Published: October 6th, 2011 at 2:05 pm ET
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SOURCE: Radiation in Japan: Hot spots and blind spots, The Economist, October 8, 2011
Every time a gust of wind blows, [Chohei Sato, chief of the Iitate village council] says it shakes invisible particles of radioactive caesium off the trees and showers them over the village. [...]
Iitate’s experience suggests the government may be underestimating the task [of decontamination]. Villagers have removed 5cm of topsoil from one patch of land, but because radioactive particles continue to blow from the surrounding trees, the level of radiation remains high—about one microsievert an hour—even if lower than in nearby areas. Without cutting down the forests, Mr. Sato reckons there will be a permanent risk of contamination. [...]
Published: October 6th, 2011 at 2:05 pm ET
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But if they cut the forest down, they’re just going to burn all of the wood, thereby sending even more cesium back to the village more quickly than the wind would simply by blowing through the trees.
They are trapped in a vicious cycle–all the steps they are trying to take to get out of the situation are only making it even worse.
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Yup… there simply is no way to actually get rid of this contamination. There are only crude, expensive, and mostly ineffective ways of moving some portion of the poison from one spot to another spot, or preventing some portion of it from moving. I think that a lot of the “decontamination” work is just window-dressing designed to make the public feel like the authorities are on the job and have the situation under control. What a joke.
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BRAND NEW TWEET JUST CAME THROUGH!
JAPANESE INSIDERS REVEAL SECRETS!
http://www.corbettreport.com/japanese-government-insiders-reveal-fukushima-secrets/
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Wow! Must have missed this!!
Dr. Helen Caldicott joins Arnie Gundersen & Christopher Busby Against Nuclear Power Reactors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nCN-c4yd2LM
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Wow..Those three joined together..Look Out..
The 1, 2, 3 punch team is working together.
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She is something isn’t she? One of our best (Australians) methinks. And 71 years old! Outstanding.
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Now there’s a Trifecta! Did you guys notice Uncle Arnie is getting almost “FUKU” in tone? I may just get that Christmas present afterall,…..remember, I want only to see Uncle Arnie go all FUKU!
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Actually, if they burn it, much will be dispersed to the rest of the world, problem partially solved for them. Sad state of affairs this is!
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They must not destroy the ONLY real filter we have to contain land-borne contamination. This would be a HUGE error. Mother Nature has the means to deal with all her properties, even when we stupidly put things out of balance like uranium. The smartest thing we can do now is to let her heal herself. Yes I can see how disturbing the cesium fallout has to be, but we should have thought about that before we started using it. The planet is gasping for breath like never before in out time. The ozone is evaporating away. DO NOT be so short sighted and destroy the air making instruments the planet has provided. Think about it. I think it is obviously clear.
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Mother natures lungs are irreplaceable, most definately.
BUT,those trees will continue to redistribute radionucleides, they must go.
I’d like to see them buried at diachi.
Perhaps upgrading mother natures respiratory system is in order.
The euclyptus tree PRODUCES OZONE. Ozone being a shield to limit the penetrating ability of radiation.
There are thousands of varieties of this species, suitable for even japans cold climate.
A free online library in new zealand has a hundred years+ of low/no technology solutions (energy,health and agriculture) that our predecessors already figured out.
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but what are the odds that the Japanese will bury an entire forest, especially when they are incinerating everything else?
They should leave the trees but be very diligent in collecting any leaves/branches that they drop. Perhaps they could bury that stuff, but I think they are committed to their incineration program. They have mountains of (contaminated) waste and very little space on that small island.
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People won’t see the effects of radiation…forests… gone by pre-kill…
End of their water-shed..more flooding…
Dead Man’s Land
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Good points. Maybe it is us here more up north who need to plant the eucalyptus trees…..
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Do you have sources for the eucalyptus ozone? Ozone on the ground is poisonous for lung breathers. Only up in the outmost regions they shield radiation coming from the sun. Ozone produced on thr ground will never reach the atmosphere.
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Field studies were done in Australia and Africa.
The eucalyptus plantations reduced rainfall (statistical coincidence?), dried out marshes with its unquenchable thirst, which in turn helped vanquish mosquitto populations that were causing disease (bat houses reduce mosquito populations and provide high quality, expensive nitrogen fertilizer), and yes, produce ozone.
http://www.soilandhealth.org/
Ozone is only poisonous when it unites with the 80%(++) nitrogen content of our atmosphere.
This nitric acid is, as you pointed out, caustic to lung tissue.
What can I say? Its certainly not a solution.
but, you do what you can.
If the radiation is at ground level,then insulate it at ground level.
The local co-op even has baby euclyptus trees for $3.75,organic.
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Yes, Anthony! You are absolutley right. And, who has suggested to Mr. Sato the trees are to blame? Someone must not be letting Mr. Sato know that Fukushima reactors are still releasing radiation. Perhaps he believes he will only find “old” radiation lying about from the initial disaster, and so, removing anything that “old” radiation may cling to, like dust and pollen in trees and dirt, will solve the problem. Is it possible that civic leaders are not being officially updated about the unfolding disaster? Wouldn’t that be the deepest betrayal and breach of one quadrant of government towards another? Wouldn’t the people on the ground be making critical decisions without necessary information?
Todays articles brought to mind a movie I watch from time to time called Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams. There are 8 short films making up the movie. Akira tried to warn Japan way, way back when he made the film, especially Mt. Fuji In Red, which is posted on youtube at this link -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_ZxTB8mqbk
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For CO2 sake, plant more trees, right there and elsewhere, but deal with the problem head on. My semi humble take on things!
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yes, we should sacrifice all the little critters so we can ensure our dominate place in the ecosystem and live to pollute again. The cleanup will cost money and burning is the cheapest way to solve the problem.
BURN BABY BURN
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Whoopie and anyone else who has time …
Please help me out. My son is posting the White House petition to end nuclear power on http://www.reddit.com in the appropriate categories as well as the main page. Almost as quickly as it was posted in “energy,” the pro-nukers started voting it down.
Please help vote it up if you can spare time today! So far, it’s in “energy,” and “solar,” and “environment” will be next, followed by the main page. All “up” votes will be appreciated!
Thanks very much!
(Again, petition is at: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/end-use-nuclear-energy-united-states/H0Pd79B1?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl )
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Erin,
Not knowing how Reddit works, BUT I just JOINED and re-posted the Petition. Where it goes from here, I haven’t a clue.
http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/l3d0h/we_petition_the_obama_administration_to_end_the/
I PUT IT IN POLITICS
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Now see, I don’t even see it there. Weird.
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Thanks a bunch, Whoopie! We’ll look for it there, too, and vote it up.
The more times a post is voted up (the more votes it gets – a “down vote” takes away a vote), the closer it gets to the top where it’s easier to find. Still learning, myself, though. My son’s the expert.
And hey — let’s make sure all enenews articles get posted there, too! Right now my son and I have to wait to post more news because we’re not too popular — too many down votes, I guess, but we’ll try to get some up tomorrow.
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I’LL WORK ON IT!
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Burning nuclear waste is the stupidest thing you can do. The waste should be put in containers to be stored underground. It is foolish to re-release all of the contamination. Already some of the facilities are shutting down because of cesium overload. The notion that burning trees will help anything is insanity. Radiation also carries in dust particles in the wind so even if you removed all the trees contamination would still build up in drainage and low lying areas. Once the radiation touches hard surfaces such as concrete there is no way to remove it from that kind of material. God damn these idiots for thinking they can decontaminate the worlds worst nuclear disaster in history.
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you said it, +100
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Agreed.
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Face It Folks. Exit Japan Now!
It is only going to become worse.
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better hurry – ‘cos we will even encrease our invisible borders soon
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maybe they love their country so much they want to go down with the ship.
They would rather die with Japan than watch it die from a safe distance.
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Paul Stamets (world reknown micologist) had this to say about cleaning up Fukushima: http://punkrockpermaculture.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/paul-stamets-on-radiation-contamination-around-fukushima/
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Great link! I’m reading his latest book now.
I used his blazei to erradicate a late term salmonilla infection in just days. Quite carcinogenic, but possessess anti-tumor compounds as well.
His agaricon destroys plaque virus and saddam husseins vx nerve gas.
He really opens up a whole other world in medicine,nutrition and environmental symbiosis.
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Thanks for the hint
good idea to harvest mushrooms (in south Germany they’re still over the allowed limits), but I don’t think that burning is a favourable way of shrinking them
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***MSNBC spent more time covering the fallout from Brad Pitt’s comments on his marriage to Jennifer Aniston than they spent on the radioactive fallout from the three nuclear meltdowns (also not mentioned, under cover of the Casey Anthony murder trial) at Fukushima.***
http://www.legitgov.org/MSNBC-Covers-Yemen-Protest-Not-Wall-Street-Occupation
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I, for one,…was PRAYING that someone in the news corp. would ask OBummer today,…”Mr. President,….are we being irradiated by Fukushima Japan?” Damn,…we’ve got to get him on tape denying it, AGAIN!
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I was wondering during the summer months (while lurking on enews, majia and ex-skf) how long would it take until the radiation effects would be visible in the nature like it did in the red forest in the most contaminated areas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Forest link included for the convinience of the few uninformed.
In those articles there aren’t enough data to put together a timeline from the accident to the “red forest” appearing, as that would contribute as a rude indicator of actual amounts of radiation being released.
Actually, also related to the article, I wonder how much the burning of the red forest affected the radiation levels in europe. In those times there weren’t that sophisticated data collection networks as you have today, so what kind of spikes in radiation actually are produced by burning the waste is very unknown.
Also, it would seem that the radiation release pattern is very different between chernobyl and fukushima, as in the first one gave out petas of bq/kg radiation in very short time, as latter one is radiating less, but it would seem, for a longer period. This would obliviously have a delay with the visible effects of radiation in the nature.
Anyway, the comparison would be interesting, however, since no-one neutral is permitted to the exclusion zone or near the plant (as I suppose), it would be difficult to keep accurate tracking.. but if large areas get contaminated, you can’t keep it as a secret.
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Why can’t you keep it a secret? I think there are a hell of a lot of secrets being kept. I know that cause TEPCO tells us…Oh we’ve known that for sometime…didn’t want to tell ya cause…it’s a secret…but now the cats out of the bag…”wow it’s a 3 way meltdown”
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Why can’t you keep it a secret? Good question Many Moons, I’m sure some bright spark in the nuclear industry asked that question many moons ago. And now I guess we are going to see how far that premise can be pushed.
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Umm, because if large areas are getting effects from the radiation, it is bound to be noticed given the size of the area is big enough, indicating contamination bad enough to yield these results. It would be quite visible from the air aswell for a long distance etc, ie. if half of the fukushima prefecture suddenly withered away, you’d think somebody would notice. So that’s why you could imagine it being a difficult task to keep as a secret, if large areas are clearly affected.
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It’s terrible. A Planet is a Terrible Thing to Waste.
Sounds like the next T-Shirt.
We have huge swaths of beetle-killed pinyons.
Old timers were just cutting ‘em up for firewood
and spreading the bugs everywhere.
Now there’s all these millions of tons of
wood going to waste. begging for a big fire soon.
then there’s the erosion problems after that.
Maybe a succession-plant of some kind….
Future’s so Bright….I gotta Wear Shades…
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Lots of really horrible things are happening right now in Japan. The worst being, children having to endure high daily doses of radiation. We know that…so what…it does change anything…just like if the trees get viewed from the air and someone notices, then it gets reported on Japan’s TV stations, and maybe it makes it to the international news…then the “secret is out?”
So what. There are people being poisoned-that’s not a secret-has that changed anything?
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“then the “secret is out?”
So what. There are people being poisoned-that’s not a secret-has that changed anything?”
What kind of an idiotic attitude is this?
Let’s see where we’re standing. People on the enews whine about not having enough data, evil tepco etc. Well, let’s apply our education and get our own data, if you suspect that government etc is screwing with you. You can do a network like that in states with inviduals with geigercounters (they should follow the scientific method for eliminating measurement errors etc, this is a technical detail), and it can and has been done in Japan.
We’ve seen some random measurements here and there on this forum, but a data collection network with strict methods, many participants, many counters etc should still provide a reasonable reliable framework for getting actual facts instead of limiting into random measurements here and there with random equipment and testing methods.
Who cares what government and/or tepco or anybody else is saying. Get your ass up and do your own measurements, gather data, do the maths, get the evidence.
Just laying there and whining “so what” like you did is kinda loser attitude. “we’re all dead, the planet is doomed, wah wah”. If you think we’re all already dead, why don’t you get a shotgun and.. well, bang, said the shotgun to the head.
If your problem is that you can’t trust somebody elses data, get your own and compare with others. Now, this doesn’t really help those who are being poisoned, but it isn’t ment to do that. It’s simply a method of acquiring proof, making the observations, for dismissing misinformation.
Once you have proof, I think you are in very much better position to argument against people who simply have none, except their “feelings”.
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Oh, and also, yes, it would have changed something if it got on TV. It has changed the public perception of the threat, and that has to count for something.
Right now, as it would seem, people are panicing because of the absence of such data, or conflicting information. Governments stance is ofcourse to play it down, but people who write onto this forum like to make it as a apocalyptic scenario. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle, and while declaring this, I’ll get the hate from TEPCO/government and from anti-nuclear crowd.
Well too bad, I’m not in it for popularity contest, so bring it on.
The truth nevertheless eventually reveals itself, at least in the form of consequences, or the absence of consequences. We shall see.
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“What kind of an idiotic attitude is this?”
it’s not an atitude….it’s reality!
Read down the posts…children are being taken out of school for a day here and there to give them a rest from the radiation. That’s not dealing with the situation. That is pathetic. Children in every effected area of Japan should be removed to a southern location where they may have a chance to live and grow up some day.
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PS I do think it is apocaliptic what is happening to the innocent children and the unborn….
Go to the pics of the children of chernobyl…in my dictionary that is the visual definition of apocalyptic.
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Argh this forum software, doesn’t allow deep enough nested discussions, so I can’t reply after certain level.. only to the parent.
*sigh*
come on admin, get as a decent bbs to discuss on!
Anyhow, yes I’m well aware of the chernobyl mutations and malformations. It’s tragic, sure. But local, or even nation wide tragedies aren’t a apocalypse. Well to those who get killed during it, sure, but humankind as a whole? naah.
I’m talking about fukushima, it still hasn’t released as much radiation as chernobyl in total, and chernobyl wasn’t the end of the world.
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@ keekton
Diachi has realeased the equivelent of 10 tchernobyls into the pacific, as well as 3 into the air. china,tepco,japan and greenpeace have all gathered this data.
Further,
Perhaps you are not aware of SPENT FUEL POOLS. The iodine they contain is 5 out of 6 parts i-129 which lasts MILLIONS of years!
Tchernobyl/Fukushima necklases for all those lovely children (thryroid removal scars).
Emotional response aside,
please read “DEADLY DECEIT;Low level radiation, High level coverup” by gould and goldman and them skim over “the woman who knew too much, ALICE STEWART and the secrets of radiation” by GAYLE GREENE
I would not take the time to put in that last paragragh if I truely didnt believe you were misleading yourself.
Perhaps you just didnt know about this thirty year long body of medical research/tracking??
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@selfsovereign
please provide your sources for 10x chernobyl emissions? I haven’t seen that claim even in this site, as sensationalist as it sometimes is. Links? References?
(further more, I wouldn’t exactly trust anything greenpeace says, they’ve pretty much demolished their credibility by demonstrating in multiple occasions their total lack of understanding of nature sciences. they have their own political agenda and reasons for saying things, such as one argues that nuclear industry and tepco has.)
And I’m quite well aware of those pools. I’m not a clueless idiot posting random ramblings, I’ll leave that to stilljill etc. I’ve been following the situation since march 11. I know about MOX fuel and all that stuff that you’ve been reading aswell around the web.
About your literary hints;
there have been for a long time a discussion in the academic circles about ionizating radiation and non-ionizating radiation. It’s difficult to prove that even non-ionizating radiation (which isn’t nuclear radiation, ie cell phones, wlan, etc) could cause cancer. It doesn’t mean it wouldn’t, but it’s just hard to prove. I know all this already, and while your reference books mostly talk about ionization, I though I’d bring this to your attention aswell.
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sir Keekotin,
you said…
I’m talking about fukushima, it still hasn’t released as much radiation as chernobyl in total, and chernobyl wasn’t the end of the world.
Your argument is Fuku is not the end of the world cause chernobyl was worse and that was not the end of the world. I’ve heard this argument put forth many times and what is obvious to be is the 2 don’t have much in common. Where are the 40,000 liquidators at Fuku handling the situation. Perhaps Chernobyl wasn’t the end of the world because it was handled much differently.
The 2 are NOT comparable.
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“I’ve heard this argument put forth many times and what is obvious to be is the 2 don’t have much in common. Where are the 40,000 liquidators at Fuku handling the situation. ”
wait, you just said that fuku and cherno aren’t comparable. In that case, why are you comparing 40000 people needed at chernobyl and make the assumption that 40000 people are needed at fuku? Didn’t you just claim they aren’t directly compararable so wouldn’t the principle apply to the manpower aswell?
But all the nitpicking aside, yes, I have been wondering the same. Japanese seem to handle this quite different way than russians did.
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“persuade people to accept relaxed safety standards”
[odd]
Time to sit back unworried and keep smiling.
By our new relaxed saftey standards no more bad news will come up to unease your minds. And our investment in superior professionals already pays out in new sientific health assurances.
Besides we’ll enrich oldfashion food with immune stimulating radionuclides, and that what we can’t dump shall be generously bestowed to starving ethnicities throughout this world.
btw: Fish is safe again ‘cos we now harvest the older wales.
And last but not least our national income is verified as we’re heading to become the last shining nation to share their approved advanced nuke-technologies.
Look out to the calmer upcoming times where peace returns back into our streets while all outdoor activities are friendly regulated.
Step in ~ stay in ~ hold in
[/odd]
your shilly-shally hot-dot-gov
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Must-have kitchen gadget: Food radiation checker
By: Tim Hornyak October 6, 2011 9:47 AM PDT
MAKUHARI, Japan–For many Japanese, food safety is an urgent concern in light of the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, from which radiation has entered the food supply.
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20116445-1/must-have-kitchen-gadget-food-radiation-checker/#ixzz1a2vJrz17
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Radiation in Japan
Hot spots and blind spots
The mounting human costs of Japan’s nuclear disaster
Oct 8th 2011 | IITATE | from the print edition
CREST the hill into the village of Iitate, and the reading on a radiation dosimeter surges eightfold—even with the car windows shut. “Don’t worry, I’ve been coming here for months and I’m still alive,” chuckles Chohei Sato, chief of the village council, as he rolls down the window and inhales cheerfully. He pulls off the road, gets out of the car and buries the dosimeter in the grass. The reading doubles again.
http://www.economist.com/node/21531522
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Thurs. 6 October 2011 NYT article
Iran Will Be Site Of Next Chernobyl Tragedy
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Russia combats wildfires in Chernobyl radiation zone
Russia is mounting extra patrols to fight wildfires in a region hit by nuclear fallout from Chernobyl, amid fears that radiation could spread.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-10938215
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“Without cutting down the forests, Mr. Sato reckons there will be a permanent risk of contamination.”
Isn’t there a permanent ongoing risk of contamination as long as Fukushima is still liberating growing quantities of radioactive materials.
Perhaps Mr. Sato is having trouble seeing the forest through the trees?
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They should just evacuate. All they are doing with there decontamination efforts is to spread it around. What happens to the radiation after they have pressure washed buildings etc? How much radio-active dust is going to be stirred up by felling a whole forest? And then burning it? Persuade people to accept relaxed standards. Exactly, reVivre. Even better tell them its safe and radiation is good for you. Remember folks keep foccused on the economy. That is the issue most dear to the hearts of the Elite rulers. Imagine if the Japanese economy collapses? No good. Better to avoid evacuation and keep the economy intact. Sure a bunch of people will have shortened lives but there will be enough left over to build Hondas, right? At least buy us time to move the factories to China.
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No explosion at No. 2 reactor / TEPCO: Only 3 hydrogen blasts occurred at Fukushima N-plant
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Tokyo Electric Power Co. panel investigating the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant has concluded that a hydrogen explosion did not occur at the plant’s No. 2 reactor, overturning its previous conclusion that an explosion took place on March 15, according to a draft of the panel’s interim report.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111002003221.htm
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Radiation in Japan
Hot concern
Japan risks another crisis over decontamination
Aug 13th 2011 | TOKYO | from the print edition
SINCE April, Kiki Tanaka and hundreds of other ordinary citizens have been uploading radiation measurements to Safecast.org, a non-profit group. On a fine summer day she drives to Nihonmatsu, 56km (35 miles) from the ruined nuclear plant at Fukushima, and notes her Geiger counter ticking higher: another step in the DIY defence against radioactivity.
This grass-roots monitoring reflects a loss of trust in the authorities. Until June the government in Tokyo took radiation measurements at just one site, as if that were enough to survey the city’s 2,200 square kilometres and 13m people. In fact levels are known to vary widely within even small areas, depending on weather patterns and building materials.
http://www.economist.com/node/21525966
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Fukushima: Doctors and Nurses flee
Date: 06 October 2011
Posted By : Special to The Canadian
http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/news/intrnational/2011/10/06/984.html
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