nuclear-news

The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Tight control over town meetings, as Japan’s authorities sell the idea of nuclear power

flag-japan

In a statement emailed to Reuters, Greenpeace called the meetings a “farce”. The group said it was clear officials considered the event a one-way conversation without truly addressing residents’ concerns.

Japan pitches nuclear restart in tightly controlled townhalls BY KENTARO HAMADA SATSUMASENDAI Japan Fri Oct 10, 2014 (Reuters) – As part of a plan to restart its nuclear industry, Japan on Thursday began a controversial consultation process with local residents near idled reactors that was criticized for failing to give everyone in the region a say.

nuclear-panel

More than a year after Japan’s last reactor was shut down in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, officials began a series of townhall meetings to explain the approval process that cleared the Sendai plant in the southwest of the country for restart.

But local authorities set strict ground rules for the first meeting in Satsumasendai, the coastal city of 98,000 people 1,000 km (600 miles) southwest of Tokyo that hosts the two-reactor Kyushu Electric Power Co facility. “As we saw in Fukushima, once there’s an accident, the impact is felt across a large region,” said Makoto Matsuzaki, an anti-nuclear legislator for Kagoshima prefecture, where Satsumasendai is located.

“They face that risk but have no rights and no say,” said the Japanese Communist Party assemblywoman. “It’s like going to get a risky surgery at a hospital without giving your consent.”…….

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) approved Sendai’s safety features in September. The plant still needs to pass operational safety checks.

The government says it will defer to local authorities before proceeding, but there are no legally binding rules governing the consultation process. Continue reading →

October 11, 2014 Posted by | Japan, spinbuster | Leave a comment

Will the 6000 Fukushima radioactive clean-up workers ever get the promised danger pay?

safety-symbol1flag-japanNuclear workers kept in dark on Fukushima hazard pay 25 CNBC  Reuters  7 Oct 2014  Almost a year after Japan pledged to double hazard pay at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, workers are still in the dark about how much extra they are getting paid, if anything, for cleaning up the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Under pressure to improve working conditions at Fukushima after a series of radioactive water leaks last year, Tokyo Electric Power Co President Naomi Hirose promised in November to double the hazard pay the utility allocates to its subcontractors for plant workers. That would have increased the amount each worker at the nuclear facility is supposed to earn to about $180 a day in hazard pay.

Only one of the more than three dozen workers interviewed by Reuters from July through September said he received the full hazard pay increase promised by Tepco. Some workers said they got nothing. In cases where payslips detailed a hazard allowance, the amounts ranged from $36 to about $90 a day – at best half of what Hirose promised.

In some instances, workers said they were told they would be paid a hazard bonus based on how much radiation they absorb – an incentive to take additional risks at a dangerous work site…….

Tepco still relies on some 800 mostly small contractors to provide workers for the cleanup after the tsunami that swamped the plant on March 11, 2011 sparked meltdowns at three reactors. Subcontractors provide almost all of the 6,000 workers now employed at the plant. Tokyo Electric employs only about 250 on its own payroll at the facility.

The workforce at Fukushima has almost doubled over the past year, mostly as part of an effort to protect groundwater from being contaminated and to store water that comes in contact with melted fuel in the reactor buildings.

Some of the workers who arrived recently at the plant have been building bunkers to store highly radioactive sludge, which is a by-product of the process whereby contaminated water is treated. Others are installing equipment to freeze a ring of earth around four reactors at Fukushima to keep water from reaching the melted cores, an unprecedented effort directed by Kajima and expected to cost nearly $300 million.

Kazumitsu Nawata, a professor in the University of Tokyo’s department of technology who has researched conditions inside Fukushima, said that if workers do not receive pay that is commensurate with the risks they are taking, they will ultimately look elsewhere for employment. If more experienced workers leave for safer jobs in Tokyo where constructionprojects are accelerating ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games, it will also increase the likelihood of accidents at the plant, Nawata said in an interview.

“Until now, we have relied heavily on the goodwill of workers. But it’s already been three years since the accident. This is no longer sustainable,” he said. http://www.cnbc.com/id/102068504#.

October 10, 2014 Posted by | employment, Japan | Leave a comment

Russia’s nuclear company Rosatom sends third expedition to monitor Fukushima radiation

Russia sends third expedition to Kuril Islands to monitor radiation levels October 7, 2014 Gleb Fedorov, RBTH Radiation from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant does not threaten Russian territory. However, the consequences of the 2011 accident will be felt for decades to come. RBTH spoke to the scientists involved with the third expedition to be sent to the Kuril Islands in the Russian Far East in order to monitor the radiation.
The scientific expedition vessel Professor Khlyustin, carrying Russian scientists, experts and military personnel, left the port of Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East on September 25 and headed east toward the Kuril Islands of Urup and Simushir, where they were due to take samples of soil, freshwater and silt.
……..In the space of a month, the expedition plans on crossing the Sea of Japan and sailing along the eastern shores of the Kuril Islands, a narrow chain of isles stretching 800 miles from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The scientists’ principal aim is to monitor radiation levels in the area affected by the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant on March 11, 2011. This is the third expedition since the disaster. The first one took place right after the catastrophe, the second – a year later. The new expedition is being carried out under the aegis of the Russian Geographical Society and has been organized by the State Oceanographic Institute. Aboard the vessel are collaborators from state nuclear corporation Rosatom, the Ministry of Defense, the Russian Hydro-Meteorological Institute, the Rospotrebnadzor Monitoring Agency and the marine-food-chainNevelsky Naval University. Results from past expeditions showed that pollution was almost zero and the biggest threat to Russia was the accumulation of radiation in fish.
………The only thing threatening Russia after Fukushima, according to Panchenko, is the accumulation of radiation in various types of commercial fish: “Fukushima’s radioactive discharges polluted the sand in the shallows where we find the little sand eels. Sand eels are caught by fishermen and are eaten by bigger commercial fish, which thus accumulate radiation.”
Source: Russia Beyond the Headlines – http://rbth.com/science_and_tech/2014/10/07/russia_sends_third_expedition_to_kuril_islands_to_monitor_ra_40417.html)

October 8, 2014 Posted by | Japan, radiation, Russia | Leave a comment

Volcanoes a rare risk to nuclear reactors, but consequences would be devastating

Difficulties remain in protecting nuclear plants from volcanic eruptions October 05, 2014 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN by Takeshi Nakashima and Chikako Kawahara The deadly eruption of Mount Ontakesan in central Japan has rekindled concerns about whether Japan’s nuclear power plants, such as the Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, have adequate safeguards for dealing with such a disaster………

Active volcanoes are located near the Sendai plant, with Mount Sakurajima about 50 kilometers away and Mount Kirishima about 60 km away.

In the past, huge volcanic eruptions have led to the formation of large calderas and pyroclastic flows in the area.

Major eruptions occur in Japan about once every 10,000 years. However, nuclear plants have to implement measures depending on the risk even if the frequency of an event is low.

Nuclear plants are not designed to withstand pyroclastic flows at high temperatures. For that reason, if such flows should reach a facility, the consequences could be disastrous.

Kyushu Electric insists that the possibility of an eruption while the Sendai plant is operating is sufficiently low. The utility also says it would be possible to capture signs of a major eruption and remove nuclear fuel beforehand.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority has supported Kyushu Electric’s position.

The removal of the nuclear fuel from the reactors is expected to take several years.

However, the Mount Ontakesan eruption once again demonstrated the limits to accurately predicting volcanic eruptions.

Concerns about the safety measures at the Sendai plant were raised at a Sept. 30 session of a special committee of the Kagoshima prefectural assembly. Some members raised doubts about whether early signs of an eruption could be detected. Others criticized Kyushu Electric’s position………http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201410050034

October 8, 2014 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Japan now closing super-costly Tokai nuclear fuel processor

text-wise-owlTokai nuclear fuel processor to close due to cost of meeting new standards http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140930p2a00m0na009000c.html

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency has announced that it will shut down a spent nuclear fuel processor in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture, as the cost to prepare the facility for new regulation standards established after the Fukushima nuclear plant crisis is predicted to top 100 billion yen.

The agency reported the decommission plan of the existing nuclear fuel processor at a meeting of its reform committee held on Sept. 29.

According to the agency, the nuclear fuel processing technology that has been under development at the Tokai facility has almost been completely moved to another processing station in Aomori Prefecture operated by Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.

The new regulation standards for running a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility require operators to take the same level of safety and anti-disaster measures against earthquakes and tsunami as nuclear power stations. The agency’s executive director Shigeo Nomura told the meeting that continuing the spent fuel recycling project will not be approved by the public in terms of economic rationality.

The agency will include the decommission plan in its medium-term operational policy, which comes into effect in the next fiscal year, and file a decommission plan with the Nuclear Regulation Authority as early as fiscal 2017.

The Tokai plant came into full operation in 1981. Since 2006, it had reprocessed spent nuclear fuel from the now-decommissioned converter-type nuclear reactor Fugen in Fukui Prefecture.

There are some 110 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel left in the Tokai plant, and the agency plans to commission France to treat the remaining fuel.

October 3, 2014 Posted by | Japan, politics, wastes | Leave a comment

Japan’s electricity utilities blocking renewable energy

renewable-blinkers-onflag-japan4 more utilities stop signing contracts for purchasing renewable energy, Manichi, 3 Oct 14TOKYO (Kyodo) — Four more regional utilities said Tuesday they will stop signing contracts to buy renewable energy from mega solar power plants and other suppliers, citing transmission network capacity limitations.

The move by the regional utilities serving Shikoku, Hokkaido, Tohoku and Okinawa follows Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s announcement last week that it was suspending acceptance of applications from renewable energy suppliers.

The suspension by Kyushu Electric has already prompted the government to review the incentive scheme introduced in July 2012 for renewable energy, which it has been encouraging since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster heightened safety concerns about nuclear power.

Under the so-called feed-in tariff scheme, power utilities are obliged to purchase electricity generated from renewable sources at fixed prices. The costs are passed on to consumers in their electricity bills.

But the five utilities have said they can no longer sign power-purchasing contracts as blackouts could occur if all output from renewable energy suppliers is transmitted to the utilities’ grids, causing overcapacity…….http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141001p2g00m0bu040000c.html

October 3, 2014 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

20% of Japanese worried about radiation in Fukushima food

plate-radiationOne in Five Japanese Cautious About Fukushima Food WSJ, 2 Oct 14,  The proportion of consumers saying they hesitate to buy food products from Fukushima prefecture because of radiation fears reached 20%, up from 15% in February, according to a twice-yearly survey by the Consumer Affairs Agency released this week.

The percentage was the highest since February 2013, when the agency began issuing reports on how misinformation and harmful rumors were affecting consumer views of food and radioactive contamination.

The latest study was conducted online in August, and surveyed 5,176 adults in 11 prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka as well as the Tohoku region where the 2011 earthquake and tsunami hit hardest.

Of those surveyed, 22.5% said the government should impose stricter regulations concerning radiation and food, and 47% said that they would like to avoid intake of food with radioactive substances even if the radiation level is below government-set safety limits…….http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/10/02/one-in-five-japanese-cautious-about-fukushima-food/

October 3, 2014 Posted by | health, Japan | Leave a comment

Former Japanese Prime Ministers forget their differences – join in opposing nuclear power

logo-NO-nuclear-Smflag-japanTwo former Japanese prime ministers take anti-nuclear stance to stage at rock festival http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-30/two-former-japanese-prime-ministers-take-anti-nuclear-stance-to/5777958  30 Sep 2014,

Two former prime ministerial foes who became anti-nuclear campaigners in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima crisis joined a rock festival event in Tokyo on Monday that brought together musicians opposed to nuclear power.

“We must create a country where nuclear power generation is zero. Let’s develop our country without nuclear power,” shouted charismatic former leader Junichiro Koizumi from the festival stage, hosted by renowned musician Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Mr Koizumi told reporters that an “unexpected event could happen anytime” at nuclear power plants in Japan, touching on the recent volcanic eruption of Mt Ontake in central Japan which occurred without warning and killed dozens of climbers.

In Japan, earthquakes, tsunami and volcanic eruptions could occur in various locations. It’s a country not allowed to have nuclear power plants,” he said.

Morihiro Hosokawa, another former prime minister, said he felt hope in his anti-nuclear campaigning as he saw the eyes of youths at the festival “twinkling”.

The former leaders from opposite sides of politics have teamed up over the past year to push for all of Japan’s 48 domestic nuclear reactors to stay offline.

The prime minister at the time of the 2011 earthquake and Fukushima meltdown, Naoto Kan, also attended an anti-nuclear protest on Sunday, rallying against the imminent restart of two reactors at the Sendai nuclear plant.

Mr Kan became an anti-nuclear activist upon stepping down as prime minister in September 2011.

The government of Shinzo Abe is pushing for the resumption of reactors that clear new safety requirements introduced in the wake of the Fukushima accident.

October 1, 2014 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Shambles of Japan’s plans for evacuation after the next nuclear accident

safety-symbol-Smflag-japanNot nearly enough buses for mass exodus after nuclear accident THE ASAHI SHIMBUN  by Masanobu Higashiyama and Hiroki Koike.27 Sept 14  The gargantuan task of moving residents in a nuclear crisis will fall on chartered buses, according to the local governments’ evacuation plans.

The problem is there may not be nearly enough vehicles to move huge numbers of people to safety.

Some prefectures already realize they would be lucky to assemble just half the number of buses for the job.

There is also opposition from bus companies, which say they will not subject their drivers to hazardous radiation risks.

In a 10-kilometer radius of Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, which has passed safety checks for a restart, surveys show that local governments can charter only one-fourth of buses that would be needed to evacuate residents.

Although the prefecture plans to sign an agreement with the prefectural association of bus companies to preferentially charter vehicles, a local bus drivers’ union said it will oppose the plan unless safety measures for drivers are mapped out.

According to evacuation plans submitted by Satsuma-Sendai, the city hosting the nuclear plant, and surrounding municipalities within a 30-km radius of the plant, people who need nursing care and others without family cars will have to evacuate by bus……..

In addition to the lack of buses, the void of safety measures to prevent bus drivers from being exposed to radiation during an evacuation casts a shadow on plans by local governments to use chartered buses.

Central government guidelines stipulate that ordinary people such as bus drivers must not be exposed to more than 1 millisievert of radiation annually in normal situations. However, there are no measures in place to deal with those who are exposed to higher readings.http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201409270012

In addition, rules for distributing potassium iodide tablets to protect against thyroid cancer due to radiation have yet to be devised……..

During an Aug. 29 news conference, Niigata Governor Hirohiko Izumida asked if it is realistic for residents to rely on chartered private buses in a case of a nuclear disaster. The prefecture hosts Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant.

“Is it possible to make drivers from private bus companies work in areas that are highly contaminated with radiation?” Izumida asked.

Officials at Fukushima Prefecture’s Nuclear Power Safety Division said they had not confirmed reports that bus companies refused to send vehicles due to concern for drivers’ safety during evacuation procedures for the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

But some trucks transporting relief goods did refuse to enter areas that were highly contaminated with radiation, according to the officials.

“A private company can face legal charges if its employees are exposed to radiation because of work orders,” said an official of Niigata Prefecture. “Even if we sign an agreement with bus companies, it will not ensure the efficacy of such an evacuation plan.”

October 1, 2014 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Secrecy and poor labour conditions at Fukushima nuclear plant

Fukushima-inspectionFukushima Worker: “All sorts of troubles going on in plant”; Officials won’t tell public what really happens — People should worry, it’s not under control — Employees wear disguises over fear of retaliation — Reporter: Tour of plant “was very strange… feels completely dead… not many people” (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/fukushima-worker-all-sorts-troubles-going-inside-plant-officials-arent-disclosing-problems-public-im-concerned-safety-employees-wear-disguises-fear-retaliation-plant-control-people-be-worried-vi?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

NHK
, Sept. 24, 2014 (at 2:15 in): [A Fukushima Daiichi worker’s attorney] warns that the current system could endanger the entire decommissioning process… “Tepco should be held accountable for turning a blind eye. It needs to improve labor conditions, otherwise the situation will make it impossible to secure enough workers to deal with the nuclear accident.” >>Watch the video here

The Guardian, Sept. 9, 2014 (emphasis added):Fukushima fallout continues… [There’s an] unprecedented attempt by four Fukushima Daiichi workers to sue the utility for unpaid wages… [T]he four men… wore masks in court for fear of reprisals from their employers… “A year ago, the prime minister told the world that Fukushima was under control. But that’s not the case,” Tsuguo Hirota told Reuters… “It’s becoming a place for amateurs only, and that has to worry anyone who lives near the plant.”… “My health could suffer… I believe there are many people who can’t speak out about this kind of problem,” one of the workers told public broadcaster NHK.

Time Magazine correspondent Hannah Beech, Sept. 7, 2014: Just to get into the plant it –again — it’s like a Hollywood movie… What was very strange about walking into this place is that it feels completely dead. You don’t see that many people moving around. And those people that you do see, there’s not a palpable sense of urgency, but you realize that the work that they’re doing is so important. And they may not be getting the full of backing that they should to be able to do this. >> Full interview here

NPR, March 11, 2014: About 100 out of the 4,000 people working in the plant every day are TEPCO employees. The rest are subcontractors… Workers [are barred from] speaking to the media… I met a TEPCO worker who was on the job when the quake and tsunami hit… and talked in his car… on the condition that we not identify him and disguise his voice. He says it’s well known at the plant that shoddy work is being done… Many problems inside the Fukushima plant go unreported… The worker says that the Japanese government now needs to step in and guarantee the welfare and safety of all the workers…

TEPCO employee at Fukushima Daiichi (at 2:45 in): I’m concerned about my safety… There are things they feel they don’t have to disclose. There are all sorts of troubles going oninside the plant.

Full interview with the anonymous Fukushima worker here http://enenews.com/fukushima-worker-all-sorts-troubles-going-inside-plant-officials-arent-disclosing-problems-public-im-concerned-safety-employees-wear-disguises-fear-retaliation-plant-control-people-be-worried-vi?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

September 29, 2014 Posted by | employment, Fukushima 2014, Japan | 1 Comment

In Fukushima many women aborted their babies in the months after the nuclear disaster

Fukushima Woman: Many are aborting their babies… It’s really happening — I know many women who were visibly pregnant then suddenly weren’t (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/fukushima-woman-many-aborting-babies-really-happening-many-women-visibly-pregnant-suddenly-werent-video

In Containment
: The people of Minamisoma, 15 months after the meltdown – Part 1/5

Director/editor Ian Thomas Ash
Producer/camera Koji Fujita
Published on Jul 2, 2012
Published by DocumentingIan

Citizens of Minamisoma share personal struggles they continue to face

At 5:00 in

Unidentified Speaker : And many women are aborting their babies.

Interviewer: I have also heard that the number of abortions increasing. But I don’t know if it’s really true.

Minamisoma Resident: It’s really happening.

Interviewer: It’s not just a rumor, but actually true?

Minamisoma Resident: Many people are afraid to have children. I know many people who feel that way. I know many women who were visibly pregnant then suddenly weren’t.

At 7:30 in

Minamisoma Resident 2: Although more than a year has passed we are still suffering. Our hearts are still anguished by issues such as this problem of increasing abortions.

September 29, 2014 Posted by | Fukushima 2012 | Leave a comment

Japan’s secret nuclear weapons program, helped by USA


Japan had a dual use nuclear program. The public program was to develop and provide unlimited energy for the country. But there was also a secret component, an undeclared nuclear weapons program that would allow Japan to amass enough nuclear material and technology to become a major nuclear power on short notice.

That secret effort was hidden in a nuclear power program that by March 11, 2011– the day the earthquake and tsunami overwhelmed the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant – had amassed 70 metric tons of plutonium. Like its use of civilian nuclear power to hide a secret bomb program, Japan used peaceful space exploration as a cover for developing sophisticated nuclear weapons delivery systems.

PuFlag-USAflag-japanUS circumvented laws to help Japan accumulate tons of plutonium  From National Security News Service By Joseph Trento, April 9th, 2012

The United States deliberately allowed Japan access to the United States’ most secret nuclear weapons facilities while it transferred tens of billions of dollars worth of American tax paid research that has allowed Japan to amass 70 tons of weapons grade plutonium since the 1980s, a National Security News Service investigation reveals. These activities repeatedly violated U.S. laws regarding controls of sensitive nuclear materials that could be diverted to weapons programs in Japan. The NSNS investigation found that the United States has known about a secret nuclear weapons program in Japan since the 1960s, according to CIA reports. Continue reading →

September 29, 2014 Posted by | - plutonium, Japan, Reference, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Doubtful that Japan’s nuclear reactors will ever restart

radiation-sign-sadflag-japanRocky road ahead for Japan’s nuclear restart, Ecologist Jim Green and Peer de Rijk / Nuclear Monitor 26th September 2014  Japan’s government is trying to get its failing nuclear power industry up and running, write Jim Green and Peer de Rijk. But in the post-Fukushima world, it faces formidable obstacles. Experts believe most reactors will never restart – and Japan’s stricken utilities may have to find $30 billion or more to finance their decommissioning……… Continue reading →

September 29, 2014 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

TEPCO dumps the failed ice wall plan to contain Fukushima radiation

ice-wall-FukushimaTepco to give up the preceding frozen wall and directly fill the trenches with cement instead http://fukushima-diary.com/2014/09/tepco-give-preceding-frozen-wall-directly-fill-trenches-cement-instead/Tepco is going to give up the preceding water wall project and simply pour cement instead, they announced in the press conference of 9/22/2014. Extremely highly contaminated water is “retained” in the underground trenches, which are connected to the plant buildings.

Though Tepco is denying this, there is a possibility that these trenches are also severely damaged by the continuous explosions and earthquake, keep letting the coolant water leak underground and sea directly from plant buildings.  Tepco was attempting to separate the plant buildings and trenches by frozen water wall in order to pump up the extrenely highly contaminated water retained in the trenches.

However the frozen water wall has never been completed.

Instead of the frozen water wall, Tepco announced they developed the special type of cement to fill the entire trenches.In the simple math, if they pour cement, the same volume of contaminated water would be pushed out of the trenches. However Tepco states it would not leak out because they would pump up the contaminated water as they pour cement.

Because the trenches and the plant buildings are connected, they would end up having to pump up the same volume water as the entire capacity of the trenches. Tepco hasn’t announced if they prepare the enough contaminated water storage. http://www.tepco.co.jp/tepconews/library/archive-j.html

September 27, 2014 Posted by | Fukushima 2014 | 5 Comments

Very high abnormality rates in Fukushima insects eating radiation contaminated leaves

“Groundbreaking” study reveals Fukushima nuclear waste is poisoning wildlife: Up to 99% of offspring died after eating ‘low-level’ contaminated food — “Very high” abnormality rates including “severe and rare” deformities (PHOTOS) http://enenews.com/groundbreaking-study-fukushima-radiation-poisoning-wildlife-99-offspring-died-after-eating-food-low-level-contamination-severe-rare-abnormalities-photos?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

PhysOrg, Sep 23, 2014 (emphasis added): In a previous study, the group [of university researchers] suggested that eating leaves with high levels of radiation seriously affected the pale grass blue butterfly. Their new study investigated the effect of eating leaves with much lower levels of radiation… Joji Otaki, University of Rukyus, says… “Our study demonstrated that eating contaminated foods could cause serious negative effects on organisms. Suchnegative effects may be passed down the generations… eating non-contaminated food improves the negative effects”…

AAAS, Sep 22, 2014: Fukushima radiation still poisoning insects — Eating food contaminated with radioactive particles
may bemore perilous than thought… The findings from Otaki’s group are “groundbreaking,” says Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina… there have been “almost no studies” on how ingestion of radiation-tainted foods affect wildlife.

Study by University of the Ryukyus and Nagasaki University researchers, published Sep 23, 2014: [We] examined the effects Fukushima-insects-14of low-level-contaminated diets… The mortality rate increased linearly in accordance with an increase of the caesium… Remarkably, the mortality rate of the Koriyama group [.04 Bq per larva] was 53% [in the first generation]… We discovered various morphological abnormalities in the surviving adults… severe and rare abnormalities shown in Figure 5might imply the effects of a contaminated diet. Only three [that ate] Okinawa leaves [1760 km from Fukushima Daiichi] showed very minor morphological abnormalities… As observed in the F1 [first] generation, various morphological abnormalities were detected in the surviving F2 [second generation] adults… very high mortality and abnormality rates [were] recorded…low-dose effects were clearly detected… results suggest that low-dose ingestion of approximately 100 Bq/kg may be seriously toxic to certain organisms… The biological effects of ingesting the contaminated diets were more severe in the F2 generation…

Mortality Rates

  • Koriyama [60 km from Fukushima Daiichi] F1 group and the Koriyama F2 group obtained from the Koriyama F1 adults were 53.0% and 79%, respectively
  • Motomiya [also 60 km] F1 group and the Motomiya F2 group obtained from the Motomiya F1 adults were 31.2% and 99%, respectively… “very small number of surviving adults”

Prof. Otaki: Many theoreticians and politicians have claimed [that Fukushima has caused] no harmful biological effects… Even worse, some biologists have claimed that there are no biological impacts… to our surprise, leaves contaminated at relatively low levels… resulted in a mortality rate of more than 50%… Moreover, the sensitivity of the offspring generation increased, resulting in very high mortality rates… it is widely believed among modern biologists that insights obtained from one biological system are largely applicable to other systems…

See also: Study: Deaths, mutations increased sharply from Fukushima exposure “especially at low doses” — ‘Small’ levels of cesium may be significantly toxic

September 26, 2014 Posted by | environment, Fukushima 2014, Japan | Leave a comment