A new video from Fairewinds discusses how TEPCO’s own measurements prove damage occured to the fuel pools:
Newly Released TEPCO Data Proves Fairewinds Assertions of Significant Fuel Pool Failures at Fukushima Daiichi from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.
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Rumors that the nuclear core has melted through the containment at Fukushima and is now in the groundwater prompted the latest video update from Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds Assoc.
While Arnie doesn’t think sufficient evidence for this has been provided yet, he believes that the sensational report of cracks and steam or smoke rising from the grounds has obscured focus on much more important issues which are factually supported.
First of these is the discovery that radioactive sulphur has been detected in California. The question is how that sulphur was created. As Arnie explains in this video, the logical conclusion is that this is evidence of spontaneous chain reactions taking place at Fukushima long after the reactors had been shut down by plant operators, a finding consistent with his April hypothesis.
Another troubling issue is the continued position of the NRC that the spent fuel pools were not a “problem” at Fukushima despite the fact that plutonium has been detected more than a mile away from the site. it is difficult to get past the impression that the NRC simply doesn’t want to address the implications this would have for US reactors.
When pressed about the plutonium deposits, the NRC has suggested that they must be from the reactor fuel itself; but, as Arnie explains, if this is in fact true, it is potentially even more troubling since the only way that material could have travelled from the reactor to the surrounding landscape would be if both the reactor and the containment had been breached.
Finally Arnie focuses on the distribution of cesium over northern Japan and the currently allowed practice of burning materials heavily contaminated with cesium. He points out that, whereas those materials would be treated in the U.S. as extremely hazardous, requiring secure storage for thousands of years; the Japanese are effectively re-releasing the cesium into the atmosphere where it can contaminate the environment a second time over an even broader region of distribution.
There’s much more, so be sure to listen through to the end:
New Data Supports Previous Fairewinds Analysis, as Contamination Spreads in Japan and Worldwide from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.
GMD comment on Fukishima
What the pro-nuke folks try to do is insist that this can’t happen here. VY is NOT Fukushima, they say. VY is too far from the ocean for a tidal wave to hit it, to anti-nuke morons, they say.
The answer to that is that Japan had safeguards in place they they too felt impervious – just like VY.
There is no reason to believe the hubris of nuke-lovers. The ‘it can’t happen here’ is nothing more than the ostrich effect.
Then there’s the discussion I had with a Vermont republican. He said he felt VY was perfectly safe because the BRC said so. My counter-arguements that the NRC is staffed by pro-nuke folks who stepped through the revolving door from their jobs working for nuke operators had no effect on him. The fox is guarding the henhouse had no effect.
What I find most bizarre about that is the double-think involved. The same person believes the GOP line that we should abolish all regulation and loves Perry’s line about making Washington irrelevant in his life. But at the same moment he fervently believes in the infallibility of the NRC because they are part of the Washington regulation establishment and can do no wrong. This guy will eagerly vote for the politician that promises to abolish the NRC and let Entergy regulate itself.
I personally would err on the side of caution and order all GE Mark1 reactors to shut down ASAP. I don’t want to see all of Souther VT, NH and 1/4 of MA, or any of the other 20+ intentionally poorly designed reactors, declared as no-enter zones, sacrificed to the almighty god of profits.
Yes, you’re hearing a lot of Bad Things about Verizon lately, aren’t you? But did you know, it was our Corporate Team here who knew what was coming in Japan, and beat the Japs–and the Chinks–to it with our new Verizon Wireless CellPhone/Text/Camera/Geiger Counter/Radiation Recorder. Only $69.99, with our Introductory Offer. This is why, for God’s sake, we’re asking our workers to give up a few things, like half their salaries. We’re putting that money into Public Service. You want to know how many Rads you’ve been exposed to, just press a button. Every American is going to own one of these, and that means a lot of jobs at $7.25 an hour, and a whole lot more when we get the Tea Party to lower it to a flat $6.00 an hour.
Verizon–We’re The Company That Knows All About Being Exposed. God Bless the U.S.A. (and Japan)