*** Fukushima *** and other nuclear-----updates and links

Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant security faulted

Federal nuclear safety inspectors found unspecified "security deficiencies" at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant in southern Maryland earlier this year, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission disclosed Wednesday.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the agency could not reveal the nature of the problem or discuss why it had conducted a special inspection of the plant from Jan. 26 through July 13. The five-member commission has refused since the 2001 terrorist attacks to release information about security, out of concern it might help people or groups seeking to attack or sabotage a nuclear plant, the agency spokesman said.
[link to www.baltimoresun.com]

- of course. Protecting the plant is more important than informing citizens about problems there.

Fukushima Teacher Muzzled on Radiation Risks

“I want to get away from this situation where I’m not even allowed to alert children about radiation exposure,” said Shishido, a 48-year-old teacher who taught at Fukushima Nishi High School. “Now I’m free to talk about the risks.”

Kiyoharu Furukawa, 57, assistant principal at Fukushima Nishi High, said the school told Shishido not to spend too much time talking about radiation during his classes as some students and parents complained. He confirmed Shishido resigned.

“It’s all invisible. The trees are still trees, people are shopping, the birds are singing and dogs are walking in the street.
“When you bring out the (Geiger) machines, you can see everything is sparkling and everyone is being bitten by invisible snakes that will eventually kill them.”

The school continues to hold gym classes and sports club activities outside, he said.

“I don’t think the children are safe either, and I know the radiation level is still high,” Furukawa said. “These days, they are wearing short sleeves and no masks.”

[link to www.bloomberg.com]

- it's a damned shame.

Japan's Fukushima long ranked most hazardous plant

It ranked as one of the most dangerous plants in the world for radiation exposure years before it was destroyed by meltdowns and explosions.

After the earthquake, contract workers at Fukushima were
sent in without radiation meters or basic gear such as rubber boots. Screening for radiation from dust and vapor inhaled by workers was delayed for weeks until experts said the testing was almost meaningless. At least 39 workers were exposed to more than 100 millisieverts of radiation, five times the maximum allowed in a normal year.


[link to www.mnn.com]

Last Edited by Waterbug on 07/29/2011 12:46 AM

NRC Members Reject Quick Overhaul for Nuclear Plants

A majority of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has rejected Chairman Gregory Jaczko's timeline for deciding whether to endorse regulatory changes in light of Japan's nuclear crisis.

Rep. Ed Markey (D., Mass.), a longtime critic of the NRC, said more staff input would "actively aid and abet the nuclear industry's dilatory efforts to ignore, perhaps indefinitely, the recommendations of the commission's expert and dedicated staff."

[link to online.wsj.com]

- ah...the well-oiled machine.

KIRK ADDRESSES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ON TASK FORCE REPORT

Sen. Kirk urged the NRC to move nuclear waste from the Lake Michigan shoreline. At the decommissioned Zion nuclear power plant, 1,000 tons of highly radioactive waste are stored just 200 yards from the shoreline. The Great Lakes are the source for over 90 percent of America's fresh water. Sen. Kirk urged the NRC to approve the Yucca Mountain facility to protect the Great Lakes ecosystem.

[link to news.mywebpal.com]

- Great idea. Why is it there to start with?

Recent decisions indicate TVA on wrong track

Fukushima was the fourth major nuclear accident in world history. It marks the continual failure of the most advanced technological societies on the planet to safely harness nuclear power.

[link to www.tennessean.com]

- I share that opinion.

Decontamination delayed / TEPCO fails to meet goal in removing radioactivity from water

Decontamination of highly radioactive water at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has been proceeding at a snail's pace because of various malfunctions and other problems.

About 29,000 tons of radioactive water have been decontaminated so far, an average operation rate of 63 percent.

Last week, torrential rain brought by a typhoon poured into the plant's reactors. As a result, the quantity of radioactive water increased by 3,000 tons over the past week, registering about 120,700 tons as of Tuesday

Due to its poor cooling efficiency, the No. 3 reactor requires nine tons of water per hour, more than two times that used to cool Nos. 1 and 2 reactors.

[link to www.yomiuri.co.jp]

UPDATE: Japan's Nuclear Regulator Admits It Tried To Sway Public Opinion On Nuclear Plants

[link to online.wsj.com]

Over 1,550 tons of highly radioactive sludge found in 5 prefectures

Over 1,500 metric tons of radioactive sludge requiring controlled handling has been found in five prefectures across Japan amid the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis, the government announced on July 28.

The most radioactive sludge was found in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, where a level of 89,697 becquerels was detected.

A total of 54,613 tons of untested sludge remains in the 14 prefectures. Problems have emerged over how to treat the sludge and where to keep it.

[link to mdn.mainichi.jp]

Report calls for a new plan for U.S. nuclear waste

To put it in perspective, all the fuel produced at Byron over 40 years of operation -- stacked end to end -- would fit in a four-car garage, according to Exelon. In the U.S. overall, the amount of nuclear waste stored at reactors would cover a football feet to a depth of about 20 feet, according to the Blue Ribbon Commission.

At the end of 2010, 33,608 fuel assemblies filled with nuclear material were at Illinois' seven nuclear power plants -- about 15 percent of that fuel has been moved to dry storage.

Meanwhile, the still-growing $25 billion fund remains untouched and nuclear operators have been successfully suing the government for reimbursement.

"The program they're paying for just isn't working," the Blue Ribbon Commission writes in its report. "Taxpayers are paying too -- in the form of damage payments from the taxpayer-funded Judgment Fund to compensate utilities for the federal government's failure to meet its contractual waste acceptance commitments."
[link to www.chicagotribune.com]

UPDATE: Japan's Nuclear Regulator Admits It Tried To Sway Public Opinion On Nuclear Plants

[link to online.wsj.com]

Oyster Creek nuclear plant pump shuts down, resulting in fish kill

Pumps that cool water as it leaves the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant shut down yesterday evening, causing a rise in water temperature and a fish kill in a canal, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said today.

[link to www.nj.com]

- fish are expendable.

Nuclear Waste Piles Up As Repository Plan Falters

[link to www.npr.org]

Volunteer Towns Sought to Accept U.S. Nuclear Waste by Obama Panel

The 15-member commission set up by Obama in 2010 is weighing options for disposing of waste from U.S. nuclear power plants. Chu named the panelists after Obama canceled plans to build a permanent repository at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Las Vegas. The Yucca site was opposed by politicians from the state, led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat.

The panel recommended that a new federal corporation run the program, taking over the task from the Energy Department. It also called for designating permanent and interim sites, supporting research and overhauling the Nuclear Waste Fund, which has $24.6 billion from fees paid by utilities.

[link to www.bloomberg.com]

- that's just great. Another Federal program in the works. Is this why prez is opposing yucca?

UPDATE: US Nuclear Industry Group Backs 5-Year Timeline For Safety Changes

[link to www.nasdaq.com]

- oh good. We'll just wait.

So. California nuclear steam generator to be buried in Utah

[link to www.abc4.com]

- nice of utah to take California nuclear garbage.

Nuclear veterans win right to fight for compensation from Ministry of Defence

More than 1,000 former British soldiers claim they and their children were left with cancer and deformities as a result of severe radiation exposure in the Pacific over half a century ago when testing was carried out on Christmas Island.

Yesterday, lawyers acting for the 1,011 veterans persuaded the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that nine out of 10 test cases had been brought too late to be heard.

The MoD claims the veterans can’t prove a link between the ill heath they’ve suffered and their exposure to radiation from the nuclear tests.

Former Royal Engineer Ken – who remembers seeing bones through his skin as he raised his hands to protect his eyes from the dazzling glare of the nuclear blasts – was among the 20 or so men from Johnstone and Elderslie who served in the Pacific Ocean.

[link to www.paisleydailyexpress.co.uk]

This 192-wheel supertrailer is hauling nuclear waste across California

The truck's builder, Perkins Specialized Transport, took nearly two years to construct the 48-axle behemoth. While the California Highway Patrol will escort the trailer for the entire trip, and its exact departure dates are a secret, it's not like you can hide a road train about two-thirds the height of the Washington Monument behind a few Kias.

As for worries from bystanders, Southern California Edison says you'd have to sit in front of it for a spell to get the same amount of radiation as in a dental X-ray. Remember that warning when Clive, Utah, suffers its first outbreak of zombies.

[link to jalopnik.com]

hey waterbug.
this is particularly amusing basically stating,
we the us military have never tested nukes before we dont know what they do. anybody the believes this shit including the serviceman themselves are .... dont even have the words for the talking head shit anymore... they are in for a world of hurt, the ignorance is stupefying.

this is getting frustrating. time for a new painting.
nice find.

Japan Could Miss Nuclear Plant Decontamination Goal

The decontamination system activated last month is intended to cleanse tainted fluid for reuse in the temperature control efforts, but the operator on Wednesday said the equipment's performance still fell far short of maximum designed efficiency.

The apparatus operated at 58 percent efficiency over a weeklong period that concluded on Tuesday, a 5 percent increase over its performance the prior week, the company said. The firm originally intended the system to reach 80 percent capacity this month and 90 percent by August, but it has lowered the efficiency target to 70 percent for the indefinite future.

The equipment has processed roughly 30,000 tons of contaminated liquid; the total quantity of radioactive water at the plant totals 120,650 tons, an increase of 3,000 tons since the decontamination system was activated
[link to www.globalsecuritynewswire.org]

..Iran 'conducting secret nuclear tests'

[link to www.dailytelegraph.com.au]

How Iran And America Could Wind Up At War

[link to blogs.forbes.com]

Interesting. Thanks Waterbug!

It's amusing that they feel so poorly of the average citizen's ability to reason. Shows the arrogance they have in that we are expected to take their word as truth and not question it.

Looking forward to seeing a new painting.

Hoped you would see that post. Kinda abandoned y'all. Nothing personal.

Magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits off Japan

The earthquake was centered 27 miles (43.5 kilometers) beneath the surface about 114 miles (184 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, the agency said.

[link to www.cnn.com]

Decontamination spray gel tested at Japan school

Soap and water can keep kids clean, but keeping children protected from radiation may require more than just a soapy concoction.

A Hawaii company is spraying its light-blue decontamination gel onto surfaces of a small kindergarten in Fukushima, Japan, where children currently stay inside all day to avoid dangerous nuclear pollution.

If this weekend's decontamination of Asahimachi Baptist Church and School is successful and more effective than the traditional soap and water scrub downs, Honolulu-based CBI Polymers hopes to expand use of their product, called DeconGel, to many other hot spots affected by radiation leaked from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. The plant was severely damaged after the March 11 tsunami and earthquakes.

[link to www.canadianbusiness.com]

Typhoon ‘Kabayan’ heads for Japan

Tropical Storm “Kabayan” strengthened into a typhoon Saturday but the weather bureau said the new weather disturbance was too far away to directly affect any part of the country and was headed for Japan.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said rains would continue in the western section of Luzon and the Visayas due to the southwest monsoon.

Pagasa also warned of flash floods and landslides in Bataan, Zambales and Pangasinan, which would continue to experience moderate to heavy monsoon rains.

[link to newsinfo.inquirer.net]

Torrential rain in northeast Japan leaves 2 dead, 5 missing

[link to news.xinhuanet.com]

Earthquake-ravaged Japan now overwhelmed by rain

Forecasters warned that the rains could continue to be torrential after reaching 1000 millimetres to date in Sanjo City, Niigata, 250km northwest of Tokyo, since they started on Wednesday.

A total of 296,000 people had been asked to evacuate their homes by this afternoon, according to public broadcaster NHK, but no compulsory orders were issued despite muddy swollen rivers, broken dykes and flooded houses.

More than 40 people who had spent a night in cars and buses after being stranded on a road blocked by mudslides and flooding in Fukushima were rescued unhurt.

[link to www.heraldsun.com.au]

- it is inevitable that the ocean is being contaminated at this point.