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Radioactive water overruns Fukushima barrier - TEPCO
rt.com ^ | August 10th 2013 | not stated

Posted on 08/10/2013 9:22:02 AM PDT by Mr Radical

Contaminated groundwater accumulating under the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has risen 60cm above the protective barrier, and is now freely leaking into the Pacific Ocean, the plant’s operator TEPCO has admitted. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which is responsible for decommissioning the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, on Saturday said the protective barriers that were installed to prevent the flow of toxic water into the ocean are no longer coping with the groundwater levels, Itar-Tass reports.

The contaminated groundwater, which mixes with radioactive leaks seeping out of the plant, has already risen to 60cm above the barriers – the fact which TEPCO calls a major cause of the massive daily leak of toxic substances.

Earlier on Friday, the company announced it started pumping out contaminated groundwater from under Fukushima, and managed to pump out 13 tons of water in six hours on Friday. TEPCO also said it plans to boost the pumped-out amount to some 100 tons a day with the help of a special system, which will be completed by mid-August. This will be enough to seal off most of the ongoing ocean contamination, according to TEPCO’s estimates.

However, Japan’s Ministry of Industry has recently estimated that some 300 tons of contaminated groundwater have been flowing into the ocean daily ever since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered the disaster.

TEPCO also promised it will urgently reinforce the protective shields to keep radioactive leaks at bay. The company has repeatedly complained it is running out of space and has had to resort to pumping water into hastily-built tanks of questionable reliability, as more than 20,000 tons of water with high levels of radioactive substances has accumulated in the plant’s drainage system.

Water samples recently taken at an underground passage below the Fukushima nuclear plant showed extreme levels of radiation comparable to those taken immediately after the March 2011 catastrophe. The tested water, which had been mixing with ground water and flowing into the ocean, contained 2.35 billion Becquerels of cesium per liter – some 16 million times above the limit.


TOPICS: Japan; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: fukushima; fukushimavideos; japan; leak; radiation; radioacrivewater; radioactive; radioactivewater
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To: Mr Radical

Some claim Chernobyl is what actually bankrupted the old Soviet Union. Japan obviously is in bad shape going into the future. BTW - Do you remember during those Chernobyl rains, did you ever get a metallic taste in your mouth when you were out in the rain ?


21 posted on 08/10/2013 1:09:09 PM PDT by justa-hairyape
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To: ransomnote; justa-hairyape

Highly efficient meaning that only 60% of the U-235 or Plutonium gets converted to energy. The rest? Vaporized, and spread by wind and wave as highly radioactive fallout

Highly efficient meaning that most of the energy escapes as a flood of neutrons that converts the surrounding elements into radioactive isotopes. Which are then vaporized by the heat and spread far and wide by wind and ocean currents as intensely radioactive fallout.

Oh, and when you blast coral with neutrons, you preferentially generate precisely those isotopes that the body takes up easily, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, oxygen, carbon iodine and the bone seekers cesium and strontium.

Also, that 40% efficiency number? That’s for a well designed and fully optimized (within the limits of modern technology) modern bomb, the pit on the Hiroshima bomb weighed a couple pounds, of which less than the weight of one thin dime was converted to energy. The rest? Down wind as vapor and black rain.

We, that is the Unites state, Soviet Union, China, France and Britain, set off large numbers of above ground nuclear test weapons (and two in an actual shootin’ war) creating vastly more fallout than has escaped from Fukishima.

By your reckoning the downwinders in Nevada, Utah and throughout the Southwest should have all died slow or not so slow horrible deaths by now.

But by all means, don’t let facts interfere with your panic and fear-mongering...


22 posted on 08/10/2013 1:30:26 PM PDT by null and void (Frequent terrorist attacks OR endless government snooping and oppression? Soon we'll have both!)
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To: justa-hairyape
Nuclear explosions are designed to convert mass into energy.

Strangely enough, so is a power plant.

23 posted on 08/10/2013 1:31:37 PM PDT by null and void (Frequent terrorist attacks OR endless government snooping and oppression? Soon we'll have both!)
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To: null and void

Should be only 40% gets converted, 60% gets vaporized.


24 posted on 08/10/2013 1:37:33 PM PDT by null and void (Frequent terrorist attacks OR endless government snooping and oppression? Soon we'll have both!)
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To: Mr Radical
kinda scary. ah wot?

I know, as a conservative, I'm supposed to be 300% for nuclear energy = but they've put the cart before the horse, using this deadly technology before having a safe way to contain it and the waste.

And they've had decades now to develop those - but haven't.

Yet they continually try to outlaw my use of burning wood. (Of course, the feds and their cronies make NO money from me buying wood from a neighbor, do they?

25 posted on 08/10/2013 2:06:14 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
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To: null and void

Sadly - downwinders in NV have been lied to and have indeed died off. A FReeper posted to one of his threads that his wife was a downwinder and was about 62 years of age and that she was the last surviving member of her highschool graduating class.

The tactic the US and other countries successfully use is to suppress and deny all culpability until decades later. Then, quietly admit error and pay the much fewer survivors.

Re Downwinders, here’s the US “apology” and settlement for those remaining souls alive to collect settlement money.

I’ll put an excerpt and link below:
_____________________________________________________
The United States conducted nearly 200 atmospheric nuclear weapons development tests from 1945 t0 1962. Essential to the nation’s nuclear weapons development was uranium mining and processing, which was carried out by tens of thousands of workers. Following the tests’ cessation in 1962 many of these workers filed class action lawsuits alleging exposure to known radiation hazards. These suits were dismissed by the appellate courts. Congress responded by devising a program allowing partial restitution to individuals who developed serious illnesses after exposure to radiation released during the atmospheric nuclear tests or after employment in the uranium industry: the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA, or the Act), 42 U.S.C. § 2210 note (2006), was passed on October 5, 1990. The Act’s scope of coverage was broadened in 2000.

The Act presents an apology and monetary compensation to individuals who contracted certain cancers and other serious diseases:

following their exposure to radiation released during the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, or
following their occupational exposure to radiation while employed in the uranium industry during the Cold War arsenal buildup.

http://www.justice.gov/civil/common/reca.html

________________________________________________________

Officials told people in Chernobyl that nothing was wrong so they held an outdoor parade in the shadow of the smoldering reactor. They told the populace all was well even while hundreds of people reported to the hospitals around Chernobyl every day. They made it illegal to report deaths as having resulted from radiation for 3 years following the disaster. They said that the fear of radiation was making people ill, not radiation. They tried to repopulate heavily irradiated zones but that didn’t work out well because people sickened “too quickly” from radiation exposure. Many people remaining living in contaminated today zones because there is no where else to live. They raise their children and their grandchildren in zones which cause leukemia and other illnesses. Their children, their grandchildren and following generations will live in this area with high levels of illnesses and immune system suppression (the body is kept busy repairing damage from radiation and can’t fight other illnesses so people die from or suffer with other diseases more often).

When Japan said it has learned “The lessons of Chernobyl” it was, at that time, in the news for forbidding local physicians to treat Fukushima residents without permission. Japan’s officials have prevented children from bringing their own lunches to schools (their parents were obtaining clean sources of food) and compelled them to eat what other children eat. The system of food testing is weak to nonexistent so regrettably the school children were served beef contaminated with very high levels of radioactive cesium. One of their health officials told pregnant women not to worry because those who don’t worry are unharmed by radioactive waste. I’d say Japan HAS learned the lessons of Chernobyl.

5 months after Chernobyl, Wood’s Hole researchers in San Diego sampled 13 tuna and all 13 had traces of radioactive waste from Fukushima in their tissues. It’s been a few years of continuous dumping from Fukushima. Seaweed and animals that eat seaweed are accumulating higher levels of contaminants. Currently there’s alot more Strontium in the waste being dumped into the ocean. That’s bad. According to National Geographic:

“However, the higher concentration of strontium-90 that is now in the outflow poses a trickier problem, because it is a bone-seeking isotope. “Cesium is like salt—it goes in and out of your body quickly,” he explains. “Strontium gets into your bones.” http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/08/130807-fukushima-radioactive-water-leak/

There’s a reason why no insurer will insure an nuke plant in the US. Actually paying for the damage resulting from one failed reactor would bankrupt it. The US is the insurer and as such, does everything it can to deny and delay ever compensating anyone for as long as possible. It’s amazing anyone has ever collected. Japan and other countries are the same way. Yes the people of Japan are being harmed but reports are suppressed. But time will tell because the Japanese are human like everyone else and medical science has proven that even low level radiation is harmful.

The BEIR VII report builds on many years of state of the art research proving that low levels of radiation are harmful. There is no “safe” limit. Low levels increase illness risks too. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=030909156X


26 posted on 08/10/2013 2:12:12 PM PDT by ransomnote
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To: ransomnote

RATS! I said “5 months after Chernobyl” when I meant “5 months after Fukushima”

I’ll quote the section corrected here:

5 months after Fukushima, Wood’s Hole researchers in San Diego sampled 13 tuna and all 13 had traces of radioactive waste from Fukushima in their tissues. It’s been a few years of continuous dumping from Fukushima. Seaweed and animals that eat seaweed are accumulating higher levels of contaminants. Currently there’s alot more Strontium in the waste being dumped into the ocean. That’s bad. According to National Geographic:

“However, the higher concentration of strontium-90 that is now in the outflow poses a trickier problem, because it is a bone-seeking isotope. “Cesium is like salt—it goes in and out of your body quickly,” he explains. “Strontium gets into your bones.” http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/08/130807-fukushima-radioactive-water-leak/


27 posted on 08/10/2013 2:14:50 PM PDT by ransomnote
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To: null and void
Let me guess, you were one of those claiming no meltdown for weeks ?

To begin with, Fukushima has been dumping radioactive contamination into the ocean for about 880 days non stop. Japan has not exactly admitted that it has been occurring for that long, only that is has been occurring for awhile and probably since March 2011. The reason, 1,000 tons of groundwater passes under the plant and into the ocean every day. The basements of all the buildings are flooded by this ground water due to earthquake cracks in the foundations. The Japanese government admitted that 300 tons of contaminated water per day was being released. Tepco however claims 400 tons released into the harbor every day but wont admit its contamination. The Japanese government claims 300 tons bypasses the contamination and enters the ocean every day uncontaminated.

This ground water is highly contaminated and recent contamination levels have more then doubled and are rising very quickly. And there is about 20,000 tons of extremely contaminated water on the plant that exists in their drainage canals and tunnels. That water is slowly leaking into the ground water that is leaking out of the plant. The water in that drainage system in some spots is so highly contaminated you get close to 1 Sv/hour just by standing near it. That stuff has been leaking for 880 days. Tepco itself admits that water exists and claims it has been aware of the problem but was unable to do anything about the problem. Tepco told everyone they had stopped that leak early on. You probably remember that leak story with the mysterious hole that looked like someone used a hammer to open.

That is what is happening. So what are the levels of the contamination ? Historically you simply could not trust Tepco or Japan because thier numbers were about a factor of 10 too low. They are now becoming more honest about the situation. Will follow this up with the recent contamination numbers and also address the nuclear bomb issue in more detail later. Got work to do.

28 posted on 08/10/2013 2:50:30 PM PDT by justa-hairyape
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To: maine-iac7
I know, as a conservative, I'm supposed to be 300% for nuclear energy

Not true. If you are pro nuclear, you may not want to admit it, but the Oligarchs have you. Nuclear for the right, is just like AGW for the left. If a leftist is pro AGW, the Oligarchs have em. That is how the cookies crumble. IMHO.

29 posted on 08/10/2013 2:56:38 PM PDT by justa-hairyape
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To: maine-iac7

“look, if you can spare the time from watching “Idol” and “DAncing” - look at some of the other videos in the sidebars? Or you can expend the least amount of your precious time and simply cache the links in this post - for future perusal - maybe you might even want to keep en eye on this?”

I have more important things to do, like interceding for people like you.

http://www.patburt.com/

www.patburt.com


30 posted on 08/10/2013 2:57:57 PM PDT by stars & stripes forever
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To: LucyT; Larousse2; Smokin' Joe; MestaMachine; Rushmore Rocks; Oorang; sweetiepiezer; txnuke; ...
I have been following the Fukushima incident since March 11, 2011. The media blackout is amazing, even more so with the alternative media!

The best all-round source of information on Nuclear and Environmental events worldwide I have found thus far is:

Energy News

Radioactive materials DO NOT DILUTE in the Oceans or the Seas!

Fukushima nuclear waste still leaking into Pacific -the situation can not be contained and it is grave

We need to remember that the corium burning out of control is poisoning the air we breathe.

We are all now downwinders.

31 posted on 08/10/2013 5:50:37 PM PDT by Larousse2 (The price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. ~ Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Larousse2

I’ve been following this for two years. Japan and Tepco are FINALLY admitting what they can no longer hide.

Think I will only buy Atlantic fish.


32 posted on 08/10/2013 6:03:38 PM PDT by Rushmore Rocks
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To: Rushmore Rocks; All
Dr. John Apsley discusses with George Noory on Coast To Coast the US Death Rates Increase from Fukishima Fallout:

US Death Rates Increase from Fukishima Fallout

33 posted on 08/10/2013 6:15:27 PM PDT by Larousse2 (The price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. ~ Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Larousse2

I think your link may not be working or can you specify what part of the page might have the link? I’ve seen that article before somewhere but don’t know where it is to link it myself.


34 posted on 08/10/2013 6:24:29 PM PDT by ransomnote
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To: ransomnote
Sorry about that!

Try this:

US Death Rates Increase from Fukishima Fallout

35 posted on 08/10/2013 6:31:02 PM PDT by Larousse2 (The price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. ~ Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Mr Radical; LucyT; Larousse2; Smokin' Joe; MestaMachine; Rushmore Rocks; Oorang; sweetiepiezer; ...
An eye-opener:

What if the Fukushima nuclear fallout crisis had happened here? - Key in your ZIP code

36 posted on 08/10/2013 6:36:58 PM PDT by Larousse2 (The price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. ~ Thomas Jefferson)
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To: null and void
Strangely enough, so is a power plant.

The reactions inside a power plant are tightly controlled and moderated. Not like the nuclear explosions within a nuclear weapon that are out of control.

Here are the mass comparisons. Will use an estimated nuclear fuel mass for Fukishima at around 791 tons roughly. That is only the total in reactors 1-4 which includes the entire spent fuel pool contents. Worse case scenario where everything goes up in 1-4.

Now what is the mass of the nuclear fuel within a nuclear warhead ? The most powerful pure fission bomb used 60 kg of uranium to yield a 500 KTon blast. It was called the Ivy King. Shall we use that as the standard mass of fuel in a warhead exploded in the ocean ? So how many kg are in one ton ? About 907. So the total mass of nuclear fuel in Fukushima 1-4 is equal to roughly the mass of the nuclear fuel found within about 12,000 of our example nuclear warhead. And since a lot of that mass was converted to energy, we could roughly say 791 tons of nuclear fuel is approximately equal to the non-energy converted nuclear fuel in 18,000 warheads.

So lets say Fukushima so far has only given up 4 % of its #1 to #4 inventory. That would be roughly 25-30 tons of fuel. We had three reactors meltdown that contained 257 tons of fuel. And we have had reported fires in the spent fuel pools. Not to mention fuel blasted away in the explosions. Everything eventually ends up in the ocean one way or the other. So we are figuring about 10 % of the reactor fuel of # 1-3, minus what was burned or blasted out of the spent fuel pools of # 1-4. That would give us the nuclear non-energy converted fuel for 720 nuclear warheads, conservatively speaking. And that happened over a 2 1/2 year period. Much quicker then over a few decades.

This was done in haste so please double check if you can.

37 posted on 08/10/2013 6:48:19 PM PDT by justa-hairyape
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To: justa-hairyape

Used short tons above, not long tons.


38 posted on 08/10/2013 6:50:19 PM PDT by justa-hairyape
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To: justa-hairyape
They have been reported to be 528 total above ground nuclear tests from 1945 to 1996. The ocean tests I think are all classified as above ground and not underground. And many of those above ground tests occurred over ground a longs ways from the ocean.

Table of Known Nuclear Tests Worldwide: 1945-69 | 1970-96

39 posted on 08/10/2013 7:02:53 PM PDT by justa-hairyape
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To: Veto!

http://epa.gov/japan2011/rert/radnet-data-map.html


40 posted on 08/10/2013 7:16:43 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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