What is the Impact of Fukushima on Wildlife in American NorthWest?

NOTE: There is not yet any definitive scientific proof that the massive wildlife die off and anomalies occurring on the West Coast represented below  is due to Fukushima. The common denominator however is that in every case there is no specific cause found and scientists and biologists are baffled. Circumstantially  Fukushima is very suspect.  Even if these animals are not dying from direct contact with radioactive isotopes they may be acquiring the contaminants as the isotopes work their way up the food chain. We, as humans are at the top of that chain. Even if you are vegetarian you may be affected as fish meal is used as fertilizer and if that meal is from a fish that has Cesium or other isotopes in it's tissue this is then transferred to the soil where it will stay for potentially hundreds of years and be taken up by the plants.  The level of contamination stemming from Fukushima is unprecedented and each month it is discovered that TEPCO and the Japanese government has grossly under-reported the actual numbers. Just last September it was learned that TEPCO was using meters that only registered to 100 so the actual count of 1800 was undetected. Deliberate?  Who knows. 

As I attempt to make people aware of what is happening it is plainly aware most are fiddling while our air, waters and plant life are on the verge of burning. Nature needs balance and, when that balance is pushed off it's median, nature will seek entropy with no care for survival of humans and other animal life. Time will tell if I am just being pessimistic but as long as the clean up at Fukushima  is "cost and profit driven" there will be no headway made on this nuclear disaster that gets worse by the day. 

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FROM: The Big Picture

Seals, Sea Lions, Polar Bears, Bald Eagles, Sea Stars, Turtles, King and Sockeye Salmon, Herring, Anchovies and Sardines In The Western Part of North America All Suffering Mysterious Diseases At the Same Time.

Is it Radiation from Fukushima?

We’ve previous documented that seals, sea lions, polar bears, sea stars, turtles, sockeye salmon, herring, anchovies and sardines on the West Coast of North America are all suffering mysterious diseases … which are killing many.

We’ve asked whether this is related to massive releases of radiation from Fukushima. Update.

Sadly, we can now add other wildlife to the list.

EneNews reports:

Los Angeles Times, Dec. 29, 2013: Bald eagles are dying in Utah — 20 in the past few weeks alone — and nobody can figure out why. [...] Many suffered from seizures, head tremors and paralysis [...] Many of the eagles were brought to the mammoth Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah [...] Within 48 hours, most were dead. [...] State wildlife specialists are baffled. For weeks, officials have sent birds for necropsies [...] At first, the agency’s disease scientists guessed the illness could be encephalitis, which is caused by the West Nile virus, but later ruled out that possibility. [...] Officials suggest the die-off is possibly connected to the deaths of thousands of eared grebes that began in Utah in November. [...] Officials still don’t know why the shore birds became sick. [...] Officials at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center have their own theories. Some point to radiation from Japan after the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. [...] A call from Idaho shed new light: A wildlife official said bald eagles there were also getting sick, suggesting the birds were arriving in Utah already in bad health.

Buz Marthaler, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah co-founder: “It’s just hard to have your national bird in your arms, going through seizures in a way it can’t control — when you can see it’s pain but don’t know what’s happening to it. As a human being, you just have problems with that. And when you lose one, it just grabs your heart. [...] In an average year, we might get one or two, but we’ve received nine so far, and five of those have died. The other four are still in our care. [...] We aren’t ruling out anything.”

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Washington Post, Dec. 30, 2013: [...] “This is really concerning to us,” says [Leslie McFarlane, the wildlife disease program coordinator for the state’s Division of Wildlife Resources]. She has been program coordinator for 10 years and describes the recent deaths as “very unusual.” [...] The symptoms noted in the recent spate of deaths—and the broad geographical area in which they have cropped up—are what has officials concerned.

Listen to the public news service report here

In a second article, EneNews notes:

Juneau Empire, Dec. 29, 2013: [...] the king [chinook] salmon — has fallen from its throne. [...] Alaska has seen unprecedented declines in recent years [...] scientists like Joe Orsi and Jim Murphy, both fisheries research biologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are digging deeper into [...] the cause of the startling downward trend. [...] When asked about the potential impact Fukushima may be having on king salmon stocks in the Gulf of Alaska and elsewhere in the state, Orsi would not comment. “I’ve been told to refer you to the (Environmental Protection Agency),” he said, “Because I’m not an expert on the topic.” Calls and emails to the EPA were not returned in time and digging on the federal agency’s site revealed no current information on radiation from the Fukushima disaster. The last posted monitoring results occurred in June of 2011.

Unfortunately, the American and Japanese governments are doing everything they can to cover up the severity of the Fukushima disaster.  Indeed, anytime government or big corporations screw up, the government works to cover it up … instead of actually fixing the problem. And see this.

EneNews continues:

Bellingham Herald, Dec. 5, 2013: “[...] we see from test fisheries that the Chinook numbers returning to the Fraser River system were at a record low,” explained Ken Balcomb, executive director and principal investigator for The Center for Research and a science advisor to the whale watch association. [...] [An] alarming decrease of an important identified food resource [...]

Islander Sound, Dec. 25, 2013: [A] dismal return of Chinook salmon to the Fraser River.

Salmon Fishing in British Columbia, Canada: There are two major salmon runs of Chinook that are targeted by anglers; the Fraser river [and] Harrison River.

December 2013: Previously unpublished map from gov’t scientists shows Fukushima plume already at Alaska coast (PHOTO)

November 2013: CBC Headline: Radiation from Fukushima arrives on Alaska coast — University scientists concerned — “Is the food supply safe?… I don’t think anyone can really answer that”

September 2013: US Gov’t: Alaska island “appears to show impacts from Fukushima” — “Significant cesium isotope signature” detected — Scientists anticipate more marine life to be impacted as ocean plume arrives (VIDEO)

(ARTICLE LINK)
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FROM: The Los Angeles Times

Bald eagle deaths in Utah alarm and mystify scientists

SALT LAKE CITY — Buz Marthaler felt the once-proud aerial predator fall limp in his arms, and the veteran animal caretaker knew he was facing a mystery unlike any in his career.

Bald eagles are dying in Utah — 20 in the last few weeks alone — and nobody can figure out why.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

Fukushima radiation levels '18 times higher' than thought

FROM: BBC News

Radiation levels around Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant are 18 times higher than previously thought, Japanese authorities have warned.

Last week the plant's operator reported radioactive water had leaked from a storage tank into the ground.

It now says readings taken near the leaking tank on Saturday showed radiation was high enough to prove lethal within four hours of exposure.

The plant was crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) had originally said the radiation emitted by the leaking water was around 100 millisieverts an hour.

However, the company said the equipment used to make that recording could only read measurements of up to 100 millisieverts.

The new recording, using a more sensitive device, showed a level of 1,800 millisieverts an hour.

The new reading will have direct implications for radiation doses received by workers who spent several days trying to stop the leak last week, the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from Tokyo.

In addition, Tepco says it has discovered a leak on another pipe emitting radiation levels of 230 millisieverts an hour.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

Japan has enough plutonium to build 1,000 nuclear bombs: report

FROM: Want China Times

The real reason why Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, refuses to abandon nuclear power is because he wants to develop a nuclear weapons program, claims the Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po, citing Koide Hiroaki, an assistant professor at the Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute.

There have been strong calls for Tokyo to reconsider its position on nuclear energy after the Fukushima nuclear incident in March 2011, when the Fukushima Daiichi plant north of Tokyo was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, triggering the world's worst nuclear incident since Chernobyl.

Despite the risks, Hiroaki said that Tokyo is determined to develop a nuclear bomb. As Japan is not allowed to legally import weapons-grade plutonium, he says it is able to extract the plutonium it needs from the nuclear waste from the country's power plants.

US analysts estimate that Japan currently has enough plutonium to build at least 1,000 nuclear bombs. Under its constitution Japan is not allowed to own any weapon with offensive capabilities including the nuclear bomb. However, a growing number of Japanese politicians have begun to call for the abolition of the nation's Three Non-Nuclear Principles as tension between Japan and China over the disputed East China Sea escalates.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

Japan 2011 Tsunami Could Happen Again

From: International Business Times

The massive underwater earthquake responsible for the devastating tsunami in Japan in 2012 has the potential to happen again in other parts of the northwest Pacific, scientists have warned.

An international team of geologists has established the cause of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan's Tohoku region in March 2011 and killed over 15,000 people.

Research papers published in the journal Science show the results from a 50-day drilling expedition at the site of the earthquake.

A team of 27 scientists from 10 countries studied the rupture zone by drilling holes in the Japan Trench area - a fault in the ocean floor where two major tectonic plates meet.

Researchers discovered that the tremor was far larger than first assumed.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

Japan: Homeless Used as Slave Labour to Clean Up Fukushima and Other Article Links

Japanese Mafia Rounds Up Homeless Men To Clean Up Radioactive Waste

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Japan: Homeless Used as Slave Labour to Clean Up Fukushima

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Fukushima radiation cleanup: Send in the homeless?

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Yakuza Gangsters Recruit Homeless Men For Fukushima Nuclear Clean Up

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Yakuza uses grey hiring practices in Fukushima cleaning, gov’t remains silent - expert

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Japan's homeless drafted in to help with Fukushima nuclear clear-up

** NEWS FLASH -- URGENT ** STEAM SUDDENLY EMANATING FROM FUKUSHIMA REACTOR # 3 - WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA SHOULD BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR POSSIBLE RADIATION CLOUD WITHIN 3 TO 5 DAYS

PLEASE NOTE:  UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS ARTICLE IT IS, SO FAR, UNSUBSTANTIATED. HOWEVER, IT MUST BE NOTED THAT TEPCO HAS REPORTED VARIOUS RECENT SMALL STEAM RELEASES FROM #3 AND THAT COULD BE INDICATIVE OF A PROBLEM.  IT IS STILL NOT A BAD IDEA TO PURCHASE THE ITEMS LISTED IN THIS ARTICLE BECAUSE FUKUSHIMA 1 IS A TICKING TIME BOMB AND WILL BE FOR ABOUT A DECADE OR SO. PREPAREDNESS IS ALWAYS A GOOD POLICY AND IT IS BETTER TO HAVE THESE THINGS ON HAND BECAUSE IF THEY SUDDENLY BECOME NECESSARY FOR THOSE OF US ON THE WEST COAST THERE WILL NOT BE ENOUGH LOCAL SUPPLY TO HANDLE THE SURGE IN DEMAND. THERE ARE INTERNET SAFETY SUPPLY SITES THAT HAVE THESE THINGS FOR JUST A FEW BUCKS. STAY SAFE AND BE PREPARED.  UPDATE: THIS REPORT HAS BEEN AMENDED TO READ:  “According to a Fairewinds Energy Education posting on Facebook, the reactor is currently producing about 1 MW of heat, equivalent to 1,000 1KW electric fires, so enough to produce plenty of steam. This would provide the least worrying explanation for the steam, in that as the radioactivity continues decline so will the heat production and the volume of steam produced. If this explanation is correct, there is no reason expect any catastrophic outcome. However the steam is carrying considerable amounts of radiation into the atmosphere and represents an ongoing radiation hazard.” THIS SHOULD NOT BE PRESUMED TO MEAN THAT FUKUSHIMA IS NOT DANGEROUS...IT IS.  IT SHOULD NOT BE READ AS "DO NOT PREPARE" YOU SHOULD. EACH DAY FUKUSHIMA REMAINS OUT OF CONTROL IS ANOTHER DAY THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE REMAINS IN THE BALANCE. WE MUST KEEP FUKUSHIMA IN OUR SIGHTS SO TEPCO AND THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT CANNOT KEEP THE FACTS HIDDEN. THERE IS NOT "FULL DISCLOSURE" AT FUKUSHIMA AND THIS MUST END. WE, AS CITIZENS OF THE GLOBE MUST KEEP ON DEMANDING FULL DISCLOSURE.  Saturday, 28 December 2013 22:55 NEWS FLASH - URGENT - December 28, 2013  11:00 PM EST -- (TRN http://www.TurnerRadioNetwork.com ) -- Persons residing on  the west coast of North America should IMMEDIATELY begin preparing for another possible onslaught of dangerous atmospheric radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site in Japan.  The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) says radioactive steam has suddenly begun emanating from previously exploded nuclear reactor building #3 at the Fukuishima disaster site in Japan. TEPCO says they do not know why this is happening and cannot go into the building to see what's happening due to damage and lethal radiation levels in that building. Experts say this could be the beginning of  a "spent fuel pool criticality (meltdown)" involving up to 89 TONS of nuclear fuel burning up into the atmosphere and heading to North America. Steam photo, full details and suggested methods to protect yourself appear below. The announcements from TEPCO (in Japanese) can be viewed HERE (12/27),  HERE(12/25)  and HERE (12/24).  You can use Google Translate to convert to English. On December 28, 2013, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO)  admitted steam was seen billowing out of reactor building #3, saying the steam appeared to be coming from what's left of the fifth floor of the mostly-destroyed building.  It is widely known that persons cannot get inside Reactor Building #3 because it is severely damaged and highly radioactive, so TEPCO cannot state for certain what is happening in that building or why. TEPCO admits they do not know why this steam is being generated, but matter-of-factly revealed today (December 28)  the steam was first spotted on December 19 for a short period of time, then again on December 24 and again on December 25. Nuclear energy experts have told TRN that the ONLY way this could be happening is if radioactive material previously ejected from the reactor explosion in March, 2011 has mixed together with other materials and has begun its own self-sustaining reaction(s), also known as a "criticality."  Put simply, another "meltdown" may be taking place. There are basically two possibilities if another meltdown is in progress: 1) Pellets of radioactive fuel, ejected when the reactor exploded, have mixed together and "mini" meltdowns are taking place with those small clumps of pellets.  This would not be a horrific problem and may be manageable, OR; 2) Pellets of radioactive fuel, ejected when the reactor exploded, went into the spent fuel pool located above the reactor and have begun melting down so seriously they are boiling off the water in the spent fuel pool. Since steam is visible, experts tell TRN that Scenario #2 above is is the most likely scenario and if so,  it would be an absolute nightmare -- WORSE than the original Fukushima disaster!  The Spent Fuel Pool was situated on the fourth floor above Reactor #3, and if this is the source of the steam, the situation could escalate rapidly out of control. The As shown in the diagram at left, the spent fuel  pool  is not a contained structure; it is literally a "pool" filled with water, to keep old fuel cool. (The metal radioactive fuel, once removed from a nuclear reactor, remains hot enough to melt itself for two to three YEARS after being removed from a reactor.)  The experts tell TRN that if steam is coming out of reactor building #3 this could very well be the start of a much worse radiation release because once the spent fuel pool begins its own reactions, all of it will be uncontrolled and uncontrollable. To provide insight into how much trouble this could be, the chart below proves that, according to TEPCO, reactor #3 was loaded with 566 fuel assemblies.  The spent fuel pool in reactor building #3 contains 514 assemblies; about 89 TONS.  If that "goes critical" there's nothing to contain the radiation which will go directly into the air. The video below was taken several months ago by TEPCO. It shows that the roof is totally blown off reactor building # 3 and shows a robotic crane being operated by remote control, trying to clear debris from the Reactor # 3 spent fuel pool.  TEPCO is forced use robotic cranes operated by remote control because the area is so contaminated, anyone entering the area would die from radiation within one hour. Imagine, now, 89 tons of nuclear fuel boiling away that spent fuel pool water and releasing 89 tons of deadly radioactive fuel directly into the air.  Two to three days later, the west coast of north America would be "fried" by levels of airborne radiation and "hot particles" which could kill. DO NOT PANIC - - - - PLAN The purpose of this news report is not to scare or frighten anyone.  It is to report the news to allow the public to educate itself on the issue and take whatever personal protective action they deem necessary. There is no reason to panic but there is reason to plan. It is better to have a plan, and not need it, than to need it and not have it. PREPARATIONS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER  ( We do **** NOT **** sell any of the products suggested below ) 1) Keep up-to-date on developments via the Internet. The mass-media is not reliable because like the government, they want to avoid any mass panic.  While that is a noble goal, withholding information as was done previously when the Fukushima disaster struck in March, 2011, allowed people to get exposed to radiation which could kill them now - or years from now.  TRN believes people have a right to know, so as to make an informed decisions about whether to protect themselves or not.  2) Go immediately (RIGHT NOW) to your local home improvement or hardware store for rolls of plastic, Duct tape, WIDE masking tape and  a couple rolls of self-adhesive weather stripping. You want to have a roll or two of the type of plastic that is used by painters; (the kind they use to cover your floor and furniture in case paint drips) and a roll or two of Duct tape.  Don't deploy this yet, but if the radiation arrives, you'll HAVE what you need and won't be battling a million other people trying to get some when the danger actually hits.  You can use the plastic and duct tape things to cover the insides of your windows, doors, AC electric plugs, light switches, bathroom exhaust vents, stove exhaust vents, -- even ceiling vents, to TRY to keep out radiation particles once you know they're arriving.  (NOTE: this may not be 100% effective.  Houses have loads of nooks and crannies which allow air from the outside to get inside.  If you cover the largest ones, you're at least giving yourself and family a fighting chance.)  These supplies are available immediately at: Home DepotLowes Walmart TrueValue Ace Hardware and many other retail stores. 3) If radiation is identified as heading toward your area or has arrived in your area: a) Cut sheets from the roll of plastic, large enough to cover your windows, window frames/woodwork, sliding glass doors, doggie doors, etc., and do so on the INSIDE of your house.  Once the sheets are cut to size, secure that plastic to your inside walls using Duct tape.  You want to cover things inside not outside so the weather doesn't cause the plastic to make noise or perhaps rip off during high wind, rain or snow. The duct tape should cover 100% of the edge of the plastic, making a good seal AROUND the window, sliding glass doors, doggie doors, etc.  It is important to note that the plastic should go AROUND the woodwork on the inside the window/door and NOT merely around the inner perimeter of the window itself.  Gaps between the window assemblies and exterior walls might not be air-tight; especially in older homes where the silicone weather sealant around windows/doors is worn or in earthquake prone areas where the shaking has loosened-up window/door seals.  This will help seal out radiation particles in the air so they shouldn't be able to get inside your home.  Those of you in private homes should do this sealing onEVERY opening to the outside (doors, windows, vents) on every floor of your home, from the basement to the attic.  Those of you who do not have basements, will usually find vents along the slab foundation which are designed to naturally ventilate under the house.  SEAL THESE from the outside as best you can.  Similarly, those of you without full attics, will usually see vents of some type for the roof rafter area. SEAL THESE as best you can too. (PLEASE don't fall off any roof or off any ladder. Be careful!) b) Cut smaller sheets from the roll of plastic to cover electrical outlets and  light switches inside the house. Those outlets and switches are breaks in the walls to the inner structure of the house.  The inner structure gets naturally ventilated under the eaves and awnings of the house.  While the air flow is not generally a lot, it IS there;  you want to seal it out.  As with the windows, use Duct tape to hold the plastic a full inch or two around the entire perimeter of the light switch our electrical outlets. c) Cut sheets from the roll of plastic to cover vents: Bathrooms, stoves. Remember, this is just a TEMPORARY situation and the radiation will usually blow-over or dilute within a week or so.  While none of us likes the smell in the bathroom after it is used, it's better to put up with that for a few days than have radiation in there from the vents.  BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU CHOOSE TO COVER A STOVE EXHAUST VENT; YOU DON'T WANT THE PLASTIC GOING ON FIRE IF YOU'RE COOKING. d) DO NOT use duct tape or plastic over your main entry/exit door. If, God forbid, there's a fire, you want to be able to exit fast and not be battling duct tape to get out.  Instead, maybe check to see the weatherstripping around the door is in good shape or at worst, add a layer of new weatherstripping to what's already there.  The bottom of the door sill can be covered with a rolled-up towel if necessary, to prevent drafts at the bottom of the door. NOTE: Duct tape, when removed, may damage the surface of the wall it was stuck to.  It may peel off paint or even the paper covering of Sheetrock when you remove it.  If this is a concern, you may wish to utilize WIDE masking tape instead.  We do not recommend masking tape, but it may be viable if you are concerned about peeling off the duct tape when the emergency is ended. 4)  Get a minimum "NIOSH N100-certified" filter mask for yourself and each member of your family. NIOSH stands for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) which is part of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an agency of the US Government.  They rate protective gear for various industries and the lowest possible level of mask with any hope at all of filtering out radiation particles must be rated by NIOSH as N100, which filters 99.97% of airborne particles.   The masks cost about $30 on Ebay and look like the one in the image at left below.  The CDC also lists N100 mask suppliers HERE. SERIOUS NOTE: There are TIME CONSTRAINTS on the use of the N100-rated mask in a hostile environment.  Having such a mask is not a license to go out and have fun.  It is a limited mask, with limited capability for a limited time period, to help protect you in this type of emergency. Of course, you can go all-out and get some super-mask for several hundred dollars, but the minimum you need is an N100 rated mask. Whatever you do, don't try to get "cute" and figure you can "get away with" a mask that is rated N95 or lower.  An N95 mask will NOT filter out the tiny particles involved here and you will be fooling yourself if you buy any mask rated less than N100. It is important to understand that a "hospital mask" normally used by Doctors, WILL NOT PROTECT YOU AT ALL from radioactive particles.  The particles are so small, they can fit right through a typical surgical mask used by doctors.  If you breathe-in any "hot Particles" of radiation, they will wreak havoc on your lungs and cause very rapid deterioration of your health. Cancers, Leukemias, Hemorrhaging . . . . you get the idea. 5) About your job and going to work during a radiation emergency . . . . Those of us with jobs can't simply call-in and tell the boss we can' come to work today because we're afraid of the radiation. So start discussing this situation with your bosses first thing TODAY. See if the company as a whole is willing to develop some type of strategy to deal with taking time off due to a radioactive plume coming onto the west coast of north America from Japan, making things unsafe for a few days.  Start the conversation.  Don't wait until things spiral out of control and people are panicking. 6) If you HAVE to go out, clothing will get contaminated; be prepared to protect yourself Wear an NIOSH N100 mask at all times when you are outside your house during the plume's arrival and presence.  Yes, you're probably going to feel like a jerk; especially when the uninformed, the ignorant and those "in denial" about the real danger, start poking fun at you.  Just remember you'll have the last laugh. A VERY helpful tool for this situation is a disposable TYVEK suit and booties.  You can get them at most home improvement stores and on EBAY for about $8. Tyvek coveralls are one-piece garments, usually white, commonly worn by mechanics, painters, installation installers, and laboratory and cleanroom workers where a disposable, one-time use coverall is needed.   They are also used for some light HAZMAT applications, such as asbestos and radiation work but do not provide the protection of a full hazmat suit.  Wear it to work, when you get inside, take it off right at the doorway and throw it away in a garbage can near the door.  It's done. Don't touch it again. Then go wash your hands and face to wash away whatever may have accumulated on them.  These suits are also available at the retailers listed above (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.). If you simply refuse to walk outside dressed-up like a Bunny, you must realize that Clothing worn while you are outside will have contamination on it.  This is unavoidable. Once you've been outside and enter your job, remove your outerwear and place it as close to the door as you can. You may want to pack a change of clothing in a tightly closed gym bag, to change-into at work. Having a change of clothes for when you get to work might not be a bad idea.  The change of clothes ought to include FOOTWEAR. When you're outside, your footwear is going to be picking up the contamination that fell onto the ground. This is unavoidable.  What you CAN do, is take those shoes off once you get where you're going, and thereby not track the radiation into wherever you are.  You may want to get "Disposable Plastic Shoe Covers" to help avoid at least SOME of the radiation getting onto your shoes.  These shoe covers are cheap, and you throw them away as soon as you get inside your destination. For Eye protection, we suggest a cheap pair of Swimmer's Goggles.  They vary in cost from 99 cents to about $10 on Ebay - or your local sporting goods store. The purpose of this is to prevent radioactive particles from landing on your eyeballs.  Swimmer's goggles will fit the bill pretty well and you can wash them off once you get to where  you're going, and use the goggles again the next time you go out.  Radiation washes off with soap and water. 7) IN AND OUT OF YOUR HOUSE The same procedures listed above for going to and from work, should be used by you and your family when going to/from home.  After all, you don't want to bring radiation into your house on your clothes, shoes etc, or walk-it-through the whole house once you arrive.  Put a coat rack just-inside the entry door.  Put a shoe rack too.  First thing everyone does when they walk in the door - ditch the outerwear and shoes right then and there.  YOU DO NOT want to be tracking radiation into and all over your house, then spewing it up into the air when you vacuum and it comes out with the vacuum exhaust air.  You want to stop the radiation as close to the door as you can.  If you prefer, put a clothes hamper -- LINED WITH A PLASTIC LAWN-AND-LEAF-SIZE BAG just inside the front door and change your clothes the moment you get in.  When the hamper is full, seal-up the bag, take it to the washer and wash the radiation away. 8) Wash obsessively during the emergency External radioactive material washes off with soap and water.  When you consider that everything you touch and all the air that touches you OUTSIDE can be contaminated, it is important to WASH exposed body parts (face & hands) with soap and water often.  When you get home from your daily routine and get out of potentially contaminated clothing, take a shower before anything else.  A SHOWER, NOT A BATH.  Showering will allow the radiation to fall off you and go down the drain whereas a bath could possible allow the radioactive materials to cling to your body as you leave the bathwater.   Sadly, this brings us to one, final, MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR problem: Water comes from reservoirs and reservoirs are out in the open; radiation has and will continue to fall into our water supplies. LOCAL OFFICIALS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CAUGHT DELIBERATELY CONCEALING RADIATION IN DRINKING WATER The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists the maximum safe levels and government-approved methods for removing, radiation in water.  Yet according to KHOU-TV in Texas, local and state officials in that state deliberately conspired for YEARS to alter the results from their municipal water tests, to deliberately CONCEAL high levels of radiation in municipal water!  If local and state officials in one state have already been caught deliberately concealing radiation in water, can any rational person believe they aren't doing it now in other states -- or won't do it (again) in the future? You can read that story and watch the KHOU-TV news video HERE. In fact, KHOU-TV found that the radiation in local water was so severe, that it made the underground water pipes and the water heaters inside homes radioactive;  in some cases 11 times more radioactive than allowable by law!  The pipes and water heaters were so radioactive that none of those things could be scrapped in a junk yard!  You can read this separate KHOU-TV story and watch the video HERE. Given the irrefutable proof above we suggest equipping your sinks and shower head(s) with a water filter.  Now, getting radiation out of water is NOT simple.  Paper filters do nothing in that regard. Granular Activated Carbon filters have shown SOME ability to remove SOME types of radiation.  Reverse-Osmosis has shown good ability to remove other types of radiation.  ION Exhange is the final method which has shown good ability to remove radiation.  Yet getting all these types of filters in ONE system is not easy and it is considerably expensive.  As such, we suggest that having a filter of some type is better than having no filter at all.  Of course, once the filters become saturated with pollutants, they're useless, so expect to change-out those filters PRECISELY in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation or even more frequently.  Yes, this will cost a few bucks, but this is an extraordinary situation calling for extraordinary response.  What good is all the safety you exercise with the steps above, if you then eat, drink and bathe-in contaminated water? 9) Potassium Iodate Pills:  Have them but DO NOT USE THEM --- YET One of the major concerns in a situation like this is a material called radioactive Iodine (I-131).  Your body needs iodine to function and iodine is stored in your Thyroid gland in your neck. The Fukushima disaster released radioactive Iodine in March, 2011 which has long since dissipated, but could release more if the spent fuel pool goes critical.  Since Iodine is stored in your Thyroid, any radioactive Iodine would get stored there too and likely lead to Thyroid cancer.  For women, Thyroid cancer is about 95% curable; for men, it is about 95% fatal. In order to prevent your Thyroid from absorbing radioactive Iodine, your body needs a very good supply of non-radioactive iodine.  If your body has the Iodine it needs, it won't try to store more.  You get Iodine from your diet but if Radioactive Iodine is released by Fukushima, you'll need to guarantee your body has a supply that is not radioactive; that's where pills called Potassium Iodate come in to play. Potassium Iodate provides Iodine to your body/Thyroid and when used during a radiation emergency, will help avoid the need for your body to absorb potentially radioactive iodine.  SERIOUS CAUTIONARY NOTE: DO NOT TAKE POTASSIUM IODATE PILLS UNLESS AND UNTIL RADIATION LEVELS ARE CONFIRMED TO BE HIGH. If you take those pills when radiation levels are normal, your Thyroid will begin to GROW to absorb the extra Iodine and will not return to its normal size once you stop taking the excess Iodine!  If you take Potassium Iodate pills when they are not needed, you could end up with a Thyroid that is so big, it might look like a tumor in your neck; so DO NOT take Potassium Iodate Pills until they are actually needed. You can find Potassium Iodate Pills on Ebay for about $10 a bottle. The suggestions above are just that SUGGESTIONS.  What you choose to do - or not do - is, of course, up to you. One thing is clear, though: Fukushima is acting up again and when it does, the wind and the sea will carry the results to North America within days.  Do not "panic" --  Plan.  Do not "react" -- respond.  With a little planning and careful deliberation, we can all get through this just fine. If you would like to be alerted by e-mail about future news of this type or of RADIATION ALERTS, you can subscribe to our "ALERTS" e-mail service, free!  This is *NOT* a discussion list; you will *NOT* be deluged with email and your email will *NEVER* be sold or rented to anyone.  To sign-up, click HERE

Fukushima meltdown? Mystery steam rising over Reactor 3

FROM: Ecologist

PLEASE NOTE: The Turner Radio Network is advising people on the West Coast of North America to"prepare for the worst" in case a meltdown of the waste fuel is in fact commencing. No official warnings have been released on either side of the Pacific.

Unexplained plumes of radioactive steam have been rising from Fukushima's Reactor Building 3, Could a major meltdown be on the way?

Fukushima's Reactor Building 3 exploded on 13th March 2011 as a result of a hydrogen buildup, breaching the building's containment and emitting a huge plume of radiation. The reactor itself is in meltdown.

And now fresh plumes of steam have been seen coming out the structure. These have now been confirmed by Tepco, the owner of the nuclear plant, from 19th December onwards. The company believes the steam is coming from the fifth floor of the building.

However it does not know the cause of the steam. Lethal levels of radiation and the physical damage to the structure have so far made entry and inspection impossible.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

Two Earthquakes Strike Eastern Japan Near Fukushima Nuclear Site

FROM: International Business Times

Two shallow earthquakes have struck eastern Japan near the Fukushima nuclear disaster site.

A 5.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded 80km southwest of Fukushima and was shortly followed by a 3.6 magnitude earthquake in the same area, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The tremor was 9.9km deep, the US Geological Survey said, adding it took place 13km North West of Takahagi.

There were no reports of any damage but it was strong enough to shake high-rise buildings in the capital, AFP reported.

UPI also said that part of the Joban Expressway was briefly closed to undertake safety checks. The earthquake was felt in Miyagi, Fukushima and Tokyo.

Tokyo Electric Power, which is involved in the Fukushima clean-up, said the earthquake had not affected the Fukushima plant, where crews are currently working to remove radioactive waste spilled during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

Japan’s Earthquake: A Warning Not To Underplay Fukushima’s Nuclear Radiation Any More

NOTE: FUKUSHIMA WAS HIT BY TWO LARGE EARTHQUAKES IN THE LAST 24 HOURS AND HAS NOT CEASED TO BE SHAKEN BY EARTHQUAKES SINCE THE DISASTER. THERE ARE OTHER MAJOR FAULTS THAT LIE UNDER THE REACTORS THAT ARE CAPABALE OF PRODUCING EARTHQUAKES IN THE 7.0+ RANGE. ANOTHER MAJOR EARTHQUAKE IN THIS AREA WOULD BE DEVASTATING TO THE WORLD. 

From: Carbonated.TV (10/26/13)

The fear has taken the shape of reality- A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the Fukushima Coast, and a Tsunami warning was issued.

The operator of Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant said there was no damage or spike in radiation levels at the station after the quake and many sighed in relief.

What many fail to realize, is that the damage is already in progress.

The effects of the nuclear leakage, despite the herculean efforts of the Japanese nuclear experts, have started showing their damage.

Here are just a few facts:

1.       The Water Around the Reactor Has Become Highly Contaminated

Japan has started showing signs of the radiation. Operators at Fukushima admitted contamination of waters in June 2013.

According to estimates the amount of nuclear radiation that has so been released into the ocean from Fukushima is more than what was released during the entire Chernobyl disaster.

Japan itself has started showing signs of the radiation. Apart from mutated vegetation, a plague of damaged thyroids has already been reported among as many as 40 percent of the children and ancillary ailments, including cancer among elders.

2.       The Radiation Is Spreading Across The Pacific Ocean At An Alarming Rate

Even thought the operators at Fukushima only admitted contamination of waters in June 2013, atmospheric radiation from Fukushima reached the west coast of the United States within a few days in 2011.

It hasn’t stopped since.

Reuters reported in August 2013 that 300 tons of contaminated water was pouring into the Pacific Ocean from Fukushima every single day.  Out of which almost 20 trillion - 40 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium have already gotten into the Pacific Ocean since the Fukushima disaster first began.

According to a recent report, the California coastline is being transformed into “a dead zone”. The report cautions people against eating seafood caught from the pacific and even swimming and surfing in it.

3.       The Radiation Is Here To Stay For Generations

Nuclear radiation and its effects can last for a long time.

According to World Nuclear Association, the length of nuclear radiation can last anywhere between five years to several decades. But they confess that they do not have the expertise and knowledge to sufficiently conclude how long the effects of the radiation can be noticeable within the population, soil, and water.

Radioactive elements (Iodine-131, Cesium-137 and Strontium-90 etc) are constantly coming from Fukushima and are likely to affect the health of those living the northern hemisphere for a long time to come. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, it is being projected that the cleanup of Fukushima could take up to 40 years to complete and even then if the cleanup is not handled with extreme precision and care, its effects may linger and endanger lives for “for thousands of years“.

Conclusion

The earthquake is a reminder of an impending disaster ready to happen. However, it is more than likely that soon the moment of panic we all faced when we heard the news of the quake, will be over shadowed by that of world politics, celebrity antics and whatever else pops up on our news feeds on a daily basis.

This behavior in itself is a disaster, but one that in intangible enough not to be a problem for us.

But what must be realized that the nuclear disaster has not been averted, it is there, it has been there since 2011 and it is not an intangible as we believe. The dots are starting to show and the day they are enough to be noticed as problematic and are connected. We’ll have a web of nuclear damages that will be beyond our control.

The time is ripe not to underplay the Fukushima disaster.

Homeless People Sold In Fukushima To Clean Up Radiation VIDEO

From: Carbonated.TV

The night is cold here in Sendai, far to the north of Tokyo. This station's the warmest place to sleep for people living rough. It's also a fertile recruiting ground.

Brokers are selling homeless people like this to companies cleaning up radiation in Fukushima.

57-year-old homeless man, Shizuya Nishiyama's been sleeping rough for a year, and he's twice been sent to scrub down radioactive hotspots.

"We're an easy target for recruiters. We turn up here with all our bags, wheeling them around and around the station and we're easy to spot. Then they say to us: 'Are you looking for work? Are you hungry?'” Nishiyama told British news agency Reuters.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO VIDEO

Fukushima Responders Starting To Get Sick

In Fukushima, abandoned pets are multiplying

FROM: The Japan Times

(Note: I read a lot of comments that we out here trying to expose the tragedy of Fukushima are just anti-nuclear tree loving hacks that are just building up hype over a nothing situation. This catastrophe has destroyed the lives of millions of people, lots of land, aquatic life and as you see....pets.)

With authorities' hands tied, NPO takes up challenge of spaying, neutering cats and dogs

It isn’t only humans that are suffering in the aftermath of the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima. Scores of feral animals are eking out a precarious existence in the surrounding areas, including cats and dogs that were once somebody’s pets.

Left behind in the chaotic exodus, many pets are still unable to join their owners in temporary housing, while others have simply been abandoned. The luckiest animals get occasional visits if and when their owners can find the time and the means to visit their former homes, but most rely on the goodwill of volunteers or have to fend for themselves. Those that are hardy enough to survive the harsh Tohoku winters do what comes naturally and breed, resulting in a sharp rise in feral cats and dogs in the region.

More often than not, the media chooses to focus on feel-good stories about the efforts of volunteer groups to reunite pets with their owners, or to secure loving new homes. However, Hiro Yamasaki of the Animal Rescue System Fund (ARSF) wants the public to realize that there are other sides of the story to consider, too.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

The words “Heart, Hurts” are searched on google increasingly frequently, according to one of the Google services called “Google Trends“.

The words “Heart, Hurts” are searched on Google increasingly frequently, according to one of the Google services called “Google Trends“.

 From the study of Chernobyl such as Yury Bandazhevsky from Belarus, Cesium-134/137 are known to accumulate in heart muscles to cause cardiac disease.

(cf, 20,000 Bq/body from a man in Fukushima [URL])

The connection with 311 is not known but the analysis (as the graph below) shows the trend picked up in mid 2011, and it still keeps increasing.

This information thanks to: Fukushima Diary 

Fukushima Diary is one Japanese citizen who has left the country and is now translating and posting information regarding Fukushima from the TEPCO and government websites to the rest of the world.  His daily input on this crisis is invaluable.  

Steam coming from Fukushima Unit 3 reactor building — Observed multiple times this week

Below is an article from the ENE News website which relates information on the TEPCO site in Japanese. My super thanks to them for this translation. I have reposted the entire article here because this is really bad news. Reactor 3 had a significant explosion and it has been conjectured that the major explosion, attributed to hydrogen gas, was in fact a major criticality which resulted in a nuclear explosion. This may be the source of the melted core material that was obviously blown into the vent tower making it deadly to approach. If steam is rising from the reactor still it means the corium is definitely not in a cool state almost three years post disaster. This steam is not benign. It  contains all sorts of radioactive elements and potentially noble gases. These will rise and drift with the winds. They may not rise up to the level of the jet stream and be carried across the ocean but they will continue to pollute the land and waters nearby, including the Pacific Ocean. This steam vapor will attach to clouds and rain into the Pacific and into the rivers and streams. It still befuddles and sickens me how most do not want to think about this issue. Most of my posts are reprints of snippets from articles with links because I am trying to keep my voice out as much as possible. I am not a nuclear scientist and until I became aware the Fukushima was a threat to our planet I knew little about radiation. I have been on a learning quest ever since.  In the last few months there are more than 350 reports. This issue is very real and we must begin to act more.  

FROM: ENE News

Tepco (translation), Dec. 27, 2013: At around 7:00 am on December 27, and confirmed by the camera that from Unit 3 reactor building, 5th floor near the center, steam is generated. Have not been identified abnormal plant conditions of 54 minutes at 7:00 am the same day, the indicated value of the monitoring post (meteorological data of 50 minutes at 7:00 am, 5.1 ℃ temperature, 93.1% humidity).

SOURCE: Tepco (July 24, 2013)

Tepco (translation), Dec. 25, 2013: At around 7:00 am on December 25, and confirmed by the camera that from Unit 3 reactor building, 5th floor near the center, steam is generated. Have not been identified abnormal plant conditions of 8:00 am the same day time, the indicated value of the monitoring post (meteorological data of 50 minutes at 7:00 am, 2.8 ℃ temperature, 76.7% humidity).

Tepco (translation), Dec. 24, 2013: At around 7:00 am on December 19, and confirmed by the camera that from Unit 3 reactor building, 5th floor near the center, steam is generated. Have not been identified abnormal plant conditions of 55 minutes at 7:00 am the same day, the indicated value of the monitoring post (meteorological data of 40 minutes at 7:00 am, 5.6 ℃ temperature, 93.7% humidity). Then, in 58 minutes around 7:00 am December 24, steam is no longer observed. It should be noted, have not been identified abnormal plant conditions in a 3-minute time at 8:00 am the same day, the indicated value monitoring posts, etc. (meteorological data of 50 minutes at 7:00 am, 4.1 ℃ temperature, 74.9% humidity).

(ARTICLE LINK)

Special Report - Japan's homeless recruited for murky Fukushima clean-up

From: Reuters

(Reuters) - Seiji Sasa hits the train station in this northern Japanese city before dawn most mornings to prowl for homeless men.

He isn't a social worker. He's a recruiter. The men in Sendai Station are potential labourers that Sasa can dispatch to contractors in Japan's nuclear disaster zone for a bounty of $100 a head.

"This is how labour recruiters like me come in every day," Sasa says, as he strides past men sleeping on cardboard and clutching at their coats against the early winter cold.

It's also how Japan finds people willing to accept minimum wage for one of the most undesirable jobs in the industrialized world: working on the $35 billion, taxpayer-funded effort to clean up radioactive fallout across an area of northern Japan larger than Hong Kong.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

Homeless Japanese Being 'Recruited' To Clean Up Fukushima Disaster

From: Common Dreams

Investigation reveals systematic exploitation of homeless by big business and organized crime

- Jon Queally, staff writer

Private labor contractors in Japan are "recruiting" homeless individuals throughout the country, luring them to perform clean-up work in the areas near the destroyed nuclear power plant at Fukushima for less than minimum wage.

That's the finding of a new special Reuters investigation which says that shady business operators are employing men like Seiji Sasa to "prowl" train stations and other places throughout the country targeting "homeless men" who are "willing to accept minimum wage for one of the most undesirable jobs in the industrialized world: working on the $35 billion, taxpayer-funded effort to clean up radioactive fallout across an area of northern Japan larger than Hong Kong."

The investigation found a shady but systematic labor scheme—much of it run by organized crime but also involving some of the nation's top construction firms—in which day laborers are exploited by contractors receiving state funds to clean up areas near the plant.

"We're an easy target for recruiters," said 57-year-old Shizuya Nishiyama, a homeless man recruited at a train station in the city of Sendai. "We turn up here with all our bags, wheeling them around and we're easy to spot. They say to us, are you looking for work? Are you hungry? And if we haven't eaten, they offer to find us a job."

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

Starfish Wasting Disease outbreak could be due to radiation Scientist says radiation from nuclear plant damaged by 2011 earthquake can’t be ruled out

From: News 1130-Vancouver BC

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Researchers say nuclear pollution from the 2011 earthquake in Japan that damaged the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant could be partially to blame for a disease wiping out starfish along the West Coast.

Dr. Peter Raimondi of the University of Santa Cruz says something is making starfish susceptible to whats believed to be a bacteria coined “Wasting Disease.” It essentially disintegrate the marine invertebrates into a white goo, after the starfish loses its legs.

He says what’s making sea stars unable to fight off the bacteria could be anything from warm water to toxins–but Raimondi also says scientists can’t rule out nuclear pollution, especially in light of the tsunami that followed the 2011 earthquake.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)

STARFISH WASTING DISEASE TRACKER

Fukushima Daiichi: Why It’s So Hard To Clean Up-Arnie Gunderson

In this, the fourth installment in our short film series, Fairewinds Energy Education’s Arnie Gundersen responds to questions we have received about cleanup at Fukushima Daiichi. Please consider supporting our work, so we can continue to bring you the truth about nuclear power.

Arnie Gunderson: We need an underground sarcophagus to prevent the groundwater from entering the Fukushima reactors. I think once that’s accomplished, there’s no need to decommission these power plants and turn them back to the ground they are in. The reason for that is the exposure to young brave Japanese workers is going to be way too high for almost 100 years. Because of the explosions and because of the fact that the groundwater has moved parts of the nuclear fuel out into surrounding buildings, the risk to the workers is way too high. It’s time to contain the groundwater, cover-up that site, and walk away for 100 years. The Japanese government doesn’t want that to happen because they want their population to think that this is a solvable problem. It isn’t. The best thing for the Japanese to do is to admit that they’re going to have to live with radioactive rubble at the Fukushima site for over 100 years. 

WATCH VIDEO HERE---LINK

Reagan sailors press on in radiation lawsuit

FROM: Navy Times

A group of sailors who were aboard the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan as it rendered aid in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown in Japan nearly three years ago are taking another shot at a lawsuit over the health problems they say they’ve suffered since their radiation exposure.

Their attorney, California environmental law expert Paul C. Garner, has until Jan. 6 to amend their complaint against the Tokyo Electric Power Co. and resubmit it for a judge’s ruling.

“What we say is this: The TEPCO people knew what was happening there,” Garner told Navy Times. “They certainly knew the severity of what was happening, because now you have radiological releases into the environment ... and the tsunami just washed it all in, and washed it all out, and the Reagan was in the backwash.”

Garner originally submitted the case a year ago. A federal judge in Southern California granted the company’s Nov. 26 motion to dismiss the case, but Garner and the sailors will have another chance, he told Navy Times.

Garner agreed to drop some of the allegations in the lawsuit, including a conspiracy charge, and said the judge would reconsider the case in the new year.

(FULL ARTICLE---LINK)