Category Archives: Fukushima

Fukushima

Official Independent Investigation proves Gross Government & Corporate Incompetence regarding Nuclear Safety in Japan!

“The direct causes of the nuclear accident were the unpreparedness of Tokyo Electric Power…and the government’s lack of a sense of responsibility.”-Kitazawa Koichi, lead investigator

A Japanese government sanctioned independent investigation has revealed gross incompetence in the wake of the March, 2011, nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi.  It also says that Tokyo Electric Power Company made the situation worse!

Six investigators interviewed more than 300 people, including Japanese and U.S. government officials.  However, officials at TEPCo refused to co-operate with the investigators! They have just published their findings, 28 February 2012.

The report calls government response “off the cuff”, and “too late” (as I was posting last year)!

The nuclear power plant operator, TEPCo, was ill prepared for a nuclear disaster, despite decades of telling locals they were prepared (as I posted last year).

The Japanese government, especially the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, failed to ensure the proper training for nuclear disaster response (as I posted last year).

The report also blames Japan’s complicated system of delegating authority and responsibility.  No one knew who was supposed to do what regarding the disaster; from top national government officials down to sub-contractors working for TEPCo (again, as I posted last year).

Things were so bad that local governments have been taking the initiative to try and deal with things like relocating residents, and decontamination efforts, with little help from the national government (again, I posted).

Also, many of the discoveries of radiation contamination came as a result of individuals and private groups, who took it upon themselves to pay for testing things like dirt, water, and even food, like beef, sold in grocery stores (again, I).

It was local governments who discovered farm crops to be contaminated (posted last year).

The report also says that information coming from the private sector to government officials was insufficient to make proper decisions. TEPCo officials simply dragged their feet when it came to dealing with specific issues, like cooling systems being shut down, and vents not being opened.

Not only did TEPCo drag their feet, but the investigators found that there was a back up cooling system that was functional, but TEPCo never used it!!!

Although Japan’s government has a crisis management policy, the investigators said it is totally useless!

 

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japanese leaders unaware of their own Nuclear Disaster prediction RadNet system!

An investigation by an independent panel discovered that there is indeed a nuclear disaster plan already in place at the national government level in Japan.  But, the Prime Minister’s administration was not aware of it!

Of course, former Prime Minister Kan Naoto and four other politicians blame the Science Ministry officials for not telling them about a computer program/radiation detection sites called SPEEDI (System Prediction Environmental Emergency Dose Information).

The system is similar to the U.S. EPA’s RadNet system (which mysteriously stopped working iimmediately after March 11, 2011).

Former Cabinet Secretary Edano Yukio said he found out about it from the Japanese media.  By then, the Fukushima Daiichi reactor 2 was already spewing radiation.

Edano said when he questioned the Science Ministry politicians about it, they told him SPEEDI was not accurate.

The investigators discovered that SPEEDI is being used to convince local governments the nuclear plants were safe!  So why, when determining plans to deal with a nuclear disaster, SPEEDI is considered inaccurate?

 

 

Fukushima

Medical Incompetence: Japanese hospitals not prepared for nuclear disaster in nuclear power dominated Japan!

Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission reviewed the ability of hospitals to deal with nuclear accidents.  The results were not good.

The found that five hospitals, located near the General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, were not able to deal with the nuclear disaster.

Fukushima Medical University Hospital, a core care facility for radiation exposure, was too busy dealing with victims of the natural disasters, to be able to deal with victims of the nuclear disaster.

The Nuclear Safety Commission discovered a huge problem; Japanese hospitals are not set up to co-operate with each other regarding major disasters.  This would have been a great help. They are now working on new policy that will include such co-operation in the future.

Fukushima

Corporate Evil: TEPCo & Toshiba works 60 year old contractor to death at Fukushima!

The Japanese Labor Ministry has ruled that Tokyo Electric Power Company, and contractor Toshiba, caused a 60 year old worker to die by overworking him!  The authorities are ordering compensation for the family.

The man worked only one day at the General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant!  The investigation showed TEPCo and Toshiba forced the sub-contracted plumber to work non-stop through the night, wearing a heavy hazmat suit.  He died the next day.

At first people thought the man died from radiation contamination.  Toshiba is refusing to comment.

 

 

Fukushima

Government/Corporate Incompetence: Finally, Japan to use 22,000 square feet of concrete at GE designed Fukushima disater reactor zone! Pacific Ocean under threat!

21 February 2012, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo) announced they will start pouring concrete! (again?)

They will focus on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, near the water intakes of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, to prevent any further radioactive materials from spreading.

TEPCo says they will begin right away (finally), starting on 22 February.  They will cover a 70,000 square meter (22,9658.7 square feet) area!

TEPCo hopes that the 60 centimeter (nearly 2 feet) thick layer of concrete will stop the spread of radioactive mud and sand, for at least 50 years!  The job could take four months.  The decision was made because high levels of cesium are still being detected in the Pacific Ocean!

People still need to demand an explanation why this decision took so long.  And what about the rest of the nuclear plant?

How did the Soviets deal with Chernobyl?

 

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Japan’s own government experts blame the government for lack of response to nuclear disaster at Fukushima! Only 2 reactors now operating in Japan

Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is being questioned by their own experts regarding the safety of nuclear reactors.  The Agency responded by censoring their own experts!

A publicized debate held by Agency experts was cut short, when it became clear that the consensus was that the government was accountable for the lack of response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and that the current “stress tests” were also lacking.

The censorship happened specifically because of criticisms of the Agency’s approval of stress testing done at the Ohi nuclear plant.

Experts were pissed: “I feel deceived!”-Ino Hiromitsu, Professor Emeritus University of Tokyo

“The panel started to fully review plant safety to prevent another Fukushima!  Why are you rushing for a conclusion?”-Goto Masashi, Shibaura Institute of Technology

An official with the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency basically said they’re getting impatient, when he pointed out that the experts have already met eight times about nuclear safety.

Japan is now down to just two operating nuclear reactors, out of 54 total.  Most reactors have been shut down for routine maintenance and inspections, but, local governments are the only ones who can OK restart, and so far they all say ‘no way’.

Japan’s major industries rely on electricity from nuclear power plants.  Japan’s crashing economy is being caused in large part to its major industries struggling to operate with so little power plants on line.  The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is probably being pushed to convince local governments to get those power plants back on line.

 

Fukushima

Pale Green Horse & Fukushima: Damaged GE reactors still spewing radiation almost a year later!

On 20 February 2012, the Japanese media was given a short tour of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The tour was quick because the disaster reactors are still emitting high levels of radiation.

To give you an example; just at reactor 4, daily radiation levels are higher than the yearly safe limit for the civilian population!

The safe limit is one millisievert per year.  Reactor 4 is still pumping out 50 microsieverts per hour!  That’s 1,200 microsieverts, or 1.2 millisieverts per day!

Remember, that’s just from one of the four damaged reactors.

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Fukushima

Pale Green Horse & Fukushima: Almost half of population exposed to execesive radiation levels! Woman contaminated with 23 years worth of radiation in just 1 year!

20 February 2012, Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture released the results of their own radiation contamination study.  The study did not include people working at nuclear plants, or other employment where contact with radiation is part of the job.

42% of the people living in Fukushima Prefecture have been exposed to more radiation than the official safe limit. The safe limit is one millisievert per year.

The radiation is coming from the damaged General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

At least 71 people have been exposed to 10 millisieverts (or ten years worth of radiation), and one woman has been exposed to 23 millisieverts (or 23 years worth of radiation)!

The study is still ongoing as Fukushima prefectural officials have not been able to screen everyone, and the Fukushima Daiichi reactors are still spewing radiation.

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Fukushima

Government/Corporate Incompetence: General Electric designed Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 2 hits 96.4 Celsius on 13 February 2012!

Reactor 2, of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, continues to see increased temps, despite increased water injection.

At 10:00 hours on the morning of 13 February 2012 (Japan time) Tokyo Electric Power Company reported that the temperature hit 91.2 Celsius (196 Fahrenheit), by noon it was 96.4 C (205.5 F)!

TEPCo officials are hoping the thermometer is defective!  If the Reactor 2 hits 100 Celsius it will no longer be in cold shut down, and re-criticality is a possibility.

Two other thermometers are showing temps hovering between 30 to 35 Celsius.  However, TEPCo has just revealed there are three other thermometers, positioned about four feet lower down on the reactor, and they show temps dropping.  It sounds like all their thermometers are faulty!

TEPCo says all their eyes are on Reactor 2, and they’re working to get an accurate temp reading.  Reactor 2 is the only reactor, that went critical after the 11 March 2011 quake and tsunami, that did not explode.  Reactors 1, 3 and 4 exploded.

Fukushima

Government/Corporate Incompetence: Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 2 heats up, again, still don’t know why. Can you say Re-Criticality?

12 February 2012, Tokyo Electric Power Company (now effectively state owned due to running out of money) reporting that Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 2 is still heating up, despite efforts to cool it down.

Temps are now at 80 degrees Celsius (176 Fahrenheit).  TEPCo had increased cooling water injection to 14.6 tons per hour!

On 05 February, TEPCo reported temps up to 73.3 Celsius (163.9 Fahrenheit), and began injecting 10.6 tons of water per hour.  At first they thought the rise in temperature was due to recent plumbing work.

If the reactor exceeds 100 Celsius it will no longer be in “cold shut down”, and could experience re-criticality.

TEPCo is now revealing that the thermometers used on the reactors are not accurate, they have a margin of error of 20 degrees! Also, two other thermometers, on Reactor 2, are indicating temps of 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), or lower.  So which thermometer is correct?

TEPCo has taken gas samples and said xenon levels are normal for the cooler temperatures, so they are now hoping that the thermometer reading the high temps is defective.  To be safe they plan to increase water injection to 18 tons per hour.