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Ionizing radiation a possibility as cause of seal deaths

Some wonder if radiation could be causing the skin sores and related problems, including ulcers on internal organs and abnormal growths on brains

Is it possible that the ringed seals traveled to a contaminated area?

Or did they eat prey contaminated by radiation?

Is radiation causing Arctic Alaska ringed-seal deaths? Alaska Dispatch  Alex DeMarban | Dec 23, 2011 The University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Institute of Marine Sciences is launching an investigation into whether radiation, including possibly from the Fukoshima Daiichi nuclear power-plant disaster in Japan, has harmed or killed more than 100 ringed seals off Alaska’s coasts. Continue reading →

December 26, 2011 Posted by | environment, USA | Leave a comment

Radiation study on muttonbirds in the Pacific

Muttonbirds in radiation study Stuff.co.nz MICHAEL DALY, 22 Dec 11, New Zealand muttonbirds are being studied to see if they were affected by radiation from Japan’s damaged
nuclear power plant.

Samples are being taken from the birds as part of the research into the effects of radiation from the Fukushima plant, …. The research aims to determine the degree to which the mutton bird population was exposed to radiation.

Experts have said the Fukushima disaster was responsible for the largest single release of radioactivity into the ocean, threatening wildlife and fisheries in the region.

Millions of the birds, known as sooty shearwaters, come to this country to breed during the summer months before heading north during the colder southern months….Adams said it was planned to take tissue samples from birds in this country in late March or early April.

Sooty shearwaters had been chosen for the research mainly because they were one of the most abundant seabirds in the Pacific…. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6179864/Muttonbirds-in-radiation-study

December 22, 2011 Posted by | New Zealand, oceans | Leave a comment

Report on uranium mining and milling in Virginia

Highlights of  National Academy of Sciences’ report on uranium mining and milling in Virginia

Uranium report says local sites not viable Fredricksburg.com, By RUSTY DENNEN, 19 Dec 11“.……Virginia Uranium Inc.’s Coles Hill site in Pittsylvania County   is the only commercially viable site in the state. Uranium mining and processing carries with it a wide range  of
potential adverse human health risks.

A detailed assessment of both the potential site and its surrounding area (including natural, historical and social characteristics) would be needed.

It is not yet possible to predict what specific type of uranium mining or processing might apply to ore deposits in Virginia. A mining project could affect  surface water quality and quantity, groundwater quality and quantity, soils, air quality  and organisms in
the vicinity.

Because of the 1982 moratorium, the state has no experience regulating uranium mining and there is no  regulatory infrastructure. Planning should take into account all aspects of the process—including the eventual closure, site remediation and reclamation—prior to initiation of a project, and  there should be opportunities for publicinvolvement throughout.
For more on the report, nationalacademies.org —National Research Council of the National Academies http://blogs.fredericksburg.com/newsdesk/2011/12/19/uranium-report-says-local-sites-not-viable/

December 21, 2011 Posted by | environment, Uranium, USA | Leave a comment

Radiation monitoring of Japan’s forest monkeys

Monkeys to Track Fallout at Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Plant, ABC News, 12 Dec 11 Wild monkeys have been enlisted by Japanese researchers to obtain detailed readings of radiation levels in forests near the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant.
Professor Takayuki Takahashi and his team of scientists at Fukushima University are fitting nearly 1000 animals with radiation meters and GPS transmitters in order to track the spread of radiation leaked from
March’s nuclear accident, the worst in Japan’s history…. Researchers also hope to monitor the amount of radiation exposure in wild animals. The project is being launched in partnership with Minamisoma, one of the cities hardest hit by the nuclear disaster. Radiation fears
prompted more than half of its 67,000 residents to evacuate, in Fukushima’s aftermath. A third of the city sits inside the 12 mile government mandated exclusion zone, deemed too dangerous for people to live in. In the larger Fukushima prefecture, more than 80,000
residents have been displaced by the nuclear disaster.
With 14 monkey colonies in Minamisoma’s forests alone, Takahashi is hopeful his researchers will get a broad spectrum of readings, from the ground level to the highest trees.  The collars equipped with radiation meters and GPS transmitters will be detachable by remote
control, but the plan is to keep the devices on the animals, for decades. Takahashi says his team will begin monitoring levels next spring.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/monkeys-to-track-fallout-at-japans-fukushima-nuclear-plant/

December 14, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Four radioactively contaminated Minstry of Defence sites in Scotland

the MoD had offered the site to the Scottish Government for £1. The offer was refused, largely because of serious impediments related to the site, all of which had significant
financial implications. 

The MoD is institutionally incapable of transparency for security reasons – but that has invaded its corporate culture and it is now constitutionally incapable of honesty..

Four new MoD sites identified with radiation contamination – including Machrihanis ForArgyll.com,  December 12, 2011 Four new sites in Scotland  – all owned by the Ministry of Defence, have been identified as radiation contaminated, with an immediate call from MSPs for urgent action to ensure public safety. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by | environment, secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

Potential for environmental catastrophe with uranium mining in Pittsylvania

digging up and processing the uranium will create 28 million tons of radioactive waste – enough to fill 145 Super Walmart stores – that could poison local wells and seep into the Roanoke River, contaminating the drinking water for nearly 2 million people downstream of the mine.

A study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that the dust from uranium mines can spread up to 50 miles, which would include Smith Mountain Lake and parts of the Roanoke Valley.

Uranium in Pittsylvania County: buried treasure or threat?, By Laurence Hammack and Michael Sluss The Roanoke Times, 13 Dec 11“….. a potential public health and environmental disaster. Do the risks of uranium mining outweigh the benefits? That will soon be a question for the General Assembly, which is expected to decide at its upcoming session whether to lift a 30-year moratorium on the practice. Continue reading →

December 14, 2011 Posted by | environment, Uranium, USA | 1 Comment

Many thousands of tons of radioactive water accumulating at Fukushima

Tepco estimates that the amount of treated water requiring storage is increasing by 200 to 500 tons every day. 

Japan’s earthquake-hit nuclear plant scraps plan to dump water in sea, Reuters  Tokyo December 12, 2011 Japan’s utility operating the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant said on Friday it has scrapped a plan to dump water it treated for radiation contamination into the sea following fierce protests from fishing groups. Continue reading →

December 12, 2011 Posted by | Japan, oceans, wastes | Leave a comment

Full cleanup of Fukushima area to begin in March or later

Japan to Begin Radiation Cleanup from Late March or Later Arirang, DEC 12, 2011, Reporter : emilyfwang@arirang.co.kr Over in Japan where authorities are still struggling to contain the nuclear fallout from March’s earthquake and tsunami the government says a full radiation cleanup of areas contaminated by radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster can only begin in March next year, at the earliest. Continue reading →

December 12, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Radioactive strontium one million times over limit into ocean from Fukushima

“The source of the beta radiation in the water is likely to include strontium 90, which if absorbed in the body through eating tainted seaweed or fish, accumulates in bone and can cause cancer,”

Fukushima floods into Pacific Ocean, Strontium becomes One Million Times over Limit, The Canadian, 07 DECEMBER 2011   The woes of Fukushima are far from over as the plant’s owner, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), announced recently that a purification mechanism has leaked at least 45 tons of highly radioactive water, some of which ended up flowing directly into the ocean. TEPCO officials are reportedly in the process of investigating the situation to determine the extent of the damage caused. Continue reading →

December 9, 2011 Posted by | Japan, oceans, Reference | 1 Comment

Japan’s growing problem of radioactive water – to be dumped into ocean?

TEPCO mulls nuclear-contaminated water  Sky News,  December 8, 2011 Japan’s embattled Tokyo Electric Power Co says it is considering dumping more nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima power plant into the sea. If TEPCO goes ahead with the plan it would be the second time it has deliberately released radiation-tainted water into the ocean since reactors began melting down at Fukushima in the wake of the March 11 tsunami.

‘We have stored processed water in tanks, which are expected to become full by March next year,’ said a TEPCO spokesman on Thursday. He said no final details – such as when, how much, or how dirty the water would be – have been established,  but stressed the water would be filtered to reduce levels of radioactivity before it was dumped.

Thousands of tonnes of water have been pumped into reactors at Fukushima in an effort to cool the molten nuclear fuel and bring the plant to a safe shutdown.

‘We are studying a variety of measures to cope with it,’ he said, including the possibility of building more storage tanks. ’The company has consulted with the Japan Fisheries (JF) Cooperatives about the possibility of a water release.’ A group of fishermen immediately lodged a protest with TEPCO and the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry on Thursday, demanding the plan be shelved.

‘Many local fishermen still cannot go out to sea due to regulations or voluntary decisions and the now-poor safety reputation of the area has scared off consumers,’ JF official Shinji Ogawa told AFP. ’We cannot possibly let TEPCO do this again.’ Within weeks of the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl, TEPCO dumped more than 10,000 tons of low-level radioactive water into the Pacific.

Ogawa said the water release plan was outrageous, especially after the power company had to apologise this week for accidentally leaking highly radioactive waste water into the Pacific….. TEPCO said Monday that it believed 150 litres of waste water including highly harmful strontium, a substance linked to bone cancers, has found its way into the open ocean. …  http://www.skynews.com.au/finance/article.aspx?id=694474&vId=

December 9, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011, Japan, oceans | Leave a comment

Essential to evacuate children and pregnant women from Japan’s radioactive areas

“At very least pregnant women and children must be evacuated from risky areas until sufficient decontamination is completed…….

“The situation is rapidly spinning out of control, and the Japanese government seems to have abandoned its responsibility to protect its population as it has left local authorities, who lack the necessary knowledge and equipment, to clean up this mess.”

Greenpeace: Relocation of Pregnant Women and Children Exposed to Radiation Vital, December 8, 2011 Tokyo- (PanOrient News) Greenpeace renewed its demand to the Japanese government to urgently relocate pregnant women and children living in contaminated areas of Fukushima City due to the discovery of radioactive hot spots and accused the official decontamination program as being “both uncoordinated and thoroughly inadequate.” Continue reading →

December 9, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan, women | Leave a comment

Long range threat of Fukushima radiation accumulating on ocean floor

the releases have not ended, so that is of concern.  If the contaminants end up in the marine sediments/muds, then they will remain there for decades to come,

Fukushima ocean radiation could pose sleeper threat, Smart Planet, By  | December 7, 2011 Scientists have determined that the unprecedented release of radioactivity into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima nuclear disaster poses no direct exposure threat to people, but caution that the accumulated fallout lying in sediment is a potential danger for decades to come.

The findings were published in a report, Impacts of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants on Marine Radioactivity, on Wednesday. Levels of cesium and iodine peaked in April, a month after the core meltdowns when seawater used to cool the reactors and spent fuel rods was pumped out of the facility into the nearby ocean.

Levels of radioactive cesium peaked at 50 million times normal levels, becoming the largest accidental release of radiation into the ocean in history, Continue reading →

December 9, 2011 Posted by | Japan, oceans | Leave a comment

Japan’s problem of radioactivity in food – cesium 137 found in baby milk powder

Cesium in Baby Milk Powder Shows Nuclear Risk for Japan Food December 07, 2011 By Kanoko Matsuyama and Yuriy Humber Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — Radioactive cesium was found in milk powder in Japan made by a Meiji Holdings Co. unit, raising concern that nuclear radiation is contaminating baby food.

Meiji the past week found traces of cesium-137 and cesium- 134 in batches of “Meiji Step” made in March, the Tokyo-based company said yesterday. The probe was triggered by a customer complaint last month. ….

The finding highlights the radiation threat to food in Japan nine months after the Fukushima nuclear plant was wrecked by an earthquake and tsunami. ….
In a nuclear accident, radioactive isotopes including iodine-131 and cesium-137, which are normally contained inside the fuel rods, may be released into the atmosphere as gases or particulates if the rods are damaged. These can be inhaled or ingested through contaminated food or water. Children are especially susceptible to radiation poisoning from iodine, which can accumulate in the thyroid gland, according to the World Health Organization.

Cesium-137 that enters the body is distributed throughout the soft tissues, especially in muscle….

Radiation is more dangerous for infants because their cells are dividing more rapidly and radiation-damaged RNA may be carried in more generations of cells, according to Lincoln. The risk for children depends on the quantity of radioactive cesium they consume or are exposed to,…

December 8, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Okinawa island, with no nuclear plants, becoming a refuge for Japanese families

Okinawa prefecture is the largest region in Japan without nuclear plants. Okinawa island, the largest in the group, has beautiful beaches, a slow-food subculture and thriving music and arts scenes. It attracts thousands of sea-changers every year, but only recently has this included worried parents who would never have considered a move to Okinawa before the Fukushima disaster……

Escape to Okinawa, SMH, Jane Barraclough, December 6, 2011 As radiation hot spots emerge in Tokyo and nuclear contamination plagues the country, some Japanese are fleeing to the Okinawa island chain to avoid the fallout from Fukushima. But is it too late?

Mari Takenouchi …and her one-year-old son fled to the Okinawa islands – Japan’s southernmost prefecture, 2000 kilometres south of the unfolding crisis.
……….lack of alarm after the explosions kept Takenouchi and Joe in Tokyo half a day too long to dodge the fallout, which gradually dispersed in a cruel lottery of wind, rain and snow that contaminated homes, farms, wilderness, and eventually a schoolyard in Takenouchi’s neighbourhood. Continue reading →

December 6, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

UK’s Ministry of Defence evasive about radiation contamination

Time for MoD to come clean on radiation clear-up, Herald Scotland  4 Dec 2011 The Ministry of Defence is turning prevarication into an art form. There are, it seems, few tricks, evasions and deceits that it won’t deploy to try to avoid responsibility for cleaning up the radioactive mess it has made at Dalgety Bay in Fife.

As we reveal today, its monitoring of the contaminated foreshore in September missed more than 400 radioactive hotspots.Like Admiral Nelson back in 1801, the MoD’s modern-day commanders turned a blind eye in the hope that the problem would disappear….. http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/herald-view/time-for-mod-to-come-clean-on-radiation-clear-up-1.1138013

December 5, 2011 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

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