South Africans’ hair reveals heavy metal exposure from mining at Witwatersrand

Staff Writer | May 19, 2022 

Homes situated next to mine dumps in Johannesburg, South Africa.

 (Image courtesy of Angela Mathee/SAMRC).

An international team of researchers is analyzing individual hair samples from people living and working around the Witwatersrand basin near Johannesburg to determine the degree of uranium contamination and identify which populations are most at risk.


This South African region is known for hosting the world’s largest gold deposit which, when mined, releases harmful, toxic and radioactive waste as a byproduct.

“In a preliminary study, we have already detected elevated uranium levels in the hair samples of individuals living in the vicinity of mine dumps and tailings dams in the region,” Susanne Sachs, one of the scientists involved in the research, said in a media statement. “We now wish to pursue the question of how the measured uranium concentrations relate to the geographic and demographic conditions.”

An estimated 1.6 million people of different social and ethnic backgrounds live in the vicinity of mine waste deposits. Many of them are unaware of the dangerous substances that surround them.

According to Sachs, this is especially the case for children and adolescents from whom South African researchers collected hair samples during the first phase of the study—both from the exposed regions and from a control group with no exposure.
Long exposure periods

Hair is suitable as sample material because the heavy metal concentrations measured in such samples are also representative of longer periods of previous exposure, unlike blood or urine samples. Hair also provides information on whether heavy metals have entered the bloodstream.

To facilitate later comparison of the samples, the researchers also record essential information about the child, including weight and height measurements, age, sex, occupation of the parents, health status, sources of water, presence of animals and home-grown foods, and other factors.

Researchers analyze environmental samples, including soil and dust from the surrounding environment, and take into consideration that the predominant wind direction in regard to the mine waste deposits can play a role in determining uranium exposure.

Once the samples are collected, they are sent to Germany, where they are analyzed in the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and VKTA laboratories.

In detail, the samples are ground, homogenized, purified and digested to obtain a solution that can be analyzed by means of a mass spectrometer.

The instrument separates the elements contained in the solution according to their atomic masses and determines the uranium content down to the microgram. The measured results are then evaluated together with the collected demographic data as well as with the uranium content of the environmental samples and other factors.

“From the results of the study, we hope that we can better understand uranium exposure pathways and that associated health risks for the population can be more reliably estimated,” Sachs said. “The study can also help in developing new regulations to ensure that the local population is better protected.”

Arconic to sell Russian operations, take $500 million charge

Bloomberg News | May 19, 2022 | 

Aluminum alloy coils, Davenport USA – Image courtesy of Arconic

Arconic Corp. said it will sell its Russian operations, joining the exodus of US companies after the invasion of Ukraine made doing business in the region “untenable.”


The Pittsburgh-based aluminum-sheet manufacturer expects to record a charge of as much as $500 million related to the move. Arconic decided to sell its facility in Samara, Russia, following a review of strategic alternatives prompted by limitations imposed by the country’s government, according to a statement Thursday.

“Sadly, the conflict in Ukraine has made our operation in Russia untenable,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Myers said in the statement.

Arconic shares were unchanged in late trading in New York.

(By Richard Clough)

BRAZIL

BHP still sees room to negotiate with Samarco’s creditors

Bloomberg News | May 20, 2022 

Samarco’s concentrator 3 at the Germano complex (Credit: Samarco)

BHP Group is willing to protect its joint venture in Samarco Mineracao SA, saying it sees room to negotiate with financial creditors in the Brazil miner’s debt restructuring.


“We’re absolutely committed to making sure that Samarco is reset to be the sustainable operation it always has been and should be again for the next few decades,” Simon Duncombe, vice president of BHP’s joint venture in Brazil, said in an interview. He denied any intention of walking away from the investment.

Samarco became unable to pay its 50 billion reais ($10.2 billion) debt after its waste dam collapsed in 2015, killing 19 people in Mariana, Minas Gerais. The firm halted production, and it took until December 2020 before it was able to partially restart operations.

BHP and Vale SA –- its partner in the joint venture with 50% stakes — are supporting the plan filed Wednesday by two workers’ unions representing creditors form Samarco. However, BHP wants the right to vote on both alternative plans presented this week.

“We’ll be seeking to vote on the lenders plan and also to vote on the union’s plan,” Duncombe said.

Bondholders presented a plan to take control of Samarco and slash the 24 billion reais ($4.9 billion) that Samarco said it owes to Vale and BHP to less than 960 million reais. It will compete with the plan filed by unions, which is a revised version of the Brazilian mining company’s debt-restructuring plan, with amendments.

The new Brazilian bankruptcy law allows creditors for the first time to present their own restructuring plans if the company’s plan is rejected, which happened about one month ago. Even being shareholders, Vale and BHP argue that they have no conflict of interest in the vote to decide on a plan proposed by other stakeholders, and are asking the court for the right to vote.

Duncombe sees “many more chapters to be written” in the restructuring saga started in April 2021. The new union proposal could attract votes from financial creditors outside the ad hoc group composed by 17 funds, including Oaktree Emerging Market Debt Fund LP, or even from the group, he said. It stipulates that bondholders could receive extraordinary payments if projections in the previous plan end up being too conservative.

There are also legal issues pending that will have to be faced by Samarco’s restructuring court. This gives time for more rounds of negotiation with the lenders.

Duncombe said that BHP is opened to “constructive discussions”, but is “absolutely willing” to deploy all legal measures necessary to protect Samarco.

(By Mariana Durao)

Tianqi produces Australia’s first battery grade lithium hydroxide

Staff Writer | May 19, 2022 | 

Kwinana plant. ( Image courtesy of Tianqi Lithium.)

Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA) announced Wednesday the first production of battery-grade lithium from its plant in Kwinana, Western Australia, marking the first-time battery-grade lithium, or lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM), has been produced in Australia in commercial quantities.


TLEA is a joint venture between one of the world’s top producers of lithium chemicals for electric vehicle batteries, Tianqi Lithium Corporation (51%), and Australian miner, IGO Limited (49%).

This is a significant milestone for Australian mining as the sector expands to meet rapidly growing demand for rechargeable batteries, primarily from the electric vehicle and energy storage system industries, the company said in a news release.

TLEA’s Kwinana plant has met internal certification processes with the onsite laboratory confirming that battery-grade specification has been met on 10 tonnes of lithium hydroxide, produced consistently over several days. Samples have been sent for independent verification.

The next step in the plant’s ramp-up process is customer qualification, which will be completed over the next four to eight months.

“We are immensely proud to demonstrate that Australia can value add to its minerals onshore as it enhances its reputation as a critical contributor to the production of batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage, which are absolutely vital for the decarbonisation of the world’s economy,” said Chief Operating Officer Raj Surendran in the statement.

“Today’s milestone proves Australia has the capability and expertise to transition from a ‘dig it and ship it’ minerals supplier to a downstream supplier of value-added product,” Surendran said.

TLEA owns the first lithium hydroxide plant in Australia and the largest in the world to be built and operated outside of China.

Lithium hydroxide produced at the Kwinana Plant will be containerised and exported from the Port of Fremantle to customers around the globe.

Surendran said the first train at TLEA’s Kwinana Plant will now continue its ramp-up towards its nameplate capacity of 24,000 tonnes of battery grade lithium hydroxide per annum.

Unloved since Fukushima, uranium is hot again for miners

Reuters | May 20, 2022 | 

View of Dampierre nuclear power plant (Stock Image)

Uranium miners are racing to revive projects mothballed after the Fukushima disaster more than a decade ago, spurred by renewed demand for nuclear energy and a leap in yellowcake prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


Spot prices for uranium have doubled from lows of $28 per pound last year to $64 in April, sparking the rush on projects set aside after a 2011 earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant.




“Things are moving very quickly in our industry, and we’re seeing countries and companies turn to nuclear with an appetite that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen in my four decades in this business,” Tim Gitzel, CEO of Canada’s Cameco, which mothballed four of its mines after Fukushima, said on a May 5 earnings call.

Uranium prices began to rise in mid-2021 as several countries seeking to limit climate change said they aimed to move back to nuclear power as a source of carbon-free energy.

A quest for secure energy supplies has added to the potential demand.

Unrest in January in Kazakhstan, which produces 45% of primary global uranium output, had already driven prices further when Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine spurred a 50% rally.

Russia accounts for 35% of global supply of enriched uranium.

READ ALSO: Skyharbour buys into Rio Tinto’s Russell Lake uranium project

Prices have retreated since a peak in April, but John Ciampaglia, CEO of Sprott Asset Management, which runs the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust, told Reuters Moscow’s invasion had “shifted the energy markets dramatically”.

“Now the theme is about energy security, energy independence and trying to move away from Russian origin energy supply chains,” he said.

There are about 440 nuclear power plants around the world that require approximately 180 million pounds of uranium every year, according to the World Nuclear Association.

Uranium mines produce about 130 million pounds, a deficit that mining executives predict will widen even if idled capacity by major producers such as Cameco and Kazakhstan’s Kazatomprom comes back online.

The supply gap used to be filled by stockpiled material, much of which came from Russia.

Now, miners are dusting off feasibility studies for mothballed mines and reviving projects.

In Australia, uranium producers – including Paladin Energy Ltd which aims to restart its Langer Heinrich uranium mine in Namibia, idled over a decade ago – have raised close to A$400 million ($282.08 million) in share sales over the last six months to fund exploration and resuscitate mines on three continents.

“With all of the additional demand that’s coming from the new nuclear (plants), the thesis is that over a five or 10-year period, that additional demand will just dwarf those volumes coming back to market,” said Regal Funds Management analyst James Hood.

China plans to build 150 new reactors between 2020 and 2035 and Japan also aims to boost nuclear capacity as does South Korea.

In Europe, Britain has committed to build one new nuclear plant every year while France plans to build 14 new reactors and the European Union has proposed counting nuclear plants as a green investment.
Easier said than done?

Delivering the new reactors, however, will be a challenge as repeated delays and cost-overruns could be exacerbated by the supply chain problems following the pandemic and the additional disruption of the Ukraine war, making demand for uranium hard to predict.

Many environmental campaigners, especially in the West, also remain opposed to nuclear energy because of the waste it generates even though atomic power is emissions-free.

Advocates of nuclear energy say small modular reactors are a solution to the difficulty of bringing on new capacity.

Keith Bowes, managing director of Lotus Resources, which owns the idled Kayelekera uranium mine in Malawi, says modular reactors will be a major source of growth from 2028 onwards.

Others say the traditional obstacle of high cost is less of a problem given the sharpened focus on security of supply.

“No longer is price the determinant, it’s now security of supply,” Duncan Craib, managing director at Boss Resources told the Macquarie Australia conference on May 9.

Boss will make a final investment decision soon on developing the Honeymoon uranium mine in South Australia, aiming for first production 18 months after any go-ahead.

Sprott’s Ciampaglia said uranium could hit $100 per pound in the long run. Prices peaked around $140 per pound in 2007.

This year’s rally has taken them to levels last seen in 2011 in part as a result of Sprott’s activity in the market with its uranium funds growing from near zero last year to about $4 billion now.

Ciampaglia said Sprott’s buying is in response to investor demand: “The Trust provides investors with a vehicle to express their view on physical uranium.”

Smaller uranium developers also want to get involved, but will need prices of at least $60 a pound to ensure the economic viability of projects, industry watchers said.

Even then there would be risks. The restart of idled capacity from uranium giants could disproportionately hit smaller players while community opposition in some areas remains.

“No mine development or restart of an idled mine is easy or without challenges,” said Guy Keller, manager of Tribeca Investment Partners’ Nuclear Energy Opportunities Fund.

($1 = 1.4180 Australian dollars)

(By Praveen Menon and Sonali Paul; Editing by Barbara Lewis)

Skyharbour buys into Rio Tinto’s Russell Lake uranium project

Cecilia Jamasmie | May 20, 2022 | 

The Moore uranium property is Skyharbour’s flagship project. (Image courtesy of Skyharbour Resources.)

Canadian explorer Skyharbour Resources (TSX-V: SYH) has inked a cash and shares deal to acquire an initial 51% stake in Rio Tinto’s (ASX: RIO) Russell Lake uranium project, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.


The Vancouver-based miner has the option of becoming the sole owner of the property, which is in the uranium-rich Athabasca basin, between two of Orano Mining’s properties and near Cameco’s (TSX: CCO) (NYSE: CCJ) Key Lake and McArthur River assets.

Russell Lake is also next to Skyharbour’s flagship Moore project, which makes it especially attractive, the junior said.

“Uranium properties with the pedigree and prospectivity of Russell Lake are few and far between,” president and CEO Jordan Trimble said in the statement. “[It is in a] very strategic location, notable historical exploration and findings, as well as the numerous property-wide targets with the potential to generate new discoveries,” he said.

Under the terms of the agreement, Skyharbour can earn a 51% stake in Russell Lake via a cash payment of $500,000 and the issuance of 3.6 million shares, along with $5.7 million in exploration spend over three years.

An additional 19% may then be earned via a $1.6 million cash payment or the issuance of 2.2 million shares, and $6.4 million in exploration spend over two years.

Skyharbour can then earn the remaining 30% interest in the property by paying to Rio Tinto $33 million in cash or via 42.6 million shares of the company, provided Rio’s ownership doesn’t exceed 19.9% of Skyharbour.

Russell Lake uranium property location. (Courtesy of Skyharbour Resources.)

While there has been historical exploration carried out at the Russell Lake, the junior noted that most of it happened before 2010.

“The property has been the subject of over 95,000 metres of drilling in over 230 drill holes. The property’s claims are in good standing for 2-22 years with assessment credits built-up from previous programmes,” the company said.

Market revival

After years of depressed prices and halted production, the uranium market is experiencing a revival on supply worries steaming from sanctions against Russia’s state-owned atomic energy company, Rosatom.

Earlier this month, Cameco and Orano increased their stakes in the Cigar Lake uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan by buying Idemitsu Canada Resources’ 7.9% interest in the asset for C$187 million (about $144m).

Spot prices have doubled from lows of $28 per pound last year to $64 in April, motivating the reactivation of projects that were set aside after a 2011 earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Cameco is also restarting its McArthur River mine and Key Lake mill this year, which have been on care and maintenance since mid-2018.

“Things are moving very quickly in our industry, and we’re seeing countries and companies turn to nuclear with an appetite that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen in my four decades in this business,” CEO Tim Gitzel said on a May 5 earnings call.

For years, Canada was the world’s largest uranium producer, accounting for about 22% of world output, but in 2009, was overtaken by Kazakhstan.

US, Canadian companies set to soar on Russian uranium ban

Henry Lazenby | May 17, 2022 | 

Credit: Energy Fuels Inc.

United States and Canadian-based uranium companies are set to soar on a coming Russian production ban in the Western world, GoldSilver.com’s senior precious metals analyst, Jeff Clark, told an industry audience at the VRIC conference in Vancouver on Tuesday.


“Uranium is already in a bull market,” Clark said. “Yes, those prices have come down just like the others have, but for fundamental key reasons such as supply-demand … growing globally for uranium and nuclear power,” he said.

He believes Russian uranium, which still accounts for about 50% of U.S. consumption, will soon be banned in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “They’ve done it for oil and gas, but they haven’t done it for uranium. But that is coming. That is a done deal. It’s going to happen,” he said.

According to Clark, in the US, there’s widespread political support for a ban from every party except for a minority. “It will lift and make the U.S. and Canadian uranium companies very, very attractive,” the analyst pointed out.

“They’re still reliant on Russian uranium, yet the ban is coming. It will make U.S. and Canadian companies all that more attractive,” he said.

Clark said likely to benefit from the move are Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE American: UEC) and enCore Energy (TSXV: E.U.; USOTCQB: ENCUF). He holds large positions in both companies, which are in pre-production.

“Not only are they going to be more favoured because of bandwidth, whenever it comes, but they’re also going to be in production next year,” said Clark.

Clark also highlighted Boss Energy (ASX: BOE) in Australia and Fission Uranium Corp. (TSX: FCU) in British Columbia, both projected to go into production in the next year.

Final environmental impact statement for US Versatile Test Reactor

16 May 2022

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been identified as the preferred site for the construction and operation of the sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) released by the US Department of Energy (DOE).

How the VTR could look (Image: INL)

The Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) will be used to provide a source of fast neutrons for testing and evaluating nuclear fuels, materials, sensors, and instrumentation to support the development of advanced reactor technologies. Such facilities are currently available in only a few locations worldwide, and the USA has not operated one in more than 20 years.

"VTR will provide US researchers from industry, academia, and our national laboratories with a critical tool for developing transformational technologies that will expand nuclear energy's contribution to abundant, carbon-free energy," Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Kathryn Huff said. "VTR's contribution to the fight against climate change begins with our commitment to designing, constructing, and operating the VTR in a way that protects the environment and nearby communities."

The US Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act, which became law in September 2018, directed the DOE to develop a reactor-based fast neutron source for the testing of advanced reactor fuels and materials, and to execute a programme for enhancing the capability to develop new reactor technologies through high-performance computer modelling and simulation techniques. The VTR project was launched in 2019 by then-Energy Secretary Rick Perry. A draft EIS was released in December 2020, which was opened to public comments in the first months of 2021.

The VTR will be a 300 MW (thermal) pool-type, sodium-cooled reactor using a uranium-plutonium-zirconium metal fuel based on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's PRISM small modular reactor design.

The FEIS analyses and evaluates the potential impacts of the alternative options of INL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), including constructing and operating the reactor, post-irradiation examination experimental of specimens in hot cell facilities, and the conditioning and storage of used fuel pending its shipment for interim storage or permanent disposal. It also evaluates production of fuel for the reactor at INL and/or DOE's Savannah River site, and a so-called no-action alternative of not going ahead with the construction and operation of the VTR.

DOE's preferred alternative is to build and operate the VTR at INL, where existing facilities within the adjacent Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) would be modified and used for post-irradiation examination of test assemblies and treatment of used nuclear fuel. Treated used fuel would be temporarily stored at a new VTR spent fuel pad at MFC. The FEIS finds that, although both the INL and ORNL options would generally have small environmental consequences, overall these would be smaller at the INL site.

DOE has not yet identified a preferred option for the location of fuel production services for the VTR, but could choose to use either INL, Savannah River, or a combination of both sites to for feedstock preparation and fuel fabrication. Existing facilities would be modified or adapted to provide the necessary capabilities at both locations. Implementing fuel production at either INL and Savannah River would generally have small environmental consequences, the FEIS says. The source of the plutonium - US weapon-grade plutonium, foreign reactor-grade plutonium, or some other material - to be used is an issue that must be resolved, it says, as the processes to be deployed will depend on the characteristics of the plutonium feedstock selected.

Issuance of the VTR FEIS means that DOE can now proceed with making a final decision on the project. It expects to issue a formal Record of Decision later this year.

The FEIS can be downloaded here.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

MIT expands fusion collaboration

17 May 2022

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) is to expand its fusion energy research and education activities under a new five-year agreement with MIT spinout company Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS).

PSFC's vision of SPARC (Image: PSFC)

CFS is working to build the SPARC prototype fusion machine which it says will pave the way for a first commercially viable fusion power plant called ARC. The new agreement, administered by the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) will help PSFC expand its fusion technology efforts with a wider variety of sponsors, and the collaboration will enable "rapid execution at scale and technology transfer into the commercial sector as soon as possible," according to PSFC.

"This expanded relationship puts MIT and PSFC in a prime position to be an even stronger academic leader that can help deliver the research and education needs of the burgeoning fusion energy industry, in part by utilising the world's first burning plasma and net energy fusion machine, SPARC," PSFC Director Dennis Whyte said. "CFS will build SPARC and develop a commercial fusion product, while MIT PSFC will focus on its core mission of cutting-edge research and education."

The agreement doubles CFS's financial commitment to PSFC and extends a collaboration that has already resulted in numerous advances towards fusion power plants, PSFC said. This includes the demonstration last year of a high-temperature superconducting fusion electromagnet with record-setting field strength of 20 tesla.

SPARC is described by PSFC as a compact, high-field, net fusion energy device which would be the size of existing mid-sized fusion devices, but with a much stronger magnetic field. It is predicted to produce 50-100 MW of fusion power, achieving fusion gain greater than 10.

"To address the climate crisis, the world needs to deploy existing clean energy solutions as widely and as quickly as possible, while at the same time developing new technologies - and our goal is that those new technologies will include fusion power," said Maria Zuber, MIT's vice president for research. "To make new climate solutions a reality, we need focused, sustained collaborations like the one between MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Delivering fusion power onto the grid is a monumental challenge, and the combined capabilities of these two organisations are what the challenge demands."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Contracts to demo novel space propulsion technologies

18 May 2022

The US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has awarded contracts to Ultra Safe Nuclear Technologies and Avalanche Energy to demonstrate the next generation of nuclear propulsion and power capability for small spacecraft.

A rendering of a spacecraft powered by Ultra Safe Nuclear's EmberCore (Image: USNC)

The two companies will be testing solutions that give small spacecraft the ability to manoeuver at-will in cislunar space and enable high-power payloads that will support the expansion of Department of Defense (DoD) space missions, said the DIU, which aims to accelerate the adoption of commercial technology throughout the US military.

The companies are advancing two different approaches to accelerate ground and flight testing for nuclear-powered prototypes: compact fusion and next-gen radioisotope concepts. The DIU said the ultimate objective of the new contracts - the value of which was not disclosed - is to launch a successful orbital prototype demonstration in 2027 of each approach.

Under its contract, Ultra Safe Nuclear will demonstrate a chargeable, encapsulated nuclear radioisotope battery - called EmberCore - for propulsion and power applications in space. This next-generation radioisotope system will be able to scale to ten times higher power levels, compared with plutonium systems, and provide more than 1 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy with just a few kilograms of fuel.

Avalanche Energy has developed a device called an Orbitron, which utilises electrostatic fields to trap fusion ions in conjunction with a magnetron electron confinement scheme to overcome charge density limits. The resulting fusion burn then produces the energetic particles that generate either heat or electricity, which can power a high-efficiency propulsion system. DIU said compared with other fusion concepts, Orbitron devices are promising for space applications as they may be scaled down in size and enable their use as both a propulsion and power source.

Future missions will demand more manoeuverability and electrical power to expand the capabilities of spacecraft, the DIU said. The DIU's Nuclear Advanced Propulsion and Power (NAPP) programme is expected to "have a direct impact on how the USA employs space power, ushering in an era where spacecraft can manoeuver tactically in cislunar space."

"Bottom line, chemical and solar-based systems won't provide the power needed for future DoD missions," said US Air Force Major Ryan Weed, manager for the NAPP programme at DIU. "Advanced nuclear technologies will provide the speed, power, and responsiveness to maintain an operational advantage in space. Nuclear tech has traditionally been government-developed and operated, but we have discovered a thriving ecosystem of commercial companies, including start-ups, innovating in space nuclear."

Weed noted that the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are pursuing nuclear fission approaches for larger spacecraft. DIU's programme is targeted at highly manoeuverable, small spacecraft using fusion and radioisotopes.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Canadian MoUs advance microreactor deployment

19 May 2022

Westinghouse and the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a project to locate an eVinci microreactor in Saskatchewan, while an MoU between McMaster University, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) and Global First Power (GFP) will further examine the feasibility of deploying USNC's Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) at the university or an affiliated site.

Westinghouse's vision for eVinci (Image: Westinghouse)

The MoU between SRC and Westinghouse Electric Canada will jointly develop a project to locate an eVinci microreactor in Saskatchewan for the development and testing of industrial, research, and energy use applications.
 
Saskatchewan is home to the largest and highest-grade uranium mines in the world, but does not currently have any nuclear power reactors. Since 2019, it has been collaborating with the provinces of New Brunswick and Ontario - later joined by Alberta - to advance the development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) to address climate change.

"For 38 years, SRC was the licensed owner and operator of a SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear reactor, and we look forward to building on that experience with Westinghouse," Minister Responsible for SRC Jeremy Harrison said. "The hands-on experience SRC gained can be applied to emerging nuclear technology, such as SMRs, as we consider how to best power our future."

"Modern nuclear reactors have the ability to provide the safe, clean, and baseload power that Saskatchewan people rely on for their everyday needs," said Don Morgan, the minister responsible for provincial utility for SaskPower. "The advancement of nuclear power in our province will not only modernize our power grid, but result in billions of dollars in additional economic activity."

The eVinci is a heatpipe reactor that can produce 5 MW of electricity and 13 MW of high-temperature heat, and can operate in combined heat and power mode. Westinghouse says this "nuclear battery" provides power solutions at a different scale than centrally generated utility-scale power. It can support various applications including remote mining operations, remote communities, individual industrial heat and power scenarios, distributed hydrogen generation and integrated energy solutions.

In March, the Canadian government announced plans to invest CAD27.2 million (USD21.6 million) in the eVinci microreactor through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's (ISED) Strategic Innovation Fund.

McMaster partnership

McMaster University, UNSC and Global First Power said their new partnership will advance research in small modular reactors and help pave the way for Canadian communities considering the adoption of this new approach to greenhouse gas-free energy, which will play in essential role in Canada's Net Zero by 2050 goal, the partners said. GFP - a partnership between USNC and Ontario Power Generation - is already working to deploy Seattle-based USNC's MMR technology in Canada, and plans to build and operate a unit at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories' Chalk River in Ontario.

Dave Tucker, McMaster's assistant vice-president, research (nuclear) said the newly announced partnership builds on the university's rich nuclear expertise and follows its contributions to Canada's SMR Action Plan. "Combining our capabilities with those of USNC and GFP will allow us to conduct life-cycle studies on the optimal utilisation of SMRs and train the next generation of experts that will build, operate, maintain, monitor and regulate these facilities," he said.

The partnership is an important step in the launch of the university's SMR feasibility study, Tucker said. The feasibility study is an estimated 18-month initiative in consultation with community, business, and government stakeholders, including Indigenous communities and municipal councils.

"We have over 60 years of experience operating a community-based nuclear reactor safely and efficiently, and the subsequent health, research and economic benefits continue to advance the health and well-being of society," he said. "It's incumbent upon us to use our knowledge and expertise to help Canada meet its Net-Zero target."

Much of the research and training will take place at the Chalk River site, GFP President and CEO Dominique Minière said. "It's the most advanced SMR project in the country and, arguably, the Western world," said Minière, adding that the project is expected to be operational in 2027.

The MMR is a 15 MW thermal, 5 MW electrical high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, currently undergoing licensing in Canada and the USA. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign last year informed US nuclear regulators of plans to construct an MMR unit on its campus.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

UK

EDF revises Hinkley Point C schedule and costs

20 May 2022

The start of electricity generation for unit 1 of the Hinkley Point C plant in the UK is now expected in June 2027 and the project completion costs are now estimated in the range of GBP25 to 26 billion (in 2015 prices), EDF has announced following a review.

The Hinkley Point C construction site, pictured in November 2021 (Image: EDF Energy)

In January 2021, EDF said the start of electricity generation from unit 1 had been rescheduled to June 2026, compared with end-2025 as initially announced in 2016. Delays arising from the COVID-19 pandemic would also increase the cost of the project by GBP500 million (USD624 million) to between GBP22 and 23 billion.

EDF said it has now completed a review that took into account the main aspects of the project to build the two 1630 MWe EPR reactors, but did not include a review of the schedule and cost of electromechanical works and of final testing.

The company has announced a further one-year delay to the start-up of unit 1, with "the risk of further delay of the two units assessed at 15 months, assuming the absence of a new pandemic wave and no additional effects of the war in Ukraine." It noted that since the start of construction in December 2018, the project has been delayed by 18 months in total, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

EDF also announced a GBP3 billion rise in the cost of the overall project. However, it noted that under the terms of the project's Contract for Difference with the British government, there is no impact for UK consumers.

"During more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project continued without stopping. This protected the integrity of the supply chain and allowed the completion of major milestones," EDF said. "However, people, resources and supply chain have been severely constrained and their efficiency has been restricted. In addition, the quantities of materials and engineering as well as the cost of such activities, including, in particular marine works have risen."

EDF said the next major milestone at the Hinkley Point C project will be the lifting of the containment dome on unit 1, expected during the second quarter of 2023.

NDA, Cwmni Egino to collaborate on Trawsfynydd development

20 May 2022

The UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Welsh development company Cwmni Egino have announced they will work together on proposals for the siting of a new nuclear development at the Trawsfynydd site in north Wales.

The existing Trawsfynydd plant site (Image: Magnox Ltd)

Cwmni Egino, wholly-owned by Welsh Government, was established in 2020 to bring forward potential new projects, including the deployment of small nuclear reactors (SMRs), to generate electricity and wider options to maximise the opportunity for the Trawsfynydd site.

The 392 MWe Trawsfynydd Magnox nuclear power plant began operation in 1965 and was retired in 1991. It is now owned by the NDA and is being decommissioned by NDA subsidiary Magnox Ltd. The NDA also owns land outside the Magnox site boundary which could be used for a new nuclear development.

"As part of this new arrangement, the NDA will share information about the characteristics of the available land at the Trawsfynydd site, its decommissioning plans (to support schedule and work-force planning) and support Cwmni Egino in the development of its socio-economic plans," the companies said in a joint statement. "It will also offer an opportunity for Cwmni Egino to engage with potential developers and technology providers who wish to participate in the development of the Trawsfynydd site." 

They noted any formal commitment of NDA land, or other support, would require government approval via NDA's sponsoring department, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

"As well as delivering our mission, we're committed to helping the government in supporting its energy goals and our partnership with Cwmni Egino, around the potential future use of land at Trawsfynydd, is testament to our continued support of government policy and our socio-economic obligations," said NDA CEO David Peattie.

Cwmni Egino CEO Alan Raymant added: "Our relationship with NDA and Magnox is critical to the successful delivery of our vision for the development of new nuclear at Trawsfynydd. This collaboration agreement provides the foundation for a fruitful partnership that will bring benefits to the local community and help deliver the Energy Security Strategy."

Cwmni Egino is progressing its plans for a development at Trawsfynydd and hopes to be in a position to confirm their outline business proposition within the year.

Rolls-Royce has identified the Trawsfynydd site to build one of the first of a new fleet of SMRs across the UK.

Rolls-Royce SMR CEO Tom Samson welcomed the collaboration between NDA and Cwmni Egino, saying: "Identifying sites is a key milestone for us and this location offers existing grid connection, infrastructure, access to a highly skilled workforce and strong relationships with a supportive engaged community. The land around the Magnox site at Trawsfynydd has great potential for small modular reactors.

"Cwmni Egino has the right leadership to move the project forward at pace, and that's matched by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's commitment to delivering its mission in a way that promotes regional economic and social regeneration."

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Abortion and inherited disease: Genetic disorders complicate the view that abortion is a choice

Neal Sondheimer,

 Associate Professor of Paediatrics and Molecular Genetics, 

University of Toronto -

 Yesterday 
The Conversation

With the rising spectre of the loss of women’s reproductive autonomy in the United States, it’s timely to consider why abortion is an important and necessary part of pregnancy and fetal care. More consideration needs to be given to women and their partners who have a need for abortion due to serious fetal problems that will lead to early death or profound disability in their children.


© (Shutterstock)Incidence of birth defects is about one in 25 pregnancies.

Few enter into pregnancy with the idea that something could go wrong with fetal development, but approximately one in 25 infants are born with a birth defect. And as a medical geneticist, I would like to focus on the much higher risk (often one in four) of recurrence of an inherited disease.

Statistically, each of us is more likely than not to be carriers for a disorder that would be lethal before adulthood. As carriers, we are not affected by disease, but are at risk of transmitting the disease to children if a partner is also a carrier. At present, any of us could be at risk, but we just don’t know.


© (Shutterstock)Two carriers of the same recessive genetic disease have a 25 per cent chance of conceiving a child who will inherit two recessive genes and have the disease, even though neither parent is affected.

To put it into human terms, consider as an example my least favourite genetic disorder, SURF1 deficiency, which occurs in about one in 40,000 births. Affected fetuses develop normally, have an unremarkable birth and early infancy, learn to walk and speak and then begin quite literally to stumble. They typically come to medical attention at around 18 months of age, are diagnosed at age two, and half of them die by the age of five years.

It’s a horror for sure, but now consider that these children retain normal cognition as their body fails. Looking into the eyes of a four-year-old who understands that they are dying is hard for me when I see them in clinic every few months, but their mothers must do this every day.

Abortion is a critical option

For families that have experienced a serious inherited disorder, subsequent pregnancies are traumatic. Abortion is a critical option, a security feature that allows them to consider having children again. Entering into a pregnancy with the intent to terminate one-quarter of the time may be hard for most people to understand, but for affected families it is a safe option when the alternatives are devastating.

© (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Demonstrators protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 2022, after the leak of a draft opinion suggesting the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the case that legalized abortion nationwide.

It is true that there are other options. Families can consider the use of donor sperm or egg. They can attempt the pre-implantation diagnosis of embryos created by in vitro fertilization. They can adopt. But all of these options may create financial, social or moral burdens that some women find impossible.

The important principle is that women and their families have all options available. We, as a society at large, are not relevant and should have no interest or opinion in the decisions they make.

Gestational age and diagnostic timelines

Abortion should remain legal, and it should not be limited by gestational age. I won’t hide my personal belief that abortion should be available without exception up until the time of delivery. This view has largely been formed by watching children die of untreatable disease.

The discovery of serious problems in a pregnancy can’t be subjected to a tidy timeline. Many diagnostic procedures that identify serious problems occur later than we would like them to, but this is what biology allows us.

Efforts to limit access to abortion late in pregnancy are particular in their cruelty to women carrying fetuses with congenital defects. These restrictions are often used as a gateway to eliminate women’s reproductive freedom, and will be in the United States.

It could be argued that the number of people affected by this problem is small. However, their exceptional voices risk being drowned out by a noisy debate about abortion. I am bothered by abortion debates being framed wholly in terms of the word “choice.” These women never asked to be put into this situation, and their rights, options and dreams must also be considered.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

Read more:
Denying abortion access has a negative impact on children and families

How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected abortion care in Canada

Neal Sondheimer is a member of the board of directors of the MitoCanada Foundation, a non-profit supporting patients and families with mitochondrial disease and research into therapy. He serves on advisory boards for Jaguar Gene Therapy and Moderna.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M
Netflix pays $59 million to settle tax dispute in Italy


MILAN (AP) — Netflix has agreed to pay more than 55.8 million euros ($59 million) to settle a tax dispute, Milan prosecutors said Friday.

The payment covers taxes, penalties and interest from October 2015 through 2019. The streaming service also established an Italian legal entity this year, which will determine its Italian tax burden based on subscriptions to Italian residents, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors in Milan said the investigation was triggered by the physical presence in Italy of technological infrastructure, including 350 servers, aimed at producing revenue.

Netflix welcomed the settlement that ends the case covering the tax years 2015 to 2019.

“We cooperated with the authorities throughout this investigation and, as we have always made clear, we acted in full compliance with Italian and international tax law,’’ Netflix said in a statement.

Netflix officially opened an office in Rome earlier this month with about 70 employees.

The Associated Press

Pugs Not Considered 'Typical' Dog Breed from Health Perspective, New Study Finds

Vanessa Etienne - Yesterday
 People


Pugs can no longer be considered "typical" dogs because of their inherent health issues, according to a new study in the journal Canine Medicine and Genetics.

On Wednesday, researchers from The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) found that breeding pugs for their specific "flat-faced" appearance has caused severe health issues for the dog breed.

The study analyzed 4,308 pugs and 21,835 dogs of other breeds in the United Kingdom and reported pugs had an increased risk for 23 disorders, including lower respiratory tract disorder, upper respiratory tract disorder, abdominal disease, and brain disorder. About 17 percent of pugs were also obese compared to nearly 7 percent of other dogs.

Researchers concluded that pugs have "diverged substantially from mainstream dog breeds and can no longer be considered as a typical dog from a health perspective."


© Provided by People Getty
RELATED: Meet Noodle — The 13-Year-Old Pug that Decides if It's a 'Bones' or 'No Bones' Day on TikTok

"Although hugely popular as pets, we now know that several severe health issues are linked to the extreme body shape of pugs that many humans find so cute," Dr. Dan O'Neill, an associate professor at the RVC and lead study author, said in a statement. "It is time now that we focus on the health of the dog rather than the whims of the owner when we are choosing what type of dog to own."

"This study clearly demonstrates how it is the extreme characteristics many owners find so appealing, such as squashed faces, big eyes, and curly tails, which are seriously compromising pugs' health and welfare and often result in a lifetime of suffering," said Justine Shotton, president of the British Veterinary Association. "While these extreme, unhealthy characteristics remain, we will continue to strongly recommend potential owners do not buy brachycephalic breeds such as pugs."

Pugs have become increasingly popular in recent years, with a five-fold increase in Kennel Club registrations of pugs between 2005 and 2017, per BBC. The American Kennel Club (AKC) currently lists pugs as the 28th most popular dog breed out of the 204 AKC-recognized breeds.

Hundreds of beagles died at facility before government took action

“This is a nasty business," Block says. “There’s cruelty everywhere, from the beginning of it to the end.”


National Geographic
Rachel Fobar - 
© Photograph by PETA

More than 5,000 dogs were crowded in small, barren cages lined with feces and mold. A three-week-old puppy was stuck in a waste pan under his cage, dried feces matting his fur. Fights between kennel mates had left some dogs dead, including one by “evisceration.”

These violations and dozens more were documented in recent United States Department of Agriculture public inspection reports. Yet for months, the USDA, which is responsible for enforcing the Animal Welfare Act, neither confiscated any dogs nor suspended or revoked the license of the animal-breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia. The facility is owned by Envigo, a privately held company with 20 locations across North America and Europe that provides animals for pharmaceutical and biomedical research.


© Photograph by PETA

Dogs at Envigo are crowded in small, barren cages. According to the USDA, puppies were found stuck in waste pans under their cages, and 13 nursing females had been deprived of food for 42 hours. Some animals had died from injuries inflicted during fights.

In early May, National Geographic approached the USDA for comment about the facility’s history of violations and ongoing welfare problems. On May 18, authorities from the USDA and the Department of Justice confiscated 145 dogs in need of immediate medical care from Envigo’s facility in Cumberland, Virginia, according to a complaint filed the next day by the DOJ in federal court against Envigo. The Humane Society of the United States assisted in the seizures.


© Photograph by Humane Society

A beagle peeks out of a cage at Inotiv’s Mount Vernon, Indiana facility, where the Humane Society of the United States conducted a seven-month investigation that ended in March. The USDA has taken no enforcement action against this facility.

“Envigo’s disregard for the law and the welfare of the beagles in its care has resulted in the animals’ needless suffering and, in some cases, death,” according to the DOJ complaint.

The USDA and the DOJ declined to comment.

The lack of punitive action before May 18, given the gravity and number of the violations, has shocked and mystified animal welfare advocates.

“It is baffling” that the USDA repeatedly cited Envigo without rendering “immediate aid to those animals,” said Daphna Nachminovitch, senior vice president of cruelty investigations for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which carried out a separate undercover investigation at Envigo last year.


© Photograph by Humane Society

At the Inotiv facility, the Humane Society witnessed research macaques restrained for dosing with experimental drugs and left unattended. According to the investigator's report, two primates accidentally hanged themselves.

It isn’t just animal welfare activists who raised the alarm; outrage over the violations have become a bipartisan rallying point. In early April, Virginia’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, signed five “beagle bills” to protect research animals and block dealers from doing business after severe welfare violations.

U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both Democrats, wrote to the USDA urging it to “pursue aggressive enforcement actions” against Envigo. “In light of persistent and egregious violations” of the Animal Welfare Act, the senators urged the department to “immediately suspend the license of the Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland and initiate formal administrative proceedings.”

Envigo breeds beagles as well as primates, rabbits, and rodents for use in toxicology research and other medical experiments. The Virginia facility is a member of the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International, or AAALAC, an accrediting body that conducts site visits every three years.

Businesses that profit from certain species of animals must be licensed under the Animal Welfare Act, which requires them to be inspected regularly by the USDA to ensure compliance. In four visits to the Cumberland operation since July 2021—most recently in March 2022—USDA inspectors documented more than 70 welfare violations. They found that 13 beagle mothers who were nursing litters of six-week-old puppies, 78 in all, had gone without food for 42 hours. According to the inspectors’ report, Envigo deprived the mothers to reduce their milk production as part of its “weaning of puppies” procedure.

To have so many violations is “unheard of,” Nachminovitch says. And considering their severity, “it’s chilling.”

The confiscated beagles will be placed “with rescue and shelter partners for adoption after their immediate needs are tended to,” according to the Humane Society.

In a statement given to National Geographic prior to the seizure of dogs, Envigo spokesperson Mark Hubbard said the facility has made improvements in recent months, including reducing the number of dogs on-site, hiring a second veterinarian, performing more than 2,700 physical examinations, and increasing staff salaries. “We are aware the USDA has issued another inspection report that essentially repeats earlier findings, all of which are being addressed through a comprehensive remediation plan that has been in progress,” he wrote.

Hubbard also said that the USDA recognizes improvements Envigo has made and that AAALAC has indicated that the facility should continue to receive accreditation. Hubbard couldn’t immediately be reached for comment about the seizures.

Yet the pattern of welfare violations at what is now Envigo dates back decades. USDA records also show that Huntingdon Life Sciences, which later merged with Harlan Labs to form Envigo, has had violations going back to the late 1990s. Citations from a 1997 report on Huntingdon showed “severe” suffering at a New Jersey facility—including a dog with an untreated broken leg, a drugged dog that was recommended for euthanasia but was not put down, and primates crying out and vomiting, unattended by a veterinarian.

Envigo’s record is an “unmitigated, unprecedented disaster,” says Eric Kleiman, a researcher at the Animal Welfare Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.

USDA’s spotty enforcement record

National Geographic has documented a pattern of USDA failure to take action over animal welfare violations during the past several years, marked by a 90 percent drop in enforcement actions against licensed animal facilities between 2015 and 2020. There were two high-profile license revocations late last year.

In October 2021, the department revoked the license of Moulton Chinchilla Ranch in Minnesota after citing it for more than a hundred violations dating back to 2013; inspectors had found filthy cages, decomposing carcasses, and accumulated feces. Less than a month later, the USDA revoked the license of Iowa dog breeder Daniel Gingerich after multiple inspections over six months. Dogs had heavily matted coats and skin conditions, and many were seen panting in the summer heat, their water bowls empty. At least three dogs were found dead.

In comparison, more than 300 puppies died at Envigo’s Cumberland branch between January 1 and July 20, 2021, and “the facility has not taken additional steps to determine the causes of death,” according to the USDA report. Yet for months, the department failed to take any action.

One veterinarian for 5,000 dogs

Not attempting to establish why the dogs died violates the Animal Welfare Act. At the time of the USDA’s July and October 2021 inspections, Envigo had only one staff veterinarian to attend to 5,000 dogs. The USDA’s numerous veterinary care citations are “evidence that [one veterinarian] is an insufficient number,” Kleiman says.

The USDA’s inspection policy requires a follow-up visit within 14 days of a “direct” citation, a violation that has a “serious or adverse effect on the health and well-being of the animal.” In the July 20 report, inspectors noted seven direct non-compliances, including food deprivation, cramped living spaces, and inadequate veterinary care for ear infections and oozing wounds. Yet inspectors didn’t return as required to Cumberland for three months. In November 2021 and March 2022, inspectors documented more direct citations, but again failed to re-inspect within 14 days.

The Animal Welfare Act also requires that whenever the USDA believes a business is “placing the health of any animal in serious danger,” the department must notify the U.S. Attorney General, who has the discretion to prosecute the case in federal court.

‘Prolonged, unalleviated pain’

A recent investigation of another facility accredited by AAALAC indicates that Envigo’s welfare problems are not isolated.

Inotiv—a rapidly expanding multinational pharmaceutical development company that breeds, sells, and conducts toxicology and other experiments on animals—reported $89.6 million in revenue last year, when it acquired Envigo. Inotiv owns about 62,000 animals, including monkeys, rabbits, and cats, as well as the thousands of beagles.

In a seven-month undercover investigation of an Inotiv laboratory in Mount Vernon, Indiana, released on April 21, the Humane Society of the United States found that dogs, primates, pigs, mice, and rats faced “prolonged, unalleviated pain” during toxicology tests before they died.

Toxicology tests assess an animal’s tolerance to drugs. Doses administered by injection or feeding tube are increased until the animal experiences adverse effects.

In a statement, Inotiv spokesperson Kate Snedeker said the company is “governed by applicable federal, state, and local regulations,” as well as its internal animal care guidelines and oversight by the USDA and AAALAC.

“The research we conduct is required by global governmental regulatory agencies before new life-saving drugs can be brought to the market,” she wrote. “For more than 20 years, Inotiv has participated, directly and indirectly, in studying and developing alternative methods to conduct biomedical research.” Snedeker could not be immediately reached for comment about the seizures at Envigo’s Cumberland facility.

The Food and Drug Administration, which approves drugs for human use, says drug companies do animal tests “to discover how the drug works and whether it’s likely to be safe and work well in humans.” But the agency doesn’t mandate animal trials.

Yet drug companies routinely conduct tests on animals because it’s “the status quo,” says Kitty Block, the Humane Society’s president. “There’s big money in breeding these animals and then using them.” She considers the reliance on animal testing “lazy,” and says the FDA should promote innovative, humane drug-testing methods such as organ-on-a-chip technologies, 3D printing of human tissues, and computer modeling instead.

FDA press officer Veronika Pfaeffle said her agency aims to “reduce the reliance on animal-based studies” and has taken significant steps in “replacing, reducing, and/or refining” them, including forming working groups to advance new technologies. But “there are still many areas where animal research is scientifically necessary,” she said.

For example, alternative approaches “cannot always predict side effects” that might occur in the human body, she said, adding that animal research has been instrumental in advancing drugs to prevent polio, eradicate smallpox, and vaccinate against and treat COVID-19.

When necessary for research, the animals involved “should be cared for under strict, humane guidelines,” Pfaeffle said.

‘This is a nasty business’

But the FDA isn’t responsible for ensuring humane treatment of animals; that falls to the USDA and AAALAC. If, for example, an animal is in extreme distress, the USDA requires facilities to “ensure that animal pain and distress are minimized” and to have a protocol for euthanizing animals.

Yet at Inotiv’s Indiana facility, the Humane Society’s investigator saw researchers continuing to administer doses of drugs to animals that were shaking, vomiting, and had labored breathing. According to the report, an Inotiv technician, under orders from the veterinarian, continued to dose a primate in obvious distress, while saying, “I’m so sorry, lady—maybe this will be your last dose. I kind of hope it is because it’s torture at this point.”

Inotiv’s Indiana lab, with more than 1,300 animals, had only one full-time veterinarian between August 2021 and March 2022, according to the Humane Society’s investigation. Fewer than 50 staff were spread so thinly that basic care, such as trimming dogs’ toenails, was neglected, according to the Humane Society. Primates were left unattended in restraint chairs, and two accidentally hanged themselves, the investigator reported.

Animal welfare experts are critical not just of the USDA’s reluctance to take action over infractions, but also of what they consider to be AAALAC’s weak oversight. The industry’s accreditation agency schedules site visits only once every three years and, according to the Animal Welfare Institute, has a history of dismissing welfare problems that violate the USDA’s guidelines. AAALAC’s reports are not made public.

The organization’s accreditation isn’t “even close to being sufficient” to ensure animal welfare, Block says. It’s “the proverbial fox guarding the hen house.”

Kathryn Bayne, the global director of AAALAC, defended her organization, writing in an email that “AAALAC International takes very seriously information received regarding compromised research animal welfare at an institution participating in the accreditation program. Investigations are ongoing.”

The USDA’s most recent inspection of Inotiv’s lab, in August 2021, cited no infractions, despite multiple violations documented by the Humane Society investigation at the same time. The multiple severe violations documented at Envigo’s facility and the alleged failure to follow euthanasia procedures at Inotiv’s should be a wakeup call for the USDA to ramp up its oversight and enforcement of animal breeding and research companies, Kleiman says. “Research won’t police itself.”

Kleiman says the USDA should send an unequivocal message that “no matter how large, how powerful, how wealthy” these companies are, animal suffering won’t be tolerated.

“This is a nasty business," Block says. “There’s cruelty everywhere, from the beginning of it to the end.”