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
Pakistan pushes for nuclear disarmament
Pakistan calls for talks on nuclear disarmament, Business Recorder, OCTOBER 15, 2011 Pakistan has urged “some major powers” to commence negotiations on the larger issue of nuclear disarmament instead of pushing for a treaty to ban production of fissile material used as fuel for atomic weapons, saying the treaty was a limited non-proliferation goal.
Speaking in the General Assembly’s main committee, Raza Bashir Tarar, the deputy permanent representative of Pakistan, said besides nuclear disarmament, his country was ready to start talks on two other outstanding agenda items negative security assurances for non-nuclear-weapon-states and preventing an arms race in outer space in the Conference on Disarmament, the Geneva-based UN negotiating body.
“After all, the Conference on Disarmament (CD) is not there to only negotiate an FMCT (Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty),” he said in the course of a thematic debate on nuclear weapons. Over the past couple of years, Pakistan has been blocking the launching of negotiations on the proposed treaty at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on the ground that it is prejudicial to its national security interests…… http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/single/599/172/1242266/
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, 2011TOKYO — 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
Movement against India’s nuclear power program goes national
The writ petition mentions, “How under the pressure of foreign countries and the multi-billion dollar nuclear industry, the government has been pushing forward an expensive, unviable and dangerous nuclear power programme without proper safety assessment and without a thorough comparative cost-benefit analysis vis-a-vis other sources of energy, especially renewable sources.”
Country-wide protests against nuclear plants have escalated following the Fukushima disaster in Japan.
Humongous nuclear costs at the expense of exchequer
Activists nationwide unite to battle UPA’s nuclear dreams, Rediff, October 14, 2011, Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi Activists, experts and scientists across the country have come together to challenge Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s dream project to double the nuclear energy-based power generation in the country, A writ petition filed by eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan under Article 32 seeks appropriate writ for declaring Nuclear Liability Act, 2010, unconstitutional and to call for safety re-assessment and cost-benefit analysis of all nuclear facilities in India. The petitioners want the overhaul of the ‘dysfunctional’ regulatory system.
The petitioners comprise of distinguished personalities or organisations who have first time come together to challenge one of the biggest policy decisions of the United Progressive Alliance government. Continue reading
Public interest litigation in India questions nuclear power program
Petition filed against nuclear liability Act, THE HINDU, J. VENKATESAN, 15 Oct 11, Petitioners seek safety reassessment and cost-benefit analysis of all nuclear facilities A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, that indemnifies nuclear manufacturers/suppliers and caps the financial liability of operators. Continue reading China’s underground nuclear network
US worries over China’s underground nuclear network, Google News, AFP – 15 Oct 11, WASHINGTON — A leading US lawmaker who fears budget cuts could delay modernizing the US nuclear arsenal voiced concern Friday about an extensive tunnel complex designed to house Chinese nuclear missiles. “This network of tunnels could be in excess of 5,000 kilometers (3,110 miles), and is used to transport nuclear weapons and forces,” said Michael Turner, who chairs a House Armed Services Committee panel focusing on strategic weapons and other security programs.
“As we strive to make our nuclear forces more transparent, China is building this underground tunnel system to make its nuclear forces even more opaque,” he added, citing an unclassified Department of Defense report. Experts also expressed their concern about the network, whose existence was revealed by official Chinese media in late 2009.
The tunnels would allow China to launch a nuclear counter-attack if it was hit by a nuclear strike. “It’s almost mind-boggling,” said Mark Schneider, senior analyst at the National Institute for Public Policy. “It has enormous implications in terms of their view toward nuclear warfare, survivability of their systems and their leadership in the event of war.
“It is virtually impossible to target anything like that, irrespective of how many nuclear weapons you have,” he added.Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center said the tunnel complex could allow the Chinese army to conceal its weapons. “Do we really know how many missiles the Chinese have today?” he asked…. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iHO_kCCLQm86s29jw45FIx6EkdLQ?docId=CNG.19cbae00c31007ab44469985e8a939e2.6a1
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
Chief Minister backs protest, as 10,000 activists block nuclear project site
Jayalalithaa plays safe as nuclear protesters pitch up Oct 14, 2011, By DNA Correspondent : Chennai The agitation against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (KNPP) near Tirunelveli reached a feverish pitch on Thursday with over 10,000 activists laying siege to all the entry points to the project site. Over 700 scientists and technicians who reached KNPP for their morning shift could not enter the reactor premises, which brought the routine work to a grinding halt.“The maintenance work was carried out by the staff on overnight duty who could not come out of the plant because of the road blockade,” a senior executive of KNPP told DNA.
This is for the first time in the country that work in a nuclear reactor was hit due to agitation by local residents.
The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) intensified its agitation within 12 hours of the prime minister’s letter to chief minister J Jayalalithaa asking her to help the Centre to implement the project as scheduled. However, Jayalalithaa on Thursday said her government would respect the sentiments of locals on the project. “I will be one among you in the issue,” she told a rally in Tuticorin for the civic polls.
Pushparayan, the second-in-command to Udaya Kumar, who heads PMANE, said the agitation would continue in a peaceful manner till the reactor was shut down. “Today (Thursday) morning’s road block is an indication that our agitation has entered a critical phase. We will not allow anyone to enter the KNPP premises,” Pushparayan said.
The road block which began at 8 am on the East Coast Road was shifted to vantage points near KNPP. “Ours is a Gandhian style agitation and we do not want to create any inconvenience to the people. But this will continue till the government orders closure of the plant. We do not want the nuclear reactors,” he added.
Even NK Balaji, project director, KNPP, could not enter the plant. “I was asked by the district administration to stay put in my house since the roads have been blocked,” he said. Both the Tirunelveli collector and superintendent of police were unavailable for comment. .. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_jayalalithaa-plays-safe-as-nuclear-protestors-pitch-up_1598475
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
Japan facing a massive radiation decontamination task, as radiation “hot spots” fopund
Strontium 90 detected in region around Tokyo, Washington Post, By Chico Harlan, 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……..
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
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
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
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
Japan’s government’s push to sell nuclear technology overseas
Shunning Nuclear Plants at Home, Japan Pursues Building Them Overseas, NYT, By HIROKO TABUCHI, 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
Shanghai’s radiation security scanners potentially dangerous, and illegal
Metro’s X-ray machines are ‘illegal’ English east Day.com, from Shanghai News, 11 Oct 11 ALL 528 X-ray security inspection machines in Shanghai’s Metro stations are “illegal devices” operating without radiation safety licenses, officials with the city’s environmental protection bureau said yesterday. Continue reading 1 This Month
1 June Webinar – The High Cost of Nuclear Power – Register
of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
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