Japan News | mountains of debris after eartquake and tsunami in Japan photo from BBC TV broadcast

Tsunami that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake left millions tons of debris and rubble scattered across three prefectures of North Japan. Restoration can’t be taken until it is removed.

Disaster-effected municipalities are responsible for disposing of debris, but they are also overwhelmed with other restoration and reconstruction tasks. Recently they are starting to get calls from some private contractors requesting that they be entrusted with the cleanup work as cleanup can be a lucrative business opportunity.

Why then have everything taken so long? It’s been pointed out that the inherent complexity and difficulty of disposing of the disaster debris themselves have played a part.

It is also necessary to consider the economy of the stricken areas.The environment ministry has received requests from municipalities in disaster afffected areas that debris disposal should be handled by local contractors.

. This is obvious the government of Japan should speed in the handling of the debris.

Japan News | IAEA team in Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant photo IAEA

Japanese government decided to restructure its nuclear-related organizations.

The government wants to clarify roles and responsibilities of every organization in case of a nuclear crisis.

Also, it plans to submit  the IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety  this month.

NHK report says that  Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency will be independent from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Japanese government wants TEPCO to  improve the safety of its nuclear plants and make the cooling system more efficient and less defective.

The government will make an effort to improve a nuclear safety, with help of the international community.

It all sounds very proper and politically correct.

Japanese government should be better informed about situation in all nucelar plants and governmental specialists should organize inspections to check if safety norms are  folowed.

I think that TEPCO had too much freedom and left Fukushima Daichi in state from 70 ties too long. It is highest time for changes.

Japan News | plutonium was found in Fukushima

Small amounts of plutonium have been found in soil outside the Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant.

Mr. Kimura of Hokkaido University took samples from area 1.7 kilometers west from the power station, on April 21st,  before the area became an exclusion zone.

Kanazawa University laboratory analyzed the samples and found minute amounts of  plutonium-239 and 240- in total  0.078 becquerels per kilogram.

This is amount produced by past atomic bomb tests, but these three types of plutonium  come from the plant blasts.

The quantities are so small that people’s health can not be in danger.

Still, scientists said that contamination near Fukushima nuclear plant should be fully investigated, to find out how radioactive materials spread in the air.

Untill now I do not have any information if TEPCO have already covered Fukushima Daichi buildings in plastic sheets or not…

Radioactive dust can easily be distributed by wind from badly damaged Fukushima facilities.

Japan News | Tepco logo

Two workers of  Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant have been exposed to very high radiation. This is the first such case in which radiation levels in human bodies have exceeded the limit since the accident at Fukushima.

Test shows that internal radiation absorbed by two men is between 200 and 580 millisieverts.

The results indicate the amounts of radiation for the both workers exceeded safe amount and the limit abd it is now an emergency situation.

Most of the radiation is in the men’s thyroid glands, and that may cause a thyroid disorder.

According to TEPCO workers were wearing protective clothing and masks, but it might been inadequate just after the accident. TEPCO will make detailed tests on about 150 workers who worked in places like two men exposed on high radiation.

As far as I know, simply masks and made of fabric protective clothes can not protect from high radiation at all.

It is baisc knowlegde I have got from school. I can not understand why TEPCO was not able to find it out before?

Japan News | TEPCO plans to plug all leaks from Fukushima nuclear plant

It is always the same story- TEPCO plans to plug all potential leaks of highly radioactive water from the Fukushima  nuclear power plant. And TEPCO wants to make this miracle in June!

But despite all previous efforts, radioactive water keep leaking…

TEPCO made a plan and submited it to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. In April and May radioactive waterwas leaking most likely from turbine buildings of the plant’s No.2 and 3 reactors. Most likely because source of some from these leaks was not found.

TEPCO said there are five concrete tunnels and 39 pits around the plant and from these points radioactive water could leak out to the sea.

Until June TEPCO wants to fill all tunnels and pits with concrete and repair cracked seawalls.

TEPCO is under pressure.

The company must find the place to store huge amount of radioactive water from turbine buildings and because it is rainy season now, amount of contaminated water may rise. It is absolutely necessery to install water purification system to decontaminate water as soon as possible.

Japan News | French researchers found radioactivity in air of Fukushima prefecture

French independent researchers found high radiation in Fukushima Prefecture. They measured radiation level 60 times higher than the annual reference level for human being according to international standarts.

French research institute CRIIRAD’s representative said today to Japanese reposters in Tokyo about the results of its survey in Fukushima Prefecture. French researchers were checking amount of radioactivity in the air.

The result was very disturbing…
Researchers  found high radiation levels in Fukushima City and towns close to Fukushima nuclear plant.

Mr.Chareyron from French research institute said that Japan should increase the number of monitoring spots to inform people about negative effects of the radiation caused by the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant.

French researchers’ one-week survey was conducted in cooperation with a Japanese nongovernmental organization.

I think this is very good that specialists from other countries, especially France which is very experienced in subject of nuclear plants, can check situation in Fukushima nuclear plant and situation in Fukushima prefecture.

The point is, it would be better if French use thei technical skills helping Japanese to sort out the crisis in Fukushima nuclear plant.

If we consider fact, that there are still radioactive leaks and lots of radioactivity is coming out to the air and water, it is crucial to make an effort to repair damages and shut down Fukushima daichi as soon as possible.

TEPCO needs help to do so, basically technicla help.

I would be very pleased to read that French non-governmental organizations sent specialist to work in Fukushima plant or that some equipment was sent to speed up work in crippled plant.

Time does matter now.

Japan News | radioactive cesium

Extraordinarily high levels of radioactive cesium were found in seafloor samples from Miyagi and Ibaraki Prefectures.

Samples collected from twelve places along Fukushima prefecture’s Pacific coast between May 9th and 14th contained radioactive cesium 137, about 100 times the normal level.

Specialists from Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology said that plankton most probably absorbed  radioactive substances near the sea surface, and then sank to the seabed.

According to Japanese scientists, monitoring must take a larger area, because radioactive materials from the seabed will not dissolve quickly, and can accumulate in the bodies of larger fish,  shrimp and crabs, living on the seafloor.

It means that sea food from Northeastern Japan may be contaminated by radiation and not good to eat…obviously.

Japan News | Fukushima Nuclear plant seen from airplane photo from NHK TV broadcast

TEPCO informed that workers in Fukushima nuclear plant  have successfully restored cooling systems of all four  reactors.

TEPCO workers are also working to install new water-circulating systems to  cool all the fuel pools more efficiently. This new system should start to work from July.

Finally some good news.

Japan News | radioactive water storage facilities in Fukushima nuclear plant photo from NHK TV broadcast

TEPCO informed that  decontamination of highly radioactive water which leaked from reactors will cost at least 650 million dollars.

According to TEPCO, about 84,700 tons of cooling water have leaked into basements and other areas of the 4 reactor buildings. This contaminated water makes work in reactors’ buildings very difficult if not impossible.

TEPCO uses  French and American technologies to build special facility to eliminate radioactive materials and use decontaminated water to cool reactors.

TEPCO expects that cost of radioactive water decontamination may be higher, because thete is also problem where to store less radioactive water. Costs of disposal of this water maybe high too.

And it will be high, so now it is crucial to build decontamination facility as soon as possible. In some situations there is no other choice, but…pay for mistakes.  So TEPCO must pay.

Japan News | radioactive water is leaking from Fukushima waste facility again

Just as I expected yesterday, there is another leak of radioactive water in Fukushima nuclear plant.

TEPCO says that radioactive water continues to leak from a waste disposal facility and water level had dropped by around 3 centimeters comparing with yesterday’s.

TEPCO says it is possible that the water level in the facility will stop falling, but more likely it will be necessey to plug the leaks.

It will be be difficult job because of water’s radiation levels which are high.

TEPCO must try to prevent spilling of contaminated water into the sea or underground.

Same story again! There must be same safer way to store contaminated water…maybe it would be some idea to freeze it and keep in cold room?

This is important to solve this problem as soon as possible, because danger of leak is too high and it is hard to controll it.