Fresh catch - A fish caught near the Fukushima plant contains very very high levels of Cesium

Tepco reports that a greenling (pictured left) caught on August 1 within 20 kilometers of Daichi tested the highest to date for Cesium contamination.  Just how high? The fish clocked in at a whopping 25,800 becquerels per kilogram for combined cesium 134 and cesium 137, compared to the previous high of 18,700 becquerels per kilogram found in a cherry salmon.

To put into perspective how high this level of radioactivity is, tea leaves shipped out of Japan have a cap of 500 becquerels per kilogram of cesium. Any higher than that and it is not fit for export, and presumably, not suitable for consumption within the country either.

Genetically altered butterflies from the Fukushima prefecture of Japan

52% of the population, 3 generations in

I apologize for not being around this past year. Radiation levels in the Philippines have since been normal (.04-.11 mSv per hour)

Have you seen this yet? The highly respected International Journal of Health Services says that 14,000 U.S. deaths can be attributed to Fukushima radiation

Virtually every agency (including the EPA) attempted to assess the impact of radiation originating from Fukushima throughout the entire crisis. Now we have a peer-reviewed study revealing that they may have been underestimating exposures all along

"This study of Fukushima health hazards is the first to be published in a scientific journal. It raises concerns, and strongly suggests that health studies continue, to understand the true impact of Fukushima in Japan and around the world. Findings are important to the current debate of whether to build new reactors, and how long to keep aging ones in operation."

Read the full story here

IJHS website here

Just weeks before tsunami debris will reach Midway Atoll and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

"US, Hawaii officials to take questions from public Monday, Dec. 12, on preparations and response plans, Islands are critical habitat for 23 endangered or threatened species, including Hawaiian monk seal"

From The Sacramento Bee:

HONOLULU, Dec. 11, 2011 -- /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The earthquake and tsunami that destroyed parts of eastern Japan in March 2011 washed vast amounts of debris into the Pacific Ocean. The buoyant portion of that debris is making its way toward the US. Based on models, first landfall of the debris could occur in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) — designated as Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument by President George W. Bush — as early as January/February 2012.

A free 90-minute webinar this Monday, Dec. 12, will examine how US and Hawaiian resource managers and partners are preparing for impacts of the tsunami debris on the NWHI ecosystem, which includes Midway Atoll. A webinar is a Web-based seminar that allows the public to interact directly with panelists via computer or phone.

The webinar "Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris: Anticipating and Mitigating Its Impacts on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands" starts at 10 am Hawaii time (noon Pacific; 3 pm Eastern), and is open to the media and public. To register, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/864409841

The NWHI are home to 23 endangered or threatened species including the Hawaiian monk seal and several sea turtle species. The ecosystem also provides habitat for 14 million sea birds.

Lessons from the NWHI tsunami debris response, including on the nature and quantity of debris encountered, will inform responses when the debris eventually reaches the US West Coast, expected in 2013.

Big problems ahead for Tepco in 2012

The obvious lesson out of the Fukushima disaster seems to be that you can't make a nuclear catastrophe go away within a years time. Given the magnitude of the crisis in Dai-ichi, creating such an expectation would merely amount to wishful thinking.

Despite Tepco's assurances that cold shutdown will be achieved by years end, it's possible that the radioactive water storage situation will spiral out of control to the point where it is no longer practical, affordable, or even physically possible to keep up with added burden. Tepco will have no recourse but to dump massive amounts of radioactive water into the pacific ocean on a regular basis. Reuters:

Tokyo Electric Power, (Tepco) the utility operating Fukushima's Daiichi plant, hit by a powerful tsunami in March that caused the world's worst nuclear accident in 25 years, said it was running out of space to store some of the water it treated at the plant, due to an inflow of groundwater.

"We would like to increase the number of tanks to accommodate the water but it will be difficult to do so indefinitely," Tepco spokesman Junichi Matsumoto told reporters.

He said the plant was likely to reach its storage capacity of about 155,000 tons around March.

Tepco plans to come up with possible ways to handle radioactive waste and present its proposals to the government's nuclear regulatory body for approval.

"The government should not, and must not, approve a plan allowing Tepco to dispose treated water in the ocean," said Kenji Sumita, an emeritus professor at Osaka University who specializes in nuclear engineering.

"The reality is that semipermanent storage is the only solution available under current technological constraints. Tepco may have to find the storage space and look for a technological breakthrough in the coming years that allows it to condense and greatly reduce the volume of tainted water."

Gorgeous newly-released photos inside the exclusion zone from National Geographic

Via TheAtlantic.com

6.0 earthquake detected right smack in the middle of Fukushima Province this morning

From iol news:

"Tokyo - An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale struck early on Thursday in Japan's Fukushima province.

There were no immediate reports of damage from the 4.24am (local time) earthquake, which had an epicentre 30km under the seafloor off Fukushima. Authorities said there was no tsunami threat.

Fukushima was struck on March 11 by a magnitude-9 quake, which caused major damage across the region and set off a tsunami that devastated coastal communities. The twin disasters damaged a powerplant, leading to a nuclear meltdown.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, reported no immediate problems on Thursday at the crippled facility, broadcaster NHK said.

The latest earthquake was strong enough to set skyscrapers swaying in Tokyo, 260km away."

Be careful when purchasing a second hand car - it may have come from Iwate, Futaba, or other areas that were exposed to high levels of radiation

From The Telegraph:

Japanese dealers selling 'radioactive cars'

Unscrupulous used-car dealers in Japan are selling vehicles exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation to unsuspecting buyers

"The vehicles appear to be outwardly sound but were owned by people living close to the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant when it was destroyed by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Others come from second-hand dealers in the north-east of Japan, with a report in the Asahi newspaper suggesting that a minivan that was originally registered in the town of Iwaki, on the edge of the 18-mile exclusion zone around the plant, tested positive for 110 microsieverts of radiation per hour. The Japanese government initially set a level of 5 microsieverts as the limit for cars to be exported to other countries, but in August tightened the rules to 0.3 microsieverts.

Dealers have long had a lucrative trade in buying up second-hand vehicles in Japan and exporting them to Russia and south-east Asia. But with those markets no closed to them because of radioactivity tests at docks, they have little choice but to dump them on the domestic market.

So far, more 660 cars have been refused export documents from Japan.

The dealer who purchased the notoriously contaminated vehicle from Iwaki did so in good faith at an auction for Y1.43 million (£11,737), he told the Asahi. Intending to transport it from Osaka to south-east Asia, authorities informed him that the minivan was more than 20 times the permissible radiation level for exports."

Japanese cars are often converted and then sold throughout Southeast Asia. I can see the Philippines being a target for these kinds of cars. Scary stuff.

Ex-Futaba residents are testing higher than all other municipalities with internal radiation exposure

Abandoned hospital in Futaba

From the Mainichi Daily:

2 boys in Fukushima Pref. internally exposed to radiation

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Two boys in Fukushima Prefecture were found to have been internally exposed to the highest levels of radiation detected during checks conducted on nearly 4,500 local residents in the wake of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in the northeastern prefecture, the prefectural government said Thursday.

The level of exposure is estimated to be equivalent to 3 millisieverts during their lifetime, which would not have harmful effects on their health, according to government officials. The local government has not disclosed the boys' exact ages, saying only that they are between 4 and 7 years old.

The boys, who are from the town of Futaba, which partly hosts the plant that was severely damaged by explosions after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, showed the highest levels of internal exposure among 4,463 residents of 13 high-risk municipalities tested between June 27 and Sept. 30, the officials said.

Among others tested, eight people measured 2 millisieverts, six 1 millisievert and the remaining 4,447 below 1 millisievert, they said.

They were tested using whole body counters either at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba city or the Japan Atomic Energy Agency in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture. Estimates for adults were calculated to measure accumulated radiation exposure in the coming 50 years, and for children until they reach the age of 70.

The International Pacific Research Center is tracking and updating tsunami debris locations daily

Confirmed location of tsunami junk as of October 8, 2011

See the original computerized model illustrating how the debris would cross the pacific here

Radioactive venting from the Fukushima reactors continues, and the proof is in the rainfall

Certain areas that were previously decontaminated read even higher after it rains


Here's a demoralizing article from The Canadian :

"The unease is especially strong in areas in and around mountains that must be repeatedly decontaminated, as every rainfall brings a new batch of radioactive substance-contaminated leaves and soil washing down from the hills. Since some 70 percent of Fukushima Prefecture is mountainous, such instances of regular recontamination could occur over a broad area, while the same effect has also been observed in some undeveloped areas of cities.

The central government is considering paying for any decontamination operations conducted by local governments at sites with radiation emissions of 1 millisievert per year or more, but residents in places faced with regular recontamination after every major rainfall are concerned the national government may not keep the cleanup funding flowing."

The newly completed canopy covering reactor 1 (shown above) will purportedly help Tepco decontaminate as much as 90% of all airborne radioactivity within the structure.

Decontamination efforts still not dropping exposures in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward

Same story, different area. A radiation hot spot located 230 kilometers away from Fukushima daiichi remains persistently high (2.7 microSievert/hr) despite a round of decontamination. From Mainichi:

High levels of radiation detected in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Radiation of up to 2.7 microsieverts per hour has been detected in part of Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, local officials said Wednesday, asking residents to stay away from an affected area where the amount was much higher than those in its vicinity.

The high level of radiation was spotted on a part of the municipal road walkway in a residential area of Tsurumaki in the ward, some 230 kilometers away from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The figure was higher than 2.17 microsieverts per hour measured Wednesday at the village office in Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, located 45 km from the Fukushima plant and designated as the government-set evacuation zone due to relatively high radiation despite being out of the no-go zone within a 20-km radius, according to a central government data.

The ward measured radiation at the spot on Oct. 4 after being alerted by a resident and decontaminated the area, but the radiation amount barely changed when it measured again last Thursday, the officials said.

As it falls on an elementary school zone, with a kindergarten and nursery school located nearby as well, the ward will promptly work out effective methods to decontaminate, they said.

Insightful article from The Economist about contaminated soil removal in Iitate, and what residents are up against

"However, Iitate’s experience suggests the government may be underestimating the task. Villagers have removed 5cm of topsoil from one patch of land, but because radioactive particles continue to blow from the surrounding trees, the level of radiation remains high—about one microsievert an hour—even if lower than in nearby areas. Without cutting down the forests, Mr Sato reckons there will be a permanent risk of contamination. So far, nobody has any idea where any contaminated soil will be dumped.

The second problem is children’s health. On September 30th the government lifted an evacuation advisory warning to communities within a 20-30km radius of the plant. The aim was partly to show that the authorities were steadily bringing the crippled reactors under control.

But these areas are still riddled with radiation hot spots, including schools and public parks, which will need to be cleaned before public confidence is restored. Parents say they are particularly concerned about bringing their children back because the health effects of radiation on the young are so unclear. What is more, caesium particles tend to lurk in the grass, which means radiation is more of a risk at toddler height than for adults."

Read the full article here

79 children between the ages of four and 19 developed narcolepsy after receiving the Pandemrix vaccine in 2009 and 2010

76 of those also suffered from "bouts of cataplexy"

"Finnish and international researchers recently found a conclusive link between the Pandemrix swine flu vaccine and new cases of narcolepsy, a chronic nervous system disorder which causes people to often uncontrollably fall asleep.

The Finnish Pharmaceutical Insurance Pool (LVP), which represents insurance companies, said Wednesday it would honour all insurance claims in this category. LVP said it would review each claim individually to calculate the scope of the payout.

The Finnish government meanwhile agreed to cover any medical costs exceeding the insurance claims. In Finland, 79 children between the ages of four and 19 developed narcolepsy after receiving the Pandemrix vaccine in 2009 and 2010.

Of these cases, an unusually high number, 76, also suffered from bouts of cataplexy, suffering hallucinations or paralysing physical collapses, according to Finnish research."

Read the article here

A third worker at Fukushima dies after being there just 46 days

As expected, TEPCO is not releasing the name of the employee.  They are also claiming that radiation exposure is probably not the cause of death.

"The most recent victim had been working at the plant for 46 days installing a tank that will be used to process contaminated water pumped from damaged reactor buildings.

Reports said he had worked three hours a day and had been exposed to a total of 2.02 millisieverts [mSv] of radiation, well below the 100mSv per year level at which, experts say, the risk of cancer increases.

Over the past six months, thousands of "nuclear gypsies"– many of them poorly paid, inexperienced labourers hired by Tepco sub-contractors – have taken part in the hazardous job of repairing and clearing the plant."

Something doesn't seem right about these recent deaths. It's not like they fell from the roof of a building or got electrocuted. Both were working under highly radioactive circumstances, both had fallen ill on site and both basically dropped dead just days later.

Read the full story at The Guardian here

Scientific American: World's Largest Movable Structure to Seal the Wrecked Chernobyl Reactor

"Inside the structure, three robotic cranes capable of lifting up to 50 metric tons each will be equipped with tools to help dismantle the sarcophagus, using drills, manipulator arms and concrete crushers, along with vacuum cleaners that can suck up to 10 metric tons of dust. The cranes will also employ radioactivity monitors as well as cameras to help remotely operate the tools .

Once the sarcophagus and its contents are dismantled , it remains to be seen where the most radioactive material will be buried, but there are facilities to store the less radioactive remains."

Read the article here

Typhoon Pedring moves on, radiation readings still normal in Makati

Location: Makati, Indoors

Time of reading: 10:30pm

Value: 0.05 microSieverts per hour (50 nanoSieverts/hr)

Yearly dose at this level: 0.438 milliSieverts (43.8 millirem)

Days range: 0.04-0.09 μSv/hr

Unharvested Nihonmatsu rice approaches 500 becquerel of cesium per kilogram

TOKYO—Japan has detected high levels of radiation in rice growing near the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, a government official said Saturday.

A preparatory test ahead of the official examination of the safety of rice in Nihonmatsu, a city about 30 miles west of the stricken power plant, found that a sample of unharvested rice contained 500 becquerels of cesium per kilogram, the maximum permissible level, the Fukushima Prefecture official said.

Rice with up to 500 becquerels of cesium per kilogram is considered safe for consumption, but shipments of rice exceeding that level are banned in Japan.

The cesium level found in the rice sample in Nihonmatsu is the highest discovered since the regulations were set in April, and no rice shipments have been banned, an official at Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. Rice with 500 becquerels of cesium per kilogram still can be shipped.

Fukushima Prefecture will conduct the official tests of rice for radiation in Nihonmatsu as soon as possible at 300 spots—many more than the initially planned 38 spots—as a a result of the latest discovery. Preparatory tests are aimed at determining how many spots rice should be tested in each area.

Fukushima has conducted more than 340 preparatory tests, of which the highest level of cesium previously found was 136 becquerels per kilogram, the Fukushima prefectural official said.

Original WSJ asia article here

Tokyo Radiation Hotspots

Some folks at radiationdefense.jp were nice enough to compile independent readings of ground contamination throughout Tokyo and surrounding areas.  View this pdf file for a more detailed list.

Japan Today: A significant amount of groundwater flows into the Fukushima plant daily

"manageable"

Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Tuesday that between 200 and 500 tons of groundwater a day are flowing through wall cracks into the reactor buildings of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

A TEPCO official told TBS that water inflow had increased after heavy rain. The official said the plant is currently decontaminating 1,000 tons of tainted water a day and that the increased amount of groundwater is manageable, TBS reported.