Tag Archives: GE

Fukushima

Mystery radiation coming from reactor 4!

20 June 2011, NHK reporting that Tokyo Electric Power Company is now scrambling to find out why extreme radiation levels are coming from Reactor 4 building, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant.

Reactor 4 was shut down for maintenance when the 11 March 2011 natural disasters hit.  Early on most concerns were with the spent fuel pool above the reactor.  TEPCo officials thought they had that under control.

Over the weekend, workers had to be moved out of Reactor 4 building due to a sudden jump in radiation levels.

TEPCo was using the fuel pool to store large contaminated objects found around the nuclear plant’s compound.  After the jump in radiation emissions they discovered that water levels in the pool had dropped by 1/3.  They are now injecting water, hoping that will stop the radiation emissions.  Workers were in the process of strengthening the structure of Reactor 4 building.

Fukushima

Corporate Incompetence: TEPCo stops radiation decontamination; too much radiation!

On 17 June 2011, Tokyo Electric Power Company turned on a water decontamination unit, recently installed at its damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.  It failed.

Just five hours after turning the unit on, they had to shut it down.  The radiation was far higher than what the decontamination unit was meant to handle.

TEPCo ran the unit on Sunday, 19 June, to try and figure out where the spike in radioactive water was coming from.  That lasted four hours.  They concluded that the radiation contamination must be far higher than what they first thought (replace that with “wild ass guessed”).

TEPCo will try adding additional water decon units in the hopes of dealing with the radioactive water.  It’s estimated that 500 tons of water is being contaminated everyday (most of which is ending up in the Pacific Ocean).  Like Bill Nye the Science Guy said: “Why don’t they just dump concrete on it?”

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: Parents decontaminate Japanese school contaminated with radiation

In an obvious sign of government incompetence, parents and teachers decontaminated a local elementary school, on their own.

In Date City, about 80 people worked together to wash down a school contaminated with radiation.  The national government said the radiation levels at the school were below the official safe limits, so they felt no reason to do anything.

Parents are concerned because the radiation levels remained constant, and were found in the soil as well as on the buildings.  Tired of a government that didn’t want to respond they took matters into their own hands.  I wonder how they feel about continuing to pay their taxes?

Fukushima

Government Incompetence: No standardized airborne radiation monitoring in Japan, radiation levels higher than officially reported

After many citizens complained of faulty radiation readings by local governments, Japan is now testing for airborne radiation at one meter (3.2 feet) high, and at more than one location per city/town.

What happened was that citizens groups were conducting radiation readings on their own (you see; never trust the government).  Their readings were much worse than many official readings by local governments.  The citizens were taking readings closer to the ground.  In Tokyo, air borne radiation readings were being taken at only one location, on top of a 19 meter (62 feet) tall building.  Many cities across Japan varied their testing height from 1.5 meters to as high as 80 meters off the ground.

Today, 15 June 2011, Japan’s science ministry started taking readings at one meter high, in 100 locations across Japan.  The results are important: Already they’ve found, in several prefectures, that radiation levels, taken at one meter in height, are twice the levels taken at higher sampling sites.

Citizen groups pointed out that air borne radiation testing should be done at a height where humans activity takes place.  Looks like the People are correct.

 

Fukushima

Plutonium in more soil samples!

Tokyo Electric Power Company announced that their May soil samples are positive for plutonium-238.

The sample was taken on the compound of the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, on 30 May 2011.  The samples were taken 500 meters away from Reactor 1 building.

This follows claims by university students who found plutonium as part of a class project.

Fukushima

Radiation spreading in Japan, thanks to Mother Nature

NHK (Nippon Housou Kyoukai/Japan Broadcasting Corporation) discovered, through random interviews with local officials throughout Japan, that cesium is showing up all over, thanks to rain.

22 of Japan’s 47 prefectures (states, or glorified counties) have been testing their soil.  16 found their soil is contaminated with cesium.  Some areas are as far south as Osaka, which is about 350 miles away from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Local officials believe the cesium is being spread by clouds that sweep through the Fukushima area then rain on other parts of Japan.

The area with the highest cesium levels, in their soil, is Fukushima, currently at 447,000 becquerels per kilogram.  Tokyo has 55,000 becquerels.

NHK reported that Japan has no guidelines for dealing with radiation contamination in soil.

 

Fukushima

Strontium 90 in ground water & Pacific Ocean

For the first time, Tokyo Electric Power Company says strontium 90 is contaminating ground water, and the Pacific Ocean.

Water samples that were taken on 16 and 18 May, 2011, are positive for strontium.  Sample testing takes three weeks for results.

Three ocean inlets were tested on 16 May.  The lowest reading was 53 times safe limits.  The highest, 240 times, was taken at reactor 3 inlet.

Ground water samples were taken on 18 May.  The highest reading was 6,300 becquerels per liter near reactor 2.

Strontium 90 is created during nuclear fission. It has a half life of 29 years and causes bone cancer.

Fukushima

Fukushima Daiichi radiation levels continue to climb, workers exposed to high levels!

Stabilization work at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has been temporarily halted, once again, because of high radiation levels.

Reactor 3 began emitting levels above 100 millisieverts per hour.  The government raised the safe limit from 100 to 250 millisieverts per hour, but workers at the damaged nuke plant refused to implement the higher limit.

Tokyo Electric Power Company sent nine workers into Reactor 3 on 10 June 2011.  TEPCo said they are trying to limit workers to just 9 millisieverts per hour.  After only 20 minutes the radiation levels far exceeded the original 100 millisieverts limit!

High radiation levels have made stabilization work almost impossible.  TEPCo has acknowledged that it will take much longer to get the plant under control.

Two workers have tested positive for as much as 678 millisieverts of radiation.  The National Institute of Radiological Sciences confirmed the exposure.  The two men were in the control rooms of reactors 3 & 4, when Reactor 1 blew up on 12 March 2011.  A third man is undergoing testing.

Fukushima

Cesium contamination building in Japan, tea harvests contaminated!

In Shizuoka Prefecture, about 300 km (186 miles) away from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, cesium contamination has continued to build up.  Now tea production has been halted.

On 10 June 2011, cesium levels on tea leaves hit 679 becquerels per kilogram.  The official limit is 500 becquerels.  The local government ordered a halt to tea shipments.  Tea is Shizuoka Prefecture’s main industry.

Last month cesium levels were 460 becquerels.  The latest readings show cesium is continuing to be spewed by the Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant.

 

 

Fukushima

Strontium 90 more widespread than first thought!

Japanese Science Ministry has finished a survey of Fukushima Prefecture.  They were looking for evidence of strontium 90, they found plenty.

Strontium 90 is created during nuclear fission.  It has a half life of 29 years, and can cause bone cancer.

Samples were taken at 11 locations, all 11 tested positive.  The furthest location from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, that tested positive, is Fukushima City at 60 km (37 miles) away.  The highest reading was 250 becquerels per kilogram, at Namie City.