Fukushima News 2/13/14: Record Groundwater Cesium; IAEA-Consider Dumping Contaminated Water
Channel: missingsky102
Date: 14/02/2014

Record cesium level in Fukushima plant groundwater
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant says water samples taken from a newly-dug well contained the highest levels of radioactive cesium detected so far in groundwater at the site.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says the record levels suggest that the leakage point could be near the well.
The utility on Thursday said it had detected 54,000 becquerels per liter of cesium 137 and 22,000 becquerels per liter of cesium 134 in water samples.
The samples were taken on Wednesday from a new observation well located 50 meters from the ocean near the Number 2 reactor.
The level of cesium 137 is 600 times the government standard for radioactive wastewater that can be released into the sea.
It is more than 30,000 times the level of cesium 137 found in water samples taken from another observation well to the north last week.
TEPCO officials believe radioactive water is leaking from an underground tunnel that extends from the reactor buildings towards the ocean. They have been taking measures to prevent the tainted water from reaching the sea, but have yet to determine where the leak originates.
TEPCO suspects the leakage point is near the new well because radioactive cesium is easily absorbed into soil and is unlikely to be carried over a wide area in groundwater.

IAEA: Consider discharging contaminated water
The International Atomic Energy Agency has advised the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to examine all options to treat contaminated water. These include resuming controlled discharges of radioactive water into the sea.
At Japan's request, the IAEA sent its second inspection team to the crippled nuclear power plant last November to assess efforts to scrap reactors at the facility.
On Thursday, the IAEA released its final report that was submitted to the Japanese government.
Team leader Juan Carlos Lentijo says Japan has established a good foundation to improve its strategy and allocate the necessary resources to conduct the safe decommissioning of the plant.
But Lentijo adds that the situation remains very complex and there will continue to be challenging issues that must be resolved to ensure the plant's long-term stability.
The report says the IAEA team believes it is necessary to find a sustainable solution to the problem of managing contaminated water at the plant. It says that this would require considering all options, including the possible resumption of controlled discharges to the sea.
The report adds that to pursue this option, TEPCO should prepare appropriate safety and environmental impact assessments and submit them for regulatory review.

LDP group: Nuclear power use must be transitional
A group from Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has proposed that the government stipulate the role of nuclear power as 'transitional' in the country's new energy policy.
The LDP-led coalition government has commissioned a panel to draft a new master plan for the country's mid- to long-term energy policy.

EU-funded Study: Over 20,000 square miles of Japan potentially contaminated from Fukushima releases — Home to 43 million people (MAP)
http://enenews.com/eu-funded-study-56000-square-km-japan-potentially-contaminated-fukushima-releases-home-43-million-people

US Sailors' Attorney: Fukushima has left an entire generation of young people crippled physically, mentally, and genetically — Nuclear radiation is threatening entire planet (AUDIO)
http://enenews.com/us-sailors-attorney-fukushima-has-left-an-entire-generation-of-young-people-crippled-physically-mentally-and-genetically-crippled-nuclear-radiation-threatening-entire-planet-audio

Fukushima: A Bombless Nuclear War
http://www.pacificfreepress.com/rss/10786-fukushima-a-bombless-nuclear-war.html

12m and 8m long cracks on concrete base of 2 tank areas / Tepco doesn't mention the possibility of land subsidence
http://fukushima-diary.com/2014/02/12m-and-8m-long-cracks-on-concrete-base-of-2-tank-areas-tepco-doesnt-mention-the-possibility-of-land-subsidence/

Lawmakers say residents emailing and calling with radiation fears
House, Senate health committees hear bills calling for radiation testing
http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/lawmakers-say-residents-emailing-and-calling-with-radiation-fears/24362730

Many foreigners in Fukushima fled after crisis, news reporting questioned
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/02/11/national/many-foreigners-in-fukushima-fled-after-crisis-news-reporting-questioned/#.Uv0KlPldX15

(Now They Tell Us) Highly Radioactive Pieces Found in Naraha-Machi in June/July 2013 Came from #Fukushima I NPP, TEPCO Now Says
http://ex-skf.blogspot.ca/2014/02/now-they-tell-us-highly-radioactive.html