January 12, 2015

Jan 12, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • The Director of the Chernobyl Tissue Bank says Fukushima’s risk to the public is negligible. Dr. Geraldine Anne Thomas of London’s Imperial College has visited Japan several times to compare and contrast Fukushima exposure data with Chernobyl’s. She states that the only observable health effects with Chernobyl concerned child thyroid damage, but the Iodine releases from Fukushima were many times less and strict food consumption bans were imposed early-on, thus, “It is therefore important to understand that the risk to health from radiation from Fukushima is negligible.” Thomas stresses that the Fukushima accident is not really a radiation problem, but rather is a communication problem. One striking example concerns the child thyroid screenings being run by Fukushima University. “To me it was a big surprise that the residents were not made aware that the thyroid gland tests that are happening now are a [medical] ‘screening’. There seemed to be a wide-spread misunderstanding that the tests were being conducted to identify the impact of radiation from the accidents in 2011.” As a result, “…the thyroid gland tests, although they were originally designed to reduce the concerns of people living in Fukushima, have resulted in increasing confusion and anxiety amongst the residents.” She also found the notion that Fukushima people are terrified of radiation might not be the case, but the perception outside of the Prefecture may be doing harm, “People living in Fukushima are not concerned about the safety of radiation in Fukushima but are aware of how the disconnect with people who firmly believe otherwise may hinder the recovery of Fukushima.” http://www.gepr.org/en/contents/20141104-01/
  • Canadian scientists have used Fukushima isotopes to study ocean currents. Researchers from the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Nova Scotia, have been following the slow migration of the radioactivity across the Pacific. Their work has not been due to any risks to Canada or any other part of the world because dispersion and dilution have reduced the concentrations to well-below dangerous levels. The team found that the activities for Cesium and other isotopes are actually less than safety standards for drinking water. But tracking the dispersal represented a unique opportunity to see how ocean currents work over a period of years. Team leader John Smith said, “We had a situation where the radioactive tracer was deposited at a very specific location off the coast of Japan at a very specific time. It was kind of like a dye experiment, and it is unambiguous – you either see the signal or you don’t, and when you see it you know exactly what you are measuring.” They have been monitoring out to 1,500 kilometers from British Columbia and first detected Fukushima Cesium isotopes in June, 2012. Based on their data to date, the peak concentrations off North America will be between 3&5 Becquerels per cubic meter (ton of seawater). Natural Pacific radioactive isotopic concentrations are about 13,000 Bq/m3. Smith and his staff are also working with marine chemist Ken Buesseler of Woods Hole Oceanographic in the United States. http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/scientists-use-fukushima-radiation-plume-to-track-ocean-currents/43196/
  • Tokyo wants to upgrade shelter facilities around nuclear stations for inpatients and the elderly. Many Fukushima residents forced to evacuate from hospitals or nursing homes died due to stress and inconsistent medical care. Guidelines were established to upgrade these facilities within 5 kilometers of nuke stations in order for the elderly and hospitalized to remain in place during an accident. The Prime Minister’s Cabinet has decided to expand this to a 10 kilometer radius. Improvements have already been made to 149 facilities across Japan, including double-paned windows and ventilation system filters designed to strip airborne contaminants from the air. $260 million has been spent to date, and it is estimated the expanded radius will cost another $76 million. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150109_01.html
  • The Asahi Shimbun says decommissioning five reactor units will help Tokyo’s desire for nuke restarts. Japan’s second-leading newspaper reports that seven currently-idled nukes will attain the age of 40 in 2016, and five will probably not be considered for restart. The NRA wants formal decisions on the seven units to be made by July. The Asahi purports that this is one of various measures being considered by the Industry Ministry to gain public support for nuke restarts. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201501110012