Environment

Radioactive School Lunch In Niigata, West Coast Of Japan

by

– Cesium measured from school lunch ingredient in Niigata, west coast of Japan (Fukushima Diary, Aug 29, 2012):

Your child may be forced to eat contaminated food for school lunch

Cesium was measured from ingredient of school lunch. The school is in Niigata, on the west coast of Japan.

On 8/29/2012, Niigata city government announced they measured 13 Bq/Kg of cesium from spinach. It was a sampling test of school lunch ingredients.
The spinach was from Gunma prefecture, it may have been used for school lunch for nursery school, elementary school or junior high school in Niigata city. The sample wasn’t used for school lunch supposedly.

Read moreRadioactive School Lunch In Niigata, West Coast Of Japan

Underground cesium near Fukushima reactors increases the deeper samples get — Other locations tested are much different, with higher radioactivity on top

by

– Underground cesium near Fukushima reactors increases the deeper samples get — Other locations tested are much different, with higher radioactivity on top (ENENews, Aug 31, 2012)

Radioactive Japan: Head of The Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan Says ‘People in Fukushima, Part of Kanto Including Tokyo, Should Not Marry’ Because of Radiation Exposure

by

– #Radioactive Japan: Head of The Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan Says “People in Fukushima, Part of Kanto Including Tokyo, Should Not Marry” Because of Radiation Exposure (ENENews, August 29, 2012):

At a gathering of politicians from prefectural and municipal governments in Japan, the veterinarian head of a non-profit organization called “Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan” told the audience, quite off-handedly,

People in Fukushima, Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa where the radioactive plume went by, should not marry because the deformity rate of their offspring will skyrocket.

To the outraged delegation from Fukushima City, he says,

Tough. They misquoted me on purpose, I was just talking generalities.

Generalities. So these days in Japan, citing specific locales and predicting specific events like deformity of babies is talking generalities.
So far, only the delegation from Fukushima City is outraged. The reactions from the rest of Japan are two types:

Read moreRadioactive Japan: Head of The Ecosystem Conservation Society of Japan Says ‘People in Fukushima, Part of Kanto Including Tokyo, Should Not Marry’ Because of Radiation Exposure

Copters To Measure Radiation In Bay Area

by

– Copters to measure radiation in Bay Area (San Francisco Chronicle, Aug 25, 2012):

Federal safety agencies announced Friday that they will conduct low-flying helicopter surveys over the Bay Area next week to measure naturally occurring background radiation.

The daily flights starting Monday and ending Saturday are part of a joint research project between the Department of Homeland Security‘s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Energy Department agency that oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

Read moreCopters To Measure Radiation In Bay Area

DOE Memo: Bechtel Incompetent To Complete Hanford Nuclear Waste Cleanup

by

– Bechtel Incompetent To Complete Hanford Nuclear Waste Cleanup: DOE Memo (Forbes, Aug 29, 2012):

More than 10 years into the job, Bechtel National Inc. has been described as incompetent to complete the $12.2 billion nuclear waste treatment plant at Hanford, Wa., the nation’s largest radioactive waste site, according to an internal Department of Energy memo.In the Aug. 23 memo, the DOE official responsible for supervising engineering at the facility, Gary Brunson, calls for Bechtel to be immediately removed as the design agent for the novel Waste Treatment Plant (WTP), which was supposed to begin operation last year.

Brunson lists 34 “brief examples” of issues in which Bechtel’s design advice was factually incorrect, technically flawed, unsafe, or more costly than alternatives.

“The number and significance of these issues indicate that Bechtel National Inc. is not competent to complete their role as the Design Authority for the WTP, and it is questionable that BNI can provide a contract-compliant design as Design Agent,” Brunson writes in the memo.

Read moreDOE Memo: Bechtel Incompetent To Complete Hanford Nuclear Waste Cleanup

Russia Dumped Radioactive Waste And Nuclear Reactors In Arctic Seas

by

– Russia announces enormous finds of radioactive waste and nuclear reactors in Arctic seas (Bellona, Aug 28, 2012):

Enormous quantities of decommissioned Russian nuclear reactors and radioactive waste were dumped into the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia over a course of decades, according to documents given to Norwegian officials by Russian authorities and published in Norwegian media. Charles Digges, 28/08-2012Bellona had received in 2011 a draft of a similar report prepared for Russia’s Gossoviet, the State Council, for presentation at a meeting presided over by then-president Dmitry Medvedev on Russian environmental security.

The Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom confirmed the figures in February of this year during a seminar it jointly held with Bellona in Moscow.

Bellona is alarmed by the extent of the dumped Soviet waste, which is far greater than was previously known – not only to Bellona, but also to the Russian authorities themselves.

Read moreRussia Dumped Radioactive Waste And Nuclear Reactors In Arctic Seas

Japanese Officials Report Concerns About Gamma Rays Being Emitted From Fukushima Plant Debris

by

– Japanese officials report concerns about gamma rays being emitted from Fukushima plant debris (ENENews, Aug 27, 2012):

Title: Japan: Post-Fukushima radioactivity low, gamma ray radiation more of a concern
Source: AP
Date: Aug 27, 2012

Japanese officials reporting on the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster say that gamma rays from the rubble left by the accident are now a greater concern than radioactive cesium still being emitted from the crippled nuclear plant.A report to an International Atomic Energy Agency meeting presented Monday says that cesium being released from the plant is at approximately 0.01 becquerels per hour [Note: Perhaps terabecquerels?], well below the health-hazard level. Shinichi Kuroki, who presented the report, says the greater challenge is to reduce relatively high gamma ray radiation from the plant debris.

[…]

What’s Inside The Suspect Nuclear Waste Tank At Hanford?

by


Rendering of Hanford’s Double-Shell Tanks (DOE image)

– What’s Inside The Suspect Nuclear Waste Tank At Hanford? (Forbes, Aug 27, 2012):

When news broke last week that radioactive material had been found outside of the inner containment wall of a double-hulled tank at the nuclear waste cleanup site in Hanford, Wa, most reports characterized the contents of the tank as “radioactive waste.”But that’s more a category than a description.

The Energy Department has been eager to find out exactly what’s in the tank, which received wastes from leaky single-walled tanks and from more than a half dozen facilities at the Hanford site, including nuclear reactors, plutonium processing plants, a PUREX plant, and laboratories.

DOE funded many studies to analyze the chemical compounds in the tank, determine whether they could corrode the stainless-steel walls, and to anticipate the effects of a spill. Here’s some of what those studies found:

Read moreWhat’s Inside The Suspect Nuclear Waste Tank At Hanford?

Japan: More Homes To Be Built With Radioactive Cement

by

– Saitama prefecture is going to start recycling disaster debris to cement (Fukushima Diary, Aug 28, 2012):

More houses will be built from radioactive concrete.

3 local governments in Saitama are going to accept disaster debris to recycle into cement.
In one of the cities, the city mayor died of myocardial infarction 2 days after attending at the test incineration of debris. (cf. Hospitalized Hidaka city mayor was at incineration test of debris 2 days before)

Read moreJapan: More Homes To Be Built With Radioactive Cement

Radioactive Japan: Major Supermarket Chain Sells Contaminated Food Up To 50 Bq/Kg

by

– Major supermarket chain Aeon sells contaminated food up to 50 Bq/Kg (Fukushima Diary, Aug 26, 2012):


It’s becoming increasingly impossible to eat safe food in Japan.

A major Japanese supermarket chain, “Aeon,” has stopped selling radiation-free food.

On 11/8/2011, Aeon announced that they had set their own safety limit for food at 50Bq/kg. [Link]

The Japanese government’s safety limit is set at 100 Bq/kg, so Aeon’s safety limit is supposed to be doubly safe; however, it’s still not 0 Bq/kg.

Aeon published the results of radiation testing, but the testing was only done on a few samples.

Aeon is currently building their backup headquarters in Aichi, central Japan. (cf. Largest supermarket chain and Imperial family move their back up in western Japan)

Japan: Incineration Facility Becomes Full Of Radioactive Material

by

– Incineration facility gets full of radioactive material, has to restart incineration (Fukushima Diary, Aug 26, 2012):

Radiation keeps getting accumulated in the environment. Even incineration facility is getting full, they are going to incinerate radioactive material.

Incineration facility restarted incinerating radioactive material in Kashiwa Chiba. Kashiwa is known to be one of the worst hotspot. (cf. 13,299 Bq/Kg from home-grown rosemary in Kashiwa)

Read moreJapan: Incineration Facility Becomes Full Of Radioactive Material

36% Of Fukushima Kids Have Thyroid Lumps – Wider Tests Begin (NHK)

by

– NHK: “Strong concerns” over 36% of Fukushima kids having thyroid lumps — Now testing outside Fukushima to begin (ENENews, Aug 26, 2012):

Title: Thyroid tests extended to kids outside Fukushima
Source: NHK
Date: Aug. 26, 2012
Emphasis Added

Japan will conduct thyroid tests on children outside Fukushima Prefecture, to determine whether last year’s nuclear accident in the prefecture has anything to do with the discovery of lumps in the thyroid glands of one in three children in Fukushima Prefecture.The decision has been made by the Cabinet Office’s team supporting people affected by the nuclear disaster.

[…]

[Fukushima] prefecture had conducted thyroid checks on 38,000 children by the end of March.
No-one was diagnosed with cancer, but lumps were found in 36 percent of the children.

The prefecture explained that lumps can be found in healthy children, so no special measures are needed, but parents voiced strong concerns over the finding.

Thyroid checks will now be conducted on 4,500 children aged 18 years old or younger in 3 areas outside Fukushima Prefecture by the end of March.

[…]

Cabinet Office says data will be collected in areas that are not affected by radioactive materials released from the crippled nuclear reactors. It says the move is designed not only to alleviate concerns, but also to detect possible effects of the nuclear accident on children’s health, if any, as early as possible.

More Than 70 Earthquakes Hit California Border, Buildings Damaged

by

– More than 70 earthquakes hit California border; buildings damaged (Los Angeles Times, Aug 26, 2012):

More than 70 earthquakes hit Imperial County on Sunday — including several that registered stronger than magnitude 4.0. The strongest measured 5.4.

The USGS’s “Do You Feel It” system shows the quakes were felt as far away as San Diego, Temecula and San Clemente. The 5.3 quake was felt in Moreno Valley, Indio, National City and Palm Desert, and in Yuma, Ariz., and Mexico.

A handful of buildings in downtown Brawley had minor damage after an earthquake swarm rattled the area Sunday, officials said. Most of the quakes occurred in and around that California town.

Read moreMore Than 70 Earthquakes Hit California Border, Buildings Damaged

Food Shortages Could Force World Into Vegetarianism, Warn Scientists

by

– Food shortages could force world into vegetarianism, warn scientists (Guardian, supported by BILL & MELINDA GATES Foundation, Aug 26, 2012):

Leading water scientists have issued one of the sternest warnings yet about global food supplies, saying that the world’s population may have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years to avoid catastrophic shortages.

Humans derive about 20% of their protein from animal-based products now, but this may need to drop to just 5% to feed the extra 2 billion people expected to be alive by 2050, according to research by some of the world’s leading water scientists.

“There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations,” the report by Malik Falkenmark and colleagues at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) said.

“There will be just enough water if the proportion of animal-based foods is limited to 5% of total calories and considerable regional water deficits can be met by a … reliable system of food trade.”

Read moreFood Shortages Could Force World Into Vegetarianism, Warn Scientists

What Was Behind Mysterious Collapse Of The Mayan Empire?

by

Greece, Italy and Spain also had a different climate before they all started to cut down their forests.

Related info:

– Greening the Desert


A temple in Tikal, one of the Mayan city states

– What Was Behind Mysterious Collapse of the Mayan Empire? (LiveScience, Aug 22, 2012)

The city states of the ancient Mayan empire flourished in southern Mexico and northern Central America for about six centuries. Then, around A.D. 900 Mayan civilization disintegrated.

Two new studies examine the reasons for the collapse of the Mayan culture, finding the Mayans themselves contributed to the downfall of the empire.

Scientists have found that drought played a key role, but the Mayans appear to have exacerbated the problem by cutting down the jungle canopy to make way for cities and crops, according to researchers who used climate-model simulations to see how much deforestation aggravated the drought.

“We’re not saying deforestation explains the entire drought, but it does explain a substantial portion of the overall drying that is thought to have occurred,” said the study’s lead author Benjamin Cook, a climate modeler at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, in a statement.

Read moreWhat Was Behind Mysterious Collapse Of The Mayan Empire?

Big, Radioactive Lump In Hanford Nuclear-Waste Tank: Is It Leaking?

by

– Big, radioactive lump in Hanford nuclear-waste tank: Is it leaking? (Seattle Times, Aug 21, 2012):

A discovery at the Hanford nuclear reservation throws into question the integrity of the double-walled steel tanks where radioactive waste is being temporarily stored.

As part of the biggest, costliest environmental cleanup in the nation’s history — disposing of 53 million gallons of radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation — one thing was supposed to be sure: Toxic waste stored in sturdy, double-wall steel tanks wasn’t going anywhere.

Read moreBig, Radioactive Lump In Hanford Nuclear-Waste Tank: Is It Leaking?

Sinkhole Radiation 15 Times Over Limit

by

– Sinkhole radiation 15 times over limit, residents urged to record health signs (Examiner, Aug 24, 2012):

A non-government group is urging Bayou Corne sinkhole area residents to use a new record log as a veteran radiation expert says Louisiana environmental officials are “in denial” over hazards posed by elevated radium levels that are actually fifteen times higher than the state limit, a “worst nightmare coming true,” according to an environmental attorney.

Stanley Waligora, a New Mexico-based radiation protection consultant and leading authority on health risks of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) has confirmed that radium levels at Bayou Corne’s sinkhole are not within safe limits, but instead, roughly 15 times higher than the state’s acceptable level, according to one of the nation’s leading environmental attorney’s Stuart Smith.

Read moreSinkhole Radiation 15 Times Over Limit

New Japanese Propaganda: ‘Eat Fish’

by

– Japanese new propaganda “Eat fish” (Fukushima Diary, Aug 24, 2012):??

38,000 Bq/Kg of cesium was detected from Fukushima fish. (cf. 38,000 Bq/kg from Fukushima fish)

Radiation is still leaking from Fukushima plant, fishery food is obviously contaminated.

People avoid marine products, but Japanese government is trying to spread the radioactive fish.

On 8/23/2012, Japanese fisheries agency started the brand called “fast fish” to sell with supermarket chain and food makers. It’s pre-cooked fish like fast food.

The purpose is to make people consume more sea food. It’s on the assumption that people are buying less fishery products because it takes time to cook supposedly. However, because pre-cooked fish is defined as “daily dish”, sellers are not obliged to label the origin of the products.

Read moreNew Japanese Propaganda: ‘Eat Fish’

Radioactive Japan: Miyagi, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Chiba To Have Final Disposal Sites For Highly Radioactive Ashes

by

– #Radioactive Japan: Miyagi, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Chiba to Have Final Disposal Sites for Highly Radioactive Ashes from Garbage Incineration, Sludge

Goshi Hosono’s Ministry of the Environment is on the sudden offensive against citizens and residents of Kanto and Tohoku, again.

According to the Yomiuri Shinbun article, the Ministry of the Environment is already talking with the officials in the municipalities in three prefectures to built final disposal sites in their cities and towns.

As the wide-area disposal of disaster debris winds down as it is now widely revealed that there is simply not enough debris to widely distribute, Mr. Hosono looks desperate to do something so that he can claim he has made people “share the pain”.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (8/21/2012):

????????????????????

Final disposal sites for ashes from contaminated garbage to be built in the land owned by the national government in four prefectures

Read moreRadioactive Japan: Miyagi, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Chiba To Have Final Disposal Sites For Highly Radioactive Ashes

Mainichi: Almost 20,000 Becquerels Of Cesium Detected Inside Fukushima Man

by

– Mainichi: Almost 20,000 becquerels of cesium detected inside Fukushima man — “This is not a level that would affect health” — Equals less than 1 millisievert per year? (ENENews, Aug 22, 2012):

Title: 2 Fukushima men suffer internal radiation exposure from homegrown vegetables
Source: Mainichi
Date: August 22, 2012

Two Fukushima Prefecture men in their 70s suffered a relatively high level of internal radiation exposure by consuming homegrown vegetables contaminated with radioactive cesium, a survey by the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Medical Science has found.

Read moreMainichi: Almost 20,000 Becquerels Of Cesium Detected Inside Fukushima Man