India keeps on with nuclear weapons buildup

India tests two nuclear-capable missiles, Google hosted news, (AFP) – 12 march 11, BHUBANESWAR, India — India tested two short-range nuclear-capable missiles along its eastern coast on Friday, an official said, as part of the nation’s efforts to build up its nuclear deterrent……AFP: India tests two nuclear-capable missiles

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Failure of cooling systems in Japanese nuclear plant

Confidence in Japan’s nuclear safety was dented by a series of scandals in the late 1990s when the Tokyo Electric Power Company, owner of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, admitted falsifying safety data and concealing cracks in the core structures of its reactors.

Japan earthquake forces thousands to evacuate in nuclear plant emergency The Guardian, 15 March “……….Failure of the cooling system – and the diesel back-up generator – at the Fukushima 1 plant in Onahama raises questions about what has gone wrong so far and what could happen in future. Continue reading →

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | - Fukushima 2011, Japan, technology | Leave a comment

Widespread unease in Japan over radioactivity from nuclear plant’s cooling

There is widespread uneasiness despite the reassuring noises coming from the authorities over the situation, in part because of the industry’s history of ignoring warnings and covering up safety problems.

Japan earthquake: the nuclear crisis is not over yet, guardian.co.uk, Julian Borger, 15 March, Japan says disaster has been averted at the Fukushima nuclear plant but serious questions remain Continue reading →

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | - Fukushima 2011, Japan | Leave a comment

Plutonium from spent nuclear fuel rods pouring into the sky

plutonium scattered into the atmosphere is even more dangerous that the combustion products of rods without plutonium,

Alert, Fushima coverup: forty years of spent nuclear fuel rods blown sky high, PrisonPlanet TV, Paul Joseph Watson and Kurt Nimmo March 15, 2011 Infowars analysis: In addition to under reporting the fires at Fukushima, the Japanese government has not told the people about the ominous fact that the nuclear plant site is a hellish repository where a staggering number of spent fuel rods have accumulated for 40 years. Continue reading →

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety, technology | 1 Comment

Japan has misled public on the radiation exposure from Fukushima

These radioactive clouds are now mixing with higher altitude air currents and being dispersed more widely across northern Asia and the north Pacific……The quality of information from the Japanese has descended into farce, with simultaneous claims that radiation levels are harmful in the Chernobyl-sized exclusion zone but did not constitute a threat to health. This follows the patently dishonest misuse of radiation exposure metrics used for the first 3½ days of the crisis, which understated the real levels by 1000 or three orders of magnitude.

Japan’s Nuclear Farce, Crikey, by Ben Sandilands, 17 March.11 A plume of radioactive particles extending into the stratosphere from the Fukushima Daiichi reactor complex makes a mockery of claims that Japan’s nuclear crisis isn’t comparable to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Continue reading →

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Nuclear reactors are simply too dangerous

In 1965 Dr Edward Teller stated, “In principle, nuclear reactors are dangerous… In my mind, nuclear reactors do not belong on the surface of the earth.

Nuclear Power Reactors Do Not Belong on the Surface of the Earth, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Sheldon Filger, 17 March 11, “………..In 1956, the Director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Alvin Weinberg, said that, “there is an understandable drive on the part of men of good will to build up the positive aspects of nuclear energy simply because the negative aspects are so distressing.” Continue reading →

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | 1 Comment

News on Japanese nuclear disaster

Japanese jittery as nuclear crisis grows
The rare TV appearance by Emperor Akihito has emphasised the gravity of the crisis gripping Japan after the 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/japanese-jittery-as-nuclear-crisis-grows-20110317-1bxik.html

Australian rescuers exposed to radiation
Australian search-and-rescue workers in Japan have been exposed to low-level radiation after their helicopter was forced to land near the damaged nuclear power plant at Fukushima.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/australian-rescuers-exposed-to-radiation-20110316-1bxf9.html

Frantic bid to douse reactors
Military helicopters have been deployed to dump water on Japan’s crippled Fukushima No. 1 power station, as the remaining workers at the plant face an increasingly dangerous and difficult battle to prevent a catastrophic meltdown.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/frantic-bid-to-douse-reactors-20110316-1bxfb.html

Chalpat Sonti: Is this the end for nuclear power?
There’s nothing like a meltdown to concentrate the mind.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/is-this-the-end-for-nuclear-power-20110315-1bvqj.html

Chernobyl effect on the economy
A FULL-BLOWN nuclear disaster in Japan, though unlikely, could lead to a new global economic crisis, according to Europe’s top trade official.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/chernobyl-effect-on-the-economy-20110316-1bxe4.html

Radiation crisis worsens
JAPAN’S nuclear crisis has intensified, as military helicopters unsuccessfully attempted to waterbomb a fire that had spread to a fourth nuclear reactor. The government revealed two of the reactor cores may now be damaged, one was thought to be leaking radiation, and last night it called in police water canon trucks to help frantic firefighting efforts.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/radiation-crisis-worsens-20110316-1bxen.html

Power company had poor safety record
The operators of the Fukushima reactors have been the subject of scandals over site inspections, writes environment editor Ben Cubby.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/power-company-had-poor-safety-record-20110316-1bxez.html

Engineer quit over reactor design
A General Electric Co engineer said he resigned 35 years ago over concern about the safety of a nuclear reactor design used in the now crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan.
http://www.smh.comau/environment/energy-smart/engineer-quit-over-reactor-design-20110316-1bwet.html

Japan promised to step up plant safety after watchdog’s warning
Japan warned more than two years ago by the international nuclear watchdog that its nuclear power plants could not withstand powerful earthquakes, leaked diplomatic cables disclose.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/japan-promised-to-step-up-plant-safety-after-watchdogs-warning-20110316-1bxdd.html

Foreigners flee nuclear crisis
FOREIGN governments and companies were last night urging their people to leave Tokyo as the nuclear crisis was rated the worst since Chernobyl.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/tens-of-thousands-dead-as-japan-scrambles-to-avert-nuclear-catastrophe/story-fn84naht-1226022831151

Radiation very high at Japan reactor
THERE is no water left in the spent fuel pool of reactor 4 at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, resulting in “extremely high” radiation levels, the chair of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission warned today.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/radiation-very-high-at-japans-fukushima-reactor-warns-us-nuclear-regulatory-commission/story-e6frf7jx-1226022949641

China orders inspections of nuclear plants
CHINA orders safety inspections of the country’s nuclear plants and suspends approval of new projects in light of Japan’s atomic crisis.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/china-orders-inspections-of-nuclear-plants/story-e6frf7jx-1226022889489

Editorial: Nation waits in suspense
WHILE the enormity of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami is still to be realised, a potential disaster has gripped the nation.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/opinion/editorials/japanese-nation-waits-in-suspense/story-e6frfhqo-1226022829852

Meltdown hysteria (interesting choice of word) will make West wary: expert
The Fukushima power plant crisis is likely to kill off any nuclear renaissance in western countries that had been reconsidering the energy option in the face of global warming concerns, according to a Melbourne nuclear power expert
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/meltdown-hysteria-will-make-west-wary-expert/2104407.aspx

Japan’s nuclear farce
A plume of radioactive particles extending into the stratosphere from the Fukushima Daiichi reactor complex makes a mockery of claims that Japan’s nuclear crisis isn’t comparable to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/03/16/japans-nuclear-farce-has-chernobyl-written-all-over-it/

Japan’s nuclear crisis: the technical facts
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/rooted/2011/03/16/japans-nuclear-crisis-the-technical-facts/

Fukushima wrecks the already problematic finances of nuclear power
http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/03/16/fukushima-wrecks-the-already-problematic-finances-of-nuclear-power/

What’s radiation poisoning like? And other Japan questions
As Japan rushes to stop nuclear meltdown and limit the exposure of radioactive material to its citizens, how do evacuees know if they’ve been exposed? Also, what will the government do with all the debris from buildings? Slate explains.
http://www.slate.com/id/2288228/

How a nuclear reactor works
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/12/world/asia/the-explosion-at-the-japanese-reactor.html?ref=asia

Japan wind change to blow radiation over Pacific
(Reuters) – Winds are set to blow low-level radiation from Japan’s quake-crippled nuclear power plant out over the Pacific Ocean in coming hours, easing health worries after drifting toward Tokyo early on Tuesday, experts said.
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/42470

Nuclear crisis: ‘Chain reaction could restart’
The Tokyo Electric Power Company has admitted that the spent fuel rods at the Fukushima plant could go critical and a nuclear chain reaction could restart
http://www.newscientistcom/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/03/nuclear-crisis-radioactive-fue.html

Fukushima throws spotlight on quake zone nuclear power
The unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan should force a rethink on the building of nuclear power plants in seismically active areas
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928043.100-fukushima-throws-spotlight-on-quake-zone-nuclear-power.html

EU Mulls Nuclear-Free Future, Extra Tests On Reactors
Europe’s energy chief Tuesday raised the prospect of a nuclear-free future and said the 27-nation bloc is considering “stress testing” its nuclear power stations to check they can cope with crises.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61507

Radiation Plume Could Reach Tokyo: U.S. Scientists
If the containment at the nuclear power plant damaged by Japan’s devastating earthquake fails, a potential radiation plume from a full core meltdown could reach Tokyo, a U.S. scientists’ organization said on Tuesday.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61506

Germany To Shut Down Pre-1980 Nuclear Plants
Germany will shut down all seven of its nuclear power plants that began operating before 1980 at least till June, the government said on Tuesday, leaving open whether they will ever start up again after Japan’s crisis.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61505
Navy Repositions Warships Over Radiation Risks
The Navy said on Tuesday some arriving warships will take position on the west coast of Honshu instead of heading to the east coast as planned because of “radiological and navigation hazards.”
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61504

Nuclear Sector Takes Beating But U.S. Offers Support
The nuclear power industry took a beating as governments addressed its safety and investors bailed out of stocks because of the crisis enveloping a Japanese nuclear power plant. But the United States government offered some support.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61493

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan | Leave a comment

China halting new nuclear plants

China suspends approvals for new nuclear plants, Xinhua, March 16, 2011

China has suspended the approval process for nuclear power stations so that safety standards can be revised after explosions at a Japanese plant, according to Wednesday’s executive meeting of the State Council, or the Cabinet. Continue reading →

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, safety | Leave a comment

What about the state of Japan’s existing nuclear wastes?

still no one is speaking about the state of the nuclear waste already in Japan

No Nukes Now? A Lesson From Japan and Questions About the Security of Japan’s Nuclear Waste THE HUFFINGTON POST,Michael Vazquez, 16 March 11, Three weeks ago, I highlighted the risks Japan faces, as a nuclear energy-dependent nation on an earthquake fault line, in my review of Into Eternity, a documentary about a nuclear waste repository deep underground in Finland. I also noted how Australia — which was the first choice of scientists in Finland for storage of nuclear waste — had just been hit by a 200-year flood. Continue reading →

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, wastes | Leave a comment

Dr Helen Caldicott warns on the seriousness of the Japanese nuclear crisis

**Caldicott: Japan may spell end of nuclear industry worldwide | Independent Australia, 16 March 11,** People all over the world are watching updates on the Japanese nuclear emergency in growing horror and disbelief. Despite soothing words from nuclear energy industry promoters, each update today has signalled fresh disaster and even more drastic warnings. Anti-nuclear campaigner Dr Helen Caldicott says it could spell the end of the nuclear industry worldwide. David Donovan reports……The UK Telegraph has raised the spectre of a potential “nuclear nightmare” and is calling this the second worst nuclear disaster in history.

“The Fukushima crisis now rates as a more serious accident than the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in the US in 1979, and is second only to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, according to the French nuclear safety authority. After insisting for three days that the situation was under control, Japan urgently appealed to US and UN nuclear experts for technical help on preventing white-hot fuel rods melting.”

Dr. Michiko Kaku, a theoretical physicist at the City University of New York, yesterday offered a dire worst case scenario.

“The worst-case scenario is a steam/hydrogen gas explosion which blows the reactor vessels apart, sending uranium dioxide fuel rods and radioactive debris into the air. This might happen if the core is fully exposed for a few hours, which is a distinct possibility. This is what happened at Chernobyl, when such an explosion blew about 25 per cent of the core’s radioactive by-products into the air.”…..

Caldicott: Japan may spell end of nuclear industry worldwide | Independent Australia

March 17, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | 1 Comment