Pumps at Fukushima plant halted, toxic water leaking into ocean - TEPCO

[chervilant]

Source: RT

All the eight water transfer pumps at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power station have been shut down due to a power outage, leading to a leak of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, the plant’s operator said.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) REPORTED a power outage on Tuesday, according to Kyodo news agency. It follows the line of the toxic leaks that were reported in February, when at one point around 100 tons of highly radioactive water leaked from one the plant’s tanks.

The February report prompted TEPCO to launch a pumping process at the site; this began just last Friday. The pumps were CONFIRMED to be working Monday afternoon, but at 8:45am on Tuesday they were found stopped.

The incident and the amount of water already leaked are being CHECKED, according to the company. The pumps are used to transfer tainted water from a drainage channel to a channel that leads to an artificial bay in front of the station, enclosed by a fence.



Read more: http://rt.com/news/251637-fukushima-plant-toxic-water/

---

This report coincides with a report of an emergency shutdown of West Coast Fisheries, citing a catastrophic decline of 91% in sardine populations.

Sardines, like honey bees, don’t seem important to the casual observer. But just like honey bees, which are experiencing their own colony collapse, they are critical to the propagation of the global food chain. The immediate effects can be seen on the creatures next in line...

[AuntPatsy]

1. Not enough people are taking this seriously, I am afraid it's too late..

[chervilant]

2. That is entirely too true.

I wonder how much damage to the oceans has already occurred, and isn't being reported? I thought oceanographers would be all over this important catastrophe, but where are the articles detailing research on the impact of Fukushima?

***crickets***

[AuntPatsy]

6. I find that strange to.... there are a lot of editorials though on strange events in the Pacific...

[cstanleytech]

22. We havent even explored most of the oceans depths and you are surprised that there isnt an

a report with detailed research on the impact, really???

[chervilant]

30. Why am I not surprised?

Research regarding the Fukushima disaster -- "detailed" or not -- is highly advisable.

[cstanleytech]

37. Agreed but good research takes time from a reputable sources and until its completed

such sources will probably not release much if anything.

[chervilant]

51. "too"

"...way too much BS..."

And, yes, that's it exactly.

[wordpix]

38. NOAA should be on it but cutting taxes on the rich

leaves these agencies in dire straits, not to mention oceanographers working for non-profits - the $$$ just not there.

[chervilant]

46. Yes, that's become our species' raison d'etre:

MONEY! As though our material "worth" is what defines us! As though, at the ends of our lives, how much we're worth determines how much we mean!

And, I have noted that too few individuals on this planet recognize the damages of both Chernobyl and Fukushima. Indeed, far too many of our younglings have no idea whatsoever what is "Chernobyl"!

[think]

3. Fukushima needs to be taken more seriously by world leaders so the global impact might be mitigated

To brazenly dismiss concerns and state that Tepco has it under control is fool hardy and patently wrong....

Alternate source:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/04/21/national/outage-hits-pumps-fukushima-plant-toxic-water-leaks-ocean/#.VTeuLiFViko

[phantom power]

4. Sardine collapse is from overfishing. And warming of the oceans.

It has nothing to do with anything happening at Fukushima.

[chervilant]

32. Please reread,

and please see my response herein below.

[bananas]

5. The Second Law of Ecology: There is no "away" to which things can be thrown. nt

[JayhawkSD]

7. The sardine shortgage is reported IN SEAL FEEDING GROUNDS

No one knows total sardine population. They may, and probably have, merely have moved to colder water.

The waters inshore where seals are feeding is unusually warm, likely connected to global warming but not proven, and sardines do not like warmer water. It is entirely possible that they have merely moved to colder water. It's a big ocean. To connect a fish population off the Californai coast to an event thousands of miles away without direct evidence is sloppy reporting.

[jtuck004]

15. China second largest source of Great Lakes mercury pollution

http://greatlakesecho.org/2012/06/07/china-second-largest-source-of-great-lakes-mercury-pollution/


From your post - "To connect a fish population off the Californai coast to an event thousands of miles away without direct evidence is sloppy reporting."

Or maybe not...

[NuclearDem]

16. If you don't understand the difference between the two scenarios

Then you don't really have any business discussing this.

[Octafish]

72. Undemocratic.

When the facts aren't on your side, attack the messenger.

If that doesn't work, tell him or her to shut up.

Sounds so powerful, bullying.

[NuclearDem]

74. Science isn't a democracy.

An JAQing off is not hypothesizing.

[AtheistCrusader]

20. "without direct evidence"

You missed that little qualifier, I think.

[jtuck004]

33. That's what was asked from Ignaz Semmelweis. They killed a lot of people by ignoring what was in

front of their faces, to lean on the science of the day.

They were wrong to wait then, too. Got a lot of innocent people killed.

So I don't waste my time too much with demands that, well, waste my time.

[AtheistCrusader]

34. And don't waste our time with hyperbolic alarmist fears that are manufactured out of nothing.

[chervilant]

31. If you'll reread my post,

I observed that the report about the significant decrease in sardine population coincided with the report on Fukushima. I didn't suggest or overtly state causality. I am primarily concerned with the "health" of our oceans, which appear to be suffering from our species' hubris in several ways, two of which I mentioned in my OP -- strictly because I found the reports back to back.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. Coincides my ass.

Story broke April 13, 2015

http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/04/13/west-coast-sardine-collapse-leads-to-fishing-closure

Predicted March 16, 2015
http://www.opb.org/news/blog/ecotrope/is-the-northwest-sardine-fishery-headed-for-collapse/

There are a variety of factors in play, and have not a damn thing to do with Fukushima Dai-Ichi, let alone this morning's pump failure.

Your usage of 'coincides' is more than a little tortured.

[NuclearDem]

9. Well, at least it's not sea stars this time.

Now it's time-traveling pump failures.

[AtheistCrusader]

11. Radiation! Is there anything it can't do!

[jalan48]

10. We should be testing the water all along the West Coast.

Fukushima truly is an example of corporate rule.

[AtheistCrusader]

12. Couple hundred bucks, the testing equipment is available to you. Also, it IS tested.

By the government, by universities, you name it.

[jalan48]

13. Given the magnatude of the disaster it's interesting that NO FEDERAL AGENCY

currently samples Pacific Coast seawater for radiation. Washington doesn't test. Oregon tests quarterly and California tests the water around it's own plants. The real question is why wasn't there an immediate testing process set up by our own government? Why wouldn't we want to know?

[AtheistCrusader]

17. Is the EPA a federal agency? I think it is.

What is EPA doing about tracking radiation in our environment from Fukushima?


EPA’s RadNet system continuously monitors radiation levels in the air throughout the U.S., 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. RadNet sample analyses and monitoring results of precipitation, drinking water, and milk provide baseline data on background levels of radiation in the environment and can detect increased radiation from radiological incidents. RadNet has not found any radioactive elements associated with the damaged Japanese reactors since late 2011, and even then, the levels found were very low—always well below any level of public health concern. You can see near real-time air monitoring results and download sample analysis results at: www.epa.gov/radnet.

We work with other federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to carefully follow the situation at Fukushima.

The National Academies of Science (NAS) has published a research report about seafood safety and radiation released from Fukushima. The report, "Evaluation of Radiation Doses And Associated Risk From The Fukushima Nuclear Accident To Marine Biota And Human Consumers of Seafood," can be viewed at: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/05/30/1221834110.full.pdf

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the agency responsible for monitoring food safety. You can find information about their import alerts and other measures related to the Fukushima incident on their website at: http://www.fda.gov/newsevents/publichealthfocus/ucm247403.htm.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution answers frequently asked questions about the impact of radiation from Fukushima on seafood safety and the state of fisheries along the western coast of the United States on its website. You can view this information at: http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=83397&tid=3622&cid=94989

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the federal agency tasked with screening imported products for harmful substances. You can find information about CBP screening of cargo for radiation at the Agency's Cargo Examinations page. You can reach CBP staff by phone at 877-227-5511.

There's nothing to test for really, off the coast of the western united states. The recent leaks of contaminated water are orders of magnitude lower than what the facility was belching out in mid-2011.

This is basically alarmist time-wasting.

[jalan48]

23. A recent quote from Ken Buesseler, mentioned above in the Woods Hole link..

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/09/scientists-test-west-coast-for-fukushima-radiation/6213849/

But Buesseler and other scientists are calling for more monitoring. No federal agency currently samples Pacific Coast seawater for radiation, he said.

"I'm not trying to be alarmist," Buesseler said. "We can make predictions, we can do models. But unless you have results, how will we know it's safe?"

And this from ENENEWS on Radnet-
http://enenews.com/tv-at-height-of-fukushima-emergency-in-the-very-spot-in-california-where-the-radioactive-plume-was-forecast-to-hit-had-no-working-monitors-foia-email-shows-epa-decided-not-to-deploy-radnet-to

Jan. 9, 2014 "when the plume was supposed to hit, there were no functioning RADnet monitors on the Central Coast. Hirsch said the EPA was going to deploy portable monitors. But look at the posted email from the EPA to air quality districts that were to monitor the portables. This was obtained with a Freedom of Information Act request by [University of California Santa Cruz lecturer Dan Hirsch]. [...] “EPA HQ has decided at this time to not deploy the deployable RADNET monitors to CA, OR and WA.” So at the height of the emergency the central coast, the very spot where the radioactive plume was supposed to hit the EPA had no working monitors for the air quality in Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara counties. Why? - we really have no clue how much radiation was in the air on the central coast in the days and weeks after the Fukashima [sic] accident. Hirsch said we do know from a monitor in Bakersfield, before it broke in mid-march, that radioactive air quality was spiking. I’ve made a call to the EPA for comment on this they’ve yet to respond. Hirsch can only speculate that the EPA was worried about public hysteria over this and chose to now [not?] deploy the monitors".

[AtheistCrusader]

25. The food fish we pull out of that ocean will bio-accumulate cesium and other isotopes.

The FDA, as I linked above, is monitoring those factors.

Moreover, the species in question is well documented to suffer boom/bust population cycles due to very explainable forces, like the decadal oscillation of the ocean, and human fishing activity. This may also be related to rising CO2 dissolving into the ocean. Or it can be many factors working in concert.

What isn't shown, is a link of ANY sort between this on our coast, and fukushima on the other damn side of the biggest ocean on the planet.

[NickB79]

26. Japanese reactor radiation detected off B.C. coast

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/apr/8/japanese-reactor-radiation-detected-off-bc-coast/

“The levels we are seeing are so low that we don’t expect there to be impacts on the health of either the marine environment or people living along the coast,” Cullen said.

“We’re more than a thousand-fold below even the drinking water standard in the coastal waters being sampled at this point. Those levels are much, much, much lower than what’s allowable in our drinking water.”

Cullen said in a statement that if a person swam for six hours each day in water with Cesium levels twice as high as those found in Ucluelet, they’d receive a radiation dose that is more than 1,000 times less than that of a single dental X-ray.

So, there is monitoring being done by universities, at least. And they're finding what Ken Buesseler predicted they'd find:

http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=83397&tid=3622&cid=94989

Levels of any Fukushima contaminants in the ocean will be many thousands of times lower after they mix across the Pacific and arrive on the West Coast of North America in 2014. This is not to say that we should not be concerned about additional sources of radioactivity in the ocean above the natural sources, but at the levels expected even short distances from Japan, the Pacific will be safe for boating, swimming, etc.

[wordpix]

39. pls. provide links to the results of all these tests

thank you

[AtheistCrusader]

40. Please bother to look two posts downthread.

[EEO]

14. I have two friends who are very smart and have scientific backgrounds.

They support nuclear power, and I have always taken the opposite position.

The risk of a meltdown and what the hell to do with all the waste produced by nuclear energy are two of my primary reasons for not supporting nuclear power and being a strong proponent for renewables.

[AtheistCrusader]

18. I think nuclear power is fantastic BUT

I recognize the realities of a profit-driven power economy, and the safety cuts that get made by corporations, and I find this an unacceptable model for an otherwise fairly safe and clean power source. (Certainly compared to Coal)

Clearly TEPCO and the Japanese Government worked together to produce the unsafe conditions that led to this disaster. Fukushima dai-ichi didn't even have the inundation-proof generator housings that our own SONGS reactor had, and we have taken even THAT reactor offline forever, due to safety concerns. Among the other problems at Fukushima, their backup generators were flooded. That was a simple cost-cutting decision that took an enormous margin of safety off the table for that facility.

So, while I generally trust nuclear power as a concept, and prefer it to other non-renewables, I no longer trust corporations to responsibly implement it, nor governments to honestly exercise oversight over those corporations.

So, net-net, I no longer support nuclear power over renewables, even given the massive baseload capacity advantage of centralized nuclear-fired thermal power generation.

[raouldukelives]

19. + 1 That really is the only answer a reasonable person could arrive at.

The proof as they say, is in the pudding.

[wordpix]

41. so you've finally seen the light, and you didn't even mention the waste prob

Since you "trust nuclear power as a concept," I trust you're aware that no one wants the waste on their roads, near their water sources, in their backyards or in Yucca Mt. So it's still sitting in pools of water next to the reactors, as it has for 4 decades now.

This industry is not safe and the fact that the waste problem was not worked out before the first reactor was built is just the tip of the iceberg of a myriad of problems. I see no reason to trust nuke power as a concept or a reality. It's just bad business all around.

Speaking of trust, trust me when I say that Fuku will not be the end of this lack of safety-type disaster. The fact that radioactive fuel rods are "temporarily" sitting in pools of water all over the country at the edge of large cities for 40 years is not exactly soothing my fears that something big could and likely will happen at one or more of those sites.

[AtheistCrusader]

42. What you call waste, is the next generation of reactor's fuel.

It's not actually waste.

In a few years, it'll be economically viable to start mining closed city dumps, rather than strip-mining land.

Everything old is new again.

[wordpix]

44. my my, you are such an optimist

Everything will work out fine, and terrorists/arms dealers aren't interested in obtaining it, right?

[AtheistCrusader]

45. Oh, I'm sure they're interested.

[chervilant]

47. I have been anti-nuke since I was seventeen,

for those two primary reasons you've listed, as well as the awareness of the likely increase in cancers from long term exposures to various radioactive wastes.

For such an "intelligent species," we humans sure are dumb.

[project_bluebook]

21. Arthur Robinson, who was the Chairman of the Oregon Republican Party

thinks this is a good thing,

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2012/9/19/10425/9294

[blackspade]

24. But, according to some this is all under control....

Or not so bad, or something....

What a fucking disaster.
The fact that the Pacific nations haven't stepped in to fix a problem that affects them all is stunning.

[wordpix]

43. make nuke safety part of the TPP

Let's fast track getting some international safety measures.

[Jamastiene]

57. Japan used to have something called Atomic Chicken.

They would take a chicken leg and push all the meat up high on it to make it resemble a mushroom cloud and they sold it as atomic chicken. I get the feeling they figure, well, we made it through that, let's find a way to laugh at it and let it go.

It's messed up. I know, but I was surprised when I heard they actually had food they called atomic chicken, and they made it look like a mushroom cloud, as a joke, but they really sold it.

I hate the ones who come into these threads and claim all is A-ok and claim that those of us who are wary of, oh, I don't know, fucking nuclear radiation and what it can do, are alarmists.

I don't know why I spent my childhood in the hallway with my hands on the back of my head with my head between my knees for all those damn drills for. If the Soviets had nuked us, it would have been like unicorns farting rainbows and cotton candy. Those alarmists making kids hunker down in case of a nuclear attack were so wrong. Stuff it totally safe, always. It could never hurt anyone. All those stupid Cold War drills. Pfft. Child's play.

[blackspade]

58. Pretty crazy.

[chervilant]

62. I remember those drills.

I remember thinking it was the height of stupidity to line the inner halls of schools with children on their knees, with their heads touching the floors and their arms wrapped over their heads--that's how they'd find us after all the walls collapsed and the radioactive dust settled.

As an adult, I realize this was just another way to keep the Hoi Polloi fearful, and to promote the meme that our much vaunted "scientists" had developed protocols to protect our children from nuclear disasters.

[chervilant]

75. Stunning, yes.

But, then, we have to consider willful ignorance, and the fear that keeps people mired in denial.

[jalan48]

27. The lifespan of a nuclear reactor is estimated to be 30-100 years. However,

Last edited Wed Apr 22, 2015, 08:14 PM - Edit history (1)

the radioactive waste can be hazardous for over 100,000 years. The written history of humans is about 5,000 years. It's a bit arrogant to make assumptions about a power supply system who's waste is toxic for that amount of time wouldn't you say? Especially if you consider the short amount of time it actually produces power.

[chervilant]

48. Good post, jalan48

I suspect that most humans cannot conceptualize the length of time required to render radioactive waste "harmless." I've long been an anti-nuke activist, and I've yet to meet a pro-nuke person who can explain to me how to "dispose of" nuclear waste.

[jalan48]

54. TY-I was surprised by the number of seemingly pro-nuke folks on here, especailly on Earth Day.

[chervilant]

56. The pro-nukes have either gotten quieter,

or my IL is working sublimely...

[jalan48]

59. Keep up your good work! Nuclear power is an albatross around our necks!

[JudyM]

28. So are the best minds actually looking at getting this under control?! nt

[valerief]

29. Sure, just like all the best minds are cleaning up the massive oil spills.

[Zorra]

35. I fear that the best minds are getting paid to sweep it under the rug. nt

[chervilant]

49. If you're of an age,

similar to mine, you will have no doubt noticed that we have far too few "intellectuals" on this planet, and far too many "scientists" willing to sell their souls for a wee bit of filthy lucre.

[JudyM]

69. There used to be a thing called scientific rigor, right? nt

[The Stranger]

36. Instead of Iran or North Korea, can the U.S. bomb TEPCO?

There is just no end to this.

They are killing us all.

[chervilant]

50. One of the most poignant news reports I've read on

radiation poisoning was published in Omni in 1980. Apparently, the US government encouraged denizens proximal to nuclear test sites to "enjoy" the mushroom clouds while sitting on the hoods of their cars, having breakfast. This went awry when the winds shifted during one test, and showered the inhabitants of a nearby small town with cancer-causing doses of radiation.

We have been lied to for so very long...

[cilla4progress]

52. Happy Earth Day.

nt

[ffr]

53. Good news! Honeybee CCD is abating!

No really, it's posted all over the Interwebs today. Same story written by Seth Borenstein, end of third paragraph:

Bees of all kinds—crucial to pollinating plants, including major agricultural crops—have been in decline for several reasons. Pesticide problems are just one of many problems facing pollinators; this is separate from colony collapse disorder, which devastated honeybee populations in recent years but is now abating, experts said.

AP story

...unfortunately, there are no links or indications of who the "experts" are or the evidence to support that CCD is abating. Well done, Seth Borenstein!

[chervilant]

55. I guess the Monarch Butterflies are rebounding, as well!

I just don't understand how "responsible journalists" live with themselves after they sacrifice their integrity for money...

[Zorra]

60. Colonies of pterodactyls are flourishing throughout the topical rain forests of Outer Mongolia.

Scienceologists attribute thegrowth in the pterodactyl population to increased fracking and the expansion of passenger pigeon numbers that have been migrating south from the upper Siberian archipelago. It is a well known fact that the staples of the diet of passenger pigeons are honeybees and monarch butterflies, and experts say that the expansion in numbers of passenger pigeons is responsible for the decline in numbers of the bees and butterflies.

Experts from the exploratory research company Dewey, Cheatum, and How cite these facts as definite proof that pesticides and herbicides are not harming ecosystems in the slightest.

[chervilant]

63. Oh, boy!

I hope they publish some pictures of that!!!

[ffr]

65. Now that, I could believe!

The article I read, said that it's dumb luck on the part of the passenger pigeons. According to experts, if it weren't for the Siberian fires, the birds wouldn't have migrated from the upper Siberian archipelago in the first place and honeybee and monarch numbers wouldn't be in decline. But thankfully, due to CCD abating in recent years, it all evens out.

[ffr]

64. The Monarchs too!?

I'd think that with a claim for either, that it would be a huge story in and of itself. Instead covered as just a matter of fact shrug; CCD has abated in recent years.

SAYS WHO, Seth!!!

[chervilant]

66. We're seeing a growing number of species

suffer the consequences of our species' hedonism. I am not surprised that some among us strive hard to avoid the cognitive dissonance commensurate with acknowledging the truth.

[ffr]

67. You're hurting my brain with your truth

It feels so much better just to pretend there isn't a problem.

[chervilant]

68. Yes, it is to laugh...

(Otherwise, I'd be crying all the time.)

[FiningFine]

61. Re:. Pumps at Fukushima plant halted, toxic water leaking into ocean - TEPCO

That amount of radio active water disposal in pacific ocean may not display any changes now but in the near future they will surely be effecting marine lives an fisheries business near the coast line.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

70. How much radiation has been going into the ocean?

Where are the data?

[chervilant]

71. The dearth of research or any kind of inquiry

is by design. You might want to do a search yourself, but you're unlikely to find anything substantial. I just found an editorial by Jacqueline Marcus that you might find interesting.

[Octafish]

73. Ocean water off La Jolla coast being monitored (and not) for Fukushima radiation

By Pat Sherman
La Jolla Light, Feb. 4, 2014

EXCERPT...

In 2011 Thiemens and a crew of UCSD atmospheric chemists reported the first quantitative measurement of the amount of radiation leaked from the damaged nuclear reactor in Fukushima, following the devastating earthquake and tsunami there.

Their estimate was based on radioactive sulfur that wafted across the Pacific Ocean after operators of the damaged reactor had to cool overheated fuel with seawater — causing a chemical reaction between byproducts of nuclear fission and chlorine ions in the saltwater.

Thiemens has, for the past several years, unsuccessfully sought to obtain grant funding to follow-up his research, first reported on Aug. 15 2011 in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

However, he said neither the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board or National Academy of Sciences (of which he is a member) were interested in funding additional research to measure the Fukushima fallout.

“It’s probably one of these things that just fell through the cracks,” Thiemens said. “It doesn’t quite fall under classical (research criteria).”

CONTINUED...

http://www.lajollalight.com/2014/02/04/ocean-water-off-la-jolla-coast-being-monitored-for-fukushima-radiation/

While that's a "nice" way of looking at things, I too wonder what they do consider legitimate research when a respected scientist and a dean at a major research university can't get funding to investigate radiation from Fukushima.