January 4, 2012

Jan 4, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • The nuclear energy debate in Japan continues to have an “us vs. them” atmosphere. However, Banri Kaieda, former head of the Ministry of Economy, has offered a suggestion that makes all the sense in the world. He said both sides of the debate should end to their long-standing, all-or-nothing ideological tactics and engage in constructive dialogue, “We really should avoid an ideological struggle between the pro and anti sides.” (Japan Times) We at Hiroshima Syndrome heartily concur. In fact, Kaieda’s words should be taken to heart around the world.
  • TEPCO reports a water tank inside Fukushima unit #4 has experienced a continual “abnormal drop” in level since the earthquake of Sunday. The tank is part of the Spent Fuel Pool cooling system. The abnormality has not affected SPF water level or temperature. (TEPCO) One newspaper, Mainichi Shimbun, posted an article on the situation. No other major news sources seemed to find the development worthy of coverage.
  • It appears that one of the “holdups” in local decontamination efforts is the appearance of diverse radiological standards. The Environment Ministry says a one millisievert per year (0.23 millisieverts/hour) exposure due to contamination warrants future decontamination efforts, but not immediate measures. In parallel, the Education Ministry says a “hot spot” producing a field of 1 millisievert per hour requires immediate decontamination. To residents and many local officials across Japan, it seems these two standards conflict with each other. In response, some municipalities have posted their own decontamination criteria that run the gamut of levels between the two Ministry standards. In addition, some local governments have been changing standards as time passes. For example, Shinjuku Ward posted a 0.25 microsievert/hr standard for decontamination in June, later reduced it to 0.23 microsieverts, and then raised it to 1 microsievert/hr in October. All of this causes confusion which delays decontamination efforts. (Asahi Shimbun)
  • Toshiba has announced the creation of a mobile soil and sludge decontamination unit. The system is said to have a capacity of treating almost two tons of waste per day at a 97% removal rate. This should not be confused with Toshiba’s existent waste water clean-up unit now operating at Fukushima Daiichi, although it does look similar. The soil and sludge system works in a different fashion using a ferric liquid to break down the material and a filtering media to remove dissolved Cesium. Some factories in Japan and at least two local governments have already expressed interest in the new mobile unit. (JAIF)
  • The Environment Ministry has formally opened their new decontamination office in Fukushima City. The staff will direct and coordinate decontamination efforts to clean buildings, strip soil, and dispose of other wastes. This follows Sunday’s full scope enactment of the new decontamination law which was announced in August. The Office’s staff of 70 will act as liaison between Tokyo and local governments for municipalities where clean-up is warranted. (Kyodo News)
  • The mayor of Futuba, which borders Fukushima Daiichi, is firmly opposed to government plans to build a waste storage facility in his town. Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa said he cannot accept the facility because he’s convinced townspeople who evacuated would never be able to return once it is built. (NHK World)
  • Nuclear Crisis Minister Goshi Hosono announced the government wants to make Fukushima an international center for nuclear safety. He said the institute would have specialists trained in nuclear safety as well as advanced radiological medicine. Hosono added lessons learned from the nuclear crisis, including use of medicine for people exposed to radiation, must be made available to the world. The institute will also focus on new technologies developed to deal with the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi. (JAIF)
  • A 4 year-old Tokyo boy is being subjected to his parent’s extreme fear of radiation. He must wear two face-masks and a raincoat to kindergarten every day. As soon as he gets home, he is showered and rinsed with bottled water. These extreme measures are due to his parent’s fears of airborne radioactivity and of Tokyo city water possibly having contamination. (Asahi Shimbun)
  • The recent preliminary report of the Prime Minister’s Fukushima Investigative Panel addresses what the members feel is necessary for future nuclear regulation in Japan. They include (1) regulatory independence and transparency, (2) organizational competence in emergency response, (3) timely important information flow, (4) competence in staffing, and (5) collection and accumulation of scientific knowledge. (Executive Summary of the Interim Report)