safety « nuclear-news

International Olympic Committee blind to the radioactive dangers facing Tokyo

Tokyo Olympics Bid was Fixed by the International Olympic Committee’s Nuclear Lobby Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s blatant lies about Fukushima radiation leaks being under control By Yoichi Shimatsu Global Research, September 16, 2013

“……….Ladies and Gentlemen, Put on Your Blinders As if wearing blinders, IOC delegates at Buenos Aires ignored media questions about the thousands of tons of radiation-contaminated water leaking from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Arguably worse is the ash from Tokyo’s incinerators that burned Fukushima combustible waste for two years. The highly radioactive cinders were dumped into landfills in Tokyo Bay, which will be the site of the Olympic Village and most of the sports venues.

The Arakawa River, which flows into Tokyo Bay, is also contaminated in its upper reaches by clouds drifting in from the Pacific. The forests around Tokyo’s watershed in Oku-Tama, which provides drinking water to the capital, are dangerously drenched by radioactive rainfall, and the national food supply is so irradiated that regulators have had to raise the food safety level.

The risk of more clouds of radioactive fallout sweeping toward Tokyo is not hypothetical but an inevitable consequence of uncontrollable meltdowns of hundreds of tons of nuclear fuel at Fukushima. The danger is amplified by recurrent earthquakes along Japan’s major fault lines and consequent volcanic eruptions, which pose a constant threat to the nearby nuclear plants at Hamaoka on the seaside below Mount Fuji, Tokai in neighboring Ibaraki, and the twin plants in Fukushima. Another explosion at any of these nuclear sites would force the evacuation of 50 million residents, or one-third of the population.

A major quake or volcanic eruption, long-overdue in the nearby Nankai Trough and Mount Fuji, and even under Tokyo itself, would close the capital’s airports, forcing thousands of Olympic athletes and spectators along with millions of residents to flee in the opposite direction, directly into Fukushima Prefecture. Tokyo is a killing field waiting to happen………..http://www.globalresearch.ca/tokyo-olympics-bid-was-fixed-by-the-international-olympic-committees-nuclear-lobby/5350045

Yoichi Shimatsu, a Hong Kong-based science writer, is former editor of the Japan Times Weekly in Tokyo. http://www.globalresearch.ca/tokyo-olympics-bid-was-fixed-by-the-international-olympic-committees-nuclear-lobby/5350045

September 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Fire on Russian nuclear submarine

Russian nuclear submarine catches fire Sky News, September 16, 2013A Russian nuclear-powered submarine undergoing repairs at a shipyard has caught fire, but its reactor had long been shut off and poses no danger of radiation leaks, officials say.

The submarine Tomsk was being repaired at a shipyard near the city of Vladivostok when the fire broke out on Monday, the defence ministry said in a statement cited by Russian news agencies……

In late 2011 a massive fire broke out on another nuclear submarine in Murmansk while it was under repairs, injuring nine people. Reports later said that the vessel was armed with long-range missiles.http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=906653

September 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | incidents, Russia | Leave a comment

“Unusual event” at PPL’s Susquehanna nuclear plant

Leak found at PPL’s Susquehanna nuclear plant after reactor shut down “Unusual event” declared – an emergency classification established by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. By Sam Kennedy, Of The Morning Call September 16, 2013 PPL Corp.’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County declared an “unusual event” Sunday after radioactive water was discovered leaking inside a room in the plant’s Unit 2 reactor building.An unusual event is the first of the four emergency classifications established by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for nuclear power plants……..http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-ppl-nuclear-plant-leak-0916-20130916,0,6535111.story#ixzz2fCcf1bAN

September 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | incidents, USA | Leave a comment

Fukushima’s radioactive trash pools are the REAL danger

Top scientists and government officials say that Tepco should be removed from all efforts to stabilize Fukushima. An international team of the smartest engineers and scientists should handle this difficult “surgery”.

The stakes are high

The REAL Fukushima Danger: Failure of Fuel Pools Could Trigger Worldwide Nuclear Radiation By Washington’s Blog Global Research, September 14, 2013
“…… the real problem is that the idiots who caused this mess are probably about to cause a much bigger problem.

Specifically, the greatest short-term threat to humanity is from the fuel pools at Fukushima.

If one of the pools collapsed or caught fire, it could have severe adverse impacts not only on Japan … but the rest of the world, including the United States. Indeed, a Senator called it a national security concern for the U.S.:

The radiation caused by the failure of the spent fuel pools in the event of another earthquake could reach the West Coast within days. That absolutely makes the safe containment and protection of this spent fuel a security issue for the United States.

Nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen and physician Helen Caldicott have both said that people should evacuate the Northern Hemisphere if one of the Fukushima fuel pools collapses. Gundersen said:

Move south of the equator if that ever happened, I think that’s probably the lesson there.

Former U.N. adviser Akio Matsumura calls removing the radioactive materials from the Fukushima fuel pools “an issue of human survival”.

So the stakes in decommissioning the fuel pools are high, indeed.

But in 2 months, Tepco – the knuckleheads who caused the accident – are going to start doing this very difficult operation on their own. Continue reading →

September 16, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2013, Japan, safety | 5 Comments

The perilous state of Fukushima nuclear buildings Nos 1 to 4

Endless Fukushima catastrophe: 2020 Olympics under contamination threat Dr Helen Caldicott RT.com: September 15, 2013“…….The levels of radiation in buildings 1, 2 and 3 are now so high that no human can enter or get close to the molten cores. It will therefore be impossible to remove these cores for hundreds of years if ever

Buildings 1, 2 & 3

If one of these buildings collapses, the targeted flow of cooling water to the pools and cores would cease, the cores would become red hot and possibly ignite releasing massive amounts of radiation into the air and water and the fuel in the cooling pools could ignite. It is strange that neither the US government in particular nor the global community seem to be concerned about these imminent possibilities and exhibit no urge to avert catastrophe.

Similarly the global media is strangely disconnected with the ongoing crisis. Most importantly, the Japanese government until very recently has obstinately refused to invite and collaborate with foreign experts from nuclear engineering companies and/or governments.

Building 4

This structure was severely damaged during the initial quake, its walls are bulging, and it sank 31 inches (79cm) into the ground. On the roof sits a cooling pool containing about 250 tons of hot fuel rods, most of which had just been removed from the reactor core days before the earthquake struck. This particular core did not melt because TEPCO was able maintain a continuous flow of cooling water, so the rods and their holding racks are still intact, but geometrically deformed due to the force of the hydrogen explosion.

The cooling pool contains 8,800 pounds of plutonium plus over 100 other highly radioactive isotopes. Instead of this core melting into a larval mass like the other three cores, it sits exposed to the air atop the shaky building. A large earthquake could disrupt the integrity of the building, causing it to collapse and taking the hot fuel rods with it. The cooling water would evaporate and the intrinsic heat of the radioactive rods would ignite a fire as the zirconium cladding reacted with air, releasing the radioactive equivalent of 14,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs and 10 times more cesium than Chernobyl……..http://rt.com/op-edge/fukushima-catastrophe-nuclear-olympics-883/

September 16, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2013, Japan, Reference, safety | 1 Comment

Proof found that governments have let the nuclear industry make up the rules on liability

The nuclear industry has been allowed to write its own rules for more than 50 years, as the documents we’ve made public show. It’s time those rules were scrapped and the nuclear industry disqualified from the game it’s been playing with all our lives.

Proof that the nuclear industry has been dodging its responsibilities for over 50 years http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/proof-that-the-nuclear-industry-has-been-dodg/blog/46544/ Justin McKeating – September 10, 2013 Information released today by Greenpeace Japan shows that the builders and suppliers of nuclear reactors were afraid of being held financially responsible for any accidents they might cause from the outset of the nuclear energy era in Japan.

A freedom of information request made by us has turned up documents from 1960 that show nuclear companies pressured the Japan Atomic Energy Commission to make sure they were exempted from all responsibility for a nuclear accident, except in the case of a deliberate act. The Commission was only too happy to agree.

But what if a nuclear company is grossly negligent? It needn’t worry. The Commission’s documents say:

“…we decided to delete ‘gross negligence’ to not make suppliers feel uneasy” Continue reading →

September 13, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, safety, secrets,lies and civil liberties | 1 Comment

Russia worried about he state of North Korea’s aged nuclear reactor

Russia warns over North Korea work at ‘nightmarish’ nuclear reactor Russia has warned that North Korea is apparently conducting work on a nuclear reactor, saying the ageing facility is in such a “nightmarish state” it could cause a disaster. ABC News 13 Oct 13

US analysts say satellite imagery suggests Pyongyang has restarted a research reactor capable of producing plutonium for weapons at its Yongbyon nuclear complex.

The Interfax news agency has quoted a diplomatic source as saying Russia does not have definite information the work has restarted, but warning of dire consequences should that happen.

“It is obvious that some works are being conducted, and for a long time at that. According to some signs, steps were indeed being taken to relaunch it,” the source said. “Our main concern is linked to a very likely man-made disaster as a consequence. The reactor is in a nightmarish state. It is a design dating back to the 1950s.

“For the Korean peninsula this could entail terrible consequences, if not a man-made catastrophe.”

The US-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies says a satellite image from August 31 shows white steam rising from a building near the hall that houses the plutonium production reactor’s steam turbines and electric generators.

“The white coloration and volume are consistent with steam being vented because the electrical generating system is about to come online, indicating that the reactor is in or nearing operation,” the Washington-based institute said. It says the reactor can produce six kilograms of plutonium a year.

The Russian source has cautioned the steam could “simply be testing of the generator”……. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-12/russia-warns-n-korea-over-work-at-nuclear-reactor/4954698

September 13, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | North Korea, safety | Leave a comment

Is America’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) weakening standards for nuclear safety?

EPA Documents Raise Doubts Over Intent of New Nuclear-Response Guide
National Journal By Douglas P. Guarino, Global Security Newswire September 11, 2013 WASHINGTON —Newly obtained government documents are prompting concern among critics that Environmental Protection Agency officials are seeking to use the organization’s new guide for nuclear-incident response to relax public health standards, but the agency is denying the claim.

The Freedom of Information Act release comes as the agency has yet to finish collecting public comments on the so-called protective-action guide, which it issued in April after years of internal infighting and public controversy. The document is meant to give federal, state and local officials advice on responding to a wide range of radiological incidents, such as “dirty bomb” attacks, nuclear power plant meltdowns and industrial accidents.

The documents obtained by Global Security Newswire show EPA officials have suggested at meetings around the world that the new guide could allow for the use of long-term cleanup standards dramatically less stringent than those the agency has enforced for decades at hundreds of sites throughout the United States, critics say.

In some cases, EPA officials have not only suggested that a drastic event akin to the Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown in Japan would necessitate more flexible guidelines, but also have made statements that critics say challenge the very science behind the agency’s everyday radiation rules. Continue reading →

September 13, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, safety, secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Hilariously, Tokyo’s Olympic Games are being billed the “Safe Games” of 2020.

As Fukushima radiation rages, Tokyo awarded bid to host 2020 Summer Olympics, hilariously named the ‘Safe Games’ September 08, 2013 by Mike Adams (NaturalNews) Despite the fact that Fukushima is already the worst radiological disaster in human history — and worsening by the day — Japan has been chosen as the host nation for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Hilariously, the event is being billed the “Safe Games” of 2020.

How, exactly, is it safe to host the Olympics in a nation which absolutely no workable evacuation routes from a nuclear facility on the verge of collapsing into another deadly radiation release? The answer to that question is provided by Japan’s Prime Minister Abe. He claims that Fukushima is no problem whatsoever, that no one has ever been harmed by it, and that it is fully under control! (A trifecta, he thinks…)……..

Japan cannot be evacuated

The fact that the Olympic committee chose Japan even while Fukushima rages on, just one earthquake away from a catastrophic collapse and unprecedented release of deadly radiation, tells you just how incredibly stupid the Olympics decision makers really are. (Or how paid off they are, as bribes and corruption have been well documented throughout the history of the Olympics).

Do these people not grasp even the most fundamental concepts of physics? Why would any sane organization vote to host a global event that brings hundreds of thousands of people to a location just a short distance away from a collapsing nuclear power plant that is utterly and completely out of control with no end in sight?

Furthermore, Japan has no workable evacuation plan if Fukushima’s reactor #4 does experience a structural collapse followed by a catastrophic release of radiation. There is no evacuation plan because Japan cannot be evacuated, period. Thus, the strategy of the Japanese government has become one of D-E-N-I-A-L instead of problem solving.

Let’s all pretend radiation is no longer a problem, shall we? Japan is pretending. The U.S. is pretending, and now the Olympic committee is pretending, too.

As long as they’re pretending, why not host the Olympics at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power facility? It’s available, after all. And the rent is dirt cheap.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/041964_Olympics_Tokyo_Fukushima_radiation.html#ixzz2eQZtdf5O

September 9, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

South Korea banning all fish imports from Fukushima region

Video: South Korea extends ban on Japanese fish imports .http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-07/an-skorea-bans-japan-fish-imports-over-fukushima-concerns/4942274 South Korea has extended its ban on Japanese fisheries products over fears of contamination from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. Australia Network News, 7 Sept 13

Consumption of fish products in South Korea has dropped sharply in recent weeks as Japanese workers struggle to contain leaks at the tsunami-wrecked facility.

The plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) has admitted that highly toxic water may have made its way into the Pacific Ocean.The company also says up to 300 tonnes of mildly radioactive groundwater is making its way into the sea every day.

South Korea had previously imposed an import ban on dozens of Japanese fisheries products produced in Fukushima and seven other prefectures following the meltdown at the nuclear plant, triggered by the 2011 tsunami. The government has now widened the ban to take in all such products from Fukushima and the seven other prefectures – Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Iwate, Tochigi, Chiba and Aomori. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries says it is taking action in response to rising fears in South Korea.

“The measure comes as our people’s concerns are growing over the fact that hundreds of tonnes of radiation-contaminated water leak every day from the site of Japan’s nuclear accident in Fukushima,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The government has concluded that the information provided by Japan so far has failed to make it clear how the incident will develop in the future. “Under the new measure, all fisheries products from this region will be banned regardless of whether they are contaminated or not.”

The ministry has also urged Tokyo to immediately provide accurate information on the leaks of contaminated water…….

September 7, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, South Korea | 1 Comment

Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactor shut down

1 of 2 Reactors at Md. Nuclear Plant Shuts Down http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/reactors-md-nuclear-plant-shuts-20179217 LUSBY, Md. September 6, 2013 (AP)Constellation Energy Nuclear Group says it has shut down one of two nuclear reactors at its Calvert Cliffs power plant after a malfunction during testing.

Plant spokesman Kory Raftery says a control rod dropped into the reactor Thursday during tests at the Southern Maryland plant and it was shut down. He said Friday that electrical maintenance will be performed, but it’s not clear when unit 2 will return to service.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan says the plant must shut down within six hours if a rod can’t be withdrawn. He says inspectors will follow the maintenance.

Raftery says there’s no public safety threat, and an investigation found no link to a shutdown in May.

The plant is located along the Chesapeake Bay, about 70 miles south of Baltimore.

September 7, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | incidents, USA | Leave a comment

Fire in turbine building at Palo Verde Nuclear Plant

Emergency declared at U.S. nuclear plant due to fire in turbine building — Two ‘reflash events’ occurred — Fire emergency lasted over four hours #PaloVerde http://enenews.com/emergency-declared-at-u-s-nuclear-plant-due-to-fire-in-turbine-building-two-reflash-events-occurred-fire-emergency-lasted-over-four-hours-paloverde

Associated Press, Sept. 3, 2013: The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station declared an unusual event when oil-soaked insulation behind a water pump caught fire, officials said Tuesday. […] An unusual event is the lowest of four emergency levels for nuclear power plants. […] APS spokesman said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said it appeared that insulation that covers very hot metal surfaces had become soaked by bearing lubrication over time. […] The unusual event was the second at Palo Verde in two months […] The last unusual event was on July 2 when Unit 1 reactor temporarily reduced its power production after there was a minor explosion in a cabinet that holds electrical switching gear.

NRC: Event Notification Report for September 4, 2013 – – UNUSUAL EVENT DECLARED DUE TO FIRE IN THE TURBINE BUILDING […] An Event Classification of Unusual Event (HU2.1) was declared at 1926 [MST] for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. At 1912, smoke was detected by a security officer by the ‘A’ train Main Feed pump. An Auxiliary Nuclear Operator investigated and identified a fire on lagging, with one foot flames behind the main standard ‘A’ train Main Feed pump. The fire team responded to the fire and is currently on scene. Fire was declared out at 1957. […] The ‘A’ Main Feed pump high vibration alarm was received, but the continued operation of the main feed pump is currently not in jeopardy.” While removing lagging, during the recovery process, the licensee had 2 reflash events. The flame was extinguished and the licensee continues to remove the oil soaked lagging for the ‘A’ Main Feed pump. […] Vapor extraction differential pressure was increased to eliminate the oil vapor leak. At 2134 MST, received a report of two reflash events while the Fire Department was removing additional lagging with no sustained flame or fire. All the affected lagging has been removed and the fire emergency was terminated at 2345 MST on 9/2/13. See also: Explosion reported at U.S. nuclear plant, emergency declared

September 6, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | incidents, USA | Leave a comment

Most dangerous new nuclear power plant at Taishan, Guangdong

Nuclear threat on our doorstep, South China Morning Post, Green groups say flawed and untested technology puts city at risk from ‘world’s most dangerous nuclear power plant’, South China Morning Post,05 September, 2013 Ernest Kao ernest.kao@scmp A nuclear power plant being built just 130 kilometres away from Hong Kong was yesterday labelled by green groups the “most dangerous nuclear power plant in the world” The plant in Taishan, Guangdong, is using technology that has never been used before and would put the city and another 30 million people at risk in the Pearl River Delta in the event of a Fukushima-style meltdown, say nine groups, including Greenpeace, Green Sense and the Professional Commons lobby group. They are calling on Hong Kong authorities and the provincial and national governments to look again at the risks involved.

The Taishan Nuclear Power Plant, due to start operating in December, will run on two European pressurised reactors, or EPRs – a new Franco-German pressurised-water reactor which the groups say is immature.

French nuclear power giant Areva sealed an €8 billion (HK$92.53 billion) deal to build the two reactors for China’s state-owned Guangdong Nuclear Power Group in 2007. Construction began in 2009.”It is very risky to import a European nuclear reactor technology that has not even met the proper nuclear safety standards and regulations in Europe,” said Albert Lai Kwong-tak, an engineer and a policy expert at independent lobby group the Professional Commons.

Two EPR projects, one in France and another in Finland, have been plagued by delays after safety-related flaws were found. Both projects are not expected to be completed now until 2015 at the earliest, despite construction commencing years earlier than in Taishan.Lai said that upon completion, Taishan would be the “most dangerous nuclear power plant in the world” given its potential radiation level was three times higher than Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant.

“Design flaws such as how to power cooling systems for its external spent nuclear fuel pool in the event of an emergency have not been addressed,” he said.

“A digitised and automated emergency control unit also lacks a manual override … these are all lessons which should have been learnt after Fukushima.

“One must ask if Chinese authorities have taken any of these into account.”……. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1303433/nuclear-threat-our-doorstep

September 5, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, safety | 1 Comment

Wall of ice planned, to go underneath Fukushima nuclear plant

Japan to build $470M ice wall to prevent nuclear leaks http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57601127/japan-to-build-$470m-ice-wall-to-prevent-nuclear-leaks/ 4 Sept 13, The Japanese government announced Tuesday that it will spend $470 million on a subterranean ice wall and other steps in a desperate bid to stop leaks of radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant after repeated failures by the plant’s operator.

The decision is widely seen as an attempt to show that the nuclear accident won’t be a safety concern just days before the International Olympic Committee chooses among Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid as the host of the 2020 Olympics.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi plant has been leaking hundreds of tons of contaminated underground water into the sea since shortly after a massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami damaged the complex. Several leaks from tanks storing radioactive water in recent weeks have heightened the sense of crisis that the plant’s owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co., isn’t able to contain the problem. Continue reading →

September 4, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2013, Japan, Reference, safety, technology | Leave a comment

Out of control: Fukushima will finish off the nuclear industry

Professor Busby believes the situation is clearly out of control and that no one can go anywhere near it. “Nobody can go in to measure where these leaks are or do anything about them, because anybody who is to approach that sort of area would be dead quite quickly. They would be seriously harmed”

What happens next is anyone’s guess,

This will have a domino impact on all nuclear reactors in my opinion. The cost of keeping those still operating will have to go up, and as the cost of decommissioning them becomes clearly extraordinary, often more than double the cost of building them, and sometimes, like Sellafield, orders of magnitude more, and in a climate of disappearing liquidity……… nobody will be able to afford to build any nukes. There simply won’t be the funds, as all the money that could have been used disappears down the blackhole of decommissionings.

The last nail in the Nuclear Coffin….http://damnthematrix.wordpress.com/2013/09/02/the-last-nail-in-the-nuclear-coffin/ 2 Sept 13, Things have been looking grim at Fukushima. First, they realised that for some time they had been using a radiation meter that could not read beyond 100 milli Sieverts and believed that this was the actual radiation level there…. only to find out with another instrument that levels were in fact much higher, and that hundreds of tonnes of highly radioactive water were leaking into the Pacific Ocean daily for…. well no one knows.

Then it was decided (as I recently reported) that fuel rods lying perilously in a damaged above ground leaking pool that keeps those rods from melting down and causing an actual out of control nuclear reactor (read explosion + mushroom cloud…) were going to be moved, by hand… because? Well the cranes that normally do this have been destroyed by the earthquake, presumably ably assisted by the tsunami.

At the time I commented “what could go wrong?”……..