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Fukushima
studies are beginning to reveal the severe legacy of radiation leaks
A
range of studies on the impact of the Fukushima disaster have
revealed the major impact even low-dose exposure to ionising
radiation can have on animals and plants
Severe
genetic mutations found in pale grass blue butterflies (Zizeeria
maha)
found in 2012 near the Fukushima disaster, with so-called eclosion
failure (left) in which the butterfly can’t fight its way out of
its cocoon, and bent wings (left).
10
August, 2014
A
series of research that began just a few months after the meltdown of
the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan in 2011 has been published
in the Journal of Heredity, and it’s revealing some serious fallout
from the radiation leak.
The
studies looked at a range of non-human organisms and show that
genetic damage, mutations and populations declines have all resulted
from the disaster.
"A
growing body of empirical results from studies of birds, monkeys,
butterflies, and other insects suggests that some species have been
significantly impacted by the radioactive releases related to the
Fukushima disaster," Timothy Mousseau from the University of
South Carolina in the US, who led one of the studies, explained in a
press release.
One
thing that all of the published studies have in common is that they
hypothesise that low-dose exposure to ionising radiation, like the
kind that followed Fukushima, causes genetic damage and increases
mutation rates in both reproductive and non-reproductive cells.
A
study on the common pale grass blue butterfly, for example, found
size reduction, slowed growth, high mortality and morphological
abnormality both in butterflies from contaminated sites and their
offspring. Some of their results also suggested that Fukushima
butterflies might even have evolved radiation resistance.
Another
paper showed that rice seedlings in a contaminated site had activated
self-defence genes - which can be involved in DNA replication and
repair, as well as cell death - in response to the low-level gamma
radiation.
A
review in the series looked at species from both Chernobyl and
Fukushima and showed significant consequences of radiation, such as
major popular declines in birds, butterflies and cicadas, as well as
morphological changes in the feathers of birds.
While
the studies can’t necessarily undo the damage, they most
importantly act as a baseline that can be used in future research on
the effects of radiation leaks in the environment - something that is
needed to help protect the environment from future damage.
"Detailed
analyses of genetic impacts to natural populations could provide the
information needed to predict recovery times for wild communities at
Fukushima as well as any sites of future nuclear accidents,"
Mousseau said in a press release. “There is an urgent need for
greater investment in basic scientific research of the wild animals
and plants of Fukushima."
Watch bee dying after landing in flower
Latest Headlines:
Report shows California sea lions dying from organs falling out of place, tumors, accumulation of pus inside bodies (PHOTO)
TV:: ‘Zombie’ starfish found along Pacific coast — Experts: “Much spookier than in past” — Babies “die so quickly… they just disappear” — Change in seawater could have activated deadly pathogen — Worries about creation of ‘superbug’ — Serious ecosystem changes now appearing (VIDEO)
Flynn
accuses feds of blocking WIPP probe studies are beginning to reveal
the severe legacy of radiation leaks
6
September, 2014
New
Mexico’s top environmental regulator lashed out at the U.S.
Department of Energy this week, accusing it of impeding the state’s
investigation into the circumstances that led to a radiation leak
earlier this year at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad.
During
his keynote speech to an audience representing federal agencies,
industry, academia, national labs and all levels of government at the
annual Radwaste Summit in Summerlin, Nev., New Mexico Environment
Department Secretary Ryan Flynn warned that Los Alamos National
Laboratory and WIPP could face steeper sanctions from the state
because of what he characterized as Energy Department roadblocks that
have protracted the probe.
“The
problem is that Department of Energy headquarters back in Washington,
D.C., is looking at this situation through a political or [public
relations] lens, so they’ve put a noose around the scientific
personnel who can answer our questions and move this process along,”
Flynn told The New Mexican.
On
Feb. 14, a drum of nuclear waste that originated at Los Alamos burst
at WIPP, the nation’s only below-ground repository for waste
generated during decades of Cold War nuclear weapons production. The
cause of the chemical reaction that triggered the drum to rupture
remains under investigation by several federal agencies and the New
Mexico Environment Department, which holds permitting authority over
both LANL and WIPP. WIPP has ceased receiving waste indefinitely
since the release.
Increasingly
in recent weeks, the federal Energy Department has thwarted attempts
by the state Environment Department to gather information for its
investigation, according to Flynn. Six weeks ago, at a legislative
hearing in Los Alamos, Flynn lauded LANL’s cooperation with the
state investigation into the radiation leak, including the lab’s
confession to treating the suspected drum without a permit, a process
that left behind a lead-laden glove that’s being eyed as a
contributing factor in the leak. On Friday, Flynn accused the Energy
Department of muzzling scientists with crucial information about the
waste stream.
He
said at times during the state’s investigation into the leak, LANL
personnel have provided “outstanding communication” about the
possible cause of the radiation release. But when the Environment
Department has asked for documentation supporting the scientists’
observations, the Energy Department has repeatedly refused to provide
it.
“During
those positive meetings, information will be referenced, and there’s
a willingness [by LANL personnel] to provide information that’s
referenced during those meetings or presentations,” Flynn said.
“After those meetings, information gets communicated up the chain
of command and someone back at [Energy] headquarters decides that no,
they’re not going to provide that information to the state.”
Flynn
said his frustration with the Energy Department grew as its denials
of his department’s requests for information became more frequent.
“When
it happens once, it’s not really a big deal. When you start
noticing a pattern and it happens repeatedly, that’s when you start
to get really concerned,” he said.
“You’d have to ask
Department of Energy headquarters why they don’t provide certain
information and why they don’t make staff available. It would be
interesting to know how many people need to sign off before someone
at Los Alamos National Laboratory can return a phone call to me or
one of my staffers.”
A
Los Alamos spokesman referred questions to Energy Department
officials on Friday.
In
a written statement responding to Flynn’s criticisms, a department
spokesperson said: “The department is fully committed to reopening
WIPP, and will continue to work with the state of New Mexico to do so
safely and as expeditiously as possible.”
Greg
Mello, executive director of the watchdog organization Los Alamos
Study Group, echoed Flynn’s angst that the Energy Department hasn’t
openly shared details with regulators about the radiation leak and
the waste suspected of causing it.
“Anything
else is a sign of a poor safety culture and could be a danger signal
for workers and the public,” Mello said. “Mislabeling drums and
withholding information can be criminal. That’s one way serious
accidents can happen.”
Already,
regulatory penalties from the state are likely for both Los Alamos
and WIPP, according to Flynn. Potential penalties range from fines to
suspension of operations at the sites.
At
Los Alamos, treating waste without a permit and labeling waste as
less volatile than it actually is, then shipping it to WIPP are among
the violations already identified, and WIPP, at a minimum, faces
regulatory action for failing to verify the volatility of the waste
before accepting it.
“The
more we investigate, the more we’re discovering at Los Alamos,”
Flynn said.
The
state’s first sanctions against the permit-holders could be meted
out within the next 60 days, Flynn said. Regulatory actions against
LANL and WIPP are likely to be imposed in a series of steps, as each
of the violations is verified.
The
Energy Department’s reticence to cooperate could lead to stiffer
penalties, Flynn said.
“When
you’re less responsive, you’re making us have to work and fight
just to get information we need in order to our job,” he said.
“We’re less likely to provide them with any type of a downward
adjustment or credit for being upfront. We won’t do it.”
The
Energy Department’s refusal to provide information raised
suspicions among Flynn’s investigators, and regaining their trust
will be difficult, he said.
“It
takes time in order to establish credibility, and you do that by
being upfront, by being candid and by answering questions. It takes
time to establish credibility, and it can be lost in an instant,”
he said. “And the Department of Energy headquarters refuses to
provide certain information. Withholding information from our staff,
for whatever reason, that really erodes their credibility.”
And from ENENews
New Mexico Environment Department Secretary Ryan Flynn, Sept 6, 2014: “The problem is that Department of Energy headquarters back in Washington, D.C., is looking at this situation through a political or (public relations) lens, so they’ve put a noose around the scientific personnel who can answer our questions… there’s a willingness (by LANL personnel) to provide information [but] someone back at headquarters decides that no, they’re not going to provide that information to the state… it happens repeatedly, that’s when you start to get really concerned… they don’t provide certain information [or] make staff available… The more we investigate, the more we’re discovering at Los Alamos… the Department of Energy headquarters refuses to provide certain information.”
Greg Mello, Los Alamos Study Group, Sept 6, 2014: “[Not sharing this information] could be a danger signal for workers and the public. Mislabeling drums and withholding information can be criminal.”
The Santa Fe New Mexican, Sept 3, 2014: Review, relabeling of LANL waste raises questions about scope of problem… [Los Alamos National Laboratory's] review of the incident has led to uncertainty over the volatility of hundreds of other drums… The lab notified state environment officials late last month that it was re-evaluating and relabeling as “ignitable” or “corrosive” the contents of 86 drums at LANL… The Department of Energy also is reviewing and relabeling more than 300… stored in WIPP’s underground… [This] raises questions about the scope of the problem that led to the leak at WIPP.
Chris Harris, former licensed Senior Reactor Operator & engineer, Aug 28, 2014 (at 22:15 in): “It sure seems like that there’s a combination of a cover-up, and a combination of slip-shot record keeping. Now there’s talk of whether they ditched those records after the fact or before the fact, but those records are nonexistent. One would expect really good records as to what is being stored, where it’s being stored, when it was put away, when it was stored, all that – every bit of information that one would expect to have in a nuclear storage facility and these are missing, there’s a lot of information.
Fukushima
& New ACUTE Nuclear Dangers ☢ (Nuclear Hotseat)
2 powerhouse interviews. First, with Beyond Nuclear's Kevin Kamps NRC's conflict of interest, grounds for intervention, short sightedness... a mess worthy of a soap opera, courtesy of the NRC. Kevin cuts through the "bovine feces" to the truth.
Next: what has been going on at the WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) in Carlsbad New Mexico since the February 14, 2014 radiation leak with Don Hancock with the Southwest Information & Research Center. Plus numbnuts of the week, shoutouts, and much much more. From Tues, Sept 2, 2014. With Libby HaLevy.
"OOPS" says TEPCO, Unit 3 at Fukushima shit fell into the spent fuel pool ~ 3 feet by 5 1/2 feet wide and 180 pounds. Were plutonium laced fuel rods damaged? "Oh, no, nothing significant changed" said TEPCO, but significant was not defined nor extra radiation readings taken. PS: a 5.2 mag earthquake hits off the Fukushima coast this week as Thyroid cases soar.
Kevin Kamps at Beyond Nuclear.org (guest appears at approx 24:30 into this video) http://beyondnuclear.squarespace.com/...
Kevin Kamps: Radioactive Waste Watchdog
Kevin
Kamps specializes in high-level waste management and transportation;
new and existing reactors; decommissioning; Congress watch; climate
change; federal subsidies.Click on Kevin's name to open full bio. A
more detailed bio can be found here. kevin@beyondnuclear.org.
301.270.2209 x 1
Fukushima:
A Demonic Chain Reaction (by Kevin Kamps)
Kevin
Kamps, a specialist in the management and transport of nuclear
high-level waste for the group "Beyond Nuclear" (Beyond
Nuclear) summarizes the main risks here, accidents and incidents
related to the nuclear industry since its inception, the "Manhattan
Project", the race for the nuclear bomb that will be dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It
also draws a parallel between the various accidents in the United
States and Japan, which are very similar. Is it really surprising
when you know the involvement of the United States in the development
of nuclear energy in Japan after the war, with "Atoms for Peace"
program (Atoms for Peace) launched by Eisenhower in 1953 and the
involvement of the CIA?
It
will also discuss the concealment of information on security breaches
in the nuclear industry, and frequent collusion between regulators
and industry.
"NATO
and the United States should change their policy because the time
when they dictate their conditions to the world has passed,"
Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Dushanbe, capital of the Central
Asian republic of Tajikistan
Experts
Warn Of ‘Inevitable’ Fukushima Disaster In California
Anthony
Gucciardi
Since
the catastrophic meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear power plant
in March of 2011 irreparably altered the state of the planet for
the known future, the incident has been shrouded in nothing
but bureaucratic cover ups and government-backed disinformation.
Now, within our own borders, top experts turned whistleblowers are
warning of a nuclear nightmare that could surpass Fukushima and
Chernobyl alike by leaps and bounds.
Initially
listed as a Level 4 incident on the International Nuclear Event
Scale, pressure from scientists on an international level ultimately
led to
Fukushima’s classification as a maximum Level 7 accident within
the INES system
— with some suggesting an entirely new level was needed to
describe the
true impact and
atrocity of the nuclear meltdown. Now, even after witnessing what
happens when a major power plant is placed within the crosshairs of
earthquake activity, a ‘new Fukushima’ is sitting off the Central
Coast within California’s Diablo Canyon.
And
top level nuclear experts, including a senior federal nuclear
inspector turned whistleblower, are warning that the California-based
plant is a sitting radioactive duck amid the nearby faults that have
actually been found to be more dangerous than previously thought.
Back in 2008, a new fault known as the Shoreline fault was discovered
just offshore from the Diablo Canyon nuclear facility: a
discovery that truly changes everything about the ‘safety’ of the
California plant.
The
whistleblower and former federal inspector of the plant, Michael
Peck, has
even presented
his case highlighting the serious hazards of the plant he used to
oversee to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a
highly confidential report. National organizations are already
calling attention to Peck’s finding and reports, with senior
strategist Damon Moglen of Friends of the Earth International
stating:
“We
agree with him that Diablo Canyon is vulnerable to earthquakes and
must be shut down immediately. Rather than the NRC keeping this a
secret, there must be a thorough investigation with public hearings
to determine whether these reactors can operate safely.”
Yet
it appears that the general public is not even being made aware of
what’s really going on, let alone the real threat that they face on
a national and international level.
As
usual, the general public is not being told about ways in which they
can prepare themselves for a nuclear meltdown. Instead, government
officials were caught back in February stockpiling iodine
stores in
excess of 14 million doses in
a purchase order that came conveniently after reports began surfacing
over another possible meltdown at the Fukushima plant. The doses
will be enough for many officials and federal employees, however the
public will be forced to fend for themselves — and they will not
even be told about the necessity of iodine nor how they can better
prepare their families for a radioactive scenario.
The
reality is that even getting a hold of low quality potassium iodide,
which I would not ever personally take over a higher quality form of
pure iodine, is becoming difficult as the population becomes aware of
Fukushima’s expansive dangers. Many manufacturers are now
stockpiling raw iodine and holding on to the element as a form of
investment with the knowledge that Fukushima may very well meltdown
in the coming months. For this reason, we have had a very hard time
securing nascent iodine formulas that
many in the field of
preparedness have been stockpiling for quite some time.
Fukushima Radiation Continues As Experts Warn Of ‘American Fukushima’
But
even outside out Peck’s analysis and years of experience as a
nuclear inspector at the federal level, numerous high level
scientists and researchers have been speaking out about the
continuation of Fukushima’s devastating effects and the need to
further stabilize and shutdown nuclear plants along the fault lines
throughout the United States — and California is not the only
region in question. Even another earthquake affecting Japan could
lead to the ‘evacuation of North America’, according to
scientists David Suzuki.
In
statements made during a presentation on water ecology at
the University of Alberta, award winning scientist David
Suzuki went on
record in saying that
in the event of another seven or above earthquake, which he says has
about a 95% chance of occurring over the next three years, it would
require a complete evacuation of North America and mean ‘bye bye
Japan’.
“I
have seen a paper which says that if in fact the fourth plant goes
under in an earthquake and those rods are exposed, it’s bye bye
Japan and everybody on the west coast of North America should
evacuate,” he said.
Specifically
speaking to the nature of Fukushima’s ticking time bomb, Suzuki
began the breakdown of the plant’s numerous threats with stating
the very real concept that Fukushima is perhaps the largest threat to
both humanity and the planet that we face in the immediate future.
“Fukushima
is the most terrifying situation I can imagine,” he said before
delving into the issue. “Three out of the four plants were
destroyed in the earthquake and in the tsunami. The fourth one has
been so badly damaged that the fear is, if there’s another
earthquake of a seven or above that, that building will go and then
all hell breaks loose… And the probability of a seven or above
earthquake in the next three years is over 95 per cent.”
And
Suzuki is not the only one with major concerns. In fact, Suzuki is
perhaps one of the very few who actually received media attention due
to his celebrity status as a recipient of 16 significant
academic awards and host of the popular CBC Television program
entitled ‘The
Nature of Things’. Yale
University professor Charles Perrow has voiced similar concerns in a
telling piece
entitled ‘Fukushima
Forever’, which highlights the very serious threat of nuclear
meltdown as a result of human error when it comes to removing the
plant’s spent fuel rods.
A
danger that the United States government certainly recognizes as
legitimate based on the analysis of top experts, and undoubtedly is
silently preparing for behind the scenes.
Perrow
writes:
Much more serious is the danger that the spent fuel rod pool at the top of the nuclear plant number four will collapse in a storm or an earthquake, or in a failed attempt to carefully remove each of the 1,535 rods and safely transport them to the common storage pool 50 meters away. Conditions in the unit 4 pool, 100 feet from the ground, are perilous, and if any two of the rods touch it could cause a nuclear reaction that would be uncontrollable. The radiation emitted from all these rods, if they are not continually cool and kept separate, would require the evacuation of surrounding areas including Tokyo. Because of the radiation at the site the 6,375 rods in the common storage pool could not be continuously cooled; they would fission and all of humanity will be threatened, for thousands of years.
The
Fukushima nuclear nightmare is far from over, and even now the
disaster is being extremely mishandled and blatantly ignored by plant
operator company TEPCO and the Japanese government. In the event of
an American Fukushima within California, which would in fact be much
more devastating, there is truly no telling how much of a fatal blow
would be dealt to humanity.
List
Of All 30+ Global
Nuclear Reactor Melt Downs
8
April, 2014
The
following is as complete a list as
possible of all nuclear
reactor melt
downs that
have happened globally. This list is incomplete, and the total number
of melt
downs is
not fixed, as the secrecy and/or relabeling around these reactor melt
downs prevents
a full accounting. The total number of melt
downs may
be less, put it is probably more than what is itemized here. This
list includes a reactor fire, (Windscale) and 1 spent fuel pool
meltdowns (Fukushima). If what are labeled as “criticality
excursions” the number would be higher. The following events all
qualify as being equal to meltdowns and/or releasing massive amounts
of radiation.
What
is surprising to most people is the fact that there are many more
than just 3 nuclear reactor melt downs that the pro nuclear
apologists try to promote along with the myth about nuclear reactor
safety. What is even more shocking, are the hundreds, if not
thousands of accidents, spills and radioactive contamination caused
by the pursuit nuclear weapons, hidden in plain sight.
So
the next time someone starts talking about how there were only 3
nuclear reactor melt downs, feel free to correct them by saying; “You
really meant to say 30 or more, right?”
1942
– First Nuclear Reactor – Chicago Pile I Hidden In Open Sight;
via A Green
Road
1952
– NRX Reactor
Melted Down in Ontario, Canada; via
@AGreenRoadhttp://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/04/1952-nrx-reactor-melted-down-in-ontario.html
1955
EBR – Experimental Breeder
Reactor Melts
Down; via
@AGreenRoadhttp://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2014/03/1955-ebr-experimental-breeder-reactor.html
1957
Windscale Sellafield: Biggest Covered Up UK Nuclear Disaster? via
@AGreenRoad
1959,
1964, 1969 Santa Susana Sodium Reactor In Los
Angeles California;
3 Nuclear Plant Meltdowns Completely Covered Up, 260 Times Worse Than
Three Mile Island; via
@AGreenRoad
1961
– Nuclear Reactor Meltdown : The SL-1 Accident – United States
via
@AGreenRoad
1964
– Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Meltdown And Explosion SL-1 –
Idaho, United States via
@AGreenRoad
1964
to 1966, 3 Or More SNAP Nuclear Reactors Melted Down; via
@AGreenRoad
1967
– Chapelcross Nuclear
Power Plant And
Reprocessing Facility In Scotland Melted Down; via
@AGreenRoad
1977
– A1 Nuclear Power Plant at Jaslovské Bohunice, Czechoslovakia,
Melted Down; via
@AGreenRoad
1978
Pinawa Manitoba Nuclear Reactor Partial Meltdown; via @AGreenRoad
1979
– Three Mile Island Meltdown And Radiation Release Coverup Exposed
– 1 Billion Curies Released; via
@AGreenRoad
1980
– Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant Melt Down Accident In France;
via
@AGreenRoad
1985
– LOFT Nuclear Reactor Melted Down On Purpose; via
@AGreenRoad
1986
– Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Melts Out And Blows Up; Denial Of 1
Million + Casualties; via
@AGreenRoad
1988
– Pickering I Nuclear Reactor In Ontario Canada Melted Down;
via @AGreenRoad
1989
– Germany Greifswald Unit 5 (KGR-5) Nuclear Power Plant Melted
Down; via
@AGreenRoad
2011
– Fukushima Triple Reactor Meltdown/Meltthrough, Japan Suffered 3
Mega Disasters, Now Suffering From 4th Mega Nuclear Disaster, USA
Will Be Next; via
@AGreenRoad
2011
– Fukushima Spent Fuel Pool #4 Contained
A Full Load of MOX Plutonium Fuel; It Melted Down, Exploded And
Burned; via
@AGreenRoad
Lists
of 100+ Worst Nuclear Disasters And Radioactivity Release Incidents;
via
@AGreenRoad
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