ASIA « nuclear-news

Highest ever radiation in wild boar in Iwaki, japan

33,000 Bq/Kg from wild boar in Iwaki city, “The highest measurement ever” http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/11/33000-bqkg-from-wild-boar-in-iwaki-city-the-highest-measurement-ever/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FukushimaDiary+%28Fukushima+Diary%29
by Mochizuki November 21st, 2012 · On 11/20/2012, Fukushima prefecture announced they measured 33,000 Bq/kg of cesium from wild boar in Iwaki city. It was the highest
measurement ever.

Prefectural government commented they are not sure about the reason.

They measured higher than 100 Bq/Kg from 5 among 16 samples, which were wild boar (Sus scrofa), spot‐billed duck (Anas poecilorhyncha), mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) and Japanese deer (Cervus nippon).

November 23, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

South Korea’s nuclear regulation, not transparent, not independent

S.Korea says IEA wants its nuclear sector to be more transparent SEOUL Nov 22, 2012 (Reuters) – The International Energy Agency (IEA) wants South Korea to bring more transparency to its nuclear power sector and strengthen the independence of regulators to increase trust in the safety of its plants, the economy ministry said on Friday.

The agency, which advises industrialized nations and represents 28 oil importing countries, was due later on Friday to unveil a report on South Korea’s energy policies for the first time since 2006…..

The South Korean government has been criticised for a lack of transparency over safety in its nuclear programme and for the dual supervisory and promotion roles of its regulators…..
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/22/iea-korea-idUKL4N0921O420121122

November 23, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, South Korea | Leave a comment

India’s Renewable Energy Scheme could still do well

it is vital for the government to ensure that RPO does not remain an
isolated initiative. Given the considerable renewable energy potential within India, a well-designed and workable RPO scheme, with the full support of state and Central policy makers, could result in promoting significant investment in this sector.

Renewed hope for alternative energy The mandate to buy electricity from renewable sources is not as stringent or unworkable as is commonly assumed ,Business Standard Ashwani Srivastava / Nov 23, 2012,

The Central government, in its post-policy-paralysis avatar, has been actively promoting the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) scheme, which obligates electricity supply companies to ensure that a specified fraction of their electricity consumption comes from renewable sources.

The scheme was announced in April 2010, and, according to media reports, is currently facing “major hurdles”. Almost all state-owned electricity distribution companies (discoms),
and obligated entities have failed to meet their RPO obligation for 2011-12. This includes several large entities, including Reliance Industries and Steel Authority of India . Continue reading →

November 23, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, renewable | Leave a comment

Role of Fukushima insects in spreading radiation?

Are radioactive insects spreading Fukushima contamination from lake bottoms across the land? Scientist: They grow underwater then fly out & die everywhere http://enenews.com/are-radioactive-insects-spreading-cesium-from-lake-bottoms-out-across-the-land-scientist-they-grow-underwater-then-fly-out-and-die-everywhere
November 21st, 2012
Title: Fukushima Update: Radioactive Fish, Conflicts of Interest, and Filtered Vents
Source: ScienceBlogs (A National Geographic partner)
Author: Greg Laden
Date: Nov. 21, 2012
Highly Radioactive Fish Have Been Found…
I have a hypothesis that explains many of these observations. Fish like trout, salmon, and char eat, among other things, insects on the surface, gorging on hatches. A hatch is a large number of insects flying around and spending time over water, or often, just falling into the water, after emerging from a body of water where they spent an aquatic phase. I’ve written before about the role that insects such as dragonflies and lake flies serve the role of moving nutrients from their “final” resting place at the bottom of ponds and lakes, out across the landscape. These animals start off as an egg, and then turn into their adult form underwater, accumulating nutrients …. and cesium? …. as they grow. Then they fly out of the water and die everywhere. Or, are eaten by selected species of fish. From clay-rich lake bottom, where radioactive cesium can accumulate in sufficient density to disqualify bottom feeders from human consumption, to the mouths of trout, salmon and char. I don’t know if the Japanese researchers are thinking about it this way, but I hope it is given some thought.

Failure of Japan’s new Fukushima clean-up robot

Japan’s new nuclear-proof robot gets stage fright http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/technology/AJ201211220024 November 22, 2012 REUTERS YOKOHAMA--A Japanese robot designed to withstand high levels of radiation and extreme heat at damaged nuclear plants such as Fukushima froze on its first public demonstration.

Despite being home to the largest number of industrial robots in the world, Japan did not have a device capable of entering the damaged Fukushima nuclear facility after last year’s devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Instead, Japan brought in U.S. robots to survey the extent of the damage inside the reactor buildings.

Toshiba Corp. unveiled Japan’s own nuclear-proof robot on Oct. 21, a four-legged device able to carry up to 20 kg of equipment and capable of lifting itself up if it falls over on uneven surfaces and amid debris.

During the demonstration, the robot experienced a case of stage fright. The shuffling Tetrapod locked up and suddenly froze after it tried to balance itself, forcing technicians to carry it away. It is the second time such Japanese robotic technology has experienced problems. Last October, a crawling robot developed by the Chiba Institute of Technology lost connection with operators and was abandoned inside Fukushima’s No. 2 reactor building.

November 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2012, Japan, technology | Leave a comment

Thyroid disorders in 42% of Fukushima’s children

German TV: 42% of Fukushima children now with thyroid disorders — Official blames too much seafood? (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/german-tv-42-of-fukushima-children-now-with-thyroid-disorders-official-blames-too-much-seafood-video German TV channel ZDF’s segment on the Fukushima Health Survey translated by SimplyInfo:

November 19th, 2012 More than 42% of 57,000 tested children have nodules or cyst, reports Dr. Suzuki who leads the examinations. In Chernobyl they found only 0.1 – 1%. nobody of the experts asks for the reasons. […] He explains the results mainly by improved diagnosis methods, but people don’t believe him. […] There are no refererence [sic] studies, Dr. Suzuki tells us, and maybe the children simply took too much iodine or seafood. He doesn’t know if this has something to do with radiation. “We are mainly here to inform the parents of the results of our study.” But what do such results mean to parents without proper explanations? The official handling of the disaster is more than questionable. Many people have completely lost trust in government and believe that the disaster is played down to protect the mighty nuclear industry of Japan.

November 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2012, health, Japan | Leave a comment

Close to Tokyo, an increasingly radioactive lake

Japan Times: Time bomb in Tokyo metropolitan area — Experts warn of accumulating Fukushima contamination http://enenews.com/japan-times-time-bomb-tokyo-metropolitan-area-experts-warn-accumulating-fukushima-contamination
Title: The muddy issue of cesium in a lake
Source: Japan Times
Author: By TOMOKO OTAKE
Date: Nov 18, 2012
Lake Kasumigaura in Ibaraki Prefecture is facing an environmental threat that has essentially turned it into a time bomb ticking away 60 km northeast of Tokyo.

Experts warn that Japan’s second largest lake with a surface area of 220 sq. km is quietly but steadfastly accumulating radioactive cesium […]

[It] is not only rich with fishery resources but whose water is used for irrigation, industrial purposes, and even for consumption as drinking water for 960,000 people in Ibaraki Prefecture. Furthermore, no one knows how and by how much the problem has worsened over the months, except for one obvious thing: it hasn’t gone away. […]

[Atsunobu Hamada, former director of the government-affiliated Ibaraki Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute maintains] that the inevitable solution would be to release Kasumigaura’s cesium into the Pacific Ocean via the Tone River […]

“We have a potential disaster waiting to happen,” [Hiroshi Iijima, director general of the nonprofit organization Asaza Fund in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture] said. “This is a lake in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the second-largest lake in Japan, and we are sitting idly by, letting it get contaminated.”

Katsuhiko Sato, official at the Environment Ministry’s water environment section: The current levels of contamination pose no health risk for the area’s residents, because radiation in the lake and the rivers is shielded by water – (Shielding? See above: “Water is used for irrigation, industrial purposes, and even for consumption as drinking water for 960,000 people in Ibaraki Prefecture”)
Asahi Source: Locations in Chiba came under heavy nuclear fallout; Borders Tokyo — Contamination has potential to affect ecosystems

November 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Cesium levels in mushrooms have risen in several Japanese prefectures

[Asahi] Cesium levels in mushroom have also risen in various areas compared with last year http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/11/asahi-cesium-levels-in-mushroom-have-also-risen-in-various-areas-compared-with-last-year/
by Mochizuki on November 21st, 2012 ·
<Quote> [Asahi]
・・・

As of Nov. 16, officials said 93 municipalities in 10 prefectures, including Fukushima, had a shipment restriction in place. For five prefectures–Aomori, Saitama, Yamanashi, Nagano and Shizuoka–wild mushrooms constitute the only produce for which a shipment ban is in effect.

Cesium levels have also risen in various areas compared with last year.
According to tests requested by the central government, the highest levels recorded this year were 120 becquerels in Aomori Prefecture, up from only 60 becquerels last year; 2,100 becquerels in Nagano Prefecture (1,320 becquerels last year); and 3,000 becquerels in Tochigi Prefecture (134 becquerels last year).

Yasuyuki Muramatsu, a chemistry professor at Gakushuin University who specializes in radiation effects on ecology, said, “While the detailed mechanism is still unclear, mushrooms can more easily absorb cesium in comparison to plants because they are fungi.” As for why cesium levels are higher this autumn, Muramatsu said, “There is the possibility that radioactive materials that were attached to the trunks and leaves of trees last year were washed away by the rain and entered the soil into which mushrooms extend their fungal filament.”

Muramatsu cautioned that some types of wild mushroom may have high cesium levels next year as well, which will require continued testing.

November 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

seawater off Fukushima containing plutonium

Pu-239/240 was measured in sea water from 15km offshore Fukushima plant
by Mochizuki on November 21st, 2012 ·

（4.7±1.5)E-6 Bq/L of Pu-239/240 was measured from the upper layer of
15km offshore from Fukushima plant….
http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/11/pu-239240-was-measured-in-sea-water-from-15km-offshore-fukushima-plant/

November 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2012 | Leave a comment

High radiation levels on orchid island, Taiwan

Japanese professors detect high radiation on island in Taiwan Japan Times, Kyodo TAIPEI, 20 Nov 12, — Two Japanese scholars say they have detected high levels of radiation on Orchid Island, a temporary underground storage site of low-level radioactive nuclear waste off Taiwan’s southeastern coast.TAIPEI — Continue reading →

November 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Taiwan | Leave a comment

Anti nuclear political parties getting organised in Japan

Ozawa, Kamei to fight election on anti-nuclear line, November 20, 2012 THE ASAHI SHIMBUN Two veteran politicians hoping to draw support for their small parties are drawing a line in the sand against nuclear power, a key issue in the Dec. 16 Lower House election.

Ichiro Ozawa, who leads People’s Life First, plans to capitalize on the issue to differentiate his party and draw support away from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party.

People’s Life First, mainly consisting of DPJ defectors, calls for moving away from nuclear power in 10 years in its basic platform. Continue reading →

November 21, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

South Korea plans to keep making the stuff- but no idea where to put nuclear wastes!

South Koreans to ponder where to store nuclear waste http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/20/us-nuclear-korea-idUSBRE8AJ0CP20121120 By Meeyoung Cho SEOUL Nov 20, 2012 (Reuters) – South Korea is to hold public consultations on where to store waste nuclear fuel as storage capacity at its reactors is reaching full capacity, the government said on Tuesday.

The plan to set up an independent consultative body comes as South Korea grapples with its worst nuclear crisis ever after forged certificates were used by parts suppliers to the nuclear industry, causing stoppages at two reactors as the bitter Korean winter draws near.

The government has been criticized for a lack of transparency over safety for its nuclear programme and for the dual supervisory and promotion roles of its regulators. Continue reading →

November 21, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | South Korea, wastes | Leave a comment

Ocean food chain irreparably damaged by Fukushima radiation

The ocean, food chain, and Japan’s fishing industry have all been irreparably damaged by the Fukushima crisis, and that damage is still ongoing. The Japanese government and TEPCO’s excuses are only wasting time that should be put towards finding a solution.

TEPCO, Japanese government denying Fukushima radiation reaching ocean
fish http://japandailypress.com/tepco-japanese-government-denying-fukushima-radiation-reaching-ocean-fish-2018691 By Adam Westlake / November 20, 2012 In what must the most dumbfounding state of denial seen in modern times, both the Japanese government and utility Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) are disputing the recent study that showed radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant is leaking into the ocean.

18 months after the March 2011 nuclear disaster, the U.S.’s Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, a respected research group, reported that 40% of the fish caught off the
coast of Fukushima were still testing positive for radioactive contamination above the government’s safety own limits. Continue reading →

November 21, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, oceans, spinbuster | 1 Comment

Call for INDEPENDENT radiation monitoring in Lanyu (Orchid Island)

Thirty years after the storage facility was built without prior consultation and communication with Lanyu residents, the government has yet to conduct a complete investigation of nuclear radiation on the island

The council was accused of malpractice concerning nuclear waste repackaging in Lanyu last month.

Groups urge Lanyu radioactivity checks, Taipei Times, 20 Nov 12, DODGY TESTS:The Atomic Energy Council said that the devices used in previous radioactivity checks by Japanese experts had been affected by electromagnetic waves By Chris Wang and Lee I-chia Staff reporters Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers and several academics yesterday told a press conference that the nuclear radiation level in Lanyu (蘭嶼), also known as Orchid Island, was a serious concern and demanded a complete investigation into potential radiation threats on the island. Continue reading →