Tag Archives: employment

Fukushima

Mayors of disaster hit towns consider relocating their towns, survivors drifting!

Mayors of several Japanese townships, hit by the 9.0 quake/tsunami, are considering the reality that the survivors of their towns will have to relocate, especially those being affected by radiation contamination from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Survivors told reporters that they are now “drifters” because everything was destroyed; they have no homes, no jobs.  Some have pointed out that they have no money because the local banks were destroyed.  Another problem is documentation, survivors have lost any type of documents that they would need.

 

Fukushima

Yakuza admit they’re having problems reaching quake/tsunami survivors

There are a lot of examples of how Japanese government officials failed in their reaction to the 9.0 quake/tsunami.  The Yakuza even made a show of their own fast disaster relief response.

However, even the Yakuza are no match for Mother Earth.  Yakuza leaders are admitting that they are having trouble getting to the hardest hit areas, just like the government: “Because of the devastation, it’s been impossible to make contact with our people in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures. We haven’t been able to make contact by telephone, and in some cases, damage to the roads made it impossible to get through to the towns.”

This is proof that the 9.0 quake/tsunami was truly catastrophic.

Business/Economics, Fukushima

Toyota restarts hybrid production

People who just have to have a hybrid car will be glad to know that Toyota plans to start making them again.

Toyota’s hybrids are made in Japan, and production was shut down due to parts shortage (thank Mother Earth, 11 March 2011 quake-tsunami). They plan to resume production on Monday.

Production of non-hybrid Toyota vehicles, made in Japan, remains halted.

 

Business/Economics, Fukushima

No farming in parts of Japan thanks to radiation

Some farming villages that escaped the tsunami, did not escape radiation from Fukukshima Daiichi nuclear plant.

What has people amazed is that these farming villages are outside the government’s 30km nuclear disaster zone.

Soil samples have revealed that radiation levels are more than 1,000 times normal.  Wind and rain is suspected for bringing the radiation outside the 30km zone.

This is proof that nuclear disasters affected far greater areas than what most people think.  This will just add to the world’s growing food supply problems.

Fukushima

Despite main stream media reports, Progress NOT being made at Fukushima Daiichi

TEPCO officials report more problems with trying to get their nuclear plant under control.

Reactor 2 continues to emit more and more radiation.  Officials are unable to find out why, because radiation levels are so high that no one can go near the reactor.

Several works have been sent to the hospital because of exposure to high radiation. One worker is said to have “Beta Burns”.  At least two workers were standing in radioactive water in reactor 3, trying to connect power lines.  The water contains radiation levels as high as 180 millisieverts.

Fukushima

Nuclear plant disaster plan did not include Tsunami

Despite the fact that Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is built on the coast line, TEPCO, and government officials, dismissed concerns over possible tsunami.

Seismologist, Okamura Yukinobu, warned of a debilitating tsunami in June 2009. He also requested that nuclear plant disaster plans be reviewed for tsunami readiness.

Japanese officials dismissed his request because they did not think a tsunami was a threat.

Fukushima

Reactor 4 built with defect says former engineer, making it a “time bomb”!

Tanaka Mitsuhiko is an engineer who helped build reactor 4’s containment vessel in 1974.  Tanaka says he helped hide a defect in the steel used to make the containment vessel.

Reactor 4 at the Fukushima Daiichi was shut for maintenance when the March 11 quake triggered a tsunami that lead to explosions and radiation leaks.

Tanaka has called reactor 4 a “time bomb”.

Fukushima

Smoke from 4 Reactors, pressure increase

NHK reporting that their helicopter crew confirms that there is white smoke come from reactors 1, 2, 3 & 4.  This is the first time smoke has come from reactor 1.

Cabinet Secretary, Yukio Edano, announced that reactor 1 is showing pressure increase, even after temperatures were brought down with water.  The problem now is that every time they inject water into the cooling system it results in higher pressure in the containment system, which is also bad.

Fukushima, International, Technology

Radiation NOT an IMMEDIATE Threat? What do they mean?

The Japanese government has told people not to eat the vegetables, and not to drink the water, because of radiation contamination.  At the same time they say “There is no immediate threat.”

What they mean by that is, that the levels, and types, of radiation contamination is such that you will not notice any bad effects “immediately”.  However, if you continue to eat, drink, or expose yourself to even the lowest levels of contamination, over time you will suffer bad effects.

For example: Iodine-131 is a short life span radioactive isotope. It collects on your thyroid glands (just like iodide), and if it builds up will cause cancer. Even low levels of iodine-131 will build up on your thyroid if you keep eating, drinking, or exposing yourself to the contamination.  This is why the Japanese government is telling people to stop eating the vegetables, and stop drinking the water, even though there is no “immediate” threat.

In other words, it’s still bad, bad, bad!

Fukushima

Do NOT boil radioactive water, update

Japanese have been told that tap water is contaminated. They’ve also been told not to feed the water to their babies.

The level of contamination is too high for infants.  The contamination is mainly short life span Iodine-131.  Iodine-131 collects on your thyroid gland, and can cause cancer.

The Japanese government will be issuing clean water to parents with infants, who are, I believe they said, 12 months and younger.

Some people think they can boil the water. The problem is that the radioactive isotopes in the water then become air born in the steam rising from the boiling water, and you breath them in.  Also, if you boil for a only a short time there will still be contamination in the water.

The Consumer’s Guide has a web page that explains how to make water safe to drink. Scroll down until you get to the title “More Rigorous Purification Methods”. This section talks about distilling to get rid of radiation fallout in water.  It’s more complicated than just boiling.  When you distill you’re basically capturing the steam rising off the boiling water, then funneling it into a cup, or pot, to collect it.  The article then suggests you filter the water as well.