February 27, 2014

Feb 27, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • A team of Japanese researchers say Fukushima resident’s cancer risk is very, very low. A team of Kyoto University medical professors, headed by Dr. Akio Koizumi, surveyed the exposures of volunteers living in Kawauchi, Soma, and Minamisoma, all of which are between 20 and 50 kilometers of Fukushima Daiichi. Minamisoma and Soma are on the coast north of F. Daiichi. Kawauchi is inland, to the southwest. 459 people carried dosimeters over a 2-month period to determine external exposure, and collected food samples from 125 residents to gauge internal exposure. Most people in the prefecture are unlikely to receive doses significantly different from normal background radiation levels.The team found that external doses ranged from 1.03 to 2.75 millisieverts per year, and internal from .0058 to .019 mSv/yr. These levels carry a lower cancer risk than being overweight. 23 of the 459 with dosimeters revealed exposures in the 3-8 mSv/yr range because they had spent some time in forests where decontamination had not been done. The full report was released Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, but a formal statement by the authors is available on line. (see second link, below) The statement leads with the following, “Residents of communities bordering restricted areas around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant received a radiation dose of 0.89-2.51 millisieverts per year (mSv/yr) in 2012, a dose similar to the 2 mSv/yr that residents of Japan can expect from natural sources.”  It should be noted that the study’s cancer estimate is based on the controversial Linear/No Threshold assumption which necessarily over-estimates risk to radiation expose to a considerable degree.  http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140225p2a00m0na010000c.html — http://chinese.eurekalert.org/en/pub_releases/2014-02/aaft-ecr022114.php
  • A brief loss of power to a cooling system caused a brief cessation of spent fuel pool #4 work. Excavation work outside unit #4 caused damage to a power cable; cutting off supply to the SFP’s cooling system at 10:19am on Tuesday. By procedure, spent fuel transfer activities were stopped until cooling was restored. Power was resumed and cooling restarted at 2:16pm. Fuel transfer operations were resumed at 2:36pm. The Press reported that Tepco said the pool temperature could increase as much as 0.3oC per hour, but actual readings showed barely a 0.1oC rise over the four hour period. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2014/1234483_5892.html
  • The preparations for freezing the ground around F. Daiichi units #1 through 4 is progressing. Tepco says the first test around the exterior of unit #4 will begin as early as March 11. Steel pipes will be inserted into the earth to a depth of 30 meters (~93 feet) beneath a surface area of 100 m2. Liquid coolant at minus 40oC will then be injected to freeze the soil solid. Tepco says it may take as long as a month for the entire volume of soil to be frozen. At that point, engineers will inspect the soil to determine the level of success and if the flow of groundwater has been deflected away. If everything is satisfactory, the work to completely surround the four large buildings will begin in April, with only one change; the steel pipes will penetrate to a depth of 35 meters. Critics say the process could severely alter local groundwater migration and have a negative impact on the station’s underground structures. They also doubt whether a new technology of this size can be properly maintained. NHK World, Frozen wall test to begin at Fukushima plant, 2/26/14
  • Tokyo will include nuke operations in Japan’s future energy policy. The next step is to get approval of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet after holding talks with all ruling parties. Nuclear energy is identified as an “important base load power source”. While most Japanese news outlets are unhappy with the announcement and cite antinuclear critics who say the policy shows no consideration of the Fukushima accident, Japan’s leading newspaper (Yomiuri Shimbun) says “We believe the government’s draft shows we are headed in the right direction.” The Yomiuri adds, “At the same time, the government would “carefully consider the scale of the nuclear power plants” it would maintain, suggesting that new nuclear power plants may be built or existing power plants expanded in the future. We believe this is realistic.” http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001068431
  • Ex-PM Naoto Kan continues his “I saved Tokyo” crusade. Now, he’s attacking the new national energy policy which states nukes are an important base-load source of power. It is not mere coincidence that his latest polemic comes concurrent with a court decision to not indict him for criminal actions concerning his actions during the early stages of the Fukushima accident. At a Feb. 26 lower house subcommittee meeting, Kan said that the new policy “is a plan for nuclear energy expansion. It reflects nothing from the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant disaster”. He then waxed reflective and recalled the time when that he irrationally believed the situation at F. Daiichi was close to the point where Tokyo could be destroyed. Industry Minister Motegi said there are no grounds for Kan’s criticism. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga echoed Motegi and added that affordable energy is important to everyone in Japan and reducing reliance on nuclear power is part of the new policy. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2014/02/276155.html –- http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140227p2a00m0na004000c.html — NHK World; Ex-PM Kan criticizes govt. energy plan;2/27/14.
  • Tepco is seeking “outside help” to insure there will be no future incorrect radioactive sample analyses. The company says, “Recognizing that improvement needs to be made in the reliability of the sampling and testing of water for radioactivity at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) on February 24 announced that it will ask domestic and internationally recognized organizations in the field, to crosscheck the analysis results, and to review TEPCO’s measurement methods from both a technical and management perspective.” Tepco discovered that 164 instances of incorrect water sample analyses had occurred between April and September of 2013. All had to do with groundwater sampling. None were involved with seawater testing. Tepco added, “The measurement errors were halted in October 2013, at which time human resources were strengthened and manuals were clarified to ensure the correct testing procedures.” http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2014/1234473_5892.html
  • Wildlife is thriving inside Fukushima’s mandated evacuation zone. The number of wild pigs and raccoons (designated as an “invasive species” by Japan) have skyrocketed since the government forced the residents to leave. The pigs are a cross of domesticated “iron age” pigs and wild boars. Twenty of the iron age pigs were released by owners before they left in 2011. It seems they have reproduced with the wild boars and the numbers are unexpectedly high. 120 of the iron age variety have been trapped by Tomioka Town as of January, but town official Shinya Kurosawa says, “There are many more iron age pigs left. We have no idea how many.” In addition, there have been reports of pigs damaging 43 homes in Namie, and some said they were attacked by the animals during brief visitation periods. Meanwhile, the number of raccoons seems to have doubled. In the city of Date, 1,100 raccoons were captured between April last year and this January, marking an increase of some 600 from the same period last year. The Environment Ministry has commissioned 14 residents with hunting licenses to capture wild animals in Namie, Futaba, Okuma and Tomioka towns. A bounty of $200 per captured pig is being considered by Tomioka Town. If the pigs have become feral, they could be a threat to humans and provide yet another excuse for evacuees to refuse repopulation. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/features/news/20140226p2a00m0na014000c.html
  • Tepco has set deadlines for stopping some compensation payments. The pay-outs have to do with loss of income due to the Fukushima accident. Tepco cites their reason as an “improvement in the employment climate.” This appears to be in violation of the guidelines set by Tokyo. However, a Tepco official explained, “We may not abide by the guidelines, but considering the particularity of the accident, we have sufficiently extended the indemnity period.” The original statutory period was for two years, but Tokyo asked Tepco to extend payments for at least an additional year, and the company complied with the request. However, they will stop this indemnification under one of two conditions. Income compensation will stop one year after the government has lifted evacuation restrictions, and/or February 2014 for everyone. Tepco says they will not further prolong the compensation period. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201402250046

  • The town of Hirono is trying to return its population to what it was before 3/11/11. There were about 5,000 residents before the nuke accident who were forced to evacuate by orders from Tokyo. The order was lifted in September of 2011, but only 1,352 have returned. Many supermarkets and restaurants remain closed due to lack of patronage. However, the town has become a temporary home for some 2,500 F. Daiichi workers, and businesses are seeing a recovery. The owner of a convenience store said that the number of shoppers per day is up 500 from before the accident and daily sales have risen 1.5-fold. Town officials want to begin a project to develop land north of the town as a residential area for Tepco workers. Not everyone is happy about this. One obviously confused resident said, “That would make it difficult to let children play outside.” Also, reported cases of drunken plant workers makes a current evacuee hesitant to return, “I am too scared to walk outside at night.” A worker at F. Daiichi said he and his colleagues are portrayed only in a bad light, even though their efforts to decommission the stricken plant are an important part of the region’s reconstruction. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/02/25/national/half-evacuated-fukushima-town-looks-to-accept-no-1-plant-workers/#.Uwyf38uYYdU