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Shocking increase in amounts of radioactive caesium-137 into Fukushima fish

Fukushima Fish Soaked In Record Levels Of Radiation  MARIO AGUILAR, AUGUST 22, 2012    http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/08/fukushima-fish-soaked-in-record-levels-of-radiation/    During last year’s nuclear disaster, the deadly radiation inside Fukushima 1, became one with the surrounding environment, contaminating everything. Things aren’t getting any better. Record quantities of the deadly radioactive isotope caesium-137 have just been discovered in the fisheries around Fukushima.

We’ve known about the untold and nearly inconceivable quantities of caesium-137 released into the surrounding ecosystem for over a year. But these numbers reported by the AFP  are still shocking:

The fishes, captured 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) off the plant on August 1, registered 25,800 becquerels of caesium per kilo, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said — 258 times the level the government deems safe for consumption. The previous record in fish and shellfish off Fukushima was 18,700 becquerels per kilo detected in cherry salmons, according to the government’s Fisheries Agency.

Authorities had hoped things were getting better, and as the AFP reports , they allowed fishermen to get back to work for a trial run as long as they were more than 50km from the disaster site and stuck to shellfish. So far, the experimental catches have proven (relatively) clean. Still, while everyone in the region is understandably eager to get back to normal, let’s hope the wishful thinking doesn’t get out of hand. [AFP ]

August 24, 2012 Posted by | Japan, oceans | Leave a comment

Extracting uranium from oceans: very worrying questions arise

Extracting Uranium from oceans offers a mixed bag of possibilities Examiner, AUGUST 22, 2012 BY: DAVID HERRON Oak Ridge National Labs (ORNL) yesterday announced a new technique for efficiently harvesting uranium from the ocean. This raises the possibility that Uranium supplies will be much deeper and longer lasting than previously thought.

For the environmentally minded it raises a quandary…. there are radiation risks galore…. there is the huge spectre of more nuclear accidents and radiation exposure…..

It would appear this material could be used to target other materials. For example there are concerns over supplies of lithium, or of rare earth metals, or various other minerals, some of which are present in ocean water. Could this material be tailored to target extraction of
those materials from the ocean, providing a source of raw materials that is independent of digging rocks out of the ground? If so it could reduce the amount of hard rock mining operations around the world.

Maybe the material could be used in environmental mitigation, in that there are sites poisoned by releases of toxic metals into the ocean.

But what if corporations so efficiently mine the oceans certain metals that it actually affects the chemical balance of the ocean? The existing chemical balance in the ocean is vital to the food chain, and changing that balance would clearly have some effect on the living things in the ocean. Do “we” even have a clue about the potential impact?…

August 24, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, oceans, technology | Leave a comment

Fish found to have record radiation levels, near coast of Fukushima

Record radiation found in fish off Japan http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/record-radiation-found-in-fish-off-japan/story-e6frfkui-1226456080459#ixzz24P8h1Smb August 22, 2012 RECORD levels of radioactive caesium were detected in fish caught within 20 kilometres of Japan’s damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
The operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said it had found 25,800 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive caesium in greenling, 258 times higher than the government safety standard.

Fishing in waters off the plant has been voluntarily restricted since
the nuclear disaster at the plant, which went into meltdown after the
March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Less than a month after the start of the disaster, Tokyo Electric
dumped more than 11,000 tonnes of wastewater containing radioactive
substances into the Pacific.

The previous record of radioactive contamination in fish was 18,700
becquerels per kilogram detected in cherry salmon caught in March,
according to the Fisheries Agency.Wakao Hanaoka, a Greenpeace Japan
official, said the government now needs to carry out a full
investigation of radioactive contamination in a wide range of sea
areas off Fukushima, which has not been done yet.
The organisation’s surveys show higher levels of radioactive
contamination were found in fish and seaweed sampled in areas further
from the Fukushima plant.
Factors that affect the spread of contamination include ocean currents
and seabed configuration, Hanaoka added.

August 23, 2012 Posted by | Japan, oceans | Leave a comment

Sources of plutonium found around Fukushima

 Gundersen: I think plutonium being reported around Fukushima is raw, unoxidized pieces of nuclear rods that were blown out from Unit 3′s spent fuel pool  August 22nd, 2012 Regarding the recent test results that detected plutonium at 10 locations in Fukushima, Fairewinds’ Arnie Gundersen writes to ENENews:

Pu came from the damaged fuel rods, obviously. The question is whether it was the damaged rods inside U1/2/3 reactors or whether it was the U3 spent fuel pool. Given U1/2/3 had a containment around the cores (even if damaged), this data leads me to continue to believe that the U3 SFP detonation is the most likely location for the release.

When asked if the plutonium could have been transported by smoke from the burning fuel rods inside the reactors, Gundersen replies:

Burning is oxidation, so U or Pu combines with oxygen to create U oxide… just like Carbon combines with oxygen to make CO2…. small micron size particles….. I think the Pu at Fuku is raw, unoxidized, blown out, not burned

August 23, 2012 Posted by | environment, Japan, Reference | Leave a comment

USA’s Treasure Island hid nasty radiation secret

 residents were not fully informed about contamination. “They should have been more open and upfront, because there would have been people who would have chosen not to live here,”

Treasure Island radiation discovery casts shadow over expansion plans
Contamination left by US navy found to have 400 times the EPA’s human exposure limits, but military branch denies report Rory Carroll in Los Angeles guardian.co.uk,  17 August 2012  It was called Treasure Island in honour of Robert Louis Stevenson’s pirate classic, but the artificial island off San Francisco bay has nothing but trouble buried in its soil: radioactive contamination left by the US navy.

Internal documents and emails from the navy and public health officials reveal that the contamination, a legacy of ships exposed to atomic blasts and radiation training during the cold war, is more widespread than previously thought. Continue reading →

August 18, 2012 Posted by | environment, history, USA | Leave a comment

COLD water is a critical factor for nuclear reactors

Extreme Heat, Drought Show Vulnerability of Nuclear Power Plants
 By Robert Krier, InsideClimate News, 15 Aug 12,”……Why the Water Matters Drought and heat affect the water needed to cool nuclear plants in three main ways.

Most plants are built along lakes or rivers because of the ready supply of water to cool the plant. But if water levels drop below the plants’ intake pipes, they can’t suck in the water. In some cases, the pipes can be lowered, but that is often expensive and also risks pulling in sediment that could damage the plant.

Lake or river water can also be unusable if it’s too warm to cool the plant. Other times, the warm water can be used, but the plants operate far more efficiently with cooler water. The third problem that crops up in heat waves is with the outflow from the plant. If the water body is already warm because of low levels or hot days, the outflow could raise the downstream temperature above accepted levels. That has happened repeatedly in the U.S. and in Europe. If a plant isn’t shut down in those situations, the hot discharge can cause algae blooms, reduce dissolved oxygen in the water and threaten aquatic life.

“From our perspective, this has been a problem for years, and it’s only getting worse,” said Wendy Wilson, director of rivers, energy and climate for the River Network, which aims to protect the nation’s freshwater resources. “It gets worse every time we have a drought like this.

“We have terrible thermal pollution problems in this country, and the result is dead and dying rivers. Nobody’s managing the system. We’re all just praying for rain.”…. http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20120815/nuclear-power-plants-energy-nrc-drought-weather-heat-water?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20solveclimate/blog%20(InsideClimate%20News)

August 16, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, water | Leave a comment

Implications for humans in research on irradiated butterflies

“[Because] this butterfly is found in artificial environments – such as gardens and public parks – this butterfly can monitor human environments”

Biologist on Mutated Butterflies: Study is overwhelming in its implications for humans   http://enenews.com/university-biologist-on-mutated-butterflies-study-is-overwhelming-in-its-implications-for-humans-japan-researcher-insects-believed-to-be-very-resistant-to-radiation-irregularly-developed-e    — Japan Researcher: Insects were believed to be very resistant to radiation — Irregularly developed eyes, malformed antennae, much smaller wings (PHOTO) August 13th, 2012 a  ENENews

Title: : ‘Severe abnormalities’ found in Fukushima butterflies
Source:  BBC News
Author: Nick Crumpton
Date: August 13, 2012

Exposure to radioactive material released into the environment have caused mutations in butterflies found in Japan, a study suggests. Scientists found an increase in leg, antennae and wing shape mutations among butterflies collected following the 2011 Fukushima accident.

The link between the mutations and the radioactive material was shown by laboratory experiments, they report. Continue reading →

August 15, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, environment | Leave a comment

Potential radiation causes Louisiana parish evacuation

ABC: “Evacuation order… for fear of potential radiation” in Louisiana parish — Company Official: Sinkhole ‘could still grow’  http://enenews.com/abc-evacuation-order-for-fear-of-potential-radiation-in-louisiana-parish-company-official-sinkhole-could-still-grow
August 14th, 2012  By ENENews
Title:  Mysterious Louisiana Sinkhole Raises Concerns of Explosions and Radiation
Source: ABC News
Author: CHRISTINA NG
Date: Aug 14, 2012
A nearly 400-foot deep sinkhole in Louisiana has swallowed all of the trees in its area and enacted a mandatory evacuation order for about 150 residences for fear of potential radiation and explosions. Continue reading →

August 15, 2012 Posted by | environment, USA | Leave a comment

Butterfly studies demonstrate how radiation effects are passed on to later generations

When second generation butterflies with abnormal traits mated with healthy ones, the rate of abnormalities rose to 34 percent in the third generation

It was after breeding them, they  noticed various abnormalities that hadn’t been seen in the previous generation, such as malformed antennae.

Radiation from Fukushima power plant meltdown ‘triggers genetic mutations in butterflies’
Abnormal wings and antennae found in Japan’s insects Genetic damage ‘can be passed down generations’ Defect rate as high as 52 per cent in some offspring
  DAILY MAIL, 14 August 2012 Butterflies in Japan are suffering from ‘serious abnormality’ following the radioactive fallout after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Continue reading →

August 14, 2012 Posted by | 2 WORLD, environment, Reference | Leave a comment

Genetic effects of Fukushima radiation

  The devastating physical & genetic effects of Japan’s nuclear disaster are revealed — All mutant butterflies were caught far outside Fukushima evacuation zone  http://enenews.com/australian-devastating-physical-genetic-effects-fukushima-daiichi-revealed-all-mutant-butterflies-caught-evacuation-zone 
August 14th, 2012 a By ENENew
Title:   Mutant butterflies haunt Fukushima
Source: The Australian
Author: Richard Lloyd Parry
Date:  August 14, 2012

THEY have bizarre dents in their eyes, their legs are shrunken and they are marked by strange spots. Many of them are infertile and when they do conceive the offspring are even more mutated than the parents. Continue reading →

August 14, 2012 Posted by | environment, Fukushima 2012, Japan | Leave a comment

VIDEO: Norway cops radioactive water waste from UK’s Sellafield nuclear site

Norway’s Nuclear Problem  http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/thalassa/ Radioactive material from the Sellafield nuclear plant in the UK has been detected in Norwegian waters.In the early 1990s in Norway, scientists discovered the presence of radioactive material in the seawater, seaweed and lobster.  But Norway has no nuclear facilities, and no nuclear weapons, so it had to be coming from another country.

Russia was a prime suspect, but it is in fact in southern Scotland on the edge of the Irish Sea that the problem originated.  Over fifty years ago the British government built the Sellafield plant to produce electricity and plutonium for the making of atomic bombs. Now it has reconverted into a nuclear waste processing plant, but security is still not guaranteed and fires, leakage and accidental toxic discharge have occurred over the years.
Some speak of negligence. Environmental activists around the world are on the case, demanding the closure of the site once and for all. In 1997, a huge rock concert was organised by U2 to raise the alarm.

August 13, 2012 Posted by | oceans, politics international, Resources -audiovicual, wastes | Leave a comment

Danger of poor oversight of rare earths mining in Greenland

Will Mining For Rare Earth Metals Destroy Greenland?  http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680333/will-mining-for-rare-earth-metals-destroy-greenland  12 Aug 12,  To stop China’s stranglehold on the minerals necessary for our digital economy, mining companies are looking to the icy expanse of Greenland. But with no regulation, no light, and no oversight, what will those mines do to this pristine Arctic landscape?  Continue reading →

August 13, 2012 Posted by | environment, EUROPE, Reference | Leave a comment

Protest organised against uranium mining in Selous Game Reserve

UNESCO sacrifices wildlife preserve for uranium mine New World Heritage sites are always announced with an especially effective publicity. However, the decision for the boundary change in the Selous Game Reserve was not communicated to the public. Now that the UNESCO has accepted the boundary change, they have made way for a major uranium mine called  Mkuju River Uranium Project . It will be owned by  Russian ARMZ, a  subsidiary of ROSATOM, together with the Canadian company Uranium One.

“Uranium mining is incompatible with World Heritage”

In 2011, the UNESCO announced that „mining activities and dam projects would be incompatible with the status of World Heritage sites“. At the same time, the government of Tanzania announced that they had agreed to a declaration of intent for the construction of a dam in the Rufiji river with a Brasilian Company. The river runs through the centre of the Selous Reserve and is supposed to secure the electricity for the planned uranium mining project.

The „Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage“ of UNESCO has been ratified by 189 states. The UN runs a list of 962 World Heritage sites, this includes 188 World Natural Heritages, as well as the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania.

In the areas where uranium mines are active, there have been severe damages to the environment and the health of the local communities. With their decision, the UNESCO is co-responsible for the future destruction of the environment and human life in the Selous Game Reserve.

Environmental groups accuse the UNESCO of failure and irresponsibility. Their decision appears to be influenced by corporate and lobby interests. Now there is a risk that this case has set a precedent that endangers the protection of other World Heritage sites for similiar interests.

We must not let a World Heritage site be sacrificed. Please support this letter of protest to the UNESCO. https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/mailalert/883/unesco-sacrifices-wildlife-preserve-for-uranium-mine#.UCZ9m-i6aQF.facebook

August 13, 2012 Posted by | AFRICA, environment | Leave a comment

Research on butterflies shows the genetic effects of low level radiation

experimental demonstration of genetic mutations in the germ-line cells that are inherited by the offspring of radiation-exposed parents has been scarce, although the germ-line damage was shown in barn swallows 

We address these important issues in connection with the recent Fukushima Dai-ich NPP accident. We use the pale grass blue butterfly Zizeeria maha (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) as an indicator species to evaluate the environmental conditions.

 We conclude that artificial radionuclides from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant caused physiological and genetic damage to this species.

The biological impacts of the Fukushima nuclear accident on the pale
grass blue butterfly – Nature science journal. 9 Aug 12,Primary source. “……Prompt and reliable evaluation of the biological influences of the artificial radionuclides from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP is lacking, and only a few studies have been performed to date 9, 10. In the case of the Chernobyl accident, changes in species composition and phenotypic aberration in animals11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and an increase in the incidence of thyroid and lymph cancers in humans18 have been reported. Continue reading →

August 11, 2012 Posted by | environment, Fukushima 2012, Reference | Leave a comment

Radiation effects on birds – Fukushima compared to Chernobyl

University of South Carolina, Prof Tim Mousseau et al, genetic survey of small wildlife, Fukushima.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749112000255   “…….  Abundance of birds was negatively related to radiation in Chernobyl and Fukushima. ► Effects of radiation on abundance differed between Chernobyl and Fukushima and among species. ► For 14 species common to the two areas the effects of radiation on abundance were stronger in Fukushima than in Chernobyl.…..

Low-level radiation in Fukushima Prefecture appears to have had immediate effects on bird populations, and to a greater degree than was expected from a related analysis of Chernobyl, an international team of scientists reported Feb. 8 in Environmental Pollution. Continue reading →

August 11, 2012 Posted by | environment, Fukushima 2012, Reference | Leave a comment

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