Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake | Page 1118

@all Fukushima I-3 MOX fuel assemblies arrive in country 11 years before being loaded into the reactor: "60 MOX fuel assemblies were delivered for use in Tokyo Electric's Fukishima I-3 and Kashiwazaki-Kariwa-3 BWR units earlier, in 1999 and 2001, respectively. This fuel, manufactured by Belgonucleaire, is awaiting approval by local authorities. " fissilematerials /2010/03/status_of_japans_mox_fuel
by smoss 5/12/2011 2:29:51 AM

It kind of seems like they switched focus to #1 and the water hasn't been mentioned again until today.
by LM 5/12/2011 2:30:00 AM

Bo hi... read you web pages. Interesting work.
by carabnr 5/12/2011 2:31:48 AM

@LM I am about four blocks from the Peace Park. @carabnr thanks! Glad to hear it. @Nancy hi there!
by bo 5/12/2011 2:33:39 AM

@Bo Do children still hang origami swans on the beautiful statue in the park?
by LM 5/12/2011 2:35:49 AM

@ Bo is it true that the folks from Fukushima Prefecture are being ostracized, as the victims of Hiroshima were? What was the name they called the people. Can you enlighten us?
by carabnr 5/12/2011 2:37:46 AM

@LM they sure do. Actually they are cranes. They come from the story of Sadako, a girl who developed leukemia ten years after the bombing, and who believed that if you fold 1000 paper cranes, you would get a wish granted. She died before she finished folding 1000, but people all over the world fold them in her memory. I think it is one of the most successful peace outreach efforts to children. When I came to Hiroshima I brought with me paper cranes that my own kids had folded in school over a dozen years earlier and that I had hung on to.
by bo 5/12/2011 2:38:00 AM

@carabnr they are called hibakusha. Literally it means "explosion affected person," but now it is applied to people exposed to radiation. And yes, people from Fukushima are being shunned all over. Kids from Fukushima schools that have moved are bullied. Cars with Fukushima license plates are turned away from gas stations in other prefectures. And based on my studies of how these things unfold, this is just the beginning for all of these folks.
by bo 5/12/2011 2:39:47 AM

The tragedy behind the tragedy.
by bo 5/12/2011 2:40:16 AM

@Bo Cranes...of course...it's been far too many years! I'm so glad the tradition survives. I was 14 when I visited and I'll never forget the sight of that statue. It really affected me.
by LM 5/12/2011 2:40:56 AM

@LM it is very interesting to me to see Americans go to the park and museum. There is a marine base not far from here, and very rarely I see soldiers in the park
by bo 5/12/2011 2:43:22 AM

Nancy if your here still... it's time to calculate the total volume of the whole dang facility up to covering the core,, then try to determine how many tons of water has been added to get an amount of leakage... in tons probably ..
by dean 5/12/2011 2:44:17 AM

I need rest for now.. will return later nice to see you all
by dean 5/12/2011 2:44:26 AM

Nite all. Take care.
by Shadow 5/12/2011 2:44:45 AM

I feel terribly for the people of Fukushima Prefecture. It's irresponsible not acting appropriately in evacuating ALL affected people in a timely manner. If a larger zone had been set from Day 1 it might have led to less ridicule. Lack of info breeds ignorance.
by LM 5/12/2011 2:46:12 AM

nite Shadow, nite Dean
by Nancy 5/12/2011 2:46:42 AM

@all Is #3 a partial MOX core?
by smoss 5/12/2011 2:46:55 AM

@dean and @Shadow later.
by bo 5/12/2011 2:46:57 AM

@smoss yes it is. There was also possibly another MOX shipment more recent than 1999 so people were not 100% sure how many total assemblies are there. They also have to be stored in a fuel pool before use.
by Nancy 5/12/2011 2:48:02 AM

@LM I agree that a much more vigorous evacuation was necessary. But my sense is that those evacuated would still suffer the same discrimination and shunning. The Bikinians experienced this even though they were not exposed to radiation like others in the Marshall Islands.
by bo 5/12/2011 2:48:11 AM

@Bo I hate to say I'm not surprised that there are fewer Americans visiting the park. I remember my mother complaining about how 1 sided the museum display appeared. I nearly lost it!!! I educated her right there and I think the trip ultimately had a positive effect on both my mom and dad. They just didn't want to admit that the US was wrong at any level.
by LM 5/12/2011 2:50:00 AM

@Bo I'm sure you're right. I just can't help but think if they had moved them right away then there would be less doubt about their exposure levels. Probably wishful thinking!
by LM 5/12/2011 2:52:23 AM

@Nancy Thanks...Will try to track other possible shipments
by smoss 5/12/2011 2:52:28 AM

@LM there are fewer Japanese as well. Attendance at the museum goes down each year. The world is forgetting what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
by bo 5/12/2011 2:53:05 AM

The social issues and tremendous loss for the people in the region affected in Japan. It is really hard to imagine the scope of desperation.
by carabnr 5/12/2011 2:53:14 AM

@Bo That's shameful. Wow...saddens me. We'll never learn from history if we forget!
by LM 5/12/2011 2:54:49 AM

Dropping here in case you haven't seen this....seems to be a GOOD plan.

Philippines turning nuclear power plant into tourist site
www.eturbonews.com
May 11, 2011

Philippine tourism officials are turning an unused nuclear power plant into a tourist attraction, the Philippine Star reports.

The $2.3 billion Bataan Nuclear Power plant was completed in 1984 but was never put into use.

The plant was built during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, but when Corazon Aquino became president in 1986, she refused to open it, saying its location near earthquake faults and an active volcano made it unsafe, according to an Agence-France Presse report.

Tourists will now get a look inside the plant and its intact reactor to see "how nuclear energy throughout the world menacingly threatens the quality of life of the people if handled incorrectly,” Department of Tourism regional director Ronald Tiotuico told the Philippine Star.

“Hopefully, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant would serve to warn the global community of the fallout disaster that struck people in the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima,” the Star quoted him as saying.

www.eturbonews.com
by ms in la via Eturbonews 5/12/2011 2:58:30 AM

I would hope that there could be some sort of convergence of all these groups of people who were impacted to speak out together. It could be a powerful message and maybe enough of a wake up call to the world.
by Nancy 5/12/2011 2:58:56 AM

If there is anyone else lurking right now with mod abilities please let me know asap.
by Nancy 5/12/2011 3:01:57 AM

@Nancy this is the prime focus of a project I am working on. It is called the Global Hibakusha Project. We (my colleague and I) are working with hibakusha in communities around the world helping to connect them and help them to speak out to a more global audience. Most hibakusha (especially from nuclear testing) are very marginalized people living in very remote places. When they encounter hibakusha with similar experiences in other parts of the world it is very empowering.
by bo 5/12/2011 3:03:51 AM

@bo that reminded me of some issues they had of a slightly similar note. There were issues in western SD with uranium mining being done in native american territories. There have been problems with cancer clusters and lots of frustration that they had the mining forced on them and no recourse after the fact. Not really the same but reminded me of the feelings of being marginalized and not having a say in the environmental changes made where they live.
by Nancy 5/12/2011 3:07:40 AM

I found it interesting how the Chernobyl survivors were very willing to speak up when this first happened.
by Nancy 5/12/2011 3:08:41 AM

@Nancy I have heard an amazing story. A similar thing happened in a native Canadian community up in the north. When they learned in the 90s that some of the uranium mined on their land was used in the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, the tribe sent a delegation here to Hiroshima to formally apologize to the people of Hiroshima. They said that even though they did not know at the time, and did not work on the bomb, since it came from their land they felt responsible. Imagine that level of responsibility taking in our society.
by bo 5/12/2011 3:10:04 AM

@Nancy the Chernobyl hibakusha were among the most vocal. Check this out: www.aolnews.com
by bo 5/12/2011 3:10:53 AM

brb folks
by bo 5/12/2011 3:11:40 AM

@all "Shipments of MOX fuel assemblies were sent in mid-1999, early 2001, early 2009 and mid-2010.

Part of the 1999 shipment, intended for Kansai's Takehama plant, was returned to the UK in 2002 due to doubts about quality control. In 1999 and 2001, the shipments contained 60 MOX fuel assemblies for use in Tepco's Fukishima I-3 and Kashiwazaki-Kariwa 3 BWR units, respectively. The 2009 shipment contained 24 assemblies for Shikoku's Ikata 3, 28 for Chubu's Hamaoka 4, and 16 for Kyushu's Genkai 3. The 2010 shipment from France contained 12 assemblies for Kansai's Takahama 4 and 20 assemblies for the second load at Genkai 3."
www.world-nuclear.org
Just not finding additional shipments for Fukushima I-3.....Am wondering which Japanese NPP is running the 100% MOX fuel core?
by smoss 5/12/2011 3:15:53 AM

@carabnr The very worst thing about the earthquake and tsunami, is TEPCO Diiachi stole their right to grieve alone, as a nation. They should be well into recovery and many that 'recovery" could be years and never.
by Debra Beckham 5/12/2011 3:17:43 AM

@Debra Beckham If the GoJ, would NOT be in the picture, the media world wide would hammer on Tepco.....
by Veenie 5/12/2011 3:19:43 AM

The article on #1 indicates we are interpreting the wl values properly (eg, -1650 means 1650 mm exposed). Might want to let jo know next time he stops by.
by Markfm 5/12/2011 3:21:57 AM

@Veenie two things today that were really significant IMHO, the earthquakes and smoke show and the revelation (or admission) that 1 is failed in the RPV and containment and leaking water.
by Nancy 5/12/2011 3:31:20 AM