{"id":9773,"date":"2011-05-02T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2011-05-02T10:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scienceblogs.com\/gregladen\/2011\/05\/02\/japan-nuclear-disaster-update-1\/"},"modified":"2011-05-02T10:00:08","modified_gmt":"2011-05-02T10:00:08","slug":"japan-nuclear-disaster-update-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregladen.com\/blog\/2011\/05\/02\/japan-nuclear-disaster-update-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan Nuclear Disaster Update 22: When does the disaster end and the cleanup begin?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Worker exposure to high levels of nuclera radiation and the distribution of radioactive materials about the landscape and in possibly unexpected places are the stories of the week at Fukushima. Also, officials are wondering, how have the potential effects of a tsunami at Fukushima (and, apparently, it is possible to have a tsunami here) changed given that the reactor is now a series of large pools of highly contaminated water?<\/p>\n

The power being supplied to cooling pumps at Units 1,2 and 3 had been switched back to emergency generators because the connections established several days ago need to be reworked. Subsequently, the supply was switched back to the off-site grid. Mysterious white smoke has stopped coming out of Reactor Unit 4 (about five or six days ago) but the smoke continues to be emitted from units 2 and 3. Water is still being pumped into reactors, and nitrogen is still begin injected to avoid a hydrogen explosion. Pressure and temperature readings at the reactors are still not what they should be for a cold shutdown.<\/p>\n

Few people know it, but Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant once starred in a movie about how to build a nuclear reactor:
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(more details here<\/a>)<\/p>\n

And now, Ana’s Feed:<\/p>\n

Japan to scrap workers’ annual radiation dose limit at normal times – Kyodo, April 28<\/strong><\/p>\n

-The health ministry plans to scrap the annual radiation dose limit for nuclear power plant workers at normal times for the meantime to secure enough workers for maintenance and checkups of nuclear power plants other than the crisis-hit Fukushima power station, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.<\/p>\n

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Govt to set up nuclear accident probe committee – NHK, April 28 <\/strong><\/p>\n

-Prime Minister Naoto Kan says his government will set up an independent committee by mid-May to investigate the ongoing nuclear crisis.<\/p>\n

-Kan said he hopes that thoroughly investigating the accident will help Japan share its experience with other countries through the International Atomic Energy Agency and other organizations.<\/p>\n

-He added that he hopes the probe will contribute to improving the safety of nuclear power plants across the globe.<\/p>\n

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Radioactive level halved at reactor water intake – NHK, April 28<\/strong><\/p>\n

-The
\n operator of the quake-damaged nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan says levels of radioactive iodine in seawater samples taken near one of the plant’s crippled reactors are down by more than half from the previous day.<\/p>\n

-The Tokyo Electric Power Company says the level of radioactive iodine-131 per cubic centimeter in samples collected near the water intake of the No. 2 reactor was 63 becquerels on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

-The figure is 1,600 times the state limit, but marked the first decline in 3 days.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/daily\/english\/28_36.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum has put together a Buyers Guide, if you’re interested:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.jaif.or.jp\/english\/buyersguide\/jaif_buyersguide2011.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

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TEPCO continues test for water injection (Reactor Unit 1) – NHK, April 28<\/strong><\/p>\n

-The temperature at the top of the reactor was 107 degrees Celsius as of 11 AM on Thursday, down 25 degrees from before the water increase.<\/p>\n

-The pressure inside the reactor has slightly fallen. The utility is watching the pressure carefully and injecting nitrogen to prevent a possible hydrogen explosion.<\/p>\n

-The firm is monitoring the state of the containment vessel carefully to determine whether to maintain the current level of water injection.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/daily\/english\/28_34.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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Moves on int’l nuclear safety rules – NHK, April 29<\/strong><\/p>\n

-The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the president of France have agreed that compiling international safety standards for nuclear power plants should take place as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

-Yukiya Amano met with Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Thursday to discuss the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.<\/p>\n

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Radiation adviser to Kan to quit over gov’t nuke crisis response – Kyodo, April 29<\/strong><\/p>\n

-An adviser to Prime Minister Naoto Kan on the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant told the prime minister’s office Friday he will resign in protest over what he called the government’s impromptu handling of the crisis.<\/p>\n

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NRC: Fukushima plant situation “improved” – NHK, April 29<\/strong><\/p>\n

-The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan has “definitely improved” but still requires close monitoring.<\/p>\n

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Weather chief draws flak over plea not to release radiation forecasts – Kyodo, April 29<\/strong><\/p>\n

-The
\n chief of the Meteorological Society of Japan has drawn flak from within the academic society over a request for member specialists to refrain from releasing forecasts on the spread of radioactive substances from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.<\/p>\n

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Germany holds open debate on nuclear power – NHK, April 29<\/strong><\/p>\n

-An open debate is underway in Germany about the use of nuclear power there.<\/p>\n

-The debate is being held on Thursday by the government-sponsored ethics commission on nuclear power generation, formed in the wake of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.<\/p>\n

-The government of Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to outline its new energy policies by early June after holding detailed public discussions.<\/p>\n

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Fukushima Daiichi’s shoreline to be sandbagged – NHK, April 29<\/strong><\/p>\n

-As aftershocks of the March 11th earthquake continue, the operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will sandbag its shoreline as a temporary measure against another possible tsunami.<\/p>\n

-The utility firm decided to sandbag the shoreline at the planttoa height of several meters.<\/p>\n

-The firm fears that if the facility is hit by another tsunami, highly contaminated water may run into the ocean and damage the reprocessing facility<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/daily\/english\/29_05.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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Is it safer for pregnant women to leave northern Japan? – Reuters AlertNet, April 29<\/strong><\/p>\n

“HONG KONG – To be afraid or not to be afraid is the question that has haunted millions of people as radioactivity leaks from a Japanese nuclear plant battered by last month’s earthquake and tsunami.<\/p>\n

Officials say health risks are minimal outside evacuation areas, but in the absence of detailed advice, many in northern Japan have fled.”<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.trust.org\/alertnet\/blogs\/health-and-science\/is-it-safer-for-pregnant-women-to-leave-northern-japan\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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Radiation exposure level nears limit for 1 worker at Fukushima plant – Kyodo, April 30<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Saturday that the level of radiation exposure for one of its employees came close to the legal yearly limit of 250 millisieverts at the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.<\/p>\n

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Kan nuclear adviser fed up, quits – AP, April 30<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Tokyo professor calls response impromptu, says short-term thinking resulted in delays.<\/p>\n

-It is extremely rare for an intellectual adviser appointed by the prime minister to resign in protest at measures the government has taken.<\/p>\n

-Kosako told reporters at the Diet on Friday it is problematic for the government to have delayed the release of forecasts on the spread of radiation from the Fukushima plant, done by the Nuclear Safety Technology Center’s computer system, called the System for Prediction of Environmental Emergency Dose Information (SPEEDI).<\/p>\n

-He also blasted the government for hiking the upper limit for Emergency workers seeking to bring the crippled plant under control to 250 millisieverts from 100 millisieverts after the crisis broke out.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/search.japantimes.co.jp\/cgi-bin\/nn20110430x2.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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Kan comments on nuclear advisor’s resignation – NHK, April 30<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Speaking at a Lower House committee meeting on Saturday, Kan said Professor Kosako resigned because of disagreements with other scientists.<\/p>\n

-Kan said the government responded to the nuclear accident based on advice from the Nuclear Safety Commission and has never taken ad hoc measures.<\/p>\n

-Kosako also criticized the education ministry for allowing students at primary schools in Fukushima Prefecture to perform outdoor activities if the level of radiation of the school ground does not exceed 20 millisieverts per year.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/daily\/english\/30_12.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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Edano: No compensation exemption for TEPCO – JAIF, April 30<\/strong><\/p>\n

-Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano emphasized that Tokyo Electric Power Company cannot be exempt from paying compensation for the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.<\/p>\n

-The country’s Act on Compensation for Nuclear Damages would allow the responsibility for compensation to be dismissed if the accident is regarded as an exceptionally massive natural disaster. TEPCO has implied this act should be applied to what happened at Fukushima Daiichi.<\/p>\n

-But Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano says while the earthquake and tsunami were very powerful, Japan’s Diet had warned the nuclear plant would face problems if hit by an enormous tsunami.<\/p>\n

-Edano points out TEPCO cannot be exempt from its responsibility because the company was not prepared for what had been flagged by the Diet, and therefore the damage is not unexpected.<\/p>\n

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TEPCO president pledges swift, fair compensation – JAIF, April 30<\/strong><\/p>\n

-The president of Tokyo Electric Power Company has promised to quickly and fairly pay compensation for losses caused by the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.<\/p>\n

-Masataka Shimizu testified Friday before a Lower House committee. He referred to the 1st guidelines released Thursday by a government panel. They named evacuees, farmers and fishermen subject to shipping restrictions as among those eligible for compensation.<\/p>\n

-Shimizu said his company will follow the guidelines and study how to calculate damages and pay them out. He acknowledged the number of claimants will be vast. But he said TEPCO will act fairly and swiftly with the government’s support, financial and otherwise.<\/p>\n

-Prime Minister Naoto Kan addressed the same Lower House committee on Friday. He said he will ensure that adequate relief reaches all the victims of the March 11th disaster, which he pointed out is the government’s responsibility.<\/p>\n

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Radiation exposure levels near limit for 2 Fukushima nuke workers – Kyodo, April 30<\/strong><\/p>\n

-As the nuclear crisis continues at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, two workers, who were previously hospitalized for possible radiation burns, turned out Saturday to have been exposed to radiation levels close to the limit of 250 millisieverts while seven women in affected areas were found with slightly contaminated breast milk.<\/p>\n

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Japan files protest over French TV show on quake, nuke emergency – Kyodo, April 30 <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Japan protests French TV’s description of quake – NHK, April 30<\/strong><\/p>\n

-The embassy says some inappropriate contents were included in Canal Plus’s puppetry program that caricatures current affairs. The offending segments were aired from March 14th to 17th, a few days after the massive disaster in Japan.<\/p>\n

-Canal Plus has not offered any apology, citing freedom of expression.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www3.nhk.or.jp\/daily\/english\/30_11.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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