Author Archives: Jess Miller

About Jess Miller

Jessica Miller is a Communications Coordinator for the Amazon Campaign at Greenpeace International.

Update: Fire burns at reactor 3 and food contamination concerns rise

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Damage at plant

The Fukushima/Daiichi nuclear crisis continues, marked by confusion and a lack of information and transparency.

Our team of nuclear experts and monitors followed reports of grey smoke coming out of the spent fuel pool of the nuclear plant’s reactor 3 for at least two hours.

Authorities reported that they could not identify the cause of the smoke or what was burning but assured that radiation levels had not increased. All workers were apparently evacuated from the immediate area, and as far as we can observe, work was stopped overnight.  

From official monitoring reports our team of experts later concluded that radiation levels around the plant did increase significantly during the fire.

While the “Faceless 50″ – the heroic workers who are risking their health to contain the crisis – made news over the weekend, it now seems that as many as 700 workers have been working close to the site in order to restore power and cooling capacity and have probably received high doses of radiation.

Reactor 3 had already caused alarm on Sunday, when the plant’s owners, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) unsuccessfully fought rising pressure inside the reactor pressure vessel. Later on Sunday, NISA made assurances that relieving pressure by venting radioactive steam and air into the atmosphere was unnecessary and would not happen, claiming that the pressure rise was due to their increased pumping of seawater into the reactor.

Later statements from TEPCO said that the temperature of reactor 3 had been very high, reaching up to 385 Celcius, indiciating very high pressure inside the reactor close to its the design pressure. The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) reported that the pressure in reactor 3 was now ‘unknown’ instead of ‘stable’ as in Sunday’s report. This hardly reassuring either.

Also on Monday, reports came of a “white smoke” pouring from the building that houses reactor 2. TEPCO said that it “believed” that the smoke was “water vapour” and “probably did not originate from the reactor itself or the spent fuel pool”. This is yet another unclear situation – very little information has been available, but will keep monitoring.

Food safety

A World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman was quoted as saying that contaminated food in Japan is a “serious situation” and that food contamination is no longer just a localized problem, as previously thought.

Over the weekend, The WHO had called import screening unnecessary, saying there is no problem. Today, WHO changed its view, saying that “it’s a lot more serious than anybody thought in the early days when we thought that this kind of problem could be limited to 20 to 30 kilometers”. Japan’s government has issued orders for four prefectures to stop shipments of milk and two kinds of vegetables.

Meanwhile, radiation levels in the rest of Japan have stayed at roughly the same elevated levels as in previous days, although traces of radioactive substances have been detected in water in nine prefectures.

According to a TEPCO report, radioactive cesium and iodine many times higher than normal had been detected in seawater near the Fukushima plant. It is still too early to assess the contaminated seawater’s impact on fisheries.

Further information: To help you decipher the complex information around radiation and health we have created a radiation guide covering effects, safety and basics of the Fukushima 1 radiation releases.

Additional resources

Latest updates via our Twitter stream
Our Q and A on the Fukushima nuclear crisis
Main Fukushima nuclear crisis page

Photo – Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant Damage © DigitalGlobe

Update: Call for improved evacuation and radioactivity plans

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Japan nuclear disaster

It’s been 11 days since the series of explosions and radiation leaks that led to the devastating crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant. As radioactive contamination grows and conditions remain critical, we are calling for improved evacation plans and additional protection for the people still closest to the crisis.

Greenpeace calls for improved and coherent evacuation and radioactivity protection plans, as Fukushima nuclear plant crisis remains critical 

Tokyo, 20 March 2011 — As the Fukushima nuclear crisis in Japan entered its second week and levels of radioactive contamination continue to grow, the international environmental organization Greenpeace, along with the Japanese group Citizens Nuclear Information Centre (CNIC), is calling for improved evacuation plans and other protective measures for people still within the 30km exclusion zone, as well as for pregnant women and children in contaminated areas beyond 3Okm. (1)

“As the Fukushima crisis continues, it is clear that the Japanese authorities are unable to fully protect public health. Despite early assurances that there would be little risk to the public we have now seen extensive evacuation and increasing radioactive contamination in the food chain. Japanese authorities seem to be one step behind the situation, which has to change in the name of public protection. It is now time for full and prompt disclosure so people can be properly protected and adequate emergency plans put into place,” said Jan Beranek, head of the Greenpeace International Nuclear Campaign. (2) 

We also urgently need answers to the following questions:

The government has reported monitoring information on the external radioactive dose rates measured at different locations. However, people are also exposed to risks of internal radiation exposure by inhalation and ingestion of radioactive particles. What information does the government have on the total radiation dose for the population? Further, what air contamination monitoring data does the government have? 

What exactly is the status of reactor 3 and the spent fuel pond at unit 4 where JAIF reported a hydrogen explosion in its updates from March 18, both 1600 and 2200 JST?

How much radioactivity has already been released into the sea? Is the government monitoring contamination of the fish and other sea life? 

“This unfolding disaster has once more revealed the impossibility of keeping people safe in the event of a nuclear disaster”, continued Beranek. Not only have the Japanese authorities been found wanting, but the international response has been far from coherent or adequate, with different national nuclear regulators offering contradictory advice. The world’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stayed embarrassingly silent for days and is now impotent in the wake of this unfolding tragedy.”

“We are already seeing some in the nuclear industry dismiss this disaster as anomaly, as they did Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, arguing that we need nuclear power to combat climate change. This is a dangerous delusion; it should now be clear to all concerned that this technology is too dangerous to be part of any future energy plans. The ever-present threat of nuclear disaster and the emerging reality of climate change should be all the encouragement the world needs to exploit the full potential of safe renewable energy systems,” concluded Beranek.

Pressure at reactor 3 stable, concerns over radioactive food rising

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Fukushima nuclear disaster

Recently, we told you about a build up in pressure at reactor #3 that could result in the venting of radioactive air and steam into the atmosphere.

According to reports from NISA, that release was not necessary and didn’t happen. NISA states that the increase in pressure was caused by increased pumping of seawater into the reactor pressure vessel, which caused steam generation and the pressure increase.

To solve the problem, the steam was released into the suppression pool where it condensed and pressure decreased. Pumping into the reactor pressure vessel was decreased, which stabilized the situation.The situation remains a grave concern.

Food safety

Spinach with radioactive iodine 27 times higher than the government limit was found in the city of Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, more than 100k south of Fukushima.

In the Kitaibaraki city just 75 kilometers south of the nuclear plant, spinach was found to be registering 12 times more than the limit. While the government claims there is no risk to human health, they have asked that the areas stop shipping the spinach. Radiation levels considered unacceptable were also found in spinach and other vegetables grown in Tochigi and the Chiba Prefecture.

Iodine contaminated milk was found in four municipalities, prompting the Fukushima government to call on all dairy farmers from the area to voluntarily stop shipping the milk and not consume it themselves.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said radioactive materials were found in sample water taken Saturday in prefectures of Tokyo, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Niigata – levels were below the official limit of 300 becquerel per kilogram set by the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan. However, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found additional results detecting 308 becquerel per kilogram of iodine in tap water taken on Thursday.

Weather

Showers are expected through late Monday near Fukushima. NISA said there would be no effect to human health if they are exposed to small amounts of the rain, but that people should still avoid getting wet by the rain.

Electricity

Power cannot be switched on in #1&2 before tomorrow, despite some confused media reports. First priority will be to get lights and meters operational in the control room. Inspection of machinery will only start tomorrow.

Fuel Pools

NISA refused to answer questions about measurement results on spent nuclear fuel pool water temperature. NISA confirmed that getting electricity into fuel pool #3 & 4 would be very challenging because of the severity of damage on the equipment.

A seawater pumping line is being built to #2 to get water into the fuel pool, in the event that internal pumps do not work. SDF sprayed another 80 tones to reactor #4. The Fire Department sprayed over 60 tones of water on reactor #3.

Armored tanks will begin efforts to clean up debris at the site of the crisis.

Fukushima update: radiation levels remain high

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Latest updates

After days of news reporting one explosion after another at the Fukushima nuclear plant, there is finally a break in reports of new explosions.

Radiation levels remain high around the plant.

All efforts are being focused on restoring water levels at the sites spent nuclear fuel storage pools. There is an emerging experts consensus that there is only a day or two to raise water levels in spent nuclear fuel pools to avert a much larger catastrophe.

Cooling efforts

Two large Chinook helicopters were used to drop water on the spent fuel pools in reactors 3 and 4 at about 10am. Originally, 40-50 drops of 7.5 tons each were reported to be planned, but only four have been conducted so far: three drops on reactor 3 and one on reactor 4, after which the helicopters pulled back to limit crews’ radiation exposure. Out of the total amount of 30 tons, 8 tons were believed to have made it to the pools.

More drops are being considered. The police have brought in 11 special vehicles equipped with water cannons and 4-ton water tanks. These are being used to spray water into the spent fuel pools. Operation has been reported for hours to be starting shortly. Damage to the road and debris have prevented access by heavy vehicles until this morning.

A new power line is being installed to provide grid power to pumps and other equipment; it is expected to be completed some time this afternoon.

The spent fuel pools have an area of roughly 150-200m2, so raising the water level by one meter requires about 200 tons of water.

At best, the spraying seems to be buying some time until more efficient cooling methods can be put in place. In testimony to the truly heroic efforts of plant operators, IAEA has published information from Tepco on the injuries sustained by rescue workers (updated at 17 March 01:15 UTC.)

Radiation levels

Levels above reactors reported as 4.13 “mSv” at 1000 feet and 87.7 “mSv” at 300 feet. The statements by the government and the Tepco spokespeople seem to contradict the reported values. The helicopters are equipped with lead panels and crews wearing protective gear, but were unable to hover above the reactors to improve accuracy and had to pull back after only 15 minutes, yet the government-authorised emergency dose limit of 250 mSv/h would allow the crews to stay at 1000 feet for 48 hours, even without shielding.

Ibaraki’s (130 km south of Dalichi) radiation readings on Tuesday just before the monitors went “under survey” are posted online. The readings measure at 3.4 micro-Sv/h = 30 milli-Sv per year. Current value is 0.92 micro-Sv/h = 8 mSv/y. In Saitama and Tochigi, close to Tokyo, readings of 1.2 and 1.3 microSv/h were measured yesterday.

Heightened fears and new evacuations

The US and French nuclear agencies warned yesterday of the possibility of a major catastrophe. The Japanese government has evacuated at least an additional 10,000 people from the 20-30km zone around the nuclear plant.

There are still tens of thousands of people within the zone, as the 71,000 strong city of Minamisoma falls within the zone. The evacuated people will be given radiation scans. The US Embassy in Japan issued a warning last night to US citizens within 80-kilometer to evacuate as a precautionary measure. The US has chartered aircraft to help Americans leave Japan and had authorised the voluntary departure of family members of diplomatic staff in Tokyo, Nagoya and Yokohama — about 600 people.

China moved to evacuate its citizens from northeastern Japan earlier in the week. For more on the next steps check out this expert interview.

Draft moratorium on forest destruction falls short

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Orangutan

Days before the President of Indonesia is set to announce a moratorium on forest destruction, we’ve got a copy of the draft moratorium, crunched the numbers and the news is not good.

The data shows this proposed moratorium does little to protect areas that are not already off limits under Indonesia’s existing laws. Unfortunately, if the plan moves forward as is, the forests, peatlands and all the wildlife living within them will continue to suffer deforestation from the pulp, paper and palm oil industries.

This land is vital to the survival of rare tigers and orangutans as well as the livelihoods of local people. Unfortunately under this plan, the majority of forested orang-utan habitat will remain unprotected and vulnerable to destruction. 

According to the government’s own data, the moratorium would fail to protect 45 million hectares of natural forest and peatland, an area almost twice the size of the United Kingdom. It would both fail to stop substantial rainforest destruction and to help Indonesia achieve its target of slashing greenhouse gas emissions by 41%.

In fact, the maps created using this data show that the moratorium would only protect an additional 12 million hectares of forest and peatland, much of it located in the least accessible areas of Papua and Kalimantan – which are not under immediate threat of conversion.

Recently, Golden Agri-Resources’ (GAR), Indonesia’s largest palm oil producer and the Sinar Mas Group’s palm oil arm, became an industry leader by announcing a new plan to stop deforestation, which if properly implemented would protect high carbon value forests and areas vital to local livelihoods and habitat critical to the survival of the last remaining tigers and orangutan populations in the world.

The Government urgently needs to take action to improve the new moratorium and follow the example set by GAR.

By halting further forest clearance, both in new and existing concessions, it would buy time for the government to improve forest governance, develop a plan for low carbon development, and review existing concessions – many of which have been granted illegally. 

It would also help create conditions that would provide the industry with incentives to take the leadership needed to make Indonesia a world-class model for low-carbon development. And, it would set a model of good governance, transparency and accountability, to ensure the substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emissions the world needs to prevent dangerous climate change.

Greenpeace supports the a large coalition of organizations in Indonesia calling on the President to issue a moratorium that is not time-bound, which protects all natural forests and peatlands, including secondary forests. It should apply to areas within existing concessions and those areas granted in principle to industry on 31 December 2010.

Indonesian industry targets for palm oil, pulp and paper, and agriculture could all be met without any additional clearance of natural forests or peatlands through increased productivity of existing yields and other measures.

INDONESIA’S FORESTS AND PEATLANDS - Maps of legally protected areas, proposed moratorium areas, and forests and peatlands at risk

Activists bring icons from around the world to Cancun

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Icons

With just 3 days of negotiations left, activists once again took to the water to bring their message to the decision makers at the UN climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico.

Early this morning, reproductions of the some of the most recognizable monuments from around the world were planted in sea. The result is a striking image of some of our most beloved statues, temples and iconic buildings half submerged in water. A symbolic action to remind governments that the rising tide of climate impacts, be they economic, environmental or humanitarian will affect each and every one of us  – rich and poor if leaders don’t make the choice in Cancun to take immediate action to combat climate change. Here is the latest update on the current state of play at COP 16:

Finance

The establishment of a climate fund has been pushed back till next year. This is extremely disappointing because it was one of the promises leaders made last year in Copenhagen. This is money that is needed to help developing countries combat climate change and invest in renewable and sustainable futures. Now the world will have to wait another year to see if developed countries will make good on their promises.

Equally as troubling are the discussions on how to increase the weak emissions reductions pledges originally made last year by industrialized countries. Scientists have repeatedly warned that the pledges are completely inadequate to keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees C or less. The difference between how much we need to reduce emissions by and the pledges currently on the table is known as the “gigatonne gap”. You may have heard of it before.  Sounds like an inconceivable number? Well that’s just how far away we are from where we need to be but those countries with the weakest targets of all, USA, Canada and Russia, are not even willing to acknowledge this gap.

You might think that the EU is much better when it comes to addressing the gigatonne gap. They are happy to acknowledge its existence but when it comes to acting on it, the EU refuses to even shift its target up to 30% by 2020 (at 1990 levels) to address the problem. Australia is in a similar position, also acknowledging the gap but refusing to increase its target. So we have countries that refuse to acknowledge the problem and others that admit we have a big problem but none of them are willing to take action to make sure we close the gap!

Kyoto

When we first arrived in Cancun, Japan shocked everyone by saying they were pulling out of the second commitment period of Kyoto. Since then, Canada and Russia have joined Japan in turning their backs on the only international climate treaty that exists. We are calling on Canada and Russia to return to backing the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol as part of a larger, legally binding agreement. Greenpeace is demanding all governments agree on the legal form of the final deal.

Keep up to date on our Cancun page and this blog over the next few days- we promise to keep you updated on the negotiations and everything we are doing to bring your demands for action to Cancun.

Think you name all the icons in the photos? Give it a try in the comments section.