Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake | Page 2433

pro nuclear blogger Rod Adams before Fukushima. Is it still valid question of comparing deaths or should we be comparing environmental pollution rather than deaths? More people do die from gas, coal, petroleum, but nothing causes questions of depopulation of of half of japan or area around chernobyl.
by artnuke 9/30/2011 5:44:39 PM

@artnuke we shouldnt be comparing anything, never before have there been three meltdowns spewing radiation for almost 7 months and ongoing.
The bombs were explosive instant events, Chernobyl was explosive instant, evacuated, iodine distributed , TMI was yet another unique event.
Always bear one thing in mind 'one mans nectar is another man's poison' that's my motto , you can't compare different events, you cannot predict the response of individual human beings to radiation . You can only say lets go with the safest option and that didn't happen
by elainekirk 9/30/2011 5:49:22 PM

@artnuke, their energy-death numbers are a lesson in biased manipulation. They invent causes of deaths by calling construction-related deaths -- like falling off a roof while installing solar panels -- "solar-energy deaths." Imagine how dishonest it would be to call the guy who got run over and killed by a bulldozer during the construction of a nuclear plant a "nuclear-energy death"! That would be laughably dishonest, and yet do we see any anti-nukers going that far. No! But pro-nukers? Are you kidding, that's just the tip of the NukeSpeak iceberg!
by Ian 9/30/2011 6:25:14 PM

He's complaining about a very low level of radiation, 10X govt levels is still pretty low. At these standards, you'd have to evacuate all of japan if you include every place that has a sewage or tea leaf problem: Frank Daulton Phd, an american professor teaching near Kyoto Japan reports that high levels of radiation are being found as far away as a Kyoto and beyond. He has been doing his own measuring and says the reason why people who measure themselves are finding higher levels of radiation is because official government readings are coming from atop government buildings 20 to 30 meters off the ground. He also reports that he is sending is family to live outside Japan, and that many others are doing the same. According to his story the "Radiation Evacuees" have already quietly started their exodus. You can read the rest of what he had to say here:
by artnuke 9/30/2011 6:34:08 PM

Just looked at that sievert chart again, and noticed it gave 50 sv in ten minutes next to the chernobyl reactor, which is what the firefighters who died would have got. That works out to 300 sv/hr, which is about what unit 1 drywell is flashing now. Drywell is inside the "light bulb" under the rpv, where those PVC pipes were hung with duct tape and baling wire. You're supposed to be able to walk around down there when its in cold shut down through the big side hatch, but I don't think that will work in this "cold shut down" Anybody got the SV readings when they took a peek at that "elephant's foot" in the chernobyl basement? apr 11 "document from the Operations Center detailing radiatin levels around Fukushima"
p.46
512 sv/hr DW #1 9/30 2011 range 70-512
www.houseoffoust.com
atmc.jp
300 sv/hr =
50 sv ten minutes next to chernobyl reactor core afer explosion
xkcd.com
30 sv/hr in dry wells unit 1, 2
20 sv/hr near drywell 3
by artnuke via Houseoffoust 9/30/2011 6:34:50 PM

@Pedro Jesus, is Unit-1 radiation the data you referred to? Yes, it is erratic, but only for Unit 1 radiation. Unit 2 and 3 smoothly fall. The variation of #1 radiation is so erratic and extreme in its variation it speaks to a malfunctioning sensor. Consistent with a malfunctioning radiation sensor in #1 is that unlike radiation #1 temps only fall. If radiation was spiking and dropping up and down, you might expect that the corium would be softening and hardening and thus warming the region when it softens up and thus we'd see temps also behaving like a bunch of rubber balls bouncing all over the place.
by Ian 9/30/2011 6:36:04 PM

@artnuke, the point of Frank Daulton's measurements is that radiation is 10x background in many locations as far away as Kyoto, but the goverment is under reporting the actual numbers. The gov is not technically not lying as they measure the rad levels from the top of gov't buildings some 20-30 meters above the ground. It's 5 times background at his house where he had soil removed. It shows a trend of data manipulation by the gov't and also that radioactive contamination is very widespread. If this is the norm across Japan, then you effectively need to multiply all gov' readings by ~5. There's an audio interview you can listen to on that page as well.
by tippytoe 9/30/2011 6:39:23 PM

@Dean, Pedro says there's a computer simulation of a China syndrome at Fuku in late March. Can it be pointed to?
by Ian 9/30/2011 6:47:21 PM

@all This one makes me sad...Tevatron Shutdown at Fermilab Today: Audience to Watch Last Run batavia.patch.com
by smoss 9/30/2011 6:58:50 PM

@all Modeling of corium melt cooling during severe accidents at
the nuclear power plants www.wseas.us
by smoss 9/30/2011 7:11:50 PM

@smoss haha i remember how they recently claimed to have found the higgs bosom. it was just deception, to prevent the shutdown ! :)
by Edano 9/30/2011 7:15:00 PM

reminds me of the neutrino train.
by Edano 9/30/2011 7:15:43 PM

back
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 7:16:52 PM

@edano To me, shutting down the Tevatron speaks to the consumer society that the United States has become. We are no longer innovators, problem solvers, or pioneers...perhaps if we were, there would already be solutions implemented to deal with aging NPPs and SFPs that are at over-capacity :-(
by smoss 9/30/2011 7:19:55 PM

www3.nhk.or.jp

Panel finds government manipulation

An independent panel has confirmed government involvement in manipulating public opinion on nuclear power.

The panel was set up after workers at Kyushu Electric Power Company and its affiliates sent e-mails in favor of restarting 2 reactors at its Genkai plant to a meeting of local residents in June.

In its final report on Friday, the panel also confirmed 2 other cases in which government officials urged utility companies to offer opinions in favor of nuclear power.

The 2 meetings were one in 2008 for the Tomari nuclear plant in Hokkaido and the other in 2006 for the Onagawa plant of Tohoku Electric.

It also cited back-scratching arrangements between the utilities and government organizations in charge of energy and nuclear safety issues, adding that they should have drawn a line at this.

Panel leader Takashi Oizumi, a former public prosecutor, said the organizations did not function properly and aroused public distrust in the government's nuclear administration.

Friday, September 30, 2011 21:42 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano via Www3.nhk.or.jp 9/30/2011 7:20:23 PM

@smoss that is true. no mission to mars ?
by Edano 9/30/2011 7:22:04 PM

Panel slams Kyushu Electric's ties with Saga

A panel investigating attempts by Kyushu Electric Power Company to manipulate public opinion on one of the firm's nuclear plants has slammed the utility and a local governor for having dubious relations.

The panel of lawyers and other experts submitted its final report to Kyushu Electric on Friday.

The panel was set up after workers of the utility and its affiliates were found to have sent e-mail in favor of restarting the Genkai plant in Saga to a government-sponsored meeting with local residents in June.

Saga Governor Yasushi Furukawa reportedly told Kyushu Electric executives before the meeting that opinions supporting such a resumption had to be aired.

The report says the governor's instruction had a decisive influence on the emailing.

The panel also looked into a public debate hosted by Saga Prefecture in 2005 on a plan to use plutonium-uranium mixed-oxide, or MOX, fuel at the plant. Kyushu Electric had some of its employees attend the event and present opinions in favor of the project.

The report says Saga Prefecture probably urged Kyushu Electric to take such action.

As preventive measures, the panel has advised the firm to avoid contact with and making political donations to governors or mayors of areas hosting nuclear plants.

The report also holds Kyushu Electric President Toshio Manabe responsible for the problems.

Friday, September 30, 2011 19:44 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano 9/30/2011 7:24:06 PM

i can hardly imagine any good reason for using mox fuel other than company profit. strange.
by Edano 9/30/2011 7:25:59 PM

"yes hello i am a resident next to the nuke plant and i just want to say i am in favor of using mox fuel, because ............ ???"
by Edano 9/30/2011 7:27:12 PM

@all The accident
would be considered terminated when the coolability
(quenching and solidification) of the melt/debris bed
is achieved in the long term. www.wseas.us
by smoss 9/30/2011 7:28:46 PM

www3.nhk.or.jp

Plutonium detected 45 kilometers from nuke plant

Small amounts of plutonium have been detected in samples of soil taken at locations including a spot 45 kilometers away from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. This is the first time that the government has detected plutonium outside the nuclear plant since the accident.

The science ministry announced on Friday that the plutonium was detected in samples taken from 6 locations in the towns of Futaba and Namie, and Iitate Village in Fukushima Prefecture --- all located northwest of the nuclear plant. The radioactive substance is believed to have been released by the nuclear plant after the disaster.

The ministry says the samples taken from a location in Iitate, farthest among the 6, contained 0.82 becquerels per square meter of plutonium-238 and a total of 2.5 becquerels of plutonium-239 and -240.

The ministry had collected soil samples at 100 locations within an 80-kilometer radius of the plant in June and July.

Experts say that if plutonium is inhaled or ingested, it remains in the body for a long time and can cause cancer.

But ministry officials say that possible exposure to the detected plutonium is believed to be very low.

In June, university researchers detected smaller amounts of plutonium in soil outside the plant after they collected samples during filming by NHK.

Friday, September 30, 2011 21:14 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano via Www3.nhk.or.jp 9/30/2011 7:31:00 PM

@Edano just saw the mox comment !!
by elainekirk 9/30/2011 7:35:20 PM

Much info on ocean contamination : green.blogs.nytimes.com
by Ian 9/30/2011 7:41:50 PM

@Edano @elainekirk I am sure the public feedback in favor of mox went something like "MOX is wonderful, will make the crops grow better and is full of puppies and sunshine!:. Sort of like how thorium is going to save the universe from all its ills. :-)
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 7:42:15 PM

Incoming. 3 long letters from NRC on N Anna I got via email:

THE NORTH ANNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has informed Dominion Generation, operator of the
two-reactor North Anna nuclear power plant near Louisa, Va., of actions that must be completed
before the agency will authorize the restart of the plant. The plant shut down safely following the
Aug. 23 earthquake near Louisa.
“We’re reviewing Dominion’s information to ensure North Anna’s systems will be able to
keep the public safe and the plant won’t start up again until we’re satisfied on that point,” said Eric
Leeds, director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. “We’re working diligently on
coming to a technically sound decision.”
The NRC has issued Dominion a Confirmatory Action Letter, which reiterates that since the
Aug. 23 earthquake exceeded design parameters for North Anna, the plant will remain shut down
until Dominion demonstrates “to the Commission that no functional damage occurred to those
features necessary for continued operation without undue risk to the health and safety of the
public.” The letter then lays out the next steps in the restart process, starting with Dominion
submitting documentation responding to all NRC questions regarding restart safety.
“Inspectors from the NRC Region II office and other agency experts will conduct additional
onsite inspections at North Anna to verify that adequate actions have been taken in response to the
Confirmatory Action Letter,” said Victor McCree, administrator of the NRC’s Atlanta office.
The NRC will also complete a safety evaluation regarding restart. The NRC’s directive will
remain in effect until the NRC is satisfied Dominion has demonstrated the plant is safe to operate; at
that point the agency would issue written permission for Dominion to restart the plant. North Anna
Unit 2 is currently in a refueling outage and is shut down for refueling and associated maintenanc
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 7:43:45 PM

Ok, only 1. They had a Bellafonte announcement mis-labeled as N Anna. The other was just an old list of things the NRC wants. Looking for the list of requirements NRC mentions in the letter below
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 7:46:51 PM

@lillymunster you want the anna list ?
by elainekirk 9/30/2011 7:48:35 PM

@elainekirk has it been published?
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 7:54:00 PM

it must be somewhere I hope
by elainekirk 9/30/2011 7:59:41 PM

you remember him, babyface ?

www3.nhk.or.jp

Ex-nuclear spokesman suspended for indecency

The former spokesperson for Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency has been reprimanded for indecent behavior in his workplace.

Hidehiko Nishiyama, an official of the Economy, Trade, and Industry Ministry, which oversees the nuclear agency, held daily media briefings after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March.

The ministry suspended Nishiyama from his duties for one month. It says Nishiyama repeatedly engaged in improper behavior, such as touching a female employee, between late March and June.

The ministry said Nishiyama failed to carry out his duties and undermined public trust in national civil servants.

The ministry replaced Nishiyama as the nuclear agency's spokesman in June after a scandal involving his private life surfaced in a weekly magazine.

Nishiyama was transferred to the ministry secretariat.

Friday, September 30, 2011 20:03 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano via Www3.nhk.or.jp 9/30/2011 8:01:55 PM

mr gaga.
by Edano 9/30/2011 8:03:27 PM

@Edano He just can't behave himself. Wasn't the other incident a teenage girlfriend or something similar?
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 8:04:17 PM

bunga bunga in tokyo ?
by Edano 9/30/2011 8:05:08 PM

@elainekirk Of the N Anna documents their list of must do's before restart is an important one. It will tell us what the NRC deems important. It will also tell us the chances of a restart.
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 8:05:47 PM

@Edano bunga bunga? I must not be up on German slang. :-)
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 8:06:04 PM

@lillymunster this? docs.google.com
by elainekirk 9/30/2011 8:06:42 PM

@lillymunster berlusconi's parties are called bunga bunga. you don't know this ?
by Edano 9/30/2011 8:06:56 PM

@lillymunster en.wikipedia.org
by Edano 9/30/2011 8:07:54 PM

@lillymunster speak lassie is that the doc? ;)
by elainekirk 9/30/2011 8:08:38 PM

@Edano no, I don't keep up on Berlusconi's goings on. :-)
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 8:16:16 PM

Evacuation advisory lifted outside 20km zone

The Japanese government has lifted an evacuation advisory for 5 municipalities outside the 20-kilometer no-entry zone around the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The advisory, issued in the wake of the nuclear accident in March, covers the 5 municipalities, mainly located in a ring between 20 and 30 kilometers from the plant.

Residents in the towns of Hirono and Naraha, Kawauchi Village and the cities of Tamura and Minamisoma had been advised to prepare for evacuation in case of an emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. All the municipalities are in Fukushima Prefecture.

The decision on the move came on Friday in a meeting of the government's nuclear accident task force, attended by all Cabinet ministers.

The task force cited the improved situation at the nuclear plant and fact that the 5 municipalities have drawn up restoration plans to remove radioactive substances from local schools and hospitals and to restore key infrastructure.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said the government is determined to do all it can by leading decontamination efforts in the municipalities. He said it would also help the local governments implement their plans so as to dispel concerns among residents who want to return home.

This is the first time that the central government has revoked an evacuation-related designation.

The other 2 designations, including that of the 20-kilometer no-entry zone, remain in place.

Friday, September 30, 2011 19:39 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano 9/30/2011 8:19:36 PM

@Edano not seen any editorials condemning it have you?
by elainekirk 9/30/2011 8:21:06 PM

@Elaine, I think it is a later or more in depth version of that doc. If they just issued it, it might not be online until Monday.
by lillymunster 9/30/2011 8:21:12 PM

@elainekirk only this:

Local reactions to lifting of advisory

Local residents remain concerned despite the central government's announcement that it will lift an evacuation advisory in Fukushima Prefecture.

Mayor Motohoshi Yamada of Hirono Town, one of the 5 municipalities included in the evacuation advisory, said on Friday the central government appears to be promoting reconstruction plans unilaterally.

He said the central government should first provide local municipalities with guidelines for measuring radiation and carrying out decontamination.

He added that he will request financial assistance from the central government, as it won't be possible to decontaminate the town without state assistance.

A resident of Minamisoma City, which is partly included in the evacuation advisory, said she doesn't feel relieved because the decontamination work has made little progress. The 57-year-old woman said she hopes the city's radiation levels will decline noticeably through the decontamination efforts.

A 61-year-old taxi driver in Minamisoma said business has been bad as many people have left the city. He said he hopes the lifting of the evacuation advisory will encourage residents to return to their homes.

A 36-year-old shop clerk said he doubts that firms will return to the city even after the evacuation advisory is lifted. He said he wants the central government and the operator of the nuclear plant to assume responsibility for decontaminating the city.

Friday, September 30, 2011 15:04 +0900 (JST)
www3.nhk.or.jp
by Edano 9/30/2011 8:22:31 PM

after all, it just concerns the cities that had to prepare evacuation, they did not actually evacuate. another big explosion, which would in fact afford immediate evacuation, is indeed not very likely.
by Edano 9/30/2011 8:26:52 PM