Sunday 30 October 2011

Cesium-137 flow into sea 30 times greater than stated by TEPCO: report - The Mainichi Daily News

Cesium-137 flow into sea 30 times greater than stated by TEPCO: report

In this photo from a footage of a live camera released by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), black smoke billows from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant in Okumamachi, northeastern Japan, on March 22, 2011. (AP Photo)

PARIS (Kyodo) -- The amount of radioactive cesium-137 that flowed into the Pacific after the start of Japan's nuclear crisis was probably nearly 30 times the amount stated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. in May, according to a recent report by a French research institute.

80 volunteers help scrub radiation | The Japan Times Online

FUKUSHIMA — Around 80 volunteers from across the country gathered Saturday in the city of Fukushima to begin decontaminating areas affected by radioactive materials emitted by the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

Thursday 27 October 2011

Roasting technique could separate cesium from soil - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

IITATE, Fukushima Prefecture--Government researchers on Oct. 26 tested an experimental technique to decontaminate farmland soil by roasting it at 800 degrees at a waste incineration plant near the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Officials working for the Japan Atomic Energy Agency and the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization heated 10 kilograms of soil contaminated with 3,580 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram using an electric heater for 10 hours at the Iitate Clear Center, filtering the fumes through cloth and glass fiber filters used at nuclear plants.

Sunday 23 October 2011

Nuclear Disaster in the US: How Bechtel Is Botching the World's Costliest Environmental Cleanup | Environment | AlterNet

Department of Energy scientists are alleging catastrophic mismanagement of massive cleanup efforts at Hanford, the former nuclear weapons outpost.

Saturday 22 October 2011

Radiation hotspot found in residential Chiba ‹ Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

CHIBA —

Japanese officials said Saturday that they have detected elevated levels of radiation in a residential area of Chiba.

The hotspot was found on a plot of vacant land in Kashiwa on Friday, after a concerned resident reported high radiation levels, NTV reported. Authorities tested the land and reported a reading of 57.5 microsieverts an hour.

Kashiwa is located in northern Chiba, and has a estimated population of 404,820 people.

Friday 21 October 2011

Radiation map gives close-up fallout readings | The Japan Times Online

The science ministry said Wednesday it has posted a radiation map that visitors to its website can enlarge to see to what extent their neighborhoods had been contaminated by fallout from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

The website, http://ramap.jaea.go.jp/map/, launched by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is now available in Japanese only.

The map shows measurements of radiation and radioactive cesium taken from aircraft in 10 prefectures, including Tokyo and Fukushima, between April and September. It also includes data the ministry collected from soil samples at around 2,200 sites in Fukushima Prefecture and radiation levels within a 100-km radius of the power plant.

Thursday 20 October 2011

Japan allows triple amount of cesium in food than Chernobyl did — Over 50% of store-bought seafood samples contaminated with radiation « ENENEWS.COM

TOKYO, Oct. 20 — Greenpeace said 34 of 60 seafood samples bought from at least several different stores in eastern Japan had radioactive cesium-134 and -137, reports the AFP.

The group also noted that the Japanese standard for cesium in food of 500 becquerel per kilogram compares with a 150 becquerel per kilogram limit in Ukraine after Chernobyl.

What are officials hiding about Fukushima? | Vancouver, Canada | Straight.com

After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, Soviet officials were vilified for hiding the impacts from the public.

But when Japan’s Fukushima nuclear accident took place last March, public officials in Japan and Canada alike jumped straight into Chernobyl-style damage-control mode, dismissing any worries about impacts.

Now evidence has emerged that the radiation in Canada was worse than Canadian officials ever let on.

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Fukushima City begins decontamination of homes ‹ Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

FUKUSHIMA —

Fukushima City began Tuesday its first decontamination of private properties, seven months after the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl spread radioactive materials over eastern Japan.

The first such organized cleanup of peoples’ homes by an affected municipality follows work by various communities in northeast Japan to decontaminate public areas such as schools, parks and daycare centers.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visited the city for the second time since he took office less than two months ago, with many residents voicing frustration over what they see as a slow government response to the crisis.

Tuesday’s clean up comes amid growing concerns that potentially harmful contamination spread more widely than thought amid discoveries of radiation hot spots in areas such Chiba and in Tokyo more than 200 kilometers away.

TEPCO asks for Y700 bil in gov't aid to help cover compensation ‹ Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

TOKYO —

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) will ask for at least 700 billion yen in a first tranche of state aid to help cover compensation for the Fukushima nuclear disaster, reports said Tuesday.

TEPCO is seeking to receive the first disbursement from a government-backed aid institution, the Nikkei daily reported. The funds would see TEPCO avoid falling into negative net worth on its April-September balance sheet, it said.

It would also result in stronger government oversight and effectively put the utility under state management, the Nikkei reported.

The Yomiuri daily reported that TEPCO’s request could reach as much as one trillion yen to cover funds needed through to March 2012, the end of its current fiscal year.

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Japan's Nuclear Accident Spreading to Some Parts of the United States - MarketWatch

Universal Detection Technology Comments on Traces of Japanese Radiation Found in US Rain and Food

LOS ANGELES, CA, Oct 17, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Universal Detection Technology ( www.udetection.com ) UNDT -33.33% , a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies that protect against biological, chemical, and radiological threats, commented today on a recent study funded by the US Departments of Energy and Homeland Security that linked elevated radiation in US rain water and food to the nuclear accident in Japan. The study found that following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan, elevated levels of radiation were detected in US rain water as well as vegetables and milk. "The first sample that showed elevated radioactivity was collected on March 18 and levels peaked on March 24 before returning to normal," said the study led by Professor Eric Norman in the department of nuclear engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. The study also noted that "similar gamma ray counting measurements were performed on samples of weeds collected in Oakland and on vegetables and milk sold commercially in the San Francisco Bay area."

On October 19-21, 2011, UNDT will be presenting at the RISCON Safety and Trade Expo in Tokyo, which will feature over 283 exhibitors specializing in the security and safety fields and is sponsored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the National Police Agency and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. UNDT plans to display the full array of its Radiation Detection Devices. These include dosimeter systems used for measurement of cumulative radiation exposures and advanced survey meters and surface monitors used in detection on contamination on surfaces and in particular food and water.

The detected levels of radioactive isotopes caesium iodine and tellurium in the US were small and posed no risk to the public. Nonetheless, such findings reveal the urgency for the public to be prepared to deal with possible natural or manmade disasters. On August 27, 2011, the Japanese government warned that areas surrounding Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant could remain uninhabitable for decades due to high radiation, as it struggles to clean up after the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. If a disaster of such magnitude spreads globally, the consequences can be dire and difficult to predict.

In September, Japanese officials ordered more tests after detecting elevated levels of radiation in rice crops near the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. This underscores how quickly and easily contamination can spread to the food and water supply, making it ever more important to respond and contain the damage as quickly as possible.

UNDT is committed to supplying cutting edge equipment for detection of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats. The Company has actively used its resources to provide much needed radiation detection systems to Japan in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident.

These include dosimeter systems used for measurement of cumulative radiation exposures and advanced survey meters and surface monitors used in detection on contamination on surfaces and in particular food and water.

Lessons From Fukushima: Ronald Demeo, Md, President Of Radiation Shield Technologies, Discusses by Radiation Shield Technologies

(1888PressRelease) October 18, 2011 - MIAMI & TOKYO - Ronald DeMeo, M.D., president and CEO of Radiation Shield Technologies (RST), will provide a presentation titled, "Lessons Learned from Fukushima: Nuclear Threats and Multi-Hazard Protective Apparel," from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Friday, October 21, at the RISCON Tokyo Security & Safety Trade Expo 2011, in the West Hall 12 Conference Tower, at the Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center) located at 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-0063, Japan. RST also will provide information and display its technologies at Booth No. 1A51 from Wednesday, October 19, through Friday, October 21, at the Higashidashoukou, Inc., exhibit in the West Hall of the exhibition center.

Dr. DeMeo will share insights of his company's experiences donating more than 200 Demron Full-Body Suits and Torso Vests to help protect the rescue workers involved in the clean-up following the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. He will offer strategies for ensuring safety for first responders, including deploying the most advanced radiation-protection technologies and safety protocols. Among these, Dr. DeMeo will discuss RST's Demron, deployed worldwide as the world's first and only armor to provide complete multi-hazard protection from all nuclear, biological, chemical, bomb and ballistic threats, as well as infrared radiation and heat.

Updates on the Fukushima nuclear crisis and radiation contamination situation, Oct 18, 2011 « EDUCATION IN JAPAN COMMUNITY Blog

Breaking news: High radioactivity measured at Tokyo school (NHK, Oct 18)

A radioactivity level higher than that of areas near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has been detected at a Tokyo elementary school.

A level of 3-point-99 microsieverts per hour was observed 5 centimeters above ground just beneath a rainwater pipe on Monday at the school in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward. Radiation levels in Fukushima City about 60 kilometers from the plant were around 1 microsievert per hour on Monday. The ward is about 210 kilometers from the plant.

Ward authorities plan to remove soil and trees from the school area and measure radiation in ditches at about 800 locations including schools, parks and other public facilities.

The school’s principal says he was stunned to hear about the radiation and cancelled physical education classes and other activities in the schoolyard for the day.

Monday 17 October 2011

Hospital raided over radioactive shots for kids | The Japan Times Online

KOFU, Yamanashi Pref. — Police raided a hospital Sunday in Yamanashi Prefecture and the home of one of its medical staffers in connection with allegations that higher-than-recommended doses of a radioactive substance were given to children.

Sunday 16 October 2011

TEPCO refusing to pay out for burglaries in no-entry zone - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

Reports on burglaries in homes in the no-entry zone from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant shot up nearly 30 times in the first nine months of this year from a year earlier, police say.

Yasokazu Shirado, who suffered losses at his rental video shop and karaoke parlor as well as his home in Tomioka, a town eight kilometers from the plant, said that Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant operator, should compensate victims for their losses.

"(The burglaries) occurred primarily because of the accident at the nuclear plant," said Shirado, 54.

Shirado estimated his losses for all the stolen goods and radioactive contamination of his shops after the windows were broken at more than 80 million yen ($1,040,000).

But TEPCO is refusing to meet victims' demands, saying that it is the thieves who are responsible.

Friday 14 October 2011

Radiation hotspot in Tokyo linked to mystery bottles | Climate Spectator

TOKYO (Reuters) - A radiation hotspot has been detected in Tokyo seven months into Japan's nuclear crisis, but local officials said on Thursday high readings appeared to be coming from mystery bottles stored under a house, not the tsunami-crippled Fukushima atomic plant.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, struck by a devastating quake and tsunami in March, has released radiation into the atmosphere that has been carried by winds, rain and snow across eastern Japan.

Officials in Setagaya, a major residential area in Tokyo about 235 km (150 miles) southwest of the plant, said this week it found a radioactive hotspot on a sidewalk near schools, prompting concerns in the country's most populated area far from the damaged nuclear plant.

The radiation measured as much as 3.35 microsieverts per hour on Thursday, higher than some areas in the evacuation zone near the Fukushima plant, the center of the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl 25 years ago.

But the local government found several bottles under the floor of a nearby house emitting high levels of radiation.

Thursday 13 October 2011

Radiation hotspot detected in Tokyo: reports | My Sinchew

TOKYO, October 13, 2011 (AFP) - A radiation hotspot has been detected in Tokyo, reports said Thursday as researchers carry out stringent tests to map how far contamination has spread from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Tokyo's imported food radiation checks suspended since April - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

The Tokyo metropolitan government has not checked imported foods for radiation since April, citing differences in the safety standards for domestic products after the accident at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant.

But since the suspension, the metropolitan government's four units of radiation check equipment have not been used even for domestic food examinations--and even when the nation was confronted with the pressing issue of locating cesium-contaminated beef this summer.

Tuesday 11 October 2011

Traveling aquarium helps to take kids' minds off Fukushima crisis - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

Children in Fukushima Prefecture don't have a whole lot to feel cheery about these days.

A massive earthquake, a giant tsunami and a nuclear crisis put paid to that.

But in an effort to encourage these children in this time of national crisis, a traveling aquarium is making the rounds of schools to show them that life in all its forms is a wonder to behold.

Some 200 marine creatures, consisting of 20 varieties, are on show. The children are encouraged to touch the fish as part of their class work.

IAEA team inspects Fukushima school after decontamination work | The Japan Times Online

FUKUSHIMA — A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency visiting Japan to assist in the decontamination of areas near the radiation-leaking Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant inspected an elementary school Monday where work has already been done to remove radioactive substances.

Monday 10 October 2011

Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency

http://www.arpansa.gov.au/news/MediaReleases/JapanAdvisory.cfm

Advice on exposure to radiation arising from the nuclear accident in Japan - 10 October 2011: TIME: 1500

Advice for Australians remaining in Japan on food and water precautions, the availability and use of potassium iodide tablets and on appropriate sheltering from radiation if required have been provided by Australia's Chief Medical Officer and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).

Extensive advice on these new topics of concern, together with information for people returning from Japan and for use by GPs is contained on this website and is updated regularly.

ARPANSA is closely following the safety issues surrounding the Fukushima Dai-ichi site and in particular the current status of the four reactor units and the spent fuel ponds at a number of the reactor units. Based on an assessment of cumulative radiation releases since the accident began, the Japanese Government on 11 April assessed the level of the nuclear incident as level 7 ("major accident") on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). The Japanese Government estimates that the total amount of radioactive material discharged into the air was approximately ten percent of that of the accident at Chernobyl.

TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, has reported that the damaged reactor cores have cooled sufficiently that large-scale emission of radioactive materials is not expected in the future. ARPANSA believes that the current risk of radiological releases to the atmosphere is small. ARPANSA will continue to monitor the situation at Fukushima Dai-ichi site and will provide advice on movement of any airborne radioactive material if there is an unexpected release.

The long-range plume modelling over the past two months has shown that, in the event of any release of airborne radioactive material from Fukushima Dai-ichi, the radiation levels from these plumes outside of Japan would be minimal and the health consequences negligible. Due to weather patterns either side of the equator, there will be minimal plume movement to the Southern Hemisphere.

ARPANSA maintains a number of air sampling stations around Australia for the purposes of monitoring under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), including in Darwin. From early April to early May, trace amounts of Xenon-133 (Xe-133) were detected in air samples collected at the Darwin CTBT radionuclide monitoring station. While detectable, the airborne contamination measured at Darwin was at insignificant levels. These radiation levels were millions times lower than safe levels and will have negligible health impacts on the Australian public. The detection of Xe-133 at Darwin is of no health significance for any person in Darwin or in Australia. There have been no detections of radioactive material from Japan by the Darwin CTBT radionuclide monitoring stations since early May.

The joint recommendation by ARPANSA and the Department of Health and Ageing on the current situation in Japan is that, Australians should not enter into the 30 km zone around the Fukushima site or the specific zones outside the 30 km radius that are designated by the Japanese Government as Deliberate Evacuation Area. This currently includes Katsurao Village, Namie Town, Iitate Village, part of Kawamata Town, and part of Minami-Soma City.

Australians should exercise a high degree caution within the Precautionary Zone between 30km and 80 km around the Fukushima site and follow the advice of the local government authorities.

Australians returning home from Japan are highly unlikely to be contaminated or exposed to significant radiation and will not require checks for radioactivity. However, if people wish to seek medical advice they should contact their local GP.

ARPANSA and the Chief Medical Officer advise that iodine tablets are only required when exposed to substantial radiation doses from radioactive iodine. There is no current need for those returning from Japan or those in Japan outside the Precautionary Zone to consider the use of potassium iodide tablets at this time.

Discussions continue with medical organisations and state and territory health authorities on these issues. Further information will continue to be provided by the Australian Government as the situation develops.

People reading this advice should also visit www.smarttraveller.gov.au and read the travel advice and the travel bulletin for Australians in or returning from Japan.

Media contact: 02 6289 7400

Fukushima begins child thyroid checks | The Japan Times Online

FUKUSHIMA — Fukushima started ultrasonic thyroid exams Sunday for the prefecture's 360,000 children aged up to 18 as part of efforts to monitor the health conditions of young people amid the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant crisis.

Taking a lesson from the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, in which many children developed thyroid cancer years after the accident, Fukushima Medical University in the city of Fukushima will screen the prefecture's 360,000 youths over the next 29 months to March 2014, officials said.

Sunday 9 October 2011

Most municipalities undecided on where to store contaminated soil - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

Only two of 59 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture have decided where to build temporary storage areas for soil contaminated with radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed.

One reason so many have not yet decided on a location is uncertainty over where an intermediate storage facility for the radioactive soil will be established. In fact, all 59 municipalities contacted by The Asahi Shimbun said they did not want to host the intermediate storage facility.

Another reason that municipalities have not picked sites for temporary storage of the contaminated soil is opposition from residents.

"If something polluted should be brought nearby, we may no longer be able to drink our well water," said a 78-year-old man, whose home in Kawauchi is near a candidate site for a storage area.

Friday 7 October 2011

Local disposal for radioactive waste | The Japan Times Online

Local disposal for radioactive waste

Kyodo

The government will dispose of debris, soil and sludge contaminated with highly radioactive materials from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant within the prefectures they are found in, to minimize transportation of irradiated waste, its draft basic policy showed Thursday.

The plan, which the government aims to formalize at a Cabinet meeting in early November, will replace conventional waste disposal and decontamination measures but will need to win the public's trust that the approach is safe and that contaminated waste will not be piled up in neighborhoods and effect residents.

Agency asks prefectures to specify where fish are caught - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

Amid consumer concerns about seafood contaminated with radiation, the Fisheries Agency is asking seven eastern prefectures and maritime organizations to be more specific about where their fish are caught.

Under the current system, fishermen can simply write down the ports where they have taken their fish and other marine products as the locations for their catches. For example, if fish caught off Hokkaido end up at Kesennuma Port in Miyagi Prefecture, the fishermen can say the fish were caught off Miyagi Prefecture.

The agency on Oct. 5 sent a notice for stricter standards to the prefectural governments of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba as well as fishing organizations, including cooperative associations.

It said the requirement was necessary because consumers’ interest in sea areas has grown because of the radioactive substances leaking from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

However, the notice is not legally binding.

Wednesday 5 October 2011

Fukushima farmers mow grass instead of reaping harvests - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

IITATE, Fukushima Prefecture -- Autumn is normally harvest time for folks in this village, located in a major rice-producing region. But this is not a normal year and things are a little different.

The entire population of this village, located roughly 30-40 km to the northwest of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, has evacuated to remain far from the radioactive fallout. And while there is no harvest to reap, five villagers, however, returned on Oct. 1 to mow grass on fallow rice paddies to help decontaminate the ground and to prevent fires.

"It would be harvest time in normal years, but we are mowing grass instead of reaping rice," bemoaned a villager who had temporarily returned.

Tuesday 4 October 2011

Radiation revelation - 04 October 2000 - New Scientist

A study on wheat grown close to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has found a DNA mutation rate three times higher than expected. "This was a very big surprise," says Yuri Dubrova of Leicester University, UK.

"Our results point to as yet unknown effects of low-dose chronic exposure to ionising radiation, which make it substantially more mutagenic than previously thought," he says.

John Thacker of the MRC's Radiation and Genome Stability Unit in Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK says: "The results sound very interesting. There appear to be some sites in the genome that are highly sensitive to radiation - and we don't really understand why."

Fukushima to post radiation levels at schools on Net - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

To help ease parents' concerns, a project is under way in Fukushima Prefecture to measure and post on the Internet round-the-clock levels of radiation at all elementary schools in the prefecture that resulted from the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The education ministry and the Fukushima prefectural government are installing dosimeters in about 500 elementary schools and 100 sites, including public meeting places and sports facilities, where children gather, in the prefecture.

Ministry officials will release the results, recorded at 50 centimeters above the ground, on the Internet and update the figures every 10 minutes.

The project is slated for launch early this month.

Sunday 2 October 2011

Water supply vital to avoiding nightmare at Fukushima - AJW by The Asahi Shimbun

power plant and large amounts of radioactive materials will be released if the water supply to the crippled reactors is halted for 38 hours, according to plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.

But TEPCO officials said on Oct. 1 that it is only a simulated worst-case scenario, saying that it is unlikely that water being pumped into the No. 1 to No. 3 reactors would be suspended for many hours.

The officials said TEPCO will be able to restart the water supply within 30 minutes if it is stopped for any problem.

Saturday 1 October 2011

Tepco faces 'zombie' future as claims mount | The Japan Times Online

Tokyo Electric Power Co., which faces damages of at least ¥4.5 trillion for the Fukushima nuclear disaster, may be consigned to a future as a "zombie company" requiring constant government funding.