Fukushima forgotten

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

http://www.ippnw-europe.org/en/nuclear-energy-and-security.html?expand=705&cHash=30fceaa6f9

Months after the disaster in Fukushima, some harrowing facts are beginning to surface. It turns out that a vast quantity of radioactive gas had been released in the atmosphere, and the Japanese government hadn't said a word about it. Turns out that this has been by far the largest amount of radioactive contamination in history, many times more horrific than Chernobyl, although the public was being told that the situation wasn't as serious. And chances were are the no one might have ever learned about it.

During the nuclear fallout in Fukushima in March, a quantity of Xenon-133 was released that was 2.5 times bigger than Chernobyl. The Xenon-133 and Krypton-85 gases can easily get into the respiratory organs and  when they reach the blood stream, they can cause radiation disease. Moreover, it has been revealed that these radioactive gases were released into the atmosphere long before the tsunami had hit the shore. In fact, this leak was caused by the earthquake itself.

So far the tsunami has been blamed for the melting of the fuel rods in the reactor. But now we are learning that in fact the official version was never meant to be true. In reality the reactors were affected as early as the earthquake hit. This conclusion became possible only thanks to a new investigation by experts in the field, lead by Norwegian specialists from the Institute for the examination of the atmosphere, and supported by the Austrian central commission of meteorology and geodynamics in Vienna.

The research used data from 1000 air and soil samples which were tested for radioactivity. The results showed that between March 11-15 exactly 16,700 PBq (trillion becquerels) of Xenon-133 had leaked into the atmosphere. Which makes it the greatest leak of rare gas in recorded history, a thing that has been always attributed to nuclear testing by now.

While Xenon decays relatively quickly (a couple of weeks), Cesium-137 has a 30 period of decay. It remains in the environment for a long time and it is extremely harmful to the health of living organisms. The research found that between March and April almost 36 PBq of Cesium-137 was released into the atmosphere. The Cesium developed a 42% radioactivity that of Chernobyl.

The experts are also looking into the contamination by radioactive rain in several Japanese regions, using the meteorological data during and immediately after the catastrophe. Because the winds were predominantly western at the time and there wasn't much precipitation, about 20% of the Cesium-137 emissions had gotten stuck into the soil, while 80% was dispersed above the Pacific.

The highest contamination with Cesium was recorded on March 19. It was the moment when the radioactive cloud above the Honshu island was the biggest and the densest. The conclusion is inescapable - the nuclear fallout had begun much, much earlier than officially claimed by now. The real disaster had begun with the earthquake at 14:46 local time, and the tsunami only reached shore 50 minutes later, to aggravate the situation even more.

The results are yet another proof that the official position of the Japanese government and the nuclear industry that the earthquake couldn't have caused such an incident and it was the tsunami waves that caused the nuclear catastrophe, were all bunk. The new research puts a serious dent on the attempts of the nuclear lobby to belittle the threat in case of earthquakes at nuclear power stations, and the connection between seismic activity and the risk of constructional failure.

Half a year after the catastrophe, almost no one is talking about Fukushima any more. But this won't make the fact go away that the consequences from the nuclear fallout are yet to be seen in their full manifestation. Radiation disease is a horrible condition and it only shows its first symptoms years after the event. This was the case with the survivors of Hiroshima, and this was the case in Chernobyl.

Comments

[a-cheshire-grin.livejournal.com]

I could never, NEVER forget about this...but the sad truth is that not a lot of people remember or care about it anymore! ;____;

Months after the disaster in Fukushima, some harrowing facts are beginning to surface. It turns out that a vast quantity of radioactive gas had been released in the atmosphere, and the Japanese government hadn't said a word about it.

Yes, I read this in the newspaper too.
I think it's terrible and disgusting that the goverment covers such facts up. They need to tell people what's really going on!!!

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

There are almost at least two sides in a story. The Japanese government had a very good reason to not reveal the whole scope of the disaster. Mass panic was the last thing they needed at the time. But that doesn't excuse them from keeping it secret ever since. If an issue like this cannot be assessed in an honest way after the peak of the drama has subsided, then it will never be addressed properly.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

* almost -- always

[a-cheshire-grin.livejournal.com]

That's true and that's actually also what I meant (sorry, I should have made that clearer in my comment!).

It has been months since the disaster and I think it's unbelievable that the government is still holding back information from the public, especially crucial information like the real amount of radioactive contamination!

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

It's not like the Japanese government hasn't been doing everything in their powers to alleviate the predicament of the directly affected people from the region. Those who were evacuated from the Fukushima prefecture (about 2 million people) have gone through extensive examinations since March. The medical teams are trying to figure out how severe the irradiation was.

You're right that the true extent of the consequences will only start to become visible in years. 20-30 years probably.

The more disturbing problem is the discrimination against the victimrs of nuclear catastrophies. It is nothing new in Japan. One of the hardest consequences from Hiroshima and Nagasaki wasn't the medical dimension of the catastrophe, it was the discrimination of people who had been directly affected. It's felt even today, three generations later. I know of cases where the family of a young bride refused to proceed with the wedding because the grandfather of the groom was a Hiroshima survivor. It is very likely that this situation will repeat again, and the social consequences from that could be really serious.

[hikarugenji.livejournal.com]

I live in Tokyo and I can assure you that people are still talking about Fukushima here. They just had that story a week or two ago about the radioactive bottles in a basement in Setagaya Ward in Tokyo.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

I went through a real scare about a pal from Sendai prefecture who disappeared for a week immediately after the disaster, only to turn out he had been abroad at the time. But his family (wife, young kids) had remained in Sendai at the time, and he wasn't allowed to meet them for another two weeks, which was really tearing him apart. :(

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

I bet the first responders to the disaster will get a much better treatment than the 9-11 first responders.

Oh, the humanity! ...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

... How those Japanese suffer under a caring government! They should allow the free market of disease, decay and death to take its natural course.

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of the Fukushima 50 (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/15/930552/-No-Matter-What-Fukushima-50-are-Heroes) and the way they were elevated to a national hero status, one that they deserve to the very last bit.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Or for a more credible non-fear-mongering illustration.

http://www.slideshare.net/iaea/radiological-monitoring-and-consequences-of-fukushima-nuclear-accident-2-june-2011

In short, it is bad but it is not anywhere near as bad as Chernobyl.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Here's another.

http://www.atmos-chem-phys-discuss.net/11/28319/2011/acpd-11-28319-2011.pdf

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

My main point (emphasis mine):

http://www.zamg.at/docs/aktuell/20111021_fukushima_review.pdf

“The main result of the investigation is that the emissions from the power plant started earlier, lasted longer and are therefore higher than assumed in most studies conducted before.”

“Regarding the radioactive noble gas Xenon‐133, the results indicate an emission of 16700 Peta‐Becquerel (1 Becquerel is one radioactive decay per second, 1 Peta‐Becquerel equals 1015 Bq). This is the largest civilian noble gas release in history, exceeding the Chernobyl noble gas release by a factor of 2.5. There is strong evidence that emissions started already on 11 March 2011 at 6:00 UTC, which is immediately after the big earthquake. Xenon‐133 is neither ingested nor retained in the inhalation process and therefore of less health concern, but it is important for understanding the accident events.”


My secondary point (and the point you are making):

http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/2069/is-japans-nuclear-disaster-on-par-with-chernobyl

Total a posteriori 133 Xe emissions are 16.7 EBq, one third more than the a priori value of 12.6 EBq (which is equal to the estimated inventory) and 2.5 times the estimated Chernobyl source term of 6.5 EBq

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-09-nuclear-fukushima-aid-future.html

Study: Fukushima released more radioactive xenon than Chernobyl — So large because there were three reactors

And another useful read:

http://allegedlyapparent.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/fukushima-2011-versus-chernobyl-1986-a-fallout-map-comparison/

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

It also said that cesium was half that of chernobyl and that 2% of the Xenon ended up on land outside Japan, mostly north america and europe. So the fact that it was 2.5X higher is hardly anything to worry about. In addition there aren't the guts of the reactors spewed out into the surrounding area like Chernobyl. It is fear mongering to compare it to that situation.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

Yes, a relatively smaller part fell on land outside Japan. Most of it fell on land in Japan or into the sea, due to the geographical specifics of the region and those of the weather at the time. On the other hand, the fact that most of it remained concentrated into a relatively smaller territory and didn't get dispersed like the Chernobyl fallout did, means that all this radioactive stuff had to remain somewhere. It is Japan and the adjacent seas that it remained. It hasn't just disappeared into space.

There are three reactors in Fukishima, not one. And by the way the problem with the leak is still ongoing. It is nowhere near being sealed the way Chernobyl was. Another problem is that there are still earthquakes going on in the region, one occurred last month. This is not helping at all, you might agree.

I am sure many would be willing to see this as just a minor issue that's being pumped up by fear-mongering (for unknown reasons), but that wouldn't amend the situation in any way whatsoever, other than making part of the public feel calmer and more apathetic to the issue - which is supposedly a good thing, I guess.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

But unfortunately the average person *is* irrationally fearful of radiation, which is why it makes headlines. Japan is a first world country with the means to mitigate the problem, and BTW is no stranger to nuclear contamination. The situation at Fukushima is still serious and the local press is still covering it but there is no reason to lose sleep over it if you don't live there. If they need help, they'll ask for it.

[sealwhiskers.livejournal.com]

I hardly think the Institute for the examination of the atmosphere or the central commission of meteorology and geodynamics are fearmongering. I'd rather think there are sources that are diminishing facts.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

It doesn't matter who wrote it, the report was hyperbolic.

[sealwhiskers.livejournal.com]

Well if the source doesn't matter then I guess all we have are opinion pieces.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

Appeal to authority is a logical fallacy. The reputation of the source does not automatically guarantee the quality of the content, it just causes the readers to take the content more seriously.

If The Lancet published a paper headlining the virtue of Homeopathy when the content didn't support it, they would be guilty of hyperbole. Their reputation would suffer. When another source headlines Fukushima was worse than Chernobyl and I don't see content related to reactors burning, exploding and spewing their nuclear fuel around the countryside, that's hyperbole.

The only thing worse was Xenon which is an inert gas and will eventually disperse adding slightly to trace content in the atmosphere. It isn't like cesium which will permeate and permanently attach to concrete and silicates in the soil. The issue is the relative risk of exposure over time to humans and other biological systems, not the quantity of the release. Scientists involved in the field know this, reporters, not so much.

[sealwhiskers.livejournal.com]

Well, I read both the article and the actual NILU study and the study looks thorough and legit and is backed up by other international teams.
The article actually gets its facts and numbers right too, directly from the study and the basic summary is that the release is a factor of 2.5 higher than the Chernobyl 133Xe source term. Which is what the article says, when they talk about long term dangers they do explain that Cs is the big villain and add that it amounts to about 42% of the estimated Chernobyl emission - which is also exactly what the article says.

I think what you seem to get hung up on is perhaps that the OP uses the word "horrific" and gets one fact wrong, she writes: The Cesium developed a 42% higher radioactivity than Chernobyl.

While in fact both the article and the actual study names it correctly as 42% OF the Chernobyl emissions.

In general though, the article and the study make a main point of saying that the results are a bit worse than hoped and predicted and certainly a lot worse than has been broadcasted in Japan.

So after reading both article and study (and trust me, you don't have to teach me the fallacy of not checking sources), I still think that there isn't much hyperbole in any of the 2 sources. (article and study)

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

I accept your analysis of the articles. Perhaps I've been a bit too harsh.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

I am not against nuclear energy. I think it is the most viable energy source at this point, efficiency- and environment-wise. But that doesn't mean that the industry shouldn't be reformed and the safety criteria vastly improved from their current level.

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

IAWTC.

[harry-beast.livejournal.com]

While I don't entirely disagree with you, some might argue that the alternative, generating power from fossil fuels, puts carbon into the atmosphere for future generations to deal with.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

We have that. Closed cycle fueling. We use the waste as fuel.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Too bad the US is behind because of stupid nuclear proliferation treaties!

e.g. closed fuel cycles that produce plutonium as a result.

[eracerhead.livejournal.com]

We are behind because we haven't invested in the technology.

Nuclear weapons require much purer plutonium than reactors. In fact we are using plutonium pits from decommissioned bombs as feedstock to produce fuel.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

I agree that waste disposal is a serious issue that is only being postponed for later time. However the alternatives that we have at this disposal are looking even worse, particularly in a short- and mid-term perspective.

[sealwhiskers.livejournal.com]

Exactly. In Japan's case they don't have very many viable choices when it comes to energy - the more reason to really do it right.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Well said. In the US the current strategy is removing funding from vital institutions, not engaging in exploring, and relying on old ass reactors that were built when computers couldn't process more than a line of words. We need to ramp up our nuclear development before China overtakes us and becomes the biggest energy exporter in the world and the richest country forever. I don't want to live in the world where China's a bigger superpower than the US.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

I think the question is not who is a bigger superpower, but who is a more vital and attractive power that others could strive to emulate. I mean, one could argue that the USSR was the biggest superpower at a certain moment in history, but not for a minute am I imagining that those who were under its influence would want to remain there if they had the choice. This ultimately brings such blocs of influence down in the long run. But I am straying too much off topic. :-)

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

There is no means of energy creation that does not carry some price with it. It's an endemic problem to/in civilization.

Energy can neither...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

... be created nor destroyed. It is not the energy that is the problem, but our limited notion of "civilization."

Re: Energy can neither...

[peristaltor.livejournal.com]

Yeah, like people were "civilized" before the Wii.

Re: Energy can neither...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Due to a cultural obsession with all things Roman, the Western definition entails a great deal of barbarity.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately people have relatively short attention spans when it comes to horrific things like this. Most focus on it for a short interval and then it escapes them for a while unless it's continually brought up. I am more than sure this is still a big issue in Japan, unfortunately for the rest of the world outside Japan there's other issues they focus on, such as the perennial US fascination with the Kardashians. >.<

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

I think I have sinned. I saw a headline the other day that Kim Kardashian's marriage lasted for only 72 days, I got intrigued... and I read the article! Forgive me...

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

I was reading an article on in the NY Times yesterday, and what struck me is how it would be absolutely foolish to believe anything they say after the sixth round of "Yes we lied but here's the truth..." No, no really, you're just going to bullshit it up every single time.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

You're right. The truth doesn't matter. Scientists should use their time and effort for better things than probing the extents of knowledge - instead they should devise a robot horse so the kids could have a good time!

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

Scientists are people too, you know, and we don't listen to scientists, we listen to science, and if someone is an official capacity of Making Shit Up, I don't care if they have Nobel Prize-- they're not acting as concerned champions of human knowledge, but political operatives concerned with bullshitting you.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

I worship science too. Einstein is my God and Newton was His prophet.

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

This is why there is the peer review process. Science is made by scientists. If one or a group of them screw up, the rest will notice it sooner or later. Even if the majority of them jump on a bandwagon for a while, eventually someone, somewhere, will find cracks in the general consensus and the whole thing will be brought down. Maybe later than sooner, but it will.

You are right that when politics gets involved, this process gets additionally and unnecessarily protracted.

I disagree.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Radiation sickness does not always take a long time to manifest. At its most severe, it can kill within a few days of initial contact. It is the less severe exposures that take time to manifest.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Science observation: Please note the difference between "decay period" and half-life.

Cesium-137 has a half-life of just over 30 years. That means in order for it to mostly decay, it'll need at least 10 half-lives to get down from 100% of the original activity to just below 0.1% of the original amount. Often, in industry, a period of 10 half-lives is used to say that an isotope has effectively decayed enough to be gone. Even then, of course, there's some left.

In short, cesium-137 will be found in easily detectable amounts for a solid 300 years from this event.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[sealwhiskers.livejournal.com]

What amazes me is that I've really seen so little about Fukushima in media over here. Obviously I could have missed something, but I haven't read a word in months. I imagine Japan still deals with this on a daily basis, but I would consider this world news important to follow up on.