Tuesday marked the 3rd anniversary of the 3/11/11 Earthquake and Tsunami. Overviews of the news reports and a listing of links can be found in the Fukushima Commentary page of this website.
- Former USNRC head Greg Jaczko told Japan’s Press that nuclear accidents cannot be prevented. He said, “This has to be remembered — that there are certain accidents that are not preventable,” said Gregory Jaczko, former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “The question Japan has to ask itself is: Is the country willing to have another accident? And if the answer is no, then the answer has to be no more nuclear power.” Jaczko added that while Tepco failed to take adequate safety measures, “…at the end of the day, Tepco didn’t create the earthquake, Mother Nature did that.” NHK World; US nuclear expert calls for strict safety measures; March 12, 2014 — http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/03/12/fukushima-watch-is-japan-ready-for-another-nuclear-accident/
- An excellent 3rd anniversary article has been posted by ANS Nuclear Café. The author is friend and colleague Will Davis. He covers the current conditions at Fukushima Daiichi, the sweeping changes in Japanese nuclear regulation, and the signs of a positive shift in public opinion. His opening statement is thought-provoking, “What is not seen can be frightening, and what is not known can be daunting; what is happening is that the public, both evacuated Fukushima refugees and other peoples around the world, are beginning to grasp the realities of the present in addition to focusing on the days of the tsunami, the nuclear accident, and the evacuation—and the world is starting to respond.” Davis also lists a large number of links to sources of additional information. http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2014/03/11/fukushima-three-years-later/
- Radiation data recorded at monitoring posts around F. Daiichi the first two days of the accident has been posted. Fourteen of the rural radiation detectors recorded data every 20 seconds. The first increases beyond normal readings at any location were mid-afternoon of March 12. An initial manual venting of pressure from Fukushima Daiichi unit #1 began at ~10:17am that morning but no increased radiation levels were recorded on the rural monitors. A second manual venting started at ~2pm, which was confirmed by the main gate monitor showing a radiation increase. At 2:10pm, one rural monitor, ~5.5 kilometers from F. Daiichi, showed a rise in radiation level which peaked at 2:40pm showing .0046 millisieverts per hour. The unit #1 hydrogen explosion occurred at 3:36pm, expunging an enormous amount of radioactivity. The rural monitors should have shown a substantial radiation increase, but none did. NHK World; Radiation surge detailed in 2011 accident; March 11, 2014
- The first nukes to be screened for restarts will be the twin Pressurized Water Reactor units at Sendai station in Kagoshima. The NRA says the prioritization means confirmation of being able to withstand maximum earthquakes and tsunamis. NRA chair Shunichi Tanaka says the major safety issues with the Sendai station have been resolved. The NRA plans on garnering expert opinions and holding public hearings before final approval will be decided. Kyushu Electric hopes to have the units running for this summer’s anticipated peak electrical demand. NHK World; Sendai nuclear plant screening prioritized; March 13, 2013 Meanwhile, Kagoshima Governor Yuichiro Ito says he will keep a close eye on the Sendai safety screenings. He said the basis for the restarts is ensuring safety. Ito added that the state must guarantee the plant’s safety and a full explanation should be given to residents to gain their understanding. NHK World; Governor calls for plant safety guarantee; March 13, 2014
- The radiation level in Tokyo is less than London, Paris and Seoul, Korea. The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health has recorded data showing Tokyo has returned to pre-Fukushima background radiation levels. The readings taken in the Shinjuku Ward of the city reveals radiation exposure at 0.034 microsieverts per hour. That’s roughly the same as March 10, 2011; the day before the massive tsunami caused the nuclear accident. The reported level in Paris is 0.057 µSv/hr, 0.085 µSv/hr in London, and 0.11 µSv/hr in Seoul. The highest reading recorded in Tokyo during the accident was 0.809 µSv/hr on March 15, 2011. For the record, the Tokyo level dropped to 0.049 µSv on March 18 which was the pre-accident background readings. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/11/national/tokyo-radiation-less-than-the-level-in-paris/#.Ux8DeKOYYdU
- American Dale Klein says great progress has been made by Tepco and Japan. Klein is former head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and currently chairs a group of international experts advising Tepco on nuclear reform. His speech at Japan’s Foreign Press Center marked the third anniversary of the accident at Fukushima Daiichi. The full transcript of his speech can be found here… http://www.nrmc.jp/en/news/detail/index-e.html#date_20140311-153000
- Japan’s Atomic Industrial Forum has posted a listing of options for Tritium disposal. Due to the wide concern across Japan with releasing any form of radiation, a joint task force was assembled by Tokyo to provide possible methods of handling Tritium in wastewaters. Several options were broached including burial after solidification, injection into underground geology, release to the sea, releasing into the air in steam, releasing in air as hydrogen gas, long-tern storage, and disposal as diluted amounts of “highly radioactive tritiated water”. http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_images/pdf/ENGNEWS01_1394433399P.pdf
- A foreign expert says that Fukushima’s child thyroid cancer rate is not due to the nuclear accident. Dr. Dillwyn Williams, professor of pathology at Cambridge University, referred to the Chernobyl accident in 1986 where a noticeable increase in thyroid cancers was not seen until 3-4 years after the accident. Williams explained, “Much less radioactivity was released from Fukushima than from Chernobyl. Most of [the Fukushima radioactivity] was blown over the Pacific Ocean, and thyroid doses in the most-affected areas are low compared to Chernobyl. It is very unlikely there will be a large increase in thyroid cancer or any other health problems, apart from anxiety and psychological difficulties. That does not mean the surveillance should stop. There were surprises after Chernobyl and there may be again after Fukushima.” http://www.tokyotimes.com/2014/thyroid-cancer-cases-among-fukushima-children/
- A class action suit against GE, Toshiba and Hitachi has been filed in Tokyo. There are about 4,000 claimants from Japan and 32 other countries, including the United States, Germany and South Korea. They want $1 each in compensation for damages against the international community. The filing is largely symbolic, but it is the first lawsuit to be brought against nuclear power-plant suppliers over the 2011 accident. A statement issued Wednesday said, “General Electric, Toshiba and Hitachi failed to implement safety improvements to the four-decades old boiling water reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. The lawsuit is intended to bring attention to the system that protects the nuclear industry around the world.” http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/4000-sue-ge-toshiba-hitachi-over-fukushima-disaster?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2014-03-13_PM
- A$1 billion lawsuit might be filed against Tepco by US Navy sailors. Their first attempt was quashed by a US District Court Judge last year. The Judge saw the filing as a conspiracy charge against Tepco and said she did not have the authority to determine if the company and the Tokyo government lied about the severity of the accident. Judge Sammartino left the door open for a subsequent filing, but pointed out a serious legal hurdle: the plaintiffs must show the USS Ronald Reagan would have acted differently “but for Tepco’s allegedly wrongful conduct.” The new suit claims Tepco was negligent about safety and lied to the Navy and the public about radiation levels at F. Daiichi. Lawyer Garner Bonner says the suit will be filed on behalf of 70,000 U.S. citizens who were in Japan during the crisis, including 5,500 sailors on board the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier during Operation Tomodachi. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/03/10/issues/stakes-high-as-ailing-u-s-navy-sailors-take-on-tepco-over-fukushima-fallout/#.UyBuRaOYYdV (comment – the timing of the article concurrent with the third anniversary is not mere coincidence. Further, all of the alleged evidence cited in the report is hear-say. Plus, there is not the slightest attempt to balance the report by interviewing anyone from the Radiation Biology or Health Physics communities. Considering the extremely small exposures that occurred in comparison to natural background levels, it seems the suit is using Fukushima radiation as a scapegoat for the plaintiff’s problems.)
