Japanese Cabinet Secretary, Yukio Edano, says people living in the nuclear disaster zones are in “…dire condition…”, and a Disaster Management Special Task Force is being created, for evacuations, and decontamination.
The task force will prepare to begin accepting evacuees, and establish decontamination sites.
Also, temporary housing will be established for the thousands of people that will be affected.
A U.S. nuclear expert, in Japan, stated that no one should get to worried about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster, until cesium starts showing up.
Cesium (aka Caesium) is the main reason people can not live near Chernobyl, even 25 years after that disaster. The expert said cesium was spread all over, and in huge amounts, by the Chernobyl reactor melt down. Cesium-137 has a half life of 30 years.
Cesium-137, and many other cesium isotopes, are used in nuclear power plants (as well as other applications, like dirty bombs).
Has cesium been detected following the Fukushima Daichi disaster? Yes. The University of Nevada has detected cesium-137 between 17-21 March. The levels were small, but they represent the early days of the nuclear disaster in Japan, things have gotten worse since. On 29 March, South Korea reported that they have detected cesium-134 & 137.
Cesium builds up in soil and plants. Cesium ingested by people can kill. Tests were done on dogs, and it killed them within three weeks.
Besides Chernobyl, there was another nuclear disaster involving cesium. It did not involve a nuclear power plant. It was outdated radioactive medical cesium chloride, in Brazil in 1987. Four people were killed, 245 were contaminated, by a thimble sized amount.
Cabinet Secretary Edano Yukio said they are putting together a task force, to focus on the LONG TERM care of workers fighting the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi.
They will also provide rest shelters, basically mobile homes, so the workers will have a place to live.
Edano also said they will have to begin replacing the workers currently struggling to contain the nuclear disaster.
Despite nuclear experts downplaying the detection of plutonium around Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Japanese Cabinet Secretary, Edano Yukio, says the situation is extremely serious.
Edano said that two of the samples showed a type of plutonium that could have only come from nuclear fuel rods. The Japanese government believes this is more proof that fuel rods are, or have, partially melted.
On 21 March, a ship of the Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd, arrived in Xiamen, China. After inspection by port officials it was discovered that the ship had “abnormal” levels of radiation on the deck, and surface containers.
The ship, the MOL Presence, had passed within 67 nautical miles (124 km) of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, on its way to China.
The ship is on its way back to Kobe, Japan.
The economy of agriculture, in the areas affected directly by the radioactive food ban (Fukushima & Ibaraki Prefectures), is being hit hard.
One dairy farmer has dumped at least 3.5 tons of milk.
Spinach and Parsley farmers, who’ve spent 25 years or more growing their crops, have to let this year’s crops die, and maybe bury them. No one has told them what to do with the contaminated crops, and, no one told them if they will be financially compensated for their loss. One farmers says 30,000 of his Spinach plants will be lost because of the nuclear disaster.
‘‘Since the state has been promoting nuclear energy as its policy, it is necessary for the state to ultimately take responsibility.’’-Gemba Koichiro, Minister of National Policy
There is speculation in the Japanese media that the government should take over the corporate run nuclear power plants. This is due to the fact that the Prime Minister has indicated that TEPCo was not honest about the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, and, that it looks like TEPCo will not be able to pay for damages associated with the nuclear disaster, which means the government will have to pick up the tab anyway.
Cabinet Secretary, Edano Yukio, down played such talk of nationalizing nuclear power plants; ”not at the moment considering nationalization,” but added that the priority now is to deal with the nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi.
Before anymore work can be done on the Fukushima Daiichi plant, the highly radioactive water that is leaking into turbine rooms must be removed.
Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission said the deadly water must not get into ground water, and it is a threat to the workers. It has become priority over all other work at the plant.
Operation Tomodachi, the name of the relief effort by the U.S. military, includes several state, and territorial, Army and Air National Guard units.
Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and U.S. Territory of Guam Guard units have been activated to take part in helping Japan deal with a series of disasters, and to help with the evacuation of U.S. personnel and their families.
Thanks to the ongoing nuclear power plant disaster in Japan, Chrysler is now limiting color options on their cars.
Ford already announced the unavailability of Tuxedo Black, and three shades of red. They rely on pigments from Japan.
Chrysler is also doing the same thing, except they haven’t specified which colors are going to be affected, only that it will affect ten color options.