October 29, 2013

Oct 29, 2013 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Guidelines have been set for rainwater release from F. Daiichi. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority says F. Daiichi no longer needs their permission to pump rainwater buildup to the sea as long as the waters test below current activity limits. NRA Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa said, “We understand the situation is difficult, but we believe we’ve decided on a measure TEPCO would be able to follow.” Up to this point, Tepco unilaterally decided to release the mildly-contaminated water if it met their self-imposed standards for Cesium (25 Becquerels per liter) and Strontium-90 (10 Bq/liter). However, before pumping to the sea, Tepco would first send all rainwater buildups to temporary holding tanks for testing. Now, the water can be tested at the point of buildup. If it has low-enough activity, it can be sent to the sea without the temporary storage step. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131025_02.html — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131025p2a00m0na010000c.html
  • F. Daiichi has upgraded their rainwater defenses. Included in the improvements were steel plates installed at the top of the coffer dams surrounding the 23 clusters of wastewater tanks. The plates effectively doubled the amount of water each dam can contain. In addition, the plants has installed 19 pumping units to drain dams that have rainwater levels approaching overflow. Each pump can transfer 60 tons of water per hour. Further, several empty underground water reservoirs and above-ground tanks have been designated as contaminated rainwater storage locations. Finally, plastic “eaves” have been hung from several tank tops to the ground outside the tank’s coffer dams to direct falling rain away before it gets contaminated. This was done in anticipation of Typhoon Francisco – the 27th named typhoon for 2013. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1231695_5130.html — http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2013/images/handouts_131025_01-e.pdf
  • F. Daiichi’s new multi-nuclide removal system’s first unit has been restarted. It began its test run in March, but had to be stopped in June when minor leaks due to excessive corrosion were discovered in a system storage tank. The three unit technology is called ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System), which is designed to remove all radioactive isotopes except Tritium. A second unit’s test run began in September after its storage tank was lined with an anti-corrosive coating. The third unit will begin its test run next month. Full-fledged operation of ALPS is anticipated for early in 2014. It is expected to be able to process 750 tons of contaminated water per day. Tepco plans on building another three more units after the first three are fully operational. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1231738_5130.html — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131028_28.html
  • Japan’s Atomic Energy Agency says forest contamination is staying in place. Researchers found that most radioactive Cesium in an Ibaraki Prefecture forest has been fixed in the earth. More than 2 years of study shows that after the first six months of rains washing off the Cesium from leaves and other debris, almost all of the remainder moved into the underlying soil. Further, the deepest any of the Cesium penetrated is about four inches. The research team concluded it likely that forest groundwater has not carried any Cesium from the soil and moved it under outlying areas. Hopefully, this will facilitate forest cleanup. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131029_40.html
  • Tepco has refused to pay most of their environmental decontamination bill. The government has assessed the company for about $400 in area decontamination costs, but Tepco has only paid about $70 million. Under national law, state is responsible for leading and initially financing the decontamination effort, but it can ask Tepco to pay the bill later. Tepco has challenged more than $30 million in costs saying it does not directly involving actual cleanup. They say much of the spent monies have gone into public relations efforts and research. Tepco feels they should not be held responsible for such reimbursements. Further, Tepco is insisting that shouldering the cost for decontamination as damages will be “duplicate payments” because it is already compensating for land and buildings. The Environment Ministry says Tepco’s decision is “totally unacceptable”. Meanwhile, the Industry Ministry is considering exempting Tepco from paying most of the cleanup costs. Finance Minister Taro Aso concurred, “I wonder if we can put all the blame on Tepco, given that (nuclear policy) has been framed by the government.”  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/29/national/tepco-refuses-to-fund-outside-cleanup/#.Um-ojYHD8dU
  • Some 779 companies have shown interest in the Fukushima cleanup. Japan’s International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) says about 30% have come from firms overseas. The interested parties cover a spectrum of decommissioning and wastewater mitigation systems. Some want to be involved in forming the ice dam intended to stop groundwater flow into the units #1 through #4 turbine building basements. Others want to bring Tritium separation technology into the mix. IRID was formed in August through a consortium of Japanese companies including Toshiba and Mitsubishi. The deluge of interest was spurred by IRID’s September 25th international request for assistance. That request occurred soon after PM Shinzo Abe vowed to end Japan’s “ad hoc” response to the crisis.  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/25/national/japan-receives-global-offers-to-contain-water-spills-at-fukushima-no-1/#.Umu5CoHD8dU
  • The United Nation’s special human rights investigator has criticized the recent UNSCEAR report on Fukushima health effects. Rapporteur Anand Glover says the UNSCEAR conclusion that “there is nothing to worry about” is contentious, arguing that current evidence on low level exposure is insufficient to rule out the possibility of ill effects on health. Glover’s assertion was immediately evoked by Mari Inoue of Tokyo’s Human Rights Now group. She said the report should endorse evacuation from areas where exposure exceeds 1 millisievert of radiation per year, well below the Japanese government’s yardstick of 20 millisieverts per year. Inoue believes it is too early to rule out future health effects for those exposed. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/25/national/human-rights-experts-rap-u-n-report-on-fukushima-radiation/#.UmpkfIHD8dU
  • An American scientific group says “Don’t fear the [Fukushima] radiation”. The American Council on Science and Health sternly criticizes the negative news media frenzy concerning Fukushima. The group argues that nuclear accidents, including Fukushima, have provided strong evidence that radiation fears have worse health consequences than low-level exposure itself. They cite the World Health Org. 20-year report on Chernobyl as powerful proof. Unfortunately, these facts have not been applied to the situation in Japan and the WHO report has been severely downplayed by the Japanese Press. As a result, “Levels of stress, anxiety and depression are significantly elevated. One survey found that stress among children in the Fukushima area is double the level of other children in Japan. In fact, the officials in the Fukushima region over-reacted so intensely that outdoor activities were curtailed, and the [secondary results] among schoolchildren include the highest rates of obesity in Japan.” http://acsh.org/2013/10/dont-fear-radiation/
  • On Saturday, a small tsunami hit the shoreline of Fukushima Prefecture. The tsunami was caused by a 7.1 Richter-scale earthquake 200 kilometers off-shore of F. Daiichi, thought to be yet another aftershock of the massive 3/11/11 temblor. The highest reported surge was about 22 inches at the Onagawa station which was the nuke closest to the epicenter. After the quake’s shaking stopped, Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a one-meter high tsunami alert. By procedure, all F. Daiichi staff along the shoreline moved to higher ground. Because it was the middle of the night, there were only 2 F. Daiichi workers affected. Regardless, some Japanese news outlets incorrectly reported this as yet another F. Daiichi evacuation and an indication of the on-going threat posed by the damaged nuke. The event was also reported by a few international Press sources, giving them a chance to replay their spins on the nuke accident of 2011 and re-visit their reports of problems at F. Daiichi since then.  http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/fukushima-workers-evacuated-after-quake — http://news.yahoo.com/7-3-magnitude-quake-rocks-japan-no-damage-192438013.html
  • A Nuclear Regulation Authority official says the restarts of Tepco’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa station will be determined by the company’s efforts at F. Daiichi. NRA Secretary General Katsuhiko Ikeda told the Press, “The NRA will decide whether to go ahead with the safety assessment by seeing how the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi improves.” He made the statement after the NRA held a closed-door meeting with Tepco President Naomi Hirose. Ikata said the NRA told Hirose to take more drastic measures at Fukushima in response to contaminated water situations. The NRA doubts whether the utility’s management personnel fully understand the situation faced by workers at F. Daiichi and whether the company can ensure the safety of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. NRA Chair Shunichi Tanaka told Hirose, “Work efficiency is not good when wearing full-face masks…and especially communication is difficult. I expect radiological countermeasures to be taken at the site to end this kind of situation.” After the meeting, however, Hirose said the situation relative to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa restart was not discussed. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131028p2g00m0dm064000c.html
  • Niigata Prefecture’s governor says Tepco uses “institutionalized lying”. Niigata Prefecture Governor Hirohiko Izumida said, “If they don’t do what needs to be done, if they keep skimping on costs and manipulating information, they can never be trusted. There are three things required of a company that runs nuclear power plants: don’t lie, keep your promises and fulfill your social responsibility.” Izumida holds tacit veto power over the restart of any units at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuke station owned by Tepco. A long-term critic of the company, Izumida says he will create his own investigation into the causes and handling of the Fukushima crisis, and further decide whether or not the NRA is doing a sufficient job in regulating nuclear safeguards. “If Tokyo Electric doesn’t cooperate closely with the prefecture nothing will be solved,” he said. “Unless we start we won’t know,” he added, avoiding an estimate of how long his review could take. “If they cooperate with us, we will be able to proceed smoothly. If not, we won’t.” Izumida has called for the removal of Tepco from the Fukushima cleanup, turning all of the staff into public employees, and placing the utility in a state of bankruptcy. He argues that anything less is unacceptable, “Unless we create a situation where 80-90 percent of their thinking is devoted to nuclear safety, I don’t think we can say they have prioritized safety.” Tepco says they will fully support Izumida’s investigation. http://news.yahoo.com/tokyo-electric-cannot-yet-trusted-restart-nuclear-plant-130642183–finance.html
  • Last Wednesday, Tepco received another $500 million from Tokyo to continue compensation payments to Fukushima evacuees. This will bring the total payouts to in excess of $30 billion. However, a Tepco press release says Tokyo’s funding will “not be sufficient for the total amount of payouts” mandated by the government after 3/11/11. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1231661_5130.html (comment – Meanwhile, the 250,000 tsunami refugees continue to languish on federal subsidies of about half of the Fukushima-evacuee payout totals.)
  • Post-Fukushima radiation education follows the “keep it simple” adage. Although there was essentially no education on the basics of radiation in Japan prior to the Fukushima accident, it has become a part of primary and secondary curricula since. Tokyo University is teaching school teachers about radiation – what it is, what it can do, and what it cannot do. Many teachers have balked at presenting the material in their classrooms because they were never trained to teach this subject. Some feel only radiation experts should be teaching it. Yukiko Okada, an associate professor in the Atomic Energy Research Laboratory at Tokyo City University, disagrees. “One problem with education from experts is the jargon, which is hard for kids to understand — all those words flying about causes them to drift away from science. But with infographics, there are no such worries,” Okada says. She has given more than 30 lessons to Fukushima Prefecture elementary and junior high teachers since 2012. With the help of a colleague, Information Design Professor Seita Koike, they have created easy-to-understand graphics. It seems to be working well. Some Junior High Schools in Tokyo began teaching about radiation in 2008, but a program to cover all three public education demographics did not begin until 2012. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131027p2a00m0na004000c.html