High cesium levels detected in mud at Fukushima dam lake

Mud at the bottom of a dam lake near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is heavily contaminated with radioactive cesium, government research has shown.

Tsukuba University professor Yuichi Onda, commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to conduct the survey, released the findings at a symposium on March 13.

Onda's team detected radioactive cesium of some 3 million becquerels per square meter at the bottom of the Horai Dam lake, about 60 kilometers west-northwest of the nuclear plant, along the Abukuma River in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. The level was 10 times higher than those of nearby reservoirs, and was roughly equivalent to soil contamination levels in the 20-kilometer radius exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant.

From July to August last year, Onda took samples from the 20-centimeter-deep mud on the bottom of the dam lake, dried them and compared them with mud samples from four nearby reservoirs registering contamination in the 200,000 to 400,000 becquerels per square meter range. Cesium from the crippled power station is believed to have condensed in the mud on the bottom of the Horai Dam after flowing into the river with soil and rainwater. Read More

Old TV tubes converted into radiation-shielding material, Japan

Tubes from old television sets can be recycled into radiation-proof materials suitable for use at temporary storage sites for contaminated soil and waste, two Japanese companies have found.

Shimizu Corp., a general contractor in Tokyo, and R Japan Corp., a manufacturer of eco-friendly products in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, developed concrete and waterproof materials, respectively, using television tubes ground into a form that can help shield against radiation.

The method takes advantage of the fact that cathode-ray tube (CRT) glass in television sets contains lead, which can shield against radiation. It is expected to be utilized at temporary storage sites for radioactive soil and waste.

While a 50-centimeter-thick chunk of concrete can lower the doses of penetrating radiation to a hundredth of the original amount, Shimizu Corp. found that the doses can be even lowered to one two-hundredth by replacing most of the crushed stone used in the concrete with ground television tubes. The strength of the two types of concrete was almost the same. Read More

Radioactive materials may have sunk 30 cm into ground

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Radioactive materials released from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant into the atmosphere were found 5 centimeters beneath the ground three months after the breakout of the nuclear crisis last March, but are now believed to have sunk 10 to 30 cm deep, a study by a research institution showed Wednesday.

The hazardous materials must have seeped into the land with rain, according to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency.

"Further delay in decontamination works will make the radioactive materials sink into the ground deeper, and it will impose more burdens on those involved in the decontamination," said Haruo Sato, researcher at the agency's Horonobe Underground Research Center in Hokkaido.

A group of researchers of the agency examined the penetration of four radioactive materials, including cesium 137, at 11 points in Nihonmatsu, Kawamata and Namie in Fukushima Prefecture, which are within a radius 20 to 60-kilometers from the Fukushima complex, in June. Read More

Australia should stay open to nuclear: Carr

Foreign Minister Bob Carr says Australia should stay open to nuclear technology, despite Japan's recent nuclear disaster.

Senator Carr, a proponent of nuclear technology, said the push towards nuclear energy was hampered by last year's tsunami and earthquake disaster in Japan, which caused the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.

"I think Japan has set it back because of the impact it's had on insurance and cost," he told ABC Television on Wednesday.

However, he said Australia should still consider moving towards nuclear energy.
"The fact is, some of the renewables are taking off more slowly than I, as a believer in climate change, would have liked." Source

474,000 tons of disaster rubble remains piled up in nuke crisis no-go zone

There is still some 474,000 metric tons of earthquake and tsunami debris piled up in coastal areas of the Fukushima nuclear disaster no-go zone, the Environment Ministry announced on March 12.

The debris is contaminated with radioactive cesium from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, with concentrations reaching as high as 58,700 becquerels per kilogram in the town of Okuma, where some of the No. 1 plant's reactors are located. As the toxic debris is inside the nuclear crisis exclusion zone, its disposal is up to the central government, which is moving ahead with plans for sorting facilities and temporary incinerators.

The single largest amount of debris in six coastal municipalities covered in whole or in part by the no-entry zone was in the city of Minamisoma, where some 183,000 tons of rubble remains to be dealt with. Read More

Japan struggles to handle plutonium as fast-breeder reactor project becomes unrealistic

Japan has been fighting an urgent and difficult battle to dispose of accumulated plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel as it has become increasingly unrealistic to realize the country's long and expensive fast-breeder reactor project.

One gram of plutonium is said to have energy equal to 1 kiloliter of petroleum. If plutonium is mixed with uranium to create "MOX (mixed-oxide) fuel" and is burned at a fast-breeder reactor, more plutonium is produced than consumed. But now that it has become difficult to realize the government's project to build a fast-breeder reactor that was once dubbed a "dream reactor," Japan has been hard-pressed to dispose of accumulated plutonium.

Japan started the construction of the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, in 1985, and succeeded for the first time in generating power at the fast-breeder reactor in August 1995. But in December 1995, a fire broke out at the facility when sodium used as coolant leaked out. The operation of the reactor was resumed in 2010, but it has been plagued by a series of problems ever since, and therefore it is extremely difficult to put it into commercial use. Read More

U.S. government scientists simulate the moment a one megaton nuclear bomb destroys a massive asteroid heading for Earth

U.S. Spy Plane to Watch North Korea During Nuclear Summit

The U.S. and South Korea plan to deploy a high-powered American surveillance aircraft to watch North Korea during the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul on March 26-27.

The E-8C J-STARS is capable of tracking hundreds of vehicles, military installations and missiles simultaneously within a 200 to 500 km area. "By flying over the demilitarized zone, the aircraft can get a clear picture of North Korean troop movements around Pyongyang and Wonsan and even beyond," a military source said.

While AWACS surveillance planes monitor aircraft and other airborne targets, the J-STARS handles targets on the ground.

The J-STARS has a wingspan of 44.2 m and is 46.6 m long. It can stay airborne for up to 11 hours at a time and monitor an area about five times the size of the Korean Peninsula for eight hours. Source

Lives of the Fukushima nuclear workers

Activists file lawsuit to try to stop restart of Japanese nuclear plant

Tokyo (CNN) -- Scores of Japanese citizens filed a lawsuit Monday in an effort to block the restarting of a nuclear power facility as tensions remain over atomic energy in the country a year after the Fukushima Daichi disaster.

The suit, filed at Osaka District Court by a group of 259 citizens, seeks an injunction to stop the company Kansai Electric from bringing its nuclear power plants Oi Unit 3 and 4 back online, according to Green Action, an organization that campaigns against nuclear energy in Japan.

The Kansai Electric facility in question is in the central prefecture of Fukui.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was knocked offline after the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. That resulted in a meltdown of three reactors, with radiation leaking into the air and contaminated water spilling into the sea. Read More

Anti-nuclear activists protest at U.K. power station

LONDON (AP) -- Protesters have gathered at a British nuclear power station and blocked off its entrance to mark the first anniversary of the disaster at the Fukushima power station in Japan.

The Stop New Nuclear group said that hundreds of demonstrators surrounded the closed Hinkley Point station in Somerset Saturday, while about 100 members stayed overnight until Sunday to stage a 24-hour blockade of the site.

The protesters waved banners that said "Nuclear Power No Thanks." Energy company EDF has earmarked the site for a new nuclear power station.

The protest was staged to mark the one year anniversary of the disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, where three reactor cores melted down after a massive tsunami knocked out their vital cooling systems. Source

Thousands form anti-nuclear human chains in Germany, France

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Thousands of people formed human chains in Germany and France to protest against the use of nuclear power plants on Sunday, the first anniversary of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster that crippled the Fukushima nuclear power plant, while protesters also gathered at antinuclear rallies in New York and California.

At least 24,000 people, holding torches, formed an 80-kilometer long human chain in areas near Braunschweig in Germany, which has decided to abandon nuclear power plants by the end of 2022, according to an organizer. The chain encircled three nuclear facilities including a temporary storage site for nuclear waste in the vicinity of the city.

In France, a country which depends on nuclear energy for around 75 percent of its power, an environmental conservation group and the Europe Ecology-Green Party organized a 230-km human chain event in areas connecting southern French cities of Lyon and Avignon, where over 10 nuclear reactors are located. According to the organizers, around 60,000 people took part, while police said about 30,000 participated.

About 200 people, including residents of Sendai in disaster-hit Miyagi Prefecture, gathered at an anti-nuclear rally held in California, home to the San Onofre nuclear power plant. In New York, more than 100 people, including children, took to the streets in protest of nuclear plants. Read More

Antinuclear protests held across Japan on anniversary of disaster

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Antinuclear protesters took to the streets in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan on Sunday, the one-year anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami which triggered the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Near the head office of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled Fukushima complex, demonstrators called for the country to abandon nuclear power generation and restore Fukushima Prefecture, where more than 100,000 residents were forced to relocate.

Some 16,000 people attended an antinuclear gathering in the city of Koriyama in Fukushima and rallied in the city, calling for scrapping all nuclear reactors in Japan. The country has 54 commercial nuclear reactors, which provided a third of Japan's electric power prior to the Fukushima plant disaster.

In Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan, about 1,100 people gathered to call for scrapping Chubu Electric Power Co.'s nuclear reactors at its Hamaoka power plant. Those reactors were halted last May after then prime minister Naoto Kan asked the utility to suspend their operation due to concern about a powerful quake in that area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Read More

Mixed reaction over plan for Fukushima county to store radioactive waste

FUKUSHIMA -- The mayors of towns and villages in the Futaba county of Fukushima Prefecture have shown mixed responses to the central government's request that three of the eight municipalities in the county host temporary storage facilities for radioactive soil and waste emanating from the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant

"What's the rationale for us to have to host such facilities?" one of the mayors questioned, while another said in defense of the plan, "Decontamination work will not progress unless those storage facilities are installed at an early date."

The central government requested on March 10 that the towns of Futaba, Naraha and Okuma in the county host interim storage facilities for contaminated soil and waste, pressing the towns' mayors to make a difficult decision and accept the proposal.

After exchanging opinions with central government officials, Futaba Town Mayor Katsutaka Idogawa said, "I will discuss the matter with the municipal assembly and townspeople." However, he questioned, "Is there a reason for us to host such a facility?"

Referring to the controversial assertions by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the operator of the crippled nuclear plant, that the radioactive materials that were once scattered outside the plant compounds are "ownerless," Mayor Idogawa stressed, "Unless we know who the owner (of the contaminated soil) is, there is no room to talk about it." Read More

Millions in Israel 'lack gas masks, bomb shelters'

Israel is "completely unprepared" to cope with the consequences of a war, a lawmaker in charge of home front preparations has told AFP, as tensions rise over a possible confrontation with Iran.

Zeev Bielsky, who heads the parliamentary committee for home front preparedness, accused the Israeli government of "wanton disregard," saying the country faced a dire shortage of both gas masks and bomb shelters.

"Today, only 60 percent of Israelis -- 4.5 to 5 million people -- have gas masks," he said, adding that some 400,000 households in Israel do not have access to a bomb shelter. Read More

Japan nuclear evacuees face uncertainty 1 year late

As Japan prepares to mark the anniversary of last year’s devastating natural and nuclear disaster, many of the evacuees in a city near the ruined Fukushima Daiichi plant wonder how long they will have to continue waiting before they can move on with their lives.

At least a quarter of the 80,000 residents who were displaced by the nuclear meltdowns now live in Iwaki, a sprawling patchwork of communities that lies roughly 40 kilometres south of the ruined nuclear plant. Most of them live in temporary camps scattered across the city that resemble sterile trailer parks, or in private housing rented at premium prices.

Among the evacuees are Takeo Shibata and his wife, Chieko, both 74, who on March 12 of last year left the house in Naraha they had lived in, and and had run a small farming operation from, for nearly three decades. Read More

Ahmadinejad: Iran doesn't fear bombs and warships

(Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has launched a fresh tirade against the West, saying the Islamic Republic does not fear military action, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

"The Iranian nation doesn't fear your bombs and warships and planes. Such weapons are worth nothing," the Fars News Agency quoted him as saying on a visit to the town of Karaj, to the west of Tehran.

"You say to Iran all options are on the table. Leave them there until they rot. The time of arrogance and colonialism has passed, and the era of your unreasonableness passes too."

On Tuesday, the P5+1 group of countries comprising the United States, the UK, France, Russia, China and Germany accepted an offer from Tehran for fresh talks on its nuclear program.

The West has imposed tough sanctions to try to force Iran to open up its nuclear activities to international scrutiny amid suspicions it is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has denied any military development work but has not given international inspectors access to suspicious sites. Read More

What Fukushima accident did to the ocean

(CNN) -- One year ago, a series of events began with an earthquake off the cost of Japan that culminated in the largest accidental release of radioactivity into the ocean in history.

We have to be careful and say "accidental" because in the late 1950s and early 1960s, 50 to 100 times more radioactivity was released worldwide as fallout from the intentional testing of nuclear weapons. The word "ocean" is also important, since Chernobyl in 1986 was hundreds of miles inland, so it had a smaller impact on the concentrations of radionuclides in the sea than was measured directly off Japan in 2011.

One year later, we have to ask, what do we know about Fukushima's impact on the ocean and levels of radioactive contaminants in water and fish?

In many ways we were fortunate that impacts were largely confined to the ocean. Certainly, the Japanese people continue to feel devastating effects of so large a release within their country, and many people may never be able to return to their homes. But in general the winds during the height of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were blowing offshore. As a result, more than three-quarters of the radioactivity fell on the ocean. This is important, as any that lands on soil remains in place, resulting in the potential for greater human exposure and increased chances of contamination to food supplies and property. Read More

Taiwanese stage anti-nuclear protest

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- About 2,000 people have staged an anti-nuclear protest in Taiwan's capital as they observed a moment of silence to mourn the victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan one year ago.

The protesters paraded in Taipei on Sunday to renew calls for a nuclear-free island by taking lessons from Japan's disaster on March 11, 2011, which triggered meltdowns at three nuclear reactors.

They want the government to scrap a plan to operate a newly constructed nuclear power plant -- the fourth in densely populated Taiwan.

Scores of aboriginal protesters demanded the removal of 100,000 barrels of nuclear waste stored on their Orchid Island, off southeastern Taiwan. Authorities have failed to find a substitute storage site amid increased awareness of nuclear danger over the past decade. Source

Once 'ideal' Fukushima village begins to drift apart after nuclear disaster

IITATE, Fukushima -- Before the outbreak of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant in March last year, the residents of this village rich in natural resources used to live in harmony.

Now, the Iitate Municipal Government is forging ahead with a decontamination plan, hoping to bring evacuated residents back, but some locals are beginning to push their hopes of returning away and are initiating group relocations to different areas.

As a result, the former harmony of this small mountainous village is starting to be challenged.

Under the municipal government's decontamination plan, all village residents who wish to return to their original homes will be able to do so within about five years. All households in the village are set to be decontaminated within two years, all agricultural fields within five years, and forests within 20 years. The project will cost the village approximately 320 billion yen.

However, while many residents sincerely hope to return eventually, some are beginning to wonder whether returning to the same place is indeed their only option. Read More