May 8, 2014

May 8, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • As of Wednesday (yesterday), 814 fuel bundles have been safely removed from unit 4 fuel pool. Twenty-two of the relocated bundles were new and unused, and 792 were spent (used) fuel assemblies. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommision/index-e.html
  • Jim Conca of Forbes magazine says Fukushima is not causing cancer and death. He cites latest scientific information published by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, as well as many other reputable sources. It has been more than three years after the nuclear accident, and no member of the public has been physically harmed by exposure due to the contamination released into the air and water around Fukushima. In contrast, Conca notes that while writing his op-ed piece, a Florida gas explosion killed two people and a crude oil-carrying train derailed in Virginia which caused the James River to be polluted and burn. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/05/04/cancer-and-death-by-radiation-not-from-fukushima/
  • Oxford Professor Wade Allison says that radiation fears lead to high energy prices and negative climate impacts. He says radiation is erroneously presented to the public as exceptionally dangerous in ways that are never applied to other risks, leading to unnecessarily extreme costs. A too-narrow obsession with nuclear safety has distorted the energy market to the benefit of fossil fuel interests, but also to the detriment of the human race. Allison asks if the world has been duped by political propaganda and too many science fiction stories. He answers with a resounding “Yes!” In addition to radiation, he addresses nuclear waste issues and Press reports of Fukushima-contaminated foods. He concludes that there are real threats to humanity, like political and economic instabilities, but radiation exposure is not one of them. http://www.radiationandreason.com/uploads//enc_CostOfNuclearBubbleC.pdf
  • There’s no Fukushima radiation on America’s west coast. This comes from researchers at CSU Long Beach and other schools sampling kelp along the California coastline. The on-going study is entitled Kelp Watch 2014, and covers ocean sampling from Kodiak Island, Alaska, through Baja California. The researchers are looking for the Cesium 134/137 isotopic “footprint” of Fukushima contamination, but none has been detected. Chief researcher Dr. Steven Manley says, “So far, it appears that, based on our analysis of kelp, that none of the Fukushima radiation has arrived via the ocean current to our shoreline.” In addition, nothing has been detected at Guam and Hawaii, both of which are thousands of kilometers nearer the accident site in Japan. The team is using kelp sampling from Chile as a base-line reference. The new study contradicts a prior Long Beach State report claiming Fukushima isotopes found in California kelp. http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2014/05/07/study-finds-no-evidence-of-ocean-borne-fukushima-radiation-along-west-coast/
  • NHK World reports the number of disaster-related deaths is now more than 3,000. This figure applies to refugees of both the 3/11/11 earthquake/tsunami and the mandated Fukushima evacuation. The survey covered 10 prefectures from Chiba (home of the Tokyo metropolis) in the south to Iwate on the northeast coast of Honshu Island. By the end of March, disaster-related deaths rose to 3,076, which is an increase of 388 from last March. More than half of the total comes from Fukushima Prefecture, alone. The number of Fukushima post-disaster deaths now exceeds the number killed by the quake and tsunami by 88. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140506_19.html
  • The mandated evacuation zone around F. Daiichi has been a haven for wild pigs. The beasts have thrived without humans around to keep them in check, and have caused considerable property damage. The Environment Ministry has decided to expand its culling of the creatures to minimize additional destruction. 200 boars were put down in the four municipalities nearest the nuke station between November and February, but the rate of damage has not seemed to slow. As a result, the culling program will be extended to three more communities later this month. The Ministry feels reducing the number of wild boars will facilitate the repopulation of evacuated towns. NHK World; Culling of wild boars near Fukushima nuclear plant; May 6, 2014
  • An international research team has found very little rural Fukushima Plutonium and Uranium. Plutonium concentrations in prefecture samples ranged from 1.6 to 2.1 Becquerels per kilogram of material. A Becquerel is one radioactive emission per second. The level of Uranium isotope 236 was in the range of 0.000028 to 0.0007 Becquerels per kilogram. This effectively verifies that the total Uranium radioactive isotopic mix released during the accident was 3.9 million Becquerels (about 150 grams) and the total matrix of Plutonium isotopes was 2.3 billion Becquerels (~0.58 grams). The team says this is the first quantitative estimate of total Uranium released by the accident. http://fukushimaupdate.com/new-study-examines-u236-and-pu-isotopes-in-fukushima-fallout/ (Abstract only…the full report is behind a pay wall.)
  • A former Fukushima contract worker is suing Tepco for “unnecessary” radiation exposure. The identity of the claimant is being withheld by the suit’s lawyers. The plaintiff held a news conference where he said, “I wish (the utility) had informed us of possible risks in advance.” He seeks $108,000 in damages for unnecessary exposure and slipshod instructions from Tepco. He was employed to install emergency power cables in unit #3. On March 24, 2014, he says he worked for 90 minutes near a contaminated water puddle reading 200 millisieverts per hour, and estimates he got an exposure of at least 20 mSv. The plaintiff insists Tepco should have known what the radiation levels were and informed the workers of the risk before being sent in for their jobs. He argues, “That is a breach of responsibility to ensure safety. [The utility] put us in a position of being exposed to high doses of radiation unnecessarily.” The claimant has not had any health issues due to the alleged exposure. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201405080045
  • Former Prime Ministers launch their antinuclear crusade. Junichiro Koizumi and Morihiro Hosokawa have officially started a group intended to abolish atomic power, but say they will avoid being directly involved in politics. (Aside – Right! Career politicians saying they will avoid politics. That’s a serious contradiction. – end aside) At the inaugural Press conference for Japan Assembly for Nuclear Free Renewable Energy in Tokyo, Koizumi said, “Japan is an earthquake-prone country, and the government has not taken effective measures to protect nuclear power plants from terrorism.” He added that it is a “blatant lie” to say nukes are safe, clean and cost-effective. Hosokawa said, “It is utterly wrong for the current government to push for the restart of nuclear power plants. It contradicts Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s promise that his government will lower the country’s dependence on nuclear energy. We must turn to renewable energy to create a society without fear of radiation contamination.” Numerous popular celebrities participated in the formal “workshop” which coincided with the group’s inauguration. The first priority will be screening anti-nuclear films to be shown at small-scale discussion meetings for residents living close to nukes. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201405080047