Monday, May 9, 2011

Fukushima Links for 5/9/2011

By looking carefully at the video footage here, the viewer can see steam rising from the reactor building on the left
http://www.youtube.com/user/tbsnewsi?feature=feedlss#p/l/-ZPYlazljME

As always, E-News is the place to go for the latest news. http://enenews.com/


Perhaps the most significant story at E-News today is the finding of significant levels of radiation outside the evacuation area.


Here is the link to the original story
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105070143.html
Head line reads: "U.S.-Japan joint survey reveals high radiation beyond evacuation zone"
BY HISAE SATO STAFF WRITER
"The first map of ground surface contamination within 80 kilometers of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant shows radiation levels higher in some municipalities than those in the mandatory relocation zone around the Chernobyl plant..."


Another must read article today examines the terrible media silence about the ongoing Fukushima disaster
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vivian-norris-de-montaigu/deadly-silence-on-fukushi_b_859241.html


Here is an article with a technical focus that examines re-criticality (or fission) that must have occurred at the plant after the March explosions
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/26738/
"Chain Reactions Reignited At Fukushima After Tsunami, Says New Study"
"Radioactive byproducts indicate that nuclear chain reactions must have been burning at the damaged nuclear reactors long after the disaster unfolded...."


"These chain reactions must have occurred a significant time after the accident. "It would be difficult to understand the observed anomaly near the unit-2 reactor without assuming that a significant amount of fission products were produced at least 10 - 15 days after X-day," says Matsui...."

Here is a link to an article describing findings of radioactive strontium at Fukushima (no surprise there)
Radioactive strontium detected at Fukushima plant


Here is a link to an article discussing high radiation experienced by workers who tried to enter unit 1 (I had wondered how possible that was given earlier reports of very high radiation in unit 1)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-05/09/c_13866296.htm
"Japan detects radiation up to 700 milliserverts at Fukushima nuke plant "
TOKYO, May 9 (Xinhua) -- "Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) on Monday detected radiation levels in the building housing the faltering No. 1 reactor that far exceeded expected levels reaching as high as 700 millisieverts per hour, the utility firm said."

"The latest readings for the troubled reactor has lead Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency to embark on new radiation shielding measures so that work to bring the crisis under control can go ahead with risks of massive doses of deadly radiation poisoning hopefully being lessened for the TEPCO workers and their affiliates as they attempt to embark on a massive project to install a nuclear fuel cooling system."

"TEPCO is currently mulling ideas to protect its workers -- some who have only had a single medical check since the March 11 triple disasters and many who have been exposed to levels of radiation far exceeded legal levels -- such as constructing a metal tunnel for people to walk through, or using lead sheeting to provide increased protection against radioactive substances and increase safer mobility for the workers moving around in high-radiation areas.
An area with a double-digit millisievert level, let alone three-digit figures, is quite tough as a working environment. So we have to do the work by using some shielding,'' Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, told a press conference...."

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