October 5, 2012

Oct 5, 2012 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Researchers studying the impacts of the Fukushima accident on ecosystems are surprised by some initial findings. A team from Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University has been looking at wildlife and fauna for radioactive Cesium content and possible impacts. One discovery has them puzzled. When they first tested Japanese Macaque muscle tissue in April, 2011, they found Cesium concentrations as high as 25,000 Becquerels per kilogram. However, in June of 2012 the tests showed a drop to about 1,000 Bq/kg. While seasonal differences in the monkey’s foods might account for some degree of variance, a decrease of more than a factor of twenty is beyond anything the team expected. Because monkeys most closely resemble the biological make-up of humans, researchers feel that what happens to the monkeys could indicate what might occur with humans. It is also believed negative health impacts to primates will be more severe than with other wildlife and plants. The team says that some species are more susceptible to radiation exposure than others, but their initial findings have them puzzled because this discovery challenges the recent report that butterfly abnormalities in Fukushima Prefecture are due to F. Daiichi radiological impacts, but no abnormalities have been found with the primates. While it is admitted that radiation exposure could theoretically produce the butterfly mutations, there are other factors that could have been the cause, as well. Takahisa Miyatake, a professor of evolutionary ecology at Okayama University, says there were no similar studies on the butterflies before the Fukushima Accident with which to make a comparison. Further, cross-breeding with Okinawa butterflies (which caused the mutations to appear) had never been done before. Miyatake cautions, “This paper [on butterfly abnormalities] alone falls short of providing conclusive data on the effects of radiation. Further surveys are needed.” Satoshi Yoshida, at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, said researchers are somewhat stymied by a lack of consensus on the biological effects of radiation and a difficulty in determining radiation doses in wild animals. He hopes this long-term study in Fukushima will provide some decisive answers. (Asahi Shimbun)
  • A Diet panel is investigating the possibility that funds allocated for recovery from the 3/11/11 earthquake and tsunami has been diverted elsewhere. New Disaster Minister Tatsuo Hirano has started a probe based on information shared with him by knowledgeable sources. Allegations of eight instances of monetary diversion have been submitted to the House of Representatives Committee on Audit and Oversight of Administration. One occurrence was shifting funds from disaster relief to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry to protect whales. Another instance concerns the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry getting disaster recovery monies to improve roads in Okinawa. “Members of the general public will hardly understand such diversions. It’s the responsibility of the Diet to conduct an investigation into the issue although the Diet isn’t in session now,” one of the committee members said. Another official added, “I suspect that officials used various tricks to divert disaster recovery funds.” (Mainichi Shimbun)
  • Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura says the government will decide to allow idled-nuke restarts only after their safety is confirmed by the Nuclear Regulatory Agency. He added that the nukes that pass can be expected to restart and operate until all electrical demands can be met without them. (NHK World) On the other hand, another newspaper reports Fujimura saying that the reactors might not be allowed to restart, even if they pass the NRA safety evaluations, “The problem of power supply and demand will naturally crop up. The government may decide it is unnecessary (to restart reactors).” This is because the NRA can only establish the safety of the plants. The actual decision for resumption of operations is the responsibility of the politicians. NRA chair Shunichi Tanaka said, “Government offices in charge of energy policy as well as plant operators should make the decision on activating reactors and reach a consensus with local people.” Another NRA member says safety assessments are a “necessary condition” for restarts but “not a sufficient condition.” (Mainichi Shimbun)
  • Hokuriku Electric Company seeks dismissal of a lawsuit to shut down Shika unit #2’s currently-idled reactor. The trial began Wednesday in Kanazawa District Court with plaintiffs arguing that the geologic anomaly under the Shika station is active and the Fukushima accident proved that compliance with existing safety standards does not insure safety. Susumu Kitano, leader of the plaintiffs, told the court “The existence of an active fault will be a major point of this suit. We will never accept a cover-up of an active fault.” On the other hand, Hokuriku Electric says all previous studies have shown the anomaly is not seismically active and they are currently running yet another investigation into the matter. In other words, the utility says the anomaly is not seismic and the plaintiffs are making an arbitrary assumption. The company says the current study will be completed and a report issued in January. This is the second time local residents have tried to get a court order to shut down Shika based on earthquake fears. The first case was rejected by the Nagoya High Court in 2009. Japan’s Supreme Court finalized the ruling in 2010. (Japan Times)
  • Tepco has released another six hours of video footage made during the first five days of the F. Daiichi accident. The video shows plant manager Masao Yoshida unsuccessfully trying to reach then-PM Naoto Kan for permission to proceed with emergency efforts on March 13. Yoshida was delaying critical emergency actions because of government intervention. In another section of the video, and executive in Tokyo ordered people the plant operators to immediately take specific emergency actions without knowing what was actually happening at F. Daiichi. Plant management told the executive he was obstructing the work already in progress. (NHK World)
  • Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) has recommended distribution of Potassium Iodide (KI) tablets to all residents within 50 kilometers (~30 miles) of all nukes. However, the NRA admits this cannot be done unless Japanese law restricting issuance of strong medicines is changed. KI can saturate the thyroid gland with non-radioactive Iodine and keep it from absorbing radioactive Iodine if there is a nuclear accident. (Japan Today) comment – While it is not an anti-cancer medicine, the Japanese Press is touting KI as a cancer preventative. The NRA says their recommendation is based on the fact that thousands of thyroid cancers were discovered after the accident at Chernobyl in 1986. None of the Chernobyl cancers were fatal, but the NRA believes distribution of the KI would prevent something similar from happening in Japan if a nuclear accident equal to Chernobyl happens in Japan. It makes no difference that the massive radioactive releases from Chernobyl was because it had no containment structure surrounding the reactor, and the reactor design itself was unique to the Soviet Union and in no way resembles any of Japan’s nukes. In other words, the NRA is concerned with soothing public fear of radiation.