Welcome to the “I’m starting to get cynical” edition.<\/p>\n
The situation at Fukushima Diiachi Nuclear Plant reached an impasse over the least few days. Two or three of the reactors are in a situation where cooling is being kludged, the reactor fuel rods are damaged and have melted but the details are unknown, storage pools are not being safely managed, unexpected fission events keep occurring despite the widespread belief that this can’t happen, and no one knows what to do because no one can see what is happening because of the more immediate problem: There is a deposit of very dangerous highly radioactive water within the plant in places that make it impossible for engineers and technicians to enter.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, radioactive water has been leaking form the plant. A huge blatantly obvious crack in the plant’s foundation was “noticed” quite recently and blamed for the leak. Attempts to fix the crack at first failed then apparently worked well enough to determine that this crack is not the source of the leak. Tracer stuff has been placed in the plant to see if a route between the plant and the sea could be identified. So far this has not worked. The engineers at Fukushima have no clue whatsoever how water is leaking into the sea, or which water it is, or how to stop it. But, that’s OK because they have a plan B: Dump the water into the sea on purpose! Then, the leak will be a feature, rather than a bug!
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\nIn order to remove the highly radioactive water from the plant, less radioactive water in various containers needs to be removed, so the highly radioactive water can be moved into those containers. So far, the only solution to doing this that TEPCO has come up with is to dump the less radioactive water into the ocean where it will just go away because, as we all know, stuff we dump into the ocean always magically disappears.<\/p>\n
Well, to put aside my growing cynicism and distrust for a moment, the fact is that most of the radioisotopes in the water will fizzle out before six months is over. But not all of it. And despite the increasingly widespread use of the logic that if I have a broken arm you can’t really have a headache, the presence of longer lived isotopes does not become a non-fact if there are also shorter lived isotopes in the water.<\/p>\n
Ooops, the cynicism came back. If this keeps up, I could end up becoming an anti-nuclear activist.<\/p>\n
Ana’s Feed:<\/strong><\/p>\n Saturday, April 2, 6PM<\/p>\n Japan news hasn’t confirmed, but I gather elsewhere that the concrete solution to the earthquake-caused leak has failed. A polymer of some kind may be tried…<\/p>\n “”It has been tough. But we’ve been well taken care of by everyone. We’re really grateful.” But he adds, “I don’t know when we can go home… I hope we can go very soon. Going home is all I’ve been thinking about.”” link<\/a><\/p>\n “In California, home to two seaside nuclear plants located close to earthquake fault lines, federal authorities said four of the 11 stationary monitors were offline for repairs or maintenance last week. The Environmental Protection Agency…did not fix them until a few days after low levels of radiation began drifting toward the mainland United States.” link<\/a><\/p>\n “…critics say an absence of federal data on the issue is hampering efforts to develop strategies for preventing radioactive isotopes from accumulating in the nation’s food and water supplies.” link<\/a><\/p>\n TEPCO…is too busy battling the crisis to complete regular checkups for 3 reactors at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture. (NHK) NOVA: Japan’s Killer Quake<\/a><\/p>\n Sunday, 3 PM<\/p>\n Around the time of the second or third explosion at Daiichi, we heard that a few injured workers were treated on-site, a few were transported away, and 2 were missing. I had imagined that they had been hurt in the blast, and hoped that they had died quickly. Today TEPCO released the fact that their bodies were found on March 30, in the basement of no.4, where they had been since the time of the quake.<\/p>\n Milk and produce bans remain in effect. A Fuku. Pref. dairy farmer empties 400 liters of contaminated milk into his field everyday. No one has explained to him how he will be compensated. (NHK)<\/p>\n “…a male worker fell into the sea as he tried to move to the barge’s tugboat from the shore but was unhurt and not exposed to radiation, TEPCO said, adding that he will be examined for internal exposure to radiation just in case.” link<\/a><\/p>\n “”I wonder if our sense of urgency is being conveyed to the government…It is irritating.”” link<\/a><\/p>\n 10 days ago in Minami Soma City: SOS from Mayor of Minami Soma City, next to the crippled Fukushima nuclear power …<\/p>\n\n
\nOn March 31, TEPCO filed plans to build two more reactors in Fukushima. They say it was just routine. (NHK)<\/p>\n\n