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Some slightly better news on Fukushima radiation

Tepco: radiation from Fukushima plant declines further, By Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO Oct 17 (Reuters) – The operator of Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant on Monday said the amount of radiation being emitted from the complex has halved from a month ago, in the latest sign that efforts to bring the plant under control are progressing.. Continue reading →

October 18, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

Radioactivity to move up food chain from plankton near Fukushima

Radioactive plankton found near Fukushima plant, ABC News, By North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy, October 15, 2011 Researchers say high concentrations of radioactive caesium have been detected in plankton in the Pacific Ocean off the shattered Fukushima nuclear plant.

The Fukushima nuclear plant was badly damaged in the March earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, and has been leaking radiation ever since.

It is feared more radiation could now enter the food chain.

Researchers from Tokyo University collected plankton from the sea south of the Fukushima nuclear plant, discovering nearly 700 becquerels per kilogram of caesium in plankton close to the shore.

Research leader professor Takashi Ishimaru told Japan’s NHK network sea currents had carried contaminated water south from the nuclear plant, heavily contaminating the plankton. A wide range of fish and other marine species feed on the plankton, leading to fears it could have a serious impact on the food chain. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-15/radioactive-plankton-found-near-fukushima/3573076?section=world

October 16, 2011 Posted by | Japan, oceans | Leave a comment

Widening problems in Japan’s nuclear radiation disaster

AUDIO Japanese govt afraid to tell the truth    http://enenews.com/professor-believe-going-nightmare-im-afraid-dealt-fatal-blow-japan-japan-lost-future-video

 

Mr. Hayashida, who discovered the high level at the baseball field, says that he is not waiting any longer for government assurances. He moved his family to Okayama, about 370 miles to the southwest.

“Perhaps we could have stayed in Tokyo with no problems,” he said. “But I choose a future with no radiation fears.”

Radioactive Hot Spots in Tokyo Point to Wider Problems   NYT, By HIROKO TABUCHI : October 14, 2011
TOKYO — Takeo Hayashida signed on with a citizens’ group to test for radiation near his son’s baseball field in Tokyo after government officials told him they had no plans to check for fallout from the devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Like Japan’s central government, local officials said there was nothing to fear in the capital, 160 miles from the disaster zone.

Then came the test result: the level of radioactive cesium in a patch of dirt just meters from where his 11-year-old son, Koshiro, played baseball was equal to those in some contaminated areas around Chernobyl.

The patch of ground was one of more than 20 spots in and around the nation’s capital that the citizen’s group, and the respected nuclear research center they worked with, found were contaminated with potentially harmful levels of radioactive cesium.

It has been clear since the early days of the nuclear accident, the world’s second worst after Chernobyl, that that the vagaries of wind and rain had scattered worrisome amounts of radioactive materials in unexpected patterns far outside the evacuation zone 12 miles around the stricken plant. But reports that substantial amounts of cesium had accumulated as far away as densely populated Tokyo have raised new concerns about how far the contamination had spread, possibly settling in areas where the government has not even considered looking. Continue reading →

October 15, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) worried about Japan’s radioactive cleanup problems

the report noted that a lack of available disposal sites for radioactive waste will “unduly limit and hamper successful remediation activities, thus potentially jeopardizing public health and safety.”

Nuclear Agency Urges Japan to Fix Cleanup Plan, WSJ , 15 Oct 11, By MITSURU OBE,  TOKYO—The International Atomic Energy Agency, in a report released Friday, urged Japan to take a more focused and realistic approach to dealing with radioactive contamination in areas around the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, amid signs the Japanese government is becoming overwhelmed by public demands for decontamination. Continue reading →

October 15, 2011 Posted by | Japan, wastes | Leave a comment

Mayor of Japanese town calls for closure of nuclear reactor

Japan Mayor Wants Reactor Near Tokyo Decommissioned, Planet Ark,  13-Oct-11 Risa Maeda A Japanese mayor has called on the government to decommission the nuclear reactor in his village, 110 km northeast of Tokyo, the first local leader to urge scrapping a reactor as Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda tries to rehabilitate the tarnished nuclear sector to help meet the nation’s power needs. Continue reading →

October 14, 2011 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Japan facing a massive radiation decontamination task, as radiation “hot spots” fopund

Strontium 90 detected in region around Tokyo, Washington Post, By , October 13 SEOUL — Tokyo residents carrying radiation-detection equipment have found small hot spots in several areas of the city, prompting Japanese officials to promise more detailed government monitoring of radiation levels in the country’s most populous region.

Tokyo is more than 125 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility that was heavily damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, but residents reported Thursday that they had found two small areas with radiation levels higher than some within the 12-mile evacuation zone……..

Separately, a soil sample in Yokohama, just south of Tokyo, was found this week to contain strontium-90, an isotope that can accumulate in bones and cause cancer. It was the first time that strontium, with a half-life of 29 years, was detected more than 60 miles from the plant. The strontium was found atop an apartment building in a measurement made by a private agency at a resident’s request……

Apart from the latest radiation detections, Japan faces a massive decontamination job that will require years of work and billions of dollars. Officials say an area of 925 square miles must be decontaminated by a combination of scrubbing and topsoil removal.

The towns closest to the plant, located along the coast in Fukushima prefecture, will not be habitable for decades. Last week, health-care workers began conducting checkups on more than 300,000 children in Fukushima…..  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/mini-hotspots-strontium-90-detected-in-region-around-tokyo/2011/10/13/gIQA6XqHhL_story.html

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

155 miles from Fukushima – radioactive sediment found

With internal exposure at high concentrations, strontium-90 can accumulate in the bones and is “one of the more hazardous constituents of nuclear wastes,” according to the EPA.

The findings come after a travel alert issued by the U.S. government last week,

Radioactive sediment found miles from Japan nuclear crisis zone, CNN Oct 12 Officials in Yokohama, Japan’s second largest city, are investigating soil samples after a radioactive substance was found in sediment atop an apartment building about 155 miles (250 kilometers)  from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, according to news reports. Continue reading →

October 13, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Japan: the psychological impact of Fukushima nuclear catastrophe

For Japanese, Fukushima spells fear, MARK MACKINNON,TOKYO—Globe and Mail, Oct. 12, 2011 The Fukushima fallout has now spread well beyond what can be measured with a Geiger counter. In the minds of many consumers, Fukushima prefecture – which, at almost 14,000 square kilometres is bigger than Lebanon or Jamaica – and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are one and the same. Though the Japanese government has evacuated only a 20-kilometre radius around the plant, many inside and outside Japan treat the entire region as though it’s contaminated, unsure of what to make of shifting official assessments of the situation. Continue reading →

October 13, 2011 Posted by | Japan, psychology - mental health | Leave a comment

Japan’s plan for 20 year study of 360,000 children’s radiation effects

In Japan, a Long-Term Study On Radiation Leaks’ Effects, NYT, By HIROKO TABUCHI,  October 10, 2011 TOKYO — In an effort to track the long-term health effects of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan has begun a survey of local children for thyroid abnormalities, a problem associated with exposure to radiation.

The study comes in response to concerns over the health consequencesof the serious radiation leaks caused by multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in March. Japanese officials hope to study about 360,000 children who were under 18 at the time of the accident and track their health through their lifetimes, according to Fukushima Prefecture officials.

Children and pregnant women are particularly sensitive to radioactive iodine, which can harm the thyroid, studies after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 have shown. According to research presented at a 2006 global conference, at least 4,000 cases of thyroid cancer among children have been linked to Chernobyl’s fallout.

On Sunday, the first day of the Fukushima study, more than 100 children were tested. Specific test results will not be made public, according to Fukushima Prefecture. But the children, who will be tested every two years until they turn 20 and every five years after that, will receive further care if doctors discover abnormalities….. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/world/asia/japan-studies-radiation-effects-on-children.html

October 11, 2011 Posted by | health, Japan | 1 Comment

Japan’s government’s push to sell nuclear technology overseas

Shunning Nuclear Plants at Home, Japan Pursues Building Them Overseas, NYT, By , October 10, 2011 TOKYO — Even as Japan plans to phase out nuclear power as too risky for domestic use, the government is supporting a new push by Japanese industry to sell nuclear power technology to other countries

Japanese industrial conglomerates, with the cooperation of the government in Tokyo, are renewing their pursuit of multibillion-dollar projects, particularly in smaller energy-hungry countries like Vietnam and Turkey. The effort comes despite criticism within Japan by environment groups and opposition politicians……
Mr. Noda’s government considers foreign reactor projects a way to help stimulate Japan’s export-led economy, which had been struggling even before March’s natural and nuclear disasters. Tokyo’s backing— including financial assistance to the customer countries — has become critical in negotiating deals, especially as global confidence in nuclear safety has faltered in Fukushima’s wake….. Continue reading →

October 11, 2011 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Earthquake, after shocks continue in Fukushima area

Fukushima nuclear plant stable despite new earthquake, :Herald Sun,  October 10, 2011 AN EARTHQUAKE hit Japan’s Fukushima area today, but officials say the region’s crippled nuclear plant remains stable.

The 5.5-magnitude offshore quake struck at 11.45am (1345 AEDT) off Fukushima prefecture in the country’s north, at a depth of 30.2km, the US Geological Survey said…. Hundreds of powerful aftershocks have shaken the region since the March quake. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/fukushima-nuclear-plant-stable-despite-new-earthquake/story-e6frf7lf-1226163131977

October 11, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

TEPCO now owes $50 billion in Fukushima nuclear compensation

N-disaster price: Tepco to pay $50 bn? Hindustan Times , Aizuwakamatsu, October 10, 2011 “…….Seven months after the triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi, Tepco, which operated the facility, owes $50 billion in compensation to the tens of thousands who lived close to the plant. The payments could send the company into bankruptcy, a government panel recently said. At minimum, they will handcuff the utility giant for years, forcing it to cut jobs, sell its assets and perhaps raise electricity rates for its 29 million customers….

The prestige of working for Tepco is gone, and so are many of the perks. It once operated resorts and sponsored clubs for employees. But since the disaster, it has booked $23 billion in losses. Economists say the company will either go bankrupt or carry for years the baggage of debts to evacuees and lenders.. http://www.hindustantimes.com/N-disaster-price-Tepco-to-pay-50-bn/Article1-755743.aspx

October 11, 2011 Posted by | Japan | Leave a comment

Real radioactive cleanup from Fukushima area is a long way off

With challenges such as the designation of temporary radioactive waste dumps and interim storage facilities yet unsolved, the road to true decontamination remains a long one.

True radiation decontamination still a long way away, Mainichi Daily News,. Japan October 7, 2011 Though the government last month lifted the “emergency evacuation preparation zone” designation of some areas greatly affected by the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, radiation decontamination efforts are still taking place in areas with high levels of radiation.

The three main decontamination methods that have been highly publicized through media reports are: the stripping away of surface soil from school playgrounds and athletic fields, the removal of mud accumulated in gutters, and the washing of roofs using high-pressure water cleaners. While the first method is considered effective, the remaining two have been found to be effective only to a certain point, and some especially warn against overestimating the effects of high-pressure water cleaners. Continue reading →

October 10, 2011 Posted by | environment, Japan, Reference | Leave a comment

TEPCO hides nuclear information from politicians and public

Tepco fights to keep nuclear emergency procedures secret, FT.com By Jonathan Soble in Tokyo, October 4, 2011  Six months after the meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station, the Japanese utility that owns the plant is fighting to keep its pre-disaster emergency-response procedures a secret from politicians and the public, arguing they contain valuable trade information. Tokyo Electric Power angered members parliamentary committee last month when it handed over manuals outlining steps that its nuclear plant operators are meant to follow in the case of accidents.

All but a few words of the texts were redacted with black ink.

The storm of controversy that followed – one newspaper columnist compared it to wartime censorship – seems not to have softened the company’s stance. This week it asked Japan’s nuclear safety regulator, which had ordered it to resubmit the manuals without redaction, to allow it to keep much of the material secret. So far only the regulator, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (Nisa), has seen the originals, which run to thousands of pages. It has not passed them on to the lawmakers who originally requested them.

Tepco has told Nisa that if the manuals are to be made public, 90 per cent of the content related to “severe accidents” such as that at Fukushima should be kept under black ink. “The manuals contain knowhow that we have built up over a long period of operation,” a company spokesman said on Tuesday…. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/2dc211b0-ee78-11e0-a2ed-00144feab49a.html#axzz1a2EVqNGT

October 6, 2011 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

High levels of radiation in soil beyond Fukushima’s exclusion zone

Nuclear contamination found beyond Japan no-go zone, Google News, 6 Oct 11, TOKYO — High levels of radioactive contamination have been found in soil in the capital of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture, a study showed Wednesday, prompting calls to make the area a voluntary evacuation zone.

Some 307,000 becquerels of caesium per kilogramme (2.2 pounds) of soil was detected in an independent survey conducted on September 14 by a radiological engineering expert and citizens’ groups……

On Friday the government said it would lift five “evacuation preparation” zones between 20 and 30 kilometres from the plant, where residents were not forced to evacuate but were told to be ready to do so in the event of further setbacks at the crippled plant.

Public confidence in the safety of Japan’s nuclear plants has plummeted in the wake of the disaster, with only 10 of the nation’s 54 reactors currently online….. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gPTzBtCcJ2AYbeWbgXB84JLolAiA?docId=CNG.574799ca7aea7d5e54ed792d7efd7168.541

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

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