Environmental
Nuclear Crises in the US
04/07/11 09:49 Filed in: From the inbox...
Nuclear Flood Threat: 1100 troops, 25,000 homes flooded, NRC chief onsite (vid)
June 25th 2011
http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/nuclear-plants-threat-870-nat-l-guard-25-000-homes-filling-with-water-upstream?CID=examiner_alerts_article#ixzz1QWVQZ8cU
Emergency Update: At approximately 1:00am Sunday, June 26, the aqua-berm quickly constructed around Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station broke and electricity had to be cut. The plant is now reportedly running on emergency generators as workers try to restore electricity after water surrounded main electrical transformers. The auxiliary building at Ft. Calhoun was surrounded by water after the berm failure. A Nuclear Regulatory Commission letter said if water enters the auxilary building, there could have been a station blackout with core damage in hours.
Project Flood 2011 intensifies
Upstream of two nuclear power plants operating at heightened alert, biblical proportion flooding is has resulted in as many as 4,500 families to lose their homes in North Dakota, 25,000 homes filling with water, patrol boats responding to 911 calls, and 1100 activated National Guardsmen onsite to help. An Air Force base, overseeing 150 Minuteman III missiles in underground launch silos over 8,500 square miles, is partially under water according to CBS News on Saturday. Downstream are Nebraska's two atomic plants causing national and international dismay plus reason for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission chief to arrive on the scene today.
Some compare one of the two U.S. nuclear power plants threatened by floodwaters to Fukushima, not only due to the floodwater. Both Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station and Fukushima are storehouses for years of spent nuclear fuel rods, a danger highlighted by some news sources, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and other watchdog groups.
"Floodwaters are breaching levees, triggering evacuations, closing highways, swamping thousands of acres of farmland, destroying homes and lapping against hurriedly reinforced floodwalls protecting cities, airports and power plants, including two in Nebraska that produce nuclear power," reported World Herald staff reporter David Hendee today.
"Imagine roughly 55 million acres - the entire surface of Nebraska and southwest Iowa - covered in a foot of water. Now imagine trying to funnel all that water down a drainage canal surrounded by airports and homes, businesses and farms. You can begin to grasp the unprecedented, slow-developing danger facing folks from Montana to Missouri from the Great Flood of 2011." (World Herald)
North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple said Saturday that the Souris River, upriver of the nuclear power plants, is flowing over most levees of the city Minot, surging past a 130-year-old record level. Col. S.L. Davis, commander of the 91st Missile Wing, reports "localized flooding" at a handful of missiles site. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched four boats to patrol flooded neighborhoods and respond to 911 calls. (CBS)
The Souris River soared nearly 4 feet in less than 24 hours, overwhelming the city of Minot's levees where an estimated 4,500 homes are expected to be severely damaged by the time the river peaks today according to Associated Press.
Over 10,000 people evacuated earlier in the week, packing what they hoped to save into cars, trucks and trailers. Water came up through a storm sewer, eroding one downtown levee before it was controlled and Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Col. Kendall Bergmann said levees protecting the key northern approach to Broadway Bridge was touch and go.
Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general said, "A big part of what we are doing is securing evacuated areas to ensure that property is protected while people need to leave the area for safety reasons. Our Guardsmen comprise a versatile force that is able to assist flood-affected communities in a number of ways."
"It°os really sad to see what people here are going through. I°om glad to help in any way I can," said Sgt. Ross Teigen. "I°ove volunteered to be here as long as they need me."
President Obama's emergency declaration enabled FEMA and the American Red Cross to begin establishing "transitional housing centers." This week, however, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War doctors harshly criticized government and industry for not being more forthcoming with warnings that radiation from Nebraska's nuclear plants is a reality.
"It's always the same phenomenon that industry and government do everything it can to hide and downplay such incidents," said nuclear expert in IPPNW Henrik Paulitz. "States and nuclear industries are too much into each other, so that reason alone... does not guarantee a sufficient degree.
"The fact that nuclear power plants worldwide are threatened by high water levels of rivers at any time, occupied the uncontrollability of this technique. How many accidents and near accidents have you actually need to finally draw the necessary consequences?" Paulitz asked this week.
Government's Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Gregory Jaczko arrived in Nebraska today to "observe Missouri River flooding and the flooding preparation" at both plants, Cooper on Sunday and Fort Calhoun Monday according to Daily Reporter.
Nuclear plants at risk
The flooding in the nuclear facility sites' areas is expected to remain problematic throughout the summer. AP reported Thursday that the Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing dam water upstream of the nuclear stations after heavy rain and snow melt. "Water releases at the Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota hit 160,000 cubic feet of water per second Thursday, and the corps plans to continue releasing water at that rate until at least August." (AP)
Several areas downriver had some temporary relief Friday. In southeastern Nebraska, near Cooper Nuclear Plant, the Missouri River dropped more than a foot, but waters continue rising this weekend according to the National Weather Service.
Sandbagging, including by prisoners in some areas, has been the main flood damage prevention upstream of Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station and a makeshift berm has been quickly constructed at the plant. Critics question these methods of protecting millions of American babies and thousands of acres of America's prime bread basket from nuclear catastrophe, while the government spends billions of dollars to spy on Americans and billions more on private contractors to "make us safe."
Friday's New York Times report on U.S. nuclear plants, coupled with other recent reports, such as one revealing 2/3s of U.S. nuclear plants have leaked radiation, have resulted in lack of confidence in the nuclear industry and fear of the two nuclear facilities are downstream of the "biblical proportion flooding."
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station is operated by OPPD that neglected to head official warning and failed to pass flood risk prevention well enough for the NRC according to The New York Times. Pumps in an emergency water makeup system at Fort Calhoun plant failed repeatedly over several years and "the plant owner never identified the true cause of those failures, and therefore, did not take the right steps to prevent their recurrence" reported Union of Concerned Scientists that nam Fort Calhoun plant among 14 of the nation's 104 nuclear plants. (See "THE NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety 2010")
After OPPD's inadequate or no response to its reports issued as far back as 2003, in October, 2010, NRC began to pressure OPPD to resolve flooding issues to avoid meltdown. Friday, The New York Times reported that Fort Calhoun nuclear plant was suppose to have been raised three feet to avoid serious problems from flooding, but OPPD did not act on the warning:
"A still-unresolved issue in the dispute is the NRC's contention that OPPD received, but did not properly act on, a warning by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2003. It said high-water threats to the plant should be raised by 3 feet based on a new assessment following severe Missouri River floods in the mid-1990s."
"The performance deficiency existed for many years," the NRC said in an Oct. 6, 2010, letter to the Omaha utility. (NYT)
Fort Calhoun nuclear plant closed in April for refueling and will remain so until the flood recedes according to NRC.
Tuesday, NRC Region IV Administrator Elmo Collins reported, "We are closely following events at both plants. Both plants have activated their flood response plans and taken appropriate steps to protect vital structures, systems and components from rising floodwaters and maintain their plants in a safe condition."
NRC reported that "diesel fuel tanks have been topped off and two additional fuel tanks have been brought onsite. If there is a complete loss of power on site temporary pumps that run on gas can circulate cooling water through the spent fuel pool and reactor core. Plant capabilities remain undiminished, despite the rising water."
Although officials continue reporting safety, other surfacing reports clarify why the public is not so sure about official reports and even why alarm bells should be sounded about atomic energy. Assumptions that Fort Calhoun plant's closure makes it safe are being dispelled and some reporters are comparing the situation there to Fukushima.
"As was the critical event in Fukushima, in Ft Calhoun circulating water is required at all times to keep the new fuel and more importantly, the spent radioactive material cool," reported Patrick Henningsen for Global Research today. "The Nebraska facility houses around 600,000 - 800,000 pounds of spent fuel that must be constantly cooled to prevent it from starting to boil, so the reported 90-minute gap in service should raise alarm bells."
"Spent" fuel rods at Fort Calhoun plant were not constantly cooled due to a 90-minute service gap. As the ongoing crisis in Fukushima demonstrates, nuclear fuel remains hot long after a reactor is shut down. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article, "Rising water, falling journalism," by Dawn Stover on June 16 reported, "Two-thirds of hot nuclear fuel remains in reactor core at Calhoun plant even though media claims it was 'shut down' for refueling and maintenance."
Even the plant's closure does not mean it is free from possibly producing a radiation catastrophe according to Stover who furthered, "When Fort Calhoun is shut down for maintenance and refueling, only one-third of the fuel in the reactor core is removed."
Arnie Gundersen summarized Fort Calhoun nuclear Emergency Level 4 and its technical failures for KETV Action News in Missouri. Today, the KETV video of that report, including footage of the plant that the reporters said industry officials did not want them to take, has been viewed by 180,000 people.
Victor Dricks, spokesman for the NRC Region IV office in Arlington, Texas said, "There isn't a Level 4 emergency at the plant. It is a misnomer.
[S]omeone said it was a Level 4 nuclear emergency based on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Level 4 means "accident with local consequences." The NRC uses a different system according to Sioux City Journal.
According to Gundersen, on June 6, Fort Calhoun pressurized water nuclear reactor and Nebraska entered emergency status due to imminent flooding from the Missouri River. A day later, an electrical fire occurred requiring plant evacuation. On June 8th, NRC event reports confirmed the fire resulted in loss of cooling for the reactor's spent fuel pool.
Gundersen explained the risks of coolant loss at overcrowded "spent" fuel pools and national hazards of nuclear facilities along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers during the floods. He assessed the situation as very critical and warned of the possibility of dams giving way, an event that could be a scenario similar to that of Fukishima.
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) suspects floodwater already reached Fort Calhoun facility's basement rooms, where sensitive operating and security systems are housed. IPPNW's nuclear expert, Henrik Paulitz reported that it is possible that Fort Calhoun's normal cooling systems have been out of operation for some time and that cooling of the nuclear rods is being provided by emergency backup systems. Paulitz says the question remains whether there has been any contact between the plant's contaminated water and the Missouri River water.
Television celebrity Thom Hartman, on Russia Today's program, The Daily Take, sounded an alarm this week in his report, Nuclear Power: We almost lost Nebraska. Rachel Maddow's report Wednesday on MSN, "Flood Waters Threaten Nebraska Nuclear Plant," is now featured on nuclear watchdog websites.
Nuclear power plant malfunctions this week have not restored faith in safety of both Nebraska nuclear plants. A gauge malfunction caused bad data on river level near Cooper nuke plant on Tuesday. Due to mechanical failure, a Fort Calhoun surveying helicopter made a forced landing Friday.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the safest, Alan Dostal who is NPPD's nuclear expert said, "We are an absolutely safe plant, that's a 10." That was during an interview with Nebraska Watchdog on March 29, five days before three workers at Cooper were exposed to radiation.
According to NRC, a fuel rod accident triggered alarms worn by workers at Cooper. NPPD says the incident, still under investigation, caused no apparent injuries but was "unacceptable." NRC wants "to understand why normal work practices were not followed" according to Nebraska Watchdog in Missouri News Horizon.
Scientific America reported Friday that, despite calls to shutter the U.S. nuclear program, President Obama remains supportive of the industry, contrary to his stated position opposing it before elected. In Friday's report, Karl Grossman wrote:
"Indeed, if policymakers were able to divert the hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies to the U.S. nuclear industry every year to solar, wind and geothermal developers, there is no telling how quickly we could innovate our way to sustainable non-polluting energy independence and put the specter of nuclear power that much further in our rearview mirror.
As human lives are at stake, Bill Mason, a resident of Hartford, Conn. wrote to Scientific America, "Radioactive rain recently fell in Massachusetts, likely due to Japan's nuclear mess. Given the threats of radiation, wouldn't it be madness now to continue with nuclear power? How can President Obama include nukes as part of a 'clean energy' agenda?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggested by the author:
Large levee breach 3 miles up from Cooper Nuclear Station. Mandatory evacs
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station helicopter emergency landing
Project Flood: British, US military on site. Over 10,000 evacuated
Radiation leaked from three-quarters US nuclear facilities
Project Flood nuclear 'alert': Obama, Red Cross declare emergencies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Precautionary Measures to do in case the radiation gets worse here : Be sure to take Modifilan daily. . good source http://www.BetterHealthInternational.com Brown algae (Fucoidan) is shown to help detox radiation effects (especially type that causes bone cancer)
Iosol Iodine good source: http://www.WellnessResources.com Keeps the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine
Adya Biotite Minerals and Filter Sysetem: http://www.AdyaWaterDetox.com Percipitates radioactive contamination of petro chemicals out of water and the body
ElectroEssence: good source: http://www.ABFEusa.com Flower essence designed to prevent radiation from entering the body by taking sublingual drops daily
Start growing your own food indoors: http://www.HydroponicEasyGardens.info Protect your food from ratiation and chemtrail contamination. Look into getting a greenhouse . . . this isn't going away any time soon.
STAY OUT OF THE RAIN, Take Plenty of Anitoxidants Daily. Also keep your immune system strong by avoiding sugar! Also keep some good Isolation Masks on hand. This one below was recommended by Dr. Mercola that filters up to .1 Microns
June 25th 2011
http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/nuclear-plants-threat-870-nat-l-guard-25-000-homes-filling-with-water-upstream?CID=examiner_alerts_article#ixzz1QWVQZ8cU
Emergency Update: At approximately 1:00am Sunday, June 26, the aqua-berm quickly constructed around Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station broke and electricity had to be cut. The plant is now reportedly running on emergency generators as workers try to restore electricity after water surrounded main electrical transformers. The auxiliary building at Ft. Calhoun was surrounded by water after the berm failure. A Nuclear Regulatory Commission letter said if water enters the auxilary building, there could have been a station blackout with core damage in hours.
Project Flood 2011 intensifies
Upstream of two nuclear power plants operating at heightened alert, biblical proportion flooding is has resulted in as many as 4,500 families to lose their homes in North Dakota, 25,000 homes filling with water, patrol boats responding to 911 calls, and 1100 activated National Guardsmen onsite to help. An Air Force base, overseeing 150 Minuteman III missiles in underground launch silos over 8,500 square miles, is partially under water according to CBS News on Saturday. Downstream are Nebraska's two atomic plants causing national and international dismay plus reason for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission chief to arrive on the scene today.
Some compare one of the two U.S. nuclear power plants threatened by floodwaters to Fukushima, not only due to the floodwater. Both Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station and Fukushima are storehouses for years of spent nuclear fuel rods, a danger highlighted by some news sources, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and other watchdog groups.
"Floodwaters are breaching levees, triggering evacuations, closing highways, swamping thousands of acres of farmland, destroying homes and lapping against hurriedly reinforced floodwalls protecting cities, airports and power plants, including two in Nebraska that produce nuclear power," reported World Herald staff reporter David Hendee today.
"Imagine roughly 55 million acres - the entire surface of Nebraska and southwest Iowa - covered in a foot of water. Now imagine trying to funnel all that water down a drainage canal surrounded by airports and homes, businesses and farms. You can begin to grasp the unprecedented, slow-developing danger facing folks from Montana to Missouri from the Great Flood of 2011." (World Herald)
North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple said Saturday that the Souris River, upriver of the nuclear power plants, is flowing over most levees of the city Minot, surging past a 130-year-old record level. Col. S.L. Davis, commander of the 91st Missile Wing, reports "localized flooding" at a handful of missiles site. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service launched four boats to patrol flooded neighborhoods and respond to 911 calls. (CBS)
The Souris River soared nearly 4 feet in less than 24 hours, overwhelming the city of Minot's levees where an estimated 4,500 homes are expected to be severely damaged by the time the river peaks today according to Associated Press.
Over 10,000 people evacuated earlier in the week, packing what they hoped to save into cars, trucks and trailers. Water came up through a storm sewer, eroding one downtown levee before it was controlled and Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Col. Kendall Bergmann said levees protecting the key northern approach to Broadway Bridge was touch and go.
Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general said, "A big part of what we are doing is securing evacuated areas to ensure that property is protected while people need to leave the area for safety reasons. Our Guardsmen comprise a versatile force that is able to assist flood-affected communities in a number of ways."
"It°os really sad to see what people here are going through. I°om glad to help in any way I can," said Sgt. Ross Teigen. "I°ove volunteered to be here as long as they need me."
President Obama's emergency declaration enabled FEMA and the American Red Cross to begin establishing "transitional housing centers." This week, however, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War doctors harshly criticized government and industry for not being more forthcoming with warnings that radiation from Nebraska's nuclear plants is a reality.
"It's always the same phenomenon that industry and government do everything it can to hide and downplay such incidents," said nuclear expert in IPPNW Henrik Paulitz. "States and nuclear industries are too much into each other, so that reason alone... does not guarantee a sufficient degree.
"The fact that nuclear power plants worldwide are threatened by high water levels of rivers at any time, occupied the uncontrollability of this technique. How many accidents and near accidents have you actually need to finally draw the necessary consequences?" Paulitz asked this week.
Government's Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Gregory Jaczko arrived in Nebraska today to "observe Missouri River flooding and the flooding preparation" at both plants, Cooper on Sunday and Fort Calhoun Monday according to Daily Reporter.
Nuclear plants at risk
The flooding in the nuclear facility sites' areas is expected to remain problematic throughout the summer. AP reported Thursday that the Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing dam water upstream of the nuclear stations after heavy rain and snow melt. "Water releases at the Gavins Point Dam in South Dakota hit 160,000 cubic feet of water per second Thursday, and the corps plans to continue releasing water at that rate until at least August." (AP)
Several areas downriver had some temporary relief Friday. In southeastern Nebraska, near Cooper Nuclear Plant, the Missouri River dropped more than a foot, but waters continue rising this weekend according to the National Weather Service.
Sandbagging, including by prisoners in some areas, has been the main flood damage prevention upstream of Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station and a makeshift berm has been quickly constructed at the plant. Critics question these methods of protecting millions of American babies and thousands of acres of America's prime bread basket from nuclear catastrophe, while the government spends billions of dollars to spy on Americans and billions more on private contractors to "make us safe."
Friday's New York Times report on U.S. nuclear plants, coupled with other recent reports, such as one revealing 2/3s of U.S. nuclear plants have leaked radiation, have resulted in lack of confidence in the nuclear industry and fear of the two nuclear facilities are downstream of the "biblical proportion flooding."
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station is operated by OPPD that neglected to head official warning and failed to pass flood risk prevention well enough for the NRC according to The New York Times. Pumps in an emergency water makeup system at Fort Calhoun plant failed repeatedly over several years and "the plant owner never identified the true cause of those failures, and therefore, did not take the right steps to prevent their recurrence" reported Union of Concerned Scientists that nam Fort Calhoun plant among 14 of the nation's 104 nuclear plants. (See "THE NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety 2010")
After OPPD's inadequate or no response to its reports issued as far back as 2003, in October, 2010, NRC began to pressure OPPD to resolve flooding issues to avoid meltdown. Friday, The New York Times reported that Fort Calhoun nuclear plant was suppose to have been raised three feet to avoid serious problems from flooding, but OPPD did not act on the warning:
"A still-unresolved issue in the dispute is the NRC's contention that OPPD received, but did not properly act on, a warning by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2003. It said high-water threats to the plant should be raised by 3 feet based on a new assessment following severe Missouri River floods in the mid-1990s."
"The performance deficiency existed for many years," the NRC said in an Oct. 6, 2010, letter to the Omaha utility. (NYT)
Fort Calhoun nuclear plant closed in April for refueling and will remain so until the flood recedes according to NRC.
Tuesday, NRC Region IV Administrator Elmo Collins reported, "We are closely following events at both plants. Both plants have activated their flood response plans and taken appropriate steps to protect vital structures, systems and components from rising floodwaters and maintain their plants in a safe condition."
NRC reported that "diesel fuel tanks have been topped off and two additional fuel tanks have been brought onsite. If there is a complete loss of power on site temporary pumps that run on gas can circulate cooling water through the spent fuel pool and reactor core. Plant capabilities remain undiminished, despite the rising water."
Although officials continue reporting safety, other surfacing reports clarify why the public is not so sure about official reports and even why alarm bells should be sounded about atomic energy. Assumptions that Fort Calhoun plant's closure makes it safe are being dispelled and some reporters are comparing the situation there to Fukushima.
"As was the critical event in Fukushima, in Ft Calhoun circulating water is required at all times to keep the new fuel and more importantly, the spent radioactive material cool," reported Patrick Henningsen for Global Research today. "The Nebraska facility houses around 600,000 - 800,000 pounds of spent fuel that must be constantly cooled to prevent it from starting to boil, so the reported 90-minute gap in service should raise alarm bells."
"Spent" fuel rods at Fort Calhoun plant were not constantly cooled due to a 90-minute service gap. As the ongoing crisis in Fukushima demonstrates, nuclear fuel remains hot long after a reactor is shut down. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article, "Rising water, falling journalism," by Dawn Stover on June 16 reported, "Two-thirds of hot nuclear fuel remains in reactor core at Calhoun plant even though media claims it was 'shut down' for refueling and maintenance."
Even the plant's closure does not mean it is free from possibly producing a radiation catastrophe according to Stover who furthered, "When Fort Calhoun is shut down for maintenance and refueling, only one-third of the fuel in the reactor core is removed."
Arnie Gundersen summarized Fort Calhoun nuclear Emergency Level 4 and its technical failures for KETV Action News in Missouri. Today, the KETV video of that report, including footage of the plant that the reporters said industry officials did not want them to take, has been viewed by 180,000 people.
Victor Dricks, spokesman for the NRC Region IV office in Arlington, Texas said, "There isn't a Level 4 emergency at the plant. It is a misnomer.
[S]omeone said it was a Level 4 nuclear emergency based on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Level 4 means "accident with local consequences." The NRC uses a different system according to Sioux City Journal.
According to Gundersen, on June 6, Fort Calhoun pressurized water nuclear reactor and Nebraska entered emergency status due to imminent flooding from the Missouri River. A day later, an electrical fire occurred requiring plant evacuation. On June 8th, NRC event reports confirmed the fire resulted in loss of cooling for the reactor's spent fuel pool.
Gundersen explained the risks of coolant loss at overcrowded "spent" fuel pools and national hazards of nuclear facilities along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers during the floods. He assessed the situation as very critical and warned of the possibility of dams giving way, an event that could be a scenario similar to that of Fukishima.
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) suspects floodwater already reached Fort Calhoun facility's basement rooms, where sensitive operating and security systems are housed. IPPNW's nuclear expert, Henrik Paulitz reported that it is possible that Fort Calhoun's normal cooling systems have been out of operation for some time and that cooling of the nuclear rods is being provided by emergency backup systems. Paulitz says the question remains whether there has been any contact between the plant's contaminated water and the Missouri River water.
Television celebrity Thom Hartman, on Russia Today's program, The Daily Take, sounded an alarm this week in his report, Nuclear Power: We almost lost Nebraska. Rachel Maddow's report Wednesday on MSN, "Flood Waters Threaten Nebraska Nuclear Plant," is now featured on nuclear watchdog websites.
Nuclear power plant malfunctions this week have not restored faith in safety of both Nebraska nuclear plants. A gauge malfunction caused bad data on river level near Cooper nuke plant on Tuesday. Due to mechanical failure, a Fort Calhoun surveying helicopter made a forced landing Friday.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the safest, Alan Dostal who is NPPD's nuclear expert said, "We are an absolutely safe plant, that's a 10." That was during an interview with Nebraska Watchdog on March 29, five days before three workers at Cooper were exposed to radiation.
According to NRC, a fuel rod accident triggered alarms worn by workers at Cooper. NPPD says the incident, still under investigation, caused no apparent injuries but was "unacceptable." NRC wants "to understand why normal work practices were not followed" according to Nebraska Watchdog in Missouri News Horizon.
Scientific America reported Friday that, despite calls to shutter the U.S. nuclear program, President Obama remains supportive of the industry, contrary to his stated position opposing it before elected. In Friday's report, Karl Grossman wrote:
"Indeed, if policymakers were able to divert the hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies to the U.S. nuclear industry every year to solar, wind and geothermal developers, there is no telling how quickly we could innovate our way to sustainable non-polluting energy independence and put the specter of nuclear power that much further in our rearview mirror.
As human lives are at stake, Bill Mason, a resident of Hartford, Conn. wrote to Scientific America, "Radioactive rain recently fell in Massachusetts, likely due to Japan's nuclear mess. Given the threats of radiation, wouldn't it be madness now to continue with nuclear power? How can President Obama include nukes as part of a 'clean energy' agenda?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggested by the author:
Large levee breach 3 miles up from Cooper Nuclear Station. Mandatory evacs
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station helicopter emergency landing
Project Flood: British, US military on site. Over 10,000 evacuated
Radiation leaked from three-quarters US nuclear facilities
Project Flood nuclear 'alert': Obama, Red Cross declare emergencies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Precautionary Measures to do in case the radiation gets worse here : Be sure to take Modifilan daily. . good source http://www.BetterHealthInternational.com Brown algae (Fucoidan) is shown to help detox radiation effects (especially type that causes bone cancer)
Iosol Iodine good source: http://www.WellnessResources.com Keeps the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine
Adya Biotite Minerals and Filter Sysetem: http://www.AdyaWaterDetox.com Percipitates radioactive contamination of petro chemicals out of water and the body
ElectroEssence: good source: http://www.ABFEusa.com Flower essence designed to prevent radiation from entering the body by taking sublingual drops daily
Start growing your own food indoors: http://www.HydroponicEasyGardens.info Protect your food from ratiation and chemtrail contamination. Look into getting a greenhouse . . . this isn't going away any time soon.
STAY OUT OF THE RAIN, Take Plenty of Anitoxidants Daily. Also keep your immune system strong by avoiding sugar! Also keep some good Isolation Masks on hand. This one below was recommended by Dr. Mercola that filters up to .1 Microns
Peak Oil - Alternative Sources
13/05/11 09:30 Filed in: From the inbox...
Fossils From Animals And Plants Are Not Necessary For Crude Oil And Natural Gas, Swedish Researchers Find <http://images.sciencedaily.com/2009/09/090910084259-large.jpg>
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910084259.htm
"There is no doubt that our research proves that crude oil and natural gas are generated without the involvement of fossils. All types of bedrock can serve as reservoirs of oil," says Vladimir Kutcherov. (Credit: Image courtesy of Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council))
ScienceDaily (Sep. 12, 2009) - Researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm have managed to prove that fossils from animals and plants are not necessary for crude oil and natural gas to be generated. The findings are revolutionary since this means, on the one hand, that it will be much easier to find these sources of energy and, on the other hand, that they can be found all over the globe.
"Using our research we can even say where oil could be found in Sweden," says Vladimir Kutcherov, a professor at the Division of Energy Technology at KTH. Together with two research colleagues, Vladimir Kutcherov has simulated the process involving pressure and heat that occurs naturally in the inner layers of the earth, the process that generates hydrocarbon, the primary component in oil and natural gas.
According to Vladimir Kutcherov, the findings are a clear indication that the oil supply is not about to end, which researchers and experts in the field have long feared.
He adds that there is no way that fossil oil, with the help of gravity or other forces, could have seeped down to a depth of 10.5 kilometers in the state of Texas, for example, which is rich in oil deposits. As Vladimir Kutcherov sees it, this is further proof, alongside his own research findings, of the genesis of these energy sources - that they can be created in other ways than via fossils. This has long been a matter of lively discussion among scientists.
"There is no doubt that our research proves that crude oil and natural gas are generated without the involvement of fossils. All types of bedrock can serve as reservoirs of oil," says Vladimir Kutcherov, who adds that this is true of land areas that have not yet been prospected for these energy sources.
But the discovery has more benefits. The degree of accuracy in finding oil is enhanced dramatically - from 20 to 70 percent. Since drilling for oil and natural gas is a very expensive process, the cost picture will be radically altered for petroleum companies, and in the end probably for consumers as well. "The savings will be in the many billions," says Vladimir Kutcherov.
To identify where it is worthwhile to drill for natural gas and oil, Vladimir Kutcherov has used his research to arrive at a new method. It involves dividing the globe into a finely meshed grid. The grid corresponds to fissures, so-called 'migration channels,' through underlying layers under the surface of the earth. Wherever these fissures meet, it is suitable to drill.
According to Vladimir Kutcherov, these research findings are extremely important, not least as 61 percent of the world's energy consumption derives from crude oil and natural gas. The next step in this research work will involve more experiments, but above all refining the method will make it easier to find places where it is suitable to drill for oil and natural gas.
Vladimir Kutcherov, Anton Kolesnikov, and Alexander Goncharov's research work was recently published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council) <http://www.vr.se> , via AlphaGalileo <http://www.alphagalileo.org> .
Journal Reference:
1. Anton Kolesnikov, Vladimir G. Kutcherov, Alexander F. Goncharov. Methane-derived hydrocarbons produced under upper-mantle conditions. Nature Geoscience, 2009; 2 (8): 566 DOI: 10.1038/ngeo591 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo591>
Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council) (2009, September 12). Fossils From Animals And Plants Are Not Necessary For Crude Oil And Natural Gas, Swedish Researchers Find. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 25, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com-/releases/2009/09/090910084259.htm
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Science News
'Milking' Microscopic Algae Could Yield Massive Amounts Of Oil
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622165830.htm
ScienceDaily (June 23, 2009) - Scientists in Canada and India are proposing a surprising new solution to the global energy crisis -"milking" oil from the tiny, single-cell algae known as diatoms, renowned for their intricate, beautifully sculpted shells that resemble fine lacework.
Richard Gordon, T. V. Ramachandra, Durga Madhab Mahapatra, and Karthick Band note that some geologists believe that much of the world's crude oil originated in diatoms, which produce an oily substance in their bodies. Barely one-third of a strand of hair in diameter, diatoms flourish in enormous numbers in oceans and other water sources. They die, drift to the seafloor, and deposit their shells and oil into the sediments. Estimates suggest that live diatoms could make 10?200 times as much oil per acre of cultivated area compared to oil seeds, Gordon says.
"We propose ways of harvesting oil from diatoms, using biochemical engineering and also a new solar panel approach that utilizes genetically modifiable aspects of diatom biology, offering the prospect of "milking" diatoms for sustainable energy by altering them to actively secrete oil products," the scientists say. "Secretion by and milking of diatoms may provide a way around the puzzle of how to make algae that both grow quickly and have a very high oil content."
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Chemical Society.
Journal Reference:
1. Ramachandra et al. Milking Diatoms for Sustainable Energy: Biochemical Engineering versus Gasoline-Secreting Diatom Solar Panels. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2009; 090609115002039 DOI: 10.1021/ie900044j
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910084259.htm
"There is no doubt that our research proves that crude oil and natural gas are generated without the involvement of fossils. All types of bedrock can serve as reservoirs of oil," says Vladimir Kutcherov. (Credit: Image courtesy of Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council))
ScienceDaily (Sep. 12, 2009) - Researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm have managed to prove that fossils from animals and plants are not necessary for crude oil and natural gas to be generated. The findings are revolutionary since this means, on the one hand, that it will be much easier to find these sources of energy and, on the other hand, that they can be found all over the globe.
"Using our research we can even say where oil could be found in Sweden," says Vladimir Kutcherov, a professor at the Division of Energy Technology at KTH. Together with two research colleagues, Vladimir Kutcherov has simulated the process involving pressure and heat that occurs naturally in the inner layers of the earth, the process that generates hydrocarbon, the primary component in oil and natural gas.
According to Vladimir Kutcherov, the findings are a clear indication that the oil supply is not about to end, which researchers and experts in the field have long feared.
He adds that there is no way that fossil oil, with the help of gravity or other forces, could have seeped down to a depth of 10.5 kilometers in the state of Texas, for example, which is rich in oil deposits. As Vladimir Kutcherov sees it, this is further proof, alongside his own research findings, of the genesis of these energy sources - that they can be created in other ways than via fossils. This has long been a matter of lively discussion among scientists.
"There is no doubt that our research proves that crude oil and natural gas are generated without the involvement of fossils. All types of bedrock can serve as reservoirs of oil," says Vladimir Kutcherov, who adds that this is true of land areas that have not yet been prospected for these energy sources.
But the discovery has more benefits. The degree of accuracy in finding oil is enhanced dramatically - from 20 to 70 percent. Since drilling for oil and natural gas is a very expensive process, the cost picture will be radically altered for petroleum companies, and in the end probably for consumers as well. "The savings will be in the many billions," says Vladimir Kutcherov.
To identify where it is worthwhile to drill for natural gas and oil, Vladimir Kutcherov has used his research to arrive at a new method. It involves dividing the globe into a finely meshed grid. The grid corresponds to fissures, so-called 'migration channels,' through underlying layers under the surface of the earth. Wherever these fissures meet, it is suitable to drill.
According to Vladimir Kutcherov, these research findings are extremely important, not least as 61 percent of the world's energy consumption derives from crude oil and natural gas. The next step in this research work will involve more experiments, but above all refining the method will make it easier to find places where it is suitable to drill for oil and natural gas.
Vladimir Kutcherov, Anton Kolesnikov, and Alexander Goncharov's research work was recently published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council) <http://www.vr.se> , via AlphaGalileo <http://www.alphagalileo.org> .
Journal Reference:
1. Anton Kolesnikov, Vladimir G. Kutcherov, Alexander F. Goncharov. Methane-derived hydrocarbons produced under upper-mantle conditions. Nature Geoscience, 2009; 2 (8): 566 DOI: 10.1038/ngeo591 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo591>
Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council) (2009, September 12). Fossils From Animals And Plants Are Not Necessary For Crude Oil And Natural Gas, Swedish Researchers Find. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 25, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com-/releases/2009/09/090910084259.htm
- - - - -- -
Science News
'Milking' Microscopic Algae Could Yield Massive Amounts Of Oil
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622165830.htm
ScienceDaily (June 23, 2009) - Scientists in Canada and India are proposing a surprising new solution to the global energy crisis -"milking" oil from the tiny, single-cell algae known as diatoms, renowned for their intricate, beautifully sculpted shells that resemble fine lacework.
Richard Gordon, T. V. Ramachandra, Durga Madhab Mahapatra, and Karthick Band note that some geologists believe that much of the world's crude oil originated in diatoms, which produce an oily substance in their bodies. Barely one-third of a strand of hair in diameter, diatoms flourish in enormous numbers in oceans and other water sources. They die, drift to the seafloor, and deposit their shells and oil into the sediments. Estimates suggest that live diatoms could make 10?200 times as much oil per acre of cultivated area compared to oil seeds, Gordon says.
"We propose ways of harvesting oil from diatoms, using biochemical engineering and also a new solar panel approach that utilizes genetically modifiable aspects of diatom biology, offering the prospect of "milking" diatoms for sustainable energy by altering them to actively secrete oil products," the scientists say. "Secretion by and milking of diatoms may provide a way around the puzzle of how to make algae that both grow quickly and have a very high oil content."
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Chemical Society.
Journal Reference:
1. Ramachandra et al. Milking Diatoms for Sustainable Energy: Biochemical Engineering versus Gasoline-Secreting Diatom Solar Panels. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2009; 090609115002039 DOI: 10.1021/ie900044j
The Fukashima Meltdown
13/05/11 09:19 Filed in: From the inbox...
Hanging by your Fingernails - The Fukushima Meltdown
By Michio Kaku <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michio_Kaku> -- April 4, 2011
From: http://bigthink.com/ideas/37705 <http://bigthink.com/ideas/37705>
The situation at Fukushima is relatively stable now, in the same way that you are stable if you hang by your fingernails off a cliff, and your fingernails begin to break one by one....
As we mentioned, the accident so far in Fukushima is progressing in three acts. The first act was the earthquake and tsunami, which immediately wiped out all emergency cooling systems simultaneously at all three reactors and all hell has broken loose.
Act II was the enormous damage done to the cores of these three reactors. With the loss of cooling water, temperatures began to rise rapidly, causing the hydrogen gas explosions and fuel melting. We know that about 70% of Unit 1's core was damaged, and that 33% of Unit 2's core was also damaged. All computer simulations done by various laboratories all show the same thing, that we came perilously close to a full scale metldown at all three reactors, including a spent fuel pond accident in Unit 4.
Against the wishes the utility, the Japanese government ordered flushing the entire reactors with seawater, which temporarily halted the accident from progressing to a full blown tragedy. This stabilized the accident, at present, from going into free fall (but reduced the three reactors to pieces of junk.) Meanwhile, radiation keeps flowing out of the reactors and into food, agricultural products, the oceans, the soil, etc. Now we are entering Act III. With the cores covered with seawater and fresh water, the workers are desperately trying to hit rock bottom, so they can begin recovery operations.
Unfortunately, they have not yet bottom. Its like death from a thousand cuts. Leaks of radiation are being found everywhere. The crucial thing is that the workers do not know precisely where this radiation is coming from. The primary suspect is that there is a direct contact between melted uranium (called "corium") and the cooling water, probably caused by a pipe break or, more ominously, a pressure vessel that has completely melted through.
So the utility is like the little Dutch boy, trying desperately to plug up one leak, only to find another. But until they find the primary source of this leak, there will be damaging reports of radiation being found in more and more places. Time is not on their side. The longer they take to hit rock bottom, the more the danger of evacuations of workers and damage to the economy of the area. Also, secondary earthquakes and pipe breaks can cause the accident to start up all over again with the loss of precious cooling water. It's also a Catch 22 situation. They need to flood the cores with water, but this water becomes contaminated and flows out to the environment. So they are damned if they do, and damned if they don't.
One solution is to put a special TV camera into the contaminated water to actually photograph the bottom of the reactor vessel, which is underwater, to see precislely the nature of this leak, whether its just a simple crack or a full blown melt-through of the reactor pressure vessel. If its just a crack, then it might be possible to drain the water and then weld the crack shut. But if it is a melt through, then it is much harder to seal up the hole. Either way, robots or suicide squads of workers will be necessary to seal up the leak. In best case scenario, the situation continues on for months and years. At TMI, it took years before a camera was finally able go underwater to photograph the state of the core. There, the reactor vessel was not damaged. But at Fukushima, it is likely that the pressure vessel is cracked or partially melted through, which makes clean up much more difficult. Workers have a long, long way to go. For example, although electricity was been brought onto the site, a great disappointment is that the pumps cannot be turned on, because they are broken, or there is too much hydrogen gas, or it is too radioactive to make repairs. Until the pumps are turned on, workers have to use the Stone Age method of using fire men to shoot hose water into the reactor. (This is a problem if radiation levels continue to rise due to the failue to find the leak in the reactor.)
I get a headache just thinking of all the measures that have to be taken just to reach rock bottom and then begin clean up operators. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. Let's hope there are no more secondary earthquakes, or pipe breaks, or full scale evacuations of workers, which could start up the nightmare all over again.
Lets hope no more fingernails crack.
---
Why is Japan dumping radioactive water into the ocean? (April 4, 2011)
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0404/Why-is-Japan-dumping-radioactive-water-into-the-ocean <http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0404/Why-is-Japan-dumping-radioactive-water-into-the-ocean>
(...) The problem now is that TEPCO does not have enough storage tank capacity at the site in which to store contaminated water. That is why the Japanese government Monday authorized Fukushima workers to release 10,000 tons of wastewater containing low-level radioactivity directly into the sea.Dumping this water should free up space for TEPCO to pump highly contaminated water out of reactor No. 2's basement and tunnels, potentially putting an end to the leakage problem. "The fact that they're encountering ... these large sources of contaminated water - and still are unable to say exactly where it's coming from - is troubling," said Edward Lyman, a senior scientist in the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, in a briefing for reporters late last week.Treating radioactive water - if contained - is easy enough, noted Dr. Lyman. Reprocessing plants could boil off pure water, concentrating the radioactivity into a denser waste solution. Filters can also remove some contaminants.
(...) The Japanese government said it is becoming increasingly concerned about the amount of radioactivity that has already leached into surrounding waters.Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the disposal of the low-level waste is an emergency measure and that it will increase monitoring of water and sea life in the surrounding area to ensure levels of radioactive iodine do not spike too high."Even if they say the contamination will be diluted in the ocean, the longer this continues, the more radioactive particles will be released and the greater the impact on the ocean," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano at a press conference. "We are strongly urging TEPCO that they have to take immediate action to deal with this."
Fukushima Daiichi Radioactive Seawater Model, Spent Fuel Rods DID Explode Into Atmosphere (April 6th, 2011)
http://theintelhub.com/2011/04/06/fukushima-daiichi-radioactive-seawater-model-spent-fuel-rods-did-explode-into-atmosphere/ <http://theintelhub.com/2011/04/06/fukushima-daiichi-radioactive-seawater-model-spent-fuel-rods-did-explode-into-atmosphere/>
ASR Limited, a marine consulting and research firm has released a radioactive seawater model <http://theintelhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Plume_April4.png> that seems to confirm that radiation will spread throughout the pacific ocean. Remember, US and Japanese officials have gone on the record with their belief that radiation in the Pacific will not hurt sea life. "On Monday, TEPCO began discharging 11,500 tons of contaminated water into the surrounding water - a serious development in the ongoing containment issues and release of radioactive material at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant," wrote ASR Limited in an article released Tuesday.Meanwhile, a confidential document released by The New York Times has confirmed multiple aspects of this disaster that we reported from the beginning. "Perhaps the worse news is confirmation that radioactive fragments and particles, including the deadly Plutonium "MOX" fuel, has been shot high into the atmosphere during the hydrogen explosions," wrote Alexander Higgins, a blogger and frequent Intel Hub Contributor. A quick rundown of the problems that are now admitted confirms what some in the alternative media have reported from the beginning. CLIP
A slow, agonizing death...
http://acehoffman.blogspot.com/2011/04/slow-agonizing-death.html <http://acehoffman.blogspot.com/2011/04/slow-agonizing-death.html>
Ace Hoffman's Nuclear News Blog for April 5th, 2011
(...) There are radioactive "hot spots" all over the reactor site. And why are they dumping 350,000 barrels of radioactive water into the oceans when an empty tanker could have been brought nearby during the past few weeks, and the water could have been put there and held for decades or filtered of large particles and left long enough to let the fast-decaying products emit their deadly particles and rays, before releasing to the oceans? An old tanker wouldn't cost all that much! Of course, then they'd need another... and another... and another...
(...) We need to all pull together on this. Improving safety won't be good enough. Oh sure, it's a good idea. But it won't suffice. Shut-down might not even suffice, but it's much, much more likely to keep us all safe. The odds are currently approximately 100% that this will happen again and again. The arrogance of the pro-nuclear side right now, less than a month into this tragedy, proves it. It doesn't require an earthquake plus a tsunami plus poor design plus the arrogant indifference of key people on the ends of the phone lines. All those are just the triggers THIS time. Davis Besse almost melted down in 2002 without any of THOSE triggers, it was just an overlooked leak that went on for a surprisingly short amount of time, which almost cost America half of Ohio. (Maybe more. There is an incredible amount of spent fuel stored there, as at every reactor.) What it really takes for a meltdown is just public indifference. If the plant near you isn't shut down, then it will melt down sooner or later. Might it make it to the end of its license? NO! Because its license WILL BE EXTENDED. There is a 100% track record on license extensions so far. These plants won't be shut down by their operators. They won't be shut down by the regulators.If there is one "lesson to be learned" that we can all take away already, it's that the nuclear power plant operators will stop at NOTHING short of meltdown. Consider that dozens of exactly-similar nuclear reactors to the ones in Fukushima, in at least as dangerous and as populated areas, are still operating 24/7 all around the world, it's obvious that the next reactor to be shut down permanently will probably do so of its own accord, on its own schedule, whenever it pleases. Damned reactors.
GREENPEACE Measures EXTREME RADIATION 40 Km From Fukushima - Why No Evacuation?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3eBMiJKit0 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3eBMiJKit0>
Maximum Annual Dose In Few Days!Regardless of what anyone thinks about GreenPeace and their stance on fraudulent man made warning, this video clearly shows that levels at least 40km from the plant are EXTREMELY high!People NEED to be evacuated from the area. The Japanese government is involved in a CRIMINAL cover up that possibly extends to the IAEA and various other governments who are openly lying about the situation. Check also...
Greenpeace radiation team pinpoints need to extend Fukushima evacuation zone <http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Greenpeace-radiation-team-pinpoints-need-to-extend-Fukushima-evacuation-zone-especially-to-protect-pregnant-women-and-children-/>
Need to protect pregnant women and children - Press release - March 27, 2011
Greenpeace radiation experts have confirmed radiation levels of up to ten micro Sieverts per hour (1) in Iitate village, 40km northwest of the crisis-stricken Fukushima/Daiichi nuclear plant, and 20km (2) beyond the official evacuation zone. These levels are high enough to require evacuation. "The Japanese authorities are fully aware (3) that high levels of radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have spread far beyond the official evacuation zone to places like Iitate, yet are still not taking action to properly protect people or keep them informed them about the risks to their health", said Greenpeace radiation safety expert Jan van de Putte. "It is clearly not safe for people to remain in Iitate, especially children and pregnant women, when it could mean receiving the maximum allowed annual dose of radiation in only a few days. When further contamination from possible ingestion or inhalation of radioactive particles is factored in, the risks are even higher." "The authorities must stop choosing politics over science and determine evacuation zones around the Fukushima nuclear plant that reflect the radiation levels being found in the environment. In addition to coming clean on the true dangers of the current nuclear crisis, the smartest move for Japan and governments around the world is heavily invest in energy efficiency, and redouble their efforts to harness safe and secure renewable energy sources."
Japan Nuclear Radiation 4 Times Chernobyl Levels OUTSIDE Evacuation Zone (9 April 2011)
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/548/643/Japan_Nuclear_Radiation_4_Times_Chernobyl_Levels_OUTSIDE_Evacuation_Zone.html <http://beforeitsnews.com/story/548/643/Japan_Nuclear_Radiation_4_Times_Chernobyl_Levels_OUTSIDE_Evacuation_Zone.html>
Independent scientists find radiation levels beyond Japan evacuation zone are 4 times higher than Chernobyl levels beyond the 30km evacuation zone and higher than official government reported numbers. The Japanese New Service Asashi reports that radiation levels measured by a collaboration of independent scientists from Kyoto University and Hiroshima university refute the official radiation levels released by the Government of Japan. Radiation levels 400 times normal are expected to remain in communities beyond the 30km evacuation zone. The scientists pointed out the official Government radiation levels included only two types of radioactive isotopes. Scientists from the university say they have detected 6 radioactive isotopes and have provided new estimates with showing higher levels of radiation being released based on the inclusion of the additional isotopes detected. CLIP
By Michio Kaku <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michio_Kaku> -- April 4, 2011
From: http://bigthink.com/ideas/37705 <http://bigthink.com/ideas/37705>
The situation at Fukushima is relatively stable now, in the same way that you are stable if you hang by your fingernails off a cliff, and your fingernails begin to break one by one....
As we mentioned, the accident so far in Fukushima is progressing in three acts. The first act was the earthquake and tsunami, which immediately wiped out all emergency cooling systems simultaneously at all three reactors and all hell has broken loose.
Act II was the enormous damage done to the cores of these three reactors. With the loss of cooling water, temperatures began to rise rapidly, causing the hydrogen gas explosions and fuel melting. We know that about 70% of Unit 1's core was damaged, and that 33% of Unit 2's core was also damaged. All computer simulations done by various laboratories all show the same thing, that we came perilously close to a full scale metldown at all three reactors, including a spent fuel pond accident in Unit 4.
Against the wishes the utility, the Japanese government ordered flushing the entire reactors with seawater, which temporarily halted the accident from progressing to a full blown tragedy. This stabilized the accident, at present, from going into free fall (but reduced the three reactors to pieces of junk.) Meanwhile, radiation keeps flowing out of the reactors and into food, agricultural products, the oceans, the soil, etc. Now we are entering Act III. With the cores covered with seawater and fresh water, the workers are desperately trying to hit rock bottom, so they can begin recovery operations.
Unfortunately, they have not yet bottom. Its like death from a thousand cuts. Leaks of radiation are being found everywhere. The crucial thing is that the workers do not know precisely where this radiation is coming from. The primary suspect is that there is a direct contact between melted uranium (called "corium") and the cooling water, probably caused by a pipe break or, more ominously, a pressure vessel that has completely melted through.
So the utility is like the little Dutch boy, trying desperately to plug up one leak, only to find another. But until they find the primary source of this leak, there will be damaging reports of radiation being found in more and more places. Time is not on their side. The longer they take to hit rock bottom, the more the danger of evacuations of workers and damage to the economy of the area. Also, secondary earthquakes and pipe breaks can cause the accident to start up all over again with the loss of precious cooling water. It's also a Catch 22 situation. They need to flood the cores with water, but this water becomes contaminated and flows out to the environment. So they are damned if they do, and damned if they don't.
One solution is to put a special TV camera into the contaminated water to actually photograph the bottom of the reactor vessel, which is underwater, to see precislely the nature of this leak, whether its just a simple crack or a full blown melt-through of the reactor pressure vessel. If its just a crack, then it might be possible to drain the water and then weld the crack shut. But if it is a melt through, then it is much harder to seal up the hole. Either way, robots or suicide squads of workers will be necessary to seal up the leak. In best case scenario, the situation continues on for months and years. At TMI, it took years before a camera was finally able go underwater to photograph the state of the core. There, the reactor vessel was not damaged. But at Fukushima, it is likely that the pressure vessel is cracked or partially melted through, which makes clean up much more difficult. Workers have a long, long way to go. For example, although electricity was been brought onto the site, a great disappointment is that the pumps cannot be turned on, because they are broken, or there is too much hydrogen gas, or it is too radioactive to make repairs. Until the pumps are turned on, workers have to use the Stone Age method of using fire men to shoot hose water into the reactor. (This is a problem if radiation levels continue to rise due to the failue to find the leak in the reactor.)
I get a headache just thinking of all the measures that have to be taken just to reach rock bottom and then begin clean up operators. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. Let's hope there are no more secondary earthquakes, or pipe breaks, or full scale evacuations of workers, which could start up the nightmare all over again.
Lets hope no more fingernails crack.
---
Why is Japan dumping radioactive water into the ocean? (April 4, 2011)
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0404/Why-is-Japan-dumping-radioactive-water-into-the-ocean <http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0404/Why-is-Japan-dumping-radioactive-water-into-the-ocean>
(...) The problem now is that TEPCO does not have enough storage tank capacity at the site in which to store contaminated water. That is why the Japanese government Monday authorized Fukushima workers to release 10,000 tons of wastewater containing low-level radioactivity directly into the sea.Dumping this water should free up space for TEPCO to pump highly contaminated water out of reactor No. 2's basement and tunnels, potentially putting an end to the leakage problem. "The fact that they're encountering ... these large sources of contaminated water - and still are unable to say exactly where it's coming from - is troubling," said Edward Lyman, a senior scientist in the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, in a briefing for reporters late last week.Treating radioactive water - if contained - is easy enough, noted Dr. Lyman. Reprocessing plants could boil off pure water, concentrating the radioactivity into a denser waste solution. Filters can also remove some contaminants.
(...) The Japanese government said it is becoming increasingly concerned about the amount of radioactivity that has already leached into surrounding waters.Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the disposal of the low-level waste is an emergency measure and that it will increase monitoring of water and sea life in the surrounding area to ensure levels of radioactive iodine do not spike too high."Even if they say the contamination will be diluted in the ocean, the longer this continues, the more radioactive particles will be released and the greater the impact on the ocean," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano at a press conference. "We are strongly urging TEPCO that they have to take immediate action to deal with this."
Fukushima Daiichi Radioactive Seawater Model, Spent Fuel Rods DID Explode Into Atmosphere (April 6th, 2011)
http://theintelhub.com/2011/04/06/fukushima-daiichi-radioactive-seawater-model-spent-fuel-rods-did-explode-into-atmosphere/ <http://theintelhub.com/2011/04/06/fukushima-daiichi-radioactive-seawater-model-spent-fuel-rods-did-explode-into-atmosphere/>
ASR Limited, a marine consulting and research firm has released a radioactive seawater model <http://theintelhub.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Plume_April4.png> that seems to confirm that radiation will spread throughout the pacific ocean. Remember, US and Japanese officials have gone on the record with their belief that radiation in the Pacific will not hurt sea life. "On Monday, TEPCO began discharging 11,500 tons of contaminated water into the surrounding water - a serious development in the ongoing containment issues and release of radioactive material at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant," wrote ASR Limited in an article released Tuesday.Meanwhile, a confidential document released by The New York Times has confirmed multiple aspects of this disaster that we reported from the beginning. "Perhaps the worse news is confirmation that radioactive fragments and particles, including the deadly Plutonium "MOX" fuel, has been shot high into the atmosphere during the hydrogen explosions," wrote Alexander Higgins, a blogger and frequent Intel Hub Contributor. A quick rundown of the problems that are now admitted confirms what some in the alternative media have reported from the beginning. CLIP
A slow, agonizing death...
http://acehoffman.blogspot.com/2011/04/slow-agonizing-death.html <http://acehoffman.blogspot.com/2011/04/slow-agonizing-death.html>
Ace Hoffman's Nuclear News Blog for April 5th, 2011
(...) There are radioactive "hot spots" all over the reactor site. And why are they dumping 350,000 barrels of radioactive water into the oceans when an empty tanker could have been brought nearby during the past few weeks, and the water could have been put there and held for decades or filtered of large particles and left long enough to let the fast-decaying products emit their deadly particles and rays, before releasing to the oceans? An old tanker wouldn't cost all that much! Of course, then they'd need another... and another... and another...
(...) We need to all pull together on this. Improving safety won't be good enough. Oh sure, it's a good idea. But it won't suffice. Shut-down might not even suffice, but it's much, much more likely to keep us all safe. The odds are currently approximately 100% that this will happen again and again. The arrogance of the pro-nuclear side right now, less than a month into this tragedy, proves it. It doesn't require an earthquake plus a tsunami plus poor design plus the arrogant indifference of key people on the ends of the phone lines. All those are just the triggers THIS time. Davis Besse almost melted down in 2002 without any of THOSE triggers, it was just an overlooked leak that went on for a surprisingly short amount of time, which almost cost America half of Ohio. (Maybe more. There is an incredible amount of spent fuel stored there, as at every reactor.) What it really takes for a meltdown is just public indifference. If the plant near you isn't shut down, then it will melt down sooner or later. Might it make it to the end of its license? NO! Because its license WILL BE EXTENDED. There is a 100% track record on license extensions so far. These plants won't be shut down by their operators. They won't be shut down by the regulators.If there is one "lesson to be learned" that we can all take away already, it's that the nuclear power plant operators will stop at NOTHING short of meltdown. Consider that dozens of exactly-similar nuclear reactors to the ones in Fukushima, in at least as dangerous and as populated areas, are still operating 24/7 all around the world, it's obvious that the next reactor to be shut down permanently will probably do so of its own accord, on its own schedule, whenever it pleases. Damned reactors.
GREENPEACE Measures EXTREME RADIATION 40 Km From Fukushima - Why No Evacuation?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3eBMiJKit0 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3eBMiJKit0>
Maximum Annual Dose In Few Days!Regardless of what anyone thinks about GreenPeace and their stance on fraudulent man made warning, this video clearly shows that levels at least 40km from the plant are EXTREMELY high!People NEED to be evacuated from the area. The Japanese government is involved in a CRIMINAL cover up that possibly extends to the IAEA and various other governments who are openly lying about the situation. Check also...
Greenpeace radiation team pinpoints need to extend Fukushima evacuation zone <http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/Greenpeace-radiation-team-pinpoints-need-to-extend-Fukushima-evacuation-zone-especially-to-protect-pregnant-women-and-children-/>
Need to protect pregnant women and children - Press release - March 27, 2011
Greenpeace radiation experts have confirmed radiation levels of up to ten micro Sieverts per hour (1) in Iitate village, 40km northwest of the crisis-stricken Fukushima/Daiichi nuclear plant, and 20km (2) beyond the official evacuation zone. These levels are high enough to require evacuation. "The Japanese authorities are fully aware (3) that high levels of radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have spread far beyond the official evacuation zone to places like Iitate, yet are still not taking action to properly protect people or keep them informed them about the risks to their health", said Greenpeace radiation safety expert Jan van de Putte. "It is clearly not safe for people to remain in Iitate, especially children and pregnant women, when it could mean receiving the maximum allowed annual dose of radiation in only a few days. When further contamination from possible ingestion or inhalation of radioactive particles is factored in, the risks are even higher." "The authorities must stop choosing politics over science and determine evacuation zones around the Fukushima nuclear plant that reflect the radiation levels being found in the environment. In addition to coming clean on the true dangers of the current nuclear crisis, the smartest move for Japan and governments around the world is heavily invest in energy efficiency, and redouble their efforts to harness safe and secure renewable energy sources."
Japan Nuclear Radiation 4 Times Chernobyl Levels OUTSIDE Evacuation Zone (9 April 2011)
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/548/643/Japan_Nuclear_Radiation_4_Times_Chernobyl_Levels_OUTSIDE_Evacuation_Zone.html <http://beforeitsnews.com/story/548/643/Japan_Nuclear_Radiation_4_Times_Chernobyl_Levels_OUTSIDE_Evacuation_Zone.html>
Independent scientists find radiation levels beyond Japan evacuation zone are 4 times higher than Chernobyl levels beyond the 30km evacuation zone and higher than official government reported numbers. The Japanese New Service Asashi reports that radiation levels measured by a collaboration of independent scientists from Kyoto University and Hiroshima university refute the official radiation levels released by the Government of Japan. Radiation levels 400 times normal are expected to remain in communities beyond the 30km evacuation zone. The scientists pointed out the official Government radiation levels included only two types of radioactive isotopes. Scientists from the university say they have detected 6 radioactive isotopes and have provided new estimates with showing higher levels of radiation being released based on the inclusion of the additional isotopes detected. CLIP
Bee deaths may signal wider Pollination Threat: UN.
14/03/11 11:50 Filed in: From the inbox...
11 March 2011
Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20110310/tsc-environment-us-bees-011ccfa.html
Mass deaths of bee colonies in many parts of the world may be part of a wider, hidden threat to wild insect pollinators vital to human food supplies, a U.N. study indicated on Thursday.
Declines in flowering plants, a spread of parasites, use of pesticides or air pollution were among more than a dozen factors behind recent collapses of bee colonies mainly in North America and Europe, the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) said.
That cocktail of problems -- rather than a single cause killing bees in hives that might be easier to fix -- may also threaten wild bees and other insects vital to pollinate crops such as soybeans, potatoes or apple trees.
"It's the tip of the iceberg we're seeing with the honey bees," Peter Neumann, a lead author of the study of "global honey bee colony disorders and other threats to insect pollinators," told Reuters.
"There is not an immediate pollination disaster but the writing is on the wall," said Neumann, of the Swiss Bee Research Center. "We have to do something to ensure pollination for future generations."
The study said there were also reports of bee colony collapses in China, Egypt and Latin America.
"There are some indicators that it is becoming a global issue," he said in a telephone interview.
BIRDS AND THE BEES
Bees and other pollinators such as butterflies, beetles or birds are estimated to do work worth 153 billion Euros ($212.3 billion) a year to the human economy -- about 9.5 percent of the total value of human food production, it said.
Recent estimates of the contribution by managed species, mainly honey bees, range up to 57 billion Euros. In the United States, over two million bee colonies are trucked around the nation to help pollination every year.
"Of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world's food, over 70 are pollinated by bees," Achim Steiner, head of UNEP, said in a statement.
"Human beings have fabricated the illusion that in the 21st century they have the technological prowess to be independent of nature. Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less, dependent on nature's services in a world of close to seven billion people," he said.
The report urged a shift toward ecological farming, less dependent on insecticides and more resilient to threats such as climate change. Food prices have hit record levels and are one factor behind uprisings in Egypt or Tunisia.
UNEP said farmers could be given incentives to set aside land to "restore pollinator-friendly habitats, including key flowering plants" as part of a shift to a "Green Economy."
Neumann also urged more research into insects, noting that charismatic animals such as polar bears won most attention as victims of global warming. "Insects are usually not cute but they are the backbone of ecosystems," he said.
(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
($1=.7208 Euro)
Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20110310/tsc-environment-us-bees-011ccfa.html
Mass deaths of bee colonies in many parts of the world may be part of a wider, hidden threat to wild insect pollinators vital to human food supplies, a U.N. study indicated on Thursday.
Declines in flowering plants, a spread of parasites, use of pesticides or air pollution were among more than a dozen factors behind recent collapses of bee colonies mainly in North America and Europe, the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) said.
That cocktail of problems -- rather than a single cause killing bees in hives that might be easier to fix -- may also threaten wild bees and other insects vital to pollinate crops such as soybeans, potatoes or apple trees.
"It's the tip of the iceberg we're seeing with the honey bees," Peter Neumann, a lead author of the study of "global honey bee colony disorders and other threats to insect pollinators," told Reuters.
"There is not an immediate pollination disaster but the writing is on the wall," said Neumann, of the Swiss Bee Research Center. "We have to do something to ensure pollination for future generations."
The study said there were also reports of bee colony collapses in China, Egypt and Latin America.
"There are some indicators that it is becoming a global issue," he said in a telephone interview.
BIRDS AND THE BEES
Bees and other pollinators such as butterflies, beetles or birds are estimated to do work worth 153 billion Euros ($212.3 billion) a year to the human economy -- about 9.5 percent of the total value of human food production, it said.
Recent estimates of the contribution by managed species, mainly honey bees, range up to 57 billion Euros. In the United States, over two million bee colonies are trucked around the nation to help pollination every year.
"Of the 100 crop species that provide 90 per cent of the world's food, over 70 are pollinated by bees," Achim Steiner, head of UNEP, said in a statement.
"Human beings have fabricated the illusion that in the 21st century they have the technological prowess to be independent of nature. Bees underline the reality that we are more, not less, dependent on nature's services in a world of close to seven billion people," he said.
The report urged a shift toward ecological farming, less dependent on insecticides and more resilient to threats such as climate change. Food prices have hit record levels and are one factor behind uprisings in Egypt or Tunisia.
UNEP said farmers could be given incentives to set aside land to "restore pollinator-friendly habitats, including key flowering plants" as part of a shift to a "Green Economy."
Neumann also urged more research into insects, noting that charismatic animals such as polar bears won most attention as victims of global warming. "Insects are usually not cute but they are the backbone of ecosystems," he said.
(Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
($1=.7208 Euro)