Japan Times: Its now a “grave situation” at Fukushima “Plutonium fission” mentioned for first time

[stockholmer]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20111104a1.html

A report published at 8:30 pm ET by the Japan Times calls on Tepco and the Japan gov’t to “find out true reactor conditions” at Fukushima. Tepco announced Wednesday that, according to the Times, “There is the possibility that criticality, a sustained nuclear chain reaction, had occurred ‘temporarily’ and ‘locally’ in the No. 2 reactor.” During it’s testing, Tepco has detected xenon-133 and -135, “Products of uranium or plutonium fission.”

The half life of xenon-135 is about 9 hours, therefore, “Criticality is very likely to have occurred just before the gases were analyzed,” reports the Times. “Clearly the reactor has not yet been stabilized,” and, according to the Times, “The fact that Tepco cannot deny the possibility of criticality irrespective of its scale is a grave situation.”

And the article notes, “Conditions are similar in the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 reactors.” Now is the time to get “serious” writes The Times:

“Tepco should make serious efforts to accurately grasp the conditions of nuclear fuel inside the reactors.” “Tepco and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency should take a serious view of the fact that radioactive xenon pointing to criticality was detected from the No. 2 reactor. What happened in it can happen in the Nos. 1 and 3 reactors.”


snip

---------------------------------------------------------------------------


CNN: Tepco’s claim of ‘spontaneous’ fission is an “improbable phenomenon” says nuke professor — Strange that such a “rare” event was detected almost immediately after sampling began?

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/03/world/asia/japan-nuclear/


“A rare type of radioactive decay, not a renewed chain reaction, appears to have produced the radioactive xenon gas,” reports CNN.

According to the report, on Thursday Tepco said “it believed the gases were produced by ‘spontaneous fission’ of uranium, since the shorter-lived isotope persisted after the use of boric acid”.

Gary Was, a nuclear engineering professor at the University of Michigan, told CNN that ‘spontaneous’ fission occurs when an element like uranium splits on its own, though it’s an “improbable phenomenon”.

Professor Was noted that the detection of xenon happened less than a week after Japan began taking new gas samples from the reactors. It is highly coincidental that so soon after the sampling began an “improbable phenomenon” like ‘spontaneous’ fission would occur.


-------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, no report has mentioned the massive increase in Krypton-85 http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/11/reactor-2-cv-gas-analysis-on-november-2.html in the same location as the small rise in xenon. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_111102_04-e.pdf

Krypton-85 is used to detect plutonium fission. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265931X03002534


----------------------

another day, another dose:nuke:

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. My question is simpler...did it ever stop?

:hide:

Bunnies and unicorns to follow

[cutlassmama]

2. Of course not. The only thing that has stopped since this started was

the media talking about it.

[Poll_Blind]

3. ^ This.

PB

[leveymg]

4. +1. Excellent point

[truebrit71]

7. Yup...

You sure got that right...

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. and if the media stop talking about it, then it must be bad!

[malaise]

23. You were correct from day one n/t

[soapboxtalk]

5. Really?

Is it really that hard to get containment for their fuel rods? What is taking them so long?


How is there still fuel in those reactors? They should have shipped that stuff in lead cases as soon as the cooling malfunctioned. They really can't get a robot in there and pull the fuel out?

Am I missing something?

[Poll_Blind]

6. Their fuel rods melted down long ago. They are BELOW the plant.

Instances during which particle bursts are detected indicate that enough material has pooled to briefly form enough mass for a criticality.

PB

[soapboxtalk]

13. Oh...

Ok, thanks for the clarification.

So not only is there exposed uranium, but it's now liquid.

Now I'll sleep better.

[Tesha]

10. There's virtually nothing that can withstand the intense radiation from just-spent fuel rods.

Neither living things nor the electronics in robots.

In normal operation, when they refuel this style of
nuclear plants, they flood the entire containment
building with water and a huge gantry crane shuffles
the spent fuel assemblies into the first of the spent
fuel ponds. At no time are the rods out of the water,
with the flooding water providing both cooling and
radiation shielding.

After the earthquake, none of this was possible.

Tesha

[truedelphi]

39. Very well thought out, very scarey points you have

Made.

Good thing that authorities are now realizing that radiation is safe! And if the population in Japan just meditates and thinks positively, everything will be swell.



:sarcasm:

[dtexdem]

9. That headline should have been: "It's now admitted to be a grave situation."

It has always been known to be a grave situation. And a series of reports have made a "revelation" such as this expected.

[kestrel91316]

11. Where, oh where has dear NN gone??? I would love to see him explain how

this is nothing at all to be concerned about.

[redqueen]

17. Hah... was he optimistic

and confident about Tepco's claims when all this started? I can imagine he was.

[robdogbucky]

12. Aw,Stockholmer,that's just more Extreme Enviroweenie Biased Claptrap

Wait, that was a news article? Still, the walking back from that earlier info is taking place at breakneck speed.


To wit:


Experts back TEPCO's view that criticality did not occur

November 04, 2011

Nuclear experts largely agree with Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s assessment that a state of criticality was not reached at the No. 2 reactor of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant...

...But how the fuel has melted or whether it has leaked through to the containment vessel remains unknown. High radiation levels have prevented TEPCO workers from installing gauges and other equipment that could more accurately determine the internal conditions of the reactors...

...TEPCO, for now, is depending largely on computer simulations based on temperatures and pressure levels in the reactors to estimate what is going on inside.

"The problem is that TEPCO pointed to the possibility of 'criticality' taking place, if only temporarily," said Fumiya Tanabe, director of the Institute of Nuclear Safety System Inc. "It eventually showed that the utility failed to predict the situation of fuel rods or the present internal state of the reactor. It should imagine the worst possible situation and deal with it for the recovery..."

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ2011110416611



Cesium-contaminated mushrooms served in food

Radioactive cesium exceeding the government standard has been found in mushrooms grown at a facility in Yokohama City, near Tokyo. About 800 people were served food containing the mushrooms from March through October.

The city says high levels of radioactive cesium were found in dried shiitake mushrooms harvested in both months. The contamination is believed to have been caused by the Fukushima nuclear accident.

The contamination in March was up to 2,770 becquerels of cesium per kilogram; in October, 955 becquerels per kilogram.

Each exceeded the government's standard of 500 becquerels...

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/society.html



Arne's latest report:


Scientist Marco Kaltofen Presents Data Confirming Hot Particles

A 6:13 minute video
http://www.fairewinds.com/updates

Washington, DC - October 31, 2011 – Today Scientist Marco Kaltofen of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) presented his analysis of radioactive isotopic releases from the Fukushima accidents at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Mr. Kaltofen’s analysis confirms the detection of hot particles in the US and the extensive airborne and ground contamination in northern Japan due to the four nuclear power plant accidents at TEPCO’s Fukushima reactors. Fairewinds believes that this is a personal health issue in Japan and a public health issue in the United States and Canada.





70 percent in Japan want end to nuclear power

An NHK poll shows that nearly 70 percent of Japanese people want to reduce or abolish nuclear power in the future.

NHK polled about 2,600 randomly selected adults nationwide over 3 days through October 30th.
1,775 people responded.

24 percent of respondents said all nuclear power plants should be shut down and 42 percent said the number should be reduced.

23 percent said the existing facilities should be maintained and 2 percent said they want more nuclear plants...

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/04_06.html

[Occupy_2012]

14. Radiation contamination spreads across Japan

Recent video footage of one reactor shows an apparent hole in the side. The whole situation seems to be deteriorating. Data has never supported TEPCO's "nothing to see here, move along" claims. Apparent low exposure radiation sicknesses in children has appeared - nosebleeds that go on daily for weeks (parents told it is "allergies"), radiation found in children's thyroids, low white blood cell count, etc. At Chernobyl, kids were the canaries in the coal mine. Their organs are smaller and more susceptible.

The government promotes buying Fukushima produce to support farmers. Many politicians have consumed contaminated food or tea in public, or had children do so, to show it was "safe." The standard is “no immediate danger.” Fukushima farmers cut prices and their food is now served in schools all over Japan. Parents are viciously ridiculed by schools, politicians and children are shunned if they try to send their kids food from home. Destruction of contaminated produce is voluntary. Some farmers refuse. Hot meat is being found in markets because cows' skin was tested for radiation, instead of testing the meat for internal exposure. Fukushima cows have been locked in barns for months, and brought food occasionally. They can't be sold or graze contaminated grass outside. Farmers refuse to slaughter them because they hope they can sell them "later." There's no place to put the contaminated manure, so they leave it in the stalls.

Contaminated foods and tea are mixed with clean product to lower the rad level so it can be sold as "under the limit." There literally would be serious food shortages if they didn't do this.

Glass bottles of highly radioactive materials were found recently buried near a supermarket and under a house, after high readings. Some believe the Yakuza was responsible. The supermarket bottle was hot enough to kill in about 9 days. After the bottles’ removal, the areas are still hot. Reputable universities and other organizations have taken readings all over Tokyo, confirming radiation is gradually rising, especially in hot spots. The government continues to claim Tokyo is safe. Most published tests are for one type of radiation, most areas have dozens of different types occurring simultaneously. You never hear the true combined figures. They don't even test for many types.

Sewage treatment plants, trash burning facilities, gutters, or anyplace trash builds up collects radiation. Trees are full of radioactive dust that blows on houses, so decontamination isn’t working. When pollen season starts, hot pollen is inhaled easily. Somebody suggested burning down entire forests to stop hot pollen and dust from blowing, but burning just spreads hot particles further. Snow will be contaminated too. Areas measuring far higher contamination than Chernobyl aren't evacuated. Many Japanese just keep saying they can't leave because the government won’t order evacuations. Japan has low population growth now. If a lot of Japanese children get sick, what will happen to Japan?

This is what happens when money trumps safety. We need to fight this type of totalitarian rule-for-profit here in the U.S. with everything we have, or "There but for the grace of God go I."

[bvar22]

19. The Lesson from Fukushima:

As long as we keep using Nuclear Plants,
this CAN and WILL happen again.

as for your last line:
"This is what happens when money trumps safety. We need to fight this type of totalitarian rule-for-profit here in the U.S. with everything we have, or "There but for the grace of God go I."

SEE: BP & The Gulf of Mexico, 2010
Our government used the exact same method of denial and cover up,
and were successful at wiping this on going disaster from the Media and Minds of the American People.

[Sirveri]

15. Spontaneous fission occurs with 2 x10^-14% to 0.12% probability.

In elements Pu 239, 236, 238, 240, 241(least probable), 242, 244(most probable).

The statement of it being 'improbable' is irrelevant due to the sheer quantity of material involved. If you have a billion of something, and a one in a million chance of something occurring to one of those things, you will see it happen to around 1000 of them, despite it's 'improbability'.

[quaker bill]

25. and a billion would not fill a teaspoon

A billion would probably be at least 6 to 8 orders of magnitude short. Perhaps 10 to 20.

Spontaneous fission is a near certainty.

[Sirveri]

29. How much Pu MOX would fit in a teaspoon I wonder, math below!

density of Pu near RT is 19.816 g/cm^3, ~4.93cm^3 per ts. Pu average amu = 244. 1 atomic mass unit = 1.66053886 × 10^-24 grams.

So one ts would have ~97.69288 grams, which is ~5.88320 x10^25 amu. Which would be 2.41115 x10^24 Pu atoms. Assume Pu-MOX is 1/3 plutonium and the rest is oxide/filler yields 8.03716 x10^23 Pu atoms.

I don't feel like posting decay rates and generation rates, because I don't know the proper spread of Pu nuclides. Majority is likely 239, but since it's exposed to a neutron flux there is a high probability of the generation of 240, 241, due to neutron capture, which produces different decay rates and types, I could probably calculate the amounts from Q-values but well... I'm lazy.

[quaker bill]

37. I know

I haven't done nuclear chemistry calcs since college. The chemistry I deal with now is far more mundane.

[girl gone mad]

31. Yes, but this is so obvious that a nuclear engineer would never get it wrong.

I can only assume he means that it is highly improbably that the reported levels of decay products resulted solely from spontaneous fission.

[Sirveri]

32. That would depend on how much they detected.

Which is my problem with almost every press release about this event. They never give any actionable information. Instead they give useless platitudes that don't talk about the actual specifics so independent analysis can be done. Depending on the detection instrumentation, they will detect some CDFPA, the issue is the quantity detected and the remaining reaction mass. Some would say we should assume the worst in such an instance, maybe they're right, but we can't know without the real data points.

[quaker bill]

36. So apparently there is enough nuclear material

in an uncontrolled melted reactor to react. I think this is why nuclear engineers regard meltdowns as a really bad thing. I imagine you are correct, with the tons of fuel involved, a certain level of fission byproducts are expected in a cold shutdown as the material decays. The presence of significantly more than that would be very improbable without some level of chain reaction (not cold shutdown).

Of course we have known that melted reactors are difficult to shutdown. This is why they try to avoid it.

[avaistheone1]

16. k&r

[kimsarah]

18. Could someone explain

if there is a sustained nuclear chain reaction that is not temporary _ but rather ongoing, how much worse has it gotten since the accident, how much worse could it get, and what are the worst-case scenario consequences on top of all the contaminated products that have been reported?
How many people are being exposed to high levels, and how much is being dispersed into the atmosphere that could reach other countries like us.
Are West coast residents at risk of high levels, and if so, why isn't the EPA still reporting daily monitoring results?
I realize Tepco has had an interest on minimizing all of this from the onset, but if it is a threat outside Japan, shouldn't our government be more actively involved to get to the truth? We have numerous excellent scientists here -- many of whom are non-government and were drawn upon for their expertise in the days after the accident.

[Occupy_2012]

20. Radiation effects outside Japan

Our government has been very much involved from the first. On 3/11, then Japanese PM Kan was very involved in trying to get info from TEPCO. TEPCO tried to cover up and minimize. Kan was so pissed he went in person. It's believed because Kan went to Fukushima in person, some steps weren't taken to secure the plant within a window of a few hours, and because of this delay, all this mess happened. They should have totaled the plant immediately by pouring salt water in, that would have stopped it before it got too hot, but this might have caused an explosion, so they couldn't do it while he was there. IIRC, Kan demanded they use the salt water, permanently destroying the plant. It was found later the reactors were melting down the first day anyway. The back-up power system flooded. The temps started rising within the first hour or so due to no power. One plant worker testified he asked years ago why the back-up system wasn't raised above flood level, but it "cost too much money."

Obama was trying to decide if he needed to evacuate the American base there, and there was so little info he told Kan he was going to shut the whole base if they didn't come across with some info. That would have been a huge warning to the Japanese public. Obama scared Kan so much, Kan had them dump water from a heliocopter on the plant, although they knew it wouldn't help much, just to placate Obama. Then Obama made a statement approving of this. Finally they started disclosing some info, but most data was gathered from scientists around the world monitoring radiation, not Japan. They just guesstimated that 50 miles out would be safe. That later turned out to be pretty good, although Japan still hasn't evacuated out that far to this day. TEPCO has always hidden info from the J gov't, and seems to have the right to do so.

Eventually Hillary was sent. She allegedly cut a deal with Japan allowing many Japanese foods to come here, mostly unexamined for radiation. Japan made similar deals with China and other nearby countries in the weeks following, even though China was publicly very skeptical. It was all done to prop up the Japanese economy. I know this sounds "conspiracy theory," but I followed it for weeks and this stuff was openly covered in English language Japanese news outlets. Various world leaders came there in person and were pressured into eating Fukushima foods at press conferences to show how "safe" it was. Japan suffered huge job losses after the tsunami, and food exports (rice especially) are a big part of their economy. If other countries wouldn't eat it, locals would be afraid too. A lot of propaganda came out about how sissy foreigners were badmouthing Japan, "us against the world" type stuff. It all became very political. Then local mayors in food growing parts of Fukushima started trying to ship contaminated tea and other foods, were caught, and angrily denied the food was unsafe. They found ways to gin up the test results to make them not so bad. That's when independents started testing food and publicizing test results in some health food markets.

The big exposure here started about March 24 through April. Canada's version of the EPA STOPPED testing about this time, then one by one, European government owned weather sites that published radiation maps online went lights out. It's known Vancouver, Seattle and SF got a big hit. UC Berkeley does test their immediate area. They say northern California (milk, produce) and Reno got some exposure. Milk in the NE and West Coast already show traces of cesium, which means strontium is present as well. Car filters in Seattle show traces. (Change your car filter frequently). Clumps of (radioactive) tsunami debris will hit Hawaii in a year or more. Most of the hot particles on the ground come from rain, so areas that snowed or rained a lot after March got some (Boston, Philly area, Florida). Arnie Gunderson said a few days ago that the Rocky Mountains and Cascades stopped a lot of it from going further, but weather maps from the time show it going right over the entire U.S. and around the entire earth, continuously, for weeks. Until they shut off public access.

Worst case? Spent fuel rods have already melted, liquified, and sunk beneath the plant. They will continue to sink until they hit the Japanese water table. As far as I know nothing can stop this now. It's happening slowly and will take months or even years. Fish will become heavily radioactive, especially large fish and game that eat smaller fish. The rods could hit the water table and cause a huge steam explosion, blowing the plant apart and exposing everything to the open air, then it would be too hot come near and fix it. More likely, people will continue to consume contaminated water and food, and continually increase their internal exposure. Hot particles will lodge in their lungs and intestines and be unremovable. They will get leukemia and bone cancer from absorbing strontium 90 through drinking milk. Strontium replaces calcium in bone tissue, so growing kids will end up with swiss cheese bones and teeth. They can't have their skeletons removed, so you can guess where that's going. There are two kinds of radiation sickness, big dose short term/single event (Hiroshima), and this. Low level, long term, culmulative exposure. It's your body's total culmulative exposure that counts. First kids, later adults, will max out, get cancer or leukemia and die. If this were being handled purely scientifically, the Northern half of Japan would already be empty including Tokyo. Tokyo is 35 million people. There is no place to put them in Japan. As radioactive particles slowly circulate through the summer/winter weather patterns, more ground gets covered. Water table contamination will spread. Food shortages will increase in Japan, unless the gov't completely disregards rising contamination levels in food. This is a slow motion train wreck that will take years. Think "On the Beach," Gulf Stream very slowly distributing radiation over years until it evens out.

[sce56]

22. But it is all safe they are even offering free airline tickets to Japan to show how safe it is!

The real crime here is they have deliberately put not just the Japanese people in jeopardy but the entire norther hemisphere!
But it is Business as usual


Business As Usual from the Eagles Long Road Out Of Eden Album 2007

Look at the weather, look at the news
Look at all the people in denial
We're running time, leaving grace
Still we worship at the marketplace
While common sense is goin' out of style
I thought that I would be above it all by now
In some country garden in the shade

But it's business as usual
Day after day
Business as usual
Just grinding away
You try to be righteous
You try to do good
But business as usual
Turns your heart into wood

Monuments to arrogance reach for the sky
Our better nature's buried in the rubble
We got the prettiest White House that money can buy
Sitting up there in that beltway bubble
The main jefe talks about our freedom
But this is what he really means...

Business as usual
How dirty we play
Business as usual
Don't you get in the way
Yeah, make you feel helpless
Make you feel like a clown
Business as usual
Is breakin' me down

Boy, you can't go surfing in Century City
Yeah, them sharks out there are lurking beneath the curb
Yeah, they rob you blind, chew you up, and it ain't pretty
And it's a soul suckin', soul suckin', soul suckin', soul suckin'
Soul suckin', soul suckin' world

Business as usual
Day after day
Business as usual
Feel like walking away
A barrell of monkeys
Or band of renown
Business as usual
Is breakin' me down
Breakin' me down

[Aerows]

21. It has been a grave situation from day one

All of the horse manure about it being contained was repeatedly refuted by scientists. None of this is a surprise.

[chervilant]

24. "Experts Say..."

Here's our proof that the current crop of 'scientists' infesting the American Association for the Advancement of Science are intent upon preventing accurate news about the Fukushima disaster:

The crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear electricity generating facility, touched off when a tsunami hit northern Japan, has achieved the "key milestone" of cold shutdown where the temperature within the damaged reactors is below the boiling point of water, said Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

"There is still some potential for some amount of steam to develop, which can in principle have some very low levels of radioactivity in it," Jaczko said in a recent appearance at AAAS. "But those pose no real threat to public health and safety."

This article, written by a third-tier 'reporter' named Bob Roehr (HOW do you sleep at night, Mr. Roehr?!), goes on to suggest that the disaster at Fukushima will not deter the construction of new nuclear power plants.

More of this drivel propaganda can be found here.

The scope of our species' disrespect for this planet is increasing exponentially. Just as we need to get the Fraudsters out of Wall Street, We the People need to get the Corporate Megalomaniacs OUT of ANY venue wherein they can continue to destroy our ecosystem.

[robdogbucky]

26. Problem with restart of reactor, TEPCO to get big bailout, bribes abound......

Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011

Problem with restart of reactor

Kyushu Electric Power Co. on Tuesday restarted the No. 4 reactor at its Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture, which had been shut down since it developed trouble Oct. 4. Due to the nature of the trouble, it was not legally required to get prior approval for the restart from the town of Genkai and the Saga prefectural government in accordance with agreements on plant safety. The reactor was not subject to a stress test either, since it had not been going through a regular inspection.

But the restart of the reactor will deepen people's distrust of Kyushu because its problem behavior has been exposed and its decision to restart the reactor gives the impression that it gives priority to securing profits rather than safety.

The firm is known to have manipulated a public discussion meeting in 2005 on the introduction of MOX plutonium-uranium fuel to the Genkai plant. And in October it snubbed a third-party committee's report on the discussion manipulation.

Kyushu decided to restart the reactor although it and the company's five other reactors will stop operations in December due to regular inspections. A high-ranking Kyushu official said that there was no need to continue the stoppage of a reactor that can be operated. By restarting the Genkai No. 4 reactor, the firm can save ¥300 million to ¥400 million a day by cutting the costs of buying fuel for thermal power stations, for a total of more than ¥10 billion over 1½ months...

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20111105a1.html




Power companies behind anonymous donations in Fukui

November 04, 2011

In September 2006, Kansai Electric Power Co. restarted the aging No. 3 reactor at its Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture and informed the town of plans to operate it for an additional decade.

In that fiscal year, after a dry spell of three years, Mihama received about 1.2 billion yen ($15.4 million) in anonymous donations. The following year, 1 billion yen in anonymous donations poured into the town.

Town officials have refused to say where the money came from. But an investigation by The Asahi Shimbun shows that electric power companies have provided a huge amount of anonymous donations not only to Mihama, but also to other municipalities that host nuclear power facilities in Fukui Prefecture.

Through requests for information disclosure, The Asahi Shimbun found that at least 50.2 billion yen in large anonymous donations were made over the years until fiscal 2010 to Fukui Prefecture and four municipalities. The prefecture is home to 15 nuclear reactors, including one now being dismantled, the largest number in Japan...

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ2011110416562




Ailing TEPCO to get 890 billion yen in government aid

November 05, 2011

Tokyo Electric Power Co. will receive 890 billion yen ($11.4 billion) in official funding after the central government on Nov. 4 approved the utility's emergency special business plan.

The same day, TEPCO announced its earnings for the six-month period ending in September and reported a consolidated net loss of 627.2 billion yen.

While the government support will allow TEPCO to stay afloat, decisions on important issues were put off, including whether the utility should be allowed to raise electricity rates.

The emergency special business plan was submitted jointly by TEPCO and the government agency tasked with supporting the company's compensation payments...

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/business/AJ2011110516652




Cities at war over need for Hamaoka nuke plant

By RYOTA GOTO / Staff Writer

November 07, 2011

Six months after former Prime Minister Naoto Kan asked Chubu Electric Power Co. to shut down its Hamaoka nuclear power plant due to risks of a powerful quake and tsunami, the utility is still poised to restart it after reinforcing safeguards.

But local governments in the vicinity of the plant, in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, are not on the same wavelength over Chubu Electric's plan to go back online.

The mayor of Omaezaki has not opposed the restart, as 40 percent of his city's revenues come from property taxes on the nuclear plant and subsidies related to the facility.

But the city of Makinohara, part of which is located within 10 kilometers of the plant, wants it to be shut down permanently, worried that an accident there could drive away a major automotive plant...

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ2011110716746

[Occupy_2012]

30. Hamaoka power plant

That plant shutdown was influenced heavily by President Obama's conversations with PM Kan. It was near Tokyo, and it's old and past it's prime anyway. IIRC it's similar to Fukushima in design and age. It's also in a tsunami area and near/on a fault line, and near the American military base. At the time there were a lot of aftershocks, and people were afraid it would be another Fukushima. It never should have been built there in the first place.

At the time it was shut down, Kan was considered unusually brave for insisting it be shut down, and the locals were very pleased their safety was being considered ahead of the power. They were having serious power shortages all over Tokyo and other areas, because a large number of plants were offline at the time, some due to maintenance, safety inspections, earthquake damage and other issues. When it got warm, the government started a campaign to get office workers to wear shorts and light open shirts, very unusual in Japan, to conserve energy. That's a big cultural change for them, so it had to be pushed from the top.

In Japan, every so many years a power plant's license is up. If I'm not mistaken, the locals have to vote on renewing it. At Fukushima, locals were getting kickbacks to allow the plant to continue although it was commissioned in the early 1960's and past its calculated lifespan. When the disaster first happened, there was criticism that the locals had got finanical incentives to continue the plant, yet they weren't willing to "pay the price" for all the money they had received over the years. No comment.

[robdogbucky]

33. 1971

"...was commissioned in the early 1960's.."


Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

"...First commissioned in 1971, the plant consists of six boiling water reactors (BWR)..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_I_Nuclear_Power_Plant


The very active fault line underneath is the Tokai fault, one which is due.

[lonestarnot]

27. Sheet.

[suffragette]

28. Looks like some Canadians have formed a citizens' group to collect and monitor info

both in Canada and elsewhere.

http://changeagents2011.wordpress.com/

What is the Canadian Collaborative for Radiation Awareness and Monitoring?

This is a collaborative initiative born out of concern over the lack of comprehensive, publicly available radiation monitoring data in Canadian air, water, soil and food following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which is resulting in the transport of radioactive materials to Canada, particularly the west coast.

What are we doing?

The objectives of this initiative are to:

request comprehensive, coordinated government radionuclide monitoring and reporting in Canadian air, water and food and in Japanese imports, including screening for Plutonium, Strontium and Uranium
collect and test food, seafood, soil, water and rain samples from across British Columbia, Canada and beyond for the presence of man-made radionuclides through a certified lab
share results and related information
increase public information and awareness on the health and environmental impacts of radiation
support the Japanese people in highly contaminated areas

A few items in the "What's New" section (much more there):
http://changeagents2011.wordpress.com/whats-new/

Analysis of Wild Mushrooms for Cesium
Fukushima Hot Particles. Conference Presentation APHA 139th Meeting and Exposition, Washington, DC October 31, 2011
October 20, 2011 The Georgia Straight: What Are Officials Hiding About Fukushima?

[robdogbucky]

34. Anyone up there know what became of the radiation data the state of Washinton

was collecting, starting last July?

I haven't heard anything;





For immediate release: July 7, 2011 (11-105)
Contacts:
Donn Moyer, Communications Office 360-236-4076
Tim Church, Communications Office 360-236-4077

Radiation levels and locations to be mapped in Puget Sound by helicopter
OLYMPIA ¾ Lessons from the nuclear incidents in Fukushima, Japan show the value of a project to measure background radiation levels in several parts of the state. A low-flying helicopter will gather radiological readings this summer, starting next week around Puget Sound.

Radiation detection equipment mounted in a helicopter will measure “gamma emitters” like cesium and radioactive iodine — materials that would likely increase in a radiation emergency. This kind of material releases X-rays, or gamma radiation, a type that can be easily measured from the helicopter. State radiation experts expect to find natural radioactivity and material produced by licensed radioactive material users such as hospitals.

The helicopter will fly a grid pattern at an altitude of about 300 feet to collect data. Mapping the normal amounts and location of radioactive material will provide a baseline for comparison to assess contamination if there were a nuclear incident like the events in Fukushima. Sampling in that area of Japan after the nuclear reactors were damaged produced radiation readings, but there was no baseline for comparison so it was unclear how much higher the levels had grown.

The Washington State Department of Health is overseeing the project as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Remote Sensing Laboratory Aerial Measurement System conducts the flyover. The project has been in planning since 2009 and is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security...

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Publicat/2011_news/11-105.htm

[suffragette]

35. Good question

Not seeing the answer anywhere.

[dipsydoodle]

38. Grave situation - an unfortunate but apt play on words

:(