- At least half of members of the government panel investigating the accident at Fukushima Daiichi are skeptical of TEPCO’s week-old interim report. While most informed sources feel TEPCO’s conclusion of the tsunami as the cause of the accident is correct, the panel’s majority rejects that judgment based entirely on distrust of TEPCO. “The claim that tsunami alone caused the accident is nothing but a hypothesis,” said panel member Hitoshi Yoshioka, vice president at Kyushu University, “I feel a majority of panel members feel this way. It is close to a common understanding that it would not be good to trust as [it] is TEPCO’s analysis that tsunami was the cause of the accident. There are many important weak points in the safety of Japan’s nuclear plants so it is implausible that everything would be all right as long as tsunami measures were implemented.” Yotaro Hatamura, chairman of the panel, goes even further by saying there may be a cover-up occurring. He feels the earthquake caused the accident at Fukushima and was exacerbated by the tsunami. If what he feels is true, he then believes all nuclear utilities in Japan have been covering up inadequate earthquake protection issues for more than five years. Other members of the panel believe there was structural damage to the piping on the three damaged reactor vessels that contributed to the accident’s cause, although there is no empirical evidence to support their beliefs. Only one brief dissenting comment has been reported. Kazuo Oike, the director of the International Institute for Advanced Studies said, “The accident would have been unthinkable without the tsunami. Isn’t the tsunami the cause of the accident?” Regardless, the panel’s majority says TEPCO’s conclusion of the accident being tsunami-initiated could well be a convenient, compelling excuse acting as a smoke screen over the real cause. The ramifications of this sudden rhetorical turn could have far reaching ramifications, casting doubts on all nuclear utilities inside and outside Japan. (Asahi Shimbun) This startling exercise in speculation serves to validate what we have been saying since the panel of non-nuclear “experts” was formed. This is worse than the blind leading the blind. It’s patently absurd!
- Fukushima Prefecture is seeking the impossible. They have set a goal for the decontamination of farmland and forests at no detectable radioactive cesium in agricultural, livestock and forestry products. They admit their goal is “overly ambitious” caused by widespread fears associated with detectable levels of Cesium in agricultural products and its impact on the product market. “We need to remove radiation promptly because our products have suffered tremendous damage from shipment restrictions and negative publicity,” an official said. Another prefectural government official said, “Products are not being traded or prices have fallen sharply if an extremely small amount of cesium is contained.” (Asahi Shimbun) There is no way to discriminate between Fukushima Cesium and the residuals from A-bomb tests in the 1950s. The weapon’s Cesium has been around so long that detectable levels exist in topsoil much, much deeper than the 5cm guideline now promoted by Tokyo. It would make a bit of sense to set a pre-Fukushima level as the goal, but a “zero” goal is clearly unrealistic and unobtainable.
- TEPCO has reported the maximum volume of Strontium-laced water that reached the sea over the past few days. Roughly 300 liters escaped the desalinization building and entered a 600 meter-long drainage ditch. Roughly half may have entered the sea before sandbags were dropped into the ditch outlet and stopped the flow. Strontium is a weak Beta radiation emitter which can only produce exposure to living tissue if swallowed or otherwise ingested. While the total number of becquerels is huge (26 billion), after natural dispersion, the actual diluted amount compared to typical sea water background is tiny. (NHK World)
- TEPCO reports the Xenon level in the air space of the unit #2 primary containment continues to be below detectable concentration.
- The firefighters who labored mightily during the early days of the Fukushima accident will be given free medical and mental check-ups. 260 individuals who were at the power complex between March 11 and March 25 will be screened for illnesses such as leukemia and cataracts, as well as mental disorders that might emerge. The checkups will again be offered later in 2013 for these medical and mental possibilities. Cataracts screening alone will available from 2014 and beyond. (Japan Times)
- Akita Prefecture, in northern Japan, had agreed to accept waste materials from other prefectures for incineration and disposal. Due to local resident’s radiophobia, Akita has decided to ship the residual ash back to the six prefectures from which the garbage came. Since July, Akita incineration facilities have been receiving waste shipments and burning them. But, due largely to sensational Press coverage, local residents have protested burial because the ash has detectable levels of Cesium. (A clear case of NIMBY) 245 tons of sealed, packaged ash below Japanese standards for Cesium radioactivity has built up and stretched storage capacities to their limits. As a result, Akita decided to ship the ash back to where it originated. (NHK World) Once again, no one seems to be mentioning the pre-Fukushima A-bomb Cesium. While some Cesium in the ash may be from Fukushima, a considerable fraction is unquestionably from the bomb tests in the 1950s. It’s possible the ash’s concentration effect with pre-existing cesium may be the reason for some of the ash packages having detectable levels. The “detectable is dangerous” superstition also contributes to the problem.
- The new investigative panel to the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy intended to map out Japan’s future direction in energy production, met for the first time. In the most “newsworthy” area of interest, opinions are sharply divided over whether the country should reduce its reliance on nuclear power generation. Some members are decidedly against the nuclear option, while others are not so sure they should turn their backs on it. The panel’s draft report calls for a policy of the “best mix” of energy sources by promoting renewable energy and reducing dependence on nuclear power generation. In a minority opinion, some panel members, “…disagree with the way the draft concludes that the panel reached an agreement to reduce its reliance (on nuclear energy).” On the other hand, the majority opinion supported the draft report, saying, “It is a step forward because it has found common ground amid many differences in opinion.” The panel will reconvene later this month to try and iron out their differences. (Mainichi Shimbun)
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