Japan Earthquake

Japan Earthquake | Page 2802

The entire fuel debris removal plan is dependent on the fuel being inside the containment vessels. There is no stated plan what to do if the fuel is not inside the containment bulb.
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 2:54:28 PM

Four dogs from Fukushima to become therapy dogs. news.in.msn.com **the article incorrectly mentions the environment ministry and prefecture are caring for the abandoned dogs. This is not correct. A small number of found dog are being housed at municipal animal shelters. The bulk of the found and rescued animals are being cared for by private not for profit rescues and shelters. They are shouldering the bulk of the work and costs for caring for all the animals lost in the chaos, not the government. The government shelters have also not stopped their euthanasia policy so dogs not claimed by a certain period of time are being killed.
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 2:59:33 PM

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Plan Released nuclearstreet.com (includes links to PDF)
by Mid Valley 12/21/2011 3:29:09 PM

Majj posted this excellent article earlier about the seal deaths in the north Pacific. The details there make me wonder if exposure to radiation and toxic substances from the reactors could have been a factor that caused an existing problem to spiral out of control. On top of the lesions it seems like their immune systems are being destroyed, then they have hepatic complications and septicemia sets in on top of them finding the same lesions inside the seals.
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 3:32:45 PM

What all is in the toxic stew at the plant that was dumped into the sea? Due to the meltdowns there are all the known radioactive substances. What else is in that? Metals, other toxins? I know hydrazine was injected many times and during the time period they were letting it all run into the sea. What else would be in that mess?
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 3:37:39 PM

@lillymunster , borate!
by Peter 12/21/2011 4:00:32 PM

@Peter true. Hmm wonder what borate does to sea mammals? I know someone mentioned radioactive cobalt would be in the water, what about other toxic metals?
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 4:01:33 PM

Boron and hydrazine were injected in considerable amounts, anything else injected in with the water feed?
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 4:02:37 PM

Borate is an acid. Lowering the pH in the vicinity of the plant can't be healthy for sealife.
by Peter 12/21/2011 4:03:26 PM

@Peter i wonder if concentrations of acidic water could be enough of a stress to at least weaken defenses?
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 4:19:10 PM

seal migration patterns www.beaufortseals.com
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 4:27:29 PM

@lillymunster its also possible the seal deaths are caused by high levels of industrial contaminants (PCBs, pesticides, mercury, etc) in the arctic environment and maybe also climate change.
by RonD 12/21/2011 4:34:11 PM

@RonD correct, they are also looking at those as causes. They are really frustrated with lack of answers.
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 4:36:33 PM

@lillymunster , that effect has been demonstrated in fresh water lake fish and conifers of Scandinavia as a consequence of acid rain. Lowering the pH weakens the immune system, if I recall correctly.
by Peter 12/21/2011 4:40:38 PM

If anyone is near Lexington KY one of the veterinarians in Japan that has been battling the government to humanely handle the animal problem in the evac zone will be speaking in Lexington polytopes.net
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 4:45:42 PM

@Peter that would be a potential then, that the boron if in concentrations could have a hand in the immune problems that seem to be part of the seal die off. The pathologist thinks the issue is multiple problems, diseases or environmental events.
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 4:47:32 PM

Updated: Wednesday, 21 December, 2011 at 04:11 UTC
Description
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared a recent rash of seal deaths to be an "unusual mortality event" on Tuesday. More than 60 seals have died and 75 found diseased in Alaska with skin sores and patchy hair loss. The Fish and Wildlife Service has also identified diseased and dead walruses. A similar official declaration for Pacific Walrus in Alaska is pending. The walruses have suffered from similar symptoms, which have also included labored breathing and appearing lethargic. Scientists have yet to identify a cause for this disease, but tests have indicated that it is not a virus. Hunters, meanwhile, continue to see many healthy animals. Despite a significant contact with seals and walruses, no humans have reported similar symptoms. However, it is not known whether the disease can be transmitted to humans or other animals. In most cases, necropsies and lab tests have revealed skin lesions, fluid in the lungs, white spots on the liver, and abnormal growths in the brain. Some of the seals and walruses have undersized lymph nodes, possibly a sign of weakened immuned systems. In Canada and Russia, ringed seals have been reported suffering similar symptoms. It is unknown whether they are related. hisz.rsoe.hu
by MaryW 12/21/2011 4:56:10 PM

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Biological Hazard in MultiCountries on Thursday, 13 October, 2011 at 04:59 (04:59 AM) UTC.

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hisz.rsoe.hu
by MaryW 12/21/2011 4:58:40 PM

Photos not posting :( Link to site to view
by MaryW 12/21/2011 4:59:19 PM

JAPANESE WHALERS FIND RADIOACTIVE WHALES. June 15. 2011 news.discovery.com
by MaryW 12/21/2011 5:10:46 PM

@MaryW yikes radioactive whales, this is the second find...
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 5:20:46 PM

They have a 6,000 ton stockpile of whale meat because people are not eating it. WHY are they still doing this...
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 5:23:47 PM

@lillymunster You know I had forgotten about this whale news, due to overload of information. :)
by MaryW 12/21/2011 5:23:49 PM

@MaryW that happens. Some days there is just so much.
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 5:25:02 PM

@MaryW This is the June incident. I thought there was a second. I wonder if they will test the other catches they are currently doing?
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 5:25:45 PM

@lillymunster After seeing the photos of the seals, I feel so bad for for the little buggers :(
by MaryW 12/21/2011 5:26:18 PM

This is interesting information: Pilot investigation of food products contamination by caesium-137 in selected areas of Ukraine affected by the Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986. April 2011. www.greenpeace.org
by MaryW 12/21/2011 5:29:48 PM

(Dec 6th) News Release : Researchers Assess Radioactivity Released to the Ocean from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Facility. December 06.2011. '...a new study by U.S. and Japanese researchers analyzes the levels of radioactivity discharged from the facility in the first four months after the accident and draws some basic conclusions about the history of contaminant releases to the ocean. '...The release of radioactivity from Fukushima—both as atmospheric fallout and direct discharges to the ocean—represent the largest accidental release of radiation to the ocean in history.' Read More: www.whoi.edu
by MaryW 12/21/2011 5:36:44 PM

230 Tons O Radioactive Waste Found In Tunnel Underneath Fukushima Nuclear Plant!! On the News With Thom Hartmann: Tons of Radioactive Waste Found Underneath Fukushima, and More
Wednesday 21 December 2011
by: Thom Hartmann, The Thom Hartmann Program | News Report
More trouble at Fukushima. Nuclear safety experts are accusing the Japanese government of lying after 230 tons of radioactive waste was found in a tunnel underneath the crippled nuclear plant – just a few days after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko said the crisis is over. That, combined with news that Unit 4 at the plant is on the verge of collapsing, suggests that the Japanese government is still misleading the world on just how severe the Fukushima crisis still is. *the report on Fukushima begins 3:04 minutes into the VIDEO. www.truth-out.org
by MaryW 12/21/2011 5:52:19 PM

'History repeats itself', and somethings we can learn valuable information from studying the past. April 28, 1986: Chernobyl Disaster. VIDEO abcnews.go.com
by MaryW 12/21/2011 6:22:27 PM

For your perusal and analysis: Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), through a combination of time-lapse live imaging and mathematical modeling of a special line of human breast cells, have found evidence to suggest that for low dose levels of ionizing radiation, cancer risks may not be directly proportional to dose. This contradicts the standard model for predicting biological damage from ionizing radiation -- the linear-no-threshold hypothesis or LNT -- which holds that risk is directly proportional to dose at all levels of irradiation. www.sciencedaily.com
by M.I.A. 12/21/2011 7:09:58 PM

@M.I.A. ???
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 7:13:53 PM

How cool! I didn't know anyone was doing research like that. My question is what happens if that same low dose is done over a long period of time. If the cells have to do that one at a time repair over and over again will it start getting it wrong? It sounds like that is there next research project?
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 7:21:11 PM

And they used epithelial cells and not fibroblasts. And they say that the dna repair was 'better' than at high doses- but that isn't exactly 'best' or normal. And you're correct about long term exposure, because they are assuming (I think) that there won't be multiple breaks in the double strands. But, I'm a non-scientist, so I'm not sure of my critique...
by M.I.A. 12/21/2011 7:24:54 PM

@lillymunster At least there's more research going on!
by M.I.A. 12/21/2011 7:25:22 PM

Mina Bissell of Berkeley's life sciences division said today: "Our data show that at lower doses of ionizing radiation, DNA repair mechanisms work much better than at higher doses." Sylvain Costes, who led the study, said that multiple repairs could be taking place simultaneously in the repair centres, leading to more errors in the repaired DNA. He said that at low levels of radiation, such as the natural levels humans experienced throughout evolution, it was "unlikely" that any cell would have to repair more than one double strand break at once.
AND: Gerry Thomas, professor of molecular pathology at Imperial College London, told World Nuclear News that while the new theory "makes very good sense," she would "urge a little caution as this is an in vitro model, and may not be completely representative of tissue response in vivo."

Nevertheless, said Thomas, "This is very interesting and would probably fit with the findings we have post Chernobyl where most of the exposure to the population was low dose. It may also explain why relatively few patients treated with radiation for cancer go on to get second tumours. In radiotherapy you target the high dose to the tumour, but inevitably the surrounding tissue receives some radiation, but at a much lower dose."

But that lower dose in therapy is intermittent (each session is spaced apart) rather than continuous, and still some people develop secondary cancers.
by M.I.A. 12/21/2011 7:32:14 PM

Sorry, link: www.world-nuclear-news.org
by M.I.A. 12/21/2011 7:32:37 PM

Plus, they are talking background ('natural') levels. And 'natural' sources of radiation, not nuclear isotopes...
by M.I.A. 12/21/2011 7:35:15 PM

I would love to know more about these studies. They seem to be getting into those details that are missing and where we keep trying to find an answer on exposures.

by lillymunster 12/21/2011 7:37:44 PM

@lillymunster I went to the national academy for the sciences sites and searched but was unable to locate the study :(
by M.I.A. 12/21/2011 7:49:22 PM

@M.I.A., that study is on cell cultures. Research on real people finds that lower doses are in fact associated with increased chromosomal damage, and at a higher rate per unit of radiation www.youtube.com .
by Ian 12/21/2011 8:07:39 PM

@Ian You might find this interesting. I know you've been doing alot of research on this. Maybe you can track down the meeting minutes, or report, etc. Study on Cancer Risks Near Nuclear Power Facilities – Meeting Oct. 20

A National Academy of Sciences study examining the potential cancer risk for populations living near nuclear power facilities across the United States will hold a meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20, in Washington, D.C. The meeting will gather information for Phase 1 of a two-phase NAS study. Phase 1, which is currently under way, will identify methods and approaches for how to design and conduct a study of cancer risk in populations around U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission-licensed nuclear power plants and other facilities. Its findings will inform the risk assessment to be completed in Phase 2.
www8.nationalacademies.org
by M.I.A. 12/21/2011 8:25:49 PM

The researchers were very careful to point out the limits of this study and that it doesn't directly apply to other situations. The scope of the work is very interesting. This kind of research may lead to better understanding than the reconstruction of previous doses type have. Exactly how DNA and repair acts based on what is going on is one of the big gaps in knowledge. If they could eventually do something that close simulates what goes on in the human body during ongoing low level radiation they may be able to find a clue about why some people go on to develop cancer or have other damage and other people don't on top of maybe pin pointing what types of exposures are damaging and to what extent.
by lillymunster 12/21/2011 9:17:24 PM

mb 5.0

Region

EASTERN HONSHU, JAPAN

Date time

2011-12-21 20:10:34.4 UTC

Location

37.38 N ; 140.93 E

Depth

40 km

Distances

37 km N Iwaki (pop 357,309 ; local time 05:10:34.4 2011-12-22)
15 km SW Namie (pop 21,866 ; local time 05:10:34.4 2011-12-22)
by M.I.A. 12/21/2011 9:24:40 PM