April 24, 2014

Apr 24, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Naraha’s Fukushima evacuees debate returning home. The town of Naraha, inside the mandated exclusion zone, has been decontaminated and Tokyo has begun briefing residents on conditions in the town. Decontamination has cut the radiation exposure levels in half, now at about 4 millisieverts/year, and repopulation is viable. As far as infrastructure is concerned, a temporary shopping center has been built for returnees with more to come. The government is planning on lifting living restrictions in the not-distant future and town meetings are important for relieving anxieties. The first meeting was held in Iwaki City where 80% of the evacuees now live. NHK World; Fukushima evacuees discuss whether to go back home; April 22, 2014
  • Reluctance to repopulate Miyakoji continues to be covered by some Press. Fukushima Minpo, the prefecture’s largest newspaper, says those not returning are worried about radiation, lack of jobs and medical services, but many admit they have grown accustomed to living in their current locations. To counter the objections, the municipal government opened two shopping facilities on April 6, reopened three elementary and junior high schools on April 7, and a convenience store is expected to open this autumn. The “long-stay” period, designed to let people prepare their homes for repopulation, ended April 1st. About 90 residents took advantage of the “long-stay” opportunity, and it seems all of them have decided to remain. However, only one other family returned by April 10, indicating that most evacuees are not eager to return. http://www.fukushimaminponews.com/news.html?id=334
  • Tepco has received nearly $2 billion to cover evacuee compensation through May. On April 23rd, Tokyo’s Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund transferred $1.92 billion to Tepco, bringing the total to more than $38 billion. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2014/1235803_5892.html
  • The Odaka hospital has been re-opened in Minamisoma. It is the first medical facility to be re-opened inside the evacuation zone. About half of the Minamisoma lies inside the “no-go” zone, and much of it has been reopened to residents for short-term visits. Visiting residents cannot yet stay overnight, however. Tomoyoshi Matsumoto and his wife arrived shortly after the hospital opened. He said, “We live nearby and I feel comfortable because I know some doctors here.” The facility will operate three days per week for outpatient care only. The main building needs repair due to earthquake damage on 3/11/11, so a smaller adjunct building is being used. Other businesses are also opening in the area, including service stations. In addition, a clinic has opened in Namie and one in Nahara will soon follow. Slowly but surely the evacuation zone’s infrastructure is reviving. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/04/23/national/minamisoma-hospital-reopens/#.U1j7rKNOUdU
  • Last week, the pumping-up of groundwater was halted due to Tritium concentration. The concentration was 1,600 becquerels per liter on April 15. Japan’s standard for releasing Tritium into the ocean is 60,000 becquerels per liter, but TEPCO self-imposed a limit of 1,500 becquerels in an agreement with local fishermen. When three consecutive days of testing showed the hydrogen isotope’s level had dropped below Tepco’s self-imposed limit for discharge, pumping resumed. The water is being removed from the ground before it can come in contact with any of the damaged power plant buildings and become contaminated. The liquid is being pumped to empty storage tanks for detailed analysis before discharge to the sea. The groundwater’s diversion is expected to reduce seepage into the basements of the four damaged units by about 100 tons per day. NHK World; Pumping of groundwater resumes at Fukushima plant; April 24, 2014
  • The removal of unit #3’s fuel handling bridge has begun. The hydrogen explosion of 3/14/11 caused the machine to drop into the spent fuel pool below it. This will mark the removal of the last of the debris from the SFP. When finished in July, removal of the fuel bundles in the pool can begin. During the Monday-through-Friday workweek, cooling to the pool will be stopped to insure that no hydraulic fluids or lubricants will flow through the cooling system. Cooling will resume every week end, however. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2014/04/286679.html
  • Niigata’s governor says Tokyo’s new nuclear safety regulations are a lie. Hirohiko Izumida stated that the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s claim that they have “the world’s strictest standards” is a fabrication. He believes that new nuclear regulations are full of loopholes, fail to account for the unexpected and forces local governments to protect citizens in the event of an accident. “Although [the new requirements] do not measure up to international standards, [the central government] is not working to change the current situation,” Izumida explained. “[The state] is lying by insisting that it has done what it has not done.” Niigata Prefecture is home to seven units at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa station, the largest nuclear power facility in the world. Two of the units have been suggested to the NRA for restarts. But, Izumida says they cannot be called safe even if they conform to all new rules, “The standards assume that nuclear accidents are inevitable, and meeting the standards alone would not assure the safety of residents.” He added that local laws make it virtually impossible to assure that all local residents will be safe. Last year, Izumida met with maverick former American NRC Chairman Greg Jaczko and they agreed that current evacuation plans are inadequate. Izumida advocates building bomb-shelter-like bunkers under homes, which he feels is the only way to insure safety. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201404230062
  • The former mayor of Futaba says Fukushima is harming Japan’s children. In an interview with Russia’s RT News, Katsutaka Idogawa said radiation levels around Fukushima are “four times higher” than Chernobyl and “it’s too early for people to come back to Fukushima Prefecture. It is by no means safe, no matter what the government says.” He claims that there are 2 million people in the prefecture with “all sorts of medical issues”, but it is denied by Tokyo, “I demanded that the authorities substantiate their claim in writing but they ignored my request.” Then he turned to his opinion concerning children, “They [Fukushima parents] believe what the government says, while in reality radiation is still there. This is killing children. They die of heart conditions, asthma, leukemia, thyroiditis… Lots of kids are extremely exhausted after school; others are simply unable to attend PE classes. But the authorities still hide the truth from us, and I don’t know why. Don’t they have children of their own? It hurts so much to know they can’t protect our children.” Next, Idogawa belittled the workforce at the Fukushima accident site, “Their equipment was getting worse; preparation was getting worse. So people had to think about their safety first. That’s why those who understood the real danger of radiation began to quit. Now we have unprofessional people working there.They don’t really understand what they’re doing. That’s the kind of people who use the wrong pump, who make mistakes like that.” He also said the government has covered-up radiation exposure since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, “The authorities lied to everyone (about the effects of the atomic bombings)…They hid the truth. That’s the situation we are living in. It’s not just Fukushima. Japan has some dark history.” Finally, the former mayor said he knows that the Fukushima accident has killed “ten to twenty people” due to radiation exposure, “When I was mayor, I knew many people who died from heart attacks, and then there were many people in Fukushima who died suddenly, even among young people. It’s a real shame that the authorities hide the truth from the whole world, from the UN. We need to admit that actually many people are dying. We are not allowed to say that but TEPCO employees also are dying. But they keep mum about it.” http://rt.com/news/tokyo-radiation-fukushima-children-836/