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Radiation Monitoring Data In Japan Systematically Faked Downward
[Translate] As with so many things going on in relation to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, people know something isn’t right or outright bogus, yet it takes time to document and prove it. We documented earlier this week about the discrepancies in Miyagi Prefecture in radiation & contamination government figures vs. non government figures for the region including elevated thyroid nodules in children. In yet another case of this, government radiation monitoring has been being systematically faked to show far lower than actual levels. Academics and an engaged public can and will eventually uncover these lame attempts by the government to deceive the public about the safety risks in Japan due to the nuclear accident. Stig from Safecast.org has been following this in various Japanese language sources and has documented much of it here … Read entire article »
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Two Workers At Daiichi Hospitalized
[Translate] According to Spreadnews.de two workers fell ill while removing debris from unit 3 at Fukushima Daiichi. Both were taken to the on site medical facility in the building for units 5-6 and give fluids. They were then transported by ambulance to J Village and eventually to the hospital in Iwaki. TEPCO confirms this incident claiming the workers had “a mild disturbance of consciousness” and that they had no radiation exposure. http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/f1-np/press_f1/2012/pdfdata/j120729a-j.pdf This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. While we welcome the sharing of information or promoting our work, please do so with respect to the large amount of effort … Read entire article »
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US Nuclear Industry History Of Safety Failures & NRC Apathy
[Translate] This 2001 Time.com article fell into our inbox over the weekend. What it shows was going on in the late 1990′s is not only disturbing, it seems to still be going on today, even after Fukushima. The Millstone nuclear plant had been for 20 years violating their reactor license and operating outside the design basis of the plant. So were 14 other reactors in the US. These are the ones that just happened to be caught due to a very persistent whistleblower. Reactor outages cost money, large sums of money. Some in the millions of dollars. This causes many reactor owners to cut corners on safety and procedure. We saw this brought to fruition at Fukushima where corner cutting,ignoring safety issues and a culture that did not allow employees to raise issues … Read entire article »
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Fukushima Animal Rescuers Employ New Technology, Chased By Police
[Translate] This is a story that has been going on since soon after the disaster. The authorities told people to evacuate but leave pets at home, that they would be able to return in a few days. That never happened. What did happen is one of the worst animal disasters on record. All the pets and livestock in the evacuation zone were left to starve and die as many of them have. Over a year and a half later animal rescue groups continue to fight the government to do the humane thing and rescue the remaining surviving animals. The animal rescue groups have appealed to the government in many different ways and have tried to work within the governments brief attempt to appease the public on the animal abandonment issue. The government … Read entire article »
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Sunday Protest 200,000 Surround Diet Building
[Translate] Protests started at 3pm JST and went on into the night with marches to TEPCO, METI and a candlelight protest back at the Diet. Two were arrested for obstructing the police and there were periodic scuffles with police. Organizers estimate about 200,000 attended. People who showed up were spread around the diet building crowded on sidewalks making it hard to obtain a visual of everyone. News media did sent out a helicopter, a few aerial shots can be seen in various videos. Protests as many previous ones included a broad cross section of people participating in the protests. PM Noda is still hinting that he wants 15% nuclear power in Japan, something that would require restarting most of the reactors and would be highly unpopular with the public. Most media outlets in Japan … Read entire article »
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“The Economy Was Given Priority Over Human Life”, Interview With Maya Koabayashi
[Translate] Maya Koabayashi lived in Fukushima City. After the nuclear disaster in Japan her life changed as did the lives of many people. The information they were getting from the government was largely useless. Determining what was safe to eat or if they should leave the area, they were left to figure it out for themselves. Ms. Kobayashi is only 25, she points out that the nuclear plants in Japan were there before she was born, she had no say in their existence in her life. Most of her family has moved away. She moved to Yamagata and has started a magazine to help inform young people how to be safer in a contaminated land and to educate people more about radiation. She had planned to go to India to share her … Read entire article »
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Contamination Rampant In Miyagi Prefecture
[Translate] Little attention has been played to Miyagi prefecture in relation to the nuclear disaster in Japan. It is well publicized that the area took a major hit from the Tsunami and much rebuilding will be needed. What has been less clear is the actual level of contamination from the nuclear accident. Reports from the prefecture government largely show low or no levels of contamination. SPEEDI records released this year show considerable radioactive plume and deposition over Miyagi prefecture around March 20th. http://radioactivity.mext.go.jp/ja/contents/5000/4813/24/1305748_0316_08.pdf Yet the official air readings in Miyagi prefecture show incredibly low levels of contamination. It has been mentioned that Miyagi prefecture’s monitoring equipment is 80m off the ground, we have not been able to confirm this claim but it could explain the difference between the air counts and what is actually being … Read entire article »
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Strontium 90 Found In Throughout Japan From Fukushima
[Translate] UPDATE: Some old readings from 2011 taken near the plant and around the evacuation zone give an idea of the stronium 90 levels in Fukushima where MEXT refuses to give any data. 3.3 to 32 becquerels of stronium 90 per kilogram of soil in samples taken from 3 locations in Namie Town and Iitate Village, 30 kilometers from the plant. date: March 16-19 2011 An extremely small amount of stronium was also found in plants taken from Motomiya City, Ono Town and Otama and Nishigo Villages. The areas are 40 to 80 kilometers from the Fukushima plant. date: March 16-19 2011 TEPCO reported detecting 2,800 becquerels of stronium 89 per kilogram of soil, this was possibly some time in April 2011 tested 500m from the plant. Those March readings are from the Science Ministry aka: MEXT. So they were … Read entire article »
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Unit 2 At Fukushima Spewing 8 Million Bq Per Hour Almost 1.5 Years Later
[Translate] TEPCO has admitted the current radiation release levels at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. While these levels are a small fraction of what was being released early on, they still pose a considerable problem. The plant is emitting 10 million bq per hour. With 8 of the 10 bq coming from unit 2 alone. TEPCO officials tried to pass off the high levels as possibly due to “stirring up cesium” that fell on the reactors. This does not explain the high levels coming out of unit 2′s blow out panel as admitted by TEPCO. The image below is from a June 2012 robot inspection of the unit 2 refueling floor. The close up from a larger photo shows clearly the steam plume coming out of the edge of the reactor well. … Read entire article »
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New Fukushima Report Shows Failings Are Ongoing
[Translate] More information is coming out in the English language media about the recently released 3rd report on the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Some new admissions in this report include that many of the same problems and mindsets that contributed to the disaster still exist. TEPCO tried to cover up unflattering info in the computer simulations they did to estimate core meltdowns. Employees of TEPCO’s nuclear department demonstrated expertise in emergency equipment, but many failed to speak up when it was most needed during the crisis Some employees were aware that water gauges attached to containment vessels were likely broken and their measurements unreliable. But none of them raised questions, and the company kept releasing what turned out to be wrong data for months. The operator and regulators failed to upgrade plant safety and meet international … Read entire article »
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News Roundup July 23, 2012
[Translate] News Roundup July 23, 2012 (art work by Yoshitomo Nara) Another report on the Fukushima disaster is out. This one blames TEPCO and the Japanese government. “The fundamental problem lies in the fact that utilities, including TEPCO, and the government have failed to see the danger as reality as they were bound by a myth of nuclear safety and the notion that severe accidents do not happen at nuclear plants in our country, said the 450-page report.” The report includes some revelations such as TEPCO’s problem determining if it was the plant manager’s job to instruct workers to inject seawater into the melting reactors. A former GE inspector who outed a previous TEPCO attempt to cover up evidence of degraded equipment at the plant tells that dose faking is even more widespread than … Read entire article »
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Another Nuclear Plant Technical Workers Strike On The Horizon
[Translate] Workers at the US Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Palo IA may go on strike soon after the plant owner attempted to further degrade working conditions. Owner NextEra attempted to cut workers health insurance, make overtime mandatory and included a paltry wage increase. NextEra has been highly profitable yet seeks to erode workers conditions citing similar erosion at other plants in the industry. Workers told that the plant is already understaffed and many are already working voluntary overtime to help out NextEra Energy. Overworking the people on the front line of nuclear safety could have drastic consequences. It has been found in many other industries like transportation that worker response and safety erodes with long work shifts. NextEra claims they will attempt to run the plant with managers and bringing in contract workers if a … Read entire article »
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Subcontractor In Scandal A TEPCO Subsidiary, Glass Badges Checked
[Translate] As was assumed would be claimed, TEPCO is now claiming the workers who covered their dosimeters with lead plates and also carried glass badges don’t have an exposure discrepancy. There is no indication any outside agency will check and confirm this claim by TEPCO that seems highly unlikely. Considering the work involved was handling hoses used to transport radioactive water out of the reactors in a known high radiation area, having the workers glass badges closely match the altered dosimeters is a questionable claim. The dosimeters are turned in daily and the glass badges every 1-3 months. There is no method to assure a worker carries or does not alter a glass badge’s reading since it does not create a digital record like a dosimeter of the type used at Fukushima … Read entire article »
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Dr. Robert Jacobs Explains Social Mobilization In Japan After Fukushima
[Translate] Dr. Robert Jacobs of the Hiroshima Peace Institute (and SimplyInfo member) explains the social impact on the people in Fukushima and how the troubling changes they have experienced are similar to the devastating toll on populations after other nuclear disasters. The damage done by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has far wider implications than just health damage. This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. While we welcome the sharing of information or promoting our work, please do so with respect to the large amount of effort and time that goes into our research and analysis. Referring … Read entire article »
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More Details On The Fukushima Workers Exposure Scandal
[Translate] More information has come out today as the media has gathered more information on the falsifying of worker radiation doses at Fukushima Daiichi. The subcontractor who had employees working under TEPCO at Daiichi ordered workers to cover their dosimeter with a lead plate so they could fake their absorbed doses of radiation allowing them to work at the plant longer by faking their dose. “Some refused the orders. Others raised questions about their safety and the legality of the practice. But the man in charge, a senior official of a subcontractor of Tokyo Electric Power Co., warned them that they would lose their jobs–and any chance of employment at other nuclear plants–if they failed to comply.” Asahi Shimbun A senior official for Build Up Construction, the contractor in question instructed workers to make … Read entire article »
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Edano: “We have to eventually terminate all nuclear power stations”
[Translate] Kyodo News is reporting new comments from METI head Yukio Edano on Japan’s dependence on nuclear power. “I think we have to eventually terminate all nuclear power stations,” Edano said in a speech in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. “Personally, I hope to suspend all of the nuclear stations as soon as tomorrow.” This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team Join the conversation at chat.simplyinfo.org All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. While we welcome the sharing of information or promoting our work, please do so with respect to the large amount of effort and time that goes into our research and analysis. Referring to something or a quote is great, … Read entire article »
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Fukushima Workers Forced To Fake Radiation Levels
[Translate] Contract workers at Fukushima Daiichi were forced by bosses to cover their dosimeters in lead covers. The dosimeter is the device that records their radiation dose. Workers, once they reach a maximum exposure level can no longer work at the plant. All of this was going on as the levels for exposure have been set at incredibly high levels due to the magnitude of the disaster. The level was originally 250 mSv and may have been lowered slightly in recent months. Workers at the contractor company for some reason recorded the meeting with workers, the bosses instructing the workers to fake their exposure levels is apparently on tape according to Japanese media. This story broke yesterday in Japanese media and quickly spread. The BBC has more details in English here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18936831 Sadly this … Read entire article »
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Thyroid Exposure In Fukushima Children
[Translate] An updated survey of children in Fukushima prefecture who were exposed to fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has been released. Of 38,114 children under age 18 that were tested, 13,646 of them had some form of detectible nodule or cyst on their thyroid. With 35.3% of them being either a nodule smaller than 5mm or a cyst smaller than 20mm. .5% of the children found with detectable anomalies had a nodule larger than 5mm or a cyst larger than 20mm. Fukushima Voice translated the report, we thank them for their hard work in doing so. With the growing evidence of thyroid issues in children exposed in Fukushima it also raises even more questions. Is this a case of finding more because people are actively looking? Are they truly related to the … Read entire article »
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A Bad Week For Nuclear Power
[Translate] It has not been a good week for nuclear power around the world. These are just some of the things that came across our news feeds. EDF announced they want a guaranteed price for nuclear power at a planned new nuclear reactor in the UK of 165 British pounds per megawatt hour. By comparison wind power is currently at 135 British pounds per megawatt hour and the government has said they have a target price of 100 megawatt hour. The UK government doesn’t seem too interested in corporate welfare for nuclear. Florida denied Gulf Power’s request to charge power customers today for a nuclear plant they may or may not build in the future. The Duke – Progress Energy merger has caused the likely cancellation of 6 new nuclear power plant projects. Constellation Nuclear … Read entire article »
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Active Faults May Doom Japan’s Nuclear Reactors
[Translate] NISA has ordered owners of the Oi and Shika nuclear plants to inspect faults that run under their reactors in Japan. Experts have been pressing for almost a month that certain fault lines may be active and that Oi should be stopped. Now NISA has caved to public pressure to do something. Based on current media reports it appears the power companies will be left to inspect the faults themselves rather than in cooperation with experts in the field or NISA officials. Even with warnings there is likely an active fault under Oi, METI/NISA officials see no potential risk and are allowing Oi to restart unit 4 at the same time they are requesting fault testing. “We do not recognize a risk that would force us to stop the reactivation (of the … Read entire article »
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