/fukushima/ -

September 22, 2015

https://archive.is/dfgMy

>PHOTOS: Mutations found in sea life along US West Coast — Deformed spines, brains, hearts, eyes reported by officials — Malformations include extra brain lobes, hunchbacks, parts of face missing, unusual limbs

NOAA Fisheries https://archive.is/WZTtr , Apr 2, 2015 (emphasis added): Here is an unusual sea star collected during last year’s bottom trawl survey on the chartered West Coast fishing vessel… (Top Comment: Hmm… mutation, clearly; etiology is – what?)

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium – Local Environmental Observer https://archive.is/2dcwU , Jun 21, 2015: Deformed fish – Tununak, AK… I caught a halibut with… part of its nose and upper lip part appears missing… [Dr. Ted Meyers, State Fish Pathologist said] “The abnormality appears to be an upper and lower jaw deformity, and possibly a deformity of the eyes… The right eye is sunken and has thickened peri-orbital tissue, likely another developmental anomaly. Most likely the jaw deformity is congenital, possibly occurring during embryogenesis… Eye deformities are usually congenital as well.”

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium – Local Environmental Observer https://archive.is/2dcwU , Feb 27, 2015: Deformed fish – Toksook Bay, AK… This is blackfish that has either a growth or dislocation on the left side of the fish. It looks more like a growth to me. There’s small tannish colored on top of the bump. On top of the head is white-ish colored streak… LEO Comment: … this is probably not cause for concern, although certainly worth posting as a LEO observation. If however, you observe several fish with the same condition, we begin to question if there is some kind of illness or environmental cause that would require further investigation… [Dr. Ted Meyers said] “This fish looks like a developmental deformity… There could be a neoplastic growth underneath the tissues causing the linear deviation but more likely therePost too long. Click here to view the full text.

August 22, 2015

https://archive.is/gym7u

>On July 31, the Tokyo No. 5 Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution announced its decision that former Tokyo Electric Power Co. Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, 75, and two other former company executives “should be indicted” in connection with the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant disaster.

>In this case the “will of the people” has spoken to counter the prosecutor’s decision not to indict, but proving culpable negligence in an accident associated with a natural disaster will be difficult. The prosecution’s designated lawyer is expected to face an uphill battle to convict the three men.

>Concrete recognition

>“The decision clearly states that [TEPCO] should’ve been able to foresee the onslaught of the tsunami,” said Hiroyuki Kawai, lawyer for the Complainants for the Criminal Prosecution of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, at a press conference held in Tokyo following the decision to indict. “The prospects for the trial are bright.”

>The inquest committee and the prosecution, however, are far apart over whether the three individuals accused could “foresee” the likelihood of a massive tsunami and the ensuing disaster.

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002338557

https://web.archive.org/web/20150825001005/http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002338557

August 21, 2015

https://archive.is/3JHUO

>The cleanup efforts in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster in northern Japan have revealed the plight of the Japanese unemployed, marginally employed day laborers and the homeless. They are called the “precariat,” Japan’s proletariat, living precariously on the knife-edge of the work world, without full employment or job security. They are derided as “glow in the dark boys,” “jumpers” (one job to another) and “nuclear gypsies.” They have even been dubbed “burakumin,” a hostile term for Japan’s untouchables, members of the lowest rung on the ladder in Japanese society.

>They are unskilled and virtually untrained and are the nuclear decontamination workers recruited by Japanese gangsters, Yakuza, to make Fukushima in northern Japan livable again. These jobs are some of the most dangerous and undesirable jobs in the industrialized world, a $35 billion, taxpayer-funded effort to clean up radioactive fallout across an area of northern Japan larger than Hong Kong. Reuters and the L.A. Times have both described the project as an unprecedented effort.

>Reuters made a direct comparison between Fukushima and the Chernobyl “incident.” Unlike Ukraine and the 1986 nuclear “accident” at Chernobyl, where authorities declared a 1,000 square-mile no-habitation zone, resettled 350,000 people and allowed radiation to take care of itself, Japan is attempting to make the Fukushima region livable again.

Continues in the article.

http://www.internationalpolicydigest.org/2015/08/21/japan-s-nuclear-gypsies-the-homeless-jobless-and-fukushima/

https://web.archive.org/web/20150825000811/http://www.internationalpolicydigest.org/2015/08/21/japan-s-nuclear-gypsies-the-homeless-jobless-and-fukushima/

August 21, 2015

https://archive.is/C3IuL

>The only operating reactor in Japan has developed a problem with its condenser system. Detection of conductivity was found in the secondary loop system indicating sea water was leaking from the condenser. In pressurized water reactors of the type at Sendai there is a middle piping loop to transfer heat so that the sea water is never in direct potential contact with the reactor water.

>Currently the demineralizer system has been able to remove the salt leaking into the secondary loop. Kyushu power says they will hold the reactor at 75% power until the condenser leak can be investigated. Depending on the extent of the problem they may be able to continue operating or defer repairs until the next refueling outage.

>Meanwhile at the nearby Sakurajima volcano concerns for a major eruption have escalated. The Showa vent on the volcano has plugged up with debris and now the volcano is seeing increasing pressure.

>“The vent has almost been blocked up, and explosive power is increasing as a result of heightened pressure inside the vent,” said Masato Iguchi, the scientist who heads the Kyoto University’s Sakurajima Volcano Research Center. Iguchi joined the aerial survey undertaken by the Japan Meteorological Agency on Aug. 19 to study the situation.”

>The Minamidaki vent area has seen the land expand 16cm on the east and west sides. This change indicates that magma is rising in the Showa vent.

http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/?p=14986

https://web.archive.org/web/20150825000439/http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/?p=14986

August 20, 2015

https://archive.is/EuoY6

>Los Angeles Times, Aug 17, 2015 (emphasis added): https://archive.is/yDSjP Biggest oarfish seen at Catalina Island in years washes ashore… marking a rare sighting of the deep-sea creature… [It] was 24 feet long when it was alive, said Annie MacAulay, a marine biologist… its tail [was] severed off — which oarfish have been known to do to shed weight and save energy, she said… The one found Monday had an empty pocket in its stomach, which MacAulay said could mean it recently stopped eating, a potential sign of distress or sickness… a handful of oarfish [have] washed up on California’s coasts in recent years.

>New York Daily News, Aug 17, 2015: https://archive.is/ktO16Stunned scientists fished for clues Monday to explain the origin of the giant oarfish that washed up on the shores of Catalina — the third massive marine oarfish found on the island in two years’ time [see articles below for additional finds]… The sleek silver fish was missing its pectoral fins and tail… perplexed researchers are looking for a reason why. Dr. Misty Paig-Tran from California State University Fullerton collected tissue samples… to determine whether it had any toxins in its system. But questions still remain as to why these fish are dying… The conservationist also speculated that water pollution could be to blame.

http://enenews.com/unbelievable-scientists-stunned-3-rare-giant-oarfish-found-dead-recent-weeks-california-flesh-falling-apart-body-parts-missing-biologist-course-im-very-concerned-reason-theyre-dying-being-tes

Post too long. Click here to view the full text.

August 18, 2015

https://archive.is/mCLNp

>TOKYO (Kyodo) – Nine Japanese utilities had to spend a total of about 1.4 trillion yen ($11.3 billion) last fiscal year to maintain their idled nuclear power plants, financial statements showed Monday, revealing costs that led to higher electricity charges in the country.

>One of them restarted a reactor last week despite strong public opposition, adding to the view the utilities are trying to reactivate their idled plants as soon as possible to help rehabilitate their balance sheets, also damaged by rising fuel costs for alternative power generation.

>All of the country's commercial reactors remained offline in fiscal 2014, which ended March 31, amid heightened safety concerns following the 2011 nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi complex.

>Tokyo Electric spent the most (548.6 billion yen) due mainly to the Fukushima Daini nuclear complex – located about 10 kilometers south of the Fukushima Daiichi – as well as the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant it hopes to reactivate.

>Kansai Electric Power Co., which relied heavily on nuclear power in its business before the Fukushima disaster, spent 298.8 billion yen, while Kyushu Electric Power Co. spent 136.3 billion yen.

>Last week, a reactor owned by Kyushu Electric became the first to come back online under upgraded regulations introduced after the Fukushima meltdowns.

>Five of the nine companies – Tohoku Electric Power Co., Tokyo Electric, Chubu Electric Power Co., Hokuriku Electric Power Co. and Kansai Electric – also had to pay some 130 billion yen to Japan Atomic Power Co., even though their reactors remained idled.

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150818p2g00m0bu011000c.html

August 18, 2015

https://archive.is/1uzYh

>Alaska Dispatch News, Aug 13, 2015 (emphasis added): Warm water killing fish in Mat-Su and Anchorage… killing salmon in the Matanuska and Susitna valleys… Arctic char… have also gone belly up… “It will have some impact but in the long term for species that return multiple age classes, I wouldn’t characterize it as a disaster,” said Mike Bethe, Mat-Su area manager for the Habitat Division of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game… dead salmon have been found near the [Knik River's] weir… Dead fish have been turning up in other Mat-Su streams…

http://www.adn.com/article/20150813/warm-water-killing-fish-mat-su-and-anchorage

>Juneau Empire, Aug 7, 2015: Herring mystery… dead baby herring in the algae-filled empty squares of the Statter Harbor breakwater. “It’s hard to know why, but there’s a lot of them,” Juneau-based marine ecologist Michelle Ridgway] said. “It’s fairly dramatic.”

http://juneauempire.com/outdoors/2015-08-07/photos-herring-mystery

>KUCB, Aug 17, 2015: Dead herring… on Unalaska shorelines… “Hundreds of herring floating in the water,” Caleb Livingston [said] “But what really got my attention was the few that drifted on the beach were not being eaten by the eagles, or seagulls or terns.” Scientists have been receiving reports of dead and dying whales, birds and the small fish… “Their fins are deteriorated while their eyes are intact,” [Melissa Good, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks] said. “I think it’s probably bait fish that got dumped.” Even so, Good said she will send herring… to an Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation lab…

http://www.alaskapublic.org/2015/08/17/dead-herring-poison-mussels-found-on-unalaska-shorelines/

July 11, 2015

https://archive.is/0vrTM

>Whales have been dropping like flies in the Gulf of Alaska. Approximately nine whale carcasses were sited in late May and early June. Now, fisherman have spotted five more decomposing whales, a fin whale and four humpbacks, to add to the death toll.

>The first two whale deaths reported in May sparked a flurry of attention from government agencies, including the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

>No one knows what caused the death of the whales; however, scientists are narrowing in on the kernel of truth as they weed out possibilities. What scientists do know is that all the whales appear to have died around the same time.

>Warmth-induced algae blooms theory debunked

>The Gulf of Alaska waters have been warm lately. A working hypothesis was that the whales were dying from domoic acid, which is a toxin produced by warmth-induced algae blooms. This did not seem entirely implausible, since the whales share similar eating habits. Nevertheless, this hypothesis was ruled out after test results taken from a partially decomposing whale fin carcass came back negative.

>Samples have only been taken from one whale carcass so far. Researchers are still awaiting the results on two others tests for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and cesium-137.

>“We do not have conclusive evidence to link their mortality to algal blooms but continue to sample water/plankton/shellfish with a network of folks statewide,” Kate Wynne, a marine mammal specialist investigating the whale deaths, told sources in an email.“Hopefully, by monitoring current conditions and tracking/recording carcasses, we will be quicker to note and respond to a future event if it happens.”

http://fukushimawatcPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

July 28, 2015

https://archive.is/Jzp2N

>The power system to operate the freezing of the ice wall and also the nitrogen interting system for the damaged reactors failed early in the morning of July 28th. https://archive.is/8q22I Ten hours later NHK reported that the two systems were back online using a different power system. https://archive.is/YKmR7 The frozen wall takes a longer time frame to begin thawing out. It isn’t clear yet if the halt of nitrogen injection impacted the reactors.

>TEPCO now reports that a landscaping pin was the cause of the power failure. http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2015/images/handouts_150728_06-j.pdf

July 21, 2015

https://archive.is/3SI39

>Gov’t Official: Chilling report from Pacific Ocean… “Silence on the seas” — “Quite literally, there isn’t any fish” — Japan Professor: Fukushima posing reproduction risk to marine life, ongoing concern over bio-accumulation of radioactive material (VIDEOS)

>Senator Penelope Wright, Parliament of Australia, Mar 5, 2015 (emphasis added): “Like many others, I read an article in 2013 by Ivan Macfadyen called ‘The ocean is broken‘ https://archive.is/z1dFP. It was published in The Sydney Morning Herald… He is an experienced sailor, so he had the ability to compare his experience then with… other trips. It was chilling. It was heartbreaking really. He had noticed changes in the last years. Basically, he was confronted by the silence that he heard, the silence on the seas, and he realised that this was attributable to the fact that [ ] they saw very, very few birds. They also caught very few fish… two fish.”

>Interview with Ivan Macfadyen, Talk Radio Europe, May 24, 2015 https://youtu.be/aQujxNTyO3Q?t=855 (at 14:30 in): “The reality was… if I would have had no spare dry food on the boat — relying on fish this time around — we would have starved to death — because, quite literally, there isn’t any fish. There’s vast tracks where they’re just all gone. Where you could fish reliably, they’re just not there… I used to fish here on exactly the same course, at exactly the same time of year… the same ocean, on the same course, into the same place — and I could catch fish everyday, and for some reason now 10 years later they’re all gone.”

>Though not discussed in the above interview, https://archive.is/Y9dA9 Macfadyen has attributed his statement “The ocean is broken” to the impact of Fukushima:

>-Host: What about sea birds and all of that?

>-Macfadyen: As you get closer up to Japan they’re all gone, they’re not there anymore… Everything’s all gone, it’s just like sailing in Post too long. Click here to view the full text.

July 23, 2015

https://archive.is/xnYrV

>On 7/21/2015, Tepco announced Fukushima plant area has irregularly sunk since 311.

>It has been known that the reference point sank by 709 mm but Tepco has not reported the height above the sea level of each building.

>The report reads Reactor 1 turbine building sank by 730 mm, Reactor 2 by 725 mm, Reactor 3 by 710 mm, Reactor 4 by 712 mm. However the readings of reactor buildings were not published for some reason.

>The buildings can be inclining due to this irregular sinking but the inclining degree has not been announced either. http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2015/images/handouts_150721_08-j.pdf

July 17, 2015

https://vimeo.com/133683521

>Are the meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi over? The answer is no. In Fairewinds’ latest video, Chief Engineer and nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen updates viewers on what’s going on at the Japanese nuclear meltdown site, Fukushima Daiichi.

>As the Japanese government and utility owner Tokyo Electric Power Company push for the quick decommissioning and dismantling of this man-made disaster, the press and scientists need to ask,

>“Why is the Ukrainian government waiting at least 100 years to attempt to decommission Chernobyl, while the Japanese Government and TEPCO claim that Fukushima Daiichi will be decommissioned and dismantled during the next 30 years?”

>Like so many big government + big business controversies, the answer has nothing to do with science, and everything to do with politics and money. To understand Fukushima Daiichi, you need to follow the money.

July 12, 2015

https://archive.is/sVGo7

>JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A massive cleanup effort is getting underway in Alaska, with tons of marine debris — some likely sent to sea by the 2011 tsunami in Japan — set to be airlifted from rocky beaches and taken by barge for recycling and disposal in the Pacific Northwest.

>Hundreds of heavy-duty bags of debris, collected in 2013 and 2014 and stockpiled at a storage site in Kodiak, also will be shipped out. The barge is scheduled to arrive in Kodiak by Thursday, before setting off on a roughly one-month venture.

http://news.yahoo.com/massive-debris-removal-project-underway-alaska-153231933.html

July 15, 2015

https://archive.is/NYVmO

>According to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, excessive amount of Cs-134/137 was detected from two unpolished rice samples produced in Fukushima city.

>The rice was experimentally produced but not distributed, the farmer states. The highest reading was 220 Bq/Kg in total of Cs-134/137. The safety limit is supposed to be 100 Bq/Kg.

>The sample was brought to Fukushima Agricultural Technology Centre this July.

(…)

http://fukushima-diary.com/2015/07/cesium-134137-measured-over-200-of-safety-level-from-fukushima-rice/