Japan Times: Discharges of Fukushima nuclear material “have effectively contaminated the sea"

[flamingdem]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/21/reference/fukushima-no-1-cant-keep-its-head-above-tainted-water/#.UZuK7oLZc5J

Melted reactor cores will burn again if water not perpetually poured in — “Tepco proposing some of it be dumped into ocean”

Tepco must perpetually pour water over the melted cores of reactors 1, 2, and 3 via makeshift systems to prevent the fuel from melting and burning again. [...]

Tepco is proposing some of the water be dumped into the sea after processing it to remove most, but not all, radioactive isotopes. [...]

Previous discharges into the Pacific have effectively contaminated the sea. Failure to store it means it will probably flood the whole compound and end up in the ocean anyway. [...]

also:

… Steven Starr, Director of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program at the University of Missouri/Senior Scientist at Physicians for Social Responsibility : The Japanese basically lied about what happened with the reactors for months.

They said they were trying to prevent a meltdown, when in fact they knew within the first couple of days Reactors 1, 2, and 3 at Fukushima Daiichi had melted down, and they actually melted through the steel containment vessels .

The melted core cracked the containment vessel, there really is no containment.

[byeya]

1. Bad enough and of long enough duration to pollute the Pacific Ocean. The world's nations should

form an entity that will take charge of this terrible site and do what's needed to stop, or at least confine, the radioactivity and stabilze the site. It's a world disaster.

Are there measurements of radioactivity in the ocean and countries that border the Pacific, and, if so, are these figures available to the public?

[marions ghost]

2. Agree

it's a world disaster. When will the world respond?

[CrispyQ]

6. This: It's a world disaster.

From the OP: The melted core cracked the containment vessel, there really is no containment.

As far as our media goes, it's like Fukishima never happened. We truly have our collective head up our collective ass.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. But this "cost" is not included in the cost of generating nuclear power electricity.

And advocates continue to insist that nuclear power is cheap.

[randome]

5. It IS cheaper but this is the first time something of this magnitude and duration has occurred.

So I think it's wrong to point and say, "See? We told you!" Because no one foresaw something like this.

That being said, I've personally changed my mind about nuclear power. Disasters like this can happen again. It's too dangerous.

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[magical thyme]

10. Whoa....I rarely disagree with you, but really?

"Because no one foresaw something like this."

Those of us opposed to nuclear have foreseen potential for meltdown disaster since, oh, about day 1. And recognized that, regardless of the odds against a single, major disaster, it really only takes one single major disaster to fuck up a significant chunk of the world for a really, really long time.

Or did you mean that no proponents, or designers or builders foresaw potential for meltdown? Or potential, in this case, for earthquake *and* tidal wave hitting a nuke plant built next to a major fault line in an area where earthquakes tend to generate tidal waves? It's really too bad it took having it happen for them to have the imagination to consider that possibility.

That said, I'm really glad some people have changed their minds about nuclear and decided it really is too risky...

[randome]

13. The second one.

Nuclear power has always been dangerous but I saw it as a cleaner source of energy so I thought it was worth the risk.

But this long-term catastrophe, poisoning much more than just the immediate environment, is something I, at least, never heard much about.

This has gone on for far too long.

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[magical thyme]

15. "This has gone on for far too long."

Sadly, it's only just begun. IIRC, TEPCO is projecting (optimistically) to "clean up" in something like 30-40 years. With fingers crossed that there won't be another earthquake at that fault before then. And according to scientists who have recently visited, the buildings there are so precarious a stiff wind could bring them down. Cyclone anyone?

As far as nuclear in general, it requires constant input of cold water, so most are built on major water bodies. Any catastrophe is likely to contaminate either the sea or major rivers and spread from there.

[nebenaube]

23. yes and it's time to fucking crater it. n/t

[WinkyDink]

12. "No one foresaw"????????????? ARE YOU KIDDING HERE??

[randome]

20. Not this type of disaster. At least not that I ever heard of.

Fukushima continues to poison more than just its immediate environment and, as Magical Thyme points out, may take 30-40 years to clean up.

That's not something I heard much about. Reactors were always built with fail-safe systems to shut down in the case of an earthquake and even in the event of a spill, it was always assumed to be localized.

But an earthquake followed by a tsunami was not on the radar. In retrospect, yes, that kind of situation should have been.

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[madokie]

4. Yet there is those who would like to see more of these built

Not me though. I'd rather sit in the dark

[flamingdem]

7. me too!

I'll work around sunset and sunrise and quit cable!

[madokie]

9. I'll do whatever it takes

Standing on my head, I'll learn how to do it, Swim across the ocean, I'll try. Just stop these monsters and commence in shutting them down before any more go belly up. I'll pay a higher price for what electric I use to help pay for that. Just stop them and do it now. Our world is getting too small as it is without adding more off limits areas

[flamingdem]

8. In this case it's a problem that Japan is such a staunch ally

because this means we have to cover up their mess.

Hillary had a meeting in Japan and this was the upshot. They were worried that Japan's economy would tank further. Now it's on the upswing no one seems to be able to push them into better behaviors. Tepco is its own monster and it's very, very, very, difficult to maneuver - even with offers of help - around the traditional, macho if you will culture of Japan.

They do not want to be shamed, they see offers of help as weakness and shame.

I wish that the administration knew how to help them, perhaps they are indirectly, and I agree all of the worlds thinkers should be addressing this problem and insisting on a solution.

Sadly, it is a science and engineering issue, the smart thinkers can't grasp all of that, so we're counting on the science people and they often defend nuclear energy, Obama's appointees included..

[WinkyDink]

14. Save the Japanese economy; doom the Japanese people, the Pacific Ocean, island nations, ......

[Safetykitten]

11. A contaminated Pacific will be the new normal. It's ok. Don't worry.

[Zorra]

16. "Your people are driven by a terrible sense of deficiency.

When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money." ~ Alanis Obomsawin

[heaven05]

17. I'm

surprised????? NOT!

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Should I request the owners for a name change to Cassandra?

A few of us said this was coming...shocked not one bit...hell, not even surprised a smidgen.

[90-percent]

19. The collective will of the planet

From what I've seen of the worldwide response to fix the Tepco nuclear disaster, I would say that humanity will no longer exist on Mother Earth in less than 75 years!

We have bough the rope our corporate overlords will hang us with.

-90% Jimmy

[hunter]

21. It's funny how people will eat fish contaminated with mercury...

... but a little bit of tritium freaks them out.

Mercury has a half life of just about forever, and it comes from coal fired power plants, mine waste drainage, and other industrial sources. Look at the warning labels of certain fish species in the supermarket. That's a problem far worse than any tritium dumped at Fukushima. And frankly, I think commercial fishing ought to be outlawed, just as commercial hunting was outlawed in the USA.

The world could suffer a Fukushima sort of accident every year, and it still wouldn't be as hideous as the environmental damage done by the ordinary operations of coal fired plants.

Do I think we should "replace" coal with nuclear? No. I think we should shut down 90% of the industrial economy, sit back, and watch the flowers grow.

No cars, no wars, no airlines, and plenty of time to read a book, grow a garden, chat with neighbors, go to school, or take a hike. Like to travel? Walk, bicycle, take a slow train or sailboat to anywhere at all. No hurry.

Things we must do as humans are few. Feed everyone, shelter everyone in safe environments, teach our children, limit our population, and provide appropriate health care. Everything beyond that is optional and ought to be avoided if it is harmful to other people or the earth's environment.

We could have a twenty hour work week, long vacations and retirements, universal health care, housing and education for all, but instead we turn our lives into a meaningless race to nowhere, destroying ourselves and our world.

[nebenaube]

24. Talking about what?

Tritium would be one of the safer daughter products. You bringing it up shows exactly how asinine your opinion on this topic is.

[hunter]

25. They are talking about removing everything but the tritium from the stored water.

Tepco has been using an advanced liquid processing system made by Toshiba Corp. to decontaminate the coolant water.

ALPS can bring the density of 62 main radioactive substances below detectable levels, including strontium and plutonium.

Tritium is the exception, however. Tepco says the tritium level in the contaminated water is between 1 million and 5 million becquerels per liter. The legal limit is 60,000.

Tepco thus wants to dilute the water to bring the tritium density below the legal limit by dumping it into the sea. It has promised not to dump any without gaining the nod of local fishermen first.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/21/reference/fukushima-no-1-cant-keep-its-head-above-tainted-water

It's asinine not to read the article before posting.

[JEB]

22. Steady stream of radiation pouring

into the Pacific, into the food chain, but you have to dig to find any reporting. We've traded the Pacific ocean for an electric toothbrush. Maybe we deserve this shit. Willfully ignorant greed only takes you so far.