Source: The Japan Times
Date: Monday, June 27, 2011 JST
Kyodo
More than 3 millisieverts of radiation has been measured in the urine of 15 Fukushima residents of the village of Iitate and the town of Kawamata, confirming internal radiation exposure, it was learned Sunday.
...
Read full article here
Provide radiation related news regarding the Japan Fukushima nuclear plant disaster and global radiation levels and environmental contamination.
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Sunday, June 26, 2011
6/26/2011 Berm fails causing temporary electricity outage at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station
Date: 6/26/2011
According to the AP one of the berms holding back flood waters at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station failed at 1:30 AM Sunday (June 26, 2011):
For further reading: another article from CNBC, or this article from Omaha World Herald.
Sources:
[1] Flood berm collapsed at Nebraska nuclear plant, AP via Action 3 News
[2] Flood berm collapses at Nebraska nuclear plant, AP via Victoria Advocate
[3] Flood berm bursts at Nebraska nuclear plant, CNN news wire
According to the AP one of the berms holding back flood waters at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station failed at 1:30 AM Sunday (June 26, 2011):
...This resulted in backup generators being temporarily used to power both the already shut down main reactor (having been shut down since April) and spent fuel cooling systems, as the main power was cut. Quoting a second AP article:
The 2,000-foot berm collapsed about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, allowing the swollen river to surround two buildings at the plant. The NRC says those buildings are designed to handle flooding up to 1014 feet above sea level. The river is at 1006.3 feet and isn't forecast to exceed 1008 feet.[1]
...
...According to CNN news wire the berm was punctured by machinery:
The berm's collapse didn't affect the reactor shutdown cooling or the spent fuel pool cooling, but the power supply was cut after water surrounded the main electrical transformers, the NRC said. Emergency generators powered the plant until an off-site power supply was connected Sunday afternoon, according to OPPD.[2]
...
...In this case there was not any lengthy electrical outage as the power was diverted immediately to working backup generators and reconnected promptly from the outside. Unfortunately, at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant once battery backup systems were exhausted, the diesel generators had been damaged and made non-functional by the tsunami. No external power was able to be brought in to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant until the cores had already melted.
Some sort of machinery came in contact with the berm, puncturing it and causing the berm to deflate, said Mike Jones, a spokesman for the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), which owns the Fort Calhoun plant.[3]
...
For further reading: another article from CNBC, or this article from Omaha World Herald.
Sources:
[1] Flood berm collapsed at Nebraska nuclear plant, AP via Action 3 News
[2] Flood berm collapses at Nebraska nuclear plant, AP via Victoria Advocate
[3] Flood berm bursts at Nebraska nuclear plant, CNN news wire
6/26/2011 TEPCO ready to try again with water decontamination system
Source: Japan Today
Date: Jun. 27, 2011 - 05:29AM JST
TOKYO — Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Sunday that it plans to start full-scale operations of its system to decontaminate highly radioactive water at its stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex on Monday.
The system has been experiencing a number of glitches since last week. TEPCO said it had replaced the chemicals in the absorption equipment and made the necessary repairs.
Goshi Hosono, director of the government’s nuclear crisis task force, said the system has met operational requirements and had decontaminated nearly 5,000 tons of tainted water in test runs on Saturday.
Workers have cooled the reactors and spent fuel by pumping in fresh water, which becomes contaminated with radiation. About 110,000 tons of tainted water have accumulated, and it could start overflowing in early July unless workers get a trouble-plagued water treatment system working properly.
The system became fully operational a week ago but shut down after a few hours when one of the radiation absorbing cartridges reached its limit much more quickly than expected.
Hosono told NHK that one problem is that heavy rain due to the rainy season might increase the amount of contaminated water.
Date: Jun. 27, 2011 - 05:29AM JST
TOKYO — Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Sunday that it plans to start full-scale operations of its system to decontaminate highly radioactive water at its stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex on Monday.
The system has been experiencing a number of glitches since last week. TEPCO said it had replaced the chemicals in the absorption equipment and made the necessary repairs.
Goshi Hosono, director of the government’s nuclear crisis task force, said the system has met operational requirements and had decontaminated nearly 5,000 tons of tainted water in test runs on Saturday.
Workers have cooled the reactors and spent fuel by pumping in fresh water, which becomes contaminated with radiation. About 110,000 tons of tainted water have accumulated, and it could start overflowing in early July unless workers get a trouble-plagued water treatment system working properly.
The system became fully operational a week ago but shut down after a few hours when one of the radiation absorbing cartridges reached its limit much more quickly than expected.
Hosono told NHK that one problem is that heavy rain due to the rainy season might increase the amount of contaminated water.
6/25/2011 Radiation measured in the waters and air (Fukushima Plant)
Source: NHK Science and Culture
Date: 6/25/2011
Radiation measured in the waters and air near the No.1 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Source: Tokyo Electric Power Co. TEPCO)
In the event the seawater contains more than two nuclides, the density of each nuclide is scaled against its allowable limit. Thereafter the sum of the scaled densities of all nuclides is gauged against 1.
Let's assume the scaled density of I-131 is 0.20 times the limit and that of Cs-134 is 0.70 times the limit and that of Cs-137 is 0.60 times the limit, for example. In this case, the sum of the scaled densities of I-131 and Cs-134 and Cs-137 becomes 1.50 times the limit. This means the radioactive material in the seawater exceeds the allowable limit.
Date: 6/25/2011
Radiation measured in the waters and air near the No.1 Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Source: Tokyo Electric Power Co. TEPCO)
| MAP http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/genpatsu-fukushima/houshasen/index2.html |
| 【No.1 Plant : Radioactive substances detected in the waters 】 |
【A】 From samples collected 30 meters north of the outlets of the Unit 5-6 at 09:25 June 24. |
| Iodine 131: ND (--- times the limit) |
| Cesium 134: 0.023 Bq/cc (0.38 times the limit) |
| Cesium 137: 0.020 Bq/cc (0.22 times the limit) |
| 【B】 From samples collected 330 meters south of the outlets of the Unit 1-4 at 09:10 June 24. |
| Iodine 131: ND (--- times the limit) |
| Cesium 134: 0.019 Bq/cc (0.32 times the limit) |
| Cesium 137: 0.025 Bq/cc (0.28 times the limit) |
| 【No.2 Plant : Radioactive substances detected in the waters 】 |
【C】 From samples collected near the outlets of the Unit 3-4 at 08:30 June 24. 10km south of the No.1 Plant |
| Iodine 131: ND (--- times the limit) |
| Cesium 134: ND (--- times the limit) |
| Cesium 137: ND (--- times the limit) |
| 【D】 From samples collected 7km south of the outlets of the Unit 1-2 at 08:00 June 24. 16km south of the No.1 Plant |
| Iodine 131: ND (--- times the limit) |
| Cesium 134: ND (--- times the limit) |
| Cesium 137: ND (--- times the limit) |
| the limit : the limit set for water outside the environmental monitoring area |
| 【No.1 Plant : Air dose 】 |
| ▼southern side of The main office: 500 meters north-west of the Unit 2 . |
| 342 μSv/h Time:09:00 June 25,2011 Winds: south-southeasterly 1.5 m/s |
| ▼the Main Gate : 1,000 meters west of the Unit 2 . |
| 27.8μSv/h Time:09:00 June 25, 2011 Winds:south-southeasterly 1.5 m/s |
| There was no neutron dose detected. |
In the event the seawater contains more than two nuclides, the density of each nuclide is scaled against its allowable limit. Thereafter the sum of the scaled densities of all nuclides is gauged against 1.
Let's assume the scaled density of I-131 is 0.20 times the limit and that of Cs-134 is 0.70 times the limit and that of Cs-137 is 0.60 times the limit, for example. In this case, the sum of the scaled densities of I-131 and Cs-134 and Cs-137 becomes 1.50 times the limit. This means the radioactive material in the seawater exceeds the allowable limit.
6/26/2011 TEPCO failed to report possible hydrogen explosion
Source: Asahi.com
Date: 6/26/2011
Date: 6/26/2011
 Smoke rises from the No. 3 reactor at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant which exploded in March. (Asahi Shimbun) | Tokyo Electric Power Co. knew there could be an explosion at the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant the day before it happened, but didn't report the possibility to authorities. The failure to notify the central and local governments was revealed in reports submitted by TEPCO to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The reports were made available on NISA's website June 24. ... Read full article here |
6/24/2011 Fukushima Meltdown Mitigation Aims to Prevent Radioactive Flood
Source: Scientific American
Date: June 24, 2011
by: David Biello
Three months after its meltdown, the stricken nuclear power plant continues to struggle to cool its nuclear fuel--and cope with growing amounts of radioactive cooling water
Date: June 24, 2011
by: David Biello
Three months after its meltdown, the stricken nuclear power plant continues to struggle to cool its nuclear fuel--and cope with growing amounts of radioactive cooling water
| More than three months after a powerful earthquake and 14-meter-high tsunami struck Japan, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains flooded with a salty mix of ocean and fresh water that is contaminated with the radioactive residue of three reactors and four spent fuel pools' worth of nuclear fuel. Every day an additional 500 metric tons of seawater is poured onto the still hot nuclear fuel in the stricken reactors and fuel pools. More than 100,000 metric tons of such water now sits in the basement and trenches of the reactors—or evaporates inside the hot reactor buildings, making for a radioactive onsen (hot bath). ... Read full article here |   HOLDING TANKS: Tanks hold some of the radioactive water overflowing from cooling efforts at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Image: Courtesy of TEPCO |
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Nuclear Reactor Design Chosen - Not Because It Was Safe - But Because It Worked On Navy Submarines
Source: Washington's Blog
Date: Monday, June 20, 2011
Virtually all of the nuclear reactors in the U.S. are of the same archaic design as those at Fukushima (Indeed, MSNBC notes that there are 23 U.S. reactors which are more or less identical to those at Fukushima.)
Called "light-water reactors", this design was not chosen for safety reasons. Rather, it was chosen because it worked in Navy submarines.
...
Read full article here
Date: Monday, June 20, 2011
Virtually all of the nuclear reactors in the U.S. are of the same archaic design as those at Fukushima (Indeed, MSNBC notes that there are 23 U.S. reactors which are more or less identical to those at Fukushima.)
Called "light-water reactors", this design was not chosen for safety reasons. Rather, it was chosen because it worked in Navy submarines.
...
Read full article here
6/24/2011 | RPT-SPECIAL REPORT: Japan's 'throwaway' nuclear workers
Source: Reuters
Date: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:43am BST
by: Kevin Krolicki and Chisa Fujioka
(Reuters) - A decade and a half before it blew apart in a hydrogen blast that punctuated the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant was the scene of an earlier safety crisis.
...
Read full article here
Date: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:43am BST
by: Kevin Krolicki and Chisa Fujioka
(Reuters) - A decade and a half before it blew apart in a hydrogen blast that punctuated the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant was the scene of an earlier safety crisis.
...
Read full article here
6/24/2011 | Nuclear experts killed in Russia plane crash helped design Iran facility
Source: HAARETZ.com
Date: 11:33 23.06.11
by: Amir Oren
The five Russian scientists were among 44 killed earlier this week; no official investigation of foul play has been opened, though Iranian nuclear experts have in the past been involved in similar accidents.
...
Read full article here
Date: 11:33 23.06.11
by: Amir Oren
The five Russian scientists were among 44 killed earlier this week; no official investigation of foul play has been opened, though Iranian nuclear experts have in the past been involved in similar accidents.
...
Read full article here
Friday, June 24, 2011
6/24/2011 | Dutchsinse (YouTube activist) drives to Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station to measure the environmental radiation personally
Source: Dutchsinse YouTube channel
Date: 6/24/2011
To investigate for himself if rumors of a meltdown at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station are true or not, Dutchsinse has traveled to within several blocks of the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant and taken direct independent measurements with his own Geiger counter of the environment. The verdict is...
The drive in to nuclear power plant:
Reading #1 North tip of nuclear plant 48.4 CPM:
Reading #2 South edge of nuclear plant 61.4 CPM:
Reading #3 East edge of nuclear plant 48.6 CPM:
No meltdown! Environmental levels normal.
However, both Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station and Cooper Nuclear Station (in addition to Missouri river water levels) should be watched closely, in the event of an unexpected (or series of unexpected) levee or dam breaks.
Date: 6/24/2011
To investigate for himself if rumors of a meltdown at Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station are true or not, Dutchsinse has traveled to within several blocks of the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant and taken direct independent measurements with his own Geiger counter of the environment. The verdict is...
The drive in to nuclear power plant:
Reading #1 North tip of nuclear plant 48.4 CPM:
Reading #2 South edge of nuclear plant 61.4 CPM:
Reading #3 East edge of nuclear plant 48.6 CPM:
No meltdown! Environmental levels normal.
However, both Fort Calhoun Nuclear Generating Station and Cooper Nuclear Station (in addition to Missouri river water levels) should be watched closely, in the event of an unexpected (or series of unexpected) levee or dam breaks.
6/23/2011 | City in Chiba Prefecture sets independent radiation dose standard for children
Source: The Mainichi Daily News
Date: 6/23/2011
NODA, Chiba -- The municipal government here independently set a 1.0 millisievert maximum annual radiation dose for children, and will take anti-exposure measures should doses at schools in the city exceed that figure, it was announced on June 22.
...
Read full article here
Editor's Comment: It is refreshing to see local governments sticking up for the people, in trying to keep the old 1 millisievert/year safety rule for children. 20 millisieverts/year as an arbitrary standard is ridiculous. An important benchmark to watch hourly Geiger counters against is 1 millisievert/365/24 or .1142 microsieverts/hour. Note that children are three times more susceptible to radiation effects than adults.
Date: 6/23/2011
NODA, Chiba -- The municipal government here independently set a 1.0 millisievert maximum annual radiation dose for children, and will take anti-exposure measures should doses at schools in the city exceed that figure, it was announced on June 22.
...
Read full article here
Editor's Comment: It is refreshing to see local governments sticking up for the people, in trying to keep the old 1 millisievert/year safety rule for children. 20 millisieverts/year as an arbitrary standard is ridiculous. An important benchmark to watch hourly Geiger counters against is 1 millisievert/365/24 or .1142 microsieverts/hour. Note that children are three times more susceptible to radiation effects than adults.
6/24/2011 | Sunflowers to clean radioactive soil in Japan
Source: AFP
Date: 6/24/1970
TOKYO — Campaigners in Japan are asking people to grow sunflowers, said to help decontaminate radioactive soil, in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed March's massive quake and tsunami.
...
Read full article here
Date: 6/24/1970
TOKYO — Campaigners in Japan are asking people to grow sunflowers, said to help decontaminate radioactive soil, in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed March's massive quake and tsunami.
...
Read full article here
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