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Measuring the social costs of disaster evacuatuons

How is a community adapting during resettlement after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake?
 ERIC DES MARAIS , 13 November 13 Disaster-induced resettlement is a complex and dangerous prospect for communities, and will likely increase as a result of climate change. While community recovery is widely studied, there is a gap in knowledge that explicitly links ecosystem disruption to social adaptation in post-disaster resettlement scenarios. This study of an agricultural community displaced by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake seeks to determine how the community is adapting in a way that informs both their own resettlement as well as other interventions for sustainable resettlement. https://www.microryza.com/projects/how-is-a-community-adapting-during-resettlement-after-the-2011-great-east-japan-earthquake

November 13, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

South Korea could find nuclear power much more costly

Nuclear power could be more costly than thought, The Hankyorheh, S. Korea, : Nov.12,2013  Analysis shows that if full range of costs is factored in, nuclear energy is not as low-cost an option as the gov’t says By Hwangbo Yeon, staff reporter

 A newreport suggests that nuclear power would lose its price competitiveness if taxes on power sources like coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) were collected more fairly and costs of transmission grid construction and social risks were assessed.

 If such a price structure is realized, it stands to undermine claims of the superior cost-effectiveness of nuclear power, which the government has used to argue for its expansion.

 The report on a price recalculation scenario for different power generation facilities was presented at a recent Power Industry Research Association seminar by Hanbat National University professor Cho Young-tak…….

The cost-effectiveness reversal becomes even more conspicuous when nuclear power accident risk costs and price variations from the introduction of shale gas are also factored in. The price of nuclear power rises from as low as 95 won to as much as 143 won when conditions such as damage payment costs (based on the compensation levels for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster in Japan) and a 25% drop in gas import costs due to shale gas are taken into account. This range is well ahead of the 88-102 won for coal and 92-121 won for LNG.

November 13, 2013 Posted by | business and costs, South Korea | Leave a comment

The number of thyroid cancer increasing rapidly in Fukushima, 58 children including suspects: 福島子供：甲状腺がんが急上昇！　甲状腺細胞診結果 悪性ないし悪性疑い 58例

Screenshot from 2013-11-13 00:35:27

Image source ; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/medical/IM03899

26 Thyroid Cancer Cases Confirmed in Fukushima Children: Preliminary Results of FY2011-2013 Thyroid Ultrasound Examination
http://fukushimavoice-eng2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/26-thyroid-cancer-cases-confirmed-in.html

Thirteenth Prefectural Oversight Committee convened on November 12, 2013, releasing the results of the latest thyroid examination as part of the prefectural health management survey.

Total number of children examined as of September 30, 2013: 289,960
Total number of children whose initial examination results are confirmed: 225,537
(up to the August 23rd, 2013 examination)

Assessment A1  121,525 (no nodules or cysts found)
Assessment A2  102,453 (nodules 5.0 mm or smaller or cysts 20.0 mm or smaller)
Assessment B     1,558 (nodules 5.1 mm or larger or cysts 20.1 mm or larger)
Assessment C         1 (requiring immediate secondary examination)


Secondary examination includes more detailed thyroid ultrasound, blood and urine tests, and fine-needle aspiration biopsy if warranted.
1,559 are eligible for secondary examination
1,148 have actually undergone secondary examination
897 finished the secondary examination

In summary, as of September 30, 2013, 26 thyroid cancer cases are confirmed and 32 have suspicious biopsy results. (As of July 31, 2013, there were 18 confirmed and 25 suspected cases).

During the committee meeting, Shinichi Suzuki, the head of the thyroid examination, mentioned that one of the 26 confirmed cancer cases was not papillary thyroid cancer: This case is undergoing cytological reevaluation to determine the subtype of thyroid cancer.
During the press conference following the committee meeting, no information was given, as to the details of individual cancer cases, such as the presence of lymph node metastasis or the type of surgery done.

Shinichi Suzuki maintains that this thyroid examination was originally initiated to assess the baseline thyroid condition of Fukushima children, as there is no such epidemiological data available in Japan, with an understanding that it was not possible to obtain pre-exposure data. It is being conducted on an assumption that the effect of radiation exposure would not be obvious for at least four years after exposure, as was seen after the Chernobyl accident.

If these cancer cases were indeed screening effects, similar malignancy would have to be expected in other parts of Japan. As for the thyroid survey conducted by the Ministry of Environment in Aomori, Yamanashi and Nagasaki Prefectures, widely recognized as a comparison study, no cancer data is available from the cases of thyroid ultrasound abnormalities detected. Also it is not age- and gender-matched, and there is a question about the possibly uneven quality of ultrasound examination itself between the two studies. The MOE spokesperson indicated that abnormal cases are undergoing further examination, and more data might become available for comparison.

November 13, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Jacobs Engineering wins EDF nuclear contract in U.K.

Jacobs Engineering employs approximately 60,000 employees globally, and its acquisition of KlingStubbins added approximately 500 employees from the architectural firm’s United States and Asia offices.[5] Jacobs has more than 200 offices in more than 25 countries, with operations in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Continental Europe, India, Australia, Africa, and Asia. It owns one-third of the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, UK.

Primary markets include: Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Industrial, Buildings, Chemicals and Polymers, Consumer and Forest Products, Energy, Environmental Programs, Infrastructure, Mining and Minerals, Oil and Gas, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, Refining, and Technology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobs_Engineering_Group

 

http://www.elp.com/articles/2013/11/jacobs-engineering-wins-edf-nuclear-contract-in-u-k.html

13 November 2013

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (JEC) won a technical consultancy agreement from EDF Energy Nuclear Generation to support its power generation projects in the U.K.

Officials did not disclose the contract value, however noted that the agreement is in effect through the end of December 2015.

Under the terms of the contract, Jacobs is providing technical consultancy, engineering and design services spanning civil, structural, mechanical, electrical control and instrumentation, process, safety and environmental disciplines for a range of projects across EDF Energy’s nuclear power station portfolio in the U.K.

November 13, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ukraines Government to approve signing of nuclear safety agreement with European bank (EBRD) on Nov.13

Nov. 12, 2013, 4:55 p.m. | Ukraine — by Interfax-Ukraine

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/ukraines-government-to-approve-signing-of-nuclear-safety-agreement-with-ebrd-on-nov13-331781.html

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine intends to approve a concept for a state program on the construction of parking facilities for cargo vehicles for 2014-2017 during a meeting on Nov. 13, according to the government’s agenda……

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November 13, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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