Tag Archives: u.s.

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.

 

International, Opinion, U.S.

Should we fear a government shut down? Ask the Belgians, they’ve been without a government for almost a year

Who cares if our government shuts down?

I, and many other citizens of the United States, get absolutely nothing from the Federal government. I didn’t even get a tax refund this year, or last year, or the year before that. I didn’t even get one of those extra checks from the IRS under the Bush Jr administration. I served in the military, I worked for government contractors, but I have no retirement (forget about SS).

I have not been able to find steady work for more than two years now. Yet, because of rules changes (and the fact that all my kids are adults now) I don’t qualify for Food Stamps, or AFDC.

I wasn’t even able to get Medicaid for my son when he had a hemorrhagic stroke at the age of 18! Now we’re dealing with $150,000+ in medical bills (on top of other debts, and no I don’t have $2,000 to hire a bankruptcy attorney, we don’t have free bankruptcy programs in our state [at least where we live], the only thing we can get is a waiver of Federal court fees). What were all my Federal taxes for, damn it?!

I live in a state that gets next to squat from the Federal government. Yeah, you people on the East (like New York City [get a rope]) and West (mainly California) coasts suck up most of the Federal tax moneys we all pay. California has redundant State social services programs that mirror and supplement the Federal programs. My state doesn’t, so no tears for you California! Any Federal government shut down will be barely noticed where I live.

The world has plenty of examples of countries doing fine without a government. As of March 30, 2011, Belgium had gone 290 days without any government. In fact it’s possible Belgium will now split into two countries.

But Belgium isn’t the only country that’s gone a long time without a government. Cambodia has the record of 353 days without a government, from 2003 to 2004.

So bring on a Federal shut down, it’ll save a lot of tax payer money.

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

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

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.

Fukushima

TEPCo claims Nitrogen is working

Tokyo Electric Power Company says there are signs that the injection of nitrogen into Reactor 1 is working to prevent an explosion. But it might be too soon to tell, the nitrogen injection operation will take six days.

Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor 1 core began build up of hydrogen gas, probably caused by the melting of the outer casing of partially exposed fuel rods. In normal circumstances reactor cores have nitrogen in them to counteract any hydrogen build up, but TEPCo officials think Reactor 1’s core is breached, leaking out the nitrogen.

If that’s true then the six day nitrogen injection operation could be only temporary.

Fukushima, U.S.

Reactor 4 fuel pool critical, U.S. UAV to begin monitoring! North America to be hit with massive radiation!

Add to the potential for reactor 1 core explosion the Reactor 4 fuel pool crisis.

Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor 4 fuel pool was damaged after an explosion several weeks ago (many main stream media report only two explosions, but there were three; reactors 1, 3 & 4 buildings). The problem is that it is now apparent that Reactor 4 fuel pool is leaking water faster than they can pour in (maybe this is the source of the leaks into the ocean?).

If spent fuel rods are exposed too long they will break down and spew radiation.

Japanese media now saying that the main reason for United States interest in the nuclear crisis is because the U.S. is in the path of most radiation contamination.  The U.S. is going to start using an UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to monitor airborne radiation levels above Fukushima Daiichi, especially Reactor 4 fuel pool.

There are more than 10,000 spent fuel rods at Fukushima Daiichi, according to Hosono Goshi, a special adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto.