NCFPD

Safety check begins on 13 idled reactors

Kansai Electric Power Co. and Shikoku Electric Power Co. have begun the safety evaluation process on thirteen of their nearly 30 idle nuclear reactors scattered throughout Japan, hoping to resume standard operations by the year’s end. In order to complete the process, all dormant reactor plants must submit evaluation reports to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency by the end of September. Reactors across the country were mandated to remain ‘idle’ after Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s nuclear power plant in Fukushima suffered a catastrophic meltdown due to an off-coast earthquake and resultant tsunami. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has expressed support for the prospect of resuming nuclear operations despite feelings of uncertainty from both the public and local governments.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110907x1.html

Japan faces costly, unprecedented radiation cleanup

After nearly six months since the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, Japan faces the daunting task of cleaning up an area of radioactivity that spans between 1,000 – 4,000 square kilometers due to the fuel core meltdowns that occurred at the Fukushima nuclear plan in March. The government has declined entry into a 20 km area surrounding the Fukushima plant and over 80,000 civilians have been evacuated, leaving behind homes, farmland, and cattle.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/26/us-japan-nuclear-decontamination-idUSTRE77P0HE20110826

Mushrooms Join Growing List of Radioactive Threats to Japan’s Food Chain

Mushrooms are the latest food items to join the growing list of contaminated grocery products in Japan, further exacerbating radiation fears among the population. With the government already facing immense pressure from internal critics regarding the lack of a centralized system for detecting radiation, this incident will only fuel the public outcry for a more regulated and accountable government agency. According to local government officials in Soma, a city 25 miles north of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Nameko mushrooms “were found to contain nine times the legal amount of cesium” due to open air farming. Other produce items found to contain unsafe levels of radiation since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami include tea, milk, fish and beef.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-14/mushrooms-join-growing-list-of-radioactive-threats-to-japan-s-food-chain.html

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/mushrooms-join-threats-to-japans-food-chain-from-radiation/articleshow/9605969.cms

Giant tent to go up over Japan nuclear reactor

The Tokyo Electric Power Company announced today that it plans to construct a giant tent over the one of the worst hit reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The airtight polyester covering will be used to keep radioactive material contained and protect against environmental factors, such as rainwater. The tent will be completed by the end of September and, if successful, TEPCO plans to use similar coverings over the other reactors at the Fukushima plant.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/08/12/business-financial-impact-as-japan-earthquake-nuclear_8620209.html

Rice Is Next Japanese Food-Radiation Risk From Fukushima Nuclear Fallout

With the annual harvest approaching, Japanese government officials have now shifted their focus to testing the country’s rice crop in search of cesium contamination from Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima nuclear power plant. If samples exceed 500 becquerels per kilogram, the world’s 10^th largest grower of rice will be forced to destroy shipments of one of its most valuable crops and a national staple. Radiation exceeding the Japanese safety level has also been discovered in spinach, tea and beef. Consumer concerns over food safety have deepened over the past few months after the Japanese government, which made repeated assurances to the public that food items were safe for consumption, confirmed in July that cesium-tainted beef was sold in supermarkets throughout the country.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-10/japan-s-rice-crop-tested-for-contamination-from-fukushima-plant.html

Click here to download a brief report by Dr. Karen Freberg, University of Tennessee, on the Japan Tsunami crisis and social media.

WA State pulls back on radiation testing

Radiation from Japan has been so miniscule in Washington that health officials announced Thursday that they're ending regular rainwater tests and reducing daily air tests for radioactive material. The state Department of Health had started daily air monitoring for radioactive iodine shortly after a tsunami damaged Japan's nuclear reactors in Fukushima in March. Since then, all detected levels have been far below levels that would cause health concerns, officials said. Radioactive levels have also been dropping, often below detectable amounts. The health department said air monitoring will now be done weekly. The tests supplement federal testing of air and rainwater in Washington. The tests, which include air monitoring, will continue.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/WA-state-reduces-radiation-testing-due-to-1357457.php

A Grim Future for Japan's Fisheries

Fishermen and consumers are worried about radiation from Tokyo Electric Power's Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant. Fisherman Tokio Takatsukarecently sailed his boat more than 60 kilometers wide of the plant on its way to port, rather than hugging the coast, to reassure buyers. "It puts a cloud over the entire fishing industry, and Japan's food culture is suffering as a result," says Jeff Kingston, director of the Asian Studies Dept. at Temple University's Japan campus. "People are spooked."