Fukushima update 90/30/2013

Michio Kaku: Human civilization may destroy itself

“I mean, look at Fukushima” — Liquefication of 3 nuclear reactor cores… First time any core ever liquefied — It’s still out of control, 3/11 disaster could start all over again 

Art Bell, host: That’s optimism alright. By the way, what about the little trips we’ve had along the way: big earthquakes, nuclear reactors going bonkers, that kind of thing?

Michio Kaku, Protégé of ‘father of the H-bomb’ Edward Teller and earned Ph.D. in nuclear physics from University of California Berkeley: It’s not clear that we are going to make it [to a 'Type 1' civilization without destroying ourselves] -– I mean look at Fukushima […] Three simultaneous meltdowns. Do you realize that the core at Fukushima liquefied? We’ve never seen liquefication of a nuclear reactor core […] 3 liquefications of molten uranium. And you realize we still have not controlled it. They could spiral out of control any day. Small little earthquake and the reactor accident starts up all over again. […] There’s been a collapse in nuclear energy in the United States. However in Japan […] we have this raging meltdown that’s in a temporary stasis […]

Plastic pad clogs Fukushima water cleaning system

A piece of plastic padding which clogged up a drain is thought to have caused the breakdown of a decontamination system at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, the operator said Sunday.

Fox News,

29 September, 2013

The Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), designed to remove radioactive material from contaminated water, is expected to play a crucial role in treating huge amounts of toxic water accumulating at the plant.

But it was halted due to a defect only hours after starting operations.

Workers found that a plastic pad, which fixed a ladder in the system, had worked loose and got stuck in a drain, probably causing the defect, said operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.

The ALPS system was switched on early Friday but was stopped late evening the same day when it was found not to be properly flushing fluid used to remove radioactive particles, TEPCO said in a statement.

There are three ALPS systems at the plant, hit by reactor meltdowns sparked by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The utility started trial operations of two of the three systems in March but halted them in June after corrosion in one was found to be causing water leakage.

The third system was activated on Friday before the stoppage occurred.

TEPCO has poured thousands of tonnes of water onto the plant's reactors to keep them cool, and continues to douse them.

The utility says they are now stable but need cooling water daily.

TEPCO has so far disclosed no clear plan for disposing of the huge amounts of stored polluted water.

Fukushima Corrosion of Reactors, Radioactive Tsunami Debris, Rehearsal for 1/2 Truth, (Plume-gate)

Radioactive Reality (29 September 2013) Human civilization may destroy itself

Nuclear Expert in California: They’re dumping huge amounts of Fukushima contamination in Pacific

“We could have large numbers of cancer” from eating fish — Japan Prime Minister ‘put to shame’ -Newspaper

ENENews,

29 September, 2013

National Journal, Sept. 23, 2013: “Look at what’s going on now: They’re dumping huge amounts of radioactivity into the ocean — no one expected that in 2011,” Daniel Hirsch, a nuclear policy lecturer at the University of California-Santa Cruz, told Global Security Newswire. “We could have large numbers of cancer from ingestion of fish.”

Dong-A Ilbo, Sept. 28, 2013: In an interview Tuesday with Korean media, Kenya Mizuguchi, emeritus professor of maritime science and technology at Tokyo University, rebutted Abe`s remarks, arguing that large amount of contaminated water was being leaked into the sea. Tokyo Electric Power Co.`s Friday announcement that it detected 400,000 becquerels per liter of radioactive materials in a well near the reactors of the Fukushima No. 1 and 2 Nuclear Power Plants also puts Abe to shame. In a recent survey by Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun, 95 percent of the respondents said the water contamination was “serious.”

California Magazine (UC Berkeley), Fall 2013: Is Fukushima radiation harming food chain? [...] Bad news keeps leaking from Japan’s tsunami-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant—literally leaking, as in 400 tons of highly radioactive water a day. Or it may be more than that. No one is really sure. [...] But no matter how you parse things, it would be difficult to find a silver lining to this particular mushroom cloud. [...] So with thousands of gallons of radioactive effluent sluicing into the Pacific daily, you can’t help but wonder if some of it is working its way up the marine food web into your tuna sandwich. Well, Cal nuclear experts say you don’t have to worry—much, anyway. [...]

See also: Professor: New studies show radioactive materials being carried across Pacific relatively intact from Fukushima -- On West Coast we need to monitor these pockets of high contamination -- Parts of areas may be affected in a significant way (AUDIO)