Disaster’s Hidden Toll

 

  +

Credit NHK News – Fukushima evacuation zone March 2011

 

# 6846

 

With our short attention span, and the news media’s proclivity for moving on to the next big disaster or story, we often don’t closely follow the struggle to rebuild disaster stricken communities, which can take months or even years.

 

And for some caught in harm’s way, whose homes and businesses were destroyed - and loved ones lost - there is no going back to the way things used to be.

 

Not surprisingly, that can produce significant mental and physical health challenges for those affected.

 

Today we’ve a report out of Japan showing that the earthquake/tsunami of March 2011 that killed more than 20,000 people in Japan also had a long-term, largely unseen, effect on nursing home patients who were forced to evacuate to temporary facilities.

 

A study shows a 2.4 fold increase in deaths during the 8 months following the earthquake.  Deaths not caused by the quake, tsunami, or radiation release itself – but likely brought on by the stress of having to live in make-shift emergency shelters.

 

A unusually large number of these excess deaths were due to pneumonia or bronchitis, which many attribute to insufficient emergency shelters provided for the elderly and frail.

This report from the Ashasi Simbum.

 

Death rates spike among elderly evacuees from Fukushima

January 11, 2013

By YURI OIWA/ Staff Writer

Former residents of nursing homes near the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant died at a higher rate than usual in 2011, a study has shown, likely because of the stress of evacuation and having to live in temporary accommodations such as draughty school gyms.

 

Researchers from the Fukushima Medical University studied reports submitted to the Fukushima prefectural government by 34 institutions for the elderly and found that the death rate over eight months in 2011 was 2.4 times that of the same period in 2010.

(Continue . . . )

 

A similar result was found in this study of nursing home evacuations from the University of South Florida.

 

The Effects of Evacuation on Nursing Home Residents With Dementia

Lisa M. Brown, PhD, David M. Dosa, MD, MPH, Kali Thomas, MA, Kathryn Hyer, PhD, MPP, Zhanlian Feng, PhD, Vincent Mor, PhD

Background: In response to the hurricane-related deaths of nursing home residents, there has been a steady increase in the number of facilities that evacuate under storm threat. This study examined the effects of evacuation during Hurricane Gustav on residents who were cognitively impaired.

 

Conclusions: The findings of this research reveal the deleterious effects of evacuation on residents with severe dementia. Interventions need to be developed and tested to determine the best methods for protecting this at risk population when there are no other options than to evacuate the facility.

 

 

We’ve looked at other post-disaster health impacts in the past, such as in Post Disaster Stress & Suicide Rates. One disaster discussed was a 1999 7.3 earthquake that struck in Chi-Chi, Nantou county in central Taiwan killing more than 2,300 people.

 

A study that subsequently appeared in the Taiwan Journal of Medicine (Disease-specific Mortality Associated with Earthquake in Taiwan Hsien-Wen Kuo, Shu-Jen Wu, Ming-Chu Chiu) found `a considerable increase in the number of suicides after the earthquake’.

 

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can often occur in the wake of a disaster or traumatic experience. Symptoms may include anxiety, depression, suicide and PTSD may even lead to drug and alcohol-related disorders.

 

Victims of personal violence, rescue and medical workers, victims of disasters, terrorism, physical or psychological trauma, and/or a combat zone are all at risk of suffering some level of PTSD.

 

In Psychological First Aid: The WHO Guide For Field Workers we looked at the need for, and a guide for providing psychological first aid (PFA) in a post-disaster environment.

 

The CDC also provides a website which contains a number of resources devoted to coping with disasters.

 

Coping With a Disaster or Traumatic Event

Trauma and Disaster Mental Health Resources

The effects of a disaster, terrorist attack, or other public health emergency can be long-lasting, and the resulting trauma can reverberate even with those not directly affected by the disaster. This page provides general strategies for promoting mental health and resilience. These strategies were developed by various organizations based on experiences in prior disasters.

 

As does the National Center For PTSD - including videos - on how to provide Psychological First Aid.

A reminder that a disaster’s impact can linger long after the story has fallen off the front pages, and that indirect casualties can follow months after the initial event.

»» Read More

Estimating Fukushima’s Health Impact

 

Photo credit IAEA

 

# 6438

 

 

While the worst fears from last year’s radiation release from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster have not been realized, the long-term health impacts remain largely unknown. 

 

Today, researchers at Stanford University have released a modeling study – published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science – that attempts to quantify the mortality and morbidity due to that nuclear release.

 

 

Worldwide health effects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident

John E. Ten Hoeve and Mark Z. Jacobson

Energy Environ. Sci., 2012, Advance Article

Abstract

A 3-D global atmospheric model evaluated against data is used to quantify worldwide health effects from the Fukushima nuclear accident.

 

As you will see, the actual numbers are fairly low, but the range of possibilities is considerable. The press release from Stanford University provides us with the details.

 

 

Stanford researchers calculate global health impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster

Radiation from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster may eventually cause anywhere from 15 to 1,300 deaths and from 24 to 2,500 cases of cancer, mostly in Japan, Stanford researchers have calculated.

 

The estimates have large uncertainty ranges, but contrast with previous claims that the radioactive release would likely cause no severe health effects.

 

The numbers are in addition to the roughly 600 deaths caused by the evacuation of the area surrounding the nuclear plant directly after the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and meltdown.

 

Recent PhD graduate John Ten Hoeve and Stanford civil engineering Professor Mark Z. Jacobson, a senior fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, are set to publish their findings Tuesday (July 17) in the journal Energy and Environmental Science. The research constitutes the first detailed analysis of the event's global health effects.

 

(Continue . . . )

 

As Professor Emeritus of Statistics at the University of Wisconsin George E. P. Box famously observed:

 

“All models are wrong, but some models are useful.”

 

While this study may not be the last word on the health impacts from Fukushima, and it only provides a range of effects, it at least provides a starting point. 

 

Interestingly, the authors modeled what a similar meltdown would look like if it occurred in the United States. 

 

From the press release:

 

To test the effects of varying weather patterns and geography on the reach of a nuclear incident, the two researchers also analyzed a hypothetical scenario: an identical meltdown at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, near San Luis Obispo, Calif.

 

Despite California's population density being about one-fourth that of Japan's, the researchers found the magnitude of the projected health effects to be about 25 percent larger.

 

The model showed that rather than being whisked toward the ocean, as with Fukushima, a larger percentage of the Diablo Canyon radioactivity deposited over land, including population centers such as San Diego and Los Angeles.

 

Jacobson stressed, however, that none of the calculations expressed the full scope of a nuclear disaster.

 

"There's a lot more to the issue than what we examined, which were the cancer-related health effects," he said. "Fukushima was just such a large disaster in terms of soil and water contamination, displacement of lives, confidence in government oversight, cost and anguish."

 

In May we saw the WHO Report On Radiation Exposure From Fukushima Reactor Accident, which concluded that:

 

. . . the estimated effective doses outside Japan from the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident are below (and often far below) dose levels regarded as being very small by the international radiological protection community. Low effective doses are also estimated in much of Japan.

 

Another report is expected from the World Health Organization later this summer that will attempt to quantify the short and long term health-risk due to exposure to radioactivity from Fukushima.

It will be interesting to compare those findings with the ones released today.

»» Read More

WHO Report On Radiation Exposure From Fukushima Reactor Accident

 

 

# 6341

 

 

Today, a little more than a year after Japan’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, the World Health Organization has released a 120 page preliminary assessment of radiation exposure from the crippled nuclear plants in Fukushima Japan.

 

Preliminary Dose Estimation from the nuclear accident after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

 Authors:
WHO

Publication details

Number of pages: 120
Publication date: 2012
Languages: English
ISBN: 9789241593662

Downloads

• English
  pdf, 1.85Mb

Overview

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan on 11 March 2011 led to releases of radioactive material into the environment from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear site. This report describes a preliminary estimate of radiation doses to the public resulting from this accident. These doses are assessed for different age groups in locations around the world, using assumptions described in the report.

 

The dose assessment forms one part of the overall health risk assessment being carried out by WHO of the global impact of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The health risk assessment is the subject of a separate WHO report which will be published in Summer 2012.

Related links

• Frequently asked questions
• Japan one year since triple catastrophe
• More on Food Safety

 

 

From the FAQ page, we get the bottom line, and for just about everyone living outside of Fukushima and neighboring prefectures, the news is very reassuring.

 

Q5. What does the report conclude?

It can be concluded that the estimated effective doses outside Japan from the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident are below (and often far below) dose levels regarded as being very small by the international radiological protection community. Low effective doses are also estimated in much of Japan.

 

In the Fukushima prefecture and in neighbouring prefectures the effective doses are estimated to be below 10 mSv, which can be considered within the order of magnitude of the natural radiation background, except in two locations. In these two locations in the most affected part of Fukushima prefecture, the effective doses were estimated to be within a dose band of 10–50 mSv. Please see table 3 for more data on effective doses, and table 8 for comparative effective dose levels in different contexts.

 

This report focuses on effective dose as an appropriate measure given that it takes into account both internal and external exposures. In addition, the report includes information about thyroid doses because of this organ’s capacity for iodine concentration.

 

It is important to note that effective doses and thyroid doses are two different quantities that cannot be compared. Thyroid doses are organ-specific equivalent doses. See table 4 for data on specific exposure to thyroid doses.

 

 

As far as the short and long term health-risk due to exposure to radioactivity, a report is expected from the WHO later this summer.

»» Read More

Fukushima Nuke Plant Remains In `Precarious State’

 

 

Photo credit IAEA

# 6251

 

Unless we are directly affected by them, once a disaster moves off the front pages, we tend move on as the never ending parade of newer, more immediate concerns emerge.

 

A year ago, the world watched in horror as Japan reeled from a monstrous earthquake/tsunami followed by a major nuclear accident.

 

Over time, as the recovery efforts proceeded and the nuke plants were finally deemed `stable’, the triple disaster of Fukushima has faded for most of us.

 

But as we learn from a report in the New York Times today, the reactor at Fukushima may be in worse shape than previously admitted, and its current stability is precarious at best.

 

Japan Admits Nuclear Plant Still Poses Dangers

By HIROKO TABUCHI 

TOKYO — The damage to the core of at least one of the meltdown-stricken reactors at Fukushima could be far worse than previously thought, raising fresh concerns over the plant’s stability and gravely complicating the post-disaster cleanup, a recent internal investigation has shown.

(Continue . . .)

 

 

Follow the link to read the entire article to learn about the specifics, including much lower water levels over the fuel rods than previously reported, and much higher levels of radiation inside the containment buildings.

 

But the `money quote’ comes from Kazuhiko Kudo, a professor of nuclear engineering at Kyushu University, at the end of the article who warns:

 

“The plant is still in a precarious state.

Unfortunately, all we can do is to keep pumping water inside the reactors, and hope we don’t have another big earthquake.”

 

Cleanup of these plants may take decades, and until that can be accomplished, they remain vulnerable to additional seismic shocks.

»» Read More

Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists: Fukushima Crisis in review

 

 

# 6189

 

It’s been nearly a year since the disastrous earthquake & subsequent tsunamis hit northern Japan, leaving a major nuclear accident to unfold in the debris.

 

Only recently have we begun to hear detailed reports of just how chaotic, and apparently ineffectual, the disaster response was in the opening days and weeks of that nuclear crisis.

 

Yesterday, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists published a 14-page analysis of Japan’s initial response to this nuclear crisis, which found (among other things)  that the Japanese government, and plant owner TEPCO, were:

 

“. . .  astonishingly unprepared, at almost all levels, for the complex nuclear disaster that started with an earthquake and a tsunami.”

 

This entire analysis makes for sobering reading, and is freely available on their website.

 

 

 

Fukushima in review: A complex disaster, a disastrous response

Yoichi Funabashi Kay Kitazawa

Abstract

On March 11, 2011, an earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The emerging crisis at the plant was complex, and, to make matters worse, it was exacerbated by communication gaps between the government and the nuclear industry.

 

An independent investigation panel, established by the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, reviewed how the government, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), and other relevant actors responded.

 

In this article, the panel’s program director writes about their findings and how these players were thoroughly unprepared on almost every level for the cascading nuclear disaster.

 

This lack of preparation was caused, in part, by a public myth of “absolute safety” that nuclear power proponents had nurtured over decades and was aggravated by dysfunction within and between government agencies and Tepco, particularly in regard to political leadership and crisis management.

 

The investigation also found that the tsunami that began the nuclear disaster could and should have been anticipated and that ambiguity about the roles of public and private institutions in such a crisis was a factor in the poor response at Fukushima.  

»» Read More

NHK News:`Widespread’ Strontium-90 Contamination In Fukushima

 

 

# 5616

 

Photo credit NHK World News -  Video Link

 

 

Those with long memories will recall that it was concerns over the accumulation of radioactive strontium-90 in milk (and in humans that consumed that milk) that led to the banning of above-ground nuclear testing in 1963.

 

Prior to that time, incredibly, hundreds of above-ground atomic tests were conducted all around the world, releasing significant quantities of radioactive isotopes including (americium-241, cesium-137, iodine-131, strontium-90).

 

But it was strontium-90 - which acts much like calcium in the human body - that was of particular concern as it ends up deposited in bones and teeth, raising serious concerns over future cancer risks.

 

Back in April Crofsblog carried an NHK report on low levels (3.3 to 32 becquerels) of Strontium-90 detected last March in regions around the stricken power plant (see Fukushima: Strontium-90 detected outside 30 km zone).

 

Today, NHK World News is reporting on considerably higher levels of strontium-90 detected in some of the eleven samples taken outside of the 30km evacuation zone – including Fukushima City - some 60 km from the site of the nuclear accident.

 

 

 

 

Survey: strontium widespread in Fukushima

Thursday, June 09, 2011 06:02 +0900 (JST)

Soil samples from around Fukushima Prefecture have revealed concentrations of radioactive strontium.
Japan's science ministry conducted a survey for radioactive substances at 11 locations in 10 municipalities from late March to mid-May.

 

It says strontium-90 was detected in all 11 locations.
In Namie Town, the reading stood at 250 becquerels per kilogram of soil, while in Iitate Village the reading was 120 becquerels per kilogram. The readings in the other locations were between 2 and 18 becquerels.

(Continue . . . )

 

 

According to this report, Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission insists that the detected levels of strontium are minor, and do not pose any immediate health risk.

 

A radiation expert at a hospital in Fukushima City disagrees.  Dr. Doctor Osamu Saito says even small quantities of strontium-90 pose a high health risk.

 

Whatever the ultimate health risks involved, the news of greater radioactive contamination – particularly from a persistent isotope like strontium - is bound to increase the public’s concerns.

 

As I wrote yesterday (see A Different Kind Of Nuclear Fallout), public confidence in the safety of nuclear energy production in Japan will be crucial if the plants that are shut down now – or are scheduled for maintenance shutdown over the next 12 months – are to be restarted.

»» Read More

Cutting Through The Fukushima Fog

 

 

# 5610

Photo credit IAEA

 

As I noted in The Fog Of Disaster Reporting, written less than 48 hours after the earthquake/tsunami combination that devastated northern Japan, my confidence level in the accuracy of many of the stories coming out of the disaster zone was pretty low.

 

So low, that in many cases I opted not to use them in this blog.

 

Since then, we’ve learned that the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi facility was much worse than first reported. 

 

Despite what we now know was a meltdown of three reactors within hours of the quake, the severity level of the incident was held at a 5 for a full month (the same as Three Mile Island), before being raised to a  Chernobyl-comparable level 7 on April 11th.

 

 

Today, the Yomiuri News Agency is reporting that two of these damaged reactors may have suffered a `Melt Through’ – an even more serious event than a meltdown –where nuclear fuel actually melted through the walls or floors of reactor vessel.

 

Melted Fuel at Fukushima May Have Leaked Through, Yomiuri Says

By Go Onomitsu - Jun 7, 2011 2:02 AM ET

 

 

NHK World News is also reporting that today (Tuesday) a government appointed expert panel met for the first time to investigate the Fukushima nuclear accident (see Govt panel on nuclear accident holds 1st meeting).

 

The panel is expected to produce an interim report by the end of the year, but according to committee's head - Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo, Yotaro Hatamura - will not aim to clarify who is responsible for the accident.

 

Meanwhile, just hours before the first meeting of this expert panel was held, it was revealed that the amount of radiation released from the damaged Fukushima facility during the first week of the disaster was likely more than double what had previously been estimated.

 

Japan doubles plant radiation leak estimate

(AFP) – 4 hours ago

TOKYO — Japan has more than doubled its initial estimate of radiation released from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in the week after the March 11 tsunami, ahead of the launch of an official probe Tuesday.

 

The nation's watchdog, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), now says it believes 770,000 terabecquerels escaped into the atmosphere in the first week -- compared to its earlier estimate of 370,000 terabecquerels.

(Continue . . . )

 

The hits, as they say, just keep on coming.

 

There are now concerns that the environmental contamination surrounding the plant may be worse than previously suspected, and that people beyond the 20 km evacuation radius may have been exposed to more radiation than previously thought.

 

These belated and incrementally worsening status reports from plant operator TEPCO and Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission probably won’t do a lot to inspire confidence in their future pronouncements.

 

Of course, early reports from the ground during any major disaster are usually fragmentary, often misleading, and occasionally just downright wrong.

 

How much of this `bad information’ is due to attempts to `manage’ the crisis by doling out bad news a piece at a time – and how much comes from a genuine impenetrable `fog’ of disaster – is hard to know.

 

Often it is a mixture of both.

 

But as was noted last month in  Sandman & Lanard On Worst-Case Crisis Communications, it is important for officials to get out in front of any crisis.

 

Playing catch-up, or worse, appearing to intentionally withhold bad news, can make a bad situation worse.

 

Telling the truth and telling it early, are key points to effective crisis communications.

 

Simple advice, yet it is often ignored.

 

In Japan’s nuclear crisis: The need to talk more candidly about worst case scenarios Peter Sandman wrote:

 

The main communication problem results from the public’s inability to know how much of the situation is under how much control, and what might happen if things get worse. Japanese officials have not helped us to understand that.

 

Worse, they have not communicated in ways that encourage us both to trust that they are telling us everything they know and everything they’re worried about, and to trust that they know what they are doing.

 

And earlier, in Cultural differences regarding Fukushima crisis communication Peter wrote about the consensus document on crisis communications from the World Health Organization  entitled “WHO Outbreak Communication Guidelines”.

 

In an excerpt from the section on “Announcing early”, it states:

 

People are more likely to overestimate the risk if information is withheld. And evidence shows that the longer officials withhold worrisome information, the more frightening the information will seem when it is revealed, especially if it is revealed by an outside source….

 

Early announcements are often based on incomplete and sometimes erroneous information. It is critical to publicly acknowledge that early information may change as further information is developed or verified.

 

 

 

For anyone even remotely involved as a spokesperson for an agency, organization, or company during a crisis, their site should be viewed as essential reading. 

 

Unfortunately, the stream of continually revised information coming out of Japan over the past three months appears more akin to the hoary old tale of the wealthy Englishman who, after traveling the world for many months, called home and spoke to his butler.

 

 

"Well James, has anything happened in my absence?"

 

"Yes, sir.  Your dog died."

 

"He died? Whatever from?  He was a young pup."

 

"Probably from eating burned horse flesh, sir."

 

"Burned horseflesh?  Where on earth did he get burned horseflesh?"

 

"From the stables, Sir. They burned to the ground two weeks ago."

 

"How did the stables catch fire?"

 

"Probably flames from the house, sir."

 

"The house burned down too!  How did that happen?

 

"We suspect the drapes caught fire from the candles, sir."

 

"Candles!  We have electricity. Why on earth were you using candles?"

 

"They were around your mother's coffin in the parlor, sir."

 

"Mum is dead!  My God James, what happened!"

 

"Well Sir, we suspect it was from the shock of your wife running off with the gardener . . ."

 

You get the idea.

 

While the exchange above may make for good comedy, any semblance of it in the real world makes for lousy crisis communications.

»» Read More

IAEA Preliminary Assessment Of The Fukushima Disaster

 

 

 

# 5589

 

Last week IAEA nuclear experts from 12 countries (Argentina, China, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States) arrived in Fukushima, Japan to conduct interviews with local officials and to visit nuclear facilities, including the earthquake and tsunami damaged Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

 

They have produced a brief (3-page) preliminary assessment of the safety issues related to the Fukushima nuclear crisis. A full report will be delivered to the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety at IAEA headquarters in Vienna in about 3 weeks.

 

 

 

They describe the level of cooperation, and access, their expert mission received as being `excellent’, and the response of the workers at the stricken plant as `exemplary’ and `brave’. 

 

They also reassure that: To date no health effects have been reported in any person as a result of radiation exposure from the nuclear accident.

 

From today’s  UPDATE: IAEA Fact-Finding Team Completes Visit to Japan (1 June 2011) on the IAEA website, we get an overview of the expert mission, and a synopsis of their findings:

 

 

The expert team made several preliminary findings and lessons learned, including:

• Japan's response to the nuclear accident has been exemplary, particularly illustrated by the dedicated, determined and expert staff working under exceptional circumstances;
• Japan's long-term response, including the evacuation of the area around stricken reactors, has been impressive and well organized. A suitable and timely follow-up programme on public and worker exposures and health monitoring would be beneficial;
• The tsunami hazard for several sites was underestimated. Nuclear plant designers and operators should appropriately evaluate and protect against the risks of all natural hazards, and should periodically update those assessments and assessment methodologies;
• Nuclear regulatory systems should address extreme events adequately, including their periodic review, and should ensure that regulatory independence and clarity of roles are preserved; and
• The Japanese accident demonstrates the value of hardened on-site Emergency Response Centres with adequate provisions for handling all necessary emergency roles, including communications.

 

While cloaked in the polite language of diplomacy, the bottom line is that what disaster planners and nuclear regulatory agencies assumed to be a `worst-case scenario’, and planned for  – a 5.7 meter tsunami – turned out to completely inadequate on March 11, 2011 when a series of 14+ meter tsunamis slammed into the Fukushima nuclear power facility.

 

It has recently emerged that this wildly optimistic worst-case disaster scenario’ came from a 1-page, decade-old memo generated by Fukushima plant operators, and that it provided little in the way of scientific data to back up their assessment (see AP article AP Exclusive: Fukushima tsunami plan a single page).

 

 

Those expecting any sort of critical exposé here will find this report lacking. Given Japan’s level of social, political, and economic uncertainty in the wake of this three-pronged disaster, the IAEA is obviously (and understandably) treading carefully here.

 

Prime Minister Naoto Kan faces a no-confidence vote this week, the Japanese economy is reeling, public confidence in TEPCO and the Japanese government’s disaster response is waning, and the Japanese people are enduring a collective tragedy almost beyond comprehension.

 

So diplomatically, this report avoids assigning blame or directing criticism, so as not to aggravate what is obviously a precarious situation.

 

A full post-mortem analysis of what happened - and what continues to transpire as crews attempt to contain this nuclear crisis - will no doubt have to wait until the emergency has passed.

 

And given the size and scope of this disaster, that could be months or even years from now.

»» Read More

IAEA To Send Fact Finding Mission To Fukushima

 

# 5558

 

 

The UN’s Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will dispatch an expert fact-finding mission to Japan on May 24th to  make a preliminary assessment of nuclear safety issues at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following the March 11th earthquake and Tsunami.

 

The press announcement reads:

 

Press Release 2011/06

IAEA Sends International Fact-finding Expert Mission to Japan

17 May 2011 | The International Atomic Energy Agency will dispatch an international expert fact-finding mission to Japan.

 

Based upon the agreement between the IAEA and the Government of Japan, the mission, comprising nearly 20 international and IAEA experts from a dozen countries, will visit Japan between 24 May and 2 June 2011. Under the leadership of Mr. Mike Weightman, HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations of the United Kingdom, the mission will conduct fact-finding activities at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) site and in other locations.

 

The expert mission will make a preliminary assessment of the safety issues linked with TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi NPS accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. During the mission, areas that need further exploration or assessment based on the IAEA safety standards will also be identified.

 

In the course of the IAEA mission, the international experts will become acquainted with the Japanese lessons learned from the accident and will share their experience and expertise in their fields of competence with the Japanese authorities.

 

Mr. Weightman will present the mission's report at the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety organised by the IAEA in Vienna from 20 to 24 June 2011, as an important input in the process of reviewing and strengthening the global nuclear safety framework that will be launched by the Conference.

 

Updates on the situation at the damaged Fukushima facility are coming less frequently from the IAEA, with the last one issued on Friday May 13th.

 

IAEA Briefing on Fukushima Nuclear Accident (4 - 11 May 2011, 17:00 UTC)

by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday, May 13, 2011 at 12:27pm

On Friday, 13 May 2011, the IAEA provided the following information on the status of nuclear safety in Japan:

1. Emergency at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Overall, the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains very serious.

(Continue . . . )

 

 

Each day, however, seems to bring new revelations on the extent of the damage to the fuel rods at the damaged reactors and revised plans to rectify the crisis.

 

The following report comes from the Voice Of America.

 

 

Japan Revises Plan to Bring Fukushima Reactors Under Control

Martyn Williams | Tokyo  May 17, 2011

Photo: Reuters

Workers are seen near cable trench pit for the water intake of No.2 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Fukushima prefecture in this handout photo released by TEPCO on May 17, 2011

Tokyo Electric will step up measures to prevent groundwater contamination at the stricken Fukushima nuclear-power plant amid worries that highly radioactive water is leaking from the core of at least one reactor.

 

Company officials say work will begin immediately to build a drainage system that will pump the water to a reprocessing facility where much of the radioactivity can be removed. It will then be re-circulated through the cooling system.

 

Recent data analysis concluded a meltdown of nuclear fuel likely occurred within a day of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the region. The melted fuel is thought to have created holes allowing water to leak from the center of the reactor.

 

The work is one of the new measures in Tokyo Electric's plan for taking the Fukushima Daiichi plant from crisis to stability. Other measures will be visually apparent at the plant in the coming months.

(Continue . . . )

 

 

That more than two months later the story continues to evolve regarding the hours and days immediately following the disaster should come as no great surprise.

 

As I wrote in The Fog Of Disaster Reporting, two days after the earthquake struck:

 

Early reports from the ground during any major disaster are usually fragmentary, often misleading, and occasionally just downright wrong.

 

Over the past 60 days, we’ve seen our share of `erroneous’ reports.

 

Obviously, it is important to learn exactly what happened at Fukushima, what responses were mounted, and what worked . . .  and what didn’t.

 

While one always hopes another disaster of this sort never happens, there are lessons to be learned here. Particularly from the things that did not work as planned.

 

Lessons that could save lives the next time the `unthinkable’ happens.

»» Read More

NSC: Fukushima Radiation Leak Underestimated

 

 

# 5519

 

Photo credit IAEA

 

Six weeks after the combination earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan and severely damaged several nuclear reactors we continue to get revised estimates on the amount of radioactivity that has been (and is being) released into the atmosphere.

 

On April 5th, Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) estimated that the release of radiation from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant as being "less than 1 terabecquerel per hour."

 

Which would make the daily release somewhat under 24 terabecquerels.

 

Today the Daily Yomiuri (Yomiuri Shimbun) (h/t Makoto on FluTrackers)  is reporting that the NSC revised their estimates over the weekend, raising them to 154 terabecquerels per day as of April 5th.

 

Or a rate at least 6 times higher than previously stated.

 

This report from the Yomiuri Shimbun.

 

Atmospheric radiation leak underestimated

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Data released by the government indicates radioactive material was leaking into the atmosphere from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in early April in greater quantities than previously estimated.

 

Radioactive material was being released into the atmosphere from the plant at an estimated rate of 154 terabecquerels per day as of April 5, according to data released by the Cabinet Office's Nuclear Safety Commission on Saturday.

 

The NSC previously estimated radiation leakage on April 5 at "less than 1 terabecquerel per hour."

(Continue . . .)

 

 

Given that TEPCO’s plans don’t call for stopping the radiation release for another 2 or 3 months, this is less than encouraging news.

»» Read More

Fukushima: A 10-Year Decommissioning Plan

 

 

 

# 5492

 

 

Although a decade is a long time to deal with a crisis, compared to other estimates (see ABC News Crews 'facing 100-year battle' at Fukushima), today’s report actually sounds optimistic.

 

Photo credit IAEA

 

The plan comes from manufacturing giant Toshiba, which helped build the Fukushima Daiichi plant, and was generated in consort with 4 US companies in the nuclear industry.

It envisions a 3-phase decommissioning and cleanup strategy, with the first phase – cooling and stabilizing the reactors and spent fuel pools – expected to take several months

 

Phase II – removing the nuclear fuel rods – would take 5 years.

 

And Phase III - dismantling the reactors and environmental cleanup – will take another 5 years.

 

NHK World News has more in the following report:

 

Reactor makers draft 10-year decommission plan

updated at 13:57 UTC, Apr. 14

»» Read More

IAEA Briefing On Fukushima Severity Level

 

# 5486

 

 

 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released an update over the last few hours on the revision to the Fukushima severity level I reported last night (see Fukushima: Brief Fire, 6.4 Aftershock & Severity Level To Be Raised).

 

While sharing the same severity level as Chernobyl, Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) is quick to point out that the amount of radiation released from Fukushima is estimated to be 1/10th that of the Russian disaster.

 

 

NISA, however, has come under increasing criticism for its handling of the disaster and the speed in which it has released radiation readings from the reactor facilities and surrounding areas.

 

There have been frequent calls from the public, international agencies, and world governments for better dissemination of information on the nuclear crisis (including Kyoto News China urges Japan to release timely, precise info on nuke crisis).

 

Yesterday NISA publicly admitted that their actions have not always been adequate for the task at hand (see NHK News Nuclear safety regrets its response to Fukushima).

 

Events and admissions that are likely to do little to assuage criticism and frustration over NISA’s ongoing assessment and handling of the nuclear risks at Fukushima.

 

Here is the IAEA update, followed by links to the NISA announcement.

 

 

 

IAEA Update on Fukushima Nuclear Accident (12 April 2011, 4:45 UTC)

by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 12:43am

The Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) today issued a new provisional rating for the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on the IAEA International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES).

 

The nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi is now rated as a level 7 "Major Accident" on INES. Level 7 is the most serious level on INES and is used to describe an event comprised of "A major release of radioactive material with widespread health and environmental effects requiring implementation of planned and extended countermeasures." Japanese authorities notified the IAEA in advance of the public announcement and the formal submission of the new provisional rating.

 

The new provisional rating considers the accidents that occurred at Units 1, 2 and 3 as a single event on INES. Previously, separate INES Level 5 ratings had been applied for Units 1, 2 and 3. The provisional INES Level 3 rating assigned for Unit 4 still applies.

 

The re-evaluation of the Fukushima Daiichi provisional INES rating resulted from an estimate of the total amount of radioactivity released to the environment from the nuclear plant. NISA estimates that the amount of radioactive material released to the atmosphere is approximately 10 percent of the 1986 Chernobyl accident, which is the only other nuclear accident to have been rated a Level 7 event.

 

Earlier ratings of the nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi were assessed as follows:

 

On 18 March, Japanese authorities rated the core damage at the Fukushima Daiichi 1, 2 and 3 reactor Units caused by loss of all cooling function to have been at Level 5 on the INES scale. They further assessed that the loss of cooling and water supplying functions in the spent fuel pool of the Unit 4 reactor to have been rated at Level 3.

 

Japanese authorities may revise the INES rating at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as further information becomes available.

 

INES is used to promptly and consistently communicate to the public the safety significance of events associated with sources of radiation. The scale runs from 0 (deviation) to 7 (major accident).

 

For further information on the INES scale:

http://www-ns.iaea.org/tech-areas/emergency/ines.asp

Further details regarding this development can be found in the following NISA press release:

http://www.nisa.meti.go.jp/english/files/en20110412-4.pdf

»» Read More

Fukushima: Brief Fire, 6.4 Aftershock & Severity Level To Be Raised

 

 

# 5485

 

 

According to NHK World News Japan’s Nuclear Safety Agency today has decided to raise the severity level of the multiple crises at the Fukushima Nuclear facility from a 5 (on par with Three Mile Island) to a 7 – the same level assigned to the 1985 Chernobyl disaster.

 

It is still believed that the amount of radiation released at the Fukushima plant is less than what was released at Chernobyl, however.

 

This decision comes a month after the devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that disabled and severely damaged at least 4 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi facility.

 

An announcement will be made via a press conference to be held Tuesday morning (Japan Time).  

 

This from NHK News.

 

 

Japan to raise Fukushima crisis level to worst

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 05:47 +0900 (JST)

The Japanese government's nuclear safety agency has decided to raise the crisis level of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant accident from 5 to 7, the worst on the international scale.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency made the decision on Monday. It says the damaged facilities have been releasing a massive amount of radioactive substances, which are posing a threat to human health and the environment over a wide area.

(Continue . . . )

 

 

In other news, a brief fire broke out at reactor # 4 a short time ago (around 6:30 am local time), but appears now to be extinguished.  The following report is from Reuters.

 

 

Fire seen at Fukushima nuclear plant; flames no longer visible

• Mon Apr 11, 2011 7:53pm EDT

(Reuters) - A fire broke out at Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, operator Tokyo Electric and Power (TEPCO) said on Tuesday, although flames and smoke were no longer visible.

(Continue . . . )

 

 

And another strong (6.4 Mag), very shallow (13.1 km) aftershock struck just after 8am local time,  77 km ESE of Tokyo.  No Tsunami warning was issued, and thus far there are no reports of fresh damage or injuries.

 

 

MAP 6.4  2011/04/11 23:08:16  35.406   140.542 13.1 
NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN

»» Read More

IAEA Fukushima Briefing: April 10th

 

 

# 5480

 

The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has just released their latest briefing, giving the status of the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi facility.

 

I’ve only reproduced the first section of a much longer report, follow the link to read it in its entirety.

 

 

IAEA Briefing on Fukushima Nuclear Accident (10 April 2011, 15:00 UTC)

 

by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Sunday, April 10, 2011 at 8:30am

 1. Current Situation

Earthquake of 7^th April

External power has been restored at all sites affected by the 7^th April earthquake.  The 3 litres of water that were spilled at Onagawa NPP have been cleaned up.

 

Changes to Fukushima Daiichi Plant Status

Overall, the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant remains very serious but there are early signs of recovery in some functions such as electrical power and instrumentation.

 

In Units 1, 2 and 3, 60,000 tons of contaminated water need to be removed from the turbine buildings and trenches. This water will be transferred to the condensers of each unit and the Radioactive Waste Treatment facility. In addition, temporary storage tanks have been ordered to provide additional capacity for the water and will be located adjacent to the Radioactive Waste Treatment facility. In Unit 2 water transfer from the condenser to the condensate storage tank was completed on 9^th April.

 

Nitrogen gas is being injected into the Unit 1 containment vessel to reduce the possibility of hydrogen combustion within the containment vessel. The pressure in this containment vessel is increasing due to the addition of nitrogen.

 

In Unit 1 fresh water is being continuously injected into the reactor pressure vessel through feed-water line at an indicated flow rate of 6 m³/h using a temporary electric pump with off-site power. In Units 2 and 3 fresh water is being continuously injected through the fire extinguisher lines at indicated rates of 7 m³/h and 7 m³/h respectively using temporary electric pumps with off-site power.

 

In Unit 1 the pressure in the RPV is increasing as indicated on both channels of instrumentation. NISA has indicated that some instruments in the reactor vessel may not be working properly. In Units 2 and 3 Reactor Pressure Vessel and Drywell pressures remain at atmospheric pressure.

 

RPV temperatures remain above cold shutdown conditions, typically less than 95°C.  In Unit 1 temperature at the feed water nozzle of the RPV is 235°C and at the bottom of the RPV is 120°C. In Unit 2 the temperature at the feed water nozzle of the RPV is 145°C. The temperature at the bottom of the RPV was not reported. In Unit 3 the temperature at the feed water nozzle of the RPV is 97°C and at the bottom of the RPV is 109°C.

 

The concrete pump vehicle sprayed fresh water (90 T) to the spent fuel pool in Unit 4 on 9^th April.

There has been no change in status in Units 4,  5 and 6 and the Common Spent Fuel Storage Facility

(Continue . . . )

 

 

You can also view the SUMMARY OF REACTOR STATUS report HERE.

 

(Click to view)

»» Read More

Japan: IAEA Briefing April 8th

 

 

# 5477

 

 

In the wake of a 7.1 magnitude aftershock yesterday, the IAEA has issued a new briefing that includes status updates on several other nuclear reactors in northern Japan.

 

Yesterday’s temblor was the largest aftershock yet since the March 11th 9.0 quake that generated a massive tsunami, devastated northern Japan, and severely damaged several nuclear reactors.

 

The IAEA continues to categorize the status of these damaged reactors by stating: 

 

Overall, the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant remains very serious although there are early signs of recovery in some functions such as electrical power and instrumentation.

 

I’ve only reproduced the opening section which pertains to this latest aftershock’s effects on Japan’s nuclear facilities. 

 

Follow the link to read this update in its entirety.

 

 

IAEA Briefing on Fukushima Nuclear Accident (8 April 2011, 15:00 UTC)

by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday, April 8, 2011 at 10:57am

1.      Earthquake of 7th April

The IAEA confirms that an earthquake occurred in Japan at 14:32 UTC 7th April. The IAEA International Seismic Safety Centre has rated it as a 7.1 magnitude, revised from an initial 7.4 magnitude.

The epicenter of the earthquake was 20 km from the Onagawa nuclear power plant and approximately 120 km from the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants.

 

The IAEA has been in contact with NISA and can confirm the status of the following nuclear facilities:

Fukushima Daiichi NPP

No changes have been observed at the on-site radiation monitoring posts. The injection of water into the reactor pressure vessels of Units 1, 2 and 3 was not interrupted.

Fukushima Daini NPP

No changes have been observed of the readings at the on-site radiation monitoring posts.

Onagawa NPP

All reactors have been in cold shutdown since the 11th March earthquake.

 

Two out of the three lines supplying off-site power to the site were lost following the 7th April earthquake. Off-site power continues to be supplied through the third line.

 

Cooling of the spent fuel pool was temporarily lost, but has subsequently been restored.

 

No change has been observed in the readings from the on-site radiation monitoring post. The status of the plant is currently being checked.

Tokai Daini NPP

Tokai Daini nuclear power plant remains in cold shutdown since the 11th March earthquake. No abnormality has been observed.

Higashidori NPP

The Higashidori NPP was shut down and in a maintenance outage at the time of the 7th April earthquake. Off-site power was lost temporarily. Emergency power supply to the site operated as expected until off-site power was restored. All the fuel had been removed from the reactor core and stored in the spent fuel pool. Cooling of the spent fuel pool is operational.

Tomari NPP (in Hokkaido)

At the time of the 7th April earthquake Tomari Unit 1 and Unit 2 were in operation. Following the 7th April earthquake, the Hokkaido Electric Power Company reduced the generating power to 90% of capacity.

Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant and uranium enrichment facility lost off-site power. Emergency power supply to the site is operating.

(Continue . . . )

 

 

 

Seismologists warn that additional strong aftershocks are still possible over the next few weeks and months.

»» Read More

NHK: Fukushima Leak `Appears To Be Lessening’

 

 

 

 

# 5464

 

Anything remotely resembling optimism on the damaged reactors at the Fukushima nuclear facility has been exceedingly hard to find over the past 3 weeks.

 

Since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami we’ve watched a steady stream of stories on radiation releases and TEPCO’s failed attempts to stop them coming from the press.

 

Today, however, from NHK World News; a bit of optimism on TEPCO’s attempts to reduce the flow of highly radioactive water leaking from the reactor into the sea.

 

After several failed attempts, the injection of liquid glass into the concrete pit appears to have lessened somewhat the rate of flow of radioactive water and further injections are planned.

 

Whether this leak can be permanently sealed remains to be seen.

 

This from NHK World News.

 

 

Leak at Fukushima appears to be lessening

The operator of the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear plant has injected a hardening agent beneath a leaking concrete pit in a bid to stem the flow of highly radioactive water into the sea.

 

The firm says the leakage seems to be decreasing, following the infusion of the hardening agent.

 

The utility showed reporters a photo of the leak on Tuesday evening, saying it indicates such a decrease.
TEPCO said it will infuse another 1,500 liters of liquid glass.

 

(Continue . . . )

 

Elsewhere, the news isn’t nearly as optimistic, with these reports among the top stories out of Japan today.

 

• High level of cesium detected in sand lances
• High radiation outside indoor advisory zone
• Seawater's radiation levels remain high
• Review of Japan's nuclear policy suspended
• 7.5 mil. times legal limit of iodine in sea
• Fukushima measuring radiation at all schools
• Discharge of radioactive water into sea continues

»» Read More

Fukushima: A Drone’s Eye View

 

 

# 5463

 

A Twitter tweet by @Tokyoreporter this morning has led me to a webpage containing 11 awesome high-res photographs giving us the best view yet of the damaged Fukushima nuclear facility.

 

Drone used to take photos (Air Photo Service Co. Ltd., Japan)

 

The main page of aerial photos is available for viewing at:

 

http://cryptome.org/eyeball/daiichi-npp/daiichi-photos.htm

 

 

A second page, with 18 more high-res ground level and aerial shots can be found at:

 

http://cryptome.org/eyeball/daiichi-npp2/daiichi-photos2.htm

 

On both pages are links to download the full resolution photos in a zip file.

»» Read More

CDC HAN Advisory: Fukushima Radiation Monitoring

 

 

 

# 5455

 

The CDC’s  Health Alert Network (HAN) is designed to ensure that communities, agencies, health care professionals, and the general public are able to receive timely information on important public health issues.

 

You can sign up for HAN messages, and scores of other CDC and HHS email notifications, by going to the CDC - Quick Subscribe GovDelivery page

 

There are 4 types of HAN releases.

 

Health Alert

Conveys the highest level of importance; warrants immediate action or attention.

Health Advisory

Provides important information for a specific incident or situation; may not require immediate action.

Health Update

Provides updated information regarding an incident or situation; unlikely to require immediate action.

Info Service
Provides general information that is not necessarily considered to be of an emergent nature.

 

Today we have a HAN ADVISORY on the monitoring of radiation from the Fukushima reactors. The `money quote’ reads:

 

At this time, there continues to be no indication for anyone in the United States to take potassium iodine or switch to bottled water on the basis of the events in Japan.

 

But I’ve reproduced the entire HAN message below.  My thanks to Sharon Sanders of FluTrackers for sending this link.

 

 

 

This is an official
CDC HEALTH ADVISORY

Distributed via Health Alert Network
Sunday, March 27, 2011, 0:20 EDT (12:20 PM EDT)
CDCHAN-00320-2011-03-27-ADV-N

This is an official
CDC HAN Info Service Message

 

Monitoring for Increased Levels of Radioactive Material in the US as a Result of the Incident with the Fukushima Nuclear Incident in Japan

Summary

As a result of the incident with the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, highly sensitive radiation monitors operated by EPA and others are detecting very low levels of radioactive material in the air in the United States. These levels were expected and consistent with estimated releases from the damaged nuclear reactors and are far below levels of public health concern.

 

Elevated levels of radioactive material in rainwater have also been expected as a result of the nuclear incident after the events in Japan, since radiation is known to travel in the atmosphere. There have been reports received that several states including Pennsylvania and Massachusetts have detected elevated levels of radiation in rainwater following recent precipitation events.

 

Background

The numbers of the elevated levels of radioactive material being reported in Massachusetts are 79 picocuries (pCi) per liter (one picocurie is a trillionth of a curie). The numbers reported in Pennsylvania range from 40-100 picocuries per liter. Although these are levels above the background levels historically reported in these areas, they are still about 25 times below the level that would be of concern for use as a sole source of water over a short period of time, even for infants and pregnant or breastfeeding women, who are the most sensitive to radiation.

 

While short-term elevations such as these do not raise public health concerns – and the levels seen in rainwater are expected to be relatively short in duration – the U.S. EPA has taken steps to increase the level of monitoring of precipitation, drinking water, and other potential exposure routes to continue to verify that.

 

Given the release of radiation in Japan, it was expected that radiation monitors in this country and elsewhere will detect minute quantities of radiation. These monitors are highly sensitive and can detect amounts of radiation in trillionths of a Curie. We expect environmental monitors will continue to detect low levels of radiation in surface waters due to radioactive material in the air. When it rains or snows, the radioactive material is washed to the ground and onto surface waters.

 

What the US Federal Government is Doing

EPA’s Radiation air monitoring network continues to conduct near-real-time air monitoring in networks across the nation. With these recent reports, the US EPA has increased monitoring across the country to ensure that the American people have the most up to date information.

 

What information is available to the public:

The EPA has posted information on its website at http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/

CDC has posted FAQs on our website at http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/isotopes/iodine131surfacewater.asp.

USA.gov continues to consolidate federal guidance related to this situation at http://www.usa.gov/Japan2011.shtml.

Recommendations

 

The federal government’s only recommendation to state and local governments at this time is to continue to share their testing results with the appropriate federal authorities. EPA will continue to communicate nationwide sampling results as they come in.

 

At this time, there continues to be no indication for anyone in the United States to take potassium iodine or switch to bottled water on the basis of the events in Japan.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects people’s health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national and international organizations.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

 

»» Read More

RadNet: The EPA’s Radiation Monitoring System

 

 

# 5454

While no harmful levels of radiation are presently expected to reach the United States as a result of the Fukushima reactor crisis, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) RadNet System has detected very small increases in radiation levels since the March 11th earthquake.

 

The EPA reassures, however:

 

To-date, levels recorded at this monitor have been thousands of times below any conservative level of concern.

 

Still, I know many of my readers possess a good measure of scientific curiosity and would find it of interest to follow radiation monitors around the nation.

 

The EPA, fortunately, has made that information easily available.

 

 

By visiting the RadNet Site you can click on the map (pictured above) and get real-time readout of current and recently detected radiation readings from scores of locations around the nation.

 

The EPA is also posting Daily Summaries on the radiation impact on the United States, along with regular statements.

The latest statement (March 27th) reads:

 

As a result of the incident with the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, several EPA air monitors have detected very low levels of radioactive material in the United States consistent with estimates from the damaged nuclear reactors. These detections were expected and the levels detected are far below levels of public-health concern.

 

Elevated levels of radioactive material in rainwater have been expected as a result of the nuclear incident after the events in Japan since radiation is known to travel in the atmosphere. There have been reports received that the states of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts have seen elevated levels of radiation in recent precipitation events. EPA is reviewing this data – however, in both cases these are levels above the normal background levels historically reported in these areas.

 

While short-term elevations such as these do not raise public health concerns – and the levels seen in rainwater are expected to be relatively short in duration – the U.S. EPA has taken steps to increase the level of nationwide monitoring of precipitation, drinking water, and other potential exposure routes to continue to verify that.

 

EPA’s only recommendation to state and local governments is to continue to coordinate closely with EPA, CDC and FDA – EPA will continue to communicate our nationwide sampling results as they come in.

 

Earlier EPA Updates

• March 22, 2011 - Statement on Recent Findings in West Coast States and Hawaii
• March 18, 2011 - JOINT EPA/DOE STATEMENT: Radiation Monitors Confirm That No Radiation Levels of Concern Have Reached the United States
• March 15, 2011 - EPA Statement on Air Monitoring Effort
  • Declaración de EPA (15 de marzo de 2011)

 

You’ll also find an informative FAQ page with information relating to the Fukushima radiation and the EPA’s monitoring network.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 2:54:45 PM.

This page provides answers to questions EPA has received about the current nuclear power plant situation in Japan

 

An interesting website, well worth exploring.

»» Read More