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

Report raises concerns over safety of nuclear plants

The government's nuclear industry regulator said it is continuing to monitor information from foreign counterparts after safety concerns were raised about construction processes at a Chinese power plant being built by two French companies who want to construct similar installations in Britain.


The concerns mirror some of those raised at sites in France and Finland, which are also being built and operated by EDF and Areva.

A report on the Taishan site which was compiled immediately before building started, warned the Chinese plant's managers that "quality control of concrete pouring should be strengthened" and they should make proper preparations for wet weather, which can affect the construction process.

The report, apparently put together by safety inspectors, also highlighted concerns that the rock underlying part of the site has "relatively pronounced fractures", a lack of experienced personnel onsite due to the "fast pace" of the project's progression, and fears over the availability of important documents related to construction, among other concerns.

[link to www.independent.co.uk]

Live blog: Danica concerned about Japan race

[link to tucsoncitizen.com]

Nuclear waste, an explosive subject

Romania’s only nuclear power station has been operating here, close to the Black Sea, since 1996. Now the construction of a nearby facility to store radioactive waste has added to the concerns of local people, who are worried about the consequences of a possible nuclear disaster.

[link to www.presseurop.eu]

Caritas Japan: 100,000 earthquake victims need winter housing

[link to www.catholicculture.org]

Consumer agency warns of faulty radiation meters
The Yomiuri Shimbun

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan on Thursday warned consumers that radiation meters available for purchase via the Internet may not be accurate.

The center said it tested nine different radiation meters sold online, priced from 36,000 yen to 62,000 yen.

The center found significant variation in the readings given by the meters over a number of tests, leading it to conclude the devices were not accurate.

"Some of the cheaper radiation meters are unreliable," said a center official.

[link to www.yomiuri.co.jp]

Mayor angered by professor's warning about Tohoku produce ready to move on


As a university professor's TV warning against eating food produced in northeastern Japan continues to reverberate, one mayor from the region has told the Mainichi he understands the professor's thinking and wants to put the whole episode in the past.

Using the city of Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture as an example, Chubu University professor Kunihiko Takeda reportedly stated on a Yomiuri TV program on Sept. 4 that because of radioactive contamination, "eating agricultural products from the Tohoku region will ruin your health," and that "making agricultural products in Tohoku right now is a mistake."

[link to mdn.mainichi.jp]

New method being developed to significantly reduce radioactive cesium in soil

Professor Keizo Ishii of Tohoku University has successfully demonstrated a relatively simple method to decontaminate and reduce the volume of soil contaminated with radioactive cesium. Taking advantage of the cesium-adsorbing property of argilliferous earth contained in the soil, the method involves washing soil with water and sintering it to eventually reduce the volume of contaminated soil by about 90%. This new technology can compress contaminated soil significantly, which comes as good news to companies and municipalities struggling to find places to manage radioactive soil after the nuclear accident in Fukushima.

[link to www.shimbun.denki.or.jp]

From JAPAN- Dangerous levels of dioxin have been found in rivers and ground water in prefectures hit by the March 11th earthquake. An iron wall is to be built around the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant to prevent radioactive water from leaking into the sea. Iran says that its first nuclear power plant is up and running, and plans to build 20 more.
[link to www.indybay.org]

EU to maintain safety checks on food from Japan

A European Commission statement said controls on food from Japan adopted last March after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster would be enforced until December 31 and be reviewed every month.

The controls "will continue to apply to all feed and food originating in or consigned from 12 prefectures of Japan," the statement said.

[link to www.google.com]

NRC clears way for scrapping Yucca Mt. nuke dump

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today cleared the way for the Obama administration to push ahead with its plan to scrap the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in Nevada. But the final decision may rest with Congress and the courts.

As part of its 2-2 vote, the NRC directed the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to end its work on the controversial project by Sept. 30 because of "budgetary limitations," The Hill writes. The licensing board had tried to prevent the Energy Department from withdrawing from the project.

[link to content.usatoday.com]

- What happened to the 5 billion taxpayer dollars they already wasted on that site?

didnt see a date on this, but recent youtube post

Greenpeace on fukushima
[link to www.youtube.com]


have you heard if any of its reached the water-table yet wbug?

I suspect the recent eq may have opened a vent or vents that may be releasing steam from underground. I don't believe it is from reaching groundwater, rather from cooling efforts. The reactors are built on bedrock. The site was excavated to bedrock for safety. If they hadn't done this the reactors would have been above the tsunami.

It is possible that the bedrock underneath fuku was fractured.

thanks, yeh that sounds reasomable.
..except the bit about building on bedrock for safety....yeh, were safe as houses!

The site is also reclaimed land. Brilliant!

Fukushima Daiichi NPS Photos 9 September 2011

[link to cryptome.org]

.

TY. Hard to imagine the covering and frame being erected remotely. Amazing.

Cesium absorption through roots may have long-term effect on farming
Effect of contaminated soil on food chain sparks fears

[link to search.japantimes.co.jp]

Japan's biggest utility company underestimated the amount of radiation levels in sea water by around three times, said Japan's Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).

Takuya Kobayashi, a researcher at the agency measured the amounts - measurements stated that 4,720 trillion becquerels of cesium-137 were released along with iodine-131 into the Pacific Ocean, but researchers say that between March 21 and April 30 around 15,000 trillion becquerels are supposed to have leaked.


[link to www.medicaldaily.com]

Thank you so much for keeping us informed, Waterbug.

You are a star.

78 percent of Japanese worry about future big quake


Read more: [link to www.sacbee.com]

Tepco builds frame of cover for reactor No. 1


Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Saturday it has built a framework for a giant cover that will be placed over reactor 1 at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, preventing radioactive materials from spreading and shielding the building from rainwater.

[link to search.japantimes.co.jp]

- And, as the radioactivity inside the enclosure builds, Tepco will vent through the towers with impunity.

Tokyo Elec. Power : (Sep 10,2011)Plant Status of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (as of 3:00 pm, Sep. 10)

Press Release (Sep 10,2011)

Plant Status of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (as of 3:00 pm, Sep. 10)
*No update from the previous press release

All 6 units of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station have been shut down.



[link to www.4-traders.com]


Shut down, huh? OKey-dokey. If you say so. What about those pesky uncontrolled chain reactions?

Last Edited by Waterbug on 09/10/2011 09:45 PM

17-year-old boy worked in restricted radiation zone at Fukushima No. 2 plant
A 17-year-old boy worked in a restricted radiation zone at the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear plant for five months in 1993-1994, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) revealed on Sept. 9.

The restricted zone experiences higher levels of radiation than other areas of the plant, and the Labor Standards Act forbids work in the zone for people under 18. TEPCO, which has reported the five-month stint by the minor to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, stated that the boy had lied about his age and obtained a radiation tracking booklet (used by nuclear workers to monitor their cumulative exposure). The boy worked at the plant from September 1993 to January 1994.

[link to mdn.mainichi.jp]

Japan air controller 'blogged Air Force One flight plans'

A Japanese air traffic controller has been questioned after apparently blogging about the flight plans of the US president's plane, Air Force One, reports say.

The unnamed controller, who works at Tokyo International Airport, faces possible charges or disciplinary action.

The information, including a map showing the route and altitude of Air Force One, was apparently published during a visit by President Barack Obama to Asia in November.

Details about US drone flights near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant are also said to have been included.

Japanese media reports said the controller, in his 50s, took photographs of the information on computer screen images at work and later uploaded them onto his blog.

[link to www.bbc.co.uk]

Post-Tsunami Japan Sticking With Nuclear Power

Many Japanese have grown uneasy with nuclear power since the March 11 tsunami, which left more than 20,000 dead or missing and sent a plant in Fukushima into meltdown. Anti-nuke protesters took to the streets, and a heated debate ensued over the future of atomic energy. A recent Associated Press-GfK poll found that 55 percent of Japanese want to reduce the number of reactors in the country.

Six months later, though, the nation seems to be sticking with nuclear power, at least for now. Unlike Germany, which accelerated plans to phase out atomic energy after Fukushima, Japan shows no signs of doing so. In recent days, utilities began newly mandated earthquake and tsunami stress tests, a first step toward restarting reactors idled for maintenance.

"What is the alternative?" asks Fumiko Nakamura, a flower arrangement teacher in Tokyo. She worries about nuclear safety in earthquake-prone Japan but says it will take time to develop other types of energy. "Japan is a resource-poor nation, and we need electricity."

[link to www.npr.org]

Thanks Waterbug for continuing this coverage !

So FEW posters even attend to their thread an hour after it's posted.

YOU ARE THE EXCEPTION, IMHO !

Eagle

P.S. Any idea of when the winds shift to the EAST again, and we get much more fallout ? OR, have they already ?

As the jet stream strengthens during fall and winter the westerlies will become stronger. They have not enclosed the reactors yet so more contamination is possible. Even after they complete the enclosures I expect venting to contribute. And they are still burning radioactive rubble, as far as I know. Not so good.

Please Read this link.


Thread: THE FIRST THING TO WATCH FOR COMMING FROM JAPAN TO YOU

This may be a early warning of bad food. Our body telling us be careful.