Published: September 1st, 2012 at 12:30 am ET
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Quick Facts:
- There is estimated to be almost 10 billion pounds of disaster debris in Iwate Prefecture alone.
- Amounts for Fukushima and Miyagi Prefectures were not reported.
- If possible, debris will be burned. If not burnable, it will be buried.
- The burning will continue for at least 2.5 years, until March 2014.
- Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen says that by burning the radioactive debris “we are basically recreating Fukushima all over again“.
- Gundersen also says the radioactive clouds will continue across the Pacific to the west coast of the US and Canada.
At 7:30 in
Published: September 1st, 2012 at 12:30 am ET
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sending...
While incineration of certain contaminated materials is allowed under U.S. law, that incineration must be done in special facilities designed to trap the contaminated smoke and ash that results from such combustion. In Japan, much of this incineration work is apparently being carried out by regular garbage incineration facilities. While incineration can reduce the volume of contaminated materials, it does not reduce its radioactivity, and any of the radioactive ash and smoke that escapes back into the environment will be particularly dangerous since it “tends to be in the form of small particles that are more readily absorbed by living organisms than larger particles.” According to Gundersen, much of this radioactive ash is getting re-deposited in Japan, re-contaminating places that had already been decontaminated and also spreading cesium still farther across the island. Researchers have found that “air filters on houses have actually seen an increase in radiation in the last month compared to two months before that.” The Japanese are thus caught in a vicious cycle: they have piles of contaminated material, so they incinerate it to reduce its volume. In the process, radioactive ash and smoke are released back into the air to contaminate even more materials, which will then need to be removed and incinerated, and so on ad infinitum.
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(this is continued from previous page)
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This is not only Japan’s problem. The United States is unfortunately directly downwind of Japan, and some portion of the radiological material that gets released into the air over there inevitably travels over here via the jet stream. Since March, the Department of Nuclear Engineering at UC Berkeley has been doing regular testing of milk sold in California. Over the past two months, they have observed a slight but steady increase in the amount of cesium detected in store-bought milk. The California Department of Public Health has reported similar findings. Not only do they show that cesium levels have continued to rise—without interruption—every month from June to September, but the total amount of contamination the CDPH has detected is even higher than the amounts reported in Berkeley’s data. There have also been reports that elevated levels of radioactivity are still being detected in precipitation in both the U.S. and Canada.
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It is not clear that TEPCO has a viable plan to stabilize the situation at Fukushima Daiichi. What is clear is the fact that radiological materials are continuing to be released into the atmosphere every day. As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, you are well positioned to help. This is an international crisis, and the United States could lead the way in persuading the Japanese government to accept more outside help in getting the damaged reactors under control. If the countries of the world pool their resources and ingenuity, they will surely find a solution to end this crisis much more quickly than TEPCO (which has an interest in continuing to downplay the scope of the crisis in the hopes of diminishing their liability). The U.S. could also work with Japan to develop a plan by which the United States might help them process their contaminated debris in a way that would not involve simply incinerating it in regular garbage facilities and thereby sending cesium and other isotopes back up into the atmosphere.
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re: As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs …
I tried to find out which relevant committee/subcommittee the senator/representative belonged to and personalize this line. I meant to post a “generic” version here, but forgot to take this phrase out
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Since 9/11, the United States has devoted significant resources to preventing terrorist attacks such as the detonation of a “dirty bomb” in one of our cities. Yet Fukushima has been spewing the very same kinds of radiological contaminants across the hemisphere for over seven months now. And Japan’s short-sighted incineration program is compounding the problem by sending cesium that had already been deposited back up into the air—our air, as well as theirs. Please use what leverage the United States has vis-à-vis Japan to help put a stop to these grave threats to the health and well-being of both of our populations.
Sincerely,
[end of letter]
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Radioactive ash from incinerator near limit
25 October 2011
http://www.houseofjapan.com/local/radioactive-ash-from-incinerator-near-limit
Japan: Radioactive ash causes Kashiwa incinerators to shut down
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2787566/posts
Radioactive Ash Found in Tokyo Waste Incineration Plant – Tip: Avoid Cheap Bricks & Pottery on Ebay
“An Edogawa ward plant, which handles general household garbage, detected 9,740 becquerels of radioactive materials per kilogram of ash….”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twCk2p38ZJg
Cesium in incinerator dust across east Japan
Kyodo
“High levels of cesium isotopes are cropping up in dust at 42 incineration plants in seven prefectures, including Chiba and Iwate, an Environment Ministry survey of the Kanto and Tohoku regions shows…
” The other prefectures that took part in the survey were Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Saitama, Kanagawa, Niigata, Yamanashi, Nagano and Shizuoka….”
http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/5485
Cesium in Incinerator Dust Across East Japan
https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/08/28-0
The waste from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami
“In Japan, incineration is the major means of waste disposal. There are hundreds of incinerators in urban areas. By the end of March, ash containing 100,000 to 140,000 Bq/kg of an “unknown radioactive substance” was recorded. Before the alert, a portion of the ash had been incorporated, according to usage, into the commercial production of cement….”
http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2011/09/29/the-waste-from-the-japanese-earthquake-and-tsunami/
Kyoto Firms To Incinerate Radioactive Waste
http://survivaljapan.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/kyoto-firms-to-incinerate-radioactive-waste/
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Post-Fukushima ‘anti-radiation’ pills condemned by scientists
Green party distances itself from Dr Christopher Busby, a former spokesman promoting products following Japanese nuclear disaster
“….He also alleges that the Japanese government is trucking radioactive material from the Fukushima site all over Japan, in order to “increase the cancer rate in the whole of Japan so that there will be no control group” of children unaffected by the disaster, in order to help the Japanese government prevent potential lawsuits from people whose health may have been affected by the radiation…..”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/21/christopher-busby-radiation-pills-fukushima
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It sounds like you are saying that Busby is not telling the truth or is somehow to blame?
Dr. Chris Busby; Consequences of Burning Radioactive Waste In Japan; via A Green Road
http://agreenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/dr-chris-busby-consequences-of-burning.html
What are you trying to say with this post?
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The Radioactive Chat
☢ Christopher Busby Radioactive Genocide Japan Taking Action Save Children ☢
Video and transcription of video:
“….The first thing is we can take them away from the areas of contamination and put them somewhere where there is reasonable safe, but that leads us to another problem because what’s happening now what I have been told is that the Japanese government are trucking radioactive material from the Fukushima disaster area where it is contaminated all over Japan. And even as far south as the south of Japan, we are now getting reports of radioactivity, radioactive material taking all the way to the south of Japan to be burnt. Now what possible reason could there be for burning it as far away as that. I tell you the reason, it’s really quite sinister and horrifying, there reason is this. That eventually when these children start die from Leukemia from other cancer from hearth disease from whatever, their parents are going to want to go to court. They are going to want to sue the Japanese government and they are going to want to have to say that in order to do that these, in order to do that these children were contaminated and that’s why they got high levels of cancer. But of course the only way that they can say that they got high levels of cancer is to have a control group in an area that’s not contaminated, for example the south of Japan. So I believe that the project to take this material and to burn it all over Japan is to destroy all of Japan, this to increase the cancer rate in the whole of Japan in so that there will be no control group to which that you can compare these children in the Fukushima area. So that’s that point. So we want to take the children away anyway into some safe area that’s what we want to do….”
http://radioactivechat.blogspot.com/2011/09/christopher-busby-radioactive-genocide.html
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This video is found here on you tube:
Chris Busby on radioactivity displacing supplements
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iutbbfduAQ
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Fukushima shocking truths: Historical radiation dump, cover-up, the unborn
“Professor Chris Busby recently reported that children are not being protected nor tested for radiation. He also stated why workers are taking contaminated materials from Fukushima and spreading them all over Japan and burning them. (See end of embedded Youtube on this page left.)…”
http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/fukushima-shocking-truths-historical-radiation-dump-cover-up-the-unborn
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Tokyo Starts Burning Radioactive Waste from Other Areas … Tokyo Governor Tells Residents to “Shut Up” and Stop Complaining About It
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/tokyo-starts-burning-radioactive-waste-from-other-areas-tokyo-governor-tells-residents-to-shut-up-and-stop-complaining-about-it.html
Fukushima: Japan’s venting radiation high into atmosphere and burning nuclear waste; Arnie Gundersen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei5IaOQpn4
Radiation in Japan: Practically Any Radioactive Debris Will Be Burned and Buried(Fukushima)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2762307/posts
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Note that only the volume of the material is reduced, not the actual radiation which can never be reduced.
INCINERATION OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE
“Incineration is the only proven method providing the highest possible volume reduction factor for combustible radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, research centers and waste treatment facilities….”
http://www.nukemgroup.com/fileadmin/pdf/Brochure_Incineration_April_2007.pdf
Japan: Incineration of cesium-tainted vegetation resumes
http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2011/11/japan-incineration-of-cesium-tainted-vegetation-resumes-in-chiba-pref-city.html
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This organization seems to deal with this problem:
http://no-burn.org/section.php?id=74
I have no illusions – much stronger organizations step back in Japan, but if some of you, native English speakers, wants to inform them what is going on, we can try.
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Index of technologies that neutralize or mitigate radioactive waste
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Nuclear_Remedi ation
Mycoremediatio n of the Japanese Landscape After Nuclear Fallout- Paul Stamets
http://coalitionforpositivechange.com/stamets-fallout-mycoremediation.pdf
Excellent thread with many links to bacteria and fungal radiation remediation
http://enenews.com/paper-strange-growth-discovered-on-spent-fuel-could-be-biological-in-nature-white-stringlike-material-resembling-a-spider-web/comment-page-1#comment-172500
Plutonium’s unusual interactions with clay may minimize leakage of nuclear waste
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-11-plutonium-unusual-interactions-clay-minimize.html
Hutchison Gives Instructions for Earth Radiation Shield from Japanese Fallout
http://pesn.com/2011/03/19/9501792_Hutchison_Gives_Instructions_for_Earth_Radiation_Shield/
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Well, what should “we” (whomever that would be) do about Japan (their government and TEPCO) burning radiologically contaminated material until, really forever? Japan’s ambassadors, and CEO’s wherever found abroad should be immediately captured and jailed until Japan ceases burning radiologically contaminated material. In addition, since governments are not going to do this; yes, I am suggesting that the citizens rise up and take responsibility back from the wholly non-representative fools who are thoroughly failing to protect we citizens. The leaders of the nuclear establishment, including academic and in special facilities, such as Los Alamos, ought also be detained by the public and jailed until we have thorough transparency and an explicit binding written agreement from all the same that the citizens will have final say about all strategies and policies where it comes to nuclear crises.
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we’re also demanding 100% transparency and immediate punishment of officials caught in bald-faced lies.
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Boycott G.E. and Westinghouse. The only language these corporations understand is $$$$.
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Fukushima Update: Why we should (still) be worried.
“At the end of September, Tokyo signed an agreement to accept 500,000 metric tons of rubble from Iwate Prefecture, one of eight prefectures designated for cleanup under a new nuclear decontamination law passed on January 1. The law allows for much of the radioactively contaminated rubble to be incinerated, a practice that has been underway at least since the end of June.
But the sheer amount of radioactive rubble is proving difficult to process. The municipal government of Kashiwa, in Chiba Prefecture to the west and south of Tokyo, recently shut down one of its main incinerators, because it can’t store any more than the 200 metric tons of radioactive ash it already has that is too contaminated to bury in a landfill.”
*This article doesn’t offer any solutions, really, but it does at least (re)state and update the facts*
http://whowhatwhy.com/2012/01/20/fukushima-update-why-we-should-still-be-worried/
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Section 123 of the 1954 U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954 establishes the conditions and outline the process for major nuclear cooperation between the United States and other countries. Each of the other countries including Japan agreed to nine criteria. Since Japan has broken their responsibilities to uphold the agreement, we may be obligated to invade and cease the burning.
The criteria are:
Nuclear material and equipment transferred to the country must remain under safeguards in perpetuity.
Non-nuclear-weapon states partners must have full-scope IAEA safeguards, essentially covering all major nuclear facilities.
A Guarantee that transfered nuclear material, equipment, and technology will not have any role in nuclear weapons development or any other military purpose, except in the case of cooperation with nuclear-weapon states.
In the event that a non-nuclear-weapon state partner detonates a nuclear device using nuclear material produced or violates an IAEA safeguards agreement, the United States has the right ot demand the return of any transfers.
U.S. consent is required for any re-transfer of material or classified data.
Nuclear material transferred or produced as a result of the agreement is subject to adequate physical security.
U.S. prior consent rights to the enrichment or reprocessing of nuclear material obtained or produced as a result of the agreement.
Prior U.S. approval is required for highly-enriched Uranium and plutonium obtained or produced as a result of the agreement.
The above nonproliferation criteria apply to all nuclear material or nuclear facilities produced or constructed as a result of the agreement.
Any collection or concentrating of materials during remediation would cause jurisdiction of clean-up to fall to the US. That may play a role in why they are trying to dillute it by dumping into the ocean as well as cost. But, it appears to me that they have already lost jurisdiction on several points
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Bowing deeply and apologizing profusely does nothing. The burning of the waste makes Japan the enemy.
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It really does Jack. It's a whole separate issue,…than blaming them for the quake,….the bad placement of the NPP's etc,….all those are SOMEWHAT out of their control,…(average guy). But,….the BURNING and making that death AIRBORN,…..is an act of war almost-in my book!
Knock that shit off Japan,….
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Since my government (U.S.) is just as bad as that of Japan, both governments being pawns of the nuke industry, my first feeling is one of helplessness. But there are measures that can be taken by the individual. Why have I seen no talk of a boycott of all thing General Electric or Westinghouse? Have proposed this twice on the Fukushima Diary thread but the trolls over there care more about the color of their pokemon purses than they do of any pro-active measures. So I'll try here. Boycott.
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There, I've said it. How long till the black SUVs come up my driveway?
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I am personally boycotting all GE products, from light bulbs to appliances. Unfortunately, it can only make a difference if a large enough number of people do it. We can't even get a significant number to pay attention or care about anything relating to Fukushima; how would a large group ever be motivated to actually act or alter their behavior in response to it?
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There are people already boycotting many brands.
I am not buying Mitsubishi for a start.
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I will not (knowingly) buying anything Japanese, but that is primarily to avoid contaminated items. I agree in principle about specifically refusing to buy products from Japanese (or U.S.) companies connected to the nuclear industry (and especially to the Fuku-D plant). Unfortunately, the prospect of buying any Japanese products again is so far off in the unforeseeable future that the idea of boycotting any particular Japanese company's products is purely hypothetical for me.
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2010 Wildfires in Russia Spread Chernobyl Radiation Again
To Japan Earthquake on Thursday, March 24, 2011
http://members.beforeitsnews.com/story/505/617/
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One of the most informative parts of CFF press conference in New York is the graphic at 5:43 in Dr. Nakayama's presentation, which shows the findings of a study regarding how much radiological material goes back up the smoke stack as a result of incinerating radioactive material:
http://vimeo.com/41634284
According to this account, out of 343,445 Bq in a load of incinerated material, 111,912 Bq (32.6 % of it) is sent back up into the air with the smoke. At 7:40-8:00 the man explains "it seems that the Japanese government is attempting to recapitulate the Fukushima disaster; that material then diffuses over the whole earth …"
Could it be that the re-volatilizing of cesium, etc., is not simply an unfortunate side effect of their attempts to reduce the volume of contaminated material, but rather that it is also a deliberate choice for "getting rid of" some of the radioactivity by sending it up into the atmosphere to be carried over the ocean–and to other countries–on the wind?
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A good idea to deal with the radioactive debris comes from Rael:
A stupid idea to burn or spread radio active debris all over Japan, …bury the Fukushima power plant under these millions of tons of debris and create an artificial mountain that would be like a memorial in remembrance to those who died.
http://raelianews.org/news.php?item.471.8
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Nature does not lie. This is what happens when they burn the radioactive debris.
http://mblog.excite.co.jp/user/sparrows55/entry/detail/index.php?id=18652769&page=2&_s=441a75bdd789b61cd2510aa000561ebd
Top photo: Both leaves were taken from the same rose bush.
Left one didn't get exposed to the rain when radioactive debris was incenerated on 25th May 2012.
Middle photo: Same leaves of the top photo. The burn marks are shown even on the underside.
Bottom photo: Another leaves. The right leaves were exposed to the rain. Same burn marks.
All the leaves were collected on the same day.
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These are photo of the radioactive debri from Fukushima in transit. You can see radioactive warning mark on the track that shows "Fukushima 830 18" number plate.
Apparently, a number of these tracks carrying debri have been spotted, destined for northern Kyushu region. Takamatsu-city local gov't staff said to have told not to hang washing outdoor and not to leak these information (oops, I told the world lol) as radioactive particles such as plutonium and uranium have already been releasing in large quantities because of the incineration.
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/jpnx05/e/f3756c1b7cb99fbe86587be0619030ae
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While we ponder what should be done about the radioactive debris, more and more radioactive products are placed on the market.
This concrete slab measures over 2 mcSv/h.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAKjBz1Ar40
The comment reads: That's gamma ray measurement so if you include alpha ray, it could be as much as 25 mcSv/h which is about the same level at the Fukushima station.
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Ugly lie! They say that the air filtre fitted at the inceneration centre blocks 99.99% of radioactive materials from being released into the atmosphere. Hardly true. The image below is a photo of exhaust silencer which is located immediately after the air filtre. It's original colour is in shiny metalic silver. It appears that statics managed to adhere some particales to the metal.
http://twitter.com/cmk2wl/status/261445760741167104/photo/1
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Tyrant!? Treason!!
We are trying to stop this policy that starts from November 24, 2012.
At the briefing of incineration of debris in Osaka , four Osaka residents who were protesting the plan have been arrested.
Osaka Mayor Hashimoto is betraying himself as a tyrant.
In addition to radiation, the debris in the East Japan Great Earthquake is contaminated by harmful chemical substances and heavy metal. Already in the U.S. , the detection values of asbestos are soaring. Thus, diseases resulting from these contaminations are anticipated to increase in other countries than Japan as well.
We, therefore, expect your voices of protest to the Japanese government, Osaka municipal office, and other cities that are bullying their ways to the incineration!
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan https://www3.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/mail/qa.html
TEL 03-3580-3311
Osaka City https://www.osaka-city-callcenter.jp/mail_ssl.html
Kitakyushu City https://www.city.kitakyushu.lg.jp/cgi-bin/inquire/inquire.cgi
Shimada City E-Mail shimada@city.shimada.shizuoka.jp
HP http://www.city.shimada.shizuoka.jp/index.jsp
Shizuoka City koho@city.shizuoka.lg.jp
HPhttp://www.city.shizuoka.jp/
Tsuruga City https://www.ton21.ne.jp/sypher/www/contact/input.jsp
Yamagata City https://www.city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp/cgi-bin/iken/guest.cgi?action=new_form&project=iken_teigen
Full article at http://ameblo.jp/ryuujin55/entry-11403557430.html
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