Vigil for #FukushimaDaiichi nuclear power plant disaster
11 Mar 2024, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm , London
https://cnduk.org/events/vigil-for-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-plant-disaster/
#NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart #FukushimaIsntOver #FukushimaAnniversary
#fukushimaanniversary — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #fukushimaanniversary, aggregated by home.social.
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Ignoring science, #environmental protection and international law – #G7 endorses Japan’s #Fukushima water discharge plans
Legacy of #FukushimaDisaster shows #NuclearEnergy is no solution to energy and #ClimateCrisis
#GreenpeaceInternational, April 16, 2023
Sapporo, Japan – "The nations of the G7 have chosen politics over science and the protection of the #MarineEnvironment with their decision today to support the Japanese government’s plans to discharge Fukushima #RadioactiveWaste water into the Pacific Ocean.
"The 1.3 million cubic meters/tons of radioactive waste water at the #FukushimaDaiichi plant, currently in tanks, is scheduled to be discharged into the Pacific Ocean this year. Nations in the Asia Pacific region, led by the Pacific Island Forum, have strongly voiced their opposition to the plans. Some of the world’s leading oceanographic institutes and marine scientists have criticised the weakness of the scientific justification applied by #TEPCO, the owner of the #NuclearPlant, warned against using the #PacificOcean as a #DumpingGround for radioactive contaminated water, and called for alternatives to discharge to be applied.
“'The Japanese government is desperate for international endorsement for its Pacific Ocean radioactive water dump plans. It has failed to protect its own citizens, including the vulnerable fishing communities of Fukushima, as well as nations across the wider #AsiaPacific region. The aftermath of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima is still strongly felt, and the Japanese government has failed to fully investigate the effects of discharging multiple #radionuclides on #MarineLife. The government is obligated under international law to conduct a comprehensive environmental impact assessment, including the impact of transboundary marine pollution, but has failed to do so. Its plans are a violation of the UN Convention Law of the Sea.
"'The marine environment is under extreme pressure from #ClimateChange, #overfishing and #ResourceExtraction. Yet, the G7 thinks it’s acceptable to endorse plans to deliberately dump nuclear waste into the ocean. Politics inside the G7 at Sapporo just trumped science, environmental protection, and international law,' said Shaun Burnie, Senior Nuclear Specialist at Greenpeace East Asia.
"'#GreenpeaceEastAsia analysis has detailed the failures of liquid waste processing [ALPS] technology at the Fukushima Daiichi plant and the environmental threats posed by the releases. There is no prospect of an end to the nuclear crisis at the plant as current decommissioning plans are not feasible. Furthermore, the report finds the nuclear fuel debris in the reactors cannot be completely removed and will continue to contaminate the ground water over many decades. Claims that the discharges will take 30 years is inaccurate as in reality, it will continue into the next century. Viable alternatives to discharge, specifically long term storage and processing, have been ignored by the Japanese government.
"'The Japanese government’s attempt to normalise the Fukushima nuclear disaster is directly linked to its overall energy policy objective of increasing the operation of nuclear reactors again after the 2011 disaster. 54 reactors were available in 2011 compared to only ten reactors in 2022, generating 7.9% of the nation’s electricity in FY21 compared to 29% in 2010. Meanwhile, five of the other six G7 governments led by France, the US and the UK are also aggressively promoting nuclear power development.
"'The idea that the nuclear industry is capable of delivering a safe and sustainable energy future is delusional and a dangerous distraction from the only viable energy solution to the climate emergency which is 100% #RenewableEnergy. The global growth of low cost renewable energy has been phenomenal – but it has to be much faster and at an even greater scale if carbon emissions are to be reduced by 2030. Approval for nuclear waste dumping and nuclear energy expansion sound like the 1970’s but we have no time for such distractions. We are in a race to save the climate in the 21st century, and only renewables can deliver this,' said Shaun Burnie.
#FukushimaAnniversary #FukushimaIsntOver #RethinkNotRestart
#NoNukes #Japan #TEPCOLies #WaterIsLife #Bioaccumulation -
Conditions inside Fukushima's melted nuclear reactors still unclear 13 years after disaster struck
Japan is marking 13 years since a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country’s northern coasts, killing nearly 20,000 people, wiping out whole towns and destroying the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press
March 11, 2024"The lack of data, technology and plans on what to do with the radioactive melted fuel and other nuclear waste makes it difficult to understand what's in store for the plant and surrounding areas when the cleanup ends, according to TEPCO’s decommissioning company chief, Akira Ono.
"An overly ambitious schedule could result in unnecessary radiation exposure for plant workers and excess environmental damage, experts say."
#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary #RethinkNotRestart
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TEPCO HOPES TO DUMP MORE "TREATED" WATER!
#Fukushima #nuclear cleanup remains plagued by complexities
Story by Julian Ryall, March 11, 2024
"#Japan on Monday marked the anniversary of the #March2011 earthquake and tsunami that destroyed three of the six reactors at the #FukushimaDaiichi nuclear power plant.
"Shortly after the magnitude-9 earthquake struck on March 11, a series of tsunami inundated four of the reactor buildings and set off a chain reaction in three reactors that resulted in the release of significant amounts of radioactivity into the environment.
Tens of thousands of local people were quickly evacuated and, over the following years, the reactors were stabilized.
"The challenge in recent years has been to gather the large amounts of nuclear fuel that escaped from the reactors in order to halt the release of more #radiation — something that had never been attempted before and has to be carried out in buildings where radioactive #contamination remains dangerously elevated and where debris from the tsunami and subsequent hydrogen explosions still litters the area.
"Tokyo Electric Power Co (#TEPCO), the operator of the plant, has estimated that work to make the plant safe will take between 30 and 40 years, but recent reports on progress at the site have been largely negative.
"In January, TEPCO announced that it would have to delay plans to commence in March the test use of a robotic arm to remove radioactive material from the No. 2 reactor. The initial plan called for tests using the robotic limb to take place in 2021 but were delayed by technical glitches.
"TEPCO is now aiming to have the remote-controlled arm operational in October, although that will be three years behind the original schedule.
"Other areas of the project have also experienced challenges, with the first drones and a robot sent into the No. 1 reactor building earlier this month also suffering faults that meant they had to be withdrawn before they could complete their mission to locate molten fuel debris that has leaked from the reactor and map other damage.
"TEPCO, however, maintains that steady progress is being made and that the 30- to 40-year target for decommissioning remains viable.
[...]
"In addition, each of the three crippled reactors has its own set of specific challenges and there is no disposal site for the highly radioactive nuclear waste that must be recovered from the site, he pointed out.
The key steps now are to remove all the spent nuclear fuel, whether intact or leaked, from inside reactor buildings one and two, and the retrieval and disposal of fuel debris from the partial core meltdowns.
"Gorgues said he favors speeding up the release of treated water from the plant in order to dismantle the hundreds of storage tanks that presently occupy much of the site, with that land needed for new waste treatment and storage facilities.
"The expert also played down suggestions that TEPCO is likely to miss its declared timeline for the decommissioning process, emphasizing that the three- or four-decade schedule is 'a target' rather than a deadline."'
https://www.dw.com/en/fukushima-nuclear-cleanup-remains-plagued-by-complexities/a-68492230
#RethinkNotRestart #FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary
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13 years after meltdown, the head of Japan's nuclear cleanup is probing mysteries inside reactors
By Mari Yamaguchi | AP
March 7, 2024TOKYO - “As Japan prepares to mark the 13th anniversary of its worst-ever nuclear disaster, the man in charge of cleaning it up says his team is fighting to bring a sample out of the heart of the site’s radioactive debris.
“A decades-long project to clean up the remains of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is preparing to remove damaged fuel debris from the plant’s reactors, but much about what’s inside them is still a mystery.
“The key to unlocking that mystery — and figuring out how to clean it up — is a sample of melted fuel from inside a reactor, said Akira Ono, head of decommissioning for Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, in an interview with The Associated Press.
“Getting that sample would be like penetrating 'the main keep of the castle' in the battle of decommissioning, Ono said. 'We have achieved a number of things, but we still have a lot of thinking to do to tackle the unprecedented task of removing melted fuel.'
“A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, damaged the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s cooling systems, causing three of its reactors to meltdown, releasing radiation and driving thousands of residents from their homes. Some areas near the plant are still unlivable.
“About 880 tons of highly radioactive melted nuclear fuel remains inside the three damaged reactors, but no one knows what condition the melted fuel is in or exactly where in the reactors it fell. That data is crucial to make a plan to remove it safely, said Ono.
“Since a 2019 robot probe first looked inside the No. 2 reactor — the least damaged — TEPCO has been trying to extract a small amount of melted debris from it using a robotic arm. That effort has been delayed for more than two years as the team works out how to get the robot past the wreckage. The team’s next attempt will come in October, using a previously tested device that resembles a fishing rod to get a preliminary sample out, while waiting technical improvements to the robotic arm, Ono said.
“Last month, the plant made its first drone flight into the worst-hit reactor, No. 1 reactor, to investigate the melted debris, but had to cancel a second day of exploration after a secondary robot that helped with data transmission failed.
“’We are new to these things and sometimes encounter unanticipated mishaps on the ground. But they are all valuable lessons learned for our next steps,’ Ono said.
“Critics say the 30- to 40-year cleanup target set by the government and TEPCO is overly optimistic.
“The lack of data, technology and plans on what to do with the fatally radioactive melted fuel and other nuclear waste at the end makes it difficult to have a clear view of how the plant complex and its surroundings may end up when the cleanup ends.
“Ono has said the utility’s role is to do its best to tackle the challenges one at a time and safely.
“Last August, the plant began discharging treated water into the sea, which Ono said was a major step forward. If the next attempt to recover a sample from the No. 2 reactor succeeds, it will be 'a huge step' and 'a major change of stage,' he said.
“#FukushimaDaiichi is currently releasing a fourth 7,800-ton batch of water. So far, daily seawater sampling results have met safety standards [using faulty dosimeters?], but the controversial plan has faced protests from local fishers and neighboring countries, especially China, which has banned Japanese seafood imports.
"TEPCO finished removing all spent fuel rods from a cooling pool at No. 4 reactor in 2014 and from the No. 3 reactor pool in 2021. It plans to complete removal of the rods from the No. 1 and No. 2 pools by 2031.”
#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary
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CND condemns Fukushima water release plan
August 24, 2023
"#Greenpeace Japan, meanwhile, warned the release 'disregards scientific evidence, violates the #HumanRights…is non-compliant with international #MaritimeLaw…ignores its people’s concerns, including fishermen.' They added that the Japanese government and Tepco’s decommissioning plan for Fukushima was severely flawed and noted that there was still 'sufficient water storage space' at the site."
https://cnduk.org/cnd-condemns-fukushima-water-release-plan/
#Fukushima #FukushimaNuclearDisaster #FukushimaAnniversary #FukushimaIsntOver #TEPCOLies #TEPCO #NoNukes
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Will Japan release Fukushima water into the Pacific?
Officials in Japan have claimed that water exposed to radiation in the Fukushima nuclear disaster is now safe to dump into the Pacific. Environmentalists say the water is too contaminated.
by Julian Ryall , November 20, 2019
"#TEPCO and the government [of #Japan] have long believed that the best way to dispose of the water is to simply release it into the #ocean. They claimed until this year that contaminated water had been cleansed by a so-called advanced liquid processing system to the point that virtually all the radionuclides had been reduced to 'non-detect' levels.
"Leaked TEPCO documents, however, show that varying amounts of 62 radionuclides — including #strontium, #iodine, #cesium and #cobalt — have not been removed from the water.
"The company has also been criticized for refusing to permit independent organizations to test the water that is being stored at the site.
"Nevertheless, environmentalists fear that preparations are under way to release the water into the environment.
"'Even a year ago, when the first report on options for disposing the treated water was presented to the committee, it seemed clear to me even then that the preferred option was to release it into the ocean,' said Azby Brown, the lead researcher for Tokyo-based nuclear monitoring organization #Safecast Japan. Other options included #evaporation and burying the water.
"'My take on this is that they have already reached a decision and that all these discussions now on the options are purely theater.'"
#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #OpTEPCO #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary #NoNewNukes #AtomkraftNeinDanke #AntiAtom
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With a half-life of 29 years, "Everyone is exposed to small amounts of Sr-90, since it is widely dispersed in the environment and the food chain. #Strontium-90 was widely dispersed in the 1950s and 1960s in from the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons.
"Strontium-90 is also found in waste from #nuclear reactors. The accident at the #Chernobyl nuclear power plant introduced a large amount of Sr-90 into the environment. Strontium-90 was also released during the 2011 Japanese nuclear incident at the #Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
"Plants or crops growing in or near contaminated soil may take up small amounts of Sr-90 from the soil. Animals may ingest Sr-90 when eating plants. Strontium-90 can be inhaled, but ingestion in food and water is the greatest health concern. Once in the body, Sr-90 acts like calcium and is readily incorporated into bones and teeth, where it can cause #cancers of the bone, bone marrow, and soft tissues around the bone. Because Sr-90 acts like calcium, milk monitoring will be important after a large release."
#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #NoWar #TEPCOLies #OpTEPCO #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary #FoodChain #Bioaccumulation
https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radionuclide-basics-strontium-90
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#Fukushima's Contaminated Wastewater May Be A Bigger Problem Than Realized
Tom Hale, August 2020
"[A] new study published in the journal Science suggests this plan is currently a riskier move than previously assumed.
"Marine chemists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution argue that #tritium is not the only problem after finding that other isotopes including carbon-14, #cobalt-60, and #strontium-90 still remain in the treated wastewater.
"'The concentrations of these radioactive isotopes are orders of magnitude lower than tritium but highly variable from tank to tank,' the study authors write.
“More than 70 percent of the tanks would need secondary treatment to reduce concentrations below that required by law for their release,' they added."
#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #OpTEPCO #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary
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In addition to all that, exposure to #Cobalt-60 can cause sterility and fungus infections. Lovely...
"Because it decays by gamma radiation, external exposure to Co-60 can increase cancer risk. Most Co-60 that is ingested is excreted in feces; however, a small amount is absorbed by the liver, kidneys and bones. Cobalt-60 absorbed by the liver, kidneys, or bone tissue can cause cancer from internal exposure to gamma radiation."
#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #OpTEPCO #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary
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But hey, don't worry about the Cobalt-60 in "treated" #FukushimaWater! #TEPCO didn't even mention it until pressed...
Sterilizing effects of cobalt-60 and cesium-137 radiation on male sea lampreys
By: L.H. Hanson, 1990
"Male spawning-run sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus were exposed to various doses of cobalt-60 or cesium-137 radiation in an attempt to sterilize them for use in a program for controlling sea lampreys through the release of sterile males. Males captured and irradiated during the early part of the upstream migration were not effectively sterilized at the doses tested. After irradiation, the sea lampreys were more susceptible to fungal infections by Saprolegnia sp., and many died without attempting to spawn. Males captured and irradiated during the middle and late parts of the spawning migration were effectively sterilized at a dose of 2,000 rads. However, some radiation-induced mortality was observed in males captured and irradiated during the middle part of the spawning migration. Radiation is not as effective as the chemosterilant bisazir for sterilizing male sea #lampreys."
#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #OpTEPCO #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversary
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Fukushima was no accident
March 10, 2023"The 12th anniversary of the Fukushima Nuclear disaster is an excellent moment for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to take a long, hard look in the mirror. What it will see is an agency that excels at spinning out talking points about Canada’s 'world class' nuclear industry along with hype about new unproven nuclear technologies. What it won’t see is an agency that rigorously demands answers to difficult questions like just what is happening with long-in-the-tooth pressure tube systems inside decades-old reactors.
"Unfortunately, too many of our political leaders listen to the CNSC’s spin instead of examining the agency’s actions. They are oblivious to the fact that the CNSC has allowed its own requirements for assuring pressure tube integrity to be violated, and that its staff see their job as perpetuating the #nuclear industry in #Canada first and foremost rather than truly demanding the 'world class' safety standards the agency pays lip service to in its communications.
"#Japan has important lessons to teach us about what happens when a regulatory system becomes co-opted into propping up an industry instead of examining its fundamental safety. Far from being the result of 'once in a millennium' event, the conditions for the #Fukushima disaster were sown by lax oversight and a far too cozy relationship between the nuclear industry and its supposed regulators, according to the country’s own legislative assessment. The post-accident examination carried out by the Diet (legislature) of Japan found that there was no separation between nuclear regulation and promotion in the country, with the result that the nuclear industry became 'an unstoppable force, immune to scrutiny by civil society.'"
It also found that: “Despite having a number of opportunities to take measures, regulatory agencies and #TEPCO management deliberately postponed decisions, did not take action, or took decisions that were convenient for themselves.” There are some very worrying parallels between that statement and the refusal of the #CNSC to demand real proof from #Ontario Power Generation and Bruce Power that pressure tube systems are operating within safe limits."
#Fukushima #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #CANDU #NoNewNukes #AtomkraftNeinDanke #AntiAtom #FukushimaAnniversary
Read more:
https://www.cleanairalliance.org/fukushima-was-no-accident/ -
Their unheard voices: The fishermen of #Fukushima
Mitsuhisa Kawase
20 December 2021"In April 2021, the Japanese government decided to discharge radioactive water stored inside the #TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the Pacific Ocean. TEPCO’s plan is to build a pipeline along the ocean bed and release diluted processed radioactive water 1 km off the coast of Fukushima. In November, #Greenpeace conducted its 33rd Fukushima radiation survey since the nuclear disaster, during which we had the opportunity to interview local fisherman Mr. Haruo Ono. Mr. Ono opens up about the pain he feels, saying that discharging radioactive water into the ocean will throw Fukushima’s fishing industry back down into the abyss.
"'How can such a thing be allowed to happen,' sighed Mr. Ono with a thick Fukushima accent. As he scanned the newspaper in his home, his eyes came to rest on an article and comments about the plan, announced by TEPCO the previous day, to discharge radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the ocean. 'The ocean’s alive, too, you know!' The hand that gripped the newspaper turned white..."
#FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #StopTEPCO #NoNukes #TEPCOLies #OpTEPCO #PacificOcean #FukushimaAnniversaryRead more:
https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/51822/unheard-voices-fishermen-fukushima/ -
A Dozen Years after Fukushima, Nuclear Power is Still a Death Wish
by Harvey Wasserman, March 10, 2023"A dozen years after four atomic reactors exploded at #Fukushima, the plant STILL daily irradiates 150 tons of water which must be treated and stored forever.
"Thousands of tons more of such lethal liquid are still held in rotting tanks. The Japanese government wants to dump them in the #Pacific, but local resistance is fierce. The build-up will continue for countless years to come, with gargantuan quantities of deadly liquid ever-readier to destroy our oceans….and perhaps, eventually, human life, whose irrational addiction to atomic power has yet to abate."
#Fukushima #FukushimaAnniversary #WaterIsLife #NoNukes #StopTEPCO #TEPCOLies #TEPCO #NoDumping #FukushimaWater -
Fukushima – 12 years on
by Dr. Kate Hudson, CND General Secretary
March 11 2023 marks the 12th anniversary of the #Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. It is the world’s second worst nuclear accident – only the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine was worse.
#Japan is the most #earthquake prone country in the world with over 1,000 quakes each year. On March 11, 2011 an extremely powerful earthquake occurred about 30 miles off the east coast of Japan. The resulting massive tsunami flooded the Fukushima #nuclear power station about 150 miles north of Tokyo. As a result, the three operating reactors had to be shut down, but as their cooling pumps had lost their power sources, the nuclear fuels started to heat up due to radioactive decay.
Radioactive decay cannot be stopped: nuclear power when it goes wrong can be a supremely unforgiving technology. During the week following the earthquake, four explosions and three reactor meltdowns occurred at the Fukushima nuclear plant. These resulted in massive releases of radioactive gases which contaminated large areas of Japan.
In July 2012, the Japanese Parliament established the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC) which reported that the accident was a man-made disaster as it had been entirely foreseeable, and that the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), had failed to meet basic safety requirements such as risk assessment, preparing for containing collateral damage, and developing evacuation plans. In October 2012, TEPCO admitted that it had failed to take necessary measures for fear of inviting lawsuits or provoking protests against its nuclear plants.
Contrary to what most of the world’s media believes, the accident is STILL occurring at Fukushima. Every day about 200 tonnes of water is pumped into the destroyed reactors to keep their radioactive fuels from melting any further than they already have. This water becomes radioactive and has to be collected and stored in over 1,500 tanks at Fukushima. It is a major problem for the Japanese Government and TEPCO: they are desperate to dump this radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean but public opposition remains strong, especially among fisherman.
As a result of the accident, nearly 300 cases of paediatric thyroid cancer have occurred in Fukushima Prefecture. These cancers are very rare: normally only one case would have arisen every two years in Fukushima Prefecture. This epidemic is similar to what happened at Chornobyl where over 6,000 extra cases of paediatric thyroid cancer occurred.
Disturbingly, the Japanese national and Fukushima prefectural governments continue to deny that radiation caused the epidemic of paediatric thyroid cancer. Instead, they claim the sudden increase was due to intensive monitoring. A number of legal cases against TEPCO and the Japanese government are continuing.
#Fukushima #FukushimaAnniversary #WaterIsLife #NoNukes #StopTEPCO #TEPCOLies #TEPCO #FukushimaWater
Read more:
https://cnduk.org/fukushima-12-years-on/ -
International concern over the plan to release #FukushimaWater has been widening
"Last week, the head of the 18-nation Pacific Island Forum, which includes Australia, New Zealand and other island nations, expressed concern about any impact of radiation from the water on the livelihoods of people in the region which suffered in the past from atomic bomb tests, and urged Japan to suspend the plan.
“'The region is steadfast in its position that there should be no discharge until all parties verify through scientific means that such a discharge is safe,' forum Secretary-General Henry Puna said at a public seminar on the Fukushima issue.
"Some scientists say the impact of long-term, low-dose exposure to tritium and other radionuclides on the environment and humans is still unknown and the release should be delayed. They say tritium affects humans more when it is consumed in fish."
#Fukushima #FukushimaAnniversary #WaterIsLife #NoNukes #StopTEPCO #TEPCOLies #TEPCO
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Japan marks 12 years since Fukushima nuclear disaster as concerns grow over treated radioactive water release
"In Tokyo, dozens of people gathered at an anniversary event in a downtown park, and anti-#nuclear activists staged a rally."
#Fukushima #FukushimaAnniversary #WaterIsLife #NoNukes #StopTEPCO #TEPCOLies #TEPCO #FukushimaWater