Fukushima Nuclear disaster Radiation plume headed to West

From: Bleeding Edge Blog

Fukushima Nuclear disaster Radiation plume headed to West Coast of the US …
Almost three years ago, Fukushima experienced a major earthquake and tsunami that caused three of the six Fukushima Daiichi reactors to lose power and melt down, including Reactor 3 that utilizes MOX fuel containing highly-toxic plutonium. A fourth reactor’s fuel pool is in danger of collapse if hit by another major earthquake. Although Fukushima, like Chernobyl, is classified as a Category 7 nuclear disaster (on the International Nuclear Event Scale), Fukushima remains a far greater threat than Chernobyl. Chernobyl was largely contained six months after the disaster. Fukushima may never be largely contained.

In the press conference of 1/8/2014, Tepco confessed that they are confused by their own past analysis data, and are not certain of any of their radiation measurements.

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The major issue is that numerical analysis results of Strontium-90 have not been announced for longer than the last 6 months. We all know the radioactive water going into the ocean… however, Tepco has never been forthcoming with the data of the leaked contaminated water and of the surrounding seawater.

In the end of last year, a Japanese journalist made a sharp attack about this issue in Tepco’s press conference.

This was their answer: The reason why Tepco is confused by themselves is because the density of Strontium-90 is higher than All β nuclide density in some of the analysis results.

What is all β nuclide ? It’s the collective of multiple β nuclides including Strontium-90.

Therefore Strontium-90 density cannot be higher than this all β nuclide density.

If this explanation of Tepco was another lie, significant level of Strontium-90 has already leaked to the sea and Tepco is trying to delay the data release.

If it’s true, the situation is more complicated and could be worse. It means the past analysis of Tepco might be wrong.

Tepco stated Fukushima plant is occupied with samples and data that they cannot deal well with them…

In June of 2013, Tepco admitted they made a mistake to analyze some of the samples because the back ground radiation level is too high in Fukushima plant. (*2)

Also in August of 2013, NRA (Nuclear Regulation Authority) stated Tepco’s radiation measurement might have the significant error because the trend shown is overly random. (*3)

NRA inspected the actual analyzing site and concluded Tepco didn’t make an error. However Tepco’s Strontium-90 analysis was wrong and NRA couldn’t find that.

If their past measurements were entirely / partially wrong, we would have to reconsider the reality. The actual contamination situation may be worse than ever reported.

At this moment, most of Tepco’s measurements are not checked by any third party.

Also, it is not known how many samples they take, and if the announced reading is the maximum, minimum, or the average. The standard deviation is not announced either.

*1 Question about Tepco’s radiation measurement credibility / Sr-90 density was higher than all β density [URL]

*2 Tepco mis-measured radiation, 610 Bq/m3 of Cs-134/137 detected from bypass well water in the second test [URL 2]

*3 NRA “Tepco’s nuclide analysis may have a significant error” [URL 3]

(FULL BLOG POST)