Tag Archives: fukushima

Fukushima, Idaho

East Idaho Gamma Ray detector not functioning? Gamma levels higher than “typical”? Evidence of Fukushima Daiichi?

As the Japanese nuclear disaster continues on, with no end in sight, I discovered that a public radiation detector, or High Pressure Ion Chamber (HPIC)/gamma detector, in the middle of nowhere eastern Idaho, apparently is not working.

It’s part of the Idaho Environmental Monitoring Program (IEMP), which is actually run by a conglomeration of Federal and State agencies.  They include the State of Idaho, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

Big Lost River IEMP Tower

IEMP is located at the Big Lost River rest stop along U.S. 26/20 highway.  It’s sandwiched between the INL complex and EBR 1.  The area is home to at least 50 nuclear power projects, a sign at the rest stop claims it’s the most nuclear projects in one area in the whole world.

HPIC gamma detector. Note that it is made by GE, the same company behind Fukushima Daiichi.

At the rest stop there is also a display that presents current IEMP data to the public. However, the gamma radiation display is blank.  There is a website, www.idahoop.org.   The website is not put together well, but when I clicked on the Rest Area Tower (found under the Community Monitoring section) it does display the gamma levels.  As of 25 May 2012 background gamma radiation is at 16.1 μR/h (micro Roentgens per hour).

Big Lost River rest stop IEMP display board

This might be a little high, but how are we in the general public supposed to know?  Here’s a couple of examples: According to Wikipedia 9.8 μR/h equals approximately 86 mR/year, which is considered “less than typical”.  Another example is that of the ghost city of Pripyat, which was contaminated by Chernobyl in the 1980s.  As of 5 January 2012 the city was still showing gamma levels as high as 66 μR/h, which is why no one can live there!

The IEMP website also gives you locations of several other gamma stations throughout eastern Idaho. They surround the INL. Here’s what the many Towers were picking up on 25 May 2012: Blackfoot  10.4 μR/h, Idaho Falls 13.8 μR/h, Fort Hall reservation 14.5 μR/h, Rexburg 13.0 μR/h and Terreton 15.0 μR/h.

The major problem with this IEMP website is that it does not give you any historical gamma readings.  The system was put into place in 1997, and having that historical data would be the best way to see if gamma radiation was increasing or not.  We also don’t know if the current, slightly higher than “typical”, micro Roentgens per hour of gamma radiation is the result of the record number of nuclear projects in the area, or from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi!

Big Lost River IEMP station

There are many EMP sites throughout the United States, such as CEMP in Nevada.  But not all monitor gamma radiation. The CIEMP checks only solar radiation (net radiation).  You can search under “environmental monitoring program” to see if any are in your area of the U.S.

Fukushima

One Year Later: Japanese lose faith in their government, more proof the UN reports are bogus!

“I can’t believe the government, I don’t believe the government! We have to protect ourselves, that’s what we’ve learned from Fukushima.”-Kubo Yuki, regularly tests her family’s store bought food for radiation

24 May 2012, CNN ran a short report chronicling the spread of radiation ever since the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster began.  CNN aired the report the same day the United Nations basically said the spread of radiation from Fukushima was not that bad.

“Never listen to what the government tells you, if you do you’ll pay!”-Yaegashi Ayako, lives with family in newly built apartment that is radioactive.

Yaegashi and her family want to leave, but government officials insist they are safe on the third floor.  It was local city officials who discovered that the foundation was radioactive. It was built with cement made from rock contaminated by fallout from Fukushima Daiichi.

As for Kubo Yuki, she shops for food at one of dozens of new small grocery stores that allow customers to check their food for radiation.

The CNN report is more proof that the UN reports are bogus!

Fukushima

One Year Later: UN radiation studies are Bogus! Did not conduct independent tests, used faulty & out of date data from Japanese government!

On 24 May 2012, two United Nations organizations released preliminary results of their so called studies of radiation exposure in Japan.  The problem is that those “studies” relied on government provided data, which even now TEPCo says are wrong.

First, the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, or UNSCEAR, claimed that six workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant did not die from radiation.

UNSCEAR did say that eight workers were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.  UNSCEAR will make a final report at the end of the year.

Second, the UN World Health Organization is reporting that Japan has not been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation! The UNWHO did say that radiation levels where dangerous near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, and that infants were susceptible to thyroid cancer.

Reason number 1 that the UN studies are bogus: Data was provided by the Japanese government, which from day one of the nuclear disasters has proven to be either grossly incompetent, or a bunch of blatant liars. The United Nations organizations did not conduct any of their own testing!  Independent radiation testing, by individuals, local governments and even local businesses have revealed higher radiation levels than what the government of Japan is reporting.

A Reuters report pointed out that the UN studies “…did not deal with radiation exposure suffered by emergency workers or people closest to the disaster site.” and that “The experts based their assessment on data available up to last September…”  In other words the faulty government data they used wasn’t even up to date!

Reason number 2 that the UN studies are bogus: On the same day the United Nations was trying to calm everyone’s concerns over the ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo) made a startling revelation; 900,000 terabecquerels of radioactive iodine-131 and cesium-137 have spewed from Reactor 1 and Reactor 3, since the end of March 2011!  That’s as much as 80% higher than official Japanese government data!

When you compare the Fukushima Daiichi cesium-137 levels to Chernobyl, it’s four times higher!

 

Fukushima

One Year later: TEPCo Fukushima Daiichi radiation level Press Release 24 May 2012

Due to the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyou-Oki Earthquake which occurred on 11 March 2011, TEPCo’s facilities including our nuclear power stations have been severely damaged. We deeply apologize for the anxiety and inconvenience caused.

With regard to the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, on 17 April 2011, we have compiled the roadmap towards restoration from the accident and on 19 July  we accomplished the Step1 target “Radiation dose is in steady decline”. Then on 16 December we confirmed the accomplishment of the Step 2 target “Release of radioactive materials is under control and radiation doses are being significantly held down”. In addition, on 21 December 2011, we have compiled the “Mid-to-long-Term Roadmap toward the Decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Units 1-4, TEPCO”, for which we’re currently working towards.

Along with the roadmaps mentioned above, we have been evaluating the amount of radioactive materials released into the air and the ocean as a result of the accident. The evaluation result (as of May 2012) is provided below.

As for the amount of radioactive materials released into the air, the evaluation was done from March 12 to 31, 2011. The estimated release amounts are as follows.
Noble gas: Approx. 5×1017 Bq
Iodine 131: Approx. 5×1017 Bq
Cesium 134: Approx. 1×1016 Bq
Cesium 137: Approx. 1×1016 Bq

The amounts of radioactive materials released in April and later in 2011 are not taken into account in this evaluation result as the released amounts were less than 1% of that in March 2011, which are considered to be insignificant.

As for the amount of radioactive materials released into the ocean, the evaluation was done from March 26 to September 30, 2011. The estimated release amounts are as follows.
Iodine 131: Approx. 1.1×1016 Bq
Cesium 134: Approx. 3.5×1015 Bq
Cesium 137: Approx. 3.6×1015 Bq

As the equipments to directly measure the density of radioactive materials (such as the exhaust stack monitor) were unavailable due to the accident, the amount of radioactive materials released into the air was estimated by entering the measurement data (air dose rate, wind direction and wind speed) acquired by the monitoring cars in the power station and the observed values provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency into a program which calculates the amount of radioactive materials diffused into the air, with an assumption that the release rate of radioactive nuclides remains consistent. The evaluation result was then compared with the contamination density measurement result of soil provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and our evaluation result has been validated.

However, further data still needs to be collected to review the validity of our evaluation result, considering that the data was acquired only in a limited area (in the power station site) and that the evaluation was done under the assumption that the release rate of radioactive nuclides is consistent though it should actually vary for each nuclide and depending on the status of reactors (the release rate was estimated based solely on the small amount of data obtained during the evaluation period).

The amount of radioactive materials released into the ocean was estimated based on the monitoring data of radioactivity density of materials included in the seawater near the north/south water discharge channels at the power station. The evaluation was done at the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry by utilizing a program which calculates the diffusion of radioactive materials into the ocean.

However, further data still needs to be collected to review the validity of our evaluation result, considering that the evaluation was done based on a small amount of data acquired in a limited area (monitoring data of radioactivity density of materials included in the seawater near the north/south water discharge channels at the power station), and that individual evaluation was not done for each release factor (radioactive materials directly released from the power station, fallouts from the air, rainwater inflow, etc.).

We will continue our utmost efforts in maintaining the stable condition of our nuclear power stations and implementing the measures to decommission Units 1-4.

< Attachment >
–Estimated Amount of Radioactive Materials Released into the Air as a Result of the Accident Occurred at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (PDF 115KB)
–Estimated Amount of Radioactive Materials Released into the Ocean (Near the Port) (PDF 88.2KB)

< Reference >
–Methods Used to Estimate the Radioactive Materials Released into the Air [Outline] (PDF 240KB)
–Estimation Result of the Amount of Radioactive Materials Released into the Ocean (Near the Port) (PDF 334KB)
–Estimated Amount of Radioactive Materials Released into the Air as a Result of the Accident Occurred at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station [Report] (PDF 4.30MB)

English version of “Estimated Amount of Radioactive Materials Released into the Air as a Result of the Accident Occurred at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station” , “Estimated Amount of Radioactive Materials Released into the Ocean (Near the Port)” , “Methods Used to Estimate the Radioactive Materials Released into the Air [Outline]” , “Estimation Result of the Amount of Radioactive Materials Released into the Ocean (Near the Port)” is now being developed.
We will post the translated material one by one when it is prepared.

The attached file titled “Estimated Amount of Radioactive Materials Released into the Air as a Result of the Accident Occurred at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station [Report]” is only available in Japanese.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Fukushima

One Year Later: At least 900,000 TBq of Iodine and Cesium spewed into the environment by Fukushima Daiichi! Radiation samples were taken last year!

24 May 2012, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo) is now estimating that 900,000 terabecquerels of radioactive iodine-131 and cesium-137 have spewed from Reactor 1 and Reactor 3, from March to September, 2011!

That’s an estimate that’s as much as 80% higher than official Japanese government (Nuclear Safety Commission, and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency) estimates!

TEPCo based its estimate on samples taken near the GE designed nuclear disaster reactors.  However, the results from air samples were only from March 12 to 31, 2011!  The water samples were from March 26 to September 30, 2011!  In other words it’s not up to date!

1 terabecquerel = 1.0 × 10+12 becquerels

Becquerel is an internationally accepted measurement for a unit of radioactivity, equal to one nuclear decay or other nuclear transformation per second.  Named after Antoine Henri Becquerel.

1 terabecquerel = 27 curies

Curie is a non-internationally accepted way to measure radiation, named after Marie and Pierre Curie.  1000 Curies of a radioisotope can produce serious health effects after only a few minutes of exposure.

 

Fukushima

One Year later: Confirmed; nuclear reactor containment vessels breached, radioactive material pouring out!

23 May 2012, the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization has confirmed that two reactor containment vessels at the GE designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, are breached and leaking radioactive materials.

Back in March Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCo) assumed that one containment vessel was cracked, because they found that after months of injecting tons of cooling water there was only 60 centimeters (23 inches) of water in Reactor 2! They were hoping for 2 meters (6.5 feet) of water!

Now the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization says Reactor 2’s water level is actually 40 centimeters (15.7 inches)!  They also say that data shows that Reactor 1 containment vessel is breached as well!

TEPCo’s decommissioning plan requires the reactors to be filled with water, to help reduce radiation levels to the point that the partially melted fuel rods can be removed. This can not be done if the containment vessels are breached.  Like I, and many others have said, why don’t they pour sand, lead, boric acid and concrete on it?!?

 

Fukushima

One Year Later: Government literally ignoring calls for help from tsunami & radiation refugees!

23 May 2012.  Back in March local level governments in Japan set up a help hotline for refugees from Iwate, Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures.  Supposedly this was to insure that refugees were able to be heard by local government officials.

So far only about 10% of those who call are getting through. Out of the 370,000 calls made to the hotline, only 40,000 were answered!

The hotline is called Yorisoi, which operate 38 call centers in Japan.  Their northeastern boss blames the lack of answered calls on lack of reconstruction in the disaster hit areas, and on refugees making calls at night (even thought it is a 24 hour call center).

Yorisoi officials claim they can not find enough employees to take calls at night!

 

Fukushima

One Year Later: Radioactive Rats in Japan, contaminated air!

14 May 2012, Japan’s Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute analyzed rat samples.  Their conclusion is that the rats are contaminated with cesium.

3,100 becquerels of cesium per kilogram was detected in rats near Kawauchi village, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the GE designed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. About 790 becquerels per kilo was found in rats from Kita-Ibaraki city, 70 kilometers (43.4 miles) away.

The Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute also discovered that the air is contaminated.

Airborne radiation levels were 3.11 microsieverts per hour in Kawauchi and 0.2 microsieverts in Kita-Ibaraki.

Officials say the contamination in the rats is proportional to the contamination in the air!

ONE YEAR LATER: RADIATION CONTAMINATED FISH FOUND IN JAPANESE RIVERS!

International

Weird Weather: Last week’s tornado strike on Japan was bigger than first thought, Super Cells spawn multiple tornadoes at the same time!

On May 6, 2012, Japan’s Kanto region was hit by tornadoes.  Now May 12, the Japan Meteorological Agency says the events were bigger than first thought.

One tornado hit Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures, leaving damage zone 31 kilometers (19 miles) long and 650 meters (403.8 miles) wide!  It is the second largest recorded path of destruction in Japan in the past 50 years!

Three other tornadoes hit on the same day, in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures. The three tornadoes formed at the same time!

Japanese weather experts say a sudden and strong upward movement of air was generated by fast building clouds.  The Super Cells measured up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide!

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Econimic Recovery? Business profits down, tax collections down, government debt at historic high!

May 11, 2012, the Japanese government reporting that pre-tax profits of Japanese businesses dropped for the first time in the past three years.

For the Japanese fiscal year (which ends in March) 2011 there was a drop of in overall business profits by 13.3%.  This only concerns the 701 companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The Japanese Finance Ministry also reports that the debt of the Japanese government is at a record high.  It is now at $12 trillion USD!

That’s an increase of $437 billion USD since last year.  It works out to about $90,000 USD for every Japanese citizen!

Officials blame everything on the rising value of the yen, which is being caused by the ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, and the lack of economic recovery in the United States.