Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:33 pm by globalturbo
Fukushima Five Years Later:
"The Fuel Rods Melted Through Containment and Nobody Knows Where They Are Now"
by Tyler DurdenJapan marks the fifth anniversary of the tragic and catastrophic meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear plant. On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the northeast coast of Japan, killing 20,000 people. Another 160,000 then fled the radiation in Fukushima. It was the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, and according to some it would be far worse, if the Japanese government did not cover up the true severity of the devastation.
At least 100,000 people from the region have not yet returned to their homes. A full cleanup of the site is expected to take at least 40 years. Representative of the families of the victims spoke during Friday’s memorial ceremony in Tokyo. This is what Kuniyuki Sakuma, a former resident of Fukushima Province said:
For those who remain, we are seized with anxieties and uncertainties that are beyond words. We spend life away from our homes. Families are divided and scattered. As our experiences continue into another year, we wonder: 'When will we be able to return to our homes? Will a day come when our families are united again?'
There are many problems in areas affected by the disaster, such as high radiation levels in parts of Fukushima Prefecture that need to be overcome. Even so, as a representative of the families that survived the disaster, I make a vow once more to the souls and spirits of the victims of the great disaster; I vow that we will make the utmost efforts to continue to promote the recovery and reconstruction of our hometowns.
Sadly, the 2011 disaster will be repeated. After the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, Japan was flooded with massive anti-nuclear protests which led to a four-year nationwide moratorium on nuclear plants. The moratorium was lifted, despite sweeping opposition, last August and nuclear plants are being restarted.
Meanwhile, while we await more tragedy out of the demographically-doomed nation, this is what Fukushima's ground zero looks like five years later. As Reuters sums it up best, "no place for man, or robot."
The robots sent in to find highly radioactive fuel at Fukushima's nuclear reactors have “died”; a subterranean "ice wall" around the crippled plant meant to stop groundwater from becoming contaminated has yet to be finished. And authorities still don’t know how to dispose of highly radioactive water stored in an ever mounting number of tanks around the site.
Five years ago, one of the worst earthquakes in history triggered a 10-metre high tsunami that crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station causing multiple meltdowns. Nearly 19,000 people were killed or left missing and 160,000 lost their homes and livelihoods.
Today, the radiation at the Fukushima plant is still so powerful it has proven impossible to get into its bowels to find and remove the extremely dangerous blobs of melted fuel rods.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power has made some progress, such as removing hundreds of spent fuel roads in one damaged building. But the technology needed to establish the location of the melted fuel rods in the other three reactors at the plant has not been developed.
“It is extremely difficult to access the inside of the nuclear plant," Naohiro Masuda, Tepco's head of decommissioning said in an interview. "The biggest obstacle is the radiation.”
The fuel rods melted through their containment vessels in the reactors, and no one knows exactly where they are now. This part of the plant is so dangerous to humans, Tepco has been developing robots, which can swim under water and negotiate obstacles in damaged tunnels and piping to search for the melted fuel rods.
But as soon as they get close to the reactors, the radiation destroys their wiring and renders them useless, causing long delays, Masuda said.
Each robot has to be custom-built for each building.“It takes two years to develop a single-function robot,” Masuda said.
IRRADIATED WATER
Tepco, which was fiercely criticized for its handling of the disaster, says conditions at the Fukushima power station, site of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in Ukraine 30 years ago, have improved dramatically. Radiation levels in many places at the site are now as low as those in Tokyo.
More than 8,000 workers are at the plant at any one time, according to officials on a recent tour. Traffic is constant as they spread across the site, removing debris, building storage tanks, laying piping and preparing to dismantle parts of the plant.
Much of the work involves pumping a steady torrent of water into the wrecked and highly radiated reactors to cool them down. Afterward, the radiated water is then pumped out of the plant and stored in tanks that are proliferating around the site.
What to do with the nearly million tonnes of radioactive water is one of the biggest challenges, said Akira Ono, the site manager. Ono said he is “deeply worried” the storage tanks will leak radioactive water in the sea - as they have done several times before - prompting strong criticism for the government.
The utility has so far failed to get the backing of local fishermen to release water it has treated into the ocean.
Ono estimates that Tepco has completed around 10 percent of the work to clear the site up - the decommissioning process could take 30 to 40 years. But until the company locates the fuel, it won’t be able to assess progress and final costs, experts say.
The much touted use of X-ray like muon rays has yielded little information about the location of the melted fuel and the last robot inserted into one of the reactors sent only grainy images before breaking down.
ICE WALL
Tepco is building the world’s biggest ice wall to keep groundwater from flowing into the basements of the damaged reactors and getting contaminated.
First suggested in 2013 and strongly backed by the government, the wall was completed in February, after months of delays and questions surrounding its effectiveness. Later this year, Tepco plans to pump water into the wall - which looks a bit like the piping behind a refrigerator - to start the freezing process.
Stopping the ground water intrusion into the plant is critical, said Arnie Gunderson, a former nuclear engineer.
“The reactors continue to bleed radiation into the ground water and thence into the Pacific Ocean,” Gunderson said. "When Tepco finally stops the groundwater, that will be the end of the beginning.”
While he would not rule out the possibility that small amounts of radiation are reaching the ocean, Masuda, the head of decommissioning, said the leaks have ended after the company built a wall along the shoreline near the reactors whose depth goes to below the seabed.
“I am not about to say that it is absolutely zero, but because of this wall the amount of release has dramatically dropped,” he said.
From Zero Hedge @ http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-03-11/fukushima-five-years-later-fuel-rods-melted-through-containment-and-nobody-knows-whe
[size=37]Fukushima Coverup – Radiation Still Ruining Japanese Lives[/size]
by Makia Freeman
The Fukushima coverup still continues to be a problem of massive proportions for the Japanese. It was 5 years ago on March 11th, 2011, that Fukushima, Japan, suffered a massive nuclear catastrophe. Today on The Freedom Articles I’d like to share a profound story of a personal experience of someone I know. This person ran into a group of Japanese women by chance and happened to strike up a conversation about the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and the Fukushima coverup that goes along with it. The topic transformed the entire group and encounter into something deep, sad, emotional and very telling. With people having to abandon their properties and houses to move across country, and with babies suffering from higher cancer rates, the obvious aftereffects of Fukushima are all too real, despite Japanese Government denial.
Here’s the story in her own words:
Spontaneously Broaching the Fukushima Coverup Subject
“Today while on a boat ride I sat next to a group of Japanese tourists, who were mostly all women on a conscious tour honoring the sacredness of the area. For some inexplicable reason I felt compelled to lean forward and start a conversation with them, mostly telling them how concerned I and my fellow community were for their wellbeing after the horrible nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima – a disaster which continues to poison the oceans and entire planet.
Surprisingly, even to myself, my eyes welled up with tears as I told them how we had prayed for them and asked what they themselves have done to change their eating and lifestyles since the Fukushima disaster.”
The Raw Pain from the Fukushima Coverup Still Real
“Something deeply special happened in an instant. Even though only one of them spoke English well, the group of us seven women became heart-bonded in a more instantaneous way than I have ever experienced before. Two of the ladies started crying profusely while all of the other women had, at a minimum, tears running down their faces. There was a wave of authentically deep emotion that overtook a huge section of the boat that made everything else simply disappear.
Sisters without borders, we all shared the stories of the two women who had closest ties to Fukushima. One of these two had had to pack up her house and family, and move across the country despite the Japanese Government telling her she did not need to and that they were “safe” to stay in Fukushima. The other woman’s parents still lived there and although they believed the mainstream version of their “safety” she seemed to be aware of the extent of the Fukushima coverup, and to have a better idea of the danger they were in.”
Fukushima: Higher Cancer Rates for Babies
“She sobbed in that unique Japanese way, her face buried in a handkerchief. They told me stories of babies with higher cancer rates. We hugged deeply. This unspeakable disaster is still happening – yet the Government and most of the country have gone on as if nothing happened.”
[Many studies have confirmed this aspect of the Fukushima coverup, such as this recent one which concluded that children living near the Fukushima nuclear meltdown have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer at a rate 20 to 50 times that of children elsewhere – Editor]
“By now a crowd had gathered. There was a swarming circle of tender-hearted Japanese women leaning over seats to get closer, smiling. I was saying “Arigato” and “Thank You” countless times. I was so appreciative for their willingness to step outside of the traditionally narrow Japanese box that encourages them to strictly stay in line with what they are told to do and feel. They boldly opened their hearts to a stranger and poured out their tears as I held them. It is my understanding of Japanese culture that they are generally told to stuff their emotions, yet these women let her beautiful hearts shine. I am deeply grateful to all of these new sisters and the authentic love, joy and depth that they shared with me today.”
Conclusion: Fukushima Radiation is Real, and a Truth-telling Government is Rare
Fukushima radiation and the Fukushima coverup are both ongoing and real. If, as some researchers have suggested, it was the Israeli Mossad who detonated the nukes that caused the explosion, it was a crime against humanity. However, the ensuing coverup by TEPCO and the Japanese Government was equally a crime against humanity.
Fukushima was – and still is – far worse than Chernobyl. Tokyo farmland has been tested numerous times, and shown to have high levels of radiation, even though Tokyo is hundreds of kilometers away from Fukushima. Countless people have lost their houses, land, livelihood and lives while the Government continues its denial. It’s a shocking lesson about the dangers of nuclear power, and the insanity of those who would pursue profit and power over people, no matter what the cost.
About the Author
Makia Freeman is the editor of The Freedom Articles and senior researcher at ToolsForFreedom.com (FaceBook here), writing on many aspects of truth and freedom, from exposing aspects of the worldwide conspiracy to suggesting solutions for how humanity can create a new system of peace and abundance
Sources:
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/9bd0b3e588634b908193939638126250/researcher-childrens-cancer-linked-fukushima-radiation
http://fukushima-diary.com/2015/12/45-bqkg-of-cs-134137-detected-from-farm-soil-in-chiba-prefecture/
From Waking Times @ http://www.wakingtimes.com/2016/03/12/fukushima-coverup-radiation-still-ruining-japanese-lives/
Experts: Fukushima ‘Worse’ Than Chernobyl
Tokyo Evacuation Can No Longer Be Ignored
Experts warn the need to evacuate Tokyo can no longer be ignored after radioactive hotspots higher than Chernobyl evacuation limits have been discovered across the city.
Many in the alternative media, including myself, have been reporting on radioactive hotspots across Japan, including across all of Tokyo, with radiation levels higher than Chernobyl evacuation limits. For example:
Tokyo Soil Cesium Radiation Nearly Twice Chernobyl Dead Zone Limit
– 919,100 Bq/Sq Meter Detected
Radiation soil tests from 150 sites in the Tokyo metropolitan area finds Cesium radiation up to levels limits nearly twice the Chernobyl dead zone evacuation limit of 500,000 Bq/Sq meter.
An anonymous tip pointed me over to the Radiation Defense Project which has ran radiation tests on 150 soil samples. Update: site is no longer live. Please leave a comment if it returns.
Reviewing the map of the radiation tests shows that radiation is being detected in the soil across the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Such reports have been altogether ignored by the corporate/ M$M media, who have instead chose to believe tests published by the government of Japan and TEPCO, who have repeatedly lied over and over again throughout the Fukushima crisis. But even the officials government tests, which read radiation levels in the air – instead of on the actual ground were people walk – showed hotspots spanning across Japan.
Radiation Levels Higher Than Chernobyl Evacuation Limits Span Over 800 KM in Japan
The latest joint US and Japan survey shows extremely high levels of nuclear radioactive contamination, with radiation levels higher than Chernobyl evacuation limits, now span over 800 kilometers in Japan.
Meanwhile US Media outlets continue to ignore the situation and run stories that the situation is under control.
Asashi News Reports:
Radiation-contaminated area spans 800 square km, new map shows
The total area contaminated with radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is estimated at about 800 square kilometers, or about 40 percent the size of Tokyo, according to a radiation map created by the science ministry and U.S. Department of Energy.
The report uses the same level of contamination (555,000 becquerels or higher of cesium-137) that was used to issue compulsory evacuation orders in the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986. …
The report’s radiation levels were determined in April by measuring, from about 150-700 meters above ground, levels of accumulated radiation on the ground. The areas measured were divided into 1- to 2-square-kilometer zones.
According to the map, about 800 square kilometers are contaminated with accumulated cesium-137 of 600,000 becquerels or higher per square meter. The substance has a half-life of about 30 years.[…]
Source Asahi
The article above references data take from the a joint aerial survey conducted by Japan and the US Department of Energy. Here are the maps from the report.[…]
Read The Rest…
Finally, the brutal reality of the situation on the ground in Japan has showed up on the radar of a corporate news source, Al Jazeera.
In the video below, Al Jazeera reports on the worsening nightmare at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant. A little more than 30 seconds into the video the shocking news is delivered that officials can no longer ignore the need to evacuation Tokyo.
In the video below, Al Jazeera reports on the worsening nightmare at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant. A little more than 30 seconds into the video the shocking news is delivered that officials can no longer ignore the need to evacuation Tokyo.
Transcripts of the opening minute or so, of the video.
Narrator [Steve Chao]: In neighborhoods around Tokyo volunteers for months now have digging for answers, looking to uncover clues into how much radiation has made its way into the nation’s capital.
Narrator: Investigative Journalist Kouta Konashita has been a focal point of the efforts. He says the test results from soil samples analyzed in professional labs show dangerous hotspots throughout the city.
Konashita: There are many areas with high levels of radioactive substances. The levels there are the same as in parts around Chernobyl where people had to evacuate.
Narrator: The need to evacuate parts of the sprawling capital of 35 million may have once seemed an incredible prospect but some experts say the possibility can no longer be ignored.
Narrator: And mothers like Ayoiy Enama [sic] are just one of hundreds who believe their children are already suffering the effects.
Narrator: 10 year old Kana [sic] has had severe joint pain in the arms and legs, deep rings under her eyes, and extreme tiredness to the point that she sleeps for hours during the day. All symptons of radiation sickness say nuclear safety experts.
At least one billion becquerels a day of radiation continue to leak from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant after the March earthquake and tsunami.
Experts say that the total amount of radiation leaked will exceed amounts released from Chernobyl, making Fukushima the worst nuclear disaster in history.
Al Jazeera’s Steve Chao reports from the Japanese capital of Tokyo.
From Higgins News Network @ http://alexanderhiggins.com/experts-fukushima-worse-than-chernobyl-tokyo-evacuation-can-no-longer-be-ingored-2/
Thanks to: http://nexusilluminati.blogspot.com
