https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/STOP_FUKUSHIMA_RADIATION_UN_ACTION_NEEDED/
Dear Friends,
The good news is that TEPCO is making progress on cleaning up the site at Fukushima Daiichi, the nuclear reactors
wrecked by the earthquake/tsunami of March 2011. The first three links
below give some details- most noteworthy is that the appallingly
precarious fuel pool atop unstable reactor 4 has been emptied of used
fuel rods, on schedule. This is a huge relief. The next two articles
speak of technologies that have not yet been applied, but seem hopeful.
The bad news falls into several categories.
1) The site itself is far from under control. No one knows where the
melted cores of reactors 1, 2, and 3 are located. What's clear is that
they have burned through their containers, and are in immediate contact
with groundwater. This water is now heavily contaminated
with radioactive isotopes, including plutonium, strontium 90, and other
life-threatening elements. It flows freely into the ocean and connects
with nearby aquifers that supply drinking water to northern Japan,
including Tokyo. The recent typhoons made this problem worse, and the
site is in a high earthquake and typhoon zone, so will continue to be damaged by nature.
2) Japan continues to suppress information about health consequences and
spread of radiation. The new secrecy law, which gives steep penalties
for breaches of national security- undefined, but including information
about Fukushima- hasn't gone into effect yet- this happens next
month. It's scary to think of what will happen to brave Japanese
doctors and journalist who speak out once it's implemented.
3) The creatures of the Pacific ocean are sick or missing altogether- radiation from Fukushima must play a major role. If life in the oceans dies, what happens to life on dry land?
TEPCO's efforts are laudable, but inadequate. International resources
must be mobilized to stop the flood of radiation issuing daily from
Fukushima Daiichi. Please sign and spread these two petitions:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/352/112/859/radioactive-tokyo-resign-as-host-of-2020-olympics/
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/STOP_FUKUSHIMA_RADIATION_UN_ACTION_NEEDED/
Peace, Carol Wolman, MD
GOOD NEWS
http://www.tcetoday.com/latest news/2014/november/kurion begins test to treat fukushima tritium.aspx#.VF4-IWc0-3O
http://rt.com/news/202367-fukushima-spent-fuel-removed/
The first of four sets of spent nuclear fuel rods has been
removed from a damaged reactor building at Japan's Fukushima power
plant, scoring a major success in an effort to dismantle the quake
and tsunami-wrecked facility.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141103005379/en/Kurion-Selected-Japan's-Ministry-Economy-Trade-Industry#.VF9wh2c0-3M
November 03, 2014 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
IRVINE, Calif. & TOKYO & HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kurion, Inc., an innovator in nuclear and hazardous waste management,
announced that it received a grant of one billion Japanese Yen
(approximately 10 million USD) from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade
and Industry (METI)
to demonstrate the company's cost-effective tritium-removal technology
for possible deployment at Fukushima.
(This is significant, because until now, TEPCO has not even attempted to remove tritium from the wastewater.)
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201411080026
UOZU, Toyama Prefecture--A machinery maker here has developed a
"crawling" robot capable of penetrating hard-to-reach areas for
decontamination work at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power
plant. (no mention of its ability to withstand radiation or heat).
BAD NEWS
1) SITE PROBLEMS
http://enenews.com/senior-scientist-fukushima-reactor-cores-burned-containment-vessels-pretty-close-approximation-china-syndrome-scenario-material-ended-below-reactor-structures-mixing-groundwater-essentially-mach
Nuclear Expert: Fukushima is a pretty close approximation of
The China Syndrome; Melted fuel cores burned through
containment vessels and material is below reactor structures
mixing with groundwater. Essentially it' s a machine that's
washing radioactivity into the sea.
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