This is another clearinghouse diary for discussion and commentary about the ongoing nuclear disaster(s) in Japan. For updated information on news and a timeline of the events following the March 11 Japanese Earthquake, visit the Mothership. The Mothership is updated regularly and also provides a more extensive list of news and data sources, social media, crisis mapping and other relevant information.
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Newsfeed JNI April 18 JST... Overview .... Japan last week elevated the crisis at the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor site from a Level 5 to Level 7, the highest level incident. This establishes Fukushima as the most serious nuclear event since Chernobyl. The ongoing release of radioactivity rather than the amount of radiation released necessitated the elevation. Officials announced that 10,000 Terabequerels per hour of radiation were emitting from the plant for a period of hours.
Workers continue to battle increasing temperatures in Reactor No, 4 ... Robots working inside nuclear plant ... First radiation measurements taken inside two reactor buildings at Japan's crisis-stricken nuclear plant show a harsh environment but not one that will be impossible for humans to work in .... High levels of radiation detected in several prefectures, impacting the safety of food and water and health ... The evacuation zone has been extended ... Due to a lack of suitable storage facilities, radioactive water has been released into the sea ... Storage units are en route ... The Japanese Government is evaluating whether evacuees can return home after 6-9 months ... Edano says government will take responsibility for people displaced by the nuclear disaster ... The US has offered an unmanned chopper to help dispose of spent fuel.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, a level seven incident is characterized by a major release of radiation with widespread health and environmental effects. A five-rated event is a limited release of radioactive material, with several deaths from radiation. The scale is designed so the severity of an event is about 10 times greater for each increase in level.
Latest News:
Data show tsunami the killer, elderly the most vulnerable in disaster .
SENDAI, April 17, Kyodo
Over half of those killed in three northeastern Japanese prefectures by the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami were aged 65 or older, while over 95 percent of deaths reported in Miyagi Prefecture alone resulted from drowning under the tsunami, fresh data showed Sunday.
Of the 9,112 killed in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima pefectures whose ages are confirmed, 4,990, or 54.8 percent, were aged 65 or older, according to the data Kyodo tallied based on a list of victims by the National Police Agency.
Separate data compiled by the police in Miyagi Prefecture, meanwhile, showed that out of 8,015 deaths confirmed through April 10 in the prefecture, 95.8 percent or 7,676, resulted from drowning.
US, Japan to Create Partnership to Rebuild After Disaster
Japan and the United States have agreed to create a public-private partnership, under Tokyo's guidance, to help rebuild communities devastated by last month's magnitude 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami.
Accumulated radiation tops 17,000 microsieverts in Fukushima's Namie
The accumulated radiation level in Namie, 30 kilometers from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, in the three weeks through Friday stood at 17,010 microsieverts, according to a tally released by the science ministry Saturday.
The accumulated levels during the period starting March 23 stood at 9,850 microsieverts in Iitate and 495 microsieverts in Minamisoma, both near the plant, it said. The readings compare with the level of 1,000 microsieverts that ordinary people in Japan can expect to be exposed to over one year.
The amount of radioactive cesium stood between 12.7 and 71.0 becquerels per liter of surface seawater near the plant on Monday and Wednesday and 10.1 becquerels at deeper levels on Monday, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said.
"The difference between Chernobyl and Fukushima is this - Chernobyl had a massive explosion and spread a large radioactive cloud over much of Europe very quickly and it looks as though the Fukushima incident is not going to do that, although there is some in the atmosphere that has been released." NISA spokesman, Hidehiko Nishiyama
The Roadmap: Complete Details
TEPCO Press Release of Roadmap
(Apr 17,2011)Roadmap towards Restoration from the Accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
With regard to the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station due to the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyo-Oki Earthquake occurred on Friday, March 11th, 2011, we are currently making our utmost effort to bring the situation under control. This announcement is to notify the roadmap that we have put together towards restoration from the accident.
TEPCO one page summary
Roadmap towards Restoration from the Accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station 1 (PDF 112KB)
1. Basic Policy
By bringing the reactors and spent fuel pools to a stable cooling condition and mitigating the release of radioactive materials, we will make every effort to enable evacuees to return to their homes and for all citizens to be able to secure a sound life.
2. Targets
Based on the basic policy, the following two steps are set as targets:
Step 1: Radiation dose is in steady decline.
Step 2: Release of radioactive materials is under control and radiation dose is being significantly held down.
(Note) Issues after Step 2 will be categorized as Mid-term Issues”
Target achievement dates are tentatively set as follows, although there will still be various uncertainties and risks:
Step 1: around 3 months
Step 2: around 3 to 6 months (after achieving Step 1)
TEPCO details with numbered Countermeasures and Risks
Roadmap towards Restoration from the Accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station 2 (PDF 108KB)
TEPCO workflow chart
Roadmap for Immediate Actions (Issues / Targets / Major Countermeasures) (PDF 36.8KB)
TEPCO diagram of power station with labeled countermeasures
Overview of Major Countermeasures in the Power Station (PDF 59.3KB)
Table from TEPCO Press Release
Exhibit
The result of the analysis of the water in the spent fuel pool of Unit 4 of
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station
-Date of collection: April 12th, 2011
-Date of analysis: April 13th, 2011
The result of the analysis
Mainly detected nuclides |
[half-life] |
Density (Bq/cm3) |
Cesium 134 |
Approx. 2years |
88 |
Cesium 137 |
Approx. 30years |
93 |
Iodine 131 |
Approx. 8 days |
220 |
*Reference: the result of a nuclide analysis of the water in the spent fuel pool of
Unit4 conducted on March 4
th 2011
Mainly detected nuclides |
[half-life] |
Density (Bq/cm3) |
Cesium 134 |
Approx. 2years |
Below detection limit |
Cesium 137 |
Approx. 30years |
0.13 |
Iodine 131 |
Approx. 8 days |
Below detection limit |
-Related date to the collection
The temperature of the water in the pool: Approx. 90°C
The airborne radiation around the pool:
tens of mSv per hour※
※Although it was valued "Approx. 84 mSv" on April 13, 2011, that
value was turned out an accumulated value, not an instantaneous
value. The value will be reanalyzed, accordingly.
NHK World - Reactor makers draft 10-year decommission plan h/t ricklewsive
Japanese manufacturer Toshiba, which helped build the Fukushima Daiichi plant's now crippled nuclear reactors, says decommissioning them will take at least 10 years.
...
The proposal is divided into 3 phases. The short-term plan, likely to take several months, involves cooling and stabilizing reactors and spent fuel pools, while preventing radioactive water from increasing.
Toshiba will then move toward the medium-term plan, involving the safe removal of nuclear fuel rods from the pools and pressure vessels, using special cranes to be set up near the reactor buildings. Toshiba says this work will take 5 years.
The final phase, dismantling the reactors and clearing the land, will take another 5 years. Toshiba says that radioactive substances released in the process must be removed during this phase.
Thursday, April 14, 2011 21:41 +0900 (JST)
Higher resolution version of image
Chronology of Events
WHAT WENT WRONG: Fukushima flashback a month after crisis started
SPRING ACTIONS FOR A NUCLEAR FREE WORLD
Coverage @ Kos 4/9-4/14
Nathguy: Fukushima: Damage Details and Level 8 on 4/18
FOoW: Radiactivity Increases in Fukushima Water, TEPCO is out of Storage Tanks on 4/14
joieau: Happy Talk from Reuters: How does Fukushima differ from Chernobyl?+
Citisven: German Town Shows How to Achieve Nuclear Free Future
HoundDog: Japan Will Raise the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Rating to Level 7 on 4/11 (PLS READ: REC LIST as of 11:05 PST)
GlowNZ: One Month
Finehelen10: Uranium Conference Adds Discussion of Japan Accident
Radical def:Fukushima: Greenpeace Urges Wider Evacuation Zone
Nathguy: Fukushima: The Failure was Deliberate indifference and the NRC knew and Lied.
Rock Strongo: Heartbreaking Video from Japan Nuclear Evacuation Zone
Please visit Video of Spent Fuel Pool sampled at Fukushima ROV#49 by rja for news, discussion and analysis of events prior to breaking news on 16-17 April JST.
Regularly Updated Data Sources
@Kos: A database of temperature, pressure, radiation levels, etc readings over time can be found in: The Daiichi Database This is an evolving diary that will be updated regularly.
• Japanese Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF)
• RSOS Emergency & Disaster information Services - Japan
• Daily Telephone Media Briefings from Union of Concerned Scientists
• Energy.gov: The Situation in Japan
• EPA RadNet Map View & EPA's Radiation Air Monitoring
Scribble Live
• Fukushima Data Page: Data for all 3 reactors, as well as a good chunk of data over time: pressure, water flow, core nozzle temp, core bottom temp
• Japan Municipal Water Charts (in Japanese)
• Google Crisis Response Page
*New background source:Fleep: Graphing Earthquake, Radiation and Water Data in Japan 3/11 through 4/9
The Radiation Graphs are made from data from monitoring posts setup by the Prefectural Offices, TEPCO and NISA. I am focusing on these as they are only in Japanese and provide a different view on the MEXT Radiation Data that everyone else is graphing. Please note that the graphs do have different scales depending on the data. All Radiation readings are converted to μSv/h for consistency. 3/11 through 4/9
Best News Sources
Kyodo Nuclear News Feed
GreenAction Fukushima Update
NHK Japan Live
OilDrum: Fukushima Open Thread - Tue 3/29
Asahi on Facebook
Reuters
Fukushima Wikispaces
Fukushima Wikispaces Tweet Feeds AND Fukushima Wikispaces News roundup
Google Earth Engine (download required): Radiation Over Japan. Visit Pachube for mapping.
WHO situation reports
METI Twitter Feed
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