Fukushima News 3/12/14:*Just In* "Radioactive Metal from Fukushima" Detected in Pacific Northwest

Published on Mar 12, 2014

*Just In* Scientists Raise Alarm: "Radioactive metal from Fukushima" detected in Pacific Northwest — Concern for impact on humans, west coast ecosystems — Continuing contamination crossing ocean, not going away soon — "A surprise... This is an international issue... Gov't should be doing something"
http://enenews.com/scientists-raise-a...

Radiation surge detailed in 2011 accident
Data recorded by radiation monitoring posts near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant show the environmental radiation level rose sharply 1 hour before a hydrogen explosion took place at the plant.
14 monitoring posts around the plant recorded the radiation level every 20 seconds after the plant was damaged by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11th of 2011.
Data recorded by one of the monitoring posts, located 5.6 kilometers northwest of the plant, show that the radiation level began surging after 2:10 PM on March 12th.
At 2:40 and 40 seconds, the post measured 4.6 millisieverts per hour, the highest level of the day. That was about 1 hour before a hydrogen explosion occurred at the No.1 reactor of the plant.
The data suggest the accumulated doses of radiation would have reached 1 millisievert in about 20 minutes. 1 millisievert is the annual exposure limit for ordinary people.
Masamichi Chino, senior researcher at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, says the rise in the environmental radiation level may have been caused by an emergency operation to protect the No.1 reactor by reducing pressure within the containment vessel. Tokyo Electric Power officials began the so-called vent work at around 2:00 PM.
The vented air was released after going through water to reduce the amount of radioactive cesium. The step is intended to reduce the substance to 1 thousandth of its original level. But the measure may not have been effective.
Chino says the data can help researchers investigate how radioactive substances were released into the atmosphere and study the effectiveness of the venting process.

US nuclear expert calls for strict safety measures
A US nuclear expert has stressed the need to prepare for accidents at nuclear power plants, saying there is no way to completely prevent them.
A former chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko, spoke to NHK in Tokyo on Tuesday, the 3rd anniversary of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Jaczko noted that the plant is still releasing radioactive materials through contaminated water.
He said someone who is considerate of people's health and the environment should lead the workers at the plant. He also called for thorough explanations to be given to the people who had to leave their homes.
Jaczko said nuclear plants in Japan are less likely to have accidents thanks to the new safety measures that were introduced after the Fukushima disaster.

Official: Japan will be ruined if public doesn't realize they're being exposed to Fukushima radiation — "99.99% of the people are being sacrificed" — Rest of world will be taken down too (AUDIO)
http://enenews.com/lawmaker-if-japane...

THREE YEARS AFTER: Majority of Japan's nuclear reactors face bleak future
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disa...

'Inadequate equipment, workforce for Fukushima decontamination'
http://rt.com/op-edge/fukushima-decon...

Japan's Lower House speaker voices opposition against nuclear energy at 3/11 memorial
http://japandailypress.com/japans-low...

Sendai nuclear plant expected to be one of the first to go back online
http://japandailypress.com/sendai-nuc...

A nuclear reactor designed to burn up surplus Cold War plutonium has been closed by the US Department of Energy. Initially it was meant to cost $1bn. So far it has cost $4bn. To complete and operate would cost $25-34bn.
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news...

All WIPP employees will help in cleanup of nuclear site
Dept. of Energy approves recovery plan for site of nuclear waste repository
http://www.currentargus.com/carlsbad-...

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Radiation threat at Fukushima is real, 300 tons of radioactive water daily pours into Pacific - energy activist

Photo: EPA

Anti-nuke sentiments are simmering in Japan as the nation prepares to mark the third anniversary of Fukushima disaster. Thousands of people flooded the streets of capital Tokyo on Sunday to voice their anger at the nuclear power industry and the government’s plans to restart some of Fukushima's dormant reactors. For more on this topic, the Voice of Russia has talked to Harvey Wasserman, author of numerous books and editor of www.nukefree.org website.

On March 11, 2011 the deadly 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami struck Fukushima in the northern Japan triggering the triple reactor meltdown and explosions that tainted much of Fukushima Prefecture with radioactive materials. The tragedy claimed the lives of about 16 thousand people and left over 2 thousand still unaccounted for.

Three years ago a disastrous tsunami and earthquake killed nearly 19000 people and set off the nuclear crisis in Japan. Did the region manage to recover from the catastrophe? What are the current results of its recovery?

It's never really recovered and the radiation threat is still very real at Fukushima, there were three meltdowns and four explosions, there are thousands of very highly radioactive elements scattered around the side and every day some 300 tons of radioactive water pours into the Pacific ocean. One public radio station in the US has called it "a post-apocalyptic event" and the treat for the world ecology is very serious. We believe that all nuclear reactors should shut down and we should convert to renewable energy as fast as possible.

Have you heard of this recent news about Fukushima that the government is soon to allow people to return to Fukushima area, those who lived around it, when a lot of the people that have heard of this in Japan are a bit upset because they do know that the levels of radiation near Fukushima are still way above normal. Have you heard of this?

Yes, this is a very pro-nuclear administration in Tokyo, very dangerous and very irresponsible. It is pushing to open reactors that shouldn't open. I was in Japan in the mid 1970s and the population warned very strongly against building Fukushima, against building reactors in an earthquake and tsunami zone. Builders of Fukushima even took down a natural 85-foot high seawall to build these reactors right at sea level which is responsible for much of the destruction. But the radiation is going all through the Pacific ocean, we don't know the effects it will have but they are not good and it is extremely unpopular and in Japan the idea of reopening some of the old reactors- this must stop. This is a threat to the health of the entire world.

Absolutely, I agree with you. I do understand that there is of course economy is at stake here and paying out to the unfortunate people that have suffered through this disaster near Fukushima and paying out the necessary money as subsidies to the crisis is not the smartest move so perhaps that is why the Fukushima administration government is allowing people to m0ve back to their homes near Fukushima which could be another reason. The nuclear catastrophe had a great impact on the environment. What are the main consequences? And what have been done so far to struggle against them? Is it possible that the region will be safe to live in the future?

There is really nothing that can be done. As you know the Chernobyl reactor in what now is Ukraine is still not covered with the sarcophagus to prevent radiation from leaking even though it happened in 1986. The attempt to bring the disaster at Fukushima under control is still not anywhere near finished three years later when huge amounts of spent radioactive fuel rods to deal with at Fukushima and no real way to do it. We are essentially helpless in the face of this disaster and yet more reactors stay on earthquake folds in tsunami zone not only in Japan but around the world including the US. The danger is horrific but the corporate investments are very high and therefore the Abe Administration and other administrations don't want to shut the reactors but if we are to survive on this planet, these nuclear power plants must be closed.

Harvey, would you develop a little bit on geothermal and wind energies and of course solar energies? Do we have enough technology these days to actually switch to alternative means for energy development?

The most important of the new technologies is photovoltaic cells which convert sunlight to electricity. I believe photovoltaics will be the biggest industry in the history of the world, they will cover all our buildings, out vehicles, our machinery and convert the power that we need. We do have major breakthroughs in wind, in bio-fuels, in geothermal, ocean thermal, other forms of renewable energy are coming on very strong and yet they are very clearly superior to nuclear and even to fossil fuels. And we must make what I call a 'solartopiantransition' or we are simply not going to survive on this planet and the good news is that these technologies are good for the economy, they create jobs and they come in more cheap certainly than nuclear power and other sources as well. So there is good news here, but in order to get there we have to shut the atomic power plants.

What are the dangers that the western coast of North America is facing due to the fact that the Pacific ocean is right there?

Well, airborne radiation came to the US within four days, it took ten days to get here from Chernobyl but inevitably we live on a small planet and this radiation goes all over the world and there is really no escaping it. There is now indication that the first waterborne cesium from the ongoing flood of contaminated water at Fukushima will be reaching the west coast in this summer. And that is the terrible thing. It is something that we have to take very seriously.

As ex-Californian myself I will definitely tell my friends to prepare. What is the name of that technology you just spoke about?

Photovoltaic cells, you know the solar panels that you see on roof tops. Ford has actually come out with a car now that has photovoltaic cells on the roof to get electricity from the sun as the car drives. This will be everywhere, photovoltaic cells will take over the world if we can’t preserve it long enough by shutting the commercial reactors.

Harvey, thank you so much for such an insight on all of this.

Miguel Francis

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