October 22, 2015

Oct 22, 2015 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • On Tuesday, Tepco recorded images inside unit #3 Primary Containment Vessel (PCV). Using a remote-controlled device pushed through a pipe penetrating the thick PCV wall, pictures were recorded above the water welled-up in the basement area. Temperature and radiation levels were also recorded. The internal radiation field appeared to be less than one sievert per hour, which is significantly lower than has been observed inside both unit #1 & #2 PCVs. The water level in the PCV seems to be about 6.4 meters deep and covered in dust which prevented cameras from inspecting the bottom of the reactor vessel (RPV). Tepco says they will insert a waterproof device later this week to collect water samples for laboratory analysis and try to look under the RPV. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/10/20/national/tepco-set-send-camera-containment-vessel-reactor-3-fukushima-no-1-plant/#.ViZEpJDosdV — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html  Pictures taken during Tuesday’s inspection are posted here… http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/2015/201510-e/151020-01e.html
  • On Wednesday, Sendai unit #2 began transmitting electricity. The electrical output will be raised slowly over a ten day period until it reaches 100%. This is the second nuclear reactor to reach electrical transmission since Japan’s stricter safety standards were introduced. Sendai #2 is a Pressurized Water Reactor system capable of generating 890 MWe of electricity. Three inspectors from the Nuclear Regulation Authority observed the process of connecting the output to the transmission and distribution system. If no problems are found by plant staff or the NRA, commercial operations will begin in mid-November. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002509146 — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20151021_19.html
  • On Thursday, Tepco released the first underwater images inside unit #3’s PCV. The pictures are of the area immediate to the spot where an “inspection stand” will be placed in order to extract water samples for chemical and isotopic analysis. The location will also be used to install permanent monitoring technology.  No damage was found, but the range of the camera’s field of vision was limited by the PCV water’s cloudiness. Thus, no images could be taken of the underside of the RPV. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2015/images/handouts_151022_01-e.pdf
  • A former Fukushima contract worker receives workmen’s compensation for radiation exposure. The man has contracted leukemia and qualifies for the benefits under Japanese law.  Workers who are injured or become ill due to work or commuting can receive financial aid under the nation’s Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act of 1976. For a disease to be certified as an industrial accident linked to radiation exposure, a claimant must have been exposed to at least 5 millisieverts per year, times the number of years of such exposure, and have developed the illness more than a year after first being exposed. An official of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said, “While the causal link between his exposure to radiation and his illness is unclear, we certified him from the standpoint of worker compensation.” This individual had been sent to several nuke plants between November 2011 and October, 2012 where he received 4.1 millisieverts. He then worked at F. Daiichi from October, 2012, through December, 2013, receiving an additional 15.7 millisieverts. It was during his stint at F. Daiichi that he had the exposure which met the criterion for workmen’s compensation. He will be getting an unspecified amount of money and free medical coverage for. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20151020_34.html — http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201510200086  —  http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20151020p2g00m0dm081000c.html  It must be noted that one Japanese newspaper (Japan Today) and numerous international news outlets (linking Reuters as an example, but including NBC, CBS, AP, Telegraph UK, and many more) have spun this workman’s comp decision as a government admission of a definitive link between leukemia and low level radiation exposure. It should also be noted that Japan Today also tries to suggest that the esophageal cancer death of former F. Daiichi plant superintendent might also have been due to exposure after 3/11/11, which is a first for any Japanese news outlet. http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/1st-fukushima-worker-diagnosed-with-radiation-linked-cancer?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2015-10-21_AM — http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/20/us-japan-nuclear-fukushima-idUSKCN0SE0VD20151020
  • The former F. Daiichi worker says he has no regrets about working at the accident site. The Asahi Shimbun interviewed him on Wednesday. He said, “I decided to go to Fukushima hoping that I could make some contribution to the recovery of the disaster-stricken communities, and I have no regret over my decision.” He also said he did not initially link his cancer to F. Daiichi, but when he heard that another nuke welder had applied for the compensation, he decided to file for it. He was very ill at the time and his immune system had been deteriorated by the cancer drugs he was taking. He worried about his family’s finances, so he tried to see if workman’s comp might help. It did. A workman’s comp official said, “Based on the spirit of workers’ compensation insurance, we gave consideration to his case from a standpoint that he should not miss compensation (he might be eligible for). We also took into account that the maximum permissible radiation dose for ordinary people was 5 millisieverts annually when it was introduced in 1976.” The worker said he is now in remission and the money he gets will help ease the financial burden on his family until he can return to work. He also hopes that other F. Daiichi workers who find themselves in a similar situation can take advantage of workman’s comp to pay bills and cover medical expenses. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201510210076