Sunday, September 1, 2013

What You Should Know About the Ongoing Nuclear Disaster at Fukushima, Japan

Click to enlarge.


This is a graphic showing the current crisis at the Daiichi nuclear reactors in Fukushima, Japan. As was reported in the New York Times on August 6, 2013, tons of radioactive water are now being released into the Pacific Ocean every day from these reactors. 

Officials at the Tokyo Electrical Power Company (Tepco) have said the leak started sometime between December and May of 2012. (Just a guess, guys?)

What has always been a global emergency has now become an acute, immediate global emergency.

How I understand it: The groundwater flowing under the nuclear site has become radioactively contaminated and is flowing out to sea, despite efforts to contain it. 

The nuclear cores from the reactors have breached their containments and are somewhere in the ground beneath the site, contaminating the soil and groundwater.

Since the beginning of the disaster, water has also been pumped through the nuclear reactors to keep the ongoing radioactive reaction - still kicking off massive amounts of radiation - as cool and contained as possible. This has been going on since the start of the reaction in March 2011, endangering the lives of many workers who are pumping the water.

The radioactive water used to cool the reaction is now being stored in storage tanks. Some of the storage tanks have sprung leaks and are also releasing water containing radioactive isotopes into the ground beneath the Fukushima Daiichi reactors.

This appears to be an escalation of the nuclear crisis, with Japan now asking for international assistance to contain the situation. Previously, it had refused offers of international assistance.

As ever, we need every brain and every set of eyes in the world on this issue, coming up with a solution to contain or stop it, evacuating people, teaching people what to do to protect themselves from contamination by radioactivity, providing equipment, and educating people around the world about radioactive food, milk, water, etc.

 

What you should understand about the information currently being released through mainstream media:


The ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan has been a global emergency since the day it happened on March 11, 2011.

There has been an almost complete media blackout on this issue since the beginning. Crucial information about this disaster is being kept from the public.

Officials around the world have downplayed the very real dangers of this nuclear disaster since the beginning, adopting a "keep calm, carry on" stance. People in Japan have even been told that smiling and keeping a positive outlook are the keys to staying safe from radioactive contamination. See: The Law of Attraction, Fukushima-Style

In Canada, our media blackout supports a country that is the number two exporter of uranium worldwide. Canada is also a major exporter of CANDU nuclear reactors worldwide. Article: Canada Day Cardinal Grand Cross Eclipse: Well, Golly Gee Whiz. Look Who's Fuelling the Global Nuclear Industry

As stated, Fukushima has been in a state of crisis since March 11, 2011, and this crisis affects the world, particularly the northern hemisphere. The damaged nuclear reactors have been spewing radiation into the atmosphere and into the Pacific Ocean for almost two-and-a-half years now, all as a media blackout keeps this information from the world's people.

People are living in unsafe and contaminated areas in Japan. They have not been evacuated from these areas or even educated about precautions they can take to limit radiation exposure.

The explosion at Fukushima Daiichi on March 11, 2011 and the ongoing reaction that followed have sent massive amounts of radioactive particles into the atmosphere. These particles are like aerosol and can be breathed in or ingested through foods or liquids. They move around via wind and water.

The northern hemisphere was contaminated with these hot particles soon after the March 2011 explosions, with particular concentrations along the West Coast of Canada and the United States. Once ingested, these "hot particles" get lodged in one area of the body, irradiating the cells in that area. These particles will not necessarily show up as elevated levels of radioactivity on Geiger counters, which test general background radioactivity.

The radioactive "hot particles" released at Fukushima are similar to depleted uranium dust. The tiny particles do not show particularly elevated levels of radiation, but the ingestion of even one particle can cause serious health problems or death. This radioactive dust has created a massive, ongoing health crisis in Iraq, where depleted uranium munitions were used during the Iraq war. Women in Fallujah, Iraq have now been advised by doctors to stop having babies, as so many babies are being born with horrific deformities related to depleted uranium exposure.

The radioactive particles from Fukushima, like depleted uranium dust, can travel thousands of miles. There are very few places in the northern hemisphere (if any), over a long enough timeline, that would be safe from them.

Radioactive fallout started reaching the West Coast of Canada and the United States in the weeks after the nuclear disaster began. The fallout continues as the reaction continues.

Stories about plumes of radioactivity reaching the West Coast in the next year to three years must be kept in context. Though this is important news and requires our vigilance and preparation, radioactive particles have been reaching the West Coast in an ongoing way since the beginning of the disaster.

Increased levels of radioactivity have been found almost since Day One along the West Coast of Canada and the United States.

Water containing radioactive isotopes has entered the Pacific Ocean at various times since the crisis began.

There is no ongoing radioactivity testing of food, milk, or water being done by governments. Any ongoing testing is being done by independent citizens or by universities. Many elevated readings have been taken, though these results are definitely not making front page news. You can keep up-to-date on some of the elevated readings at The Food Lab. Scroll down to find your country/region.

Heightened levels of radiation, particularly Cesium-137, were found in milk, tuna, strawberries, kale, mushrooms, spinach, arugula, and grass from California early on - in the months after the initial explosion.

Milk is a very good indicator of radioactivity levels, as radiation bio-accumulates as we go up the food chain. In May 2011, Health Canada reluctantly tested 24 samples of milk from British Columbia. It did not release the levels it was using as "allowable amounts," and it also did not release the exact amounts of radioactivity found, making the tests almost meaningless. Despite the fact that radioactive Strontium 90 was found in small amounts in nine of the milk samples, Canada's milk was declared completely safe and within normal range by Health Canada in 2011. No further testing has been completed by federal or provincial governments in the more than two years that have passed, despite ongoing releases of radiation.

Independent testing of milk samples from B.C. in 2012 produced more results indicating contamination by Strontium 90. Source. Independent testing for radioactivity is very expensive - $400 for each milk sample tested. Most citizens do not have the funds to do the type of ongoing testing that should be done by governments. This is a major public health failure on the part of the Harper and Obama governments.

Radioactive tritium, Cesium 134, and Cesium 137 were found in water supplies around Vancouver, British Columbia as early as January 2012. Testing done then found that the Capilano Reservoir was 144% above background levels (what is naturally occurring in the environment) for tritium. The Seymour Reservoir was 185% above background levels. Source.

Because of the lack of ongoing testing, fish, seafood, seaweed, and other food products that come from the Pacific Ocean cannot be guaranteed to be free of radioactivity from Fukushima.

Produce and food products that come from the West Coast of Canada or the United States cannot be guaranteed to be free of radioactivity from Fukushima.

As the nuclear disaster continues unchecked, more areas in the northern hemisphere become radioactively contaminated.

Even products from the Atlantic Ocean have been found to have heightened levels of radioactivity. A commenter at Enenews.com tested dulse (seaweed) from the Atlantic Ocean with a personal Geiger counter and found heightened radioactivity levels, reported August 2, 2013. Source - scroll down to comments made by "lickerface."

You must now, more than ever, make conscious food choices. Consider limiting or eliminating seafood and other food products from the sea, like kelp and seaweed. Stay up to date on areas of contamination and avoid food products from those areas.

Though this has not been confirmed officially, there is evidence that radioactive nuclear fuel (corium) from the reactors has melted through the containment structures and is now somewhere in the earth beneath the reactor site. If this is the case, it would create a highly dangerous "melt-through" situation that would be very difficult to contain, a "China Syndrome" as radioactive nuclear fuel sinks deeper into the earth, creating instability in the surrounding areas.

We need a global task force of our brightest minds in order to come up with a solution to this problem. Keep this issue at the forefront. Little else in the media matters, when you put it in context.

All nuclear reactors must be decommissioned, and humanity must move into new and safer forms of energy.

The sale, possession, production, and use of nuclear weapons, including depleted uranium munitions, must be prohibited worldwide.

This is a global emergency being kept from us by our elected officials and mainstream media outlets.

Please take precautions with your food and water. If you are in a highly affected area, change clothes and shower after spending time outdoors to decrease the possibility of ingesting a hot particle.

As with everything we're facing now on the planet, this requires action and effort by independent citizens willing to do the right thing. Our leaders are shameful mass murderers. We have to take control ourselves and help each other. Help will not be forthcoming from our elected leaders.

Bless you all and may you all stay safe and healthy in these difficult times.



The best source of up-to-date information about the Fukushima crisis can be found here. Be sure to read the comments for a wealth of additional intelligent information and discourse:

Enenews.com



All Willow's Web Astrology articles on the subject: fukushima nuclear crisis

9 comments:

Willow said...

Note: This is not an exhaustive article by any means. This article provides some information and context I think is necessary.

Please continue to do your own research on this issue.

Locus Beatus said...

Whilst not wishing to belittle the seriousness of this disaster, especially for the Japanese, it has to be said that a lot of what is being written on the web is inaccurate since those writing seem ignorant of the physics.

There can be no such thing as 'radioactive water' for a start; that's just a 'shorthand' term - on the contrary, water is an excellent insulator and repellent of radioactivity. What we do have, is radioactive particles carried in the water by the currents, but not soluble in the water.

Since even the tiniest radioactive particles are heavier than water, they sink as they're carried and quite fast; thus the current theory in some quarters is that they will fall into the silt of the deep ocean and in time carried into the deepest crevasses and chasms of the Pacific, and be buried there.

Some radioactive particles will be absorbed by marine life, but researchers estimate it will be some years before this has any effect on North American shores and those will in any case diminish sharply in the next few years.

I've read several papers on the science of this and whilst reassuring in some senses they fail to explain, to me at least, how the flow of radioactivity is going to be stemmed.

I've read a lot of the comments below some of the online articles about Fukishima, and it seems the people who do understnd the oceanogrphy and physics of this, are not so worried about the problem extending beyond Japanese waters as the rest of us.

Some further reading (from German and Australian scientists):

http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/news/50176

Note the second to last para:
"Tentatively assuming a value of 10 petabecquerel (PBq) for the net 137Caesium (Cs) input during the first weeks after the Fukushima incident, the simulation suggests a rapid dilution of peak radioactivity values to about 10 Bq/m³ during the first 2 years, followed by a gradual decline to 1–2 Bq/m³ over the next 4–7 years. The total peak radioactivity levels would then be about twice the pre-Fukushima values. “While this may sound alarming, these levels are still lower than those permitted for drinking water,” said Böning. "

A more recent piece from the same source, which is a website that attempts to correlate and publish refs to articles in scholarly journals, on environmental topics:

http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/yournews/54474

IN such areas it's always worth seeking out specialist sources, who understand the subject matter, rather than relying for info on the MSM: their science and environment journalists are totally ignorant of their own subject matter, as their contributions to the climate discussion never fail to demonstrate!

It's important to note however that all estimates for feasible scenarios are predicated on computer models and not much so far on actual measurements.

Willow said...

I don't know, man. That's not what I'm getting out of the information I'm seeing. But you're entitled to your idea of this disaster, as well.

Anonymous said...

From an article on npr.org dated Sept. 1, 2013:

"Radiation surrounding Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has increased 18 fold following a report last month that radioactive water had leaked into the ground around the plant...

Tokyo Electric Power Co., which owns the Dai-Ichi Fukushima plant, reports that radiation around the site is at 1,800 millisieverts per hour, a level that Reuters says is "enough to kill an exposed person in four hours."

Horrifying even if we had thoughtful, responsible people in charge. Which we don't.

Anonymous said...

“Only after the last tree has been cut down. Only after the last river has been poisoned. Only after the last fish has been caught. Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.”

― Cree Indian Prophecy

Elizabeth said...

Thank you Willow, well done. It's impossible to know exactly what will happen because this has never happened before and scientists can conjecture all they want, but they do not know for sure. There is so much cover up - who wants to tell people the truth about the west coast where most of the food comes from? About radiation? People seem so complacent, in denial, asleep even - "Oh, it can't be that bad if no one is talking about it". I talk about this and then am made to feel silly and reactionary. All we can be sure of is that it is indeed a crisis and one that needs to be addressed immediately. It's hard to find enough viable information and I thank you for what obviously took you a long time to research and put together in such a succinct way.

Beni Hana said...

what I would like to know about is Syria and Putin's 'promise' to send a missile shield to Syria if Obama and congress follow through on their Syria bullying exercise ... I think the fallout of that (pardon the pun) would make fukushima seem small. Is this astrology of armageddon we're talking about?

John said...

Thanks for posting this, Willow. I am glad to see at least a few astrologers are alert and paying attention to this ongoing crisis, even as it seems that the so-called powers that be would rather we all pretend that we are in Disneyland.

Beni Hana, I don't know about Syria, but I'd say that we are right on track for the ultimate crash of civilization. Just connect the dots and follow the Uranus-Pluto cycle.

Around 1965-66 during the Uranus-Pluto conjunction, much was revealed about the direction things were likely to go if we continued down our present path. Anyone remember Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring?" She released it in 1962, much to the chagrin of the industrial agriculture powerhouse and its use of pesticides that she called into question for its detrimental effects of birds and other parts of the food chain. Today, at the opening square of Uranus and Pluto, we are dealing with Monsanto, Roundup, the Terminator Gene and GMO crops running rampant throughout our world. Clearly we learned nothing from the outset of the current Uranus-Pluto cycle and we have allowed the agricultural industry and its unnatural practices virtual free reign over our the very food that sustains us.

There are other examples, including M. King Hubbert's theory of Peak Oil that he published a decade prior to the conjunction in 1956, predicting the energy crisis that would unfold in the 1970s on the continental US. Rather than to accept our energy limitations and turn away from fossil fuel use, we instead have only doubled-down on it, and today during the 2010s and the Uranus-Pluto square, our energy companies are determined to drill, baby, drill and frack their way to infinite energy supplies even if it kills us all, which it likely will.

As I said, connect the dots. The 1960s Uranus-Pluto conjunction was the "intro" to humanity's current lesson: stop destroying the environment and learn to get along with each other in peace and harmony, or perish. Now in the 2010s, we face a test with the Uranus-Pluto square. And what have we learned? Profit trumps all. Resources are unlimited. Be happy. Go shopping! Believe in change! Ignore all bad news about the environment because if you smile and be happy, it can't hurt you. ;-) And other bullshit. Clearly we are flunking this mid-term, and it doesn't look good at all for us around the corner as the final exam draws nearer, the Uranus-Pluto opposition during the 2040s.

Yes, the 2040s. Is it any surprise that all of the predicted global system failures seem to fall within that window? I'll honestly be surprised if we even make it that far, but there is at least a chance for us to wake up and rally somewhat. Hello? Is anyone paying attention?

Okay last point. I truly believe that Katrina, the Gulf/BP disaster, and now Fukushima among others are all about getting us to wake the fuck up already. Notice how each disaster seems worse and more insidious than the previous one? There's a reason. Ma Nature is fed up with us and is pulling out all the stops to get us to see that we/humanity are The Problem. And she will keep pulling out the stops until we can no longer ignore her. Only thing is she adds each disaster to our tab, which is quite hefty at this point. But not paying it and learning our lesson will result in the "ultimate price" being charged to our species. Maybe we really think we are that rich?

jason said...

Nice Graphic and article, I always been oddly attracted to the Chernobyl story since I was a kid. So im not a total stranger to this.

But I did need a revisit, there is this girl on youtube I found that goes around and lets you see a actual hot particle looks like. searches for them, I didnt know you could actually find a particle and pick it up. Amazing that that little thing makes all that sound. Really puts in perspective swallowing one. These things are just pure absurdity to keep around. They end up costing far far more than they ever give.

Anyway Her name is BioNerd23
The video I liked was Chernobyl 2012 : yet another hot particle.