The ecological disaster of Fukushima is far from being over. Two years after the unprecedented nuclear accident in Japan the woldwide impact of this catastrophe is being felt in the greater Pacific region:
"...a new study from Daniel J. Madigan of Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station suggests that even waters in the East Pacific aren’t safe from the radiation. Bluefin off the coast of Japan are still showing signs of contamination almost two years after the incident, and migration patterns suggest that fish floundering near the other side of the ocean will continue to show evidence of radiation. And because relatively young Bluefin may have spent the majority of their lives in radioactive ocean waters near Japan, even infant fish are testing positive for radiation all this time later..." (1) More and more fish off the coast as far as from Alaska to California, especially tuna show high radiation poisoning. The radiation typically settles in their muscular tissue, so the parts which are being processed for human consumption. But also in Japan, where several months ago, a greenling fish was caught with 5100 times the normal radiation rate, a bottom-dwelling fish was caught just in front of the Dai'ichi Nuclear power point which measured a record 740,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in it's body. That's roughly 7400 times the normal level of radiation. (2) Many experts have argued that this is a proof that still a lot of radioactive material is leaking into the Pacific ocean. The decrepit state of the melt-down reactors which cannot be reached by the scientists and liquidators are probably the source of it. Senior Japanese Diplomat (3) Akio Matusmura believes that the meltdown in Unit 1,2,3 are an uncontrollable and real threat to Japan and the world. Another criticality event could lead to a huge explosion and catastrophic event of truly epic proportions. In addition the poor state of the cooling pools especially in unit 4 are also a source of a potential new catastrophe in Fukushima. It is indeed a tragic situation in Japan. The newly elected PM Shinzo Abe, has promised to relaunch Nuclear energy in Japan. For many Westerners this seems absolutely unsound and hard to follow. However, the greatest energy consumption in Japan is in Tokyo and Yokohama Bay, far away from the contaminated regions of Fukushima. The debate in the capital and metropole is concerned only about their energy supply. Nothing more. Because the energy generated in Fukushima, was never for the people in the region, it was to satisfy the needs of Tokyo Bay making it grotesque that those affected by the disaster did not even get their energy from the Fukushima Dai'ichi Powerplant. (1) http://rt.com/usa/tuna-fukushima-radiation-238/ (2) http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/03/18/high-cesium-found-fish-fukushima-plant.html http://rt.com/news/radiation-fish-fukushima-japan-385/ (3) http://akiomatsumura.com/2013/03/crisis-and-opportunity-politics-in-japan-and-the-united-nations-2.html
Fukushima Cleanup Workers dumping radioactive Waste into River
ASAHI SHIMBUN (c) 2012-2013
Japanese ASAHI Reporters have observed incognito over a week the work of Fukushima clean up squadrons and workers. They have observed highly questionable and ludicrous methods of radioactive waste dumping into the wild and into rivers as well as shoddy clean up techniques that now have led to a government investigation:
Government investigates illegal dumping of high level nuclear waste
The government will investigate decontamination work around the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant following reports that potentially radioactive debris has been dumped into the environment, even during the preparatory stage of the program.
“It is extremely regrettable,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Jan. 7. [...] Some cleanup crews said they were told to dump potentially radioactive debris into rivers even during preparations to establish bases for full-scale decontamination efforts around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. [...]
Some of them said they dumped branches, leaves and water after cleaning local government offices and other places that would serve as bases for the full-scale decontamination [...] 1
Not a single case - but over months the same technique:
[...] on Dec. 17, a worker in Naraha was observed using a pressurized sprayer to clean the veranda of a private home. Because no protective sheet was installed, water splashed the walls of neighboring structures.In some cases, radiation levels at homes have even increased after decontamination, leading some workers to suspect that radioactive materials were blown into the area by wind. [...] 2
Subcontractor's dump illegally nuclear waste into rivers:
[...] Kajima Corp. was part of the joint venture that won the contract to decontaminate forests in Tamura. On Nov. 16 and 17, four workers for a tertiary subcontractor in their 40s and 50s were instructed to gather fallen leaves and stems along a slope by a river–and to dump it into the water. The 3 cubic meters turned the river brown.
A 43-year-old man who was part of that group took an Asahi Shimbun reporter to the site. A pile of leaves was found at the bottom of the slope by the river. The man came from Toyama Prefecture and ended the work on Dec. 26.
“Even though I was following an order, I am sorry for polluting the river,” the man said. 3
Fukushima – Das erste “Tschernobyl” des 21. Jahrhunderts
Seit mehreren Monaten nun versuchen die japanische Regierung und die staatlichen Medienhäuser die Katastrophe von Fukushima herunterzuspielen. Ähnlich wie bei der Desinformations- und Propagandakampagne der Sowjetunion nach dem Super-Gau in Tschernobyl verschleiern japanische Medien und Autoritäten das wahre Ausmass um die 4 havarierten Reaktoren und 6 beschädigten Kühlbecken in Fukushima.
Spätestens seit den letzten Wochen liegt dieses aus Lügen und Verschleierungen aufgebaute Kartenhaus jedoch in Trümmern: Allein in den letzten 14 Tagen überschlugen sich die Nachrichten aus Japan: Eine internationale Studie fand schwerwiegende Mutationen in mehreren Schmetterlingsarten. Die Schmetterlinge litten an typischen Mutationen die auf überhöhte Aussetzung mit Cäsium zurückzuführen sind. Nicht nur fand man überdimensionierte Flügel, deformierte Augen in einer sondern gleich mehreren Generationen der japanischen Falterart.
Auch die ersten Studien über den Impakt der Katastrophe auf das Leben im Ozean lassen nichts Gutes erahnen: 21 Meilen entfernt vom Kraftwerk wurden Fische mit Rekordwerten an Cäsium gefangen, 285 000 Bq pro Kilogramm! Als Gegenbeispiel, in Deutschland mass man nach der Tschernobylkatastrophe einen Wert von rund 4900Bq/kg in bayrischen Wildschweinen. Ähnlich alarmierende Werte wurden bei Makakaffen in der Präfektur Fukushima von der „Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University“ nachgewiesen.
Doch auch in Menschen kann die verheerende Strahlung bereits nachgemessen werden: Japanische Ärzte und Strahlenforscher vom “Medical Science Institute” an der Universität Tokyo, berichteten vor Kurzem, über ältere Menschen die sich nur mit Gemüse, Pilzen und Bambussprossen aus der Nähe des havarierten Atommeilers ernährten. Bei ihnen konnte mittlerweile eine Belastung von
20 000 Becquerel pro Körper nachgewiesen werden. Als Vergleich: Wildschweine welche im Bayrischen Wald geschossen werden und eine Belastung von 600 Becquerel aufweisen müssen als “Sondermüll” entsorgt werden. Auch bei Kindern, deren Immunsystem noch nicht ganz entwickelt ist, sind die verheerenden Folgen der Strahlung bereits nachweisbar: Von 38000 getesteten Kindern aus der Fukushima Präfektur waren bei rund 13000 unter ihnen bereits Zyste und Knoten von 5mm oder weniger nachweisbar, was darauf hindeutet, dass diese Kinder ein erhöhtes Krebsrisiko haben.
Im havarierten Kraftwerk gilt noch immer der Ausnahmezustand: Laut Aussagen von mehreren Liquidatoren, den Mitarbeitern welche die Aufräumarbeiten im Kraftwerk unter unvorstellbaren Bedingungen erfüllen, werden immer mehr Jugendliche und Minderjährige von der Betreiber TEPCO eingesetzt. TEPCO hat mittlerweile auch zugegeben, dass nur die Schichtleiter mit teils Dosimetern( einem Gerät welche das Ausmass der täglichen radioaktiven Dosis berechnet) ausgestattet sind, und somit bei Tausenden Arbeitern nicht einmal gewusst ist, welchen Strahlungswerten sie ausgesetzt sind.
Die Entscheidung Japans bis 2040 ganz aus der Atomenergie auszusteigen kann man unter diesen Umständen schon fast begrüssen. Wäre da nicht der bittere Beigeschmack, dass trotz “Fukushima” zwei weitere neue Meiler in Japan in den nächsten Jahren ans Netz gehen werden. 2040 mag dann Japan “atomfrei” sein, aber das gefährliche nukleare Erbe der Fukushima Katastrophe wird bis dahin noch immer nicht behoben sein.
Since the Fukushima catastrophe, several politicians, publishers, "scientists" and journalists tried to sell us the story that nothing happened in Fukushima. We knew better from the beginning but the studies and results from the last week regarding the effect of Fukushima radiation on wild life has shown us once more, how dangerous nuclear power really is. First of all, a study was published on Muration in butterflies around Fukushima. A large number of butterflies showes deformities in larvae and also in adult animals with deformed wings, antennae and eyes in several generations: Radiation that leaked from the Fukushima nuclear plant following last year's tsunami caused mutations in some butterflies — including dented eyes and stunted wings — though humans seem relatively unaffected, researchers say.The mutations are the first evidence that the radiation has caused genetic changes in living organisms. (via kval.com) It is likely that the first generation of butterflies suffered both physical damage fromradiation sicknessand genetic damage from the massive exposure to radioactive isotopes after the disaster, the researchers reported. This generation passed on their genetic mutations to their offspring, who then acquired their own genetic defects from eating radioactive leaves and from exposure to low levels of radiation remaining in the environment. The cumulative effect caused successive generations to develop more serious physical abnormalities. "Note that every generation was continuously exposed," said Otaki.
Mousseau said, "This study adds to the growing evidence that low-dose radiation can lead to significant increases in mutations and deformities in wild animal populations."
The findings are consistent with previous studies in Japan and at Chernobyl, Mousseau added. "The ecological studies that we have conducted found that the entire butterfly community in Fukushima was depressed in radioactive areas, as were the birds, and that the patterns seen in Fukushima were similar to what has been observed in Chernobyl. If the plants and animals are mutating and dying, this should be cause for significant public concern." (via livescience.com)
As a comparison: the highest caesium contamination found in a wild bore in Western Europe after the Chernobyl incident was 4900bq/kg in a Bavarian wild boar. Japanese Fishermen are not allowed to fish in the zone where this fish was caught, but the fishery exclusion zone spreads only a small area of 30 square miles.
Today, Nuclear activists around the world were shocked to hear that: The operator Tokyo Electric Power Co said Tuesday it had found 25,800 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive caesium in greenling, 258 times higher than the government safety standard. Fishing in waters off the plant has been voluntarily restricted since the nuclear disaster at the plant, which went into meltdown after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Less than a month after the start of the disaster, Tokyo Electric dumped more than 11,000 tons of wastewater containing radioactive substances into the Pacific. (via times.co.za)
The radiation was caused by a meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima power plant after it was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The disaster was so intense that contaminated fish were caught all the way across the Pacific Ocean, on the California coast. But it’s not only aquatic life that is suffering from side effects of the leaked radiation. According to researchers, the radiation has caused mutations in some butterflies, giving them dented eyes, malformed legs and antennae, and stunted wings. The results show the butterflies were deteriorating both physically and genetically. But the harmful risks don’t stop with butterflies. The radioactivity which seeped into the region’s air and water has left humans facing potentially life threatening health issues. Over a third of Fukushima children are at risk of developing cancer, according to the Sixth Report of Fukushima Prefecture Health Management Survey.The report shows that nearly 36 per cent of children in the Fukushima Prefecture have abnormal thyroid growths which pose a risk of becoming cancerous. (Via R.T)
Since these figures come from Tepco itself it is hard ower really is. After the Chernobyl Event, the European Union raised the limit from 30 Bq/kg to 360bq/kg allowing especially Eastern European mushroom and other farming products to be still imported to the E.U.
The health effect on children also becomes more and more threatening. Over a third of the kids of Fukushima are threatened by cancer or lumps:
After examining more than 38,000 children from the area, medics found that more than 13,000 have cysts or nodules as large as 5 millimeters on their thyroids, the Sixth Report of Fukushima Prefecture Health Management Survey states. In comparison, a 2001 analysis by the Japan Thyroid Association found that fully zero per cent of children in the city of Nagasaki, which suffered a nuclear attack in August of 1945, had nodules, and only 0.8 per cent had cysts on their thyroids, reports the Telegraph. Radiation enters the body and is distributed through soft tissue, especially in muscle, and then accumulates in the thyroid. It is this accumulation that can potentially lead to cancer. "Yes, 35.8 per cent of children in the study have lumps or cysts, but this is not the same as cancer,"says Naomi Takagi, an associate professor at Fukushima University Medical School Hospital, which administered the tests.(via rt.com)
In another interesting contribution, Dr.Tsubokura Shoji from the Institute of Medical Science at Tokyo University who spends 2 weeks a months in Minamisoma City General Hospital where he gives support to families affected by the Fukushima disaster. The internal specialist and hematologist describes the following cases of people contaminated by eating local food like shiitake mushrooms and vegetables:
"A man in his 70-year-old and has consulted screening WBC. It was a result of 20000Bq (!) / Body cesium-134 and 137 together about the results...
Was consulted along with the wife. The result was a result of a total of about 10000Bq/body. Also fix per body weight, and 300Bq/kg. It has come to our inspection look at several hospitals, some of the highest value that I have seen in Japan so far. There is also the value as scattered in the report, such as Belarus. This person was a referral from a certain married couple actually. Another couple is visited a couple of weeks ago, the total cesium 14000Bq/body husband, wife that I was about 8000Bq/body. When asked about the diet, it was that you eat every day and shiitake stop shipment was decided early, leek or make yourself, you can come to collect near you, bamboo shoots, dried persimmons, and garlic" (via Health Blog of Asahi.com)
For many years now, scientists and
biologists tried to grasp the effect of the aftermath of the 1986
nuclear catastrophe on biological wildlife. One of the most
contaminated areas following the event is a strip of 10 to 15
km²
of Scots pine wood (lat. pinus silvestris) The most affected zone is
approximately 2 km away from the power station:
“(the) Zone
suffered a complete loss of conifers with partial damage to hardwoods
(the so-called "Red forest"). Scholars estimate that the
level of absorbed doses of external gamma radiation exposure in
1986–1987 was 8000–10000, with the maximum extent of the dose was
500 mR/h and more. The total area of this zone is approximately 400
hectares. In this zone, the pine tree trunks completely died and pine
needles exhibited a brick color. The entire forest was virtually
"burned down"—having accumulated a significant amount of
radioactive emissions. Heavy radioactive contamination of the dead
trees led to their burial. On the territory of the "Red Forest",
immediate actions were implemented to restore the forests” (1)
Inside
of that zone heavy mutations were imminent: Pine trees looked more
like bushes then trees, gigantism and also deformity in the branches
were very common. The less affected zones don't show as many
deformities, nevertheless, the trees suck up radionucleides and
especially wildfires are an important risk for releasing more
radioactivity trough smoke clouds that could easily affect all of
Europe.
In
1992, a large wildfire burnt down undetected and released massive
amounts of radioactivity into the atmosphere. To this date, nothing
is known about the consequences of the great fire of 1992. Sergiy
Zibtsev, a professor from the Forestry Institute at the Kiev
University of Life Sciences is one of the few international experts
on the issue. Recently dispatched to Japan to ascertain the risks of
the Fukushima Daiich'i Nuclear Meltdowns to the wildlife in the
region. Zibtsev has worked for almost 20 years in the concerned
Chernobyl region, trying to figure out the risks and development of
forest life. He also coordinates with the 100 firefighters
permanently stationed in the area to spot wildfires:
Firefighters
in Chernobyl have one of the least enviable jobs in the world. They
spend all day up rusty Soviet watchtowers, which sway in the wind
like tin-box metronomes, and act as conductors to the huge lightning
storms which swing across the land most afternoons in summer, often
sparking fires. When they spot a wildfire, the firefighters
triangulate its location by radio. Teams jump aboard big, red, Soviet
fire trucks, and lumber along cracked, overgrown roads to the source
of the blaze...They believe they know when they are fighting a
radioactive fire - they experience a tingling, metallic sensation in
their skin - but they do not fully understand the serious dangers of
being exposed to superheated radioactive particles... Sergiy
(Zbitsev) says more big wildfires in Chernobyl like the one in 1992
would be catastrophic for Ukraine's image, and potentially
devastating for farmland right across Europe. (2)
During
a recent visit near the exclusion zone and the heavily contaminated
areas of Southern Belarus, I wanted to have a closer look on trees
and how they were affected by the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe. I had
read in several studies, especially in Nesterenko & Yablokov's
“Consequences of Chernobyl on Environment (N.Y Academy of Sciences
2008) that even in trees far away from the powerplant in Ukraine,
Belarus and Russia, the affect of radiation can be seen directly with
a different color of the year ring in the tree trunk, showing that
the tree's growth rate and biological circle were heavily affected bt
the incident. Incidentally, trees outside of the heavily contaminated
areas of Southern Belarus show the same characteristics as the trees
that were studied by Nesterenko and Yablokov: The year 1986 is in
most trees visible and from that period their growth and the color of
their stem changes dramatically. On the following pictures this can
be observed very well:
Picture clearly showing the growth change and radiation marks on the year rings. Picture taken in Southern Belarus, Gomel Region 2012 CC SA 2.0 Share & give credit to blog & name
On Wednesday, a new
videoscope of the basement of the crippled reactor 1 at the Fukushima
Dai'chi Nuclear power plant showed disturbingly high levels of
radiation. Japanese engineers inserted a camera trough the
canalization system into the basement. Just above the radioactive
waters, the engineers measured an alarming high level of 10300
milisieverts/hours. In this environment, means a Japanese nuclear
power plant worker would reach his year limit within 15 to 20
seconds. 20 to 30 minutes would be enough to render a perfectly
healthy adult very sick. Symptoms of acute radiation sickness would
appear resulting in death by heart or multiple organ failure. Tepco
announced yesterday that the other accidented units 2 and 3 don't
show such a high level of radiation. Nevertheless over 1 Sievert
(1000milisievert/h) have been measured in outside these units. Tepco announced that the demolition and clean up of the crippled reactors might take up to 50 years.
But also 70km away from Fukushima, a study shows high radioactive pollution of children's playgrounds(*) with up to 100 000 BQ/kg, again demonstrating how radiation has spread all over Japan. Samples were taken from Kashiwa and Saga-City playgrounds.
Meanwhile the biggest Japanese Anti-Nuclear and civil protests and demonstrations since the 1960s are rallying up to 200'000people. Protesters showed their anger about the Government's decision to restart nuclear reactors. However the protest is met by a country and region wide media blackout:
For
a long time, not much had been know about the 1957
Nuclear incident inMayak in the Ural Mountains
of central Russia. The incident which many scientists have ruled as
one of the worst in history continues to cause many problems in the
concerned region.
(c) O. Connolly - Nadezha Kutepova during the 2011 Ceremony of the "Nuclear Free Future Award"
I spoke with Nadezha Kutepova, Russian environmentalist, sociologist and lawyer born in Ozersk one of the many cities in the Chelyabinsk region, most affected by the Mayak incident. As founder and director of the "Planeta Nadezhd" (engl. Planet of Hopes) NGO, Nadezha Kutepova has lead many court cases and supported over 100 victims and their families for recognition in the Chelyabinsk region, but also in front of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. She is the laureate of the 2011 "Nuclear Free Future Award".
The
1957 incident was the first important accident in the Nuclear Age.
For nearly 30 years it was covered up by the Soviet Union? What
happened in Mayak and how could the USSR cover up this event for so
long?
September
29, 1957 underground tank with high level of liquid radioactive waste
exploded in Ozersk (former name Chelyabinsk-65), where Mayak nuclear
plant is situated. 20 billions curie of radioactivity in atmosphere
and area 23 000 sq.km was contaminated. Officially, information
about accident of 1957 was opened only after Chernobyl accident, the
reason is the Soviet Government kept secret because nuclear
production was a “state secret”. I know that also US American
Government had known information about this accident exactly after
the accident. The US Government just began to transform military
nuclear program to nuclear energy and NPPs, for them was unprofitable
that anybody knows about consequences and will be protest against
«safe nuclear energy”. My father was victim of this accident, he
lived at Sverdlovsk and was mobilized to do the clean up job after
accident aged 18, he had terrible cancer as consequences of clean up
job and died from it when I was 13.
You
yourself were born in the contaminated area in the Chelyabinsk
region. Can you tell us about your experience of growing up in that
region?
From
one side it was usual life of usual child in provincial soviet city.
I have never known anything about nuclear contamination until 1990
year. When information was opened for publicity. From another side I
was born and grow up in closed city – soldiers defended our city
with fence with border wires and when I was leaving it during summer
vacation – parents always reminded me do not tell anybody from each
city I am from for reason of state secret and threat of prison.
Still
today many people suffer from the consequences of the incident. What
are the problems of the people you support? How do you help
them?
As
human rights lawyer I regularly make legal consultations for people
of my region, I identify problems, find ways how to defend them and
defend them in different levels, including local or regional
authority, local or regional court and also European court of human
rights.
How
are officials responding to the efforts of you and your organization?
Is there a problem of arbitrariness in the Justice system?
Ever
2 years ago, me and my NGO had terrible pressure from state and
intimidation. Now the situation is a little bit better, I am advisor
of regional ombudsman and our region has new and young Government.
Problems that occurred are for example if is it defense of
human and social rights, it is little bit easier than to defense
environmental rights or human right in closed city. But I also
have threats from officials for example for our "Techa river
case", where we prove contamination of Techa and try to obligate
"Rosatom" and Government to build sarcophagus and isolate
Techa river because regional Government want to receive huge taxes
from Mayak for import of nuclear spent fuel from foreign countries,
but our activity about Techa river for opinion of regional
Government does not allow for Mayak to take NSF and restricts region
of taxes of Mayak. They demand to stop any anti-nuclear activity.
I
can’t to tell that there is problem of arbitrariness in the Justice
system, I can say about pressure of officials for Justice System. It
looks so – usually court takes law’s position of official party
not the side of applicants, it means that law and facts has no
meaning for court, only position of officials.
What
are the main challenges for the next decade in the Chelyabinsk area?
I
can tell about main environmental problems in a summary:
1.
Mayak nuclear contamination
2.
Karabash steel’s production contamination
3.
Chelyabinsk steel’s production contamination l
According
to new studies, broken pipes and bad maintenance at the Mayak
facility have contaminated probably for many decades the grounds and
rivers like the "Tetcha"? Can the real amplitude of Mayak
actually be measured?
Yes
it is true, Techa is most dirty nuclear river, I think now we can
name it "open storage of nuclear waste". I think also we
will never know about real amplitude of Mayak, we have only little
part opened information. Mayak and "Rosatom" resistances.
They hide everything what they can . As, I told above we began court
proceeding against Russian government and Rosatom to isolate Techa,
because still 3 villages with more than 3000 people live near Techa
and use water for every day needs. Court make it very slowly, try by
different ways to stop it, but we continue. For example we could
receive Judgment of former director of Mayak with dates of Prosecutor
that Mayak spilled nuclear waste even in 2004! Earlier "Rosatom"
lied that they finished the clean-up work in 1962. If we can do it
and will win the case, we can finally to isolate Techa, will move
people and create evacuation zone.
What
can I do, or interested people outside of Russia to help the victims
of Mayak? Where can we find information and how can we help?
They
can help for victims personally or through me or our NGO. One German
volunteer created web site www.mayak-victims.info,
where people can find person for whom they want to help. (the website
is still under construction) But 2 kids from this site already
received cures, clothes and little money. Also I recommend to
use www.antiatom.ru and www.bellona.no for
receiving more information about Mayak and consequences of it
activity. To get to know us, ARTE made a movie about our NGO
work: http://www.arte.tv/de/Die-Welt-verstehen/arte-reportage/ARTE-Reportage/3791320,CmC=3791326.html
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