How bad is Fukushima?--really alarmingly God-awful bad.

[DuaneBidoux]

At ScienceBlogs they have compiled in one thread all the latest stories about what is happening at Fukushima. It is really bad.

http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2013/08/24/news-from-the-forbidden-zone-is-alarmingly-bad-fukushima/

[HooptieWagon]

1. The news gets worse and worse.

So I'm sure the situation is much worse than we know. Probably worse than the experts know. Pretty much a worst-case scenerio.

[questionseverything]

2. and they have not attempted this yet

The operator of Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is preparing to remove 400 tons of highly irradiated spent fuel from a damaged reactor building, a dangerous operation that has never been attempted before on this scale.
Containing radiation equivalent to 14,000 times the amount released in the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima 68 years ago, more than 1,300 used fuel rod assemblies packed tightly together need to be removed from a building that is vulnerable to collapse, should another large earthquake hit the area.

[Myrina]

20. ... move it TO where?

[magical thyme]

24. to a safer situation. the structure they are in could easily collapse

with another earthquake. It is precarious enough, and in an area prone to earthquakes, that they've determined they must get them out of the (remains of the) storage pool and into a safer storage.

In a normal situation, spent rods are removed robotically by computer, with everything mapped and choreographed down to the millimeter.

These rods, however, are not mapped but are in a tangled, melted mess. And will have to be removed by a manually operated crane.

If they drop any, it will be a catastrophe. If they don't do it, and the storage pool collapses, it will be a catastrophe. In either event, I would not want to be anywhere near Japan.

[Myrina]

25. Is there such a place, though? I'm asking seriously?

I honestly don't think there is anyplace safe enough to have this stuff sitting.

[magical thyme]

26. obviously there is no place safe enough.

But having it ready to tumble down at any moment is not as safe as having it not ready to tumble down at any minute. So they are going to risk having it tumble down while they move it to a place where it can't tumble down any moment in order to avoid having it tumble down without notice or warning.

At least with a moving date, everybody can know of which hotspot to focus their attention on, and at least some people can stay out of the way, if there is such a place.

[snappyturtle]

3. Obviously TEPCO can't control the situation. Why is the world

not clamoring the UN or somebody to insist that experts
be involved. And we think we have problems with secrecy
in the U.S. This is an abomination.

[valerief]

9. It doesn't affect rich people. They live in their own little bubble. If it doesn't

affect them, it's not happening at all.

That's how our world works.

[fasttense]

17. But it is affecting the rich

That radiation is spreading everywhere. It's not just staying in Japan.

The rich merely think they are protected when in fact, considering all the seafood they eat from our polluted oceans, they are probably getting a bigger dose than a poor farmer in Mississippi.

[valerief]

19. Right, but it doesn't affect them until they think it does, so it's not affecting them.

When they glow green, it will affect them.

[CoffeeCat]

12. Because...

...if you declare this an untenable disaster (which it is) and ask for help, it draws
attention to the fact that nuclear power is dangerous and threatens all life on this
planet.

The energy companies cannot have that.

You bet--every country is involved in this. In secret. Our people are damn well aware of the
catastrophe that is happening. They've been covering it up since the earthquake hit.

I remember clearly--just a few weeks after Fukushima--the French authority on energy (CRIIRAD)
issued a press release, warning the French people to avoid consuming leafy greens and drinking
milk--because of the radiation that was in these items due to the Fukushima fallout. The French
got warnings. The US got nothing. And at the time, our radiation levels were higher than those
in France. Can you imagine the levels that have accumulated since this article was published, a few
years ago? Link to article: http://www.euractiv.com/health/radiation-risks-fukushima-longer-news-503947

Shortly thereafter, the EPA stopped publicly reporting radiation levels in our milk supply. The info
went black. The last radiation reports on our milk supply indicated that they were finding higher
levels in our milk supply. Then, the reports stopped.

The whole situation is disgusting, because the elite and the powerful know damn well what is happening. They are just covering it up to keep the sheep from taking a stand.

[snappyturtle]

14. Thanks so much for the link....I, too, think it is disgusting that

we are getting nada, zip, zero, nothing from the government on
concerns of radiation fallout from Fukushima.

At times like this I have to reconsider the conspiracy theories about
powers that want the population reduced.

[CoffeeCat]

21. I hear you...

You wonder if these people are intentionally trying to harm the general population. I've always thought that, until my husband said to me, "Honey, they don't want you dead. They just don't care if you die."

That was chilling.

They don't care enough about us to put any effort into doing us harm. They don't have time to think about the unwashed masses. They're too busy making trillions for themselves, amassing power and clinking cocktail glasses with each other as they wheel and deal their way to the top .00001 percent . We are truly inconsequential to them.

If per chance, some of us happen to die along the way--well hey--sorry. Ooops, their bad! Think about their actions and what they do. They start wars and kills hundreds of thousands of people--in an attempt enrich war-profiteering companies and plunder the resources (oil) of their target countries. They turn our food supply into disease-producing junk that causes diabetes, heart disease and cancer. They allow dangerous drugs to be foisted on us, that have horrendous side effects. They plunder the ground with fracking and destroy our drinking water. They prevent solar/wind from getting traction so their planet-destroying fossil fuels can be top dog and rake in the trillions for them. They're just having fun--making money and becoming powerful. Killing us, poisoning our water, destroying the planet, giving us cancer and other diseases--yeah, whatever.

They aren't behaving this way *because* their actions harm us. They behave this way because this gets them money and power--and if people are harmed along the way---whatever.

[snappyturtle]

22. It all comes down to greed. Greed that knows no bounds and

has no cares in taking down fellow human beings to acheive
its ends.

[CoffeeCat]

27. You know what I think the saddest element of this is?

It used to be that there were "good guys" in very powerful positions. The top tier is now
infested with psychopaths, sociopaths and narcissists.

The elites are not just greedy--they are pathological. There is something wrong with them.

They have absolutely no empathy. They are nothing more than common thug abusers
who lack morals and a conscience. However, they have slowly found each other, amassed
power and galvanized to make destructive, sick policies the way of the world.

It's worth noting that these buffoons use religion to pull along their "base." Ha! That gets me
every time. There's nothing spiritual or God-directed about these people. I'm an atheist, but I know
plenty of decent religious people who just want to do the right thing. So, I understand and respect
that. However, these goons serve only themselves and they bamboozle the religious right
and other church goers into believing that they're on their side.

It's crazy in spades.

[snappyturtle]

28. You're so right. I married a sociopath...we're not married

anymore but let me tell you, as a psychologist told me, you
don't know you've been taken until the boom hits ya in the
head. I DO think that since we've been dealing with them
they're easier to spot. They're also good at playing the roles
and giving us what we want to hear....no empathy for their
evil deeds and they don't or really can't, as it was explained,
to me, find any wrong in what they've done. They're
programmed differently. Very dangerous leaders. I watch
what they do not what they say.

I think it's the role playing that serves them well pulling in
religious folks....the religious are so trusting by nature that they
really fall for the crap and are 'faithful' followers, very loyal. I'm an
atheist too,,,,,wasn't always. I'm skeptical by nature and I'm
glad for that.....however, I've been taken (husband) and in
my voting. Pisses me off....but I've seen enough now to know.
Sad...very sad.

[CrispyQ]

4. snip...

Before getting on to the news summaries, here’s a question for you: Why do so many journalists refer to the plant at the “Crippled Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant”? Crippled? That would be like calling the dead raccoon you’ve driven by six times this week a “Crippled Carnivore”. Crippled is just not the word for what Fukushima is.

[snappyturtle]

23. Perfect! Meant to comment on this when I read it the first

time. Fukushima is a disaster that will leave its mark for thousands
of years. Unforgiveable.

[saidsimplesimon]

5. Thank you Duane. Fukushima is a topic that deserves more attention.

It's bad news for fish, mammals and the future of this planet. How many more of these events before we move with extreme caution on the safety of present sites, or a cost benefit analysis that is all about benefit without the downside risks?

[calimary]

10. Unless of course you like glow-in-the-dark sushi.

The longterm results of Fukushima TERRIFY me. Particularly with the denial running rampant out there among those who might be in a position to do something about it. Same with climate change. We're all going to be doomed by the pigheaded WILLFUL stupidity of a small radical minority.

[daleanime]

11. +1

[WillyT]

6. K & R !!!

[99th_Monkey]

8. Hey I live in Oregon, 60 miles from the Pacific ocean

and I frankly don't even want to think about it.

how is that for being in denial?

[Moostache]

15. No worse than the state of denial for residents in Tokyo (n/t)

[glinda]

13. K & R n/t

[blackspade]

16. K&R!

[bananas]

18. "9,640 Fukushima plant workers reach radiation level for leukemia compensation – The Asahi Shimbun"

Last edited Tue Aug 27, 2013, 09:41 AM - Edit history (1)

But we were told there would be no measurable health effects.

edit to add link: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201308050104

[Uncle Joe]

29. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, DuaneBidoux.