Ocean Contamination 3 Times As Much As TEPCO Announced

says the government corporation Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 5 months after the leak of highly contaminated water was first discovered (in April) at the water intake for Reactor 2 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant.

So, instead of 4,700 terabecquerels of radioactive iodine and cesium as TEPCO announced back in May, JAEA says it was 15,000 terabecquerels that leaked into the Pacific Ocean, and that it could have been leaking since March 21, not from April 1.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (9/9/2011):

東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故で、汚染水や大気中からの降下分も含めて、海に流出した放射性物質の総量を１万５０００テラ・ベクレル（テラは１兆倍）とする試算を、日本原子力研究開発機構の小林卓也研究副主幹らがまとめた。

Researchers at Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) led by Takuya Kobayashi has come up with the estimate that puts the total amount of radioactive materials leaked into the ocean from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant at 15,000 terabecquerels. Their estimate includes the radioactive materials in the contaminated water and in the air that fell in the ocean.

　東電が推定した値の３倍以上になっている。１９日から北九州市で始まる日本原子力学会で発表する。

The JAEA estimate is three times as much as the estimate by TEPCO. It will be announced during the Atomic Energy Society of Japan conference set to begin in Kitakyushu City from September 19.

　東電は高濃度汚染水の流出を４月１～６日に限定しており、その間の放射性物質（ヨウ素１３１、セシウム１３４、１３７）の量を４７００テラ・ベクレルと推定していた。

TEPCO limited the time period of the contaminated water leak from April 1 to 6, and estimated the amount of iodine-131, cesium-134 and cesium-137 to be 4,700 terabequerels.

　小林副主幹らは、原発の取水口付近での放射性物質の濃度をもとに、海で放射性物質が初めて検出された３月２１日から４月３０日までの流出量を逆算した。推計値をもとに海洋への拡散を模擬計算したところ、原発の周辺海域での観測値に合っていることも確かめた。試算ではセシウム１３４を含めていないため、総量はより多くなる。

Kobayashi et al calculated the amount of the leaked water from March 21 to April 30, based on the density of radioactive materials at the water intake of the plant. March 21 was when radioactive materials were detected in seawater for the first time. They also did the simulation of how the radioactive materials spread in the ocean based on their estimate, and confirmed that it matched the observed data in the ocean near the plant. The estimate does not include cesium-134, so the total amount of radioactive materials would be higher.

So the researchers concluded the leak may have been ongoing since March 21, based on the density of radioactive materials at the water intake that TEPCO was announcing. Duh. And TEPCO insisted that the leak started on April 1 or not so long before a worker noticed for the first time, and no one in the media questioned at that time. No one is saying anything now either about this extremely contaminated water that may have been leaking for 10 days before TEPCO even noticed.

(Note to self: Think.)

Asahi Shinbun has different details:

• The main factor that pushed the number up was the radioactive materials in the air that fell into the ocean;

• Iodine-131 alone accounts for 11,400 terabecquerels, and cesium-137 for 3,600 terabecquerels.

Well I sure hope this number for cesium-137 is "iodine-131 equivalent". Otherwise the total amount of radioactive materials leaked would be approaching INES Level 7 on its own.

These government researchers are announcing their precious studies left and right, now that their papers have been peer-reviewed and set to be published.

More about → Ocean Contamination 3 Times As Much As TEPCO Announced

China's State Oceanic Administration: Wider Ocean Contamination Than Japanese Government Has Admitted

(UPDATE-CORRECTION: the contaminated area according to the Chinese is "252,000 square-kilometer", and not "252,000 square-meter" as in the initial post.)

----------------------------------



China sent a survey ship and taking seawater samples off the coast of Fukushima back in June and July. The State Oceanic Administration now says the contamination of the Pacific Ocean may extend as far as 800 kilometers (497 miles) off the coast of Fukushima, as reported by the Science and Technology Daily (ST Daily) in China, according to Asahi Shinbun.



(STDaily's original article in Chinese is here.)



From Asahi Shinbun (12:08PM JST 8/16/2011):

中国国家海洋局は、福島県沖の西太平洋で行った海洋環境調査の結果として「（放射性物質に）汚染された海域は日本が発表した影響範囲をはるかに超えている。放射性汚染物質が中国の管轄海域に入っている可能性も排除できない」との見解を明らかにした。



China's State Oceanic Administration cites the result of the environmental survey it did in the western Pacific Ocean off the coast of Fukushima and says a much wider area of the Pacific Ocean is contaminated with radioactive materials than the Japanese government has announced, and that the possibility cannot be eliminated that radioactive materials have entered the ocean under the Chinese control".



　中国紙、科技日報（電子版）が１５日、同紙の取材に対する同海洋局の書面回答の内容として伝えた。



The Chinese paper "Science and Technology Daily (electronic version)" reported on August 15 as the State Oceanic Administration's written response to their inquiry.



　これによると、放射性物質の影響を受けているとされたのは、福島県沖東８００キロ以内の２５．２万平方キロの海域。中国近海に比べてセシウム１３７が最高３００倍、ストロンチウム９０が最高１０倍の濃度で、それぞれ検出されたという。



According to the State Oceanic Administration, the area said to be affected by radioactive materials is a 252,000 square-kilometer [corrected] area inside the 800 kilometer off the coast of Fukushima. Cesium-137 was found maximum 300 times the level found in the Chinese coastal waters, and strontium-90 was found maximum 10 times the level.



　同海洋局は福島第一原発事故を受け、６月から７月にかけ、海洋調査船を宮城県沖などの西太平洋に派遣し、調査を行っていた。



The State Oceanic Administration conducted the survey in June and July in the Western Pacific, in response to the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident.

In a separate piece of news, 5,000 angry residents of Chengdu in Sichuan Province in China closed off the roads [to the city?] to protest the frequent power outage, according to Yomiuri Shinbun citing Hong Kong's Oriental Daily.

More about → China's State Oceanic Administration: Wider Ocean Contamination Than Japanese Government Has Admitted

#Radiation in Japan: Katsuo (Skipjack Tuna) Haul Is Zero at Onahama Port in Fukushima

Katsuo (shipjack tuna) is in season, and in a normal year the port of Onahama, Fukushima Prefecture should be bustling with activities, with fishing boats hauling katsuo they caught into the port, noisy auctioning by the wholesalers.

This year is anything but normal, and the amount of the haul at the Onahama port is zero. Zero.

Where are the fishing boats loaded with katsuo going? Other ports, so that the katsuo that they catch off the coast of Fukushima and all along the Pacific North can be sold as coming anywhere but from Fukushima.

(In other words, watch out, consumers.)

From Yomiuri Shinbun (7/7/2011):

福島県を代表する漁港で、東北地方有数のカツオの水揚げ港でもある福島県いわき市の小名浜漁港が、苦境に立たされている。

The Onahama Port in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, the biggest port in Fukushima Prefecture and one of the best known port for hauling katsuo (shipjack tuna) in the Tohoku region, finds itself in difficult times.

　カツオ漁が最盛期を迎えた中、津波で被害を受けて３週間前に再開した魚市場への漁船によるカツオの水揚げはゼロ。東京電力福島第一原発事故の影響 で「福島産」とみなされるのを心配して、漁船が同港での水揚げを避けて他県に向かうためだ。「漁場は同じなのに……」。地元漁業関係者の苦悩が続く。

It's the prime season for katsuo fishing right now, but the katsuo hauling at the port, which reopened three weeks ago for the first time since the March 11 tsunami, is zero. It's because fishing boats head for other ports in other prefectures, fearful that their catch will be considered "caught in Fukushima Prefecture", a big negative in the aftermath of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident. The local fishery people lament, "katsuo all come from the same fishery...."

　春から夏にかけて太平洋沿岸を北上する群れを追うカツオ漁は５月から本格化し、いまが最盛期。しかし、小名浜魚市場では、魚を入れるカゴが高く積まれたまま、静まり返っている。

Katsuo fishing, which chases katsuo as the fish migrate north along the Pacific coast from spring to summer, started in earnest in May. Now it's in the prime season. However, at the wholesale fish market at the Onahama Port, all is quiet, and fish baskets remain empty.

　「例年なら、仲買人や市場の職員でごった返し、すごい活気なんですけどね」。市場職員の中野聡さん（３５）はため息をつく。

"In a normal year, the place is chaotic with wholesalers and fish market personnel, bustling with activities," Mr. Satoshi Nakano, 35-year-old worker at the market, sighs.

　水産庁によると、同港で２００９年に水揚げされたカツオ（生鮮）は、全国の漁港で５位の約２４２０トン。地元漁協では、約７割が地元以外の船によるものだったとしている。

According to Japan's Fisheries Agency, 2,420 tonnes of fresh katsuo were hauled at the port in 2009, No. 5 in the whole country. The local fishing co-op says 70% of the haul was from the out-of-Fukushima fish boats.

There have been anecdotal but credible "rumors" for about two months that there are unusual increases of unusual kind of fish in ports outside Fukushima - Tokyo's Tsukiji Port, and a port in Mie Prefecture for example. The rumors say the boats are catching fish off the coast of Fukushima and hauling them at a distant port, and the fish are being sold as "caught in the ocean near that port", which is perfectly legal.

And what about the remaining 30% of the fishing boats that are from Fukushima Prefecture? A group of fishing boats left the Onahama Port for katsuo fishing last month, but they've given up on hauling to the Onahama Port due to the "baseless rumor" of radiation contamination, according to Tokyo Shinbun.

The authorities seem to want to keep it "baseless rumor" by not testing. At this point, even if they start to test, no consumer will readily believe the official numbers.

More about → #Radiation in Japan: Katsuo (Skipjack Tuna) Haul Is Zero at Onahama Port in Fukushima

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Radioactive Tellurium Detected in Seawater at Water Intake

Radioactive tellurium was detected for the first time in the seawater at the water intake canal for the Reactor 1, but TEPCO thinks it's just a mix-up for some unknown reason, according to Yomiuri Shinbun (6/29/2011).

So I went to look for the original data at TEPCO.

It turns out that tellurium-129m (half-life 34 days) was found near the water intake canal for the Reactor 1, AND tellurium-129 (half-life 70 minutes) was found near the water intake canal for the Reactor 4. Tellurium-129 was also found in deep-sea water 8 kilometers off the coast of Fukushima.

Some kind of a mix-up.

TEPCO dumped 143 pages of "confirmed" data (no English yet) on types of nuclides and density found at and around Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant in air and water on June 29. The company releases many of the data everyday or at a regular interval but the nuclides announced daily are iodine-131, cesium-134 and -137 only. For other nuclides, after being excoriated by NISA in early days of the crisis, they've stopped releasing the data until "confirmed".

It was on page 74, as part of the "confirmed" results of the seawater samples taken on June 4:

Te-129m (half-life 34 days): 720 becquerels/liter, outside the silt fence in front of the Reactor 1 water intake canal.

The legal safety limit for the exhaust water from a nuclear power plant is 300 becquerels/liter.

Then, on page 99 for the test results for the samples taken on June 12:

Te-129 (half-life 70 minutes): 230 becquerels/liter, outside the silt fence in front of the Reactor 4 water intake canal.

Te-129 was also found in the deep seawater 8 kilometers off the coast of Minami-Soma City and Onahama on June 7 (pages 27, 28) and June 9 (page 39) separately.

No data on this file on radioactive strontium (89 and 90), which is reported separately. No word ever on plutonium in any water or ocean soil.

More about → #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Radioactive Tellurium Detected in Seawater at Water Intake

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Radioactive Strontium from Ocean Soil Off the Plant

Strontium-89 and strontium-90 have been detected in soil and ocean water, but for the first time they have been detected in ocean soil 3 kilometers off the coast where Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is located. The samples from 2 locations were taken on June 2.

The Ministry of Education and Science have announced the detection of radioactive cesium from the ocean soil, but has been silent about strontium.

Strontium-89 (half-life 51 days) was detected at 140 becquerels/kg at one location (off Minami-Soma City), 42 becquerels/kg at the other (off Naraha-machi). Strontium-90 (half-life 29 year) was detected at 44 becquerels/kg at one location, 10 becquerels/kg at the other.

There is no safety standard set for radioactive strontium. The amount detected in regular sampling surveys from 1999 to 2008 at Fukushima II (not I) was ND (not detected) to 0.17 becquerel/kg.

The survey also detected a minute amount of plutonium-239+plutonium-240.

Clearly, no one cares any more in Japan. No major news outlet carried the news, not at least on line. The only paper that carried this news was the Japan Communist Party's newspaper, Akahata (red flag).

Here's TEPCO's press release on June 25, 2011:

More about → #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: Radioactive Strontium from Ocean Soil Off the Plant

#Fukushima Marine Contamination: US's Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole Massachusetts Surveying Ocean Off Fukushima

Kyodo News Japanese reports that the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts has started the survey off the coast of Fukushima to study the extent of radiation contamination in the marine environment. No information in the Kyodo article as to since when the MBL has been doing the survey.

The MBL is the oldest independent marine laboratory in the US, and one of the most prominent; to date, 54 MBL-affiliated scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize, among many other honors received by the laboratory’s researchers, according to Wikipedia.

The MBL, according to Arnie Gundersen during the interview with Chris Martenson the other day, has said that "the ocean has ten times more radiation from Fukushima than the Black Sea did from Chernobyl."

True to form, the Japanese government didn't bother to announce (it still doesn't) that it has approved the request for the survey, because, according to Kyodo News, "It's done by a US institution not by a Japanese one."

From Kyodo News Japanese (6/11/2011):

福島第１原発事故を受け、米ウッズホール海洋学研究所の専門家 チームが、福島県などの沖合で海洋調査を始めたことが１１日、分かった。海水や海洋生物を採取し、原発から放出された放射性物質が生態系に及ぼす影響を評 価する。日本政府は米国からの調査申請を許可したが、米国による調査であることを理由に事実を公表していない。

It was discovered on June 11 that a team of experts from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in the US has started the survey off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture. The team will collect sea water samples and marine lives, and evaluate the effect on the marine ecosystem from the radioactive materials released from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. The Japanese government approved the request for the survey, but it continues to withhold the details because it is a survey by an American institution.

　文部科学省などの調査では、広範囲で海水や海底の土から放射性物質が検出され、魚介類からも放射性物質が確認されている。ただ、こうした調査結果を取りまとめ、生態系への影響を評価する作業には着手しておらず、米国主導の調査が先行する形となりそうだ。

According to the surveys by the Ministry of Education and Science and other agencies and institutions, radioactive materials have been found in sea water and the ocean soil in wide areas. They've been found in fish and shellfish. However, the Japanese government hasn't started consolidating the survey data and evaluate the effect of radiation on the total marine ecosystem, letting the US lead the way.

Well, the Japanese government hasn't started it, because it doesn't want to. At least not right now. In fact, the government agency in charge of fisheries doesn't believe in "bioconcentration" or "bioaccumulation", and I don't expect them to do anything to disturb their belief system.

I hope the MBL will release the survey results for the benefit of the rest of us.

More about → #Fukushima Marine Contamination: US's Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole Massachusetts Surveying Ocean Off Fukushima

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant: High Concentration of Radioactive Cesium in the Ocean Soil in 300-Kilometer Strip Along the Coast

Radioactive materials in concentration that was up to several hundreds of times the normal level were detected from the soil on the ocean floor in the 300-kilometer strip along the coast from Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture to Choshi City in Chiba Prefecture.

Oh what a surprise. Who could have known?

The Ministry of Education and Science, who did the survey, even goes to contradict the oft-repeated statement by the chief cabinet secretary and says "the marine products may be affected."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano's favorite refrain whenever a new leak was found at Fukushima I Nuke Plant was: "It will have no immediate effect" on health, on environment, on anything. (These days, he is busy trying to "qualify" his use of "immediate". Quite funny if the situation is not this dire.)

No word on other nuclides like plutonium, uranium, and strontium.

I'm trying to locate the original survey data at the Ministry's site.

From Mainichi Shinbun Japanese (1:15AM JST 5/27/2011):

　文部科学省は２７日、宮城県気仙沼市沖から千葉県銚子市沖まで南北約３００キロにわたる海底の土から、最高で通常の数百倍に当たる濃度の放射性物 質を検出したと発表した。文科省は「海産物に影響が及ぶ恐れがある」としている。東京電力福島第１原発から海に流出した汚染水に含まれた放射性物質が、広 範囲に拡散していることが裏付けられた。

The Ministry of Education and Science disclosed on May 27 that radioactive materials in concentration that was up to several hundreds of times the normal level were detected from the soil on the ocean floor in the 300-kilometer strip along the coast from Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture to Choshi City in Chiba Prefecture. The Ministry says "the marine products may be affected". It is now confirmed that the radioactive materials in the contaminated water released [both intentionally and unintentionally] from TEPCO's Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean have spread far and wide.

　９日から１４日にかけ、沖合約１５～５０キロの１２カ所で海底の土を採取。すべてから放射性物質が検出された。濃度が最も高かったのは、福島第１ 原発の沖合約３０キロの水深１２６メートルの海底で、土１キロ当たりセシウム１３４は２６０ベクレル、セシウム１３７は３２０ベクレルだった。

The soil samples were taken from May 9 to May 14 at 12 locations about 15 to 50 kilometers off the coast. Radioactive materials were detected in all samples. The highest concentration of radioactive materials was detected from the sample taken from the ocean floor, 126 meters deep, 30 kilometers off the coast of Fukushima I Nuke Plant. Cesium-134 was 260 becquerels/kilogram, and cesium-137 was 320 becquerels/kilogram.

　ほぼ同じ海域で０９年に行った調査では、セシウム１３４は検出されず、セシウム１３７は１ベクレル前後だった。

In comparison, in the survey done in 2009 in the approximately the same location, cesium-134 was not detected, and cesium-137 was 1 becquerel/kilogram.

　半減期が短く０９年の調査で検出されなかったヨウ素１３１も、土１キロ当たり１・６～６・１ベクレル検出された。

Iodine-131, whose half life is short and was not detected at all in the 2009 survey, was found at 1.6 to 6.1 becquerels/kilogram.

　セシウムなどの分布は福島第１原発から北で比較的高く、約７０キロ離れた宮城県岩沼市沖のセシウム１３７は１１０ベクレル。一方、南にほぼ同距離の北茨城市沖では１２ベクレルだった。

The spread of cesium was more concentrated north of Fukushima I Nuke Plant. Cesium-137 at a location off the coast of Kesennuma City in Miyagi Prefecture, 70 kilometers north of the plant, was 110 becquerels/kilogram, whereas at a location off Kita-Ibaraki City in Ibaraki Prefecture, 70 kilometers south of the plant, it was 12 becquerels/kilogram.

　文科省は「海底の地形や海流の影響で、放射性物質の量にばらつきがある」と説明した。

According to the Ministry, "There's a variation in the amount of radioactive materials due to the variation in ocean floor topography and the effect of the ocean current."

More about → #Fukushima I Nuke Plant: High Concentration of Radioactive Cesium in the Ocean Soil in 300-Kilometer Strip Along the Coast