Thursday, October 17, 2019

Fukushima Contaminated Ground Water and the Poisoning of the Pacific Ocean



There hasn't been much news coverage of the impacts of Typhoon Hagibis on the contaminated water problem at Fukushima Daiichi. For example, The New York Times coverage of the typhoon discusses the contaminated water stored in the tanks and it mentions the bags of contaminated debris that were swept out to sea by the typhoon but doesn't address the contaminated ground water that flows excessively into the ocean after heavy rains at the site.

Bloomberg reported in 2014 that between May 2011 and August 2013, an estimated 20 trillion becquerels of cesium and 10 trillion becquerels of strontium entered ocean via groundwater:
Tepco says up to 20 trillion becquerels of cesium-137, 10 trillion becquerels of strontium-90 and 40 trillion becquerels of tritium entered the ocean via groundwater, Between May 2011 and August 2013 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-20/tepco-says-new-leak-of-radioactive-water-found-at-fukushima-site.html
SOURCES OF OCEAN CONTAMINATION: leakage from storage tanks and contaminated ground water seeping, or perhaps gushing, into ocean:

1. STORAGE TANKS: Water is leaking from 1000 or so water storage tanks at the site [1].
Beta radiation readings of 230 million becquerels per liter were taken in a sample collected from a gutter on top of the leaked tank at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant, according to a statement from the Tokyo-based utility. Japan’s safety limit for radioactive materials in drinking water is 10 becquerels per liter, according to the health ministry. Tepco Finds New Leak of Radioactive Water at Fukushima Site By Masumi Suga, Yuji Okada and Jacob Adelman 2014-02-20, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-20/tepco-says-new-leak-of-radioactive-water-found-at-fukushima-site.html
Water is highly contaminated because TEPCO’s filtration systems cannot remove tritium and has struggled with strontium. Storage of water with very high beta readings at the site is reaching capacity.

TEPCO announced at a January 2014 press conference that contaminated water in storage tanks was producing Bremsstrahlung radiation, which contributes to rising atmospheric radiation levels at the Daiichi site [iii].

2. GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION.

Despite TEPCO's efforts at diversion, an underground river threatens the Daiichi site, coming into contact with melted fuel in breached containment vessel(s) and building up in reactor buildings.[iv] The river runs at about 1000 tons daily, with TEPCO announcing that approximately 400 tons of it penetrates reactor buildings 1 – 4. The ground water saturation is contributing to ground liquefaction, which poses direct risks to the reactor buildings and common spent fuel pool [v].

Although TEPCO has made headway in diverting this underground river, its low increases significantly after rain.


Workers also continue to inject approximately hundreds of tons daily into reactors to keep melted fuel cool

ADDITIONAL SOURCE of CONTAMINATION?
A NHK documentary also suggests an additional source of water contamination: Fukushima Daiichi's Hidden Crisis: http://vimeo.com/8559542

GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION LEVELS

Ground water contamination is extraordinarily high, with the well between the ocean and unit 1 measuring a record 5 million becquerels per liter of radioactive strontium-90 alone in July 2013 [vi]. TEPCO stated the total bequerels per liter is likely 10 million when all beta ray sources are included [vii].

TEPCO had originally interpreted the July 2013 beta tests as indicating 700,000 becquerel per liter of strontium, but revised the figure upwards to 5 million in February of 2014. The revised figure of 5 million is 170,000 times the permissible level. TEPCO was accused of deliberately withholding extraordinarily high contamination levels [viii].

Trends went sharply upwards in strontium, tritium and cesium contamination levels from July through February of 2014 [ix].

LONG TERM IMPACTS


A German study, ‘Dispersion of Radionuclides and Radiation Exposure After Leaching by Groundwater of a Solidified Core-Concrete Melt,’ predicted that strontium contamination levels would rise exponentially years after a full melt-through located adjacent to a river:

The highest radionuclide concentration of approx. 10^10 Bq/m3 is reached by Sr-90 after 5000 days. The effective equivalent dose for an adult is above 10 the second power Sv/a. After a prolonged period of about 10,0000 days, Cs-137 reaches a maximum of about 10 to the eight power Bq/m3. The effective equivalent dose for this radioncuclide is approximately 1 sv/a. [x]
We can expect years of spiking radiation levels in ocean water, especially of strontium, if the German scenario is predictive for Fukushima Daiichi.

Japan is NOT THE ONLY COUNTRY poisoning the ocean with radioactive waste. Look to the US, Russia, the UK and France as historic leaders in poisoning the ocean with radioactive contamination.

The world’s energy problems are real, but nuclear is not a sustainable way forward. First, nuclear power is extraordinarily costly and government subsidies required to finance and insure nuclear are market distorting. We see that in the US decision to offer $8.3 billion in subsidies to Southern Co. Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia, despite cost-overruns and delays.

The problems of spent fuel storage and nuclear waste more generally have not been resolved and already we see that the contamination caused by 20th century nuclear disasters - from war, atmospheric testing, and nuclear plant accidents – remains unmitigated, causing incalculable costs to the environmental resources and human health.

Our genome itself is at risk by nuclear. Nuclear is the ultimate betrayer, promising godhood while destroying the fabric of life itself, our somatic, genetic being

Former Prime Minister of Japan Naoto Kan, Oct. 28, 2013: The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was the most severe accident in the history of mankind. [...] I had pushed the policy of utilizing nuclear power [...] my view is now changed 180 degrees. [...] there are no other events except for wars that would require the evacuation of tens of millions of people. [...] it is technically impossible to eliminate accidents, especially if human factors such as terrorism are taken into account [...] to eliminate nuclear power plant accidents. All we need to do is to eliminate nuclear power plants themselves. [...] we are leaving the huge problem of nuclear waste for future generations to care for. There is no other way but to go down in the path toward achieving zero nuclear power, for the sake of our children and grandchildren. It is possible for mankind to get enough energy without relying on nuclear power — by using natural energy such as solar, wind, and biomass. To help curb global warming, we need to stop the use of not only nuclear power but also fossil fuels. [...]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/naoto-kan/japan-nuclear-energy_b_4171073.html


SOURCES
Radioactive Water Crisis http://vimeo.com/85595428 NHK Radioactive Water: Fukushima Daiichi's Hidden Crisis (reactor 1 Nov 2013)

Subodh Varma (2014, February 10) Fukushima radiation data is wildly wrong, management apologizes, TNN, http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-02-10/rest-of-world/47199927_1_fukushima-daiichi-fukushima-nuclear-plant-masayuki-ono

Tepco “There is no way to shield Bremsstrahlung from contaminated water tanks” Posted by Mochizuki on January 12th, 2014 http://fukushima-diary.com/2014/01/tepco-there-is-no-way-to-shield-bremsstrahlung-from-contaminated-water-tanks/ Press conference http://iwj.co.jp/wj/open/archives/119294

Radioactive Water Crisis http://vimeo.com/85595428 NHK Radioactive Water: Fukushima Daiichi's Hidden Crisis (reactor 1 Nov 2013)

[v] Kazuaki Nagata Aug 20, 2013 Tepco yet to track groundwater paths. Liquefaction threat adds to Fukushima ills. The Japan Times, http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/08/20/national/tepco-yet-to-track-groundwater-paths/#.UhQwJj_pz-J

[vi] Record strontium-90 level in Fukushima groundwater sample last July Feb 7, 2014 Kyodo/JIJI http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/02/07/national/record-strontium-90-level-in-fukushima-groundwater-sample-last-july/#.UvVDpoWviSo

[vii] TEPCO to review erroneous radiation data Feb. 9, 2014 - Updated 02:33 UTC http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140209_80.html

[viii] TEPCO withheld Fukushima radioactive water measurements for 6 months (2014, January 9) The Asahi Shimbun http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201401090060

[ix]For example, The Asahi Shimbun reported ‘TEPCO announced Record cesium level found in groundwater beneath Fukushima levee’ Feb 14, 2014, http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201402140041. The article said that cesium found in groundwater under a coastal levee near unit 1 spiked from 76,000 becquerels per liter on February 12, 2014 to 130,000 becquerels per liter on February 13, reaching the highest level of cesium ever detected at that location.

[x] A. Bayer, W. Tromm, & I. Al-Omari. Dispersion of Radionuclides and Radiation Exposure After Leaching by Groundwater of a Solidified Core-Concrete Melt. http://www.irpa.net/irpa8/cdrom/VOL.1/M1_97.PDF


PREVIOUS POSTS ON OCEAN CONTAMINATION

Majia's Blog: Fukushima Ocean Contamination

Will Fukushima Daiichi Kill Vast Swathes of Life in the Pacific Ocean?

Majia's Blog: Ocean Releases

Majia's Blog: Compromised Oceans Mean Compromised People

Majia's Blog: Fukushima Radiation Plumes in the Ocean Headed to ...

Majia's Blog: Humanity's End Foretold in Destruction of Oceans

Radioactive Tuna Not Safe Even at Low Levels of Contamination

Majia's Blog: The Ocean and Fukushima

Tepco's Plan to Divert Ground Water By Dumping Into Ocean

9 comments:

  1. The combined Nucleoapes have dumped Hunders of thousands of tons of High level, medium level and so called low level nuclear waste into The Arctic Ocean, The North Atlantic Ocean, The Baltic Sea, and the North Pacific ocean in the past 65 years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trump is not Pulling Troops out of the Middle East
      He is shifting American troops to Saudi Arabia from Syria.

      10/14/headlines/pentagon_deploying_additional_1_800_troops_to_saudi_arabia

      https://www.democracynow.org/2019/10/14/headlines/pentagon_deploying_additional_1_800_troops_to_saudi_arabia



      https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/10/article/mbs-must-shelve-his-vicious-war-in-yemen/
      asiatimes



      MIDDLE EASTREGIONAL CONFLICT|ANALYSIS
      OCTOBER 2, 2019
      "MBS must shelve his vicious war in Yemen
      Detained men described by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group as pro-government fighters captured in an August offensive near the southern Saudi region of Najran. Image grab: Ansarullah Media Center handout via AFP
      MBS must shelve his vicious war in Yemen
      More attacks on Saudi Arabia appear inevitable unless it agrees to stop war against Houthi rebels
      ByPEPE ESCOBAR, BEIRUT

      Never underestimate the power of blowback. Right now, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), the de facto ruler of the House of Saud, is staring at it, an ominous abyss opened by the Houthis in Yemen.

      This past weekend, Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier Yahya al-Sari clinically described how Ansarallah, also known as the Houthi rebel movement, aided by what Yemenis describe as “popular committees,” captured three Saudi brigades of 2,400 – ragged – soldiers, plus Yemeni and Sudanese mercenaries as well as several hundred battle vehicles. At least 500 Saudi soldiers were killed, Ansarallah said. (A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition denied the claim)."



      Trump is also aiding the Corrupt, incompetent and hated regime of Saudi Arabia in developing Nuclear Weapons and building nuclear reactors in Sausi Arabia that can be used to make weapons grade nuclear material.

      Trump made a deal with the Turks to sell out the Kurds for personal Financial Gain in a back-door deal with the tuks and because he does not think he can peronally make money from the Kurds
      prospect.org/api/amp/blogs/tap/trumps-hotel-deal-with-the-kurds/



      That is despicable enough. Trump should pull American Troops out of the middle east but he is shifting troops to saudi arabia because the saudis are getting beaten by the Houthis in Yemen.

      www.mercurynews.com/2019/10/17/letter-mourning-trump-selling-out-kurds-to-turkeys-erdogan/amp/

      Delete
  2. Good quote Weez. People work hard to project that they are the sane ones

    ReplyDelete
  3. This goes very far to explain some of the systemic problems in america now. Flooding and wildfires that displace people.
    In many areas people cannot get flod insurance anymore or  fire insurance for wildfires


    1: Floods gets worse
    2: Banks stop issuing mortgages
    3: Property values tumble
    4: Tax revenue falls
    5: Cities can’t fund flood control measures
    6: Floods gets worse…



    Nearly a quarter of Navajo women and some infants who were part of a federally funded study on uranium exposure had high levels of the radioactive metal in their systems, decades after mining for Cold War-era nuclear weapons ended on their reservation.

    https://apnews.com/334124280ace4b36beb6b8d58c328ae3?fbclid=IwAR2UqarRiUTIPwnRCA_DGkjKuahfFO4T_l9iFrXxb1P8qL5AnmrTc1m61W8

    That probably counts double and triple levels of Radioacive metals in their systems  in colorado plateau towns with Uranium tailings piles and Uranium mills in them
    like Durango Colorado,  Farmington New Mexico, Grand Junction Colorado, Monticello Utah


    In American politics, only what passes as Liberals or Humanitarians are required to be “civil.” Everyone else can hurl toxic waste, especially at, real anti-nuclear people. Especially the counterintelligence asses that have set out on disinfo and misinfo campaigns, to keep this shitty nuclear insanity going with nuclear bombs and nuclear reactors

    ReplyDelete


  4. Anyone of dozens of reactors, in america could explode in the next year because they are embrittled deteriorating , more than 20 or 30 years old and completely unsupervised.
    Waterford in La, was damaged by massive flooding from the Midwest USA and  the last Hurricane.
    8 reactors in florida, tennessee and georgia could go with the Tropical storm currently pounding them, since hurricane Michael.
    Diablo canyon was severely damaged by a 7.0 earthquake in southern California in the last few months. It was damaged, embrittled and crumbling before that.
    STP has no backup . It had flooded 3 times in 3 years. It has a large crack in its massive used fuel pool.

    The two shitty 40 year old fukushima style reactors at Richland washington by Hanford have earthquake damage , significant embrittlemnent and completely faulty backup.

    There are more than 23 shittly 40 year old Fukushima style reactors in murica with suspended Used fuel pools above ground with little or no backup, that could go at any time.
    All reactors in Illinois Michigan Wisconsin and the eastern seaboard are subject to flooding. Many to hurricanes. Many to the new norm of eartquakes from fracking induced damage to the new madrid faults and other faults. No backup . Sitty old diesel generators that are sure to fail in an emergency. Contract workers on drugs. Corroded water pipes and vent pipes used to cool the reactors. Old out of date computer control systems that can easily fail at any time.
    Palo Verde has almost completely unreliable backup. It is in the middle of a water poor desert. It uses sewer water as a coolant. It has a cracked fuel pool. Brunswick in carolina has damaged containment multiple leaks and no access to aome areas, after hurricane Maria.
    Indian point is at the brink of melltdown by new york city because it is so old and it has had so many transformer fires. It continues to leak tritium like a sieve by new york city.
    Davis Besse, fermi, oyster creek all have holes in their containtment. 
    All 90 shitty old reactors unreinforced and unsupervised under fuko the clown, and the brain damaged coked-out fairy rick perry. The other 6 in flood and earthquaake zones along with th 90 other, very old death machines. Fuko is refusing to cleanup santa susana and hanford now. Fuko is responsible for Davis Besse fuko is allowing radioactive food to come from Japan. Fuko is responsible for the nuclear catastrophes at santa susana and idaho nuclear laboratory, in the past two years . Fuko is responsible for the nuclear explosion in russia recently, by abrogating nuclear arms treaties and massively escalating nuclear arms proliferations and a new nuclear arms race.. Fuko is responsible for upcoming nuclear catastrophe in the USA in the next 6 months.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fukos creepy teaparty and extremist base promised that fuko would do something about nuclear . It did the exact opposite. It is pushing america into several fukushimas and new massive flooding of america with radionuclides. lying insane greedy things

      Delete
    2. Watch this video by Veterans outside the whitehouse in 2010 call for US withdrawel for afgahnistan, syria iraq

      watch it before it is deleted
      https://youtu.be/xszvdy_Egjo

      Obama was a cia raised stooge. He was just following through with what Bush started with 911, the patriot act and loss of habeas corpus under bush. Now we have massive detainment camps under the blatantly fascist fuko. Many dispossessed are already interred in private prisons. Some are being put in private camps homeless, blacks, and disabled in them along with refugees and illegals.
      Trump has publicly stated that he wants all trash and undesitables in camps.
      Him and his christian minister freaks call for hanging and jailing all who oppose him.

      Dragging leftists, democrats, liberals through the streets if Trump doesn’t carry out ‘mass arrests’ by January Sky Palma
      BySky PalmaPosted on August 20, 2019

      If Trump doesn’t carry out mass arrests of high-profile Democratic politicians , opponents, liberals and leftists by this coming January, “patriots” will rise up and get the job done, according to Christian “prophet” and whack job conspiracy theorist Mark Taylor.

      During an appearance on Sheila Zilinsky’s podcast this Tuesday, Taylor recounted a conversation he had with God last year, where he was told that if President Trump doesn’t carry out mass arrests of high-level Democratic politicians by this January, there will be blood in the streets.

      “What the Lord has shown me is that if they wait too long, it could be another Mogadishu or another Benghazi where the patriots will rise up and say, ‘Enough is enough,’ and they will take matters into their own hands and they will drag their dead bodies through the streets,” Taylor said, adding that these patriots (presumably Trump supporters) will literally hunt down leftists and drag them out of their “houses or offices.”

      Delete
    3. Reprinted with permssion of Harvey and nuclear-news.net

      https://nuclear-news.net/2019/10/19/ohios-fascist-pro-nuke-attack-on-democracy-comes-due-on-monday/

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      nuclear-news
      The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope
      Ohio’s Fascist Pro-Nuke Attack on Democracy Comes Due on Monday
      Posted by Christina MacPherson

      By Harvey Wasserman, 18 Oct 19
      A terrifying series of gestapo-style assaults, petiton buying, bribery, mass media manipulation and systematic intimidation has smacked into the attempt of Ohio citizens to repeal a billion-dollar bailout for two dangerously failing atomic reactors on Lake Erie.

      The unprecedented assault threatens the referendum process in Ohio and across the nation.

      It also threatens to keep on line two very old, dangerously decayed reactors where melt-downs and explosions could forever contaminate the Great Lakes region and more. (For a full explanation, hear this one-hour discussion at:
      https://greenpowerwellnessshow.podbean.com/e/solartopia-green-power-and-wellness-hour-outright-nuclear-fascism-in-ohio…be-very-afraid/

      The story may end Monday, October 21, when signatures are due to qualify an anti-nuclear referendum for the fall 2020 ballot.

      It begins with the July passage by the gerrymandered Ohio Legislature of HB6, a massive bailout scheme designed to subsidize the Perry and Davis-Besse nukes, plus two fifty-year-old coal burners, one of them in Indiana. HB6 does support ten small solar facilities. But it also kills an extremely popular, effective energy efficiency program along with larger subsidies for wind and solar energy in general.

      The bailout is vehemently opposed by a large majority of Ohioans, including most of its usually pro-corporate media. Commercial, industrial and environmental groups did mount a massive campaign meant to stop the bill from passing. But with help from Democrats in both houses, the Legislature narrowly approved the bailouts.

      Almost immediately, a referendum was filed for repeal. With 265,000 signatures due by October 21, Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts began hiring canvassers.

      Ohio’s GOP Secretary of State delayed the process as long as possible. He waiting a full 20 days before turning down the first petition submission. He then waited another 20 to certify the second.

      But as soon as the referendum supporters began gathering signatures, pro-nuke forces attacked with a fascist assault unlike any other in US history.

      First they began running an astonishing wave of TV ads claiming the referendum was a plot by Chinese Communists to take over Ohio’s electrical grid. The ads feature (they are still running!) hordes of goose-stepping Chinese soldiers, sinister footage of China’s dictator, shuttered US factories, and more.

      Delete
    4. Accompanied by high-gloss mass mailings, the pro-nuke forces are also running saturation radio ads warning Ohioans to shun all signature gatherers lest they be tracked by sinister communists out to ruin their lives and credit. A toll-free number is offered to those willing to call in the location of any repeal supporters.

      But the pro-nuke gestapo has also leapt from mere media manipulation to physical intimidation. When the referendum-gatherers hit the streets, they were confronted by industry “blockers” to tangibly prevent them from doing their job. In one case (as filmed on a security camera) a blocker smacked the cell phone out of the hands of a signature gatherer as he tried to photograph her. Gatherers have widely reported close-up verbal assaults. In some cases as many as three paid blockers have surrounded a single signature gatherer to prevent anyone from coming near to signing a petition.

      Because many of the signature gatherers are hired employees, they’re required to register contact information with the state. The pro-nuke mob has assaulted them with threatening phone calls. In some cases they’ve reportedly offered substantial cash payments and airline tickets if they leave the state. One signature gatherer reported being offered $2500 (!) for the day’s accumulated sign-up sheets, which would presumably then be shredded.

      Under the circumstances, many now wonder if the pro-referendum forces have been able to accumulate the required 265,000 signatures, plus the many more needed for a traditional cushion. The Republican Secretary of State is certain to discard as many signatures as he can, especially with the micro-managed scrutiny of the nuclear industry.

      The ramifications of such an outcome are staggering. It could signal the death of the popular referendum, a cornerstone of the democratic process.

      It could also mean two old, uncompetitive, uninsured, un-inspected crumbling atomic reactors highly likely to explode will continue to threaten the entire Great Lakes region for years to come.
      ————-
      Harvey Wasserman’s People’s Spiral of US History is at solartopia.org. His California Solartopia show is broadcast at KPFK/Pacifica-90.7FM in Los Angeles. The Green Power & Wellness Show is podcast at prn.fm.

      Delete

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