Friday, May 27, 2011

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: High Concentration of Radioactive Cesium in the Ocean Soil in 300-Kilometer Strip Along the Coast

Radioactive materials in concentration that was up to several hundreds of times the normal level were detected from the soil on the ocean floor in the 300-kilometer strip along the coast from Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture to Choshi City in Chiba Prefecture.

Oh what a surprise. Who could have known?

The Ministry of Education and Science, who did the survey, even goes to contradict the oft-repeated statement by the chief cabinet secretary and says "the marine products may be affected."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano's favorite refrain whenever a new leak was found at Fukushima I Nuke Plant was: "It will have no immediate effect" on health, on environment, on anything. (These days, he is busy trying to "qualify" his use of "immediate". Quite funny if the situation is not this dire.)

No word on other nuclides like plutonium, uranium, and strontium.

I'm trying to locate the original survey data at the Ministry's site.

From Mainichi Shinbun Japanese (1:15AM JST 5/27/2011):

 文部科学省は27日、宮城県気仙沼市沖から千葉県銚子市沖まで南北約300キロにわたる海底の土から、最高で通常の数百倍に当たる濃度の放射性物 質を検出したと発表した。文科省は「海産物に影響が及ぶ恐れがある」としている。東京電力福島第1原発から海に流出した汚染水に含まれた放射性物質が、広 範囲に拡散していることが裏付けられた。

The Ministry of Education and Science disclosed on May 27 that radioactive materials in concentration that was up to several hundreds of times the normal level were detected from the soil on the ocean floor in the 300-kilometer strip along the coast from Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture to Choshi City in Chiba Prefecture. The Ministry says "the marine products may be affected". It is now confirmed that the radioactive materials in the contaminated water released [both intentionally and unintentionally] from TEPCO's Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean have spread far and wide.

 9日から14日にかけ、沖合約15~50キロの12カ所で海底の土を採取。すべてから放射性物質が検出された。濃度が最も高かったのは、福島第1 原発の沖合約30キロの水深126メートルの海底で、土1キロ当たりセシウム134は260ベクレル、セシウム137は320ベクレルだった。

The soil samples were taken from May 9 to May 14 at 12 locations about 15 to 50 kilometers off the coast. Radioactive materials were detected in all samples. The highest concentration of radioactive materials was detected from the sample taken from the ocean floor, 126 meters deep, 30 kilometers off the coast of Fukushima I Nuke Plant. Cesium-134 was 260 becquerels/kilogram, and cesium-137 was 320 becquerels/kilogram.

 ほぼ同じ海域で09年に行った調査では、セシウム134は検出されず、セシウム137は1ベクレル前後だった。

In comparison, in the survey done in 2009 in the approximately the same location, cesium-134 was not detected, and cesium-137 was 1 becquerel/kilogram.

 半減期が短く09年の調査で検出されなかったヨウ素131も、土1キロ当たり1・6~6・1ベクレル検出された。

Iodine-131, whose half life is short and was not detected at all in the 2009 survey, was found at 1.6 to 6.1 becquerels/kilogram.

 セシウムなどの分布は福島第1原発から北で比較的高く、約70キロ離れた宮城県岩沼市沖のセシウム137は110ベクレル。一方、南にほぼ同距離の北茨城市沖では12ベクレルだった。

The spread of cesium was more concentrated north of Fukushima I Nuke Plant. Cesium-137 at a location off the coast of Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture, 70 kilometers north of the plant, was 110 becquerels/kilogram, whereas at a location off Kita-Ibaraki City in Ibaraki Prefecture, 70 kilometers south of the plant, it was 12 becquerels/kilogram.

 文科省は「海底の地形や海流の影響で、放射性物質の量にばらつきがある」と説明した。

According to the Ministry, "There's a variation in the amount of radioactive materials due to the variation in ocean floor topography and the effect of the ocean current."

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Robbie001 sez

Maybe TEPCO can just call it a giant littoral transport experiment

http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0690804

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

Robbie, everything seems like just a cute little experiment. From irradiating kids with tea leaves to how much water can you pump through cracked RPV and containment vessels..

So they did the experiment with xenon-133 and cesium iodide? Nice. Now we will have all that and strontium and plutonium and gods of all worlds know what else.

Anonymous said...

Robbie001 sez:

They had Kevin Kamps from Beyond Nuclear on the Thom Hartmann show last night on RT (Russian TV). They cover the Greenpeace ocean radiation findings and the fact that the EPA has stopped searching for radiation from Fukushima. Mr. Kamps said he had attended an NRC post Fukushima briefing where there were many unanswered questions. He said they had a lot of radiation data from the first few days of US monitoring that was shared. He thinks this is the same information certain groups have filed a FOIA request for. If this is true we may find out some gruesome details soon. Mr. Kamps also said the briefing was full of industry and government experts who were joking about the problem in Japan. He claims someone asked a NEI representative why he didn't get a bucket and help with the cleanup Ha,ha,ha. He said the academic members of the briefing seemed overjoyed at the prospect of the lessons they will learn they kept saying "this is oh so interesting". (I guess because it isn't their kids).

They also spoke of regulatory "capture" when an industry gets so powerful that it can capture a regulatory body through revolving door hiring practices and outright political power.

Oh, and he also mentioned that unit #1 may have failed before the Tsunami.

Anonymous said...

I've been watching NHK, and it's striking how much Japan depends on seafood and small scale agriculture, reminiscent of the UK in times past.

If land crops, grass, vegetables, pigs, cows, seaweed, 100's of different types, fish, squid, octopus, sea cucumbers, etc., etc., all take up cesium and other radionuclides, Japan is going to be in some problems, food-wise.

Anonymous said...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scottish-sheep-farms-finally-free-of-chernobyl-fallout-2020059.html

After Chernobyl, restrictions were placed on many farms in Britain. The agree upon standard was 1000 Becquerels/kg. Some thought that too high and some too low, but that standard seems to have been used elsewhere as well. There does not appear to have been any widespread health effect from the consumption of mutton using this standard in Britain. The figures you are reporting so far are below the 1000 becquerels/kg standard, but a legitimate question for which I have no knowledge is whether the standard for consumption of mutton would be same for seaweed. A second issue is that radioactive contamination has not stopped - it is ongoing. The coming typhoon season may raise the values you are reporting significantly. I hope this provides you with a little perspective. I think you are right to be concerned.

Anonymous said...

Human medical experimentation in the United States: The shocking true history of modern medicine and psychiatry (1833-1965)
http://www.naturalnews.com/019189.html

Human medical experimentation in the United States: The shocking true history of modern medicine and psychiatry (1965-2005)
http://www.naturalnews.com/019187.html

Anonymous said...

Hi there. This is rtspayne from the SKF board. I noticed that you stopped posting over there. I also stopped a few months back after learning some disturbing things about some of the posters.

Anyway, you always seemed like a very decent person. I am still in California, but still also at a crossroads over what comes next. I am in touch via email with some of the SKF folks. If you want to keep in touch, my email is: rtspayne@yahoo.com

I see you are following the Japanese radiation situation closely. I hope that you did not lose any loved ones in the earthquake.

Best regards.

Anonymous said...

@Anon 6:30 PM

"The figures you are reporting so far are below the 1000 becquerels/kg standard"

Indeed, some of the figures do not sound that high, given the large releases, so there is of course dilution occurring, but dilution does not mean small numbers in the end.

Secondly, these are figures for the seabed itself. It will accumulate and concentrate in marine life within the food chain. Via a friend I was given the advice of a professor of a prestigious Tokyo university to stay away from tuna etc.

Anonymous said...

G.E. was responsible they knew of the Safety design flaw for their BWR Nuclear reactors. They will be sued, and G.E. stock will be reduced to 1/10 of present price.

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

Bioconcentration/accumulation. Already happening on seaweeds and small fish. Mid to large-size fish that feed on them will be next.

Japan's Fisheries Agency operates on the premise that there is no such thing as bioconcentration, they've gone as far as misquoting a scientific paper to justify their stance.

I've meant to write a post on that, I will once I'm more settled in the new place...

Vlad cum sa faci bani said...

Ouch that's bad!It's even whorst that they found out later.

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