Thread: Japan Earthquake: Fukushima

Originally Posted by nostromo

Butterfly is Belgian. Ich spreche deutsch but as I said, very very long time in uni. It was 800 years ago, other details do escape me but I do recall the specific day, the smell of the flowers.... and the ladies in white. And the ladies in white. And there were the ladies in white. And while we went inside, the ladies in white did....

As if there was any doubt ... no wonder you feel such kinship to ENT (you do realize ENT is clinically insane, right?)

Originally Posted by robuzo

^Go ask me in the MKP thread you are responsible for, clown.

I'd give you a green for that.

Wind, solar, hydroelectric, nuclear, hydrogen...sounds good in theory.

But when the oil runs out how are you going to:

make tires to go on the 'alternative energy' cars
make the oil to lubricate the 'alternative energy' cars
makes pesticides & fertilizers to grow enough food
make roads (asphalt: oil based)
make medicines, antibiotics, etc (many of them petrochemical based)

"the truth is that no combination of solar, wind, nuclear power, ethanol, biodiesel, tar sands and used French-fry oil will allow us to power ... the interstate highway system – or even a fraction of these things – in the future...our quandary: the American public's narrow focus on keeping all our cars running at any cost."
James Howard Kunstler
author of, among others, "The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century"

Japan workers 'told to lie' about radiation
21/07/2012

A subcontractor at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant told workers to lie about possible high radiation exposure in an apparent effort to keep its contract, reports said Saturday.


A subcontractor at the crippled Fukushima plant, shown here in May, reportedly told workers to shield their dosimeters with lead when working in high-radiation areas.

An executive at the construction firm Build-Up in December told about 10 of its workers to cover their dosimeters, used to measure cumulative radiation exposure, with lead casings when working in areas with high radiation, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and other media said.

The action was apparently designed to under-report their exposure to allow the company to continue working at the site of the worst nuclear disaster in a generation, media reports said.

A 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 crippled cooling equipment at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, triggering meltdowns that spewed radioactivity and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee.

The Asahi urged plant operator Tokyo Electric Power to strictly manage the safety of work crews.

The influential daily also called on the government to conduct a thorough survey of work conditions at the site, which has been off limit to the public, except for occasional visits by journalists guided by TEPCO officials.

Several workers at Build-Up told the Asahi that a senior official from the firm who served as their on-site supervisor said in December he used a lead casing and urged them to do the same.

Without faking the exposure level, the executive told the workers they would quickly reach the legally permissible annual exposure limit of 50 millisieverts, according to the Asahi.

The workers had a recording of their meeting, the newspaper said.

"Unless we hide it with lead, exposure will max out and we cannot work," the executive was heard saying in the recording, the Asahi reported.

Some workers refused to wear it and left the company, the Asahi said.

The workers were hired for about four months through March to insulate pipes at a water treatment facility, Kyodo News said.

The ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare was starting to investigate the matter, newspapers and Jiji Press reported.

Health ministry and Build-Up officials could not be reached for comment.

bangkokpost.com

^Depressing, and believable.

An executive at the construction firm Build-Up in December told about 10 of its workers to cover their dosimeters, used to measure cumulative radiation exposure, with lead casings when working in areas with high radiation, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper and other media said.

A shame the Japanese culture is to bow and be obedient.

If think if he'd tried that in another part of the world they'd probably have to pull the workers off him.

They get desperate guys to do those jobs. Yaks recruit for contractors.

Originally Posted by robuzo

In case anyone is still interested in Japan and the ongoing catastrophe that is Fuk, here is a good opinion piece from Bloomboig:

I think many are very much interested in what happens in Japan.

But as for your article, I just wonder, if the Japanese are that bad, why come they are within the the top nations?

(I usually trust Bloomberg, but they have individual writers like this anti-nuclear lobby member)

Originally Posted by robuzo

Here we are in 2012 and Japan still thinks the key to prosperity is a weaker yen, more aggressive central-bank action

Yen is hardly weak and BOJ just fights it getting too strong to prevent, should we say, unnecessary loss of competitiveness. While Japanese companies get more and more productive with strong yen. And back to square one. Why then is Yen strong and getting stronger? Because the market believes in Japan. It is a safe haven. They believe Japan is safe and can be trusted and the Japanese can handle their problems. As they can.

Like, for example, assuming you are continental european like your mate cthulhu, EURJPY, value of euro currency to yen, is now as of yesterday, lowest since year 2000. About 12 years.

Those euro nuclear reactors are (unscientifically for the purposes of this post) about 100000 times more likely to cause catastrophe than Japanese ones - now unfortunately Japan was faced with natural disaster.

This all despite what the good doctor and you say about Japan and counting in all the problems.

Originally Posted by Mid

A subcontractor at the crippled Fukushima plant, shown here in May, reportedly told workers to shield their dosimeters with lead when working in high-radiation areas.

This is bad. But this was just a subcontractor - not the government or TEPCO.

^TEPCO will be relieved to be informed they are not responsible for their contractors, you should call them right away.

TEPCO and the Government can not prevent subcontractor being unsound. Before they know it. I am sure the usual checks were made, but this kind of catastrophe just brings out unknown responses.

^Bwahaha. None of this news. Merely saying "TEPCO and the government" relieves you of any further responsibility to pretend to be informed. Also, do you know anything about contractor relationships in Japan? Ever been in one?

Have you ever been in Japan?

Ahem. Interesting article from FT about the rising resistance to restarting the nukes. They make a comparison to the protests, and eventual riots, of the 1960's against support for the US war in Vietnam, which may be true in terms of actual numbers of people in the streets, but that in itself is not a hopeful sign because the mistakes made by the left in the '60's resulted in Japan have virtually no viable opposition in politics to the right-wingers, a situation that persists to some extent today. The article also points out that these are citizen protests (since there is no viable left. . .), and as such different, but by the same token, at some point they need to gel around some kind of organizing force. Right now it would seem the government is just trying to let people blow off steam, although from what I have seen in the J-media and heard from people there, the cops are out in force at the protests and very forceful about restricting the movements of the demonstrators:

Japan nuclear protesters take to streets - FT.com

It has been slow for a chain reaction, but more than a year after the biggest nuclear crisis in a quarter century, Japanese demonstrations against atomic power are beginning to generate serious steam.
A string of some of Japan’s biggest protests in decades – each attended by tens of thousands of people – have in recent weeks given voice to a wave of anti-nuclear sentiment caused by the failure of the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant on March 11, 2011.

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. Japan nuclear protesters take to streets - FT.com

The protest photos show the crowd is made up mostly of older people, something I find rather striking.

The other development I find surprising is the newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, seems to have a pro-protest stance where in the past has been supportive of business.

Lots of people with kids, too.

Asahi is generally viewed as the more left-leaning of the papers; Yomiuri is right-wing, Mainichi a bit to the left of the Yom, and Sankei is hard right.

^ Oh my, I needed more coffee before I posted! My bad, I had Asahi and Yomuri confused this morning.

I am no longer surprised. Yomuri is still pro-business and backing the prime minister to start all the reactors.

Get all reactors online asap, I fully support Japanese govt on this, country needs power. And the most important thing is, global warming is not a joke. Think about your children or their children. Now these erratic weather patters - flooding here, drought there, cold and hot in wrong places, apparently do not have anything to do with that. But no one really knows.

About using that power, Japan is efficient, but not efficient enough according to the editorial in JTO below. US report found UK, Germany and (surprisingly) Italy ahead of Japan. Still a good ranking.

The Japan Times Online
Sunday, July 22, 2012

EDITORIAL
Japan as number four
A new report on how the world's major powers use electricity found that Japan ranks fourth out of the top 12 countries in energy efficiency. While this result is not bad, it is still not good enough.



Inefficient use of energy poses a serious obstacle to economic recovery as money that could be used in meaningful areas is instead wasted on energy. The government and the private sector must do all they can to increase energy efficiency.

The new report, from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, looked at the world's 12 largest economies, which account for more than 78 percent of global gross domestic product, 63 percent of global energy consumption and 62 percent of the global carbon footprint.

The report found that the United Kingdom came first, followed by Germany and Italy, with Japan in fourth place. America ranked ninth, while France, Australia and China followed closely behind Japan.

Japan's ranking came from being second place in national effort and second place in industrial energy use, though it was ninth in buildings and eighth in transportation.

Those results point in the direction of a better energy policy, one that relies on many means of achieving increased efficiency. The national effort to reduce energy usage following the Fukushima nuclear disaster was quite successful, but without stricter regulations on buildings and transportation, Japan is unlikely to make headway.

Energy efficiency should be a more integrated part of building codes and appliance standards, although updating older buildings will be difficult. Improving Japan's electric grid infrastructure is another important element. All of these possibilities are better than simply restarting dangerous nuclear power plants.

Japan's public transportation is rather efficient, but the use of heavy-duty and passenger vehicles as well as reliance on air travel accounts for the relatively low eighth-place ranking in transportation. The Japanese government should understand how much public transportation contributes to a dynamic economy. The efficient movement of people is a double benefit if done properly because it saves energy and gets people into activities that contribute to the economy.

Improving energy efficiency is just as important to the economy as banking or financial policies. In one sense, energy is where the economy meets the reality of the material world.

Japan ranked relatively high on its overall commitment and general performance, but it must be re-emphasized that efficient energy use means an efficient economy. The government needs to help encourage better energy usage. The future of the economy depends on it.

Japan as number four | The Japan Times Online

Japan utility gets $12.8bn nuclear crisis bailout
Jul 31, 2012

TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese utility that operates the nuclear power plant sent into meltdown by last year’s tsunami says it has received a trillion yen ($12.8 billion) public bailout.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. apologized Tuesday for the “inconvenience and anxiety” from the disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in northeastern Japan, and for raising electricity charges to cover the costs of dealing with the crisis.

The company, now under government control, still faces massive compensation demands from those forced to evacuate and whose land and products were contaminated by spewing radiation following the disaster that began March 11 last year.

TEPCO must also shoulder the enormous costs of decommissioning three reactors at Fukushima Dai-ichi that went into meltdown. It must also put nuclear fuel at a fourth reactor there into safe storage.

asiancorrespondent.com

^Getting bailed out by the taxpayers and raising rates. Nice reward for their failure.

^It's all about the MOX. The difficulty of dealing with spent fuel has always been the Achilles heel of nuclear power. Someone came up with the brilliant idea of reprocessing it for reuse, and the industry went for it like a cat on a day-old sardine. I suppose storing hundreds of tons of spent fuel on the roof of a nuclear reactor in one of the most geologically unstable locations on the planet (not to mention on a beach in the country that invented the word tsunami) showed a lot of moxie, if "moxie" means "hubris."

#Fukushima Peaches to Be Exported to Thailand, Starting Late August
Friday, August 10, 2012

Buyers from Thailand say they are satisfied with the testing procedure that the Fukushima prefectural government has in place.

To recap that testing method (for more details about peaches in Fukushima, see my previous post about Fukushima peaches offered to the Imperial Family):

• Take a small amount of sample from each peach farmer.
• Test it using the NaI scintillation survey meter with high detection limit (probably 25 becquerels/kg).
• If the sample registers more than 50 becquerels/kg, then test it with the germanium semiconductor detector that the prefectural government owns, again with relatively high detection limit (about 10 becquerels/kg).
• If the sample tested using the germanium semiconductor detector has less than 100 becquerels/kg, all clear!

Looking at the pictures of how they test using the NaI scintillation survey meter (click to enlarge), the sample size looks no more than 100 milliliters. Testing laboratories run by the citizens' groups in Japan and by private companies require at least 1 liter (1,000 milliliters) of samples to be effective, and they use the same or better NaI scintillation survey meters.

The article below from Fukushima Minpo says one additional thing and that's troubling; rice from Fukushima has been exported overseas AFTER the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident. I wasn't aware of that news.

From Fukushima Minpo (8/10/2012):

県産モモ、今月下旬輸出　タイのバイヤーが県庁訪問

Peaches produced in Fukushima to be exported, starting late August; Buyers from Thailand visit the prefectural office

日本貿易振興機構（ジェトロ）がタイのバイヤーを招いた福島県産モモの商談会で９日、県産モモを今月下旬か らタイへ輸出することが決まった。東京電力福島第一原発事故後、県産農産物を海外に輸出するのはコメに続き ２例目で、モモは初めて。

It was agreed in the meeting with the buyers from Thailand invited by JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) that peaches grown and harvested in Fukushima Prefecture will be exported to Thailand starting late August. This will be the second case of Fukushima produce to be exported overseas, after the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident, following the rice; it will be the first for peaches.

輸入を決めたのは、タイの百貨店やスーパーのバイヤー。県北地区の果樹園で収穫されるモモを中心に、１０月 上旬ごろまで輸出する予定。量は今後調整する。タイ政府が指定する日本国内の検査機関で放射性物質を検査し 、安全性が確認され次第、空路で輸出する。

The buyers for department stores and supermarkets in Thailand decided to import [the peaches]. Peaches harvested mostly in the orchards in the northern district of Fukushima will be exported till early October. The amount of export will be determined between the parties. The peaches will be tested for radioactive materials at a laboratory in Japan designated by the Thai government, and as soon as the safety is confirmed they will be delivered by air.

バイヤー一行は９日、県庁を訪れ、担当者から放射性物質検査の状況や味の特徴の説明を受けた。バイヤーの一 人は「福島での検査体制を視察し安全性を確信できた。タイでは日本の商品への信頼度が高い。おいしいモモな ので、よりアピールしてたくさん売りたい」と意欲を語った。

The group of Thai buyers visited the prefectural government office on August 9, and was briefed on the situation of testing for radioactive materials and on the characteristics of the taste [of the peaches]. One of the buyers was eager to sell the peaches in Thailand, saying "I'm convinced of the safety after seeing the testing process in Fukushima. People in Thailand trust goods made in Japan. Peaches are delicious, and I'm looking forward to promoting and selling a lot of them."

バイヤーらは８日、伊達市の果樹園や郡山市の百貨店、県農業総合センターを訪れ、販売現場の様子や放射能問 題への取り組みに理解を深めた。

On August 8, the buyers had visited an orchard in Date City, a department store in Koriyama City, and the prefectural agricultural experiment station. They observed how [the peaches] were sold, and how the testing for radioactive materials was done.

原発事故後、中国、韓国、台湾など東アジア各国は県産品の輸入を停止している。タイは震災前、県産のモモを 輸入していた。

After the Fukushima nuclear accident, East Asian countries including China, Korea and Taiwan have stopped importing the produce from Fukushima Prefecture. Before the March 11, 2011 disaster, Thailand had been importing the peaches from Fukushima.

ex-skf.blogspot.com.au

Normally they priced for the local J-community, which won't want them if they are accurately labeled, so if the price is low enough to appeal to Thais we'll know they are just being dumped.

Probably beside the point, but I'm not sure how much more toxic fruit from at least the western part of Fukushima Pref (the western part of the prefecture suffered very little exposure) would be than apples and other produce from China- my guess would be probably less when it comes to pesticides.