilot engages the afterburner.

Exactly how much fuel military aircraft burn is top secret. Only the manufacturers and those who fly such aircraft know this – not those who first pay for the fighter jets and the fuel*, and then for the resulting environmental damage and reconstruction.

"We don't want everyone to know how much fuel we consume during these missions," Markus Rülke of the Environmental Protection Department at the German Ministry of Defense told Reuters in 2023. The news agency described it as a "blind spot" in global efforts to reduce climate-damaging greenhouse gases.

According to the Scientists for Global Responsibility, the military is responsible for – a conservative estimate – 5,5 percent of all CO2 emissions worldwide. This does not even include current wars and military supply chains (info blocker reported). 

[...] Climate damage caused by military and wars is not included in the balance sheet

Firstly, the pilots’ training hours are added to the combat and war missions.

Second, all the civilian aircraft deployed in the background: According to the aforementioned study, the US alone delivered 15 tons of military equipment to Israel in the first 50 months of the Gaza war. This was done with 000 transport flights and 507 cargo ship transports...

*

The horror clowns Don Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are organizing famine and displacement.

Emergency situation in Gaza:

The unresolved question of power

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu hints at an end to the war in Gaza. But the situation at the aid distribution centers demonstrates what the Gaza Strip faces in the event of a ceasefire.

In the past four weeks, 549 people are said to have been killed and more than 4.000 injured in the Gaza Strip while waiting for aid. The newspaper Ha'aretz reported this late last week, citing the Hamas-controlled health authority. Israeli soldiers reportedly fired live ammunition at those waiting on orders. One soldier told Ha'aretz: "Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They were treated like enemies—no crowd control measures, no tear gas, just live fire."

The situation at the distribution centers highlights the chaos in the Gaza Strip. No one wants to take responsibility for it. Even the private US foundation Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), in response to Ha'aretz's investigation, is demanding clarification from the Israeli army and "safe passage for those seeking aid." Even recent signals from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is ready for an end to the war have not changed this chaos. On Sunday evening, he said: "Many opportunities have opened up: primarily for the rescue of the hostages, but also for broader regional perspectives."

Netanyahu's comments came immediately after US President Donald Trump called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

[...] Three of the four centers are located in the south of the completely destroyed coastal strip. International human rights organizations interpret this as a deliberate decision to prepare for the expulsion of residents from the north of the Gaza Strip. Kirsten Krampe, head of the Africa department of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, writes: "Humanitarian aid is being used as a weapon against people who are at the end of their strength and have no other choice than to go to the distribution centers."

Last Friday, the Reuters news agency reported that Israel was blocking all aid deliveries to the northern Gaza Strip. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz had previously announced that they had instructed the army to present a plan within two days to prevent Hamas from taking control of the aid. Netanyahu is thus denying responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip – and thus appeasing his far-right coalition partners, who are openly calling for a halt to aid deliveries and renewed Jewish settlement in the Palestinian territory...

*

Paks NPP

Kyiv protests: US clears way for Russian nuclear power expansion in Hungary

The Russian company Rosatom has been granted permission to expand the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant. Hungary thanks US President Trump for this.

The United States has apparently lifted sanctions that were hindering Russia's construction of the Paks II nuclear power plant in Hungary. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced this on Sunday. According to Szijjártó, the sanctions, originally imposed under the administration of former US President Joe Biden, had "complicated" Hungary's long-term energy plans. Paks II is to be built by the Russian nuclear power company Rosatom.

[...] Ukraine protests against possible EU cooperation with Rosatom

Paks, located about 100 kilometers south of Budapest, is currently Hungary's only nuclear power plant and supplies the country with approximately 40 percent of its energy needs. Following modernization, its operating life was extended into the 2030s. Russia and Hungary had already agreed in 2014 to build two new reactors at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. At the end of May 2023, the European Commission finally approved changes to the contracts for the expansion of the Hungarian nuclear power plant.

According to the Ukrainian news agency RBC, Ukraine has sent a note of protest to the European Commission regarding the possible intensification of cooperation with Rosatom in light of the lifting of sanctions.

Hungary has repeatedly opposed sanctions against Russia within the European Union, particularly those targeting the Russian nuclear sector. The country accuses the EU Commission of unnecessarily burdening the European economy with harsh sanctions. Hungary's right-wing conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is considered Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's closest ally in the EU.

*

Beznau NPP

Because the Aare is too warm: Beznau nuclear power plant reduces output by 50 percent

The two units of the Beznau nuclear power plant have been running at half capacity since Sunday due to the persistent heat. This is intended to protect the Aare River ecosystem and reduce the amount of heat generated by the nuclear power plant's cooling water.

The water temperature of the Aare below the Beznau nuclear power plant has reached 25 degrees Celsius – after the river has been completely mixed with the cooling water from the power plant. This poses a significant burden to many river creatures.

The power plant operator therefore had to react: It reduced the output of the two units at the Beznau nuclear power plant to around 50 percent on Sunday, as the energy company Axpo announced on Monday. The power reduction had already begun in recent days and was continuously intensified as water temperatures rose.

Reaction to the hot summer of 2018

This measure is provided for in an interim order issued by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) following the hot summer of 2018. Accordingly, the temperature limit of 25 degrees Celsius for flowing waters stipulated in the Water Protection Ordinance also applies to the Beznau nuclear power plant.

[...] The fact that the Beznau nuclear power plant has to reduce its output is due to its design. Unlike the plants in Gösgen and Leibstadt, it does not have a cooling tower. Instead, the heat not used for electricity generation is cooled with water taken from the Aare River and later released slightly warmed.

The reduction in power is intended to "prevent excessive warming of the already warm water," according to Axpo's statement. It is a planned step to protect the ecological balance of the Aare.

*

Abdul Quadeer Khan | Nuclear facilities in Iran

Iran's nuclear program

The nuclear specter

The West once supplied Tehran with its first nuclear facilities. Since then, it has had to deal with the fear of an Iranian nuclear bomb.

It took a “Midnight Hammer” – the code name of the US operation – to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities: 14-ton, six-meter-long precision-guided bombs that penetrate up to 60 meters into the rock before exploding.

This razed the Iranian nuclear bases in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. But just two days later, doubts began to seep into the daily Middle East news cycle. Were all nuclear facilities truly completely destroyed? Or was the Iranian nuclear weapons program "merely" set back? Were 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium brought to safety? Will Iran abandon the uranium bomb and pursue the plutonium path, producing weapons-grade plutonium from its reactors?

Doubts and speculation remain. They have been part of the Iranian nuclear program since the 1950s. The specter of an Iranian nuclear bomb cannot be dispelled even with aggressive military strikes. Uncertainty has been growing since Tehran announced it would end its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Inspectors from the Vienna-based regulatory authority are temporarily barred from entering the country.

The fact that Iran was even able to pursue a secret military nuclear program in underground fortresses is the result of Western support. The United States, Germany, and France are the three accomplices who initiated Iran's nuclear program. The risk of proliferation, i.e., the non-peaceful use of nuclear power, was included in the price when the first research facilities were built. 

[...] "Atoms for peace" was the promise of the USA. Civilian use, with its endless possibilities, was intended as a kind of reparation for the mountains of corpses in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The USA and Iran signed a nuclear cooperation treaty in 1957. Washington supplied its ally with a research reactor, equipment, laboratories, and training programs. Iran was made nuclear-ready.

Germany and France also tried to sell nuclear technology. "A country that doesn't sell nuclear power plants will eventually stop selling vacuum cleaners," declared Siegfried Balke, the German Federal Minister for Nuclear Affairs, in the 1960s. Indeed, the Germans won the nuclear race. The Siemens subsidiary KWU built the first of two planned nuclear power plants in Bushehr in 1974.

[...] Now the game starts again. But the war with Israel and the bomb craters from the "Midnight Hammer" have changed the situation. Iran's representatives enter the negotiations weakened, the Europeans are vying for influence, and the US has the threat potential and the triumph of the night of bombing on its side. Out of a sense of self-preservation, Iran is unlikely to provide any further cause for US intervention. Instead, it will continue to play for time after the pile of rubble—the remnants of the nuclear program—has been inspected.

*

June 30, 1983 (INES Class.?) NPP Embalse, ARG

Release of radiation into the environment means INES 3 ...

Wikipedia de

Embalse Nuclear Power Plant

On June 30, 1983, a serious incident occurred in the nuclear power plant (overheating of the cooling circuit), which, however, could be brought under control by employees. In 1986 there was another incident when heavy water came out of the power plant. Both incidents were kept secret by those responsible for a long time, only the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed. The operators were obviously able to prevent an INES classification. It was only through research that the media managed to bring the incident to the public.

Up to 2007 there had been a total of ten incidents at Akw Embalse ...
 

AtomkraftwerkePlag

Embalse (Argentina)

Prevented GAU 1983 and other incidents

On June 30, 1983, an incident occurred that those responsible kept secret from the public: According to "Spiegel", the secondary circuit collapsed after several pumps failed and due to operating errors, the water continued to heat up, radioactive steam and hot water shot out a defective auxiliary valve. After more than three hours, all valves could be closed with improvised measures, a GAU was just prevented ...
 

Spiegel 17/1987

»A cold shiver runs down my spine«

SPIEGEL report on hidden nuclear power plant incidents around the world

Humanity has slipped past the catastrophe several times by a hair's breadth. This is revealed by 48 accident reports that were kept secret by the Vienna International Atomic Energy Agency: breakdowns, often of the most bizarre, profane kind from the United States and Argentina to Bulgaria and Pakistan ...

29. June

Because of Trump's "revenge tax"

100 billion dollars less for the rest of the world

The US President's threat to the global minimum tax is once again having an impact. The G7 agrees to exemptions for US corporations.

Brussels taz | The hard-fought global minimum corporate tax is in jeopardy. US President Donald Trump has apparently persuaded the G7 to agree that large US corporations like Amazon and Google will only be taxed in the US, not in Germany or the EU. This was announced by the Canadian G7 presidency. In return, Trump's so-called revenge tax will be abolished.

The global minimum tax was launched by the G2021 countries in 20. Under the umbrella of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), nearly 140 countries subsequently joined. A globally uniform minimum tax rate of 15 percent was established for internationally active corporations with annual revenues of €750 million or more.

The EU gave the green light at the end of 2021. The Europeans would become global pioneers, announced then-Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni. Germany and the EU were looking forward to additional tax revenues. According to calculations by the EU Tax Observatory, an independent analyst firm, Germany could expect an additional €5,7 billion, while Luxembourg would receive €4,1 billion.

But that's unlikely to happen. Now US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is celebrating: The "compromise" with the G7 will save US corporations up to $100 billion in foreign tax payments over the next decade, the former hedge fund manager explained, according to the Financial Times. Germany and other EU countries are likely to miss out on huge amounts.

[...] Olivier Blanchard, former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, sharply criticized the deal. "This is very sad," Blanchard wrote on X. "No one who cares about the common good can support this deal." What the G7 agreed to under pressure from the US will "render the minimum tax toothless." Criticism also comes from the international Tax Justice Network, which has been advocating for fairer taxation for years. With the G7's initiative, the minimum tax is "dead," it said. Germany and other G7 countries "quickly caved in."

*

Federal Party Conference:

SPD decides to prepare AfD ban proceedings

The SPD has unanimously decided to prepare the process for banning the AfD. Lars Klingbeil sees this as a "historic task" for his party.

Delegates to the SPD federal party conference unanimously adopted a motion to prepare for ban proceedings against the AfD. The motion calls for a federal-state working group to first gather materials for the purpose. If sufficient evidence of the AfD's suspected anti-constitutional nature is found, it will be submitted to the Federal Constitutional Court. The party leadership expressed confidence that this would succeed. Ban proceedings would then be mandatory.

The SPD will therefore "work at all levels to initiate proceedings to ban the AfD before the Federal Constitutional Court," the resolution states. However, it is also clear that a ban "can in no way replace the political debate on its ideology." The working group is therefore tasked with developing a concept to counter the AfD's policies both substantively and practically. The SPD's goal is to win back AfD voters permanently.

Klingbeil speaks of a "historic task"

The proposal was put forward by the SPD party executive. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil declared his support for the demand at the party conference in Berlin: It is "our historic task" to get the AfD "out of parliament again." "Based on historical experience, we have a constitution that provides the necessary instruments," he said. These must be used.

Proceedings before the Constitutional Court can be initiated by the Federal Government, the Bundestag, or the Bundesrat. It must be proven that a party with influence is acting aggressively and militantly against the basic democratic order. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's report on the AfD alone is not considered sufficient evidence.

[...] On Saturday, the delegates passed a motion calling on Israel to comply with international law in the Gaza Strip and Iran. It also states that "armaments supplied from Germany may not be used for military actions that violate international law. We adhere to this principle." However, the motion does not call for a general suspension of arms deliveries to Israel.

*

Loess process

New calculation method shows extent

Why Germany has already warmed by an average of 2,5 degrees

According to experts, Germany is disproportionately affected by global warming. Temperatures are already significantly higher than long assumed.

Frankfurt/Main. Another heat wave. It hardly seems surprising to many that such extremes are hitting us more and more frequently: Germany has already warmed by 2,5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times. This is what the German Weather Service (DWD) has reported since the beginning of April.

Is the temperature increase high?

Very high. In fact, the DWD had previously assumed an average temperature increase of 1,9 degrees since 1881. However, the calculation method that led to this figure was outdated, they said.

Global warming refers to the average annual air temperature at a height of two meters above ground. Until now, the German Weather Service (DWD) drew a straight line through the average temperatures of past decades, showing the average temperature increase over the entire period.

But: "The climate system is simply not linear," DWD climatologist Andreas Walter explained to the German Press Agency. In recent years, a disproportionately strong increase in temperature has been observed. "In this respect, this old method is no longer suitable for describing the temperature increase with sufficient accuracy." It cannot adequately demonstrate accelerated developments.

How do you calculate instead?

In the so-called Loess method, which the DWD has chosen, the nearby neighbors are considered for each point. The closer the neighboring points are to the point under consideration, the more weight they receive for the curve. This allows the annual mean temperatures to also represent short-term fluctuations such as periods of cooling or even accelerated warming.

The result is a more realistic assessment of the actual temperature rise. Future changes, such as a possible slowdown in warming due to climate protection measures, can also be identified more quickly. The conversion has not changed the data basis...
 

Excerpt from the PDF file Loess process from the DWD: 

Deviations of the area mean temperature for Germany from the long-term mean 1961-1990 (red and blue columns), the linear trend of temperature development 1881-2024 (dashed line), the linear trend for the period 1971-2024 (dotted line) and the LOESS trend line for the period 1881-2024 (solid line).

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Lubmin nuclear power plant

Ten billion euros: Nuclear power plant dismantling in Lubmin will be more expensive

The operator estimates that the dismantling of the decommissioned nuclear power plant in Lubmin will cost up to ten billion euros. Delays in demolition are also occurring due to the federal government's lack of funding.

The dismantling of the Lubmin nuclear power plant will be significantly more expensive. According to Henry Cordes, managing director of the federally owned Nuclear Waste Management Company (EWN), the federal government cut annual funding for the EWN three years ago – from 220 to 194 million euros. This had an impact on the staffing plan. According to the company's CEO, 80 temporary workers who were involved in demolition work in a partially contaminated building could no longer be employed. This was a strategic decision to ensure that important tasks, such as planning for the new interim storage facility, could be advanced without any compromises.

Buildings more radioactively contaminated

Added to this is the condition of the buildings. It has been discovered that some buildings were more radioactively contaminated than previously assumed. "Especially Special Building 1, where work was carried out with liquids and radioactive residues. And that presents us with particular challenges," Cordes said. The contaminated concrete in this building must be removed under strict safety standards. In some cases, the structural integrity of the building must be compromised, which further complicates demolition.

Previous cost estimate was 6,6 billion euros

The latest cost estimate for the dismantling of the decommissioned nuclear power plant in Lubmin totaled approximately €6,6 billion. This estimate assumed completion of the dismantling work by 2028, according to a spokesperson. Since the completion of the dismantling has been postponed, additional costs must be expected. The company now expects dismantling to be completed in the mid-2040s...

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Dealing with "Daddy" Trump: What's the point of all the flattery?

Trump must be dealt with differently – this belief has apparently gained international acceptance: Before the NATO summit, Secretary General Rutte effusively praised the US president, and later the discussion turned to "Daddy" Trump. How this is changing diplomacy.

It's important "not to talk too long, but to let him talk," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz before his first visit to the White House. There, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had previously praised the US president and, with a grand gesture, handed over a personal invitation from King Charles. Following a tariff deal, Starmer said: "Donald cannot be thanked enough." French President Emmanuel Macron also attempted a charm offensive at the end of February: "Thank you, thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, dear Donald."

Rutte to Trump: "Your victory"

Most recently, the US President published an apparently private message from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to him before the NATO summit. It stated, among other things, that the five percent agreement was a "great success" for Trump. He had achieved what no US president had managed in decades before him. "Europe will pay in a big way, as they should, and it is your victory."

The fact that this news became public shows "that Trump has a different understanding of diplomacy," says Manuel Fröhlich, Professor of International Relations and Foreign Policy at the University of Trier. For the US president, the "value of confidentiality, which is so crucial for diplomacy," apparently plays no role. "Trump prioritizes whether this form of communication benefits him personally," the political scientist explains in a BR24 interview.

[...] What good is flattery?

"Strategies of flattery, influence, and whitewashing, often with manipulative intent—on the one hand, these are standard instruments of diplomacy and international relations," explains expert Fröhlich. "However, it is important that this is, firstly, based on reciprocity and, secondly, done on an equal footing." The fact that one side is so exalted, as in the case of Trump, is "very unusual," says Fröhlich. Inappropriate subservience is not in keeping with traditional diplomacy...

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 June 29, 2005 (INES Class.?) NPP Forsmark, SWE

Radioactive water leaked into the Baltic Sea from an interim storage facility.
(Cost approx. US$ 12 million)

Nuclear Power Accidents
 

Release of radiation into the environment means INES 3 ...
 

Wikipedia de

List of incidents at European nuclear facilities#29 June 2005

Forsmark, June 29, 2005

On June 29, 2005, radioactive water leaked into the Baltic Sea from the interim storage facility for low and medium-level radioactive waste at the Swedish nuclear power plant Forsmark. Ten times the normal level of radioactive caesium was measured in the waters near the power plant. However, according to the Swedish Radiation Protection Institute SSI, this is still within the permissible limits. The leak was probably caused by corroded metal containers containing radioactive waste.
 

The release of radioactivity on 29 June 2005 is not mentioned in the following Wikipedia article.

Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant

The first nuclear fuel was delivered to Forsmark in 1977, but commercial operation was delayed until 1980. The reason for this was the accident in Harrisburg and the waiting for the results of a referendum in which Sweden's people voted on the future of nuclear energy...
 

AtomkraftwerkePlag

Forsmark

According to a Greenpeace statement from 2012, the Swedish nuclear power plants in Forsmark, Oskarshamn and Ringhals pose a great danger to the population in Sweden and its neighboring countries due to "technical defects and a poor culture of safety control" ...
 

SPIEGEL report on hidden nuclear power plant incidents around the world

»A cold shiver runs down my spine«

Humanity has slipped past the catastrophe several times by a hair's breadth. This is revealed by 48 accident reports that were kept secret by the Vienna International Atomic Energy Agency: breakdowns, often of the most bizarre, profane kind from the United States and Argentina to Bulgaria and Pakistan ...

Current news+

June 29, 2025

Dark Water

Expert on the eternal chemical TFA: "It is wrong and stupid to release something like this"

In the debate about the dangers of the perennial chemical TFA, the Solvay plant in Bad Wimpfen has once again come into focus. The chemical company discharges TFA into the Neckar River there.

The long-standing chemical trifluoroacetate/trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is under massive criticism. The Federal Office for Chemicals (BfC), together with the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), and other authorities recently classified TFA as "toxic to reproduction."

The Lake Constance-Rhine waterworks recently sounded the alarm, noting that contamination of drinking water is increasingly threatening the environment. Pollution in the Upper Rhine region, for example, has doubled in recent years.

Officially approved: Solvay initiates treated TFA in Neckar

In Bad Wimpfen (Heilbronn district), Solvay's chemical plant has been discharging the perpetual chemical TFA into the Neckar River for many years, with official approval. On the banks of the Neckar River, the company produces soldering flux for air conditioning systems and fluorine products for the electrical and automotive industries.

TFA is also produced as a waste product. However, this long-lasting chemical is also commonly found in pesticides and refrigerants, and thus also enters the environment.

Renowned expert takes a very critical view of TFA

For years, Prof. Dr. Martin Scheringer has been conducting research on TFA and the controversial per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS) in the Department of Environmental Systems Science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich). He is considered one of the world's most renowned experts in his field and commented on the ongoing debate surrounding TFA in response to a request from SWR.

In principle, the release of a substance that is not biodegradable is very problematic; to put it bluntly, it is wrong and stupid, because the substance then naturally accumulates in the environment, can no longer be removed, and sooner or later leads to toxic effects.

Prof. Martin Scheringer, ETH Zurich

Can TFA be removed from the water?

The explosive point is that once released, TFA never disappears from the environment, according to the expert. The scientist therefore calls for such substances to be handled much more carefully than in the past.

Pilot projects are currently underway, for example, at the Bad Rappenau water supply company in the Heilbronn district. The company aims to remove TFA from the water using activated carbon-based filter systems.

However, Professor Scheringer is skeptical that these filtering methods even work. Filtering these tiny substances is virtually impossible, he says, or associated with very high costs.

TFA in Neckar: Solvay refers to applicable law

In response to an inquiry by SWR, the Solvay chemical plant in Bad Wimpfen explained that it uses TFA as a raw material for manufacturing products. It is not produced on-site. The TFA is "neutralized into a stable salt form (trifluoroacetate)" and discharged into the Neckar River after wastewater treatment.

The Bad Wimpfen site is operated in compliance with applicable legal requirements for environmental and health protection. Significant investments have been made at the site to reduce emissions into the environment.

How much TFA Solvay is allowed to discharge into the Neckar

But how can one even explain that a chemical plant like Solvay is allowed to discharge TFA into the Neckar River? Legally, this is clearly regulated. According to the Stuttgart Regional Council, Solvay GmbH received a water law permit to discharge it in 2016.

Various laws apply, such as the Wastewater Ordinance for the Chemical Industry. Solvay is currently permitted by the authorities to discharge one kilogram of TFA per hour into the Neckar River. However, over a year, that amounts to several tons.

The Regional Council (RP) points out that through technical and organizational measures, Solvay has been able to reduce the quantities of TFA discharged by approximately 2016 percent since 90. This means, in turn, that Solvay has discharged much larger quantities into the Neckar River in the past.

No TFA limit until 2016

In response to a request from SWR, the RP explained that although water law permits existed before 2016, they did not contain any regulations on TFA, as there was no TFA limit yet. The authority previously assumed a "worst-case assumption of operating all plants with a maximum discharge of 17 kg TFA/h into the Neckar by Solvay GmbH."

Products containing the trifluoromethyl group (CF1996) have been manufactured on an industrial scale at the site since 3. "It can be assumed that wastewater containing TFA has been discharged into the Neckar River since then," the RP writes in its statement.

Very high TFA value measured in forest water source

In 2016, Solvay's TFA discharge had already caused a stir when a new measuring method was used to detect higher levels of TFA in the Neckar River and in the water near Edingen-Neckarhausen (Rhein-Neckar district).

Authorities have recently been puzzling over why a very high TFA level of 320 micrograms per liter was measured in a forest water spring near the Solvay factory site in Bad Wimpfen. The water from this spring is used purely for industrial purposes, not for consumption.

The forest water source is also not connected to the public water supply, according to authorities. However, the unusual readings currently cannot be plausibly explained. Investigations are underway.

When is the eternal chemical TFA a health hazard?

The Federal Institute for Chemicals (BfC), the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) are now calling for their reassessment of TFA to be uniformly transferred to the EU level. What's new is that German authorities classify TFA as toxic to reproduction. The official hazard class is "Toxic to reproduction, Category 1B," with the hazard warnings: "May harm the unborn child. Suspected of damaging fertility."

However, the authorities point out that the toxicological effect in animal models has only been demonstrated at TFA concentrations significantly higher than those found in the environment. Therefore, health effects are currently not expected from consuming water or food contaminated with TFA. However, ETH expert Scheringer points out that TFA concentrations in the environment continue to accumulate because the substance does not degrade.

Very long-lasting pollution of water would be possible

The Federal Environment Agency states that TFA can cause "very long-lasting and diffuse pollution of water resources." An EU-wide harmonized hazard classification is therefore urgently needed. In a press release from the end of May, Federal Environment Agency President Dirk Messner makes it clear:

The number and quantities of chemicals that degrade to TFA are constantly increasing. Their inputs into the environment must be reduced as quickly as possible to ensure the sustainable protection of environmental and drinking water resources.

Dirk Messner, President of the Federal Environment Agency
 

What TFA limits are there?

According to the regional government, there is currently no limit for TFA. However, the Federal Environment Agency has set a drinking water guideline value of 60 micrograms per liter.

This value indicates the "toxicologically tolerable concentration for drinking water at which, according to available evidence, it can be assumed that lifelong consumption does not lead to health damage."

According to the RP, however, the UBA has advocated aiming for a TFA concentration of 10 micrograms per liter or less.

BUND calls for a ban on the chemical

The German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) is calling for a swift ban on the perennial chemical TFA. The fact that this substance is allowed to be discharged into the Neckar River with official approval is "irresponsible," according to Manuel Fernández, BUND's chemical policy officer.

The goal must be to largely halt the entry of these "extremely persistent pollutants into the environment and thus the increasing concentrations." For the BUND expert, one solution would be to incinerate TFA into hazardous waste. This is the only way to dispose of it safely. "Under no circumstances should it be further discharged," Fernández said.

Industrial society with consequences for the environment

The globally sought-after TFA expert from ETH Zurich is also very critical of the fact that the chemical is allowed to continue to enter the environment in this way.

It's a case of privatization of profits and socialization of costs. Emissions of this kind are common and presumably—under current law—legal. There are many problematic practices in our industrial society. The TFA case probably makes them more visible than before.

Prof. Martin Scheringer, ETH Zurich
 

One thing is clear to the scientist: In the past, such persistent, long-lasting substances have been handled far too carelessly.

Background knowledge

The map of the nuclear world

 
**

The “Internal Search”

June 13, 2025 - TFA in Bavaria: How dangerous is the eternal chemical?

April 23, 2025 - Scandal: How a Swiss company poisoned Lake Constance

February 12, 2025 - The PFAS lobby is fighting hard against a ban

October 25, 2024 - PFAS estimate: Millions of Americans could have permanent chemicals in their drinking water

September 14, 2024 - PFAS: Many pastures and arable land are contaminated

October 16, 2023 - Cancer risk: Women should be especially careful with PFAS

March 31, 2023 - "Poison of the Century" PFAS: New limits for drinking water

February 23, 2023 - Dispute over chemicals: How Bayer, BASF & Co. are lobbying for PFAS
 

**

The search engine Ecosia is planting trees!

https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=Trinkwasser

https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=PFAS

https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=Ewigkeitsgift

https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=TFA
 

Federal Environment Agency

May 16, 2024 - PFAS in drinking water – Current status and aspects for assessment (PDF file)

Recommendation of the Federal Environment Agency after hearing the Drinking Water Commission

The aim of this statement is to outline the current state of knowledge regarding the analysis of poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water, their occurrence, and treatment options. It also explains why water supply operators and health authorities are advised to address this group of substances – as new parameters of the Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) – at this point in time. Furthermore, the ongoing development of the health assessment of PFAS occurrences in drinking water is to be described.

[...] 1 Limit values ​​in the Drinking Water Ordinance

On June 24, 2023, the Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV) entered into force, containing limit values ​​for substances from the PFAS group as parameters for the first time. This implemented the EU Drinking Water Directive (Directive (EU) 2020/2184, abbreviated to TW-RL), which specified a parameter value of 0,10 μg/l1 for the sum of the concentrations of 20 specific PFAS. Almost simultaneously with the TW-RL, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) determined an assessment value based on current scientific findings for part of the PFAS group of substances in the form of a "tolerable total weekly intake" (TWI) of 4,4 ng/kg body weight and published it in its report of September 17, 2020. The EFSA assessed the sum of four PFAS: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), which, according to the data available at the time, together account for approximately 90% of the total human body burden. In addition to foods such as fish, fruit, eggs, and egg products, the EFSA also considers drinking water to be a possible source of exposure to PFAS.

[...] 5 Processing methods

The removal of PFAS during drinking water treatment is challenging due to their material properties (high persistence towards microbial and chemical degradation processes, ionic nature). Common processes such as subsurface passage, flocculation, or ozonation are largely ineffective. Activated carbon filtration can be used as the process of choice, especially when the raw water is contaminated with long-chain PFAS. Based on practical experience with plants already in operation, specific treatment costs for this process can be estimated at currently less than €0,1/m³. Depending on the level and type of PFAS contamination and the composition of the raw water, preliminary tests are recommended, among other things, to select the optimal activated carbon. However, if the raw water predominantly contains short-chain PFAS (chain lengths C6 and shorter), filter runtimes are significantly reduced, and treatment costs and operating expenses increase accordingly. Ion exchangers as a possible alternative have so far only been tested in Germany as part of research projects. Currently, no ion exchange material is listed on the UBA's list of PFASs pursuant to Section 20 of the German Drinking Water Ordinance (TrinkwV). Filtration using dense membranes, i.e., nanofiltration or reverse osmosis, is also an option for removing PFASs. This method can be an alternative, particularly in cases where additional treatment goals are being pursued in addition to PFAS removal (e.g., water softening). For all of the treatment methods described, it must be taken into account that the removal of PFASs produces residues that are contaminated with PFASs and must be disposed of or, if necessary, further treated.
 

Wikipedia de

Drinking water

Drinking water is water for human consumption. Drinking water is the most important foodstuff; it cannot be replaced (introductory and guiding principle of DIN 2000). Therefore, it is a resource that requires special protection and is a part of our basic social services. The procurement, treatment, and distribution of drinking water is the responsibility of the water industry...
 

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS)

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are aliphatic organic compounds in which the hydrogen atoms on at least one carbon atom in the carbon skeleton have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms ("per-"). This group of substances includes between a few thousand and a few million individual substances. Because they or their degradation products are very difficult to degrade (persistent) in the environment, they are also called "forever chemicals."

Some PFAS are suspected of being carcinogenic. The total annual health-related costs associated with exposure to PFAS were estimated at at least €2019 billion to €52 billion for the European Economic Area (EEA) countries in 84 and between $2018 billion and $6 billion for the United States in 62. The total annual costs for environmental screening, monitoring for contamination, water treatment, soil remediation, and health assessment in the EEA plus Switzerland range from €821 million to €170 billion. The American Water Works Association estimates that it would cost $370 billion to remove PFAS from U.S. drinking water. Taking societal costs into account, the cost per kilogram of PFAS is approximately €18.700, while the average market price of PFAS is approximately €19 per kilogram. 
 

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YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Vergiftete Wahrheit

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Trinkwasser

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=PFAS

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ewigkeitsgift

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=TFA
 

Playlist - radioactivity worldwide ...

This playlist contains over 150 videos on the topic of atoms*

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