NukeBlog Dec 2, 2011: Unit 1 melted 2/3 through concrete, but everything is OK

Gathered from Google Alerts

Fukushima fallout: Renaissance in nuclear power generation now a long way off Financial Times The decision, coming less than six months after the devastating accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, stood in marked contrast to the one taken by Lithuania's larger EU peer Germany. Berlin responded by bringing forward the phase-out of ... See all stories on this topic »

Fukushima fuel rods may have completely melted The Guardian Fuel rods inside one of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have completely melted and bored most of the way through a concrete floor, the reactor's last line of defence before its steel outer casing, the plant's operator said ... See all stories on this topic » The Guardian

After Fukushima: Enough Is Enough New York Times When the Fukushima Daiichi reactors suffered meltdowns in March, literally in the backyard of an unsuspecting public, the stark reality that the risks of nuclear power far outweigh any benefits should have become clear to the world. ... See all stories on this topic » A VERY GOOD FRIEND OF CHRIS BUSBY Helen Caldicott, a pediatrician, is founding president of Physicians for Social Responsibility. A native of Australia, she left her Harvard Medical School post in 1980 to work full-time on anti-nuclear education. When the Fukushima Daiichi reactors suffered meltdowns in March, literally in the backyard of an unsuspecting public, the stark reality that the risks of nuclear power far outweigh any benefits should have become clear to the world. As the old quip states, “Nuclear power is one hell of a way to boil water.” Instead, the nuclear industry has used the disaster to increase its already extensive lobbying efforts. A few nations vowed to phase out nuclear energy after the disaster. But many others have remained steadfast in their commitment. That has left millions of innocent people unaware that they — all of us — may face a medical catastrophe beyond all proportions in the wake of Fukushima and through the continued widespread use of nuclear energy. The world was warned of the dangers of nuclear accidents 25 years ago, when Chernobyl exploded and lofted radioactive poisons into the atmosphere. Those poisons “rained out,” creating hot spots over the Northern Hemisphere. Research by scientists in Eastern Europe, collected and published by the New York Academy of Sciences, estimates that 40 percent of the European land mass is now contaminated with cesium 137 and other radioactive poisons that will concentrate in food for hundreds to thousands of years. Wide areas of Asia — from Turkey to China — the United Arab Emirates, North Africa and North America are also contaminated. Nearly 200 million people remain exposed. NOTE: A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THIS STUDY WHICH PREDICTS, BUT DOES NOT HAVE ANY EVIDENCE ANYWHERE NEAR THAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE ACTUALLY DIED. That research estimated that by now close to 1 million people have died of causes linked to the Chernobyl disaster. They perished from cancers, congenital deformities, immune deficiencies, infections, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine abnormalities and radiation-induced factors that increased infant mortality. ANYBODY SEEN THIS STUDY?? Studies in Belarus found that in 2000, 14 years after the Chernobyl disaster, fewer than 20 percent of children were considered “practically healthy,” compared to 90 percent before Chernobyl COMMENT: I basically agree that nuclear power causes way too big a mess to be practical, but I would be wary of the poltical agenda and views of the far progressive left that she comes which question capitalism and democracy and the War on Terror, not just nuclear power. New York Times

Near Fukushima, Japan, famed mayor loses residents' support Los Angeles Times Residents turn against Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai after he urges them to help with the nuclear cleanup in Minamisoma, Japan, a town just 15 miles from the stricken Fukushima plant. Minamisoma Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai is unapologetic about asking residents ... See all stories on this topic » Los Angeles Times

Japanese directors to highlight Fukushima at Iran's 100-second filmfest Tehran Times TEHRAN -- Japanese filmmakers will be attending the 2012 edition of Iran's International 100-Second Film Festival with films focusing on natural disasters, and especially the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear disaster. The filmmakers are participating ... See all stories on this topic »  Iran?? That's interesting.

Shipment of Rice Harvested in Fukushima Banned After Detection of High Cesium ... MedIndia by Kathy Jones on December 02, 2011 at 9:05 PM Environmental Health The shipment of rice harvested in two more districts in Fukushima Prefecture has been banned by the Japanese government after dangerously high levels of radioactive cesium were ... See all stories on this topic »

Tepco: Fukushima Accident Still Evolving, Still Dangerous « Climate ... By greenman3610 TOKYO — Molten nuclear fuel may have bored into the floor of at least one of the reactors at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the complex's operator said Wednesday, citing a new simulation of the accident that crippled the ... Climate Denial Crock of the Week

Post-Fukushima Radiation Mapped - IEEE Spectrum Three recently published academic studies show that while direct radiation exposure of Fukushima residents isn't as high as was initially feared, soils across northeastern Japan are contaminated and could affect public health for decades ... IEEE Spectrum Recent Content

Japanese Convince Me Fukushima Is Genocide | Pakalert Press By truther I am currently teaching ESL at a Japanese school located in China. The experience has taught me that the Japanese have a very strong and independent culture. This is presumably due to their isolationist history. When I first arrived, I was ... Pakalert Press  (conspiracy oriented site)

TEPCO Again Underplays Severity of Situation at Fukushima | Peak ... By admin (TEPCO) is once again trying to mislead the public on the severity of the situation at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. On November 30, TEPCO reported “fuel at the No. 1 reactor may have eroded part of the primary containment ... Peak Oil News and Message Boards  (conspiracy oriented site)

Fukushima firms advised to put safety labels on products | Kyodo ... Fukushima firms advised to put safety labels on products. NEW YORK, Dec. 1, Kyodo. To have fuller access to the Kyodo News website, it is necessary to subscribe. We offer a broad range of subscription options depending on your needs. ... Nuclear Crisis - News - Kyodo News

News from Scribble board:

Pollen In Tokyo Is Contaminated As Well. Dec 02.2011. fukushima-diary.com
http://www.scribblelive.com/Event/Japan_Earthquake5/19516444
by MaryW12/2/2011 8:41:23 PM 12:41 PM

Korean news says TEPCO is thinking about barrier like one envisioned but abandoned in Chernobyl to stop fuel from htting basement and then ground. Other theories claim fuel has already hit the ground, this is based on a computer model that claims to be accurate within a couple of feet and that there is chemical evidence it hasn't burned past the concrete

http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=123235&code=Ne2&category=2

Melted Fuel Near Point of Reaching Bottom Container, Barrier Needed

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant revealed Wednesday that melted nuclear fuel has nearly reached the bottom steel wall under the concrete. ...

TEPCO's analysis is rough at best because it is a prediction of the current situation inside the reactor based on its temperature change and injection of cooling water. 


"TEPCO's analysis says we have 30 centimeters of the concrete base left to prevent the melted fuel to hit the bottom. But I am not confident that we have that much space left. We have to be prepared for the worst case scenario."

If the fuel melts through the remaining concrete embedment, which is only some 30 centimeters, it is bound to seep into the soil.
Therefore, experts say TEPCO must find a measure to prevent fuel leakage. 


"I think they must install a 5 to 10 meter barrier in the basement to prevent the worst case scenario." 

Leakage of melted fuel may invite a host of difficult problems such as safe removal of the fuel in a cold shutdown of the nuclear reactor in the future. 
For that reason, experts stress TEPCO must promptly find a way to put a stop to the fuel erosion inside the reactor. 
Kim Yeon-ji, Arirang News.