Tag Archives: employment

Fukushima, Idaho, U.S.

Idaho RadNet 2 Days Behind, confusing info!

I’ve been checking the Idaho RadNet web site and have gotten frustrated because it’s become clear Idaho DEQ is not updating the site. I checked it today, 08 April 2011, @ 11:00AM Mountain Time, and the RadNet posting is still for 06 April 2011.

Recently the Associated Press reported how the RadNet monitors are not reliable.

On top of the Idaho RadNet web site not being updated, the text portion seems to be the same as it was last week, or, Idaho is still getting hit with iodine-131 and xenon-133.

The numbers that RadNet posts are in Beta counts per minute, which is how a Geiger counter reads. The problem, reveled by University of California Santa Cruz professor, Daniel Hirsch, is that there are no set universal standards regarding how much radiation exposure is “bad”.

One source says they consider 100 counts per minute as “bad”. Well, if you look at the Idaho RadNet web site, you’ll see counts as high as 300. However, if you try to use the RadNet web site explainer pages, to figure out if you’re safe or not, you only get more confused.

 

Fukushima, U.S.

Don’t trust EPA RadNet radiation monitoring, No set standard in Radiation Exposure Limits

“The monitoring system isn’t functioning fully.”-Daniel Hirsch, University of California Santa Cruz

Hirsch said that EPA is too slow in releasing data about the radiation from the nuclear accident in Japan.  Some RadNet monitoring systems have been offline for months.

The Associated Press, quoting the Environmental Protection Agency’s own website, said as many as 20 of the RadNet sites were down. Also, 38% were under “review”.  When a RadNet site is under review, it means that the officials are doubting the readings.

Daniel Hirsch pointed out that radiation exposure standards from one government agency to another are different, which adds to the problem of letting people know if they are at risk or not. It also explains why some “experts” disagree with other “experts” about the dangers from Japan. There is no set standard for radiation exposure!

This explains a lot of the confusion in Japan during the first two weeks of the nuclear disaster. I remember watching press conferences where it seemed  officials from one agency contradicted officials from another agency. You’d think when it comes to nuclear power there would be a set universal standard regarding radiation exposure!


Fukushima, U.S.

U.S. nuke plant not safe

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission studied the safety of nuclear plants in the United States. The Peach Bottom nuclear plant in Pennsylvania is not safe from a natural disaster.

The report says if a power loss occurs for a long time, fuel rods in the reactor could be damaged, releasing radioactive isotopes within two days.  It is the same General Electric design as Fukushima Daiichi.

Not surprisingly, Congress told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to double check their findings.

Fukushima

More problems at Onagawa nuke plant after 7.4 quake

Thursday’s 7.4 ‘aftershock’ not only cut power to another nuclear plant, that was struggling to keep its reactors cool, now they have found more problems.

Tohoku Electric Power Company (not to be confused with Fukushima Daiichi’s Tokyo Electric Power Company), says they have discovered water leaks, and ‘blow off’ panels are damaged.

The blow off panels are part of a pressure relief system on Onagawa’s Reactor 3. The plant was using external power from three power lines, but the latest quake knocked down two of them. Tohoku Electric says they are maintaining cooling with the one power line.

Their inspections continue, and so far they are not picking up increased radiation levels.

 

Fukushima

Search for missing finally begins within Radiation Danger Zone

About 300 Japanese police have begun searching for missing people, inside the 20km (12.4 miles) evacuation zone. The police are wearing protective suits.

The police are from Tokyo and Fukushima cities. They are using heavy equipment.

At least 3,900 people from Fukushima Prefecture are still missing.

Fukushima

Snag with Nitrogen Injection, Increased Pressure for Reactor 1!

Tokyo Electric Power Company officials have to back off their six day plan of injecting nitrogen into the damaged containment vessel of Reactor 1.  After a full day of nitrogen injection they say pressure is increasing in the reactor.  The nitrogen does seem to have counteracted the hydrogen build up.

TEPCo said the latest 7 quake did not do additional damage Fukushima Daiichi, or Fukushima DaiNi plant.

TEPCo officials say they will trying injecting nitrogen into reactors 2 & 3, since they are now showing similar problems as Reactor 1 (hydrogen gas build up).

 

Fukushima

Big 7 Aftershock, ‘nother nuke plant down, cooling may become an issue

Just before midnight, Japan time, north east Honshu got hit with the biggest “aftershock” yet, between 7.1 and 7.4.

At first there were tsunami warnings, but they were canceled when it was realized it was not the type of quake that would cause tsunami. But this latest quake puts another nuclear plant in trouble.

Onagawa nuke plant, in Miyagi Prefecture, was already struggling to keep itself cool using outside power. According to NHK this latest quake cut three of the two power lines running to the plant. There are some confusing reports as to how the plant is keeping its reactors cool; NHK says Onagawa is using power from one external electrical line. Reuters says Onagawa is running off back up generators.

The Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is rushing to confirm the status of the plant.

Fukushima

Fukushima Daiichi was an experiment!

“The Fukushima No. 1 plant was a practice course for Toshiba and Hitachi Ltd. to learn about GE’s design on a trial-and-error basis.”-former TEPCo executive

asahi.com reporting that Fukushima Daiichi (aka Number 1 Plant) was designed as “trial and error” experiment.  This might explain why it’s neighbor, Fukushima DaiNi (aka Number 2 Plant), is not having the same problems.

Tokyo Electric Power Company officials recently compared the design plans of the two plants.  Their conclusion was that the safety features of Fukushima Daiichi are so different, and weaker, than Fukushima DaiNi, that it must be the reason for the current crisis. I find it amazing that TEPCo didn’t already understand the fundamental differences between their nuclear plants.

A former TEPCo engineer said even upgrades, made to Number 1 Plant, were not sufficient: “First of all, there was the judgment that the reactor core buildings were in a safe location in relation to the expected height of any tsunami that might strike the plant. However, even if they wanted to move the generators, there was no space within the reactor building, so that would have meant a major revision in design. At the time, no one considered making such changes.”

A unnamed midlevel TEPCo official said just getting a nuke plant built was all that mattered: “The blueprints for the reactor cores at the No. 1 plant were bought ‘as is’ by Toshiba Corp. from General Electric Co., so the priority at that time was on constructing the reactors according to those blueprints.”

Remember, there are six reactors at Fukushima Number 1 Plant.  So far reactors 1, 2, 3 & 4 are in trouble. Why not reactors 5 & 6?  Those reactors are of a later more improved design than the 1, 2, 3 & 4 reactors. 

Some TEPCo officials admit that making the decision NOT to make proper improvements was a matter of pride; it would have meant admitting that the work already done was faulty.

General Electric’s current involvement in the crisis might be due to the fact that they could be sued, under Japanese law, for their faulty design.

 

 

Fukushima, Technology

What does “Half Life” for Iodine-131 mean?

The following is from Kyodo News.

Radioactive iodine-131 has a half-life of eight days, meaning that its effect will be reduced to half in eight days, one-fourth in 16 days and one-sixteenth in 32 days.

Half life for cesium-137 is 30 years.

Fukushima

TEPCo employee says company policy will not allow him to reveal true radiation levels!

A Tokyo Electric Power Company employee refused to reveal how much radiation he’s been exposed to in the past three and a half weeks.

”I can’t tell you. It’s private information as well.”-Murata Yasuki

Recently Murata was allowed to take one day off to visit his wife and son.

Workers at the critical Fukushima Daiichi plant live in a building designed to withstand a 7.0 quake. It is also lead lined, but workers there say the radiation shielding has been compromised.