Tag Archives: strontium

Fukushima, International

More Fukushima Fallout: Companies who built Fukushima Daiichi will build new nuke plants for Bilderberger Britain! 1600 people die because of the melt downs! More mystery strontium leaks!

24 December 2013 (12:11 UTC-07 Tango)/20 Safar 1435/03 Dey 1392/22 Jia-Zi (11th month) 4711

A study reported to the October 2013 PICES meeting in British Columbia, Canada, says by 2016 all of Fukushima Daiichi’s cesium 137 will arrive in the United States and Canada!  The Arctic Ocean will also be contaminated.

What about the other isotopes?  The presentation to PICES concluded that “The inventory of Fukushima radioactivity will almost entirely shift….to the eastern North Pacific over the next 5 years.”   The presentation is available in PDF, it’s titled Radionuclide Transport from Fukushima to Eastern North Pacific

Tokyo Electric Power Company reporting that at least two nuclear waste water storage tank farm liners/barriers have mysteriously lost most of their contained contaminated rain water.  TEPCo is calling it a “phenomenon”.

The liners/barriers, which are near the reactor Unit 4, are showing no visible signs of leaks.  One of the liners/barriers saw a water level drop of 11 centimeters (4 inches) since last Friday.  TECPo says the water in the tank farm liners/barriers contains 440 becquerels per liter of radioactive strontium!  They suspect the water is seeping into the ground through cracks they can not see.

Since last week contaminated water leaks in four tank farm liners/barriers were discovered (or at least reported).

Days ago the Japanese Mainichi newspaper reported that at least 16-hundred people have died as direct and indirect result of the ongoing Fukushima Daiichi nuke disaster.

This includes deaths from radiation contamination and psychological stress due to becoming refugees within their own country, with no employment or permanent place to live.  Add to that the fact that the neo-imperialist government of Japan keeps changing the rules of how radiation refugees will be compensated.

A contractor who built the GE designed disaster reactors (units 3 and 5) of Fukushima Daiichi is now majority owner of a failing nuclear power company in United Kingdom.  Toshiba now owns 50% of NuGeneration.

According to press releases, Toshiba’s majority stake in NuGeneration will allow the construction of a new 3.6 gigawatt nuclear power generator in Sellafield, England, on the coast of the Irish Sea.

Hitachi built the GE designed Fukushima Daiichi reactor Unit 4 (which has proven to be causing the most trouble), and has also taken over a troubled British nuke power company.  In November 2012, Hitachi became sole owner of Horizon Nuclear Power in England.   According to the latest Japanese news reports, Hitachi-Horizon plans on building six new nuclear power generators in the United Kingdom.

GE built Fukushima Daiichi’s units 1, 2 and 6.  GE designed all the reactors units including the ones built by Hitachi and Toshiba.  Construction of the reactor unit buildings was done by Kajima.

According to The Japan Times, the exodus from Fukushima Prefecture continues.  Already grade schools have had to shut down due to lack of students, now local privately funded universities are reporting 18.7% fewer students.  Tax funded universities are not reporting declining enrollments, but that might be due to declining tuition and fees.  However, the Fukushima tax funded universities also say they have not seen an increase in enrollment, either.  This means that overall, college aged students are leaving the area.

The government of Fukushima Prefecture will allow experimental rice growing in radiation evac zones.  The rice will be tested for radiation contamination.

At the beginning of 2012, researchers from California and New York proved that tuna fish are contaminated: “We report unequivocal evidence that Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, transported Fukushima-derived radionuclides across the entire North Pacific Ocean. We measured γ-emitting radionuclides in California-caught tunas and found 134Cs (4.0 ± 1.4 Bq kg−1) and elevated 137Cs (6.3 ± 1.5 Bq kg−1) in 15 Pacific bluefin tuna sampled in August 2011.”–Pacific bluefin tuna transport Fukushima-derived radionuclides from Japan to California

Fukushima

More Fukushima Fallout: Strontium spreading!

21 October 2013 (04:25 UTC-07 Tango)/16 Dhu’l-Hijja 1434/29 Mehr 1392/17 Ren-Xu (9th month) 4711

After Typhoon Wipha blew through Japan, Tokyo Electric Power Company reporting spreading contamination due to heavy rain.

TEPCo is now reporting that eleven ridiculously short barriers around the leaking contaminated water storage tank farms, are overflowing with rainwater.  Rainwater overflowing six barriers is testing positive with strontium contamination, 71 times the government safe limits!

The barriers are only 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) high!  TEPCo subcontracted workers also found highly radioactive water in drainage ditches, that lead to the Pacific Ocean.

For the past two years TEPCo had ordered that during rain storms the drain pipes on the barriers be opened to allow the rainwater to run out.  However, in August this year is was discovered that rainwater was becoming contaminated after running off the water storage tanks.  Since then the drainage pipes are kept closed, and rainwater is pumped into small tanks.

TEPCo admitted their water pumps could not keep up with the latest heavy rainfall.  Not only that, but it turns out the small water tanks they’re using are too small, as one tank recently overflowed while being filled, for hours before anybody noticed.

On 16 October, Japanese news media reported that water in a drainage ditch contained 1400 becquerels (bq) of radiation per liter.  The day before there was only 19 bq!

On 18 October, Japanese media reported radiation suddenly skyrocketing in groundwater test wells.  As much as 400-thousand bq per liter of radiation was detected in one well.  More than 6-thousand times higher than levels detected the day before, in the same well!

Another typhoon is expected to hit Japan this week.

In related news, fishermen in the area have decided to resume fishing despite the never ending contamination of the Pacific Ocean.  They claim the fish they’ve caught are not contaminated.

 

Fukushima, Technology

Muslim scientist invents new nano water filter to cleanup radioactive cesium and even strontium!

22 February 2013/11 Raby’ ath-Thani 1434/04 Esfand 1391

12 years ago an Egyptian scientist moved to Japan, to work with the National Institute for Material Science to create new water filters with nanotechnology.  Sherif El-Safty’s motivation was to help North African countries filter well water, which has a high rate of arsenic contamination.

After the 11 March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster his Japanese colleges discovered that not only was his nanofilter working on natural contaminants, but it was cleaning up radioactive iodine as well.  Safty had been ordered back to Egypt by the Egyptian government, but returned to Japan, along with his family, after getting the news about the filter.

Safty focused on refining the filter, after three months he came up with nanofilters for radioactive iodine, cesium and even strontium.

The nanofilter (made up of HOM dust) traps the radiation in its itsy bitsy pores (one millionth of a millimeter).  In a lab demonstration Safty showed how a magnet can be used to pull the nanofilters out of the water.

This is not the first time that Safty’s, and his co-researchers’, experiments with HOM mesoporous carriers resulted in success.  Last year they created optical sensors that could detect and remove tiny bits of cobalt and gold from urban ore (discarded cell phones, computers, etc).

The Japanese government has just approved the experimental use of the nano water filters at Fukushima Daiichi, as the GE designed disaster reactors are still pouring out contaminated water.

Fukushima

One Year Later: Even more Strontium pouring into the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima!

April 5, 2012, Tokyo Electric Power Company is admitting that even more strontium 90 is pouring into the Pacific Ocean from the GE designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

TEPCo officials say at least 12 tons of contaminated water poured into the ocean overnight.  They blame it on the usual suspect; leaking pipes!

Around 02:00 the morning of April 5, workers found a joint in a waste water pipe had been disconnected, causing the huge leak.  It took them half an hour to fix it.

This is the third major strontium leak reported by TEPCo, since December 2011.

Fukushima

One Year Later: More incompetence as Strontium pours into the Pacific Ocean off Japan!

March 27, 2012, Tokyo Electric officials say strontium 90 is pouring into the Pacific Ocean, from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant!

The latest leak was discovered March 26.  It’s coming from above ground tanks, which are holding radioactive water. They also admit leaks are coming from pipes connecting the water tanks.

On March 26, TEPCo detected 0.25 becquerels per cubic centimeters of strontium beta particles in the Pacific Ocean.

It turns out this happens often. TEPCo admits the first strontium leaks, from pipes and water tanks, happened in December 2011, and have continued since then!

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Russia warning the world; Japanese products contaminated with radiation. Why isn’t the U.S. EPA or FDA protecting us?

On 01 December 2011, Russian port authorities in Vladivostok stopped a shipment of tires from Japan. They say the tires are emitting beta and gamma rays.

This is not the first time Russian inspectors found radioactive products from Japan.  In April, 49 second hand (used) cars shipped from Japan were found to be emitting radiation six times the safe limit.  A similar incident happened in June.  Eastern Russia is a big market for used Japanese cars.

What about radiation testing in the U.S.?  The latest statement from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) claims to have conducted “…28,190 field examinations for radionuclide contamination.”  However, they only talk about 1186 samples (out of the 28,190 tests) being safe.  The data for the rest of their test is in a format my computer couldn’t open.

The FDA website has some statements that are pure bogusnus.  Example: “Little or no harvesting of fish is taking place in the area around the reactor.”  This is false! Fisherman in the Fukushima area have been fishing, including around the Daiichi power plant, it’s their only source of income!  In fact the latest revelation, that strontium 90 is pouring into the ocean, has the local fishermens’ co-op threatening to sue Tokyo Electric.

Another example from the FDA: “The volume of water between particles and fish absorbs radiation, “shielding” the fish.”  Bull Shit!  Why have so many fish in Japanese markets turned up highly contaminated with radiation?  Why are Fukushima fishermen so pissed off!?

The FDA tries a Red Herring argument by saying: “The half life of I-131 is about eight days.”  They’re talking about cesium 131, they’re trying to make you feel safe.  Hello, what about the strontium 90, the plutonium, and other isotopes that last virtually freakin’ forever!

They do mention cesium 137 (half life of 30 years), but here’s another amazing statement the FDA makes: “…the radionuclides also undergo biological excretion and do not continue to build up in fish…”  Bull shit again!  When I was a Cold War soldier, the U.S. Army had us doing yearly training for NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) warfare.  One of the things we were taught is that radiation contamination freakin’ builds up over time!  The longer you’re exposed the more F–ked up you get, because it builds up!  You see when you work around radiative shit, you have to monitor not only the intensity of the radiation, but how long you’re exposed to it.

Finally the FDA passes the buck onto Customs and Border Protection saying they screen the cargo containers coming from Japan.  The FDA also says their own people walk around the docks using hand held radiometers, and if they detect high “background” radiation levels then they do more intensive inspections. The problem is that just because the contents of the shipping container are radioactive does not means the thick steel container will emit radiation!  The Russian inspectors at Vladivostok must be doing a better job at inspections than our people.

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is making things more confusing , because they’ve been revising their “methodologies” and policies (isn’t that convenient).   They don’t inspect products, but are supposed to be testing air and water.  I’ve written about how many of the RadNet sites were not even working during the first few months of the nuclear crisis in Japan.

The EPA has changed how they report their RadNet data.  In Idaho there’s only one RadNet site, in Idaho Falls.  Their gamma counts show a lot of spikes, but it’s not clear if it’s because of Fukushima or not.  On the old RadNet web page there was a detection of cesium 131 (short half life) in precipitation readings on 01 April 2011.  However, the new RadNet sites are even more confusing, there is no way the general public can make use of them, what a waste of taxpayer money!

Fend for yourself!

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Government & Corporate Incompetence: TEPCo says new radiation leak is pouring Strontium into the Pacific Ocean

On December 4, Tokyo Electric says they found a leak in a desalinization unit.  It’s not a small leak, so far 45 tons of contaminated water has poured out.

What’s really interesting is that the de-salting unit is supposed to be treating water that had already had radioactive contaminants removed.  TEPCo is saying the water is contaminated with 130,000 becquerels per cubic centimeter of strontium!

Company officials say it is highly likely that the strontium contaminated water made it into the Pacific Ocean, because there is a drainage ditch nearby leading to the ocean.  It’s most likely strontium 90, which has a half life of 28.8 years, and causes many cancers including bone cancer.

TEPCo also made confusing statements; one said workers had checked the unit just 21 hours prior and found no signs of leaking, but then in another statement TEPCo officials admitted they did not act fast enough (a now typical trait of TEPCo management) as it was known that water was building up inside the unit, but they thought it would not leak out.

TEPCO says it will take them two weeks to improve their leak detection of the water treatment units.

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Radioactive Strontium found in Tokyo & Yokohama, for the second time!

A citizens group tested soil from three location in Tokyo and Yokohama, and found radioactive strontium, as much as 51 becquerels per kilogram.

The samples were taken at the end of October.  This is not the first time strontium 90 has been found.  At the beginning of October it was confirmed that samples taken on a building’s roof top, in Yokohama, was contaminated with 195 becquerels of strontium 90.

Strontium 90 has a half life of 28.8 years. It can cause bone cancer.

The citizens group believes the strontium 90 came from the disaster reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, which is about 170 miles from Yokohama.  However, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is claiming that it could not have come from Fukushima Daiichi.

The government officials say it would be more likely that strontium 89 would be coming from the failed nuke plant.  This doesn’t make sense, because strontium 89 is used medically, to treat bone cancer, and in rare cases to treat pain.  In my quick research I could not find anything that said strontium 89 is a by product of nuclear reactors.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency web site only said that it could be found around nuclear plants.

I can only conclude that the Japanese government officials don’t know what they’re talking about.  When you look up strontium 90 you’ll find that it is specifically a creation of nuclear fission, and found in nuclear fallout, so the citizens group is right!

Fukushima

Government & Corporate Incompetence: Radioactive Strontium found on Yokohama roof tops!

Yokohama City officials are testing their soil for strontium, after a private testing firm said they found high levels of strontium on some roof tops.

The company said they detected 195 becquerels of strontium per kilogram, more than six times the government safety limit.  Yokohama has already suffered cesium levels at 80 times the government limits.

Yokohama is about 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

 

Fukushima

Strontium 90 found in Pacific seabed!

For the first time strontium 89 and 90 have been found on the seabed near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Company tested the soil at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, on 02 and 03 June 2011, at locations 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the nuke plant.

While this is the first time strontium has been found in the seabed, it is not the first time it’s been found in the water.