- UN expert panel says there have been no health effects from the Fukushima accident. “Radiation exposure following the nuclear accident at Fukushima-Daiichi did not cause any immediate health effects. It is unlikely to be able to attribute any health effects in the future among the general public and the vast majority of workers,” concluded the Vienna-based United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). More than 80 leading international scientists from 27 countries analyzed the information available on the effects of exposure following the events of 3/11/11 in Japan. UNSCEAR says exposure to the Japanese population was low, or very low, leading to correspondingly low risks of health effects later in life. Evacuation and sheltering significantly reduced the radiation exposures that would have otherwise been received. Wolfgang Weiss, Chair of the UNSCEAR investigative group, said “These measures reduced the potential exposure by up to a factor of 10. If that had not been the case, we might have seen the cancer rates rising and other health problems emerging over the next several decades.” Exposures for radioactive Iodine were less than 50 millisieverts, above which Iodine tablets are recommended for children. Two workers at F. Daiichi had a 12 millisievert exposure to I-137, but neither has shown any adverse effects. The internal exposures for Cesium-134 and Cs-137 for the population were below 15 millisieverts, much less than the 100 mSv threshold for incr3eased cancer risk. Carl-Magnus Larsson, head of UNSCEAR, said, “Families are suffering, and people have been uprooted and are concerned about their livelihoods and futures, the health of their children…it is these issues that will be the long-lasting fallout of the accident.” The report added that although the rate of exposures may have exceeded the levels for the onset of effects on plants and animals in the first few months of the accident, effects will be transient in nature and of short duration. (United Nations Information Service; Japan Today; Japan Times; Jiji Press)
- Tepco may be forced to pay residents for radiation anxieties. 180 Fukushima evacuees have won a compensation settlement decision for radiation exposure and future health uncertainties. A state-backed legal arbitration body, Nuclear Damage Claim Dispute Resolution Center, recommended the damages be paid to the claimants from Iitate Village. All claimants are from the Iitate district designated as “difficult to return” with radiation levels of 50 millisieverts per year. They claim they are fearful of radiation exposure because their evacuation was delayed until after the village was designated as part of the evacuation zones. The arbitrators recommend $10,000 for pregnant women and anyone under the age of 18. All other residents can get up to $5,000. The suit itself sought $50,000 per claimant, but was lowered because, “Despite a limited amount of money, the center recognized the state’s and TEPCO’s responsibilities over radiation exposure despite their attempts to ignore them,” said one of the lawyers. The residents already receive evacuation compensation but not for health anxiety. They have also received $1,000 each for anxiety caused by the evacuation itself. This could be the first radiation health anxiety compensation to be granted in Japan. Before it becomes official, however, Tepco will be given time to study the case and appeal, if they desire. This decision could affect the 10,000 Namie residents who have filed a similar suit. (NHK World; Jiji Press; Mainichi Shimbun)
- METI says the tunnels under the F. Daiichi buildings need to be drained. The Ministry believes this is the only way to insure that contaminated water in the tunnels will not reach the sea. Two years ago, Tepco sealed the sea-side openings of the tunnels, but METI feels draining and filling them with concrete will effectively put an end to criticism and rumors. Tepco may have to run the 20,000 tons of water through the Cesium stripping system and store it all in tanks which do not yet exist. METI says Tepco should consider pumping the contaminated water into the already contaminated building basements. Tepco’s original plan to pump groundwater away from the basement walls and into the sea received METI’s endorsement. (The Japan News)
- Tepco says the level of radioactive Cesium in the F. Daiichi groundwater is exceedingly low. In fact, their instruments at F. Daiichi could not read the actual isotopic concentrations because of background radiation. Thus, they sent samples to Fukushima Daiini, 10 kilometers south of F. Daiichi, for analysis. The Cs-137 level is less than 0.4 Becquerels per liter (0.0004 Bq/ml) and Cs-134 about 0.22 Bq/liter. The levels are so low they were difficult to detect. Atsushi Kasai of Japan’s Atomic Energy Research Institute says Tepco should have discovered the trace levels sooner, and the Cesium is probably the result of the contamination spread around the area over the early part of the accident. (Kyodo News)
- Tepco will apply for an additional $6 billion from the government to cover increased public compensation pay-outs. This will bring the total to nearly $40 billion, which will eventually have to be repaid to the Ministry of the Economy. Two years ago, the Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund was established to shoulder the expense of compensation in order to keep Tepco from going bankrupt. The new request is expected to be formally submitted later this month. Tepco says the additional money is needed to make pay-outs for mental damages requiring medical care, loss or depreciation of valuables such as property, the recently announced extension of the compensation period, and compensation for harmful rumors in accordance with “Revision of Compensation Eligibility Criteria for Damages to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Industries and the Processing and Distribution Industries Caused by Harmful Rumors (announced on March 25, 2013)”. (Japan Today; Tepco Press Release)
- The Environment Ministry might sue Tepco in order to recover the cost of decontaminating the Fukushima exclusion zones. This covers costs incurred by the government based on a special measures law on radioactive contamination, as well as government subsidies to local governments which contracted decontamination work. Under the law, Tokyo is supposed to cover decontamination expenses at first and ask TEPCO to reimburse them later. There is no statue on reimbursement. However, if the suit is filed and won by the government, Tepco will have to pay interest on the sum requested by the ministry. Of the $210 million Tepco has been billed, the company has agreed to pay $44 million. The remainder is being investigated by Tepco to insure the money has actually been spent on Fukushima-area decontamination. Tepco said that it has responded appropriately and in accordance with the law. (Kyodo News)
- 83 municipalities in five prefectures agree with Tokyo’s radioactive waste disposal plan. 37 oppose it and 74 have no current opinion. The communities are in Miyagi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Tochigi and Chiba Prefectures. During incineration or wastewater processing, radioactive Cesium is concentrated. When it reaches more than 8,000 Becquerels per kilogram in the ash or sewage sludge, it is defined as “designated waste” under the central government’s criteria. It is believed more than 120,000 tons of such material is now being stored while awaiting a final decision on disposal. Asked why it agreed to the central government’s plan, Chiba city government said, “This situation is inevitable.” Gunma Prefecture’s Shimonita town government said, “Contaminated materials should be handled within the prefecture where they were generated. Any local government would meet stiff opposition [from residents] for accepting waste from outside prefectures.” 18 of the communities, however, said all waste material should be disposed on the F. Daiichi and F. Daiini plant sites. Opposing communities cited two reasons for their negative opinions – It will be difficult to get resident’s consent and/or harmful radiation rumors could hurt community businesses. (Yomiuri Shimbun)
- This past Sunday, a large antinuclear rally occurred in Tokyo. The number of demonstrators varied widely from one news outlet to another, with as low as 7,500 in Japan Today and as much as 60,000 in the Asahi Shimbun. Banners and chants included “No Nukes” and “Unevolved Apes Want Nukes”. (Japan Today) Main organizer Nobel-winning author Kenzaburo Oe said, “Resuming (operating) nuclear power plants is a betrayal to Fukushima.” Sunday’s rally resulted from recent reports that some of the currently-idled nukes in Japan could be restarted this year. Some participants also said Tokyo should not export their nuclear technology to other countries like United Arab Emirates, Turkey and India, purely for economic gain. The protest was organized by the Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes and a few labor unions. (NHK World; Asahi Shimbun; Mainichi Shimbun)
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