Monday, September 24, 2012

Update on Black Substance in Japan



Enenews: Report: Radioactive black substance found 230 km from Fukushima plant — “It seems to be everywhere” (PHOTOS)http://enenews.com/photos-radioactive-black-substance-found-230-km-from-fukushima-plant-in-kanto-region-tomioka-gunma-it-seems-to-be-everywhere

Fukushima Dairy reports:12421.1 Bq/Kg from black substance in Gunma “It’s everywhere in the city” http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/09/12421-1-bqkg-from-black-substance-in-gunma-its-everywhere-in-the-city/


Bobby1 of Optimal Predication has found a Japanese spectroscopic analysis of the mysterious and highly radioactive black "dirt" in Japan:
http://optimalprediction.com/wp/radioactive-isotopes-in-the-japanese-black-substance/

Previously Bobby1 had reported this news:
950 MICRO SIEVERT PER HOUR IN MINAMISOMA, FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURE, BLACK POWDER
[Translated excerpt] Black powder (statement, Sat-black substance) from 950 micro sievert per hour seems to be detected in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture. You can not simply compare and black powder found in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, and, it is not enough to become a high number of comparisons.
http://portirland.blogspot.jp/2012/09/kuroikona-fukusimaken-minamisoumasi.html

Majia here: I used Google translate to examine the original blog post by Potirland. There is no definite way to verify the information, but it certainly raises questions.

No one knows what the black stuff really is (or if they know they are not talking). It could be some sort of fungus/mold or perhaps it is radium, which turns black after exposure to air. I speculated on radium but I don't know if it would be a byproduct of the fissioning of uranium.

What we do know about the stuff is that there is no doubt it is highly radioactive:

Here is an analysis I wrote previously discussing a news report on the radioactive black soil:


In June of 2012, reports of highly radioactive black soil began appearing in Japan. On June 14 the Asahi Shimbun ran a story addressing the soil:[i]
The highest level of radioactivity detected--about 5.57 million becquerels per kilogram--came from black soil collected in the Kanaya neighborhood of the Odaka district of southern Minami-Soma. In 36 out of 41 locations in Fukushima Prefecture where black soil was collected, the radioactivity level exceeded 100,000 becquerels per kilogram. If that level was found in incinerator ash, it would have to be handled very carefully and buried in a facility that had a concrete exterior separating it from its surroundings.
Citizens concerned about the highly radioactive soil brought samples to Tomoya Yamauchi, an academic specializing in radiation measurement. Yamauchi found that the soil contained radioactive cesium at levels of 1.08 million becquerels per kilogram. Other samples of soil brought in from Minami-Soma contained plutonium and strontium. Tokyo also yielded samples of highly radioactive soil. Despite the high levels of radiation, the article reported that no action was being taken to remove the soil:
But for now, nothing is being done about the black soil with high levels of radiation. "Because it normally is found on the ground, we believe it is not something that will have immediate effects on human health," a Minami-Soma municipal government official said.
No “immediate effects on human health” has become an often chanted mantra.


[i]           Shoji Nomura. Radioactive 'black soil' patches: A scourge or a solution? Asahi Shimbun Weekly Area (2012, June 14), http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201206140067



1 comment:

  1. NRC blog is a good place to place comments. Try to make a point while being somewhat civil, I saw this one in response to "Atomic-rod" who is a jerk of herculean proportions.

    Fred Stender September 25, 2012 at 12:48 pm Your comment is awaiting moderation.

    Rod, nuclear increases our risk in the pursuit of “cheap energy” and yet we know the nuke is some of the most expensive energy on the planet, with an annual rate of return on investment of 1.666%. After waiting ten years, AND if they don’t blowup or melt down, which more than 1% of reactors do. Fukushima released tens of tons of uranium and plutonium and the EPA air sampling data proves it beyond it, just watch the videos of the reactors blowing up.

    This is not rocket science. Nuke comes with huge risks, and pursuing MOX makes it all the riskier. We can do nuke out of desperation, but that's it
    -----------------
    Here is Rod complaining that the NRC actually listened to anti-nukers
    Rod Adams (@Atomicrod) September 25, 2012 at 3:45 am

    The scary thing about this blog post is the title, which implies that the meeting included “all sides”.
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    http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov/2012/09/22/spending-a-saturday-afternoon-at-the-nrc-listening-to-all-sides/comment-page-1/#comment-16839

    ReplyDelete

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