Monday, July 2, 2018

De-Contamination Complete - Don't Mind the (Mildly) Radioactive Soil


Japan tells China and South Korea that all radioactive decontamination work - excepting "difficult-to-return zones" - is completed:
Japan touts completion of Fukushima cleanup at environment meeting. (2018, June 24). Kyodo News. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2018/06/ab2db24b3be5-japan-touts-completion-of-fukushima-cleanup-at-environment-meeting.html
Japanese Environment Minister Masaharu Nakagawa told his counterparts from China and South Korea on Sunday that radioactive decontamination work following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster is "all done" except for so-called difficult-to-return zones.

At the 20th Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting held in Suzhou, eastern China, Nakagawa also used the opportunity to again request the lifting of food import restrictions from Japanese regions hit by the Fukushima disaster.
Meanwhile, Japanese citizens are rejecting a plan to use contaminated soil in Fukushima for road construction and agriculture, although the agriculture won't be for human consumption:
Japanese citizens reject government plan to use soil contaminated by Fukushima. June 2018. Sputnik https://sputniknews.com/asia/201806181065527983-japan-citizens-reject-Fukushima-incident/
According to the ministry's plan, the contaminated soil will be used to grow horticultural crops in Fukushima Prefecture that won't be consumed by humans. In a similar plan released in 2017, the ministry also suggested that contaminated soil be used for road construction....
...According to Kumamoto, because contaminated soil isn't considered nuclear waste under Japanese law, it doesn't have to be treated by special facilities. While the International Atomic Energy Agency's standard for contamination radioactive waste that needs to be treated by special facilities is 100 becquerels per kilogram, the Japanese limit is much higher, at 8,000 becquerels per kilogram for nuclear waste and soil.
According to this article, anything measuring less than 8,000 becquerels per kilogram is not regarded as radioactive waste.

The International Atomic Energy Association defines land contamination at 40 kiloBecquerels of beta and gamma emitters (and low toxicity alpha emitters) per meter squared, which is 40,000 Becquerels.[i].

So, Japan's limit is less than the IAEA's but is it safe?

Radionuclides bioaccumulate and concentrate in biological life. This was made evident after the disaster in the form of the "black soil" found in Tokyo and elsewhere measuring very high levels of contamination.

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:
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

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: "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.

The question of whether "low-level" waste is hazardous is charged. I've concluded that it is, in combination with other geno-toxic stressors but the prevailing attitude by the world's nuclear authorities is that human and other forms of biological life are endlessly resilient.

Japan has stricter standards than the US, for example.

Work by Timothy Mousseau and Anders Moller has found that, across generations, animals living in radiation-contaminated zones develop smaller brains and have far less reproductive fitness. 

One wonders whether that is our fate.


REFERENCES
[i] Christoudias, T., & Lelieveld, J. (2012). Modelling the global atmospheric transport and deposition of radionuclides from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics Discussions, 12, 24531-24555. 1433-1434.



14 comments:

  1. Insanity of thw nuclearists knows no bounds. Greater than 3000 bq radiation found on a street in s korea from fukushima. Innsane , aggressive tepco says it wants to build more fukushima reactors in Japan. Trumpy says nothing about the radioactive food from Japan. Decreases radiation standards keeping radiation down in for water in america again. Trumpy has committed 1 trillion to a nuclear space farce. Billions for reactors on the verge of exploding in america ecouraged by trumpy. Little or No government oversight of reactors, by trumpy. The bags in Japan will simply degrade and the worse possible radionuclides will remain for years. The farce and lies go on

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    Replies
    1. Blatant Ron Paul Racism https://mobile.twitter.com/JSCCounterPunch/status/1013826653829488640

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  2. Greenpeace study found high levels of contamination. Study discussed here:

    "A comprehensive survey by Greenpeace Japan in the towns of Iitate and Namie in Fukushima prefecture, including the exclusion zone, found radiation levels up to 100 times higher than the international limit for public exposure. They claim that the high radiation levels in these areas pose a significant risk to returning evacuees until at least the 2050’s and maybe well into next century. ‘In all of the areas we surveyed, including where people are permitted to live, the radiation levels are such that if it was in a nuclear facility it would require strict controls. Yet this is public land. Citizens, including children and pregnant women returning to their contaminated homes, are at risk of receiving radiation doses equivalent to one chest X-ray every week. This is unacceptable and a clear violation of their human rights,’ said Jan Vande Putte, radiation specialist with Greenpeace Belgium and leader of the survey project. https://newrenewextra.blogspot.com/2018/07/fukushima-radiation-risks-still-high.html

    Greenpeace study here: http://www.greenpeace.org/japan/Global/japan/pdf/RefFksm_EN.pdf

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  3. This is from a tweet by Ron Paul today that he deleted.

    MONKEY faced Black People, Greasy Dirty Mexicans, Fish Faced Yellow Asians, and Hoh Nose jews.https://mobile.twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/1013817318034563072/photo/2

    To this petty, dissembling racist bastard, respecting ethnic Diversity in america is cultural marxism. One of the prime tools of fascism is scapegoating minorities. This is what america is becoming

    https://mobile.twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/1013817318034563072

    The kochs the machine the reign of terror is picking up speed.

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  4. Hook nosed jews . The racism is appalling. Trump is isolating the US so he can unilaterally declare war on airan with israel.and Saudi Arabia. The cia has intensified protests in in Iran. The neoconservative template is going according to plan. The charade goes on. Same plan different nemesis.

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    Replies
    1. Portraying Trump as a populist

      Conversation
      Matt Taibbi
      Matt Taibbi
      @mtaibbi
      It’s a double-propaganda - it misportrays Trump as a populist, then also smears all insurgent politicians as Trump-like dangers.
      Scott Gibbs ��
      @ScottNGibbs
      Replying to @mtaibbi
      Yep, the media continues to carry Trump's water. Despite all the negative coverage they still portray Trump as some populist, outside the elite ruling class, fighter. It's absurd.
      10:01 AM · Jul 2, 2018
      49
      Retweets
      226
      Likes
      Molly McGuire
      Molly McGuire
      @LiberalMolly1
      ·
      2h
      Replying to @mtaibbi
      You just have to believe the *ideology* NOT understand it....
      like in cults... a whole group of people who all hold the same delusions

      Delete
    2. THE BEGINNING OF THE NEOCONSERVATIVE DEEP STATE TEMPLATE FOR THE EVENTUAL UNILATERAL INVASION OF IRAN. WE HAVE SEEN IT BEFORE IN UKRAINE, IRAQ, SYRIA LIBYA. TRUMP IS ISOLATING AND TRADE WARRING AS AN EXCUSE FOR WAR WITH IRAN
      On The Path To Failure – U.S. Attempts Violent “Regime Change” In Iran
      Posted on July 1, 2018
      1
      BY “B Moon

      Who the hell are these people anyway? Are they genuine? Being manipulated? Who’s behind all this agitation? Well, we know that all the roads lead to Washington.

      Pictures of bogus protesters in iran


      In early 2014 we remarked on Color Revolution by Force in Syria and Ukraine:

      Accompanying the demonstrations and illegal occupations of government buildings are in both cases brutal, criminal attacks on the police and other government forces. In Syria the violence “muscle” part was done by foreign financed Jihadists while neo-nazi gangs are used in the Ukraine. The demonstrations and the attacks on the state are planned and go together. There is nothing “peaceful” in demonstrations that are only the public-relations cover for attacks on the state. But the foreign politicians and media immediately utter “concerns” and threats over completely normal government responses to them. It is a scam to justify “western” “support” for the demonstrators and to further the violence.The aim is “regime change” of legitimate governments by small minorities. Should the “regime” resist to that the alternative of destroying the state and the whole society is also wholeheartedly accepted.

      We have since seen similar CIA operations in Venezuela and most recently in Nicaragua. The same concept is used to attack Iran. In December peaceful economic protests were hijacked by violent elements. Last night a similar attempt occurred:

      Sayed Mousavi @SayedMousavi7 – 22:17 UTC – 30 Jun 2018Khoramshar water shortage protest turned violent tonight.
      What we know:
      – At least 2 protesters shot, possibly by getting close to military zones
      – Mobs set 2 museums on fire (reports)
      – 1 hour of calm
      – No base takeovers (anti-regime journos have claimed)
      – Armed bike is suspicious

      The scene with the “armed bike” in the video attached to the above tweet can be seen better in another video. It shows two “peaceful protesters” on a motorcycle shooting at police with an automatic gun. The shooter is hit and falls off. Another “peaceful protester” picks up the gun and continues shooting.




      via Sayed Mousavi
      A year ago the CIA created a new mission center to attack Iran:

      The Iran Mission Center will bring together analysts, operations personnel and specialists from across the CIA to bring to bear the range of the agency’s capabilities, including covert action.

      To lead the new group, Mr. Pompeo picked a veteran intelligence officer, Michael D’Andrea, who recently oversaw the agency’s program of lethal drone strikes …

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    3. Mr. D’Andrea, a former director of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, is known among peers as a demanding but effective manager, and a convert to Islam who works long hours. Some U.S. officials have expressed concern over what they perceive as his aggressive stance toward Iran.

      The tool the U.S. is using in Iran are operatives of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), a terror cultthat has been fighting with Saddam’s Iraq against Iran and is despised by the Iranian people. When the U.S. was kicked out of Iraq it transferred the MEK camps from Iraq to Albania where the cult is now training its terrorists.

      Yesterday a conference of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a political umbrella controlled by the MEK, was held in Paris. One of the well paid guest speakers was Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudi Giuliani. He acknowledged U.S. involvement in the protests in Iran:

      “Those protests [in Iran] are not happening spontaneously. They are happening because of many of our people in Albania and many of our people here and throughout the world.”

      The MEK is just a front group, trained by Mossad and financed with U.S. and Saudi money. It is not backed by Iranian people. Only half of the attendees of the conference were Iranians at all:

      The other half consisted of an assortment of bored-looking Poles, Czechs, Slovakians, Germans and Syrians who responded to a Facebook campaign promising travel, food and accommodation to Paris for a mere €25.

      These “color revolution by force” regime change protests are only one of the tools the U.S. is using to destroy Iran.

      Trump wants to end all oil exports from Iran to starve the country of foreign currencies. Iran’s biggest customers are Europe, India and China. The big Europe oil companies have already folded under Trump’s pressure, India followed and China has still to decide if it wants to take a (costly) stand. Trump is pressing Saudi Arabia to increase its oil supplies to replace the Iranian oil that can no longer reach the world market.

      Making Iranians poorer is thought to lead to an uprising and regime change. But it is doubtful that such will work. The identity of the Islamic Republic is quite strong. It is more likely that the Iranian people will pull together and accept the hardship while asymmetric Iranian operations slowly destroy the U.S.’s policies. Saudi oil ports are quite vulnerable targets…

      Within the Trump administration Secretary of State Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton are the biggest proponents of regime change in Tehran:

      Bolton views the demonstrations that have broken out in Iran in recent months over the state of the country’s economy as an indication of the regime’s weakness. He has told Trump that increased U.S. pressure could lead to the regime’s collapse.One person who recently spoke with senior White House officials on the subject summarized Bolton view in the words: “One little kick and they’re done.”

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    4. Secretary of Defense Mattis is said to be opposed to regime change in Iran. He fears that such an effort might lead to a larger Middle East war. Trump will likely fire him soon. Sheldon Adelson, the Zionist billionaire who financed Trump’s campaign, paid Bolton and supports Netanyahoo, will have Trump ears. He demands regime change in Iran no matter what.

      Regime change in Iran is not just a Trump administration project. The support for the MEK nutters is bipartisan. Several Democrats also spoke at the MEK conference in Paris. The neo-conservative lunatics are established in both parties. Here is Obama’s ambassador to Russia who tried and failed to implement regime change there:

      Michael McFaul @McFaul – 18:21 UTC – 30 Jun 2018A democratic Iran not only would free Iranians from repressive theocracy but produce closer ties between our two countries; real security, economic, and moral benefits for both Iranians and Americans.

      Surely, the U.S. will be welcome in Tehran with candy and flowers (not). Such neo-conservative “moral benefit” nonsense has already led to the disaster of the war on Iraq. Iran is several times larger. It has a quite modern economy, effective proxy forces and very significant allies. Any attempt to defeat it militarily will be a hopeless endeavor. . .



      Source: On The Path To Failure – U.S. Attempts Violent “Regime Change” In Iran

      Delete
  5. "One wonders whether that is our fate." Let's assume that it is. Now what? Gradually there will be more and more small brained people who have trouble reproducing. Since not everyone will live in a contaminated area, normal humans will continue to appear. What the demographics will look like in one hundred or two hundred years would be a task for someone with a computer program that would chart the worst areas and the population growth and decline.

    Science and technology will work to decontaminate areas more or less successfully depending on the area. Possibly in five hundred years humans will be living far cleaner lives than we do with much better knowledge.

    Or, the human species will perish which many find an attractive prospect. But I think they will be disappointed.

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  6. No way to decontaminate . A lie and myth. Cannot burn radionuclides. Most of the northern hemishpers is heavily contaminated w radionuclides. The more nuclear power plants, nuclear bomb making, more fracking, more uranium mining, the worse it gets. The southern hemisphere haw its fair share

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  7. One moment we have the greatest faith in science and technology, and the next we fall into a negative view of what can or can not be done.

    Who can predict what science and technology might be able to do in one hundred years? Two hundred years? Saying that these endeavors can solve this problem does not involve a logical contradiction. It is simply a problem that we at this time can not grasp a solution to.

    Think of medical science and incurable disease. Heart transplants. Antibiotics. Skin grafts.

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  8. It is the way, fraudulent exploitation has been applied. Stupid, suicidal games with radionuclides are not science.

    It was fraud, purposefuly engineered magical thinking and, greed, that caused humans to come to this disasterous, mess.

    Open ended fraud, allowed people to be bowled over by lying, wishfull thinking, that caused the mess in the first place. Nothing scientific about it.

    Thomas edison knew, more than a hundred years ago. There is no safe way to dispose of nuclear waste. No safe nuclear reactors no safe way to handle almost all radionuclides, especially the strong gamma beta emiiters that were always a part of the game. They are acutely lethal to millioonths and billionths of a gram and chronically lethal, genotoxic, teratogenic, mutagenic even when diluted. The bomb makers, the nuke subs, the raectors: big lie. Not safe . No way to safely sequesister any of it because it all generates decay heat even when buried deep. No sense in perpetrting big lies even with uninformed bogus speculation. Many people are more educated about it now.

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  9. Why not just stop it and give the war psychosiw use real technology: solar, wind, hyrdrodynamics, thermal gradients, local coops, small electric turbines in water and sewer pipes all so easy and cheap. Not suicidal.

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