THIS JUST IN (1/10/14) – Three reports have been posted verifying the Fukushima Commentary of 12/31/13, Pacific Beaches not at-Risk from Fukushima. It turns out the infamous Pacific beach radiation widely posted in a recent YouTube video was entirely due to naturally-occurring isotopes of Thorium and Radium. The three come from the Geiger Counter Bulletin, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Novato California Patch. Here’s the links… http://geigercounter.com/california-beach-radiation-fukushima/ — http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Coast-getting-little-radiation-from-Fukushima-5125645.php — http://novato.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/beach-radiation-not-from-fukushima-officials-say
Now for the current Fukushima updates…
- The transfer of spent fuel at F. Daiichi unit #4 has resumed. The operation was suspended on December 22 for the holidays. Fukushima Prefecture officials observed the fuel bundle transfer’s resumption. The prefecture says they will make future observations as often as possible. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201401080059
- Japan’s Atomic Energy Agency will run a small-scale meltdown test. The experiment will be used to shed new light on what happened inside the three damaged cores at F. Daiichi in mid-March, 2011. One JAEA official said, “We’d like to find out what phenomena occurred in the accident and use the data to work out responses in the event of another nuclear power plant accident. Results of the experiment will help us better predict the effectiveness of measures to deal with a nuclear accident, such as an emergency injection of water into a reactor. There are no safety problems with the experiment itself.” The experiment will be run at the Tokai Research Reactor Facility using a foot-long fuel “rod” isolated from water. It will be bombarded with moderated neutrons from fuel bundles in water outside the small dry enclosure. The water is needed to de-energize the neutrons from fission in a process called moderation. Freshly-released, high-energy neutrons cannot cause a chain reaction in fuel as dilute in the Uranium-235 isotope as is the case in all nuclear power plants. Only de-energized, low energy neutrons can do it. (click on The Uranium Explosive Myth in the left-hand column for more detail on this necessary process) The moderated neutrons should be sufficient to cause a chain reaction in the test rod. By increasing the concentration of neutrons from the water-moderating blanket, the test rod’s chain reaction should increase enough to reach the ~2,000oCtemperature needed to cause the fuel to liquefy, along with the other metals attached to the rod. Once liquefied into a material called corium, the chain reaction should cease and begin to cool. It should shortly re-solidify. The corium can then be given a detailed analysis. JAEA says they will begin fabricating the test module in April. They add that before the test is run, they will fully inform all Ibaraki prefectural officials. What does Tepco think of this? One official said, “The present calculation method has its limits when seeking precision.” http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000924969
- The Cesium filtering of waters in the turbine basements of units #1 through #4 continues to lower radioactive concentration. Tepco’s posting of January 8 shows the inlet water to the Cesium absorption filters in the Main Process Building is at about 25,000 Becquerels per milliliter. The same sample point posting on January 4, 2013, was 59,000 Bq/ml. This is about a 57% decrease over the one year period. Also, the Cesium concentration of the absorber’s outlet is now 0.34 Bq/ml. This means the filtration system is removing 99.999% of the Cesium. Not bad for a “makeshift” system. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu14_e/images/140108e0101.pdf — http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu13_e/images/130104e0201.pdf
- A popular twice-weekly podcast, “No Agenda”, praises the Hiroshima Syndrome for Fukushima information. This past Sunday’s pod cast (#580) was entitled Hiroshima Syndrome. http://static.curry.com/nashownotes/580/index.html Leading nuclear energy blogger Rod Adams has posted an article about the podcast and the virtues of the No Agenda format, which seems to fit the show’s title quite well. Rod’s opinion of the show meshes almost perfectly with mine, so any elaboration on my part would be nothing more than unnecessary redundancy. Here’s the link to Rod Adam’s most-interesting piece… http://atomicinsights.com/agenda-show-discusses-hiroshima-syndrome/ Thank you Rod. And a huge “thank you for courage” to Adam Curry and John Dvorak, the hosts of No Agenda.
- The immensely popular Deep Sea News has run another scientific report on Fukushima impacts. It is titled “All The Best, Scientifically Verified, Information on Fukushima Impacts”, written by Dr. Craig McClain. The piece begins, “With all the misinformation around the internet here are links to articles that we trust. The following provide credible information about what is actually occurring and/or dispel myths about Fukushima radiation that are prevalent on the internet.” It then lists a dozen web-available reports debunking internet scare-mongering specific to Fukushima contamination. Here’s the link… http://deepseanews.com/2014/01/all-the-best-scientifically-verified-information-on-fukushima-impacts/
- An American English teacher in Fukushima Prefecture has posted a calendar to show people in America that the prefecture is not a disaster wasteland. Ryan McDonald says he was literally inundated with post-3/11/11 Emails and phone calls from friends back home. To dispel their concerns, he has produced a calendar depicting a “Fukushima is Beautiful” motif from his home on Lake Inawashiroko. He has printed 3,500 copies. McDonald says he wants the world to see that “Fukushima is about more than just a nuclear disaster”. The calendars have been sent to world leaders such as U.S. President Barack Obama and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, government officials, Hollywood actors, movie directors and other prominent figures. The British royal family sent a letter expressing its appreciation, and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter sent a thank-you note. McDonald can be reached by Email… ThisIsFukushima@gmail.com. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/recovery/AJ201401040039
- Ibaraki Prefecture will build a nuclear waste incinerator for low-level substances. Workers at the JCO waste processing plant are building an incinerator equipped with high efficiency filtration to keep radioactive ash from becoming airborne. The company plans on having the facility ready to operate by November. The materials to be burned include waste oil, work clothes and contaminated paper that have accumulated at the JCO plant. They have about 700 barrels of material to be incinerated, each with a 200 liter volume (~50 gallons). http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140107_02.html
- Tepco will create a new brand name for retail sales. Under its comprehensive business plan, the company will be selling electricity on a retail basis to large-lot consumers across the whole of Japan. However, Tepco’s name has been tainted by the Fukushima accident to such a degree that it might inhibit sales. The in-house structure of the brand and new business operation will be created this year. In the plan, Tepco will buy power from industrial facilities that use their own in-house generators, then re-sell it nationally. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140109p2a00m0na011000c.html
- Russia has banned more than 130 Japanese cars over concerns about F. Daiichi contamination. The fears stem from reports about water leaks at the nuke station that have dotted the international Press. Russia’s consumer watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said, “In 2013, Russia has banned 165 batches of contaminated goods from entering the country. There were mainly used cars – 132, and spare parts for vehicles – 33.” They added that fish from Japan are monitored, as well, “Particular attention is paid to this issue in Russia’s Far East, where radiation control of fish is being wieldy (sic) implemented, including the distribution chain.” So far, these checks have shown that all fish imports have met “sanitary regulations or radiation indicators”. http://www.tokyotimes.com/2014/russia-bans-access-radioactive-cars-japan/
- Two Japanese antinuclear groups are taking their rhetorical campaign to Taiwan. Members of No Nukes Asia Actions and No Nukes Asia Forum held a Press conference in Taiwan on Tuesday. They intend to file a lawsuit making reactor plant technology suppliers legally accountable for nuclear accident. The specific companies the groups are after are Toshiba, Hitachi, and General Electric. The antinukes are trying to abolish Japanese laws that make technology suppliers exempt from accident liability, as well as seek compensation for “spiritual damages” cause by the nuke accident. The groups have tried to file a similar lawsuit in Japan without success. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2014/01/264809.html — http://japandailypress.com/taiwanese-urged-by-anti-nuclear-groups-to-join-lawsuit-against-reactor-manufacturers-0842085/
