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Japan: radiation leaks at nuclear power plants Fukushima continues, the country could abandon nuclear energy

Submitted by Редакция on 3 April, 2011 - 16:38

Radionuclides with nuclear emergency Fukushima-1 reached Europe, on the nuclear plant discovered hundreds of tons of radioactive water. Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Kan to visit areas of radiation accidents and claims on the reorientation of renewable energy. Japan is slowly but surely beginning to retrieve drop it from the tragedy of Fukushima. Prime Minister Naoto Kan on March 30 said that nuclear power development program in the country will be phased out. Previously, Japan had planned in 2030 to build 14 new reactors, mainly to replace decommissioned.He also said he was not injured in the earthquake and tsunami of the fifth and sixth units AEYA Fukushima-1 will be disabled for security reasons.

Japan is ready to curtail nuclear power April 1 in Tokyo came French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the head of the French nuclear group Areva Lauvergon Anne (Anne Lauvergeon). France remains one of the last countries in favor of continued use of nuclear energy and Sarkozy will no doubt use his visit was also to lobby for this unreliable and dangerous technology.

But most of all, Japan's nuclear power will soon be required.March 29, speaking in Parliament, Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Kan, said the new energy policy: "Drawing lessons from this [accident at nuclear power plants], we will develop the use of clean energy sources such as solar and biomass as a central pillar of the [energy policies], and we will be world leaders in [this]. "

The same day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano (Yukio Edano) confirmed that large energy policy will focus on renewable energy."Aware of the damage [caused by the disaster at the nuclear power plant], renewable energy, no doubt, will be central to energy policy in Japan" - he said.

Relative size of the damage has recently appeared the first assessment. NPP operating organization, the company TEPKO can receive claims for damages of $ 130 billion. First of all compensable damages, caused emission of radiation - compensation for lost property, housing, loss of profits of farmers whose lands have been polluted by hundreds of years.Reported intention to partially nationalize TEPCO may Compensation will be carried out with the assistance of the budget.

In this situation, even nuclear lobbyists from France are unlikely to convince the Japanese of the necessity of using atomic energy.

Radiation leaks continue Nevertheless, the accident continues to evolve - the Japanese pumped water into the reactor and spent fuel pools, water evaporates from them and follows.

Previously reported the discovery of large quantities of radioactive water in pomescheniyahturbinnyh buildings adjacent to the Reactor.Now, the contaminated water was discovered in the trenches outside of buildings emergency accident.

TEPCO announced that the dose rate near the trench for the turbine building of the second unit is one Sievert per hour, which is about 5,000 times higher than normal natural background radiation in 0,2 miliziverta per hour.This is a very high dose, but to understand what is happening need to know the isotopic composition and concentration of radionuclides, which is measured in becquerels per liter. But, apparently, samples of radioactive liquid has not yet been investigated and no such information.

Earlier it was reported that due to the fact that, to prevent more serious emissions Japanese serves a large number of marine and fresh water into the damaged reactor and emergency cooling pond for spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Water is also sprayed from helicopters and with the help of firefighters and police water cannons.It is obvious that this water is trapped in it with radionuclides had somewhere to go. And so it is first discovered in the premises of the turbine buildings, and now have already found out buildings in the trenches.

In fact, this liquid is radioactive waste and the liquidators should make efforts for its collection and disposal. In no circumstances should there be flush and hit these radioactive wastes in the ocean.

TEPCO announced that radioactive liquid were filled trenches for pipes and cables.Trench width of 3 and a depth of 4 meters pervade nuclear industrial site, but for the assurances of TEPCO, have no outlet to the ocean.

Even if the trench with a total length 76 meters of radioactive liquid filled only half the mass of accumulated radioactive waste in them may be 450 tons. It is also reported the detection of radioactive water in the trenches of the first and third units, so that the total amount of radioactive fluid can be from half to two thousand cubic meters.

Vice-president of TEPCO (Sakae Muto) Sakae Muto said at a press conference on March 28 that his company had no intention of withholding information: "Every day is full of events and TEPCO will quickly provide important information."

The new "events" do not have to wait.At a press conference on April 2 TEPCO reported the detection of 20-centimeter fracture, "from which the radioactive water flows directly into the sea." Most likely, this is a crack in one of the trenches with radioactive water, but not in the shell of the reactor, as quick to announce a number of news agencies. Japanese Liquidators intend to cement the crack to prevent the entry of new hundreds of tons of radioactive waste into the ocean.

New forecasts But so far, and air and waterway of radionuclides from nuclear power plant accident in the atmosphere and the Pacific are not covered.As suggested earlier, the radionuclides released into the air, flew over the Pacific Ocean. Fukusimsky iodine-131 on March 27 has been detected in rain water State Massachusens (USA). There were reports of registration of Japanese radionuclides in the atmosphere over Europe.

Rhenish Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Cologne, has published a model of a radioactive cloud of cesium-137 .It is seen that by 30 March radionuclides passed over Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Moscow reached. Next week should expect the passage of clouds over Siberia and Far East.

Center of Radiation Control of the Republic of Belarus is on March 29 reported an increase in concentrations of cesium-137 and iodine-131.In this situation seems strange the lack of information about the "western" ways of transfer of radionuclides from the Japanese Roshydromet. There are still closely monitoring the radiation situation in the Far East , although it is clear that there is no direct route of radiation. But reports on the results of radiation monitoring of the European part of Russia on the site Roshydromet somehow lacking.

It is clear that the concentration and iodine-131 and cesium-137 in the air over St. Petersburg and Moscow is small, but the risk of getting artificial radionuclides in inhabitants of the country nonetheless present.Hence, among 120,000 cancer patients because of the Japanese accident may be several tens of Russians ...

Japanese Prime Minister visited the disaster area Three weeks after the devastating earthquake and tsunami led to the failure on "Fukushima-1", the Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Kan first visited the disaster area. In the 20-kilometer exclusion zone around the plant, he met with workers who are making desperate efforts in the aftermath of the accident, the agency DAPD.

In the devastated fishing village Rikutsentakata Kahn visited the refugees, who since the tsunami are living in shelters. He assured them that the government will not leave them without help in the struggle with the consequences of the disaster, although, according to Prime Minister, "it will be a long struggle."

If Naoto Kan will be faithful to the intentions of collapse in the country nuclear power and vigorously develop renewable energy, it can be said that the country has a chance to learn from the tragedy of Fukushima and win the fight against the "peaceful atom."

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