Thursday, June 15, 2017

Nuclear Regulators' Flawed Analysis Leaves Millions at Risk From Radioactive Fires

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/40862-nuclear-regulators-flawed-analysis-leaves-millions-at-risk-from-radioactive-fires
"The renewed concerns about spent nuclear fuel storage come as the Trump administration is trying to jumpstart the controversial effort to create a permanent repository for the waste at the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada, which is opposed by that state's entire congressional delegation as well as by environmental advocates and nearby Native American communities."

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Fukushima 6 years later: radioactive boars and $188 billion in clean-up costs

https://thinkprogress.org/fukushima-has-radioactive-boars-8a1583b21856#.hrc1b05o7
"Perhaps more shocking is that six years after the meltdowns, Fukushima is still generating and dealing with unimaginable amounts of contaminated waste. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is still “pumping water nonstop through the three reactors to cool melted fuel that remains too hot and radioactive to remove,” as the New York Times explained Saturday. That generates some 400 tons of contaminated water each day. With more than 962,000 tons now stored on site, storage space is running out. Some officials have contemplated whether they could dilute the waste and dump it in the ocean. Unsurprisingly, “local fishermen are vehemently opposed.” There are also more than 3,500 shipping containers holding radioactive sludge left over from the initial efforts to decontaminate all that water. On top of that, every day, some 6,000 cleanup workers dispose of their protective hazmat suits and other gear, so far generating nearly 65,000 cubic meters of gear — enough to fill 17 million one-gallon containers. TEPCO plans to burn it all at some point."

Friday, March 10, 2017

Fukushima’s high nuclear reactor radiation a problem for melted fuel

Fukushima’s high nuclear reactor radiation a problem for melted fuel

"During recent investigations conducted using cameras and robots at the site of Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, after six years of the triple meltdown, it has likely identified melted fuel rods for the first time underneath the damaged reactor 2, Japan Times reported. Following a major earthquake on March 11, 2011, a 15-metre tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors, causing a nuclear accident."

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Fukushima cleanup company baffled by robot-killing radiation

Fukushima cleanup company baffled by robot-killing radiation

"The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has hit a new obstacle since being tasked with cleaning up the worst nuclear incident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union. The exploratory robot, specially designed to navigate the underwater sections of the reactor, died last month after being exposed to "unimaginable" levels of radiation nearly nine times more potent than the previous highest dose recorded."

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Five Years After Fukushima, 'No End in Sight' to Ecological Fallout

Five Years After Fukushima, 'No End in Sight' to Ecological Fallout

"The report warns that these impacts—which include mutations in trees, DNA-damaged worms, and radiation-contaminated mountain watersheds—will last "decades to centuries." The conclusion is culled from a large body of independent scientific research on impacted areas in the Fukushima region, as well as investigations by Greenpeace radiation specialists over the past five years."

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Radioactive Water From Fukushima Is Leaking Into the Pacific

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/34565-radioactive-water-from-fukushima-is-leaking-into-the-pacific
"TEPCO detected levels of radioactive cesium (a material which has a half-life of 30 years) in water samples that were 4,000 times higher than data taken the same month one year earlier. The samples also contained levels of a beta-ray-emitting radioactive substance that were 4,100 times higher than they were from the same period a year earlier."

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Even For A Robot, Fukushima Is Too Much To Handle

Even For A Robot, Fukushima Is Too Much To Handle

"So TEPCO sent in a robot that was supposed to be able to function in such high levels of radiation to inspect the No. 1 reactor and help them figure out how to extract the melted fuel, but that didn't work -- probably because they're flying blind and no one is willing to admit it"

Monday, March 23, 2015

There's A Dead Cat At The Bottom Of Fukushima Unit 1

There's A Dead Cat At The Bottom Of Fukushima Unit 1

"First of all, it's not an "accident." TEPCO cut corners to save money, and this is the predictable result.

And who are they kidding? The containment vessel melted, too. They didn't scan the containment area because they don't want us to know that. That fuel is out there. And we can probably assume the same about Unit 2."

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Fukushima Radiation Found in Sample of Green Tea from Japan

Fukushima Radiation Found in Sample of Green Tea from Japan

"Four years after the multiple explosions and melt-downs at Fukushima, it seems the scary stories have only just begun to surface."

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Mainstream US Corporate Media Ignore Increased Fukushima Water Radioactivity

Mainstream US Corporate Media Ignore Increased Fukushima Water Radioactivity

"According to The Japan Times, the news gets worse: "In addition, materials that emit beta rays, such as strontium-90, which causes bone cancer, also shattered records with a reading of 1.2 million becquerels, the utility said of the sample"."

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

'Remember Fukushima': Thousands Rally Against Nuclear Restart in Japan

'Remember Fukushima': Thousands Rally Against Nuclear Restart in Japan

""Don't forget Fukushima" was the message Tuesday morning as roughly 16,000 people gathered in downtown Tokyo to protest the restart of Japan's nuclear power plants."

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

In Landmark Decision, TEPCO to Pay Victim's Family in Fukushima Suicide Case

In Landmark Decision, TEPCO to Pay Victim's Family in Fukushima Suicide Case

"A Japanese court has ordered the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to pay damages to the family of a woman who killed herself after being forced to flee the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011."