Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake | Page 2038

@bo Reality has been treading into The Onion territory way too much lately. :-)
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 12:44:43 AM

Tepco Regarding the installation of the alternative cooling and purification
system of spent fuel pool of Unit 1-4 of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Station, we compiled the result of analysis concluding that such system
is effective for stable cooling and that there is no safety issue, and
reported this to NISA.
(Previously announced on May 22, June 15, and July 13)

After that, as we partly reviewed the construction schedule after taking
in account of the actual site condition, we compiled the change and
reported this to NISA.

The altered context is as attached.

attachment-
www.tepco.co.jp
by elainekirk 7/29/2011 1:15:04 AM

TEPCO to extract air from troubled reactors

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will extract air from troubled reactors at the plant to measure the amount of radioactive substances. The work is part of efforts to curb the amount of radioactivity released into the atmosphere.

Up to around one billion becquerels of radioactive substances are believed to be released every hour from reactors No.1, 2 and 3. It is not known how accurate this figure is because it was worked out by taking readings of the air on the plant's premises.

Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to extract air inside the containment vessels of the reactors through pipes. The extracted air will be analyzed by a device set up on the first floor of the reactor buildings.

The operation is intended to obtain accurate data on what kind of radioactive substances are being released and in what quantity.

The air extraction is expected to begin later on Friday for the No.1 reactor and in early August for the No.2 unit. No plans have been decided for the No.3 reactor due to high radiation levels in part of its building.

TEPCO hopes the findings may also help the company grasp the extent of leakage of nuclear fuels into the containment vessels.

Under the second phase of its plan to stabilize the plant, TEPCO aims to minimize the release of nuclear materials and bring the reactors to a stable state called a cold shutdown over the next 6 months.

Friday, July 29, 2011 09:43 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano 7/29/2011 1:19:43 AM

oh dear what is the point in putting workers at risk when they are just going to doctor the results anyway.
Nowadays it would be quite easy to scan those building through the layers to see if the seconday containment or primary are intact and not cracked I would have thought
by elainekirk 7/29/2011 1:30:24 AM

I am still thinking about the article listed yesterday about the US Military testing and finding internal radiation in the US troops. My son in law is in South Korea, this worries me because he is much closer to fallout than we are here in the US. I am thankful that his job did not allow for my daughter to go to Korea too.
by Lurking 7/29/2011 1:38:04 AM

@Lurking yes you will worry
I hope he is home safe soon
g'night all
by elainekirk 7/29/2011 1:39:24 AM

@Elaine thanks, he will be in Korea till June 2012. I worry about my unborn grandchildren!
by Lurking 7/29/2011 1:40:05 AM

@Lurking Only a small percentage of the people actually working in the disaster area had internal contamination. I think they are far enough for it to not be a risk. But I understand why it is still a big worry.
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 1:42:08 AM

@Lilly, Thanks, you are a voice of reason in my cluttered mind. I tried to send my geiger counter over with him, but it was not allowed. I hope the military does as much to look out for the troops as they do to look after hardware and strategic bases.
by Lurking 7/29/2011 1:44:17 AM

Researchers create new material to absorb radioactive contamination out of water. mdn.mainichi.jp
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 1:46:29 AM

@Lurking huh. Surprised sending one is off limits. Is it banned to have one on base? Seems like something easy enough to pick up in Seoul
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 1:47:19 AM

@Lilly, he was getting ready to deploy out of Georgia. I offered to send it with him and he said he could not take it as it was not approved by the military. I will ask him to check out Seoul and see if he can find one. He is at Osan Base.
by Lurking 7/29/2011 1:49:39 AM

Tokyo high rise to add back up power system. mdn.mainichi.jp Most of the office complexes around here are built with back up systems that can run indefinitely as long as they have fuel.

by lillymunster 7/29/2011 1:51:40 AM

One thing I can see here in Hiroshima, but I don't see in any of the coverage, is what a boon the disaster is for local produce and foods from other parts of Japan. Everything that comes from Hiroshima prefecture is now proudly proclaiming it and there is a premium. So many farms in Japan are doing better because their produce is not from Tohoku.
by bo 7/29/2011 2:05:13 AM

@bo are any of them claiming any sort of testing or details of how they grow etc. to bolster their reputation? I read that certain beef producers were going to do their own in house testing to try to prove their beef was safe.
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 2:10:20 AM

@lilly I don't read Japanese so I don't know. But they are surely putting the prefecture of origin very big on signs and packaging. I think that they beef industry has realized that if they don't implement some monitoring and standards, all Japanese beef will be suspect. They are clearly out in front of the govt. in that regard.
by bo 7/29/2011 2:12:46 AM

But I have to say, going to the supermarket is a very different experience here than it used to be.
by bo 7/29/2011 2:13:28 AM

@bo even more than since March had been?
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 2:13:58 AM

Yes. Many people in March (at least here in Western Japan) thought that the problem was a regional one. But now people are realizing that they can't avoid the contamination because of the food supply. In March, I remember bottled water selling out when iodine was detected in the Tokyo water system. But now, people here are avoiding all products from Tohoku, and all beef from anywhere.
by bo 7/29/2011 2:16:28 AM

@bo have you seen any increase in water filters being promoted?
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 2:17:59 AM

Yes.
by bo 7/29/2011 2:18:12 AM

But I don't know what the signs say.
by bo 7/29/2011 2:18:23 AM

@bo :-)
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 2:20:54 AM

@lillymunster, found this on reuters today: www.reuters.com

by Peter Melzer 7/29/2011 2:23:45 AM

@lillymunster , and there is even a transcript:
The Japanese Cabinet Chief Secretary announced on Thursday the ban on beef cattle shipments has been extended to include Miyagi prefecture. (SOUNDBITE)(Japanese) JAPANESE CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY YUKIO EDANO: "We have ordered the governor of Miyagi prefecture to stop all shipments of cattle in Miyagi prefecture. This order has been in response to the three incidents where we found beef with radiation caesium levels over the limit allowed by food safety standards." Last week Japan halted shipments of beef cattle from Fukushima prefecture, host to the nuclear power plant crippled during the March tsunami and earthquake. Some farmers fed their cattle straw left outside and contaminated by the radiation leaks from the plant. The owner of a chain of Korean-style barbecue beef restaurants says the beef scare has exacerbated public anxiety over the safety of the food supply. (SOUNDBITE)(Japanese) GYUAN BARBECUED BEEF FRANCHISE MANAGER YUSUKE FUKADA: "We are testing and checking all our beef but we've still got our work cut out for us, trying to regain the confidence of the clients." There have been reports of excessive levels of radiation found in vegetables, tea, milk, seafood, and water in the wake of the March 11th disaster. Nick Rowlands, Reuters.
by Peter Melzer 7/29/2011 2:26:10 AM

Diehard rice thrives after Tsunami www.yomiuri.co.jp
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 2:59:12 AM

Panasonic sells off Sanyo white goods division to concentrate on solar panels and home storage batteries www.asahi.com
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 3:00:25 AM

Petition and protest today in front of ministry office d.hatena.ne.jp
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 3:03:04 AM

@Lilly The rice story is frightening! feeding it to children...what planet do they think they're living on? There really appears to be no education regarding contamination. Iwate is most likely fairly contaminated as well.
by LM 7/29/2011 3:03:28 AM

@LM That was my thought while reading that. I sure hope someone starts going around educating farmers. I think it is going to fall on NGOs or farmers associations to do it. The NHK documentary that showed the poultry farm really illustrated how big of a problem all of this is for food producers. The guy had a big poultry operation and all of them died of starvation. Likely they would have been unusable (or the eggs) due to the radiation. IIRC he was really close to the plant.
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 3:06:35 AM

A couple of interesting tweets:
Anyone Can BORROW a Geiger counter at a rental for free CD / DVD Shop (TSUTAYA) in Fukushima Minami, Their Shop with ID, @ Masa3Sama Tweeted.
5 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

Ikrockhopper Itsumi Kakefuda
The Fukushima worker I've been following tweeted this morning, saying that he couldn't tweet last night because he was so tired.
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 3:09:57 AM

@Lilly I agree. I think it's really unfortunate that the GoJ hasn't stepped up to put a stop to all growing/processing/exporting until the radiation flow has stopped and been mapped and mitigated with bans for appropriate areas. It's ridiculous that they don't have a lid on this now. Tepco and it's subsidiaries should be compensating all growers and providing subsidies to stop harvesting, selling and exporting. I sincerely hope we have better sense when the time comes here in the US. I would love to see the eND of nukes long before that day!
by LM 7/29/2011 3:12:09 AM

Every summer here we have a summer intensive class on Hiroshima & Peace with students coming from up to 20 countries. I'm off now to lead a discussion with the students on Fukushima. I'll report back later tonight when I get home.
by bo 7/29/2011 3:13:15 AM

www.msnbc.msn.com updated 7/10/2008 VALUE of a human life. The "value of a statistical life" is $6.9 million in today's dollars, the Environmental Protection Agency reckoned in May — a drop of nearly $1 million from just five years ago. ($7.8 million per person.) I wonder what it is now.
by Cat 7/29/2011 3:13:25 AM

@Bo, I hope it is informative for all!
by Lurking 7/29/2011 3:13:54 AM

The Public Policy Institute of California yesterday released the results of a broad poll on the attitudes of Californians concerning various environmental issues. Among the findings:

Nuclear power has, unsurprisingly, fallen out of favor in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan and resulting crisis. 65% of state residents now oppose any new nuclear plants being constructed. Only 30% said they supported the expansion of nuclear power, down from 44% in July 2010.

www.sandiegoreader.com
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 3:14:21 AM

@Bo That sounds wonderful! Open up those young minds!
by LM 7/29/2011 3:18:00 AM

@LM I am baffled by their whole approach. They are apparently not intending to take their "Brand"s continued viability seriously by allowing market after market to start testing positive for radiation before the GoJ acts, thus assuring the worldwide consuming public that NO Japanese product is safe.
by RadioGuy 7/29/2011 3:18:05 AM

TVA reactor project an epic failure www.tennessean.com
by lillymunster 7/29/2011 3:18:17 AM

Well, all of those students had to make decisions to come here even though the disaster happened, so they have all been thinking about it.
by bo 7/29/2011 3:19:00 AM

@Lilly As a Californian...you made my evening. Perhaps there's hope!
by LM 7/29/2011 3:21:36 AM

@LM Yes... and imagine if Fukushima had been allowed to gain any traction at all.
by RadioGuy 7/29/2011 3:23:21 AM

A modern fractured fairy tale: "The Fuku-up who refused to cry 'wolf'".... Once upon a time, a grown man named Tepco was tasked with guarding some sheep. He assured all the villagers that he had done a thourough inspection of the meadow, and a full analysis of the safety of the sheep, and that there was no wolf threat. "Everything is good, fine- safe safe safe!" he cried on May 22. But alas, a wolf crept in and drooled poison on some sheep. Again he did a partial check on June 15. He told the village elders all was well now. He had maybe forgotten to put on his glasses, but he wouldn't forget again. Alas, yet again some sheep were injured and the meadow fouled with blood. So he cleaned up what blood he could, and on July 13 he reported that all was well- safe safe safe! When it happened again, he 'reevaluated' his protection plan for the sheep. "So sorry, truly regret", he explained, " I didn't realize my glasses were broken."
by M.I.A. 7/29/2011 3:25:15 AM

@RadioGuy You are so right. It would have served as a serious challenge to the nuclear lobby here. We might have even had some say. The world needs to be screaming. I am so frustrated!
by LM 7/29/2011 3:26:14 AM

@Bo It also gladdens my heart that the younger generation would seek out a conference on Hiroshima and peace. Maybe someday we'll get it right..
by LM 7/29/2011 3:28:20 AM