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All Fukushima rice to be checked for radiation

 Asahi Shimbun August 24, 2012 By TETSUYA KASAI/ Staff Writer With early rice harvests under way in Fukushima Prefecture, farmers are keeping their fingers crossed that this year’s crop passes government radiation checks.

For the second year following the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the Fukushima prefectural government is inspecting all bags of rice produced in the prefecture to ensurelevels of radiation are below government limits, which were lowered this year to 100 becquerels per kilogram…. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201208240074

August 25, 2012 Posted by | Fukushima 2012 | Leave a comment

UNSCEAR to investigate radiation impact of Fukushima nuclear disaster

Next December Carl-Magnus Larsson, head of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, takes over as UNSCEAR chairman.UNSCEAR has been the go-to body for such complex, high-profile investigations since it was established by the UN General Assembly in 1955 under the chairmanship of Australian radiation expert Cecil Eddy…. the Fukushima report .. will be presented to the [United Nations] General Assembly late next year.

Radiation risks high in Japan http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/radiation-risks-high-in-japan/story-e6frg8y6-1226456949429 BY: LEIGH DAYTON   The Australian August 25, 2012 IT’S hard to believe, but earlier this month the power company that runs Japan’s devastated Fukushima nuclear power plant revealed that five people working on the clean-up had covered their radiation detectors with lead, rendering them useless.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company said the five were contracted by a subcontractor of a – yes – subcontractor and were not even authorised to work at the plant. Other workers were found not to have used dosimeters at all. Continue reading →

August 25, 2012 Posted by | health, Japan | Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zero nuclear energy the favoured choice for Japanese

Japan Citizens Favor Zero Nuclear In Debate Over Energy Options Bloomberg, By Tsuyoshi Inajima and Yuji Okada – Aug 21, 2012  Japan ’s public wants the government to phase out nuclear power according to the results of town hall-like forums to give the public a say in the debate on the nation’s energy supply post-Fukushima.

The forums brought together 286 citizens for two days in early August in Tokyo from thousands surveyed by phone. They were broken into smaller groups to discuss and vote on three energy supply options the government proposed: Zero nuclear, 15 percent nuclear, and 20 percent to 25 percent nuclear.

A total 47 percent opted for zero nuclear, 16 percent favored the nuclear ratio at 15 percent, while 13 percent endorsed 20-25 percent, according to a report by Yasunori Sone , a professor of political science at Keio University  and the head of the group that organized the survey for the government. The remainder chose more than one option, said Sone’s report.

The poll results “indicate Japanese citizens are prepared for a policy shift to green energy from nuclear power and consequent lifestyle changes and cost burdens,” according to the report….. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-22/japan-finds-47-of-citizens-support-zero-nuclear-power-option.html

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

Sources of plutonium found around Fukushima

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

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

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

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

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

Increasing citizen distrust of Japan’s corrupt “nuclear village”

“The government is appointing experts from the so-called nuclear-power village to a new nuclear-power regulation committee. They are corrupt,”

Citizens’ groups propel rising wave of antinuclear activism Japan Times, 19 Aug By ERIKO ARITA  “……Mirei Akagi, a 33-year-old mother of two from Saitama Prefecture, was at the Yoyogi Park protest. She said she had participated in several protests and that each time she had learned about them via the social-networking website Facebook….. Continue reading →

August 20, 2012 Posted by | Japan, media | Leave a comment

Fukushima radiation effects – grassroots reports

Fukushima Radioactive Contamination Symptoms Research By  /    http://nowarnow.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/fukushima-radioactive-contamination-symptoms-research/19 August, 2012 /   Mirror of Newsletter at  http://frcsrnewsletter.blogspot.com/

In the last ten days, there were multiple reports of changes in white blood cell counts.  In Fukushima-city, 60 kilometers from ground zero, a five-year-old child is already hospitalized with leukemia.  At a Tokyo private medical clinic 250 kilometers from ground zero, it is reported that 700 children have had leukopenia since last April.  This constitutes 80% of children who were seen at this clinic.  There is no end to occurrences of infectious diseases, especially rubella, and reported cases are triple what was reported last year and previous years, according to a summary by Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

Reports from members of the general public Continue reading →

August 20, 2012 Posted by | health, Japan | Leave a comment

Thousands rally again in anti nuclear protest in Tokyo

Tokyo’s anti-nuclear protesters remember WWII http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/172/1229068/ August 18, 2012 BUSINESS RECORDER   Japanese anti-nuclear demonstrators on Friday recounted the horror of  World War II, days after the region marked Tokyo’s surrender nearly seven decades earlier. Thousands of marchers took to streets in the
capital for a weekly rally in front of the prime minister’s office and parliament to pressure the government to drop its policy of using nuclear power. Continue reading →

August 18, 2012 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Japan showing how it manages well WITHOUT nuclear power

With summer soon ending, fears that Japan couldn’t function without nuclear power during summer periods of heaviest electricity demand are being proven unfounded.

Dire predictions of what would happen to the Japanese economy without restarting reactors haven’t held up. 

 As More About Fukushima Contamination and Casualties Is Known, Japan Proceeding Without Nuclear Reactors,  Samuel S. Epstein Cancer prevention expert, Prof. emeritus at U. of IL School of Public Health, Chicago HUFFINGTON POST, 16 Aug 12,    “….the impact of Fukushima continues…..
………..Aside from the changes in health, Fukushima has also had a major impact on public policy. . Within days of the meltdowns, Germany shut some reactors, four of them permanently; the Merkel government then announced a plan to phase out all remaining reactors by 2022. Belgium and Switzerland soon followed with similar phase-out plans.
Italy, which has no operating reactors, placed a moratorium on plans to build new ones. Newly-elected French president Hollande campaigned on a pledge to drop the percent of French electricity from nuclear power from 75% to 50% by 2030.

But the biggest development has taken place in Japan,….. Continue reading →

August 17, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | 3 Comments

Japan’s media controlled – not reporting deaths of nuclear evacuees

“Complete Information Control”: Japan newspapers receive much frightening info that’s covered up — Some evacuees died from acute symptoms yet not reported — Journalists scared  http://enenews.com/complete-information-control-newspapers-receive-tons-frightening-information-covered-fukushima-journalist-frightened-govt-died-acute-symptoms-never-reported   August 16th, 2012  By ENENews  According to the news received yesterday, 6 evacuees out of 10 from a certain area of Namiecho who relocated themselves in Yonezawa died of acute symptoms (it was said leukemia), and that horrified the remaining evacuees. They presented this fact to the administration and medias, however, the media didn’t report it at all. They said they are scared of the government…

.. Local newspaper companies receive tons of frightening information, however, all are covered up. After the protest that took place in front of the PM’s residence, Tokyo Simbun expressed its regret to be not able to report it. Tokyo Simbun is a conscientious company. What are the other companies doing?..

.. Extracted from Mailing List of Fukushima Nuclear Disaster complainant. This document represents the actual situation of Fukushima. Majority are aware of the ongoing crisis. Complete information control is being carried out. My little brother is a local journalist of Fukushima, and he told me the government keeps a tight lid on information and it frightens him. Google Translation

August 17, 2012 Posted by | Japan, media | Leave a comment

Early plan was for USA to drop concrete on Fukushima nuclear reactors

Former Japan Official: US army planned to entomb Fukushima reactors days after 3/11 — Given permission to use Yamagata airport  http://enenews.com/former-japan-official-us-army-planned-to-entomb-fukushima-reactors-days-after-311-given-permission-to-use-yamagata-airport  June 21st, 2012 a
By ENENews 1. There is elephant’s foot coming from reactor 4, which is produced from nuclear explosion.ormer NHK news broadcaster Hori Jun interviewed Mr. Matsuda, policy secretary of former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, with summary translation by Fukushima Diary:

2. In the night of 3/14/2011, Japanese government and US army were planning to drop coolant onto Fukushima plants by airplane and cover the plants with sarcophagus.

At 10:00AM of 3/15/2011, when Kan, former Japanese prime minister was in the headquarters of Tepco, Kitazawa, Minister of Defense gave US army the permission to use Yamagata airport.

[…]

US army was planning to fly to Fukushima plants. To complete this mission, Japanese government needed to evacuate all the Tepco workers from Fukushima plants but they ended up not removing Tepco from the plant area, the plan was not realized after all.

[…]

August 17, 2012 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

“No way that banks would provide financing” for nuclear power , says bank chairman

Bank chairman stands defiant with blunt anti-nuclear message, The Mainichi, 15 Aug 12, I was hardly getting anywhere trying to write about “hope” and the general election that’s supposed to come sooner or later when Tsuyoshi Yoshiwara, chairman of Johnan Shinkin Bank, appeared on television.

“Can the member corporations of the Keidanren (the Japan Business Federation) buy out nuclear reactors themselves and operate them?” he asked, point blank.

“There’s no way banks would provide financing,” he continued. “Corporations propose something (the continuation of nuclear reactors) that they can’t even do on their own, knowing full well that the burden will ultimately fall on the public. And yet they say that what they propose is ‘realistic.’ That makes no sense, and is most irresponsible.” Continue reading →

August 16, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Disease and death toll from Fukushima radiation needs careful, patient, tracking

[in the 12 months after Fukushima]  an excess of 38,700 Japanese deaths, with no obvious cause.

Nobody should yet race to conclusions that 38,700 Japanese died from Fukushima exposure in the first year after the disaster.  

The final element needed before conclusions are made is patience; vital statistics must continue to be tracked, and compared with radiation exposures to the Japanese people.

[In 2009] A team of Russian researchers, led by Dr. Alexey Yablokov, published results of 5,000 reports and articles on Chernobyl – many in Russian languages never before made public. Yahlokov’s team concluded that near Chernobyl, increases in disease sand deaths were observed for nearly every human organ system.

Let the Counting Begin Fukushima’s Nuclear Casualties http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/15/fukushimas-nuclear-casualties/ by JOSEPH MANGANO, 15 Aug 12 It’s been nearly 18 months since the disastrous nuclear meltdown at Fukushima.  There have been many reports on the huge amounts of radioactivity escaping into the air and water, unusually high levels in air, water, and soil – along with atypically high levels of toxic chemicals in food – that actually “passed” government inspection and wasn’t banned like some other food.

Conspicuously absent are reports on effects of radiation exposure on the health of the Japanese people.  Have any health officials publicly announced post-March 2011 numbers on fetal deaths, infant deaths, premature births, birth defects, cancer, or other health conditions? The answer so far is an emphatic “no.”

The prolonged silence doesn’t mean data doesn’t exist.  Japanese health officials have been busy with their usual duties of collecting and posting statistics on the Internet for public inspection.  It’s just that they aren’t calling the public’s attention to these numbers.
Thus, it is the public who must find the information and figure out what it means.  After locating web sites, translating from Japanese, adding data for each of 12 months, and making some calculations, mortality trends in Japan after Fukushima are emerging. Continue reading →

August 16, 2012 Posted by | health, Japan, Reference | Leave a comment

The psychological toll on nuclear workers in Japan

Nuclear Workers Stressed After Japanese Quake Med Page Today, By Michael Smith,  August 14, 2012 Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner

Action Points
This study of psychological distress and post-traumatic stress response among workers at two nuclear power plants involved in the Fukushima earthquake/tsunami found high levels of self-reported distress especially among workers at the plant that suffered the meltdown…

Psychological distress and post-traumatic stress response (PTSR) were common among workers at two Japanese nuclear plants in the wake of the March 11, 2011 earthquake, researchers reported. But rates were significantly higher among workers at the Daiichi
plant, which suffered a meltdown, than they were at the Daini plant, which was damaged but remained intact, according to Takeshi Tanigawa, MD, PhD, of Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine in Ehime, Japan, and colleagues.

Both groups of workers were exposed — at much the same rate — to slurs and discrimination because the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the plants, was widely criticized for its response to the disaster, Continue reading →

August 16, 2012 Posted by | Japan, psychology - mental health | Leave a comment

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