News From The Meltdowns: Nuclear Nightmare; May 2013
Channel: onthewaytoextinction
Date: 2013-05-29

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

UN: MANIFEST HEALTH EFFECTS UNLIKELY IN FUKUSHIMA

A draft report by a UN panel says it does not expect it will be possible to attribute any manifest health effect in residents around the Fukushima Daiichi power plant for radiation exposure from the 2011 nuclear accident.
It says their doses were much lower than those for the Chernobyl accident.

The UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation drafted the report. The amounts of radiation exposure for residents around the Fukushima plant were estimated by using various data. The committee is made up of radiologists and other experts from around the world.

The draft report estimates the levels of radiation exposure for the thyroid gland -- the part of the body which is most affected by radioactive iodine.

It says the thyroid doses of iodine were up to 82 millisieverts for one-year-old children within 30 kilometers of the plant at the time of the accident and evacuated later. For one-year-olds outside this zone, the report estimates doses of up to 66 millisieverts.

The amounts are less than one 60th of those for the Chernobyl accident in 1986.

These figures are also lower than an international threshold for higher thyroid cancer risk, which is said to be 100 millisieverts. Another international guideline warns of health considerations if doses exceed 50 millisieverts.

The panel says the estimated doses for Fukushima residents were lower, as the estimated amount of radioactive iodine released from the plant was less than one third of the figure for Chernobyl.

It says evacuation and food safety regulations that began immediately after the accident also helped.

The panel says that even with overall body exposure, it does not expect that it will be possible to attribute any manifest health effect in residents near the Fukushima plant to radiation exposure received as a result of the nuclear accident.

The committee plans to discuss the contents of the draft, and submit it to the UN General Assembly in September.

May 28, 2013 - Updated 12:35 UTC

ALL NO-ENTRY ZONES IN FUKUSHIMA NOW REVISED

The boundaries of the last remaining no-entry zone near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant have been revised, giving former residents access to at least part of their community.

The town of Futaba co-hosts the Fukushima Daiichi power plant that suffered a meltdown accident in the March 2011 quake and tsunami. All of the townspeople have been forced to evacuate.

At midnight Monday, Futaba was reorganized into 2 zones based on levels of radiation. Most of the town will remain barricaded, with residency restricted indefinitely. But for the first time since the disaster, former residents can now enter the remaining coastal area, although overnight stays remain prohibited.
Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa said his community has finally taken its first step toward reconstruction. He said the town will proceed with decontamination work, and consult the government about rebuilding areas ravaged by the tsunami.

The entire 20-kilometer no-entry area around the crippled nuclear plant has now been reorganized into 3 types of zones. The aim is prepare for the return of former residents in places where radiation levels are relatively low.

May 28, 2013 - Updated 01:21 UTC

IAEA: DEFINE END STATE OF DECOMMISSIONING

The International Atomic Energy Agency has called for definition of the "end state" regarding decommissioning of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

IAEA inspectors visited the plant last month at the request of the Japanese government to observe efforts to decommission the damaged reactors.

They interviewed officials from the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company, and inspected the power station.

The inspectors released their report on Thursday. They praised the swift creation of a decommissioning timetable. But they raised 17 points for improvement.

The IAEA personnel observed many technical and financial uncertainties in TEPCO's plan to scrap the reactors and restore the site. They called for public explanations of technical options and of the potential effects on surrounding areas.

The inspectors also called for further discussion on how to dispose of radioactive waste. They warned a lack of such a process could hamper decommissioning.

The IAEA team argued TEPCO is slow to respond to trouble at the plant. They suggested dividing problem-solving staff from day-to-day operators.

Government and TEPCO officials plan to use the IAEA report next month when reviewing the decommissioning timeframe.

May 23, 2013 - Updated 17:17 UTC