Fukushima’s radioactive iodine and cesium a greater danger at present than plutonium
How Dangerous Is the Plutonium Leaking from the Japanese Nuclear Reactor? – By Joshua E. Keating | Foreign PolicyMARCH 30, 2011“……..Plutonium may be grabbing the headlines right now, but it’s not the most dangerous substance being emitted from Fukushima. The steam intentionally vented from the plant contains iodine and cesium, both of which have a far shorter half-life than plutonium, but are being released in much higher amounts and, being airborne, can travel much farther. Radioactive iodine-131 has been detected off the coast of Fukushima at levels 1,150 times higher than normal. These elements may not be quite as radioactive as plutonium, but if ingested or inhaled, they also pose a risk of causing cancer. …”
FP EXPLAINER: How Dangerous Is the Plutonium Leaking from the Japanese Nuclear Reactor? – By Joshua E. Keating | Foreign Policy
TEPCO could face Fukushima compensation claims of $133 billion
TEPCO claims could top $132 bln on Japan nuclear crisis -analyst | TOKYO, March 31 (Reuters) – Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) could face compensation claims of up to 11 trillion yen ($133 billion) if the crisis over its Fukushima Daichi nuclear complex drags on for two years, an analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch wrote in a report.But claims could be limited to less than 1 trillion yen if the crisis triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami was resolved in around two months, or up to 3 trillion yen if it took around six months, research analyst Yusuke Ueda wrote. ($1 = 82.875 Japanese Yen) (Reporting by James Topham)
TEPCO claims could top $132 bln on Japan nuclear crisis -analyst | Energy & Oil | Reuters
Japanese village Iitate has dangerous radiation levels
IAEA worried about radiation in Japan village(, Google News, AFP) – 31 March 11, VIENNA — Radiation levels recorded at a village outside the evacuation zone around the quake-striken Fukushima nuclear plant are above safe levels, the UN atomic watchdog said Wednesday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said safe limits had been exceeded at Iitate village, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of Fukushima, well outside the government-imposed 20 kilometre exclusion zone and the 30-kilometre “stay indoors” zone.”The first assessment indicates that one of the IAEA operational criteria for evacuation is exceeded in Iitate village,” the IAEA’s head of nuclear safety and security, Denis Flory, told reporters here……Iitate lies 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of the Fukushima nuclear power plant,……AFP: IAEA worried about radiation in Japan village
Japan’s nuclear crisis doesn’t get any safer
Japan Weighs Entombing Nuclear Plant in Bid to Halt Radiation, – Bloomberg, By Go Onomitsu and Sachiko Sakamaki – Mar 31, 2011 Japan will consider pouring concrete into its crippled Fukushima atomic plant to reduce radiation and contain the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years. Continue reading
Fukushima nuclear crisis – a roundup of news, 31 march
Japan’s power crisis could last for months
THE term ”rolling blackouts” has become shorthand for noting one way Japan is trying to cope with its national calamity.
http://www.theage.com.au/business/japans-power-crisis-could-last-for-months-20110329-1ceqs.html
Setbacks mount in Japan over nuke facility
Setbacks are mounting in the crisis over Japan’s tsunami-damaged nuclear facility, with nearby seawater testing at its highest radiation levels yet.
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/setbacks-mount-in-japan-over-nuke-facility-20110331-1cgi8.html
Japan’s crippled reactors may be shrouded
Japan is considering draping crippled reactor buildings at the Fukushima nuclear plant with a fabric to reduce radiation and using a tanker to siphon off contaminated water, a report says.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/japans-crippled-reactors-may-be-shrouded-20110330-1cg5a.html
Stem cell plan for nuclear operators
Japanese authorities are considering plans to collect and freeze cells from engineers and water cannon operators at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in case they are exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/stem-cell-plan-for-nuclear-operators-20110330-1cg5b.html
Sea contamination likely to be local: scientists
Radioactive contamination of the sea from Fukushima is likely to be only a local problem, but could lead to an exclusion zone if there is a major release of long-term pollutants, scientists say.
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/sea-contamination-likely-to-be-local-scientists-20110330-1cfnd.html
Japan engineers knew tsunami could overrun plant
Over the past two weeks, Japanese government officials and Tokyo Electric Power executives have repeatedly described the deadly combination of the most powerful quake in Japan’s history and the massive tsunami that followed as “soteigai”, or beyond expectations.
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/japan-engineers-knew-tsunami-could-overrun-plant-20110330-1cfmy.html
Japan’s nuclear crisis and radioactive half-lives
The passage of time has sharply reduced radiation from some elements with a short half-life at Japan’s quake-crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant but others will stay radioactive almost indefinitely.
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/japans-nuclear-crisis-and-radioactive-halflives-20110330-1cfmi.html
Fukushima: what is plutonium and what are the dangers?
Following is a factfile on plutonium, which Japan says has been found at very low levels at five locations at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant:
http://www.theage.com.au/environment/fukushima-what-is-plutonium-and-what-are-the-dangers-20110330-1cfmb.html
Fears over N-plant close to Tokyo
AS Japan struggles to contain the crisis at the Fukushima, attention is switching to other nuclear plants that could pose an even greater risk
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/fears-over-n-plant-close-to-tokyo/story-e6frg6so-1226030969688
Japan radiation outside safety zone
RADIATION levels recorded at a village outside the evacuation zone around the quake-striken Fukushima nuclear plant are above safe levels, the UN atomic watchdog says.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/japan-radiation-outside-safety-zone/story-e6frf7jx-1226031093076
Japan orders check of all nuclear reactors
JAPAN orders check of all nuclear reactors to ensure there will be no repeat of the crisis currently unfolding at stricken Fukushima plant.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/japan-orders-check-of-all-nuclear-reactors/story-e6frf7jx-1226031016951
Japan, a land where it’s pollen versus radiation
http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/03/30/japan-a-land-where-its-pollen-versus-radiation/
Physicists Detect Low-Level Radioactivity from Japan Arriving in Seattle
Physicists are detecting radioactivity arriving in Seattle from Japanese nuclear reactors damaged in a tsunami following a mammoth earthquake, but the levels are far below what would pose a threat to … http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110330131314htm
Japan’s crowdsourced radiation maps
Citizen scientists armed with Geiger counters are helping to map the spread of radiation from Japan
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/03/crowdsourced-radiation-maps.html
Resin to be sprayed on Fukushima nuclear plant
With no sign of the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi being resolved any time soon, plans are now afoot to spray a resin over the embattled nuclear power plant
http://www.newscientistcom/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/03/resin-to-be-sprayed-on-fukushi.html
U.S. Public Support For More Nuclear Power Slips
U.S. public support for expanding nuclear power appears to be slipping after Japan’s nuclear crisis while New York’s governor said on Tuesday an aging plant near New York City will be the top priority in a federal review of earthquake risk to such facilities.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61624
France And U.S. To Help Japan In Nuclear Crisis
France and the United States are to help Japan in its battle to contain radiation from a crippled nuclear complex where plutonium finds have raised public alarm over the world’s worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61622
UK Must Push On With Nuclear Plans: Scientists
Nuclear plants remain one of the safest ways to make electricity, and Britain should not allow Japan’s tsunami-provoked problems to delay its new build plans, UK scientists said on Tuesday.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61621
Japan radiation spreads across Asia
MANILA: Small amounts of radiation from Japan’s leaking nuclear power plant have spread across Asia, deepening concerns for millions of people already wary of eating Japanese food.
http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20110330/business01.htm
Nuclear news items – 13 from March 30
Japan says no choice but to flood reactors
Japan says it has to keep pouring water into reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant to limit a huge meltdown.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/29/3177045.htm?site=news
Traces of Japan radioactivity in US rain
Traces of radioactivity from damaged nuclear power facilities in Japan have been found in rainwater in the north-east United States, but pose no health risks, officials say.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/29/3176647.htm?site=news
Executive vanishes during nuclear fallout
The sudden disappearance of disgraced officials is not unheard-of in Japan.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/executive-vanishes-during-nuclear-fallout-20110329-1ceoe.html
Highly radioactive water threatens Fukushima
Emergency crews scramble to contain extremely radioactive water leaking into tunnels and basement rooms at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
http://www.theage.com.au/world/highly-radioactive-water-threatens-fukushima-20110329-1ceoh.html
Reactor no match for this tsunami, PM finally admits
The Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, has said for the first time that the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant’s tsunami defences were inadequate, while reassuring the public that radiation leaks pose no health threat beyond an evacuation zone.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/reactor-no-match-for-this-tsunami-pm-finally-admits-20110329-1cesb.html
Japan on ’maximum alert’ over nuclear crisis
Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan says his government is in a “state of maximum alert” over the crisis at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant.
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/japan-on-maximum-alert-over-nuclear-crisis-20110329-1cdw0.html
Nuke firm could be nationalised
THE prospect of the Japanese government nationalising the disgraced Tokyo Electric Power Co emerged yesterday.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/nuke-firm-could-be-nationalised/story-e6frg6so-1226030356784
Quake fears curb China’s N-targets
CHINA is likely to cut its nuclear power generation targets by about 10 per cent by 2020 and stop approvals for any new inland reactors.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/quake-fears-curb-chinas-n-targets/story-e6frg6so-1226030351841
Radioactive iodine found in UK
TRACES of radioactive iodine from Japan’s stricken nuclear facility found by air-monitoring sites at two locations in Britain.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/japanese-radioactive-iodine-found-at-two-british-test-sites/story-e6frf7jx-1226030429262
Japan on nuclear alert as crisis deepens
JAPAN government on “maximum alert” over crippled nuclear plant where radioactive water has halted repair work.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/japan-on-nuclear-alert-as-crisis-deepens/story-e6frf7jx-1226030325357
Power drain the biggest concern: expert
Japan’s biggest economic challenge is not the devastation of the recent earthquake and tsunami, but rather the continuing nuclear catastrophe and loss of power taking place in the north-east.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/power-drain-the-biggest-concern-expert/2116969.aspx
Plutonium found in soil at Japanese nuclear plant disaster
Plutonium found in soil at the Fukushima nuclear complex heightened alarm on Tuesday over Japan’s battle to contain the world’s worst atomic crisis in 25 years, as pressure mounted on the prime minister to widen an evacuation zone around the plant. Some opposition lawmakers blasted Naoto Kan in parliament for his handling of the disaster and for not widening the exclusion zone. Kan said he was seeking advice on such a step, which would force 130,000 people to move in addition to 70,000 already displaced. The drama at the six-reactor facility has compounded Japan’s agony after an earthquake and tsunami on March 11 left more than 28,000 people dead or missing in the devastated northeast.
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/42526
Fukushima’s radioactive plume reaches the UK
Radioactive material from Japan’s stricken power plant has reached the British Isles, but only in trace amounts
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/03/for-the-first-time-since.html
Caesium fallout from Fukushima rivals Chernobyl
Analysis of Japanese science ministry data reveals high levels of radioactivity on the ground beyond the exclusion zone
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20305-caesium-fallout-from-fukushima-rivals-chernobyl.html
‘Don’t panic’ over plutonium in soil at Fukushima plant
Some contamination with plutonium may be due to recent releases, but levels are below those considered hazardous, says Zena Iovino
http://www.newscientistcom/blogs/shortsharpscience/2011/03/no-need-to-panic-over-plutoniu.html
IAEA Calls Nuclear Safety Summit Amid Japan Crisis
The U.N. atomic energy chief called a Vienna summit to tackle mounting concerns about nuclear safety, saying on Monday the international community needed a coordinated response in the wake of Japan’s crisis.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61612
China Should Scale Back Nuclear Plans
China should scale back its ambitious reactor building plans in the wake of Japan’s nuclear disaster, an official with the country’s power industry association said in remarks published on Monday.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61611
Japan Rejects Greenpeace Argument For Expanding Evacuation Zone
Japan’s nuclear safety agency on Monday rebuffed a call by Greenpeace to extend an evacuation zone around the stricken Fukushima power plant.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61608
Japan Finds Plutonium At Stricken Nuclear Plant
Plutonium found in soil at the crippled Fukushima nuclear complex heightened alarm on Tuesday over Japan’s protracted battle to contain the world’s worst atomic crisis in 25 years.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61607
U.S. Nuclear Regulator Meets With Japanese Officials
The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met Japanese officials in Tokyo on Monday to assess the battle to contain the crisis at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, and offer U.S. support.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61607
Low-Level Radiation Found In Massachusetts Rainwater
Trace amounts of radioactive iodine linked to Japan’s crippled nuclear power station have turned up in rainwater samples as far away as Massachusetts during the past week, state officials said on Sunday.
http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/61603
Radiation, Climate Change Drive Islanders To Northwest
http://kuow.org/northwestnews.php?storyID=134934931
Outside Fukushima reactor building, deadly radiation in water
the worker who made the measurement, carried out on a pool of water in the reactor’s basement turbine building, had fled before taking a second reading.
Deadly nuclear levels detected, The Age, Osaka, March 29, 2011 RADIATION levels that can prove fatal were detected outside reactor buildings at Japan’s Fukushima No.1 plant for the first time, complicating efforts to contain the worst disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. Continue reading
Fukushima nuclear fuel rods in ‘partial meltdown’
‘Partial meltdown’ at crippled Fukushima nuclear plant Rick Wallace, Tokyo The Australian * March 29, 2011 HIGHLY radioactive water, endangering workers and hindering repair efforts at the Fukushima nuclear plant, was the result of a “partial meltdown” of the fuel rods in the plant’s No 2 reactor, Japan’s chief government spokesman admitted yesterday.
Chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano said the water was believed to have temporarily come into contact with the partially melted fuel rods inside the reactor…….‘Partial meltdown’ at crippled Fukushima nuclear plant | The Australian
Fukushima ground contaminated with 3 types of plutonium
3 types of plutonium detected at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant – CNN.com 29 March 11, Three types of plutonium have turned up amid the radioactive contamination on the grounds of the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, its owner reported Monday.The plutonium is a byproduct of nuclear reactions that is also part of the fuel mix at the damaged No. 3 reactor.It was found in soil at five different points inside the plant grounds, the Tokyo Electric Power Company said late Monday….. 3 types of plutonium detected at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant – This Just In – CNN.com Blogs
Widening USA area of radiation contamination from Fukushima
Japan’s nuclear contamination spreads to more U.S. states March 28, 2011 CNN) — Minuscule levels of radiation from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant incident have been detected in a widening number of U.S. states, but the Environmental Protection Agency reaffirmed this week that the levels represent no threat to public health……
Japan’s nuclear contamination spreads to more U.S. states – CNN.com
Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) turn to France for help in nuclear emergency
Tokyo nuclear operator seeking French help: minister, Google news, (AFP) – 29 March 11, PARIS — Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), operator of Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, is seeking help from France to tackle the “critical” situation, Industry Minister Eric Besson said Monday. Continue reading
Workers struggle as Fukushima nuclear plant radiation increases
Mounting problems, including badly miscalculated radiation figures and no place to store dangerously contaminated water, have stymied emergency workers struggling to cool down the overheating plant and avert a disaster with global implications.
Radiation in seawater may be spreading in Japan, – NZ Herald News, By Shino Yuasa Mar 28,2011. Highly radioactive iodine seeping from Japan’s damaged nuclear complex may be making its way into seawater farther north of the plant than previously thought, officials said today, adding to radiation concerns as the crisis stretches into a third week. Continue reading
Should earthquake prone Japan have nuclear reactors?
Fear grows near another nuclear plant in Japan – The Globe and Mail, 27 March 11, “……..The Fukushima disaster has raised the volume of a decades-old debate over whether Japan, a country crisscrossed and surrounded by some 2,000 major and minor fault lines, should have 55 nuclear plants on its soil. Some 300 Japanese demonstrators – some of them wearing gas masks – marched past TEPCO’s Tokyo headquarters on Sunday chanting “We don’t need nuclear plants!”…….Fear grows near another nuclear plant in Japan – The Globe and Mail
2.000 Taiwanese protest against nuclear power
DPP Taipei City Councilwoman Hsu Chia-ching told IPS that “no one is advocating an immediate cessation of generation, but a gradual and balanced phase-out”.
In response to questions as to whether refusing to allow the new facility to operate would be a waste of money, Tsai said that “allowing Nuclear Four to operate and generate more radioactive spent fuel and waste would create a greater tragedy.”
TAIWAN Opposition Urges Nuclear Phase-out By 2025, IPS ipsnews.net, By Dennis Engbarth, 28 March 11, Over 2,000 protestors participated in a “We Love Taiwan, We Don’t Want Nuclear Disaster” march in Taipei City. Opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman and former Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen has announced a proposal for a “2025 Non-Nuclear Home Plan” that will allow Taiwan to eliminate reliance on nuclear power by the end of 2025….
……. DPP Taipei City Councilwoman Hsu Chia-ching told IPS that “no one is advocating an immediate cessation of generation, but a gradual and balanced phase-out”.
In response to questions as to whether refusing to allow the new facility to operate would be a waste of money, Tsai said that “allowing Nuclear Four to operate and generate more radioactive spent fuel and waste would create a greater tragedy.”
“The damage to Japan’s society and economy, including tourism, agriculture, fishing and industry, is simply too huge, not to mention the costs of rebuilding,” National Taiwan University Professor of Atmospheric Sciences Hsu Kuang-jung told IPS, stressing that “the Fukushima incident is not yet over”.
“Nuclear power is the most expensive and risky method of power generation and if we don’t absolutely need it, why should we create so much danger and cause our people to live in fear?” asked Hsu. “The Taiwan people have never had a chance to directly express their will on whether to accept the risk of nuclear power.”
Over 2,000 residents near the fourth plant, environmentalists and opposition politicians participated in a rally last week with the theme “We Love Taiwan, We Don’t Want Nuclear Disasters”. …….
TAIWAN: Opposition Urges Nuclear Phase-out By 2025 – IPS ipsnews.net
87 percent chance of big earthquake near Hamaoka nuclear plant
The possibility of an imminent magnitude 8-plus earthquake in the Tokai region near the Hamaoka plant was brought to the public’s attention by geologist Ishibashi Katsuhiko in the 1970s and a government report has estimated there is an 87 percent chance of such an earthquake within the next 30 years……
Japan activist warns another ‘nuclear quake’ looms | Reuters, 27 march 11,“ “……….except for the location -Hirose had predicted an imminent megaquake and nuclear accident at the Hamaoka plant 200 km southwest of Tokyo, not the Fukushima Daiichi plant 240 km northeast — the scenario depicted in his first book on nuclear power in 15 years has proved eerily prescient. Continue reading
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