Akio Matsumura l Finding the Missing Link  11 May, 2012

The highly radioactive spent fuel assemblies at the Fukushima-Daiichi power plants present a clear threat to the people of Japan and the world. Reactor 4 and the nearby common spent fuel pool contain over 11,000 highly radioactive spent fuel assemblies, many of which are exposed to the open air. The cesium-137, the radioactive component contained in these assemblies, present at the site is 85 times larger than the amount released during the Chernobyl accident. Another magnitude 7.0 earthquake would jar them from their pool or stop the cooling water, which would lead to a nuclear fire and meltdown. The nuclear disaster that would result is beyond anything science has ever seen.  Calling it a global catastrophe is no exaggeration.

If political leaders understand the situation and the potential catastrophe, I find it difficult to understand why they remain silent.

The following leaves little to question:

1. Many scientists believe that it will be impossible to remove the 1,535 fuel assemblies in the pool of Reactor 4 within two or three years.
2. Japanese scientists give a greater than 90 percent  probability that an earthquake of at least 7.0 magnitude will occur in the next three years in the close vicinity of Fukushia-Daiichi.
3. The crippled building of Reactor 4 will not stand through another strong earthquake.
4. Japan and the TEPCO do not have adequate nuclear technology and experience to handle a disaster of such proportions alone.

http://akiomatsumura.com/2012/05/fukushima-daiichi-it-may-be-too-late-unless-the-military-steps-in.html

In the wake of Fukushima the U.S. government and the NRC make no significant changes in aid of safety, instead weakening existing regulations and stonewalling attempts at enforcement and attempts to make safety more robust.

JEFF DONN, AP National Writer l Orlando Sentinal  16 May 2012

Without fanfare, the nation's nuclear power regulators have overhauled community emergency planning for the first time in more than three decades, requiring fewer exercises for major accidents and recommending that fewer people be evacuated right away.

Nuclear watchdogs voiced surprise and dismay over the quietly adopted revamp — the first since the program began after Three Mile Island in 1979. Several said they were unaware of the changes until now, though they took effect in December.

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Fairewinds l 15 May, 2012

Arnie Gundersen, Chief Engineer of Fairewinds, demonstrates what has happened inside the replacement steam generators at the site of the San Onofre nuclear generating station in San Diego, California. Arnie shows that steam generator tube vibrations have caused extensive damage due to design changes between the original and replacement generator tubes.

Associated Material

TED talks: Ideas worth spreading l Amory Lovins  May 2012

In this intimate talk filmed at TED's offices, energy theorist Amory Lovins lays out the steps we must take to end the world's dependence on oil (before we run out). Some changes are already happening -- like lighter-weight cars and smarter trucks -- but some require a bigger vision.

In his new book, "Reinventing Fire," Amory Lovins shares ingenious ideas to for the next era of energy.

What if we could make energy do our work without working our undoing?” (Amory Lovins)

Full bio »

Japanese governement takes control of TEPCO effecticvely nationalizing the failing energy giant. Once again, this proves the tremendous financial risk posed by nuclear liability to everyone. The cost of the Fukushima accident is one no-one can afford. The ramifications: financial, environmental, and in terms of public health danger will effect much of the world in at least some part, before the accident is over. Judging by the effects of Chernobyl, which still haunt Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and much of Europe, it is becoming more clear that nuclear accidents of this scale never really end.

Washington Post l Chico Harlan  9 May 2012

TOKYO — Japan’s government on Wednesday approved a 1 trillion-yen, or $12.6 billion, bailout for the operator of the disaster-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, putting the giant utility under temporary state control as it continues to deal with the extensive damage at the facility.

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Today Japan is nuclear power free, a good day for them, a promising day for the world. But lest naysayers weigh in, or people become overconfident, the radiation from Japan's damaged reactors will haunt them for a very long time, just as it will haunt much of the northern hemisphere in differing degrees. So, let's power down the world's reactors before this happens again. As the Japanese are finding, they can't "take back" Fukushima. We won't be able to "take back" the next accident either. Children in the areas around Chernobyl are still getting sick in shocking numbers. There was no "take back" for them. Chernobyl, like Fukushima, is still in many ways still happening. It is time to say enough, and move on to the many safer, truly sustainable choices available to us. Let this day be a sign we are moving toward a saner energy future.

By YURI KAGEYAMA | Associated Press – Sat, May 5, 2012

TOKYO (AP) — Thousands of Japanese marched to celebrate the switching off of the last of their nation's 50 nuclear reactorsSaturday, waving banners shaped as giant fish that have become a potent anti-nuclear symbol...

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For the independence of WHO

«The World Health Organisation (WHO) is failing in its duty to protect those populations who are victims of radioactive contamination.»

8 - APRIL - 2012

IndependentWHO is organising a «  Scientific and Citizen Forum on Radioprotection : from Chernobyl to Fukushima » on May 12th 2012 in Geneva.

The real health consequences of Chernobyl, and of all nuclear activities, have been covered up. The World Health Organisation, the international health authority, is subordinate to the nuclear lobby and has abdicated all responsibility in matters of radiation and health.

With the Fukushima catastrophe, it is ever more urgent for citizens and independent scientists to assume responsibility together for research and information in this critical area of public health.

The Forum, which will take place in Geneva, will bring together independent scientists, citizens groups and health professionals, from the Chernobyl region, Fukushima and elsewhere in the world, in order to share information and initiate citizen action aimed at ensuring radioprotection for the world’s people.

There will be events on all three days of the forum :

- A Press Conference, on Friday 11th May, between 10 and 12 o’clock, at the Club suisse de la presse ;

- The Forum, Saturday 12th May, at the Ecumenical Centre, 150 route de Ferney.

- A round table discussion between speakers and the public, Sunday morning, 13 th May, at La Maison des associations.

http://independentwho.org/en/2012/04/08/forum-on-radioprotection/

ClimateProgress.org l  Joe Romm    April 6, 2011

‘Forgetting by doing’? Real escalation in reactor investment costs

Drawing on largely unknown public records, the paper reveals for the first time both absolute as well as yearly and specific reactor costs and their evolution over time. Its most significant finding is that even this most successful nuclear scale-up was characterized by a substantial escalation of real-term construction costs.

Fig. 13.  Average and min/max reactor construction costs per year of completion date for US and France versus cumulative capacity completed

We’ve known for a while that the cost of new nuclear power plants in this county have been soaring (see Nuclear power: The price is not right and Exclusive analysis: The staggering cost of new nuclear power).

Read full text at ClimateProgress.org

Green Action Japan l May 2, 2012

Press Release——Fukushima

Coalition Sends Urgent Request for UN Intervention to Stabilize
the Fukushima Unit 4 Spent Nuclear Fuel

For immediate release: 2 May 2012

Kyoto, Japan—On 30 April, seventy-two Japanese NGO organizations lead by Shut Tomari and Green Action send an urgent request to the UN and Japanese government urging immediate action to stabilize the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 spent nuclear fuel. The letter was endorsed by experts from Japan and abroad.

The letter warned that the seriously damaged Unit 4 spent nuclear fuel pool contains Cesium-137 (Cs-137) that is equivalent to 10 times the amount released at the time of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. If an earthquake or other event were to cause this pool to drain, this could result in a catastrophic radiological fire.

The letter urged the United Nations to organize a Nuclear Security Summit to take up the crucial problem of the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 spent nuclear fuel pool. The letter stated that the United Nations should establish an independent assessment team on Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 and coordinate international assistance in order to stabilize the unit’s spent nuclear fuel and prevent radiological consequences with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Letters were sent to both UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, the latter asking that Japan ask immediately for the UN’s help.

Nearly all of the 10,893 spent fuel assemblies at the Fukushima Daiichi plant sit in pools vulnerable to future earthquakes, with roughly 85 times more long-lived radioactivity than released at Chernobyl.

Kaori Izumi of Shut Tomari stated, “Fukushima Daiichi is no longer a Japanese issue but is an international issue. It is imperative for the Japanese government and the international community to work together on this crisis before it becomes too late.”

Nuclear experts from the US and Japan such as Arnie Gundersen, Robert Alvarez, Hiroaki Koide, Masashi Goto, and Mitsuhei Murata, a former Japanese ambassador to Switzerland, and, Akio Matsumura, a former UN diplomat have continually warned against the high risk of the Fukushima Unit 4 spent nuclear fuel pool.

Shut Tomari and Green Action are seeking endorsements from civil organizations abroad (deadline 20 May). More Japanese civil organizations are expected to sign on in addition to the seventy-two organizations. (Deadline for signatures: 20 May.)

For full text of letter/endorsements/signatories, see: http://wp.me/p1FMPy-B6

Press release issued by:
Shut Tomari (Japan),
1-2, 6-4 Higashisapporo, Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo 003-0006 Japan
TEL: +81-90-2695-1937 FAX:+81-11-826-3796 email: kaori-izumi@ta3.so-net.ne.jp
Green Action (Japan),
Suite 103, 22-75 Tanaka Sekiden-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8203 Japan
Tel: +81-75-701-7223 Fax: +81-75-702-1952 email: info@greenaction-japan.org

Read letter here

Public release date: 1-May-2012 Experts write on the risks of low-level radiation

Los Angeles, CA (May 01, 2012) – Each time a release of radioactivity occurs, questions arise and debates unfold on the health risks at low doses—and still, just over a year after the disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, unanswered questions and unsettled debates remain. Now a special issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by SAGE, examines what is new about the debate over low-dose radiation risk, specifically focusing on areas of agreement and disagreement, including quantitative estimates of cancer risk as radiation dose increases, or what is known as the linear non-threshold theory (LNT). The issue, which includes essays written by the top experts in their fields, does not claim to put the argument to rest—however, it does provide an indispensible update of the existing literature.

As Jan Beyea, guest editor and nuclear physics and epidemiology expert, says: "The reader will be ready to join the debate armed with a broad-based view of the epidemiologic evidence and its differing interpretations, along with an awareness of the stakeholder and researcher landscape." Beyea personally contributes to the issue and deconstructs the low-level radiation debate, unpacking all its parts and illuminating what deserves more attention and scrutiny...

From 1st of May, the articles are free of charge for one month and can be accessed at http://bos.sagepub.com/. Members of the media can sign up for complimentary subscriptions by contactingpr@sagepub.co.uk for details.