福島第１原発 高濃度汚染水漏れ　東電「外部漏出ない」via 毎日新聞

Posted on 2017/08/18 by yukimiyamotodepaul

東京電力は１７日、福島第１原発の汚染水を処理する多核種除去設備で高濃度汚染水が漏れ、ベータ線を出す放射性物質が１リットル当たり２２００万ベクレル検出されたと発表した。漏れた汚染水はせきの内側にとどまっており、外部への漏れはないという。

（略）

漏れた汚染水は推定で５０ミリリットルとみられる。応急措置としてテープを巻いて補修すると漏れは止まったという。【岡田英】

全文は福島第１原発 高濃度汚染水漏れ　東電「外部漏出ない」

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Recycling Radioactive Scrap Metal – What Could Go Wrong? via Radiation Free Lakeland

Posted on 2017/08/17 by yukimiyamotodepaul

Last weeks headline in the Whitehaven News “New business will recycle spare food” sounds like a very good thing. Only read a little further and all is not what it seems.

“Recycle Lives” is a scrap buying and reprocessing business with a Sellafield contract. Usually scrap metal merchants buy in scrap metal for melting down and/or selling on but in a novel twist Sellafield are paying Recycle Lives to take scrap metal away.

Dr Gordon Edwards is a qualified expert from Canada on nuclear issues and explains how this scandalous situation has been orchestrated: “During the early decades of the nuclear age, people were told (and are still being told) that all nuclear waste will undergo “disposal” — a word with no scientific definition, for humans have never successfully “disposed” of anything. But in recent years, the nuclear industry has significantly altered its previous doctrine. The new buzz-word is “recycling”. The industry, it seems, wants to benefit from some of the “good vibes” associated with Environmentalism’s “3 Rs” — Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. But recycling is a deceptive word to use, for the nuclear industry wants
 to gradually disseminate brand new highly dangerous waste materials – radioactive species which never existed before—into general circulation, as invisible contaminants. They want to reduce the volume of waste by spreading it around, “decontaminating” it as they go. But decontaminating is by no means perfect. Radioactivity has to go somewhere — into the air, into the water, into the soil . . . and increasingly, into ordinary items of commerce. Thus everyone on earth will soon be receiving their own personal allotment of radioactive plutonium, cesium-137, cobalt-60, iron-55, nickel-63, and many other human-made radioactive waste materials in their household purchases — a gift from the nuclear industry.”

[…]

A document from Springfields Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing site in Preston shows that following the change in the law in 2008 there is no limit on the type of radionuclides or on the volume of metals going to the “Lillyhall Metals Recyling Facility.”

[…]

The Lillyhall “Cyclife” Radioactive Metal Recyling site is adjacent to a bakery and near the Lakes College. Just this week photos have been taken of the Lillyhall site (now operated by Cyclife/EDF). The photos (below) show shipping containers stacked up on top of each other next to the perimeter fence. There are many more than the “approved” 15 containers on the plan controversially passed by Cumbria County Council.   The radioactive metal stacked in these containers awaiting “decontamination” (shot blasting the hot metal with clean metal) will end up at scrap metal merchants like Recycle Life.  This radioactive scrap metal is not to be reused by the nuclear industry (not clean enough for them?) but is to be sold onto the open market and into everyday household items.   Who is checking the metal is “clean”?   The industry monitors itself.   It is a scandal.  

Read more at Recycling Radioactive Scrap Metal – What Could Go Wrong? 

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High-priced Fukushima ice wall nears completion, but effectiveness doubtful via The Mainichi

Posted on 2017/08/17 by nfield

A subterranean ice wall surrounding the nuclear reactors at the stricken Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant to block groundwater from flowing in and out of the plant buildings has approached completion.

  • 【Related】Concern as leaky ‘ice wall’ around Fukushima nuke plant resembles ‘bamboo screen
  • Initially, the ice wall was lauded as a trump card in controlling radioactively contaminated water at the plant in Fukushima Prefecture, which was crippled by meltdowns in the wake of the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. But while 34.5 billion yen from government coffers has already been invested in the wall, doubts remain about its effectiveness. Meanwhile, the issue of water contamination looms over decommissioning work.
  • In a news conference at the end of July, Naohiro Masuda, president and chief decommissioning officer of Fukushima Daiichi Decontamination & Decommissioning Engineering Co., stated, “We feel that the ice wall is becoming quite effective.” However, he had no articulate answer when pressed for concrete details, stating, “I can’t say how effective.”
  • […]
  • As for the ice wall, TEPCO has not provided any concrete information on its effectiveness. An official of the Secretariat of the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) commented, “The subdrain performs the primary role, and the ice wall will probably be effective enough to supplement that.” This indicates that officials have largely backtracked from their designation of the ice wall as an effective means of battling contaminated water, and suggests there is unlikely to be a dramatic decrease in the amount of decontaminated groundwater once the ice wall is fully operational.
  • Using taxpayers’ money to cover an incident at a private company raised the possibility of a public backlash. But one official connected with the Committee on Countermeasures for Contaminated Water Treatment commented, “It was accepted that public funds could be spent if those funds were for the ice wall, which was a challenging project that had not been undertaken before.” Small-scale ice walls had been created in the past, but the scale of this one — extending 1.5 kilometers and taking years to complete — was unprecedented. […]
  • Maintaining the ice wall will cost over a billion yen a year, and the radiation exposure of workers involved in its maintenance is high. Meanwhile, there are no immediate prospects of being able to repair the basement damage in the reactor buildings at the crippled nuclear plant. […]

 

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大自然 遊ぶ幸せ　放射能心配…福島の親子受け入れ via 中日新聞

Posted on 2017/08/17 by nfield

八尾・桐谷の施設に招待

東京電力福島第一原発事故を不安に思う福島の親子らの保養を受け入れる「桐谷のおうち」が夏休み期間中、富山市八尾町桐谷で開かれている。１５日夜は運営者が夕食をふるまい、交流を深めた。参加者は「外遊びが少なくなった」「ラジオ体操がなくなった」などと福島の現状を話し、「自然でいっぱい遊ばせられる」と受け入れに感謝していた。

[…]

　福島市の会社員金田智宏さん（３９）、真希さん（３８）夫妻は小中高校生の子ども３人と参加。「大自然の中はまだ放射能の影響があり、遊べない」と現状を明かした。「町内の一斉清掃も、除染していない場所はしない」と智宏さん。原発事故以降、町内のラジオ体操は再開していないという。

　真希さんは「本当は放射線の濃度が高いところがあるけれど、市民に知らされていない」と不安視し、智宏さんは「事故から年がたち、福島は大丈夫と思われているかもしれないけれど、生活はリセットされていない」と話した。　（木許はるみ）

全文

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The Untimely Death Of A Marshall Islands Visionary via Civil Beat

Posted on 2017/08/17 by nfield

By Jon Letman

After a short, sudden illness that ended with cardiac arrest in a Taipei Hospital, the Republic of the Marshall Islands’ second highest ranking official, Minister in Assistance Mattlan Zackhras, died on Aug. 8 at the age of 47.

[…]

I know this is a complicated question, but are nuclear issues resolved?

To us it will never be resolved until the U.S. discloses everything because most of what we don’t know is still classified. And just recently they were declassified because we worked with the Clinton administration when he was in office and he allowed some of it to be declassified and we found some information like Project 4.1 where we weren’t aware of it when we negotiated the first Compact. You cannot just wash your hands off of an issue that is still impacting the Marshallese people until today. You have a big dome on Enewetak (atoll) that’s leaking and you’re just not doing anything about it.

Runit dome? Is it leaking?

Runit dome — yeah.

Has there been an adequate response by the U.S.?

Well, they’re saying it’s not contaminated. After the testing they just brought in all of the materials and shielded it with a large cement dome over it and just say, “okay, problem solved.”

What do you think Americans today should understand about these nuclear issues?

I think that’s the very unfortunate part of our story, is that we don’t have access to the major networks like CNN. We can be captured a little here and there whenever there’s an article about climate and we link up the nuclear issue with that just to raise the profile again and remind people. But if it was the U.S. and it was the sheer thought of the extent and strength of a nuclear device being tested in their soil that would have been a major issue.

Take Nevada, for example, and try to compare. I think the only difference is that it was done in a different country. And for those who probably don’t really understand, I think it’s on us today, a lot of the youngsters today need to keep the momentum going because most of our leaders that were living back then are dying or they’ve already gone, but they were brave. I live until the day that we will see the full disclosure of all the documents.

Is that central to disclosure?

There’s no closure until there’s full disclosure to this nuclear (issue). I’m glad that it’s being discussed now at the World Humanitarian Summit, the issue of loss and damage. Well, it has to do with the climate change but again, looking at it from humanity’s side. That’s something that we really need to revisit and keep telling the story to anyone and everyone that wants to open their ears and understand.

[…]

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建屋なし、決定なら国内初　浜岡原発の乾式貯蔵 via 静岡新聞

Posted on 2017/08/17 by yukimiyamotodepaul

　中部電力が、建屋を造らず使用済み核燃料を専用の容器（金属キャスク）のみで保管することを検討していることが、１６日までに判明した浜岡原発（御前崎市佐倉）。建屋がない乾式の貯蔵施設は海外に事例があるが、国内にはない。中電が建屋なしの方針を決めれば、国内唯一になる。

原子力規制委員会によると、国内で乾式貯蔵施設は日本原子力発電東海第２原発（茨城県）と事故を起こした東京電力福島第１原発（福島県）の２カ所に設置され、キャスクはいずれも建屋内にある。乾式貯蔵施設を計画し、原子力規制委の適合性審査まで進んでいるのは中電のみ。中電の方針が、全国の電力事業者に影響を与える可能性もある。

使用済み核燃料を冷やし貯蔵している燃料プールは、全国の原発で平均約７割が埋まっていて、浜岡原発は８６・９％に達する。こうした事情もあり、規制委は乾式貯蔵施設の設置を推進している。

（略）

浜岡原発で建屋を造らなければ、同施設の貯蔵容量が増え、燃料プールにも余裕が出てくるとみられる。だが、より多くの使用済み核燃料が地元にため置かれるという懸念も想定される。

（略）

高経年化技術評価は運転開始後３０年を経過する原発に義務付けられている。３号機は１９８７年８月２８日に営業運転を開始し、今月８月２８日に３０年を迎える。

全文は建屋なし、決定なら国内初　浜岡原発の乾式貯蔵 

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Researchers want to use shrimp shells to extract uranium from the ocean via CNBC

Posted on 2017/08/17 by yukimiyamotodepaul

[…]

Discovered in 1789 by the German chemist Martin Klaproth, uranium is today used in nuclear power plants around the world. From Canada to Kazakhstan, mines are extracting it on a large scale.

In the United States, bright minds have come up with a novel way to extract it from the ocean using mats made from chitin, which is found in the shells of shrimps, other crustaceans and insects. These mats are transparent and can be placed underwater to “withdraw” uranium.

“We’ve found that we could selectively extract a useful polymer called chitin directly from shrimp shells, and that we could modify this into a sorbent that would allow us to obtain uranium directly from the ocean,” Robin Rogers, president of 525 Solutions, told CNBC’s Sustainable Energy.

[…]

Rogers added that the potential of the work he and his team were undertaking was considerable with regards to uranium extraction.

“Of course the ocean is really big, so it’s dilute, but there’s no question that the amount of uranium in the ocean could satisfy mankind’s needs for nuclear power for many, many generations to come.”

Read more at Researchers want to use shrimp shells to extract uranium from the ocean

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ユニクロ×原発　潜入ジャーナリスト対談＃2「僕らの潜入取材の方法と掟」via 文春オンライン

Posted on 2017/08/17 by yukimiyamotodepaul

（抜粋）

鈴木　実は俺も、同じことを考えました。本名だったので身元が割れて、原発の仕事をクビになったんですけど、女房の姓になれば、また潜入できると思ったんです。ところがバレたあとに、東芝名で「潜入ルポ等を懸念し、新規入所者を入念に確認していたはずが、東芝Gr（グループ）に潜入された」という文書が回ったんです。俺を入れてくれた会社の人にまた迷惑をかけたらシャレにならないなと思って、止めました。

横田　会社の人は鈴木さんをライターだと知っていた、と書いてありましたよね。

鈴木　俺を入れてくれた5次請けの会社は、取材と知って入れてくれたんです。俺がクビになったあとは当然、その会社は東芝から干されました。｢原発の事実を世の中の人に知って欲しいから、自分はどうなってもかまわない｣と経営者が腹をくくってくれたから取材が出来た。心から感謝していますし、負い目もあります。横田さんの場合、名前を変えても採用されない可能性がありましたよね。ライター仲間と話してたんです。「俺たち、そもそもユニクロに合格しないな」って（笑）。

（略）

「難民より私たちだよね」

横田　原発の現場と比べると、危険と言っても程度が違いますが。原発ではメモは取れないでしょう。ＩＣレコーダーを回しっ放しですか？

鈴木　服は全部支給されるんですが、作業着にはポケットがないんです。中の下着にだけポケットがあって、小物を入れても落ちない仕組みになっているので、そこにＩＣレコーダーを入れてました。

横田　マイクは？

鈴木　マイクは外につけられないんですけど、みんな全面マスクをしているので大声でしゃべるんです。怒鳴り合いのような会話なので、下着のポケットでもなんとか録音できます。それを毎日、パソコンに移していました。暑さと放射線のせいで、作業は1日2時間ぐらいしかなかったんですけど、後でまとめてやるのは大変ですから。何気ない雑談で出た話を拾うのが面白かったですね。ポンと本音が出ますから。

（略）

鈴木　昔の営業マンはタバコを吸えって教えられたというけど、喫煙室ってもっと気が抜けるんですよ。原発の現場で、全面マスクを外してやっとタバコに火をつける、あの一体感。俺はもともと吸うので、かなり助かりました。あと、お酒ですね。労働者から話を聞くのに、酒が飲めないとかなりのハンデです。

横田　飲み会だと、相手のガードはさらに下がりますからね。

鈴木　おっしゃる通りです。だから積極的に飲みに行きたい。原発のあと、密漁の取材をしたんですよ。アワビやナマコやしらすの密漁って、メチャメチャ暴力団事案ですから。密漁したものを築地で売ってると聞いて、築地の仲卸に潜入取材をしたんです。

（略）

バレないように東京―いわきを往復6時間

横田　原発取材のときは、現地に泊まってたんですか。

鈴木　宿舎があって3、4人で相部屋なんですけど、俺だけ泊まりませんでした。仕事ができないし、電話も取れないし、荷物でバレるから。ホテルは復興需要でどこも満室だし、1軒だけある漫画喫茶にも泊まれないときは、帰ってくるんです。東京からいわきまで約200キロを車で往復6時間かけて通勤するので、周りからおかしいと思われてました。「母が病気で」と言い訳してたんですが、「何こいつ」っていう話にはなってたみたい。

横田　原発で働きながら往復6時間ですか。

鈴木　大変でしたけど、怪しまれるから絶対に遅刻しないんですよ。働き方や取材のやり方に瑕疵があると、あとでそこからつっこまれるから。

全文はユニクロ×原発　潜入ジャーナリスト対談＃2「僕らの潜入取材の方法と掟」

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ユニクロ×原発　潜入ジャーナリスト対談＃1「クビになるのも面白い」 – 「文春オンライン」編集部 via 文春オンライン

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MICHIO KAKU ON FUKUSHIMA 2017: ‘NUCLEAR FISSION IS A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN’ [OPINION] via Inquisitr

Posted on 2017/08/17 by yukimiyamotodepaul

Michio Kaku, a string theory physicist, gave his evaluation of the current state of containment at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. The area was hit with a magnitude nine earthquake followed by a massive tsunami in 2011.

Now, Michio Kaku says the Fukushima power plant is clearly a level nine nuclear accident, mathematically speaking. Michio Kaku said in the video interview below, with Democracy Now, the danger is potentially on the level with Chernobyl with further potential to become much worse because it is not yet stable or properly contained. It is still leaking radiation.

The Fukushima power plant was severely damaged and the contamination level at the nuclear power plant is currently such that workers can only spend about 15 minutes at a time inside the plant. In that 15 minutes, the workers receive the maximum safe radiation level for an entire year.

Dr. Michio Kaku says that spending an hour inside the Fukushima power plant would result in radiation sickness, and a whole work day would result in death. Michio Kaku called the first workers to respond to the accident as a suicide squad, sacrificing their lives to contain the deadly radiation.

[…]

Fusion produces helium which is not harmful. Fission has dangerous byproducts that can cause thyroid cancer, and bone cancer, as well as deadly radiation sickness Michio Kaku, pointed out. Sadly Fusion requires tremendous heat and pressure, and could not be used for generating power with the current technology.

Michio Kaku is calling for an open discussion on the dangers of nuclear power. Dr. Michio Kaku makes it clear that he is not a fan of nuclear power or fission, and feels that the public has not been sufficiently informed about the dangers involved in nuclear energy.

Michio Kaku explained it this way in his video.

“The future of Nuclear fission is a Faustian bargain. Faust was the mythical figure who sold his soul to the devil for unlimited power. Nations like Japan who have no coal or oil are reaching for this Faustian bargain.”

[…]

“A nuclear meltdown is forever.”

Michio Kaku says the impact of nuclear radiation is extremely long lasting. The last 10 percent of radiation “lasts for tens of thousands of years.” It is called “decay heat,” and it goes very slowly. Decay heat is what is being dealt with now and it’s stronger than anyone wants to acknowledge.

“It’s enough to melt the containment. It’s enough to blow that reactor apart.”

Dr. Michio Kaku said the problem with Nuclear fission is “there is no off switch.” Once the nuclear fission reaction has begun, explains Michio Kaku, it can’t be stopped.

Dr. Michio Kaku says the best thing to do is encase the reactor in concrete as they did at Chernobyl, but the Japanese have not accomplished that yet.

[…]

Dr. Michio Kaku also feels the evacuation zone is inadequate. Radiation levels are increasing at 25 miles from the site. He feels at least a 50-mile radius is minimal, but the current evacuation zone is only about six miles.

Michio Kaku also expressed concern about contaminated water in Tokyo and also contaminated food supplies. Michio Kaku says that some families are leaving Tokyo fearing water contamination and other radiation risks.

Initial containment at Fukushima involved pumping sea water onto the burning reactor in huge quantities according to Michio Kaku. This spread the contamination, but it also prevented a horrific explosion.

The current solution is to encase the reactor in ice using circulating coolant in pipes to create a minus 30 degrees Celsius ice wall according to Mainichi. It was a project that has taken four years but is now nearly complete. There is no conclusive answer on how effective it will be in preventing ground water seepage.

Read more at MICHIO KAKU ON FUKUSHIMA 2017: ‘NUCLEAR FISSION IS A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN’ [OPINION]

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正確な情報発信必要　「いちえふ」漫画家・竜田さん、福島県で講演 via 福島民友

Posted on 2017/08/17 by yukimiyamotodepaul

東京電力福島第１原発で作業員として働いた経験を漫画「いちえふ」に描いた漫画家の竜田一人（たつたかずと）さんは１６日、福島県南相馬市で講演し、「今後も福島の正確な情報を発信していきたい」などと語った。竜田さんが県内で講演するのは初めてで、同市の市民団体「ベテランママの会」（番場さち子代表）が主催した。県内外から約６０人が来場した。

竜田さんは覆面姿で登場。原発で働くことを決めた理由について、「２０１２（平成２４）年当時、福島に関するひどいデマが世間で流れていた。自分の目で見て、きちんと現場を確かめたかった」と語った。

震災と原発事故から６年以上がたった現在、「今もなお首都圏の人から『福島って大丈夫なの？』と聞かれる。九州の方では福島について関心すらなく、風化が進んでいる」などと語り、正確な情報発信の必要性を説いた。

（略）

講演会の途中、竜田さんは「歌でも記録を残したかった」と、震災と原発事故後の浜通りをテーマに自身が作詞、作曲した歌を披露。原発事故の対応拠点に使われたサッカー施設Ｊヴィレッジから福島第１原発までの国道６号周辺の街並みの情景を歌詞にした「ルート６」など計３曲を歌い上げ、会場を盛り上げた。

全文は正確な情報発信必要　「いちえふ」漫画家・竜田さん、福島県で講演

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