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For the first time, Japan bans radiation contaminated rice

Japan issues ban on Fukushima rice contaminated by radiation, Vancouver Sun, AFP November 17, 2011 TOKYO — Japan on Thursday announced its first ban on rice produced near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant after samples showed
radioactive contamination well above legal limits.

The findings will further worry nervous consumers, already fretting over the safety of domestic produce, despite its previous solid safety reputation. Authorities in Fukushima prefecture say rice produced near the stricken atomic power plant contained caesium they measured at 630 becquerels per kilogram (2.2 pounds). The government safety limit is
500 becquerels.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura ordered Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato to restrict shipments of rice from Onami — from where the samples were sourced — according to an agricultural ministry
official…..
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace said Thursday it had detected radiation in fish sold at Japanese supermarkets, although radiation levels were still well below the government safety limit of 500 becquerels.
According to its own research carried out between October 12 and November 8 in eastern Japan, 47.3 becquerels of cesium per kilogramme were discovered in cod while traces of radiation were also found in other fish, including tuna.  http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Japan+issues+Fukushima+rice+contaminated+radiation/5726394/story.html#ixzz1e6mhWM7x

November 19, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Mounting pile of uranium not really secure in Denver uranium mine

Uranium sifted from groundwater piles up inside mine west of Denver, By Bruce Finley, The Denver Post,  13 Nov 11 Nearly three-quarters of a ton of concentrated uranium removed from groundwater to protect metro-area drinking water is piling up at Cotter Corp.’s defunct mine west of Denver.

Cotter workers are storing it in plastic tanks inside a building at the Schwartzwalder mine, which is staffed by day but unguarded at night. State environmental overseers were notified last month of the mounting uranium. On Thursday, state officials could not address disposal, whether the uranium could be sold or whether there are security concerns.

However, on Friday morning, state health department spokesman Mark Salley said Cotter has a “radioactive materials license for management of residuals from contaminated groundwater treatment. The license specifies disposal at a licensed facility off-site, but a licensee could take the material for reprocessing if their license allowed it.

“There are no such licensees in Colorado,” Salley said.

Concentrated uranium that later is enriched can be used as fuel for nuclear power plants or to make weapons…Uranium sifted from groundwater piles up inside mine west of Denver – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19312125#ixzz1djT67722

November 14, 2011 Posted by | environment, Uranium, USA | Leave a comment

Mystery of radioactive iodine particles in Europe

Low levels of radioactive particles in Europe: IAEA, By Sylvia Westall and Fredrik Dahl VIENNA  Nov 11, 2011   (Reuters) – Very low levels of radioactive iodine-131 have been detected in Europe but the particles are not believed to pose a public health risk, the U.N. nuclear agency said Friday, saying it was seeking to find the source.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Vienna-based U.N. watchdog, said it did not believe the radioactive particles were from Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant after its emergency in March.

Experts said the origin of the radiation — which has been spreading for about two weeks — remained a mystery but could come from many possible sources ranging from medical laboratories or hospitals to nuclear submarines.

The Czech Republic’s nuclear security watchdog said it had tipped off the IAEA after detecting the radiation it thought was coming from abroad but not from a nuclear power plant. It suggested it may come from production of radiopharmaceuticals.

Germany’s Environment Ministry said slightly higher levels of radioactive iodine had been measured in the north of the country, ruling out that it came from a nuclear power plant…….

Iodine-131 is a short-lived radioisotope that has a radioactive decay half-life of about eight days, the IAEA said. Massimo Sepielli, head of the nuclear fission unit of Italy’s national alternative energy body ENEA said any number of sources could be to blame for the readings.

“It could be coming from the transporting of (nuclear) material, it could come from a hospital … it could even come from a nuclear submarine, even if it’s a more complicated possibility … but you can’t rule that out.”….http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/11/us-nuclear-iodine-iaea-idUSTRE7AA4U020111111

November 13, 2011 Posted by | environment, EUROPE | Leave a comment

Significant radiation on beach at Fife, Scotland

Radiation sources found on beach, Google News (UKPA) – 8 Nov 11   “Significant” sources of radiation which could pose a risk to the public if exposed have been found on the same beach where around 200 radioactive particles were discovered previously.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said the material appeared to be buried on the beach at Dalgety Bay in Fife. Sepa said the sources of the radiation were a “significant hazard” and if they were exposed through erosion or movement, they would “pose a risk to the Dalgety Bay community”.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been told about the find. Sepa has also warned that an area around the foreshore at Dalgety Bay could be designated Radioactive Contaminated Land for the public protection. The group called for a long-term plan to deal with the problem….. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hGZIrNZGj_tzXF1m-WK6m4yCyClg?docId=N0526321320749067702A

November 10, 2011 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

Inadequacy of Japan’s radiation cleanup plan

Radiation cleanup plan falls short Experts liken current strategy to letting nature run its course Japan Times, By KAZUAKI NAGATA. 9 Nov 11 “…the government’s plan falls short and efforts should focus in particular on residential areas with more aggressive decontamination measures and goals, including reducing current radiation levels by 90 percent, two radiation experts said when interviewed by The Japan Times. Continue reading →

November 10, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Japanese fears on radioactive debris


Radiation fears behind debris refusals / Remaining refuse may cause secondary damage, hinder reconstruction efforts, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 4 Nov 11 The start Wednesday of shipments of debris from the Great East Japan Earthquake to Tokyo, the first destination for such refuse outside the Tohoku region, was a long-awaited first step toward wider disposal of the wreckage.

However, an Environment Ministry survey released Wednesday showed that only 54 local governments and garbage-disposal unions, less than 10 percent the figure in a previous survey, were considering accepting debris from disaster-hit areas. Continue reading →

November 4, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

South Korea’s radiation hotspot – from Japan, or from China?

The Institute of Nuclear Safety has previously reported that cesium-137 has been detected over the past 10 years in South Korea’s air and soil when so-called yellow dust blows in from China .

Radiation Hot Spot Detected in South Korean Pavement,Voice of America , November 3rd, 2011 South Korea’s Institute of Nuclear Safety says it has discovered a patch of pavement in Seoul is emitting radiation at levels 10 times higher than normal. Continue reading →

November 4, 2011 Posted by | environment, South Korea | Leave a comment

Twice as much radiation released from Fukushima as previously estimated

 

the institute warned that a significant degree of pollution would remain in waters off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture as caesium-137 has a half-life of around 30 years….

New Norwegian report says Fukushima radiation releases twice initial estimates, Two new European reports on the Fukushima Daiichi disaster released over the last week take large steps in proving that radioactive caesium-137 released after the nuclear power plant was slammed by 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami last March was twice as much as initially thought. Bellona   Charles Digges, 31/10-2011 Continue reading →

November 1, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan, Reference | 1 Comment

Wikileaks reveal Saudi Arabia’s fears about Iran’s nuclear plant

Plumbing WikiLeaks: Saudi Arabia Fears Iranian Nuclear Meltdown and Potential Terrorism to Desalination, Circle of Blue, By Brett Walton, 28 OCTOBER 2011  Classified cables show that Saudi and U.S. officials believe water supplies along the Persian Gulf are at high-risk for terrorist attacks and possible contamination from nearby nuclear plants. This is the first of a new series that will analyze the water-related U.S. embassy cables published by WikiLeaks.

“The location is so dangerous,” said Prince Turki Al-Kabeer, the undersecretary for multilateral affairs from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Not just to us, but to the world economy!”

Ostensibly, Prince Turki was meeting with the Netherlands ambassador, the Russian ambassador, and a political/military counselor from the American embassy to discuss an initiative against nuclear terrorism. But — according to a classified American embassy cable from 2009 that has since been published by WikiLeaks — the conversation turned to Iran’s nuclear program and the Russian-built reactor at Bushehr, a site less than 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Saudi shores on Iran’s Persian Gulf coast.

Prince Turki went on to say that Russia should “use its influence” to persuade Iran to relocate the reactor to the Caspian Sea, where there would be sufficient water for cooling, and, the cable’s author makes clear, isolation from Saudi territory, if a nuclear accident were to occur.

At risk, according to both Saudi and U.S. officials, are the desalination plants supplying much of Saudi Arabia’s drinking water, and the Persian Gulf waterway that conveys a large portion of the world’s oil exports — 6.6 million barrels per day… http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2011/world/plumbing-wikileaks-saudi-arabia-fears-iranian-nuclear-meltdown-and-potential-terrorism-to-desalination/

October 29, 2011 Posted by | politics international, Saudi Arabia, water | Leave a comment

Las Vegas’ water supply must be protected from uranium mining

Keep uranium out of our water supply, Launce Rake, Las Vegas Sun,  Oct. 28, 2011   Uranium mining on the Colorado River, near the Grand Canyon National Park, is a bad idea that needs to be rejected by Nevada’s representatives in Congress. Uranium mining contaminates rivers — even mines that closed years or decades ago leach toxic and radioactive material into our water. The mining industry wants to start mining about 90 miles northeast of Las Vegas on the Arizona Strip, within range of Lake Mead and our water supply.

The U.S. Department of Interior told the uranium mining industry this week that our water is too important to risk with its mines. Our entire congressional delegation should support the decision and keep the mines away from our drinking water. http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/oct/28/keep-uranium-out-our-water-supply/

October 29, 2011 Posted by | Uranium, USA, water | Leave a comment

Fukushima’s radiation pollution of the Pacific ocean

Fukushima’s nuclear pollution of Pacific the world’s greatest: nuclear monitor, The Vancouver Sun, Agence France-Presse October 27, 2011 The IRSN cites deep-water fish, fish at the top of the marine food chain and molluscs and other filtrating organisms as “the species that are the most sensitive” to caesium pollution.

PARIS – France’s nuclear monitor said on Thursday that the amount of caesium 137 that leaked into the Pacific from the Fukushima disaster was the greatest single nuclear contamination of the sea ever seen….. Continue reading →

October 28, 2011 Posted by | Japan, oceans | Leave a comment

New data study shows radiation from Fukushima much higher than claimed

Fallout Forensics: Fukushima’s radiation toll much higher than claimed, Smart Planet, By Janet Fang | October 25, 2011,  Far more radiation was released after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident than the Japanese government has claimed, new global data conclude.

This new study on the post-earthquake disaster in March combines radioactivity data from around the world to estimate the scale and fate of emissions from the plant. Nature News reports.

This is the most comprehensive effort yet to understand the amount of radiation released from the power plant (pictured), according to study researcher Andreas Stohl from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research. Continue reading →

October 27, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, environment | Leave a comment

Japan’s radioactive used cars

Radioactive second-hand cars dog Japan, BY:THE AUSTRALIAN, RICHARD LLOYD PARRY , October 26, 2011  RUSTING hulks disguised with new paint, and mileage clocks reset – the wiles of the second-hand car dealer are well known.

However, motorists in Japan are facing an unfamiliar peril. They are being offered used cars with low mileage, well-maintained engines and sound bodywork. The only flaw is that they are dangerously radioactive. Continue reading →

October 27, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Empowering Japanese people with knowledge about nuclear radiation

Journalists must empower those who have to stay near Fukushima plant (Part 4), Mainichi Daily News, 25 Oct 11  Eight days after the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant began to unfold, samples of spinach and raw milk were found to be contaminated with radioactive iodine in amounts exceeding the provisional permissible amount set by the Food Sanitation Act.

Government officials have tried to underplay the dangers with messages such as, “It’s all right as long as you’re not eating 4,200 servings of spinach,” and “Even drinking 1 liter of milk every day will not cause any problems.”

However, the problem boils down to how much radiation we’re exposed to at the dinner table. Continue reading →

October 25, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Japan’s radiation pollution wider and more serious than previously estimated

the contamination in the area is so severe that authorities need to remove not only the topsoil but also road surfaces, roofs and concrete walls….

“Radiation levels drop soon after decontamination work, but whenever it rains, contaminated soil flows into the area from surrounding mountain forests and the levels climb once again,” she said.
Experts and locals said woodlands that cover 71 per cent of Fukushima prefecture have been highly contaminated.

Concern grows over wider radiation contamination, Oman Daily Observer 22 October 2011 By Takehiko Kambayashi – Scientists, environmentalists and citizens’ groups have called for Japanese authorities to evacuate more areas in the wake of March’s nuclear accident after finding wider radiation contamination than officially reported. Continue reading →

October 23, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

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