The Fukushima Nightmare Gets Worse

[Capt Bringdown]

Just when it seemed things might be under control at Fukushima, we find they are worse than ever.

Immeasurably worse.

Massive quantities of radioactive liquids are now flowing through the shattered reactor site into the Pacific Ocean. And their make-up is far more lethal than the “mere” tritium that has dominated the headlines to date.

Tepco, the owner/operator–and one of the world’s biggest and most technologically advanced electric utilities–has all but admitted it cannot control the situation. Its shoddy performance has prompted former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Dale Klein to charge: “You don’t what you are doing.”

The Japanese government is stepping in. But there is no guarantee–or even likelihood–it will do any better.

In fact, there is no certainty as to what’s causing this out-of-control flow of death and destruction.

The site is still unpredictably radioactive. It remains unclear what has happened to the melted cores of the three exploded reactors.

The recent appearance of a steam plume has raised the specter that fission may still be occurring somewhere in the area.

It is also unclear what will happen to the hundreds of tons of spent fuel perched precariously in a pool 100 feet in the air above Unit Four.

Sustaining that cooling system until the rods can be removed–and it’s unclear when that will happen–is a major challenge.

Should an earthquake come before that’s done, and should those rods go crashing to the ground where they and their zirconium cladding could ignite in the open air, the consequences could only be described as apocalyptic. -- more -->> (http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/08/13/the-fukushima-nightmare-gets-worse/)

[boutons_deux]

http://readersupportednews.org/images/stories/article_imgs10/010314-fukushima-power-plant-081413.jpg

Fukushima Forever?


Almost two and a half years after the nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima, the head of Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) raised concern on August 5 about the continued flow of radioactive water from the plant going into the Pacific Ocean, telling Reuters, "Right now we have a state of emergency."Shinji Kinjo, head of the NRA task force, was following the apparent script for the current performance of the familiar kabuki theatre of nuclear power agencies everywhere, the stylized dance of suggesting meaning without actually clarifying it. Kinjo heads a task force set up after the March 2011 Fukushima meltdowns, a body with no authority to do anything, which was put in place by the NRA, the nuclear regulator that doesn't really regulate.

"Right now we have a state of emergency," said Kinjo, allowing one to think perhaps there had not been any state of emergency since the meltdowns.

"Right now we have a state of emergency," said Kinjo, three days after the most recent task force meeting, during which time there were no significant new developments at Fukushima, although the task force concluded that new measures were needed to stop the radioactive pollution.

"Right now we have a state of emergency," said Kinjo, as he proposed absolutely no immediate emergency responses.

Or, as Masayuki Ono, TEPCO's general manager told a press conference the following day: "We understand that this discharge is beyond our control and

we do not think the current situation is good." :lol :lol :lol

What Would Meaningful Regulation of the Nuclear Industry Look Like?

If nuclear regulation were meaningful, would Japan's NRA have allowed the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to locate Fukushima Daiichi (Number One, with four reactors) and Fukushima Daini (Number Two, with two reactors) in a seismic region where they would be vulnerable to earthquakes?

If nuclear regulation were meaningful, would the NRA have allowed TEPCO to locate six reactors close enough to the Pacific Ocean to be vulnerable to tsunamis, even if they were on a bluff about 115 feet above sea level and the design basis for tsunamis was about 16 feet?

If nuclear regulation were meaningful, would the NRA have allowed TEPCO to lower the bluff to about 33 feet above sea level, in order to build on bedrock to reduce the vulnerability to earthquakes, while increasing the vulnerability to tsunamis, and at the same time bringing the reactors about 80 feet closer to the natural aquifer beneath them?

If nuclear regulation were meaningful, would the NRA have allowed TEPCO to double down and add two more reactors in a heavily populated area where none of the risks had been effectively mitigated?

To be fair, Fukushima Number Two was only slightly damaged, and its pair of reactors remain out of service, but at least they didn't melt down. A generous scorekeeper might find that the NRA was batting .500, with only three meltdowns out of six reactors. :lol

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/18894-focus-fukushima-forever

[TeyshaBlue]

This is gonna turn out well.

http://gizmodo.com/japan-wants-to-build-an-ice-wall-to-contain-fukushimas-1135305503

[boutons_deux]

Be Happy, Don't Worry.

The Corporate Free Market provides optimal solutions!

[Capt Bringdown]

This is gonna turn out well.

http://gizmodo.com/japan-wants-to-build-an-ice-wall-to-contain-fukushimas-1135305503


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsx2vdn7gpY

[mouse]

Agloco?

[scroteface]

i told you guys that we weren't getting the honest truth on this..it's a concerted government effort to conceal the full extent of the disaster from the people.

[cheguevara]

Agloco?

:lmao

that poster was just one among many that said NOBODY will die from this, or even get sick :lol

I knew it from the first after the reactor explosion, I saw a nuclear scientist on CNN have a hard time keeping his composure, but he still gave the "this shit is fucked" face :lol

when asked what would happen if indeed the reactors melted down all he could mutter was "I feel sorry for Japan"

and yet still even to this day, nuclear defenders say nuclear radiation from an exploded reactor is no worse than eating a banana :lol

[The Reckoning]

bill nye spilling truth bombs


http://youtu.be/HgNpVq00otE


http://youtu.be/5VAgW9yZa_0


http://youtu.be/9XcSDNc-Px8

[The Reckoning]

i love how they called "The Science Guy" in as an expert :lol

[mouse]

That bow tie wearing asshat Bill Nye needs to stick with mixing baking soda with vinegar.

7:20 mark

asnaykgZE8M

[cheguevara]

they will start manually removing the rods this November 2014. Let's review the challenges:
- Removing the rods from the pool is a delicate task normally assisted by computers that memorised the exact locations of the rods down to the millimeter, according to Toshio Kimura, a former TEPCO technician, who worked at Fukushima Daiichi for 11 years. :lol now they will attempt to do this 1,331 times by hand :lol

- The possibility of a large release of radiation if a fuel assembly breaks, gets stuck or gets too close to an adjacent bundle is very high

- The rods contain radiation equivalent to 14,000 times the amount released in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima

- They will start manual work starting November and will work 24/7 for the next 2 years and hope none of the workers makes a single mistake

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/the-deadliest-part-of-fukushimas-nuclear-clean-up-removing-fuel-rods

Enjoy these last few months of life pre-apocalypse my comrades. Spend it with your families, eat and drink all you can. Fallout 3, here we come.... :lmao

[mouse]

Agloco?

[boutons_deux]

Fukushima radioactive plume to reach US in three years

http://www.climatescience.org.au/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/Fukushima%20figure.png

The radioactive ocean plume from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster will reach the shores of the US within three years from the date of the incident but is likely to be harmless according to new paper in the journal Deep-Sea Research 1.

http://www.climatescience.org.au/content/336-fukushima-radioactive-plume-reach-us-three-years

aka, another cut in the "death (of the planet) by 1000 cuts"

[cantthinkofanything]

5.3-magnitude earthquake hits Japan's Fukushima
http://www.myfoxny.com/Story/23477582/53-magnitude-earthquake-hits-japans-fukushima

[boutons_deux]

Japan asks for world's help on Fukushima leaks
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/6/japan-asks-for-worldshelponfukushimaleaks.html

[MB20]

******* Earthquake Information ********
Occurred at 02:10 JST 26 Oct 2013
Region name FUKUSHIMA-KEN OKI
Latitude 37.2N
Longitude 144.6E
Depth about 10 km
Magnitude 7.1

[MB20]

Tsunami with a height of 0.3 meter reaches Japan coast after earthquake; no damage reported: TV

[MB20]

(Reuters) - The operator of Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant said on Saturday there was no damage or spike in radiation levels at the station after a large earthquake struck in the ocean east of Japan, triggering a small tsunami.

[mouse]

:lmao

that poster was just one among many that said NOBODY will die from this, or even get sick :lol

I knew it from the first after the reactor explosion, I saw a nuclear scientist on CNN have a hard time keeping his composure, but he still gave the "this shit is fucked" face :lol

when asked what would happen if indeed the reactors melted down all he could mutter was "I feel sorry for Japan"

and yet still even to this day, nuclear defenders say nuclear radiation from an exploded reactor is no worse than eating a banana :lol

[boutons_deux]

THE FUKUSHIMA CRISIS COMES TO THE STATES
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/fukushima-radiation-arrives-in-alaska-111213