Is it some kind of nutjob talking or it makes some sense (for me- none)?:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ar-crisis.html
Btw, this morning there was one more mid-size quake in Fukushima (5.6M). Felt here in Tokyo too but no reports on damages or somesuch.
Ann Coulter is always a nutjob. Her shtick is to say things that are as controversial as possible to get media coverage, usually in aid of hyping her books, and scoring speaking engagements. However, she is often a bellwether of how things are going in the US Republican party. Since O'Reilly did not seem to be buying in particularly, probably not this time.
It is of course true that radiation, and exposure to radioative materials, has killed people, particularly in large doses. Coulter should not be making light of it.
But it is also true that nuclear medicine has cured people as well (including me-I had radiation therapy for cancer back in 2000).
She is correct that a number of medical investigations have shown that people exposed to small amounts of radiation are healthier than the control group.
The Google search you would want to do is for either Radiation Hormesis or homeostasis. There are a number of links to the medical literature (in peer reviewed journals) at the bottom of this Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hormesis
Here's one, picked at random:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...tool=pmcentrez
The flip side of this research is that whether you believe it or not, it makes it very clear that the Linear No Threshold theory, despite being the accepted wisdom, is very difficult to support at low doses-especially when the control group persists in being less healthy than the exposed group.
Arguments are made to support the Linear No Threshold Theory over the Hormesis Theory that the exposed people (airplane stewardesses and pilots, radiation workers at Chernobyl in the lower dose group, residents of Colorado, etc) are somehow intrinsically better/healthier than other people in ways that hide the effects of radiation, but it is a dubious case to make in my opinion. There is a lot of hand waving involved.
But I would say the hormesis thing is dubious,too, but it does make a good case for the "no effect at low dose" hypothesis.
The Linear No Threshold theory took a hit this month when letters were revealed that the Nobel prize winner for the basis of Linear No Threshold, Hermann Muller lied about his data, and discussed the lying in letters to other scientists. His motivation for lying was that he wanted to stop atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, but that lie is the basis of our entire view of radiation toxicology these days, from a US regulatory standpoint.
Here's the University of Massachusetts article on it:
http://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/news...les/136706.php
Last edited by dorispulaski; 10-10-2011 at 07:13 AM.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=8vZR0Rq1Rfw
The tsunami, filmed from the grounds of a high school-a river of houses, cars, and buring objects, with people fleeing.
We should remember what horrific damage occurred, today, seven months since the disaster, especially because most of today's stories are about rebuilding and recovering.
NHK NEWS
IAEA team continues observing decontamination
Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency have observed the Japanese government's experimental decontamination of a farm in Iitate Village. The land is in Fukushima Prefecture, inside the government-designated evacuation zone.
The 12 experts on the IAEA team arrived in Fukushima on Sunday to give advice about effective methods to clear away radioactive substances.
They visited a rice paddy on Monday where the experimental decontamination is being carried out.
Government officials explained radiation levels were reduced by 75 percent per kilogram of soil after workers removed 4 centimeters of top soil. They also said the dose of radiation in unpolished rice was about 0.1 percent of that of soil.
IAEA experts say these radiation levels are low and pose no problem.
They also inspected a site that uses 400 degree Celsius heat to process plants containing radioactive substances.
Government officials said they contained radioactive cesium within the plants when they converted them into charcoal. They said this method could help reduce the weight of plants.
An IAEA member said it would be necessary to work out a plan to effectively burn massive amounts of plants.
The IAEA experts are meeting Fukushima Governor Yuhei Sato on Tuesday, their last day in the prefecture.
Monday, October 10, 2011 22:18 +0900 (JST)
Decontamination plan compiled
The Japanese Environment Ministry has come up with a revised plan to clear away radioactive substances from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
It announced details on Monday at a meeting of a panel of experts.
Ministry officials say decontamination will be carried out in areas where radiation levels are higher than 1 millisievert per year.
The ministry revised an earlier plan to only decontaminate places with more than 5 millisieverts per year. Municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture that have areas with less than 5 millisieverts argued they should be included in the cleanup.
The government will be responsible for the decontamination of no-entry zones and government-designated evacuation zones. Local governments will clean up the rest of the affected areas.
Areas with radiation levels higher than 20 millisieverts per year will be reduced stage by stage as soon as possible.
In areas with less than 20 millisieverts per year, radiation levels recorded at the end of August will be cut up to 60 per cent in the next 2 years.
Environment Ministry officials say the government will help prefectures that have a massive amount of radioactive waste.
The ministry's decontamination plan will be further discussed within the government before being adopted by the Cabinet as the basic national plan.
Monday, October 10, 2011 22:04 +0900 (JST)The death toll listed does not include the missing.Seven months since the disaster
It's been seven months since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
In the hardest hit prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, 2,231 people are still living in 205 shelters, but more and more people are moving into temporary housings.
Police say the death toll as of October 7th stood at 15,761.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 07:20 +0900 (JST)
The next two stories are about people who lost their homes due to the earthquake and tsunami, not the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. It is nice to hear that they are beginning to have homes to go to.
If you remember, some of the Onagawa residents were sheltered in the Onagawa nuclear plant, at least early on.[b]All shelters closing in hard-hit Ishinomaki[/b\
Officials in the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture are closing the last remaining shelters for survivors of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. Residents and volunteers have renewed their vow to rebuild their community.
About 50 of them gathered on Monday at one of the last remaining evacuation centers. All shelters will be closed on Tuesday because city authorities have finished building temporary housing units.
The survivors presented letters of gratitude and flowers to the volunteers who helped run the shelter. Some of them performed a traditional lion dance.
They also shared memories of the 7 months they spent at the evacuation center.
One man in his 60s said he will be sad to be separated from other survivors because they supported each other. He said he will hold onto the memory of the shelter and move forward. He also vowed to make a fresh start and return to where he used to live.
Ishinomaki is one of the areas in Japan's northeast that was hit hardest by the earthquake and tsunami. About 50,000 people were staying at the city's 250 evacuation centers at one point.
Monday, October 10, 2011 22:04 +0900 (JST)
I hope the Iwate prefecture Yagisawa soy sauce company that we heard about early in the disaster will be included! At least for shipping five years from now.Onagawa residents move into temporary housing
Residents in the disaster-hit Onagawa Town in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, began moving into new temporary housing on Monday.
About 220 Onagawa residents are still living in shelters.
Architect Shigeru Ban designed 2- and 3-storey temporary houses made from shipping containers. The town built 189 new residences on a baseball field.
Onagawa is surrounded by mountains and has limited space for construction. Teiji Kobayashi from the Onagawa office in charge of the town's reconstruction said it was difficult to secure land. He also said that the multi-storey housing would attract attention and cheer up those who live there.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 03:37 +0900 (JST)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...nation-tsunami
Oddly enough, although motorcycles get better mileage than cars, their exhausts are not as well filtered, so they emit more smog-producing gases than cars.Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) reaches out to disaster-affected firms
Japan's government-related trade promotion group is going to organize fairs in China to help small firms recover from the March 11th disaster.
The Japan External Trade Organization says it will hold events in mid-October in Shanghai and Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
21 companies from 7 prefectures will exhibit their general merchandise, along with traditional crafts such as iron kettles and lacquer ware.
JETRO officials will advise the businesses on promoting their products in China.
Small companies in Japan's disaster-hit areas are gradually resuming production. They face a number of hurdles, including a lack of business partners.
JETRO says overseas demand for Japanese daily goods and crafts is growing because of their high quality and safety standards.
Monday, October 10, 2011 22:04 +0900 (JST)
http://articles.latimes.com/1990-11-...na-canyon-road
Japan's motorcycle fleet is increasing in size, apparently because they can nimbly skirt traffic jams, especially in emergencies.
Japan commits more money to natural gas & fracking in the US, a consequence of its changes in energy policy.Motorcycle sales pick up pace since March disaster
Motorcycle sales in Japan are projected to post their first increase in 6 years in response to growing demand for emergency transportation.
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association says sales between January and September were up 5.8 percent from a year earlier.
It says sales made a noticeable jump after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in both disaster-hit regions and the greater Tokyo area.
The manager of a motorcycle shop in central Tokyo says people who experienced severe traffic disruptions after the disaster are buying 2-wheelers to prepare for emergencies.
A motorcycle industry group says it will ask local governments to open more parking lots for motorbikes. It also plans to start a service to enable riders to use their mobile phones to search for parking spots.
Domestic motorcycle sales in Japan have been falling mainly because the number of young people is in decline. Annual sales in 2010 were a little over 420,000 units. That is about a quarter of the figure in 1990.
Monday, October 10, 2011 22:04 +0900 (JST)
and yes, closing nuclear plants means moving to fossil fuels, and backing away from commitments to helping to curb global warming:Support for companies to acquire US shale gas
The Japanese government has decided to subsidize private sector investment in shale gas fields in the United States.
Shale gas is a natural resource found at a deeper stratum than conventional natural gas.
Recent improvements in drilling technology have made it possible to extract the gas.
The US is the first country to begin commercial shale gas production. The country is scheduled to begin exports by 2015.
Japan's economy and industry ministry says it wants to introduce shale gas as fuel for thermal power plants.
The focus on thermal power in Japan grew after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The government intends to financially assist Japanese companies with up to half of the cost needed to buy interests in the gas fields.
The ministry requested about 520 million dollars for the scheme in the next fiscal year's budget.
The economy and industry ministry says the new trade will help Japan to diversify its resource acquisition.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 02:08 +0900 (JST)
EU conditionally backs Kyoto Protocol extension, but Japan does not
The European Union has decided to sign up to an extension of the Kyoto Protocol on global warming on the condition that major carbon emitters also commit to the pact.
The decision came at a meeting of EU environment ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.
The ministers outlined the bloc's basic policy on global warming ahead of the UN climate change conference, or COP 17, which starts in late November in the South African city of Durban.
EU Environment Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, who heads the EU delegation to the UN meeting, told reporters that member states have agreed to sign up to a second period of the Kyoto Protocol as long as major carbon producers, including China and the United States, indicate when they will take part.
The first period of the protocol expires at the end of next year.
Japan has refused to back the extension as it only obliges advanced economies to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
Developing countries are calling for its extension.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 07:38 +0900 (JST)
Thanks, Doris. Good to know.
TEPCO REPORTS FOR October 11th and 12th:
1300 becquerels per kg of cesium 137 in sea soil 3 km off Soma City.DAIICHI
* At 1:45 pm on October 11, we started sampling dust at the upper part of Unit 3 Reactor Building using a large crane vehicle and finished sampling at 3:17 pm on the same day.
* At 8:41 am on October 12, we started sampling dust at the upper part of Unit 3 Reactor Building using a large crane vehicle.
*Due to the blocking work of opening section on the basement of Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Miscellaneous Solid Waste Volume Reduction Treatment Building [High Temperature Incinerator Building]), we stopped transferring accumulated water from the basement of turbine building of Unit 2 (at 9:07 am on October 12) and Unit 3 (at 1:16 pm on the same day) to High Temperature Incinerator Building.
*At 10:00 am on October 12, we started transferring accumulated water at basement of Unit 6 turbine building to temporary tank.
*At 2:17 pm on October 12, we started sampling dust at Opening section for equipment hatch and truck bay door of Unit 1 Reactor Building.
* At 1:45 pm on Oct 11, we started sampling dust at the upper part of Unit 3 Reactor Building using a large crane vehicle.
DAINI
The replacement work of Monitoring post No.6 Among monitoring posts (No.1-7), which are installed at the boundary of the plant site, we are working the replace of No.6 monitoring post from today to Oct 21. We start the replacement work of No.6, which did cover water by the tsunami with the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyou-Oki Earthquake which occurred on March 11 2011 but keeping the soundness of the apparatus and continuing the measurement, for the purpose of the preventive measure. In the period of working, although it is impossible to measure radiation dose in the air at inspected monitoring posts, we will continue monitoring and confirming data from remaining 6 ones. Working dates might be changed due to weather.
NHK NEWS
Did I say someone would make money? Here's one bright operation. If you're worried, you can get things checked out.
What do you want to bet that this is the start of a franchise?Radiation checking facility opens
A facility that allows consumers to check radiation levels of food and other items has opened near Tokyo.
On Tuesday, about 20 people including housewives brought rice, water and vegetables to the facility in Kashiwa City. The facility was started by a computer software firm owner.
Kashiwa is about 200 kilometers from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Radiation levels higher than those in surrounding areas have been detected in the air in the city.
The customers received explanations from staff members while using radiation counters. Results were shown in about 20 minutes.
A woman in her 40s said she checked rice because she's worried about her child, and that she was relieved because no radioactive substances were detected.
The facility charges about 13 dollars per use of a counter that can detect more than 20 becquerels per kilogram, and about 50 dollars per measurement to an accuracy of over 10 becquerels. The prices are lower than those of other test facilities.
The owner plans to increase the number of counters from the current 6 to 8.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 20:52 +0900 (JST)
This is a good idea. A bad idea is leaving stuff where it is, since it will then collect in ditches and such. I presume they have coveralls, power washers, containers and such? If anyone knows, I'd like to hear?
The Tokai reactor is a Boiling Water ReactorDecontamination center opens in Date City
A public support center for residents seeking to remove radioactive material on their own has opened in Date City, Fukushima Prefecture.
Date is located about 60 kilometers northwest from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, but radiation levels remain high in some parts of the city. Officials therefore plan to decontaminate the entire city.
At an opening ceremony for the center on Tuesday, Mayor Shoji Nishida said that the center will offer technological support to residents who want to clear their neighborhood of radiation as soon as possible.
The center is staffed by municipal employees and 2 workers from a company that specializes in decontaminating nuclear facilities.
The staffers measure radiation levels, lend equipment for free, and give advice on how to remove radioactive material and ensure safety during the work.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 19:13 +0900 (JST)
By and large, the rice is OK.Tokai mayor wants nuclear reactor decommissioned
The mayor of Tokai Village, north of Tokyo, has called on the government to decommission a nuclear reactor at a local power plant.
Tatsuya Murakami met the minister in charge of the nuclear crisis, Goshi Hosono, in Tokyo on Tuesday to discuss the Tokai Daini plant, located about 110 kilometers from Tokyo.
The plant of the Japan Atomic Power Company automatically shut down after the March 11th earthquake, and has since been undergoing regular inspections.
The mayor told Hosono that one million people live within 30 kilometers of the facility.
Murakami said the reactor is more than 30 years old, and that the public has lost confidence in the government's nuclear safety body. He said he cannot consent to a resumption of the plant's operations.
Hosono responded that he will consider the mayor's valuable suggestion.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 19:13 +0900 (JST)
Since the rice is good, the sake is too. Sake has a rice base.All rice in Fukushima Pref. cleared for shipment
All rice harvested in Fukushima Prefecture this year has been cleared for shipment, with levels of radioactive material below the government set standard.
The results of final post-harvest tests at 37 locations in Nihonmatsu City and Miharu Town were released on Wednesday. Levels of radioactive material at all sites were below the government set limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram.
After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March, the prefecture carried out pre- and post-harvest tests at more than 1,700 locations in 48 municipalities where rice was planted this year.
Rice planting has not been allowed in the no-entry zone and evacuation zone around the facility and where more than 5,000 becquerels of cesium was detected in soil.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 18:02 +0900 (JST)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake
Japanese sake tested for radiation
Japan's tax officials have conducted preliminary radiation checks on sake and other alcoholic beverages in the wake of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The National Tax Agency conducted a trial test on Wednesday ahead of extensive assessment. The agency will conduct tests of all breweries and factories located within 150 kilometers of the troubled plant. Brewing facilities outside the radius will also be randomly tested.
Checks will investigate if either water used for brewing or alcoholic products have radioactive materials. At the trial on Wednesday a testing apparatus called a survey meter for measuring radiation was used. The officials poured sake and wine to the equipment and recorded the results.
The officials say they only detected normal levels of background radiation.
The agency says that if high levels of radioactive materials are detected, it will send samples to a government-backed alcoholic research institute in Hiroshima, western Japan for detailed analysis.
If radioactive materials above the government-set limit are detected in the analysis, the agency will notify related prefectures and ask them to take necessary measures, including banning shipments.
The agency plans to carry out the tests at 6 of its regional tax bureaus as early as next week.
The agency will release all test results on its website.
Rice and barley, the main ingredients for the alcoholic beverages, have already been tested for radiation.
The agency hopes the testing will put consumers at ease.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 18:43 +0900 (JST)The Japan Times has a longer story on this, but when it comes down to it, no more information, except that:Yokohama tests soil for radioactive strontium
Officials in Yokohama City are testing soil for radioactive strontium following a report from a local resident in September that the substance had been detected in sediment on the roof of an apartment building.
In September, radioactive cesium more than 80 times the government-set limit of 500 becquerels per kilogram was found in sediment collected from roadside ditches in Yokohama City, which is near Tokyo.
The city later removed sediment from the area.
But the city decided to retest the sample for radioactive strontium due to the request of a local resident.
The resident said a private testing institution had detected 195 becquerels of strontium per kilogram -- more than 6 times the government safety limit -- in the rooftop sample.
The science ministry says radioactive strontium can accumulate in bones if inhaled and that it poses a cancer risk.
The ministry added that it has found strontium in the soil in Fukushima Prefecture, site of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. But the agency says it has conducted few checks for the substance outside the prefecture because the amounts detected in Fukushima Prefecture were very small.
Yokohama is located about 250 kilometers from the Fukushima plant.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 19:28 +0900 (JST)
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0111012x3.html
The hedging of the MECSST might have something to do with the somewhat dubious nature of an unnamed testing agency and an unnamed person who supplied the sample, with no verification that it came from Yokohama, even."Radioactive substances tend to accumulate in sediment and so we still don't know whether the substance found in this test came from the nuclear accident," said an official of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
...
After learning about the findings, the Yokohama Municipal Government started investigating soil samples collected from areas near the building, the officials said. Meanwhile, the science ministry said it is still uncertain whether the strontium came from Fukushima No. 1. Clearly, more stuff in Yokohama should be measured, though, if only to verify or not verify this report.
You should be aware that it takes about a month to get results from a strontium analysis, one reason that we do not see a lot of them.
However, whatever checks the ministry has made for strontium in Fukushima prefecture, other than on the site of the nuclear plant, are not particularly well publicized. There about 2 measurements made in Namie town and one in Iitate that I saw, from back in April. Everything else has been from TEPCO on the plant site or in the inner harbor at Fukushima Daiichi.
The Mainichi Daily News has a similar article.
To see how this works out, in Iitate in March (reported in April), 32 becquerels per kg of strontium 90 were found in a sample that had 51,000 becquerels of cesium 137. cesium = 1500 x strontium
In Namie, 9.4 becquerels per kg of strontium 90 were found in a sample that had 19,000 becquerels per kg of cesium 137.
cesium = 2000 x strontium
At another site in Namie, 3.3 becquerels per kg of strontium 90 were found in a sample that had 2,300 becquerels per kg of cesium 137.
cesium = 700 x strontium.
At the plant itself (August samples reported in September):
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp...1100612-e.html
140 becquerels per kg of strontium 90 in a soil sample at the playground where cesium 150,000 becquerels per kg.
cesium = 1000*strontium
6.8 becquerels per kg of strontium 90 in a soil sample from the forest of wild birds where cesium 137 is 3,400 becquerels per kg.
cesium = 500*strontium
420 becquerels per kg of strontium 90 in a soil sample taken from near the waste facility where cesium 137 is 1,100,000 becquerels per kg.
cesium = 2,600*strontium
So at the least we should expect in this collection of sludge on the roof that cesium in the sample = 500*200 = 100,000 becquerels per kg to be in line with the distribution of materials coming from the plant. At most, it would be 200*2000, or 400,000 becquerels per kg. These are crazy numbers. And in fact, the unknown roof is supposed to have 80*500 or 40,000 becquerels per kg, but that still is not there.
So what does not compute is the ratio of the cesium to the strontium. And the concentrations are huge.
My advice is to buy your own dosimeter to check out your own area.
This would need to be done as part of reviewing Japan's energy policy. Furthermore, it is after an accident that one has a better idea of the cost of an accident.Daycare center near Fukushima plant reopens
A daycare center some 20 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has reopened for the first time since the accident there in March.
18 children aged 2 months to 5 years arrived with their parents at the center in Minami Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, on Tuesday.
The facility decided to reopen when the Japanese government lifted its evacuation advisory for the city on September 30th.
Before reopening, the center reportedly took decontamination measures such as removing topsoil from its playground.
The head of the center said parents are understandably worried about the effects of radiation, so he wants to continue efforts to ensure the children's safety.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 16:37 +0900 (JST)
And in eastern Europe, the fear of Russian manipulation of energy supply is greater than the fear of a nuclear accident still:Govt reviews nuclear power generation costs
Japan's Atomic Energy Commission is creating a new estimate of the cost of nuclear power as part of a review of the country's nuclear policy.
For the first time, it will take into account the cost of compensation for possible nuclear accidents.
The review of Japan's policy on nuclear power use, research and development had been suspended after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March. It resumed last month.
A subcommittee tasked with calculating the cost of nuclear power was set up by the commission on Tuesday.
Acting commission head Tatsujiro Suzuki said it will be the first cost assessment since the Fukushima accident, and will gain attention both at home and abroad.
He said he hopes to conduct an objective estimate in which the data as well as premises and procedures of the calculation are transparent.
The subcommittee will calculate the cost of recycling spent nuclear fuel by extracting plutonium, a main pillar of the current nuclear policy. It will estimate the cost of discarding it as waste as well.
It will also debate how far to include the costs of compensation, decontamination and reactor decommissioning after nuclear accidents.
While the commission plans to release its overall cost estimates by March, projections for the costs of accidents will be submitted to a government panel now reviewing Japan's energy policy before the end of this month.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 12:55 +0900 (JST)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english201..._131179985.htm
I'm not sure why NHK likes this article, but I'm good with it.BUDAPEST, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Presidents of four Central European countries, known as the Visegrad Four (V4), on Saturday stressed the irreplaceable role of nuclear power in securing energy supply, while meeting in Hungary's northern city of Visegrad.In the summit to mark the 20th anniversary of the group, Presidents Pal Schmitt of of Hungary, Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic, Bronislaw Komorowski of Poland and Ivan Gasparovic of Slovakia attended the double plenary session which focusedprimarily on economic issues.
One issue that the four presidents agreed on in full was the need for a secure energy supply. They agreed that the region currently had no alternative to nuclear power, according to remarks by Schmitt at a joint press conference
I have two nice pumpkins and I will be carving them on about the 25th for Halloween.773-kilogram pumpkin wins Halloween contest in US
A 773-kilogram pumpkin has won a Halloween pumpkin weighing contest in the US state of California.
Pumpkins are used to carve decorations for the traditional event observed on October 31st.
The annual pumpkin weighing contest was held on Monday.
The winner, grown in northern California, is the second heaviest pumpkin in the world. Last year, a pumpkin from another state set the record at 821 kilograms.
The man who grew this year's winning pumpkin received about 11,000 dollars in prize money.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 20:35 +0900 (JST)
Last edited by dorispulaski; 10-12-2011 at 01:58 PM.
If the sake is okay, I have hopes for the tea.
Thanks for the new info, Doris!
Tea is probably OK, but don't eat the shiitake mushrooms!
TEPCO STATUS October 13th, 3:00 PM JST
In the north and south discharge channels, soil from the ocean bottom has 2,200 to 2,300 becquerels of Cesium 137.*At 9:42 am on October 13, we stopped the residual heat removal system (A) in order to check operation of residual heat removal system temporary pump (B) of Unit 6. We started the residual heat removal system (B) at 9:54 am on the same day. After completion of the check, we stopped the residual heat removal system (B) at 10:07 am, and restarted residual heat removal system (A) at 10:17 am. *From 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on October 13, we conducted sampling of dusts at the openings (blow out panel) of reactor building of Unit 2.
*At 1:16 pm on October 12, in order to conduct a blocking work of opening section on the basement of Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Miscellaneous Solid Waste Volume Reduction Treatment Building [High Temperature Incinerator Building]), we stopped transferring accumulated water from the basement of turbine building of Unit 3 to High Temperature Incinerator Building. At 2:02 pm on October 13, we restarted transferring.
*At 9:07 am on October 12, in order to conduct a blocking work of opening section on the basement of Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility (Miscellaneous Solid Waste Volume Reduction Treatment Building [High Temperature Incinerator Building]), we stopped transferring accumulated water from the basement of Unit 2 turbine building to High Temperature Incinerator Building. At 2:17 pm on October 13, we restarted transferring from the basement of Unit 2 turbine building to the Centralized Waste Treatment Facility (Process Main Building).
At 2:17 pm on October 13, we started transferring accumulated water from the basement of underground floor in turbine building of Unit 2 to Process Main Building of Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility. - At 2:02 pm on October 13, we started transferring accumulated water from the basement of underground floor in turbine building of Unit 3 to High Temperature Incinerator Building of Centralized Radiation Waste Treatment Facility.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp.../111013e11.pdf
Woops.High radiation in Setagaya, Tokyo residential area, cause unknown
A sidewalk in Setagaya ward, in the western part of Tokyo, has shown a radiation level of 2.707 microsieverts per hour, much higher than other areas in the same ward.
Setagaya ward put the 10-meter by 1-meter area on the roadside off limits, as elementary school children walk by on their way to and from a nearby elementary school.
The ward tried to decontaminate the spot earlier this month by using a high-pressure washer, but it only brought down the highest radiation reading by about 0.1 microsieverts per hour.
The ward is consulting experts to figure out what to do about the highly contaminated area.
The radiation dose at a place with a reading of 2.7 microsieverts per hour would accumulate to 38.88 microsieverts a day, and to 14.2 millisieverts a year, in line with assumptions used by the science & technology ministry. The ministry assumes that people spend 8 hours outdoors and 16 hours indoors every day.
The exposure of 14.2 millisieverts a year is lower than the government designated evacuation level of 20 millisieverts per year.
Thursday, October 13, 2011 12:51 +0900 (JST)
[quote]
I have no idea why someone had this stuff in this storage space. The story does make a point, though. Not everything is due to Fukushima Daiichi.Setagaya radiation hotspot unrelated to Fukushima; due to hoarder
High levels of radioactivity observed in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward have been found to have nothing to do with the nuclear disaster in Fukushima.
Experts commissioned by the ward reported a level of 3.35 microsieverts per hour at a 1-by-10-meter area at a sidewalk near a residential fence on Thursday. A maximum of 2.707 microsieverts per hour had been detected in the location a week before.
Later on Thursday, the experts found what seemed to be the source of the radiation -- 3 or 4 old jars in a wooden box left in a storage space under the floor of a vacant house facing the sidewalk.
The jars were reportedly dirty and black, and measured about 8 centimeters long and about 6 centimeters wide.
The radiation level of the bottles reportedly exceeded 30 microsieverts per hour -- higher than the maximum that could be measured with the experts' devices.
After obtaining permission from the house's owner, the experts measured radiation levels on the premises.
The ward says it will take steps to eliminate the radiation while consulting the science ministry and other authorities.
Thursday, October 13, 2011 20:13 +0900 (JST)
600 microSieverts per hour is more than twice the reading outside the main office building at Fukushima Daiichi. And yet someone was carrying these jars around at some point. In fact, the famous watch dial painters here in the US licked their brushes to point them better.Radium may be cause of radiation in Setagaya
The Japanese education ministry says the high level of radiation detected in a residential area in Tokyo is likely to have come from radium 226, and has nothing to do with the nuclear disaster in Fukushima.
High levels of radiation were found at a patch of sidewalk in Setagaya Ward in Tokyo about a week ago.
Dozens of glass jars were found in a wooden box under the floor of a house facing the sidewalk by experts commissioned by the ward.
The ministry sent the experts to investigate, and a high level of radiation, 600 microsieverts per hour, was detected on the surface of the jars.
The jars contained a powder.
The experts put the glass jars in a lead box which blocks radiation and moved it away from the residential fence.
The level of radiation at the fence then dropped from around 3 microsieverts per hour to 0.1 to 0.3 microsieverts.
Analysis of the energy of the radiation revealed that the radioactive material is highly likely to be radium 226 which is used for cancer treatment and fluorescent paint.
The education ministry will investigate why the substance was there without permission.
The radioactive substance will be removed from the house on Friday and be stored in a secure place.
Friday, October 14, 2011 07:23 +0900 (JST)
Meanwhile, this from near Tokyo:
The citizens group got 5.82 microSieverts per hour. The city got 1.55 microSieverts per hour. That's a rather large discrepancy.Hot spot in Funabashi City
Funabashi City, in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, says relatively high levels of radiation have been detected at a local park.
The city said a citizens' group reported on Wednesday that the radiation levels in the park were measured at up to 5.82 microsieverts per hour.
The city conducted its own measurements at the site on Thursday, and got maximum readings of 1.55 microsieverts per hour, one centimeter above the ground.
The city removed the surface soil at the site, and plans to conduct more detailed inspections.
Separately, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said on Friday that the central government is responsible for decontamination work.
He added that the environment ministry, the science ministry, and the Cabinet Office will discuss the issue later on Friday.
Friday, October 14, 2011 13:11 +0900 (JST)
However, 1.55 microSieverts per hour is not particularly dangerous. When you measure everything, you will find areas with hot spots, including in people's granite cellars here in Connecticut, where granite outgases radon. My next door neighbor's cellar has this problem. In another article from the same day we see:
The government has written a child's primer on radiation:
So people trying to get a child's dose below 1.0 milliSievert per year the "benchmark" for radiation, should clearly not live in Japan at all. And that was before the Fukushima nuclear accident.Education ministry compiles booklets on radiation
The education ministry has published booklets designed to provide students with basic knowledge on radiation, in response to increasing calls for such materials in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear plant accident.
The ministry released the 20-page booklets on Friday. There are three versions, targeting students in elementary, junior high, and high school.
The books focus mainly on basic information on radiation, its effects on human health, and ways to protect oneself from radiation exposure.
The Fukushima accident is only referred to in the preface. The text does not mention the cause or any other details of the accident.
The book for elementary school pupils explains the unit "sievert", which measures the extent of damage the human body receives from radiation exposure.
It also explains that the average radiation exposure from Japan's natural environment is about 1.5 millisievert a year.
The booklet for junior high schools explains the difference between internal and external exposure, using charts to show how radiation exposure affects human health.
After the accident in March, parents urged schools to teach children basic facts on radiation. In responding to those requests, the ministry compiled the booklets in cooperation with experts on radioactivity and radiation exposure.
Friday, October 14, 2011 13:11 +0900 (JST)
And the government is beginning to put out the details of the reconstruction plan:
That said, mushrooms concentrate cesium. Shiitake mushrooms have yielded high results from the beginning of the nuclear accident. Note that these mushrooms were dried. That causes the concentration in the mushroom to appear higher.Govt. to outline concrete plans for reconstruction
The Japanese government will explain the details of its reconstruction plans as early as next week to local governments hit hard by the March earthquake and tsunami.
The government has included its rebuilding plans in the third fiscal 2011 supplementary budget.
But cities and towns in disaster areas are complaining that they may have to delay the crafting of their own reconstruction plans unless the central government informs them of details of its projects.
In response to their calls, the land and infrastructure ministry will hold briefings for officials of cities and towns in Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures as early as late next week.
It will explain that the central government will shoulder all the costs of its planned projects.
The ministry will scrap the ceiling on subsidies for developing residential sites on high ground, where coastal houses are to be moved to escape future tsunami. The central government will also subsidize the relocation of houses, hospitals and stores.
In addition, the state will bear the cost of a project to raise ground levels to prevent tsunami damage.
The central government will allow local governments to forcibly seize land to develop city areas for a short time. It will grant tax breaks to the owners of seized land.
The cities and towns in the disaster zone will estimate project costs and choose areas for development based on the state's guidelines.
Friday, October 14, 2011 06:54 +0900 (JST)
If a kilogram of mushrooms containing 500 becquerels of cesium is dried, you will get about 1/10 kilogram of dried mushrooms, which will still have 500 becquerels of cesium, but now per 1/10 kilogram, which comes to 5,000 becquerels per kilogram. The same thing is seen in tea. However, it is the rehydrated product that you consume. And when rehydrated, the product will have 500 becquerels per kilogram. No account of this is taken in regulations.
TEPCO has orders to prove to the government that Fukushima Daiichi is safe from further catastrophic events, and has been conducting measurements and drills to demonstrate that:Radioactive cesium found in mushrooms in Kanto
Yokohama City has stopped using dried shiitake mushrooms in school lunches after detecting 350 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in its stocks.
The city said on Thursday that it discovered the contamination during its screening of ingredients for school lunches.
Also on Thursday, 830 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium, exceeding the government's limit of 500 becquerels, was detected in shiitake mushrooms grown outdoors on logs in a city in Ibaraki Prefecture.
The city is about 170 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Earlier this week, shiitake mushrooms containing radioactive cesium above the official limit were found in 2 cities in Chiba Prefecture.
Restrictions have been imposed on shipments of mushrooms grown by the same method in these cities.
Yokohama says the radioactive cesium detected in the city was below the government's limit, but it has decided not to use dried shiitake in children's lunches for some time.
Friday, October 14, 2011 11:54 +0900 (JST)
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushi...11012_02-e.pdf
And the Unit One cover is looking nearly complete (building closest to the the TV camera)
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/f1-np/camera/index-e.html
And the highest measurement of any temperature at the three reactors is at one vent in Unit 3, which is 90.5 C. Everything else is below 90 C.
Practice drill confirms safety of Fukushima nuclear plant
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the facility could be kept safe even if its reactor-cooling system is knocked out by another huge earthquake.
Tokyo Electric Power Company conducted a drill on Wednesday based on the scenario that its pumps and tanks were damaged by a magnitude-8 quake near the plant. It was the first such drill since trouble began at the plant in March.
Reactors at the plant must receive a continuous injection of water to be kept in a state of cold shutdown, with temperatures below 100 degrees Celsius.
During the drill, about 40 workers attached a 300-meter hose to a fire truck, and pumped up seawater to inject into the reactors.
It took about an hour and 10 minutes for water to resume being injected into a mock facility after fire trucks arrived at the scene.
Tokyo Electric says water injection at the three reactors, No.1 through No. 3, could be restarted in about 3 hours.
Thursday, October 13, 2011 10:03 +0900 (JST)
And at least the Emperor is thinking about reconstruction of Tomioka town. Well that & soccer. But I am happy to hear that the mayor of Tomoioka town is pledged to it:
Autumn Imperial Garden Party
About 2,000 guests were invited on Thursday to the Autumn Imperial Garden Party, hosted by Japan's Emperor and Empress.
The party is held twice every year, in spring and autumn. But the spring event was cancelled following the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
The guests at the Akasaka Imperial Garden included Norio Sasaki, coach of the national women's soccer squad, which won its first World Cup in July, and team captain Homare Sawa.
The Emperor congratulated Sasaki on the result and said he believes the team members must have fully performed their ability.
Sasaki said the team succeeded thanks to support from the people of Japan.
The Emperor then congratulated Sawa, who wore a blue long-sleeved kimono.
He said he was surprised by one of the saves by Goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori during a penalty shootout in the final match against the United States.
Sawa replied that she thinks it was the result of daily training.
Mayor Katsuya Endo of Tomioka town in Fukushima prefecture also attended. The town's entire population was evacuated following the nuclear power plant accident nearby.
The Emperor expressed concern about radioactive contamination in the town.
Endo replied that he will do his best for the decontaminating effort so that residents can return home as soon as possible.
The Emperor said it was encouraging that people have been working together. He said he hopes good reconstruction will be done.
Friday, October 14, 2011 06:53 +0900 (JST)
Last edited by dorispulaski; 10-14-2011 at 04:29 AM.
One of the ironies of life: Japan sounds like a country with enlightened school lunches, and it turns out kids would be safer eating Hostess Twinkies than the nutritious veggies they normally get.
Well, it depends on what you think is risky.
Personally, I think they are more at risk from the twinky, particularly if they have a twinky every day, given that no kid is even going to eat an ounce of those mushrooms, and they're not in every dish. Mushrooms are the riskiest vegetable, BTW, followed by leafy green vegetables. Corn, squash, carrot, radish & cabbage are likely to be fine, for example.
http://onewspaper.com/science/enviro...arns-6334.html
Who is right? The J-government or Greenpeace? Or ...?
The article is no longer at that site, but the two cases Greenpeace cites are the park and Setagayu, as shown by the Google cache.
Setagayu was found to be a cache of radium laced material (ore? watch paint?) in jars stored in the storage area of a vacant house. The government removed it. So Greenpeace is definitely wrong about that one.
The park was measured at 5.82 microSieverts per hour by a "citizen's group" according to NHK. It was measured at 1.55 microSieverts per hour or so by the government when they went there. From the Greenpeace citation, I would guess the "citizen's group" is Greenpeace. Why their numbers vary from the government's, I can't tell you. However, if you buy a dosimeter, which you can do on Amazon, you can check it yourself. They have a wide variety of them. Notice that some are more expensive, and likely better than others.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...efix=dosimeter
However, it is reported that the government removed the top section of soil from the park, so it is difficult to find what went on there now.
It is entirely possible to get a measurement as high as 1.55 microSieverts per hour from granite ledges or localized deposits of thorium ore, radium ore, or uranium ore. All occur in nature. It would be interesting to measure the park. If it is still 1.55 microSieverts per hour, then the situation was not caused by topsoil, which is where radioactive material from Fukushima Daiichi would be.
I would find Greenpeace considerably less believable than the government, but solely because my own experience with them is that they lie, because they believe it is in a good cause. Also, because it is so easy to check, so the government is not particularly motivated to lie about this sort of stuff.
For example, the local candidate for the Green Party here in Connecticut district 2 made a huge stink claiming children's deaths due to our local nuclear plants. Unfortunately for her, she cited names. One of the names was a child who had been run over by a car. Others were children who died of diseases unrelated to radiation. The parents sued. It was clear that she had made a list of all childrens' deaths within 20 miles of the plant and credited them all to radiation.
Also in Japan there has been some deceptive practices to attempt to terrify people in Tokyo.
There is a well known anti nuclear professional expert witness, Arnie Gundersen, who went on about the concentration of radioactive material in car air filters in Tokyo. This blogger thinks Arnie made it all up. Certainly there are obvious complete non sequiturs in the story.
http://modernmarketingjapan.blogspot...s-in-cars.html
But even if Arnie didn't make it up, obviously, there is nothing that said a car was in Tokyo when it got the radioactive material in the air filter, but the implication was certainly made.
It could quite easily have been driven to Iitate Village, for example. Early in the day, what TEPCO called "campaigner's" car(s) were driven to Fukushima Daini & Fukushima Daiichi. The car could quite easily have been that car, and in fact, that is what I suspect, if the story is not a complete fabrication, like the one about the dead kids in Connecticut.
People who think they are justified to lie are difficult for me to trust.
Last edited by dorispulaski; 10-14-2011 at 10:57 AM.
I absolutely agree with you about people who believe that their cause justifies lying. Even if I agree with them in terms of the cause, it's a bad precedent, because it corrupts all of their information. The "right," whatever that is in any given situation, and the truth can never be on opposite sides. Sometimes you have to be an adult and explain that an issue is not easy. But everyone is so "gotcha" these days, in this country at least, that people figure that only the dramatic, stark, and absolute will be convincing.
They gave the info about the incident on japantimes. Looks like the government was telling the truth. At least according to the said source:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0111014x3.html
let's talk, it's interesting to see all those details. It certainly demonstrates that you can live into your 90's getting 30 milliSieverts of radiation a year. Apparently the owner has lived in the house since 1953!
Although the ministry estimated that the woman may have been exposed to about 30 millisieverts per year, no ill effects from radiation have been confirmed. The calculation was made based on an estimate that the woman had slept in a bed about 2 meters away from the bottles
With people measuring radiation everywhere, other things like this may well be found too. They were always there, but no one was running around with a geiger counter or dosimeter to see them.
However, unregistered radioactive materials are found at an average of about once a year, mostly in shuttered hospitals or abandoned offices, according to Nakaya of the science ministry.
TEPCO Status REPORT 7:00 PM JST October 15
You'd think there was nothing much going on until you peruse the press handouts and photos for press use. Instead, there are two really good pieces of news:From 10 am to 4 pm on October 14, we transferred accumulated water from Turbine Building of Unit 6 to the temporary tanks.
*Because a decrease in the amount of water was confirmed at the residual heat removal system seawater pump (C) of Unit 6, the cooling of the reactor using residual heat removal system (A) was stopped at 2:42 pm on October 14, and after that we stopped the residual heat removal system seawater pump (C). Later on, we restarted the residual heat removal system seawater pump (C) and confirmed that it returned to a predetermined performance. Thus, we restarted to cool the reactor using residual heat removal system (A) at 3:23 pm on the same day. Due to this suspension, the water temperature of the reactor temporarily rose to 23.3°C from 22.6°C.
It looks like TEPCO should be seeking the OK of the government to declare that all reactors are now in cold shutdown. Every measurement in every reactor is 90 C or less:
Unit 1: Highest temperature measurement is 80.4 C. Reactor pressure vessel bottom head is 73.9 C
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushi..._data_1u-e.pdf
Unit 2: Highest temperature measurement is 90 C. Reactor pressure vessel bottom head is 83.0 C
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushi..._data_2u-e.pdf
Unit 3: Highest temperature measurement is 88.5 C. Reactor pressure vessel bottom head is 72.6 C
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushi..._data_3u-e.pdf
And in fact, that is probably what they are getting at by publishing these aerial infrared pictures. (They will also be looking for any unmonitored/unknown hot spots):
Unit 1 & 3:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushi...11015_04-e.pdf
Also they went back to look at where steam was coming out of a pipe in Unit 1 in June, and since the temperature is now well below boiling, there is no "steam eruption" there, and radiation in the surrounding area is quite a bit lower, although still high:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushi...11014_03-e.pdf
There is also a regular picture album:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushi...11015_03-e.pdf
And a slide showing safety training that they have to prove to the government that they are doing:.
Use of power supply cars, securing routes for moving radioactive rubble, use of spare generator to maintain cooling in an emergency, and emergency method for injecting water into reactors and spent fuel pools are shown:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushi...11015_02-e.pdf
From the live TV camera, it looks like the roof on the temporary cover for Unit 1 is complete, and the cranes have been moved to Unit 3, which needs a cover.
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/f1-np/camera/index-e.html
And from yesterday, a slide showing the last roof panel being put into place:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushi...11014_02-e.pdf
I don't know why NHK hasn't reported this.
And to check whether this made any difference to radiation measurements:
October 15,7:00 PM JST Fukushima Daiichi
Eight measurement points ( 4, 20, 13, 12, 14, 33, 97, 70 ) microSieverts per hour
Main Office Building 284 microSieverts per hour
Main Gate 28 microSieverts per hour
West Gate 11 microSieverts per hour
October 15,7:00 PM JST Fukushima Daini
Seven measurement points ( 1.7, 1.2, 1.7, 1.5, 1.4, 0.8, 1.0 ) microSieverts per hour
Yes, there is a small but measureable day over day drop.
NHK NEWS
In case you want to know how long it takes debris (or nuclear fallout) to reach Hawaii via ocean currents:
Frankly, the seismologists blew it. It's all well and good to blame TEPCO for not anticipating a 9.0 earthquake (which is 10x bigger than an 8.0 earthquake). This article makes it clear that they used what they were told by the experts, who happened to be wrong:March disaster debris may reach Hawaii next year
US researchers say some of the huge amount of debris that has been drifting in the Pacific Ocean as a result of Japan's disaster in March may reach Hawaii next year.
Nikolai Maximenko, senior researcher at the University of Hawaii's International Pacific Research Center, says a huge amount of debris was spotted by a Russian training ship heading for Vladivostok from Hawaii in late September.
The debris was found in a wide area in the northern Pacific Ocean about 3,200 kilometers east of Japan and about 900 kilometers west of the Midway Islands.
Japanese fishing boats, fishing nets, housing materials, plastic products, and appliances such as television sets and refrigerators form part of the debris.
A piece of a demolished fishing boat clearly shows the word "Fukushima" written in Japanese.
Maximenko says measures should be taken as a large amount of debris can be a threat to vessels and can have an adverse impact on marine ecosystems.
Saturday, October 15, 2011 13:05 +0900 (JST)
Please read the bolded section again. We cannot expect TEPCO to have done better than the greatest experts; seismology is not their main product. They get knowledge of it by hiring experts, as do most companies.Seismologists discuss 3/11 earthquake
Japanese earthquake experts, at their first symposium since the March 11th disaster, have discussed improving ways to provide society with information on major earthquakes.
The Seismological Society of Japan hosted the 4-day meeting at Shizuoka University in central Japan. The gathering ended on Saturday.
At the beginning of the final session, 500 participants offered a silent prayer for the victims of the March disaster.
Many of the scholars expressed regret that they were unable to predict the March 11th earthquake.
Tohoku University Professor Toru Matsuzawa said the experts thought that an earthquake off the Tohoku region would have had a magnitude of no more than 8, based on data accumulated during the last 100 years. He said an unconventional approach would have been necessary to predict an earthquake of such magnitude.
Professor emeritus Katsuhiko Ishibashi of Kobe University has been warning about the potential risks earthquakes pose to nuclear power plants.
He said seismologists are responsible for informing the public about the risks of natural disasters that are likely to hit their local areas. He said people have no way of knowing the truth if the scholars remain silent, adding that they must disclose everything they know.
The group will complete a report on their earthquake studies by next spring.
Saturday, October 15, 2011 22:21 +0900 (JST)
Meanwhile, cesium will be found in various plants and animals that preferentially concentrate cesium. The usual warnings are wild game (particularly boar, elk, moose and deer), mushrooms and truffles, and berries.
IAEA team reports to nuclear crisis minister
Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency have advised the Japanese government on how to effectively remove radioactive substances resulting from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
On Friday, the team of experts in radiation-related fields submitted a 12-point report to Japan's Environment Minister, Goshi Hosono.
In the report, the IAEA team recommends preferentially decontaminating areas where high levels of radiation have been detected.
Since their arrival a week ago, the 12 experts have inspected decontamination work in Fukushima Prefecture being carried out by both central and local government.
The team leader, Juan Carlos Lentijo, told Hosono that as Japan is facing a very serious challenge, he hopes the report will help enhance its decontamination measures.
After the meeting Hosono said that, as a whole, Japan's decontamination efforts are going in the right direction. He added that further clean-up operations will take the report's advice into account.
Friday, October 14, 2011 21:10 +0900 (JST)Then why are you removing the soil, I ask, if the soil is not dangerous? Oh well.IAEA team holds news conference
The IAEA team held a news conference after submitting its report to the Environment Minister.
The team leader, Lentijo, gave high marks to the Japanese authorities for coordinating local and central government in planning decontamination measures, monitoring radiation levels in a wide range of areas, and releasing detailed information.
Referring to the financial support given by the government for decontamination work in areas where annual radiation exposure reaches 1 millisievert per year, Lentijo said that it will take time to complete the work, but that it should pose no problem.
The team leader also said that most of the soil, and other materials removed by decontamination work, contains low levels of radiation and that the possibility of human exposure is low. He suggested there is no need to be overly cautious about radiation exposure.
Friday, October 14, 2011 22:21 +0900 (JST)
Here's a link to the IAEA preliminary report that is referenced above:
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus...pre_report.pdf
Interesting snippets:
From the Advice section, it's clear that the IAEA is recommending that Japan rethink its somewhat variable strategy for how much radioactive contamination is too much, and is gently suggesting that it makes no sense to decontaminate something that doesn't materially lower the dose to people. They offer to help set more realistic radiation guidelines.:Acknowledgement 9: The Team appreciates the fact that some school sites were remediated mostly by
volunteers with the technical support and guidance of JAEA. The team was informed that 400 school
playgrounds have already been appropriately remediated (as of 30.09.2011).
andAdvice 1. The Japanese authorities involved in the remediation strategy are encouraged to cautiously balance the different factors that influence the net benefit of the remediation measures to ensure dose reduction. They are encouraged to avoid over-conservatism which could not effectively contribute to the reduction of exposure doses. This goal could be achieved through the practical implementation of the Justification and Optimization principles1 under the prevailing circumstances. Involving more
radiation protection experts (and the Regulatory Body) in the organizational structures that assist the decision makers might be beneficial in the fulfillment of this objective. The IAEA is ready to support Japan in considering revised, new and appropriate criteria.
...
...Advice 5: It is important to avoid classifying as “radioactive waste” such waste materials that do not cause exposures that would warrant special radiation protection measures. The Team encourages the relevant authorities to revisit the issue of establishing realistic and credible limits (clearance levels) regarding associated exposures. Residues that satisfy the clearance level can be used in various ways, such as the construction of structures, reclamations, banks and roads. The IAEA is ready to support
Japan in considering revised, new and appropriate criteria.
Advice 6: The team draws the authorities’ attention to the potential risk of misunderstandings that could arise if the population is only or mainly concerned with contamination concentrations (surface contamination levels Bq/m2 or volume concentrations Bq/m3) rather than dose levels. The investment of time and effort in removing contamination beyond certain levels (the so-called optimized levels) from everywhere, such as all forest areas and areas where the additional exposure is relatively low, does not automatically lead to reduction of doses for the public. It also involves a risk of generating unnecessarily huge amounts of residual material. The Team encourages authorities to maintain their focus on remediation activities that bring best results in reducing the doses to the public.
Advice 9: With respect to waste in urban areas, the Team is of the opinion that it is obvious that most of the material contains very low levels of radioactivity. Taking into account the IAEA safety standards, and subject to safety assessment, this material might be remediated without temporary and/or interim storages. It is effective to utilize the existing infrastructure for municipal and industrial waste. The IAEA is ready to support Japan in considering revised, new and appropriate criteria.
Continuous monitoring has now been set up by the government: You can see it here. 20 Points range from right near the plant outward. 2700 points are planned throughout Japan.:
http://www.r-monitor.jp/
As to what level of radiation constitutes a threat, this lecture is worth listening to, and thinking about. The sound is inconsistent-you will have to turn it up at times.
“Radiation is not a big threat to mankind” – Dr. Wade Allison addressing American Chamber of Commerce in Japan
A lecture:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDIEN...layer_embedded
A synopsis of part of Dr. Allison's lecture:
Radiotherapy for cancer wouldn't work if you body didn't have mechanisms to repair minor radiation damage. In such therapy, you may be getting 2000 milliSieverts per day for several weeks. Surrounding tissues get up to 1000 milliSieverts per day. (20,000 milliSieverts per month, which is 5x the fatal dose determined from Chernobyl data.) Why don't you die,? What is happening is the healthy organs have time to mend before the next day's dose.
20 milliSieverts per year is the evacuation criterion in Japan. Obviously, he says, this is too low.
Latest Chernobyl report again says that far more damage was caused by the evacuation than the radiation.
At Hiroshima & Nagasaki, for those people who received doses at or below 100 milliSieverts in a single acute dose, there is no radiation risk that can be statistically shown..
He recommends the limit to be raised drastically to 100 milliSieverts per month rather than 1 milliSievert per year. (1000x). I wouldn't go that far, but 1 milliSievert per year, when Japan background radiation averages 1.5 milliSievert per year, is ridiculous too.
Meanwhile:
Yes, the obvious point of a liquid natural gas (LNG) plant in Vladivostok is to supply natural gas to Japan, since Japan will not have as many nuclear reactors. Too bad about climate change.Noda and Putin agree on energy cooperation
The prime ministers of Japan and Russia have agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held their first talks on Friday by telephone.
Putin congratulated Noda on his inauguration and said Russia hopes to cooperate with Japan in supplying energy, including liquefied natural gas and electricity.
Noda replied that Japan wishes to enhance bilateral cooperation for the economic benefit of both countries.
They agreed to continue joint efforts in the energy sector, including the construction of an LNG plant in Vladivostok at an early date.
Putin expressed hope that the Japanese Diet would quickly approve a pact on nuclear energy signed between Japan and Russia in 2009. The agreement includes cooperation on building power plants. Noda said the pact is expected to be discussed in the next extraordinary Diet session.
Noda also conveyed his hope for cooperation with Putin to resolve the territorial issue over 4 Russian-held islands claimed by Japan north of Hokkaido.
Saturday, October 15, 2011 02:45 +0900 (JST)
Areva Quote of the Day
“How did you get out of the Depression? You built the Hoover Dam. This is the next Hoover Dam…”
- AREVA North America’s Jaques Besnainou, quoted by the Charlotte Observer, on the question of the United States’ need to upgrade older nuclear plants, it’s electrical grid and other energy infrastructure.
Last edited by dorispulaski; 10-15-2011 at 09:03 PM.
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