Fukushima Plutonium in Lithuania, Cesium and Iodine in Greece

Radionuclides from the Fukushima accident in the air over Lithuania: measurement and modelling approaches.
Authors
Lujanienė G, et al. J Environ Radioact. 2011 Dec 27. [Epub ahead of print]
Environmental Research Department, SRI Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanoriu 231, 02300 Vilnius, Lithuania.
Abstract

Analyses of (131)I, (137)Cs and (134)Cs in airborne aerosols were carried out in daily samples in Vilnius, Lithuania after the Fukushima accident during the period of March-April, 2011. The activity concentrations of (131)I and (137)Cs ranged from 12 μBq/m(3) and 1.4 μBq/m(3) to 3700 μBq/m(3) and 1040 μBq/m(3), respectively. The activity concentration of (239,240)Pu in one aerosol sample collected from 23 March to 15 April, 2011 was found to be 44.5 nBq/m(3). The two maxima found in radionuclide concentrations were related to complicated long-range air mass transport from Japan across the Pacific, the North America and the Atlantic Ocean to Central Europe as indicated by modelling. HYSPLIT backward trajectories and meteorological data were applied for interpretation of activity variations of measured radionuclides observed at the site of investigation. (7)Be and (212)Pb activity concentrations and their ratios were used as tracers of vertical transport of air masses. Fukushima data were compared with the data obtained during the Chernobyl accident and in the post Chernobyl period. The activity concentrations of (131)I and (137)Cs were found to be by 4 orders of magnitude lower as compared to the Chernobyl accident. The activity ratio of (134)Cs/(137)Cs was around 1 with small variations only. The activity ratio of (238)Pu/(239,240)Pu in the aerosol sample was 1.2, indicating a presence of the spent fuel of different origin than that of the Chernobyl accident.
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22206700/

Fukushima Isotopes in Greece
Kritidis P, Florou H, Eleftheriadis K, Evangeliou N, Gini M, Sotiropoulou M, Diapouli E, Vratolis S.
Source
NCSR “Demokritos”, Institute of Nuclear Technology-Radiation Protection, Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory, 15310 Agia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece.

Abstract

As a result of the nuclear accident in Fukushima Daichi power plant, which started on March 11, 2011, radioactive pollutants were transferred by air masses to various regions of the Northern hemisphere, including Europe. Very low concentrations of (131)I, (137)Cs and (134)Cs in airborne particulate matter were measured in Athens, Greece during the period of March 24 to April 28, 2011. The maximum air concentration of (131)I was measured on April 6, 2011 and equaled 490 ± 35 μBq m(-3). The maximum values of the two cesium isotopes were measured on the same day and equaled 180 ± 40 μBq m(-3) for (137)Cs and 160 ± 30 μBq m(-3) for (134)Cs. The average activity ratio of (131)I/(137)Cs in air was 3.0 ± 0.5, while the corresponding ratio of (137)Cs/(134)Cs equaled 1.1 ± 0.3. No artificial radionuclides could be detected in air after April 28, 2011. Traces of (131)I as a result of radioactive deposition were measured in grass, soil, sheep milk and meat. The total deposition of (131)I (dry + wet) was 34 ± 4 Bq m(-2), and of (137)Cs was less than 10 Bq m(-2). The maximum concentration of (131)I in grass was 2.1 ± 0.4 Bg kg(-1), while (134)Cs was not detected. The maximum concentrations of (131)I and (137)Cs in sheep milk were 1.7 ± 0.16 Bq kg(-1) and 0.6 ± 0.12 Bq kg(-1) respectively. Concentrations of (131)I up to 1.3 ± 0.2 Bq kg(-1) were measured in sheep meat. Traces of (131)I were found in a number of soil samples. The radiological impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Athens region was practically negligible, especially as compared to that of the Chernobyl accident and also to that of natural radioactivity.

Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

http://fukushimaupdate.com/study-radioactive-pollution-in-athens-greece-due-to-the-fukushima-nuclear-accident/

 

New York Times: After Fukushima, Does Nuclear Power Have a Future?

After Fukushima, Does Nuclear Power Have a Future?
The New York Times, Special Report: Energy, October 10, 2011
by Stephanie Cooke

“A couple of months after the catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant March 11, an American nuclear expert posed an interesting question. ‘The post-Fukushima public sentiment is surprisingly low-key isn’t it? What a difference between this event and TMI or Chernobyl,’ he wrote in an e-mail, using an abbreviation for the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. ‘What do you think is going on? Why so quiet?’

I was not convinced. What he said was certainly true in the United States, but the accident had a profound effect in Germany, China and several other countries, serving as a fearful reminder of what can go wrong with nuclear power plants.” [...]
Full article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/business/energy-environment/after-fukushima-does-nuclear-power-have-a-future.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1

 

Globe&Mail reports on Fukushima!

Canadian mainstream media, including the Globe&Mail and CBC, have been largely silent on the ongoing nuclear disaster in Japan, and its evolving global environmental, public health and economic implications. It is good to see this article about the concerns of Japanese residents about returning to highly contaminated areas.

Globe & Mail, Oct. 06, 2011 Residents of Japanese town contaminated by Fukushima refuse to return

Excerpt: [...] “I don’t plan to come back, ever,” said a middle-aged woman who briefly visited Hirono this week to retrieve belongings from the two-storey home that she and her family fled on March 12, the day after the tsunami that set in motion the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. She paused to take in her abandoned home’s view of the ocean and its now-unkempt garden. “I’ll never feel safe here. I’ll never feel secure.”

The area where the government has lifted its advisory was one of three evacuation zones around the plant. The 20-kilometre radius around Fukushima Daiichi remains a no-go zone for the foreseeable future, as does a heavily contaminated corridor northwest of the plant that was later added to the mandatory evacuation zone. Once home to more than 100,000 people, the areas are expected to be uninhabitable for upward of two decades.[...]

[...] In the past week alone, plutonium was discovered in soil 40 kilometres from the stricken plant and a local environmental group reported finding levels of radioactive cesium in the city of Fukushima, 60 kilometres from the plant, that were triple the level that requires sealing in concrete. Hirono residents whisper about sky-high cesium-137 readings rumoured to have been taken near the window of the local school [...]

Full article at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/residents-of-japanese-town-contaminated-by-fukushima-refuse-to-return/article2193802/

 

Typhoon over Japan and Fukushima

At this moment, a powerful typhoon is hitting Japan and expected to pass right over the Fukushima power plant. While CNN refers to the storm’s possible impact on Fukushima–http://edition.cnn.com/2011/09/21/world/asia/japan-typhoon-roke-deaths/?hpt=ias_c2, CBC’s coverage of the evacuation call for 1.3 mio people is silent on it: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/20/typhoon-japan.html.

There is reason for serious concern that more radioactivity will be released into water and air by the massive downpour of rain and onslaught of storm on the leaking basements of and ground beneath the damaged reactor buildings. The ground has been destabilized by the earthquake, and reactor building 4 has been leaning as a result. Like the other reactor buildings, it contains a spent fuel pool (SFP) with hundreds of tons of MOX fuel, including highly toxic Plutonium. If the building crumbles, the SPF will go with it, potentially releasing more Plutonium and other radioactive materials. More information and discussion of this is available at www.fairewinds.com.

With the possibility of more radioactive releases in Japan that will be carried here by the jetstream, it is disconcerting to learn that Health Canada intends to stop its air radiation reporting soon. The Japanese government has now hired social media and internet experts to spread government information on the Fukushima disaster. Here in Canada, Canadian mainstream media have conspicuously stayed away from reporting on the Fukushima catastrophe, despite public calls for media attention to this topic.

 

Siemens to quit nuclear industry

A major supplier of the international nuclear industry, Germany’s energy giant Siemens, has decided to pull out of the nuclear industry, according to BBC Business News, September 18, 2011. This decision is a direct result of the Fukushima disaster and the German government’s decision to phase out nuclear power in Germany by 2022.
Read the BBC news here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14963575

 

No radiation detected in West Coast fish by CFIA…but…

No radiation detected in West Coast fish
This appears to be good news! However, why are we not told what kind of fish was tested, where, and what the actual readings were? Pacific salmon need to be tested now and into the future as their migration patterns can take them as far as to the northern tip of Japan over their multi-year life span. Was Pacific salmon tested by the CFIA?

CBC News Sept. 19, 2011
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/09/16/bc-no-radiation-west-coast-fish.html

See “Testing and Monitoring” for comprehensive answers by CFIA citizen questions about the recent fish tests.

 

Unsure about nuclear power? Five questions you must answer to decide

This is an excellent piece by the Guardian–read it and form your own opinion!

Twenty five years on from Chernobyl, the heated debate on nuclear power remains resistant to cold facts: simply too few are known. But making your own judgements on five key questions will lead to your answer
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/apr/21/chernobyl-nuclear-power-fukushima

 

Fukushima disaster: it’s not over yet

As Canadian news media do not seem to take an interest in the fate of the people and environment in Japan post-Fukushima, we have to rely on international media, such as the Guardian, which has provided excellent data journalism and reports on this topic:
“Six months after the multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the streets have been cleared but the psychological damage remains…”http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/09/fukushima-japan-nuclear-disaster-aftermath

Other related stories by the Guardian:

Fukushima six months on: Japanese mark moment earthquake struck
Silent tribute to 20,000 dead and missing as pessimism over recovery and anxiety over radiation remain
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/11/fukushima-six-months-on

Fukushima report shows nuclear power can never be safe and cheap The first “independent” review of the safety failures during Japan’s nuclear disaster reveals some chillingly obvious “lessons” to be learned
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/jun/20/nuclearpower-nuclear-waste

Fukushima nuclear disaster: PM at the time feared Japan would collapse. Naoto Kan said that Tepco had considered abandoning the plant after it was hit by the 11 March tsunami
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/08/fukushima-nuclear-disaster-pm-japan?intcmp=239

Japan Disaster http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami

Fukushima spin was Orwellian Emails detailing how the UK government played down Fukushima show just how cosy it is with the nuclear industry http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/01/fukushima-emails-government-nuclear-industry

Citizens across world oppose nuclear power, poll finds. The debate over nuclear energy is fiendishly complex, but one important factor is public opinion, and people in 24 nations across the world oppose it: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/jun/23/nuclearpower-nuclear-waste

Nuclear power: If Japan and Germany don’t need it, why does anyone? The world’s third and fourth biggest economies have abandoned plans for new reactors, believing renewables and efficiency can fill the gap. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/may/11/nuclear-renewables-japan-germany

 

Plutonium found far from Fukushima

One of the most toxic and dangerous radionuclides is Plutonium, which results from the decay of radioactive Neptunium. It is carcinogenic and deadly in very minute amounts. Until now, we have not had any information on actual levels of Plutonium released at Fukushima. The most recently released data is highly troubling: http://enenews.com/report-76-trillion-becquerels-plutonium-239-released-fukushima-23000-times-higher-previously-announced

 

Explosion at French nuclear waste plant

One worker reported dead in blast at Marcoule nuclear waste processing site in southern France http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/12/french-nuclear-plant-rocked-explosion