Fukushima Update #66: Sept 27-Oct 1
Contamination Consternation
The news from Japan this week has been schizoid, as in cut off from the real, external world while simultaneously living in an internal fantasy.
On the one hand, the government has lifted evacuation advisories on areas outside the 20 kilometre zone around the Fukushima plant site based on the "cold shutdown" temperatures in the reactors.
Yomiuri Shinbun (9/26/2011):
"The Japanese government will abolish the "evacuation-ready" zone on September 30. The "evacuation-ready" zone was set between 20 to 30-kilometer radius from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant after the accident [where the residents are required to be ready to evacuate on a moment's notice and where no pregnant women and small children are supposed to be living].
[…] Currently, about 30,000 residents out of pre-accident area population of 58,000 have evacuated outside the area.
Each municipality will carry out decontamination of schools and homes based on the "recovery plan" [that it has submitted to the national government], and ask the residents who have evacuated to come back."
So all is well, we hear from official sources, folks can now return home and TEPCO plans for controlling the meltdowns in the reactors are proceeding ahead of schedule.
That is the fantasy.
Here is the reality.
These areas are highly contaminated. Furthermore, contamination is much more widespread across Japan than previously reported. This includes both air contamination and deposition in soils.
The last 3 days alone have brought 3 shocking contamination stories.
September 28, 2011
High cesium levels detected as far away as Gunma… Radioactive cesium from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has spread more than 250 kilometers toward the southwest, reaching as far as Gunma Prefecture, the science ministry said.
Radiation Map by Ministry of Education: Chiba and Saitama, and Closing in on Tokyo…
"Light-blue areas of elevated air radiation in western part of Saitama Prefecture and western part of Chiba Prefecture look set to come in to Tokyo.
From the Ministry of Education's aerial radiation monitoring (using helicopters) maps released on September 29":
Air radiation (microsievert/hour, 1 meter off the ground):
source: http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/09/radiation-map-by-ministry-of-education_29.html
Now, the government admits plutonium and strontium contamination has been detected in many of the areas where bans have just been lifted, not to mention areas as far as 80 km from the plant site.
Highly toxic plutonium detected in soil 45 km away from Fukushima nuclear complex, Mainichi, October 1, 2011
"Namie registered the highest density of plutonium-238 with 4 becquerels per one square meter of soil. The combined density of 15 becquerels of plutonium-239 and -240 was detected in one square meter of soil in Minamisoma, while 0.82 becquerels of plutonium-238 was detected in one square meter of soil in Iitate. […]
Meanwhile, the ministry said it had detected radioactive strontium-89 in nearly half of the locations inspected, including Shirakawa, about 79 kilometers from the nuclear plant. Because the half life of strontium-89 is only about 50 days, the ministry concluded that all the findings of the radioactive substance were linked to the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Namie registered the highest level of radiation, with 22,000 becquerels per one square meter of soil. [….]"
Plutonium-238 (top number in the map), Plutonium-239+240 (bottom number)
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111001p2a00m0na013000c.html
Japan Discovers Plutonium Far From Crippled Nuclear Reactor, Wall Street Journal
October 1, 2011
"[…]the latest discovery is a potentially disturbing turn, as it shows that people relatively far from the plant could be exposed to more dangerous elements than had been previously disclosed.
While neither plutonium nor strontium emit powerful gamma rays like cesium and iodine, both deposit in the body-strontium in the bones, plutonium in the bones and lungs-and can cause cancer of leukemia once inhaled or ingested.
Both isotopes also have long half lives: it takes about 29 years for some forms of strontium to reduce by half, while plutonium isotopes have half-lives ranging from 88 years to over 24,000 years.
That makes them highly toxic in the body as they continue to emit alpha rays, and immensely difficult to get rid of in the environment."
source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204226204576604013365441594.html
DECONTAMINATION of these areas is proceeding at a snail's pace.
Former advisory zones face multiple obstacles (Oct.2)
Government data was released this week showing millions of cubic meters of soil must be removed and stored somewhere in order to decontaminate Fukushima prefecture.
28 million cubic meters of 'hot' soil in Fukushima / Ministry aims to set storage site guidelines
The Yomiuri Shimbun
"[…] if all the areas which were exposed to 5 millisieverts or more per year were to be decontaminated, 27.97 million cubic meters of contaminated soil would have to be removed."
These figures indicate the size of the temporary facilities that will be needed to store the soil, and the capacity of intermediate storage facilities where the soil will be taken later.
Even though forests occupy about 70 percent of contaminated areas in the prefecture, the ministry does not believe it will be necessary to remove all contaminated soil, as long as the government restricts the entry of residents in mountainous areas and recovers cut branches and fallen leaves, according to the official.
But the government still has not procured sufficient storage sites for contaminated soil, which has been temporarily buried in school yards or piled on vacant lots. According to the central government, contaminated soil should be collected at temporary storage sites by local governments. The government recommends placing impermeable sheets under the soil at locations far from living areas.
The government also has no prospect of setting up intermediate storage facilities.
Contaminated soil must be removed as soon as possible to allow evacuees to return to their houses within no-entry and evacuation zones."
source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110925003737.htm
More burning of transported radioactive materials was also announced which will just spread the contamination around Japan and into the upper atmosphere for transport to North America and beyond.
Rubble from quake- and tsunami-hit areas to be disposed in Tokyo
September 29, 2011:
"Tokyo decided to process rubble from disaster-hit areas after detecting only 133 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram of ash generated after rubble was incinerated, far below the upper limit of 8,000 becquerels set by the national government. The central government will foot the expenses of disposing of disaster-generated rubble."
source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110929p2a00m0na010000c.html
At the same time, there is an acknowledged lack of areas for storage of contaminated ash, soil and debris which is a growing problem:
Decontamination slowed by uncertainty over storage
"As the decontamination process gets under way in the former evacuation advisory zone around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, residents are wary of uncertainties surrounding the work, such as where contaminated soil will be stored.
The municipal government plans to finish decontaminating 307 square kilometers of the land in the city, excluding the no-entry zone, as early as fiscal 2014. However, decontamination has been completed at only about 30 facilities, including schools, out of a total of an intended 237. Decontamination on private houses has yet to begin. So far, the municipal government remains undecided on temporary storage sites for the contaminated soil." source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111001002333.htm
Fukushima City to decontaminate all houses
"Fukushima City, about 60 kilometers from the crippled Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, plans to remove radioactive materials from all private houses in the city.
The plan aimed at substantially lowering radiation levels in the air for the next 2 years includes decontamination of all 110,000 households in the city.
Under the plan, professional cleaners commissioned by the city will scrub radioactive substances from roofs and ditches of the houses, and remove concrete, which radioactive material tends to adhere to. They will also decontaminate roofs and ditches of other nearby houses, but residents will be required to remove surface soil and weed gardens by themselves.
The city says it will recruit volunteers from around the nation, if necessary, and send them to households that need manpower. The city also plans to decontaminate parks and community halls.
But it has yet to be determined how the contaminated soil and other materials will be disposed of."
source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/27_08.html
Burying of radioactive household waste challenging
"Japan's environment ministry says that the disposal of radioactive ashes from household garbage is not going well in Tokyo and surrounding areas, partly due to residents' objections.
Following the nuclear accident in Fukushima, waste facilities in the Tohoku, Kanto and Koshin-etsu regions showed that ashes in garbage from private homes contained radioactive cesium.
The ministry has set guidelines for disposing of the ashes. They say that if the level is 8,000 becquerels per kilogram or lower, the ashes can be buried. For ashes with cesium levels between 8,000 and 100,000 becquerels, the ministry says they must be deposited in cement and put in concrete vessels.
The ministry recently surveyed waste incineration facilities in the regions to see how the ash disposal is proceeding.
Of 410 facilities where cesium levels of ashes were 8,000 becquerels or lower, 22 sites mainly in the Tokyo Metropolitan area have been storing the ashes. They say they cannot bury the ashes due to residents' objections.
The survey also found ashes which had over 8,000 becquerels of cesium had not been buried at 42 facilities. They said that disposal was difficult.
The ministry plans to send officials to municipalities' meetings to explain to residents the safety of waste disposal.
It also plans to demonstrate more specific ways of disposing of the highly contaminated ashes."
source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/26_03.html
Contamination of rice crops was reported in Fukushima this week and the government continues its sample testing program to "safe" limit of 500Bq/kg,
Also testing will begin on water used to brew beer, wine and saki from areas within 150 km of the plant site.
"Radioactive cesium at levels of 500 becquerels per kilogram was found in rice harvested in Nihonmatsu, according to the prefectural government. The figure is the upper limit of the central government-set limit.After the discovery, which was made during preliminary tests, the city was designated as a special survey area, in which a second test will be conducted on rice samples taken from every 15 hectares of rice paddies in the municipality."
source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110924003191.htm
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Alcoholic products to be tested for radiation
Japan's tax officials have decided to check alcoholic beverages produced near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant for radiation to ensure their safety.
The National Tax Agency says testing will be conducted starting next month on all kinds of alcoholic drinks, including sake, wine, and beer, produced at breweries and factories located within 150 kilometers of the plant. Brewing facilities outside the radius will also be randomly tested.
Taxation bureaus in 6 major cities including Tokyo and the National Research Institute of Brewing will check water samples used for alcoholic products.
If they find radioactive cesium or iodine above the government-set safety limit in any of the samples they will ask local authorities to issue a shipment ban or take other measures, as necessary.
Rice and barley, the main ingredients for alcoholic beverages, have already been tested for radiation.
The agency hopes the additional testing will put consumers at ease.
Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/27_13.html
Citizens openly question the government on contamination data and the safety of living in many areas of Japan. I have chosen these two articles from the plethora on the internet.
Prof. Yukio Hayakawa: Radiation Contamination Route Map
Professor Yukio Hayakawa of Gunma University has been revising his radiation contour map that he first made available in April. Now, he has a version of the map dated September 30 that indicates the routes and the timing of contamination, as you see below.
SKF story: http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/09/prof-yukio-hayakawa-radiation.html
Map: http://gunma.zamurai.jp/pub/2011/route930.jpg
This article is very thoughtful. I highly recommend reading the whole thing.
It contains an excellent overview of the situation in Japan and a first hand account of what one resident and his family are experiencing.
Environment | Japan's 3/11 Radiation Refugees, Linda Moulton Howe, September 29, 2011:
http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1897&category=Environment