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Tag: fukushima

  • Rare Blue-Colored Red King Crab Caught in Alaska

    An exceedingly rare blue-colored red king crab was caught in Norton Sound, Alaska on the fourth of July, and ended up making its rounds as a sort of tourist attraction.

    Commercial crabber Frank McFarland discovered the unique crab in one of the pots set down from his boat, The Nome Nugget. McFarland stored the crab at the Norton Sound Seafood Center in Nome, Alaska for two weeks, where it was visited daily by crab enthusiasts who wanted to snap a photo with it.

    An employee of the seafood center confirmed that McFarland had returned to collect the crab, and plans to have it mounted.

    Scott Kent, of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Nome, called blue-hued red king crabs extremely rare, and commented that they are caught “once in a blue moon.” Biologists suspect crabs develop odd colors as a result of genetic mutations.

    The red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, is native to the Bering Sea, a region made famous by Discovery’s popular reality show Deadliest Catch. The king crab, which is a coveted, valuable, yet difficult to catch food source, is native to the Bering Sea, the north Pacific Ocean and surrounding Alaskan waters.

    Earlier this year, another blue red king crab was caught in the Bering Sea and shipped to a wholesaler in Japan. Kenetsu Mikami, president of Marusan Ocean Foods, said, “I’ve been dealing with crabs for 25 years, but this is the first time to see that color. It could be a good omen.” Or it could be indicative of greater Godzilla-esque mutations brewing after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, as some have speculated.

    Realistically, the blue coloration is likely due to a random genetic anomaly, as other crustaceans including lobsters have been found blue. The blue-colored red crab of Japan was kept alive and placed on display at Marusan Ocean Foods for observation.

    Image via Youtube

  • Fukushima Radiation A Concern In Oregon

    Fukushima Radiation A Concern In Oregon

    The radiation from the Fukushima disaster could be making its way into water in the United States.

    Water is tested on a regular basis and trace amounts of radiation was expected to hit the United States by this time.

    Experts assured American citizens that the small amount of radiation that would find its way into the water would not be enough to harm anyone.

    Now, some residents in Oregon are not sure if that is true.

    Many organizations and individuals have decided to start testing their own water to determine exactly how much radiation is in it and if it is safe to be used and consumed.

    “The predicted modeling shows that we should start to see it coming along our coastline at very low levels,” said Lisa Phipps, executive director of the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership said of the radiation. “When we took this on, it wasn’t to incite any kind of fear in people. It is a data collection effort.”

    The Tillamook Estuaries Partnership is concerned that the radiation is not only harmful to people, but could also disrupt the delicate ecosystems of the estuaries and watersheds in western Oregon.

    Many individuals have teamed up to test the waters in the area and to make sure the radiation is not present or harming the fish, wildlife or people living in Oregon and along the west coast.

    “We’ve been worried about it and worried about it,” said Zac Adams, who owns a construction company in Brandon, Oregon. “We’re really concerned about it affecting the fisheries, the wildlife, the tourism and most importantly our health.”

    Do you think the Fukushima radiation will start showing up in the water of the United States and do you feel like it is safe to drink the water even if only small amounts of radiation are present?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Fukushima Radiation: Just How Bad Is It?

    Fukushima Radiation: Just How Bad Is It?

    Three years ago, a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the nation of Japan.

    Even worse, the natural disaster sparked the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, which involved a major meltdown at a nuclear power plant. The tsunami carried radioactive water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean.

    If that weren’t enough, last year Tokyo Electric Power Company admitted that the leak didn’t end with the tsunami; radioactive water had been pouring into the ocean for some time after the geological event.

    There was widespread panic and outrage over TEPCO and the Japanese government’s secretive and dishonest treatment of the catastrophe.

    At the same time, there is a growing debate over just how bad the the situation really is in Fukushima and beyond.

    One writer and scientist claims that some news stemming from the disaster is in fact “fear mongering”.

    James Concha wrote in Forbes that irresponsible writers lacking scientific credentials and a will to do thorough research were scaring people unnecessarily about the fatal nature of the nuclear disaster.

    Said Concha, “Many so-called researchers, activists and reporters claim thyroid cancers have exploded in Japan and Japanese children are dying by the thousands.”

    He claims that bad science and irresponsible reporting are creating a panic over issues where it’s still too soon to see the full effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

    Moreover, there may have been an overestimation in how far spread the radiation levels are following the disaster.

    Initially there were fears that wind and water would carry high levels of radiation to America and we would be subjected to a series of health problems.

    Now one conservation group testing the waters of Oregon said it would be surprised if radiation levels were anything other than normal.

    Needless to say, certain anti-nuclear activists are not happy with the idea that concerns over the effects of Fukushima are being dismissed. They claim that the Japanese government and TEPCO are hiding the truth about the disaster from the Japanese people and the world.

    So what does it all mean?

    It means, frustratingly, that it’s still far too soon to know the full truth of the matter. It may still be a few years before any noticeable health problems are demonstrated in the Japanese population as a result of the Fukushima disaster.

    The back and forth debate among nuclear activists and pro-nuclear organizations means that persons will often have their own motives for skewing studies and research. Either we’ll be expected to dismiss the radiation leak or expect that the worst is still to come.

    The best thing anyone genuinely concerned about this situation can do is their own research.

    Read peer-reviewed scientific studies from experts in the fields of radiation and its effects on populations.

    Otherwise, you may be vulnerable to misinformation.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Fukushima Radiation to Reach U.S. Coast This Year

    The day the tsunamis hit Japan, which would eventually cause the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, will remain etched into my brain for a long time. I was frantically woken up by my mother on March 11, 2011; she ushered me to the television, where I saw footage of the damage that made my heart leap into my throat. I hurried to school and entered the classroom where I had been a part of a Japanese language program for three years at the time. In this room, I found my teacher, a man who had spent twelve years of his time in the area of Japan that was most heavily hit, as well as our three exchange students, one of which whose hometown was in the hard hit area, in tears. I, as well as many other students, joined them.

    Over the next few weeks, our program worked to raise money for the Red Cross and other benefits, and we provided as best a support net for our exchange students and teacher as we could. The event was tragic, terrifying, and unforgettable; this point is proven, once more, by the fear it is continuing to strike into the hearts of many as concerns of nuclear radiation begin to make themselves well known.

    Residents of Japan have been experiencing the effects of nuclear radiation from the plant since the beginning, and clean up efforts have been doing their best to contain the problem and keep people healthy. Now, fear is rising among U.S. citizens as the radiation that leaked into the ocean shortly after the meltdown makes its way to the West coast.

    This impending event has been a cause of concern among many residents near the coast, including those in the San Francisco Bay area, who passed a resolution back in December that would require more regulation and testing of local seafood. However, officials say that such worries are uncalled for, since there is already radiation present in the ocean.

    These reassurances have not been helpful to residents, however, who are still very fearful about the effects that may come with the radiation. They are not alone; Korea has ceased imports of fish from Japan’s Northern Pacific coast out of fear of radiation, as well. It seems like everyone is on their toes when it comes to the fear of radiation.

    Whether or not the radiation proves harmful to the U.S., it is a concrete reminder of the unexpected tragedy that befell Japan in 2011, as well as grim evidence of how events that have long passed can prove harmful to so many people.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Japan’s Fukushima – Is It Still A Threat?

    Japan’s Fukushima – Is It Still A Threat?

    March 11, 2011 is the date the biggest nuclear power disaster in history began. The Fukushima Dalichi Power Plant fell into major meltdown mode after a record 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami engulfed entire neighborhoods and villages including the nuclear plant. It is estimated that 300,000 people were evacuated from the area, and have not been allowed to return.

    The plant was damaged in the event, power was knocked out and radiation poured out of the damaged reactors into the immediate area, and into the ocean. The plant is still dealing with radioactive water leaks, and is still in the throes of major radiation cleanup.

    The world is just beginning to understand the severity of this calamity and the after effects that it poses to not only Japan, but to human life and marine life all along the pacific coast and in the pacific ocean.

    The people involved in the clean-up and in evacuation areas that could not escape quickly enough have been poisoned. Radiation poisoning is devastating to humans and animals.

    Experts say that approximately 50% of humans exposed to 450 rems will die, and 800 rems will kill virtually anyone. Death is inevitable and will occur from between two days to a couple of weeks.

    After repeated warnings by former senior Japanese officials, nuclear experts, and even a U.S. senator, it’s sinking in that the irradiated nuclear fuel stored in spent fuel pools amidst the reactor ruins pose far greater dangers than the molten cores.

    The company Tepco, the plant’s operator and the largest energy company in Japan, not only is concealing the extreme severity of the disaster, it is mismanaging funds intended for the immense cleanup.

    The evacuation zone surrounding the plant is inundated with radiation, debris and hot spots. Within the zone are men wearing protective suits and masks to try to avoid the havoc radiation can have on humans. Inside zone is what the locals call the “no-go zone,” and it is deserted because many are keenly aware of the dangers.

    The radiation in the oceans and ocean life is devastating. Fish is now questionable to eat in specific areas that were affected and radiation is washing up on shores all the way to the west coast. Although scientists and others deny that the pacific coast is at dangerous levels, many disagree, saying that the west coast is at dangerously high levels, but there is one thing for certain, Fukushima is definitely still a threat.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Fukushima Radiation – Homeless To Clean Up?

    Fukushima Radiation – Homeless To Clean Up?

    A man named Seiji Sasa is on a mission – recruiting homeless people from the Sendai Train Station for labor on the worst job in the world, cleaning up the nuclear waste of Fukushima.

    According to Sasa – the homeless people in the train station are potential laborers that he can dispatch to contractors in Japan’s nuclear disaster zone for a bounty of $100 a head.

    “This is how labor recruiters like me come in every day,” Sasa says, as he strides past men sleeping on cardboard and clutching at their coats against the early winter cold.

    Cleaning up industrial radioactive fallout is the most undesirable job in the world, and it seems the only way to find people willing to work for minimum wage is to go out and recruit the homeless. After all, they don’t have much else to do.

    When the March 2011 earthquake hit, followed by a massive tsunami that leveled villages across Japan’s northeast coast – it began the next hazardous disaster – the multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. The disaster is still prevalent today, and causing immense damage to humans, fish, and all other life.

    Now, three years later, the crucial clean up of the Fukushima disaster is behind schedule. The slow effort has been blamed on a lack of oversight and a shortage of workers, according to a Reuters analysis of contracts and interviews with dozens of those involved.

    In October, homeless men were rounded up at Sendai’s train station by Sasa, then put to work clearing radioactive soil and debris in Fukushima City for less than minimum wage, according to police and accounts of those involved. The men reported up through a chain of three other companies to Obayashi, Japan’s second-largest construction company.

    Now the Japanese mob is being charged with illegally accessing the construction giant Obayashi Corp’s network of decontamination subcontractors and illegally sending workers to the government-funded project.

    Obayashi, however, has not been accused of any wrongdoing. But the series of arrests has shown that members of Japan’s three largest mob syndicates – Yamaguchi-gumi, Sumiyoshi-kai and Inagawa-kai – were setting up a “black market” recruit of laborers under their company name.

    “We are taking it very seriously that these incidents keep happening one after another,” said Junichi Ichikawa, a spokesman for Obayashi. He said the company tightened its scrutiny of its lower-tier subcontractors in order to shut out gangsters, known as the yakuza. “There were elements of what we had been doing that did not go far enough.”

    Sadly, a large number of these homeless people recruited are not being paid even the minimum wage and end up with next to nothing after fees are taken out of their checks to pay for food and lodging.

    The biggest problem is where to put the radioactive debris. Apparently Japan’s budget has a provision for an intermediate storage facility designed to hold up to 28 million cubic meters for about 30 years, but that isn’t going into effect until next year. For now though, being so behind schedule is a major issue to the local residents, who haven’t been able to move back into their homes since the onset of this tragedy.

    Image via YouTube

  • Japan Earthquake Triggers Tsunamis

    An earthquake hit off the coast of Honshu, Japan, on October 25, 2013, measuring a magnitude of 7.1 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports. According to local Tokyo time, the earthquake hit at 2:10 a.m. and produced tsunamis at four reported locations measuring fifteen inches each. While a 1-meter tsunami advisory was issued for much of Japan’s northeastern coast, this advisory only lasted for two hours after the earthquake hit.

    There have been no fatalities reported as a result of the earthquake, nor any reports of lasting damage. In fact, even Japanese television has been showing images of placid waters surrounding the coast.

    The earthquake happened east of the Japan Trench and within the crust of the Pacific plate, which is about 170 miles from Fukushima and 300 miles from Tokyo, yet the earthquake was still felt as far away as Tokyo.

    A Fukushima prefectural government official, Satoshi Mizuno, gave a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

    “It was fairly big, and rattled quite a bit, but nothing fell to the floor or broke. We’ve had quakes of this magnitude before. Luckily, the quake’s center was very far off the coast,” said Mizuno, who works for the disaster management department.

    Japan has experienced multiple storms lately where recuperation efforts are still underway from Super Typhoon Francisco. Part of the reason for the repeat occurrences are due to Japan’s location near the following four tectonic plates: Pacific plate, North America plate, Eurasia plate, and Philippine Sea plate.

    The earthquake has risen concerns about the stability of Japan’s nuclear reactors where it has been confirmed that Japan’s fifty nuclear reactors are presently offline.

    Efforts are still underway to clean the radiation leak near the Fukushima nuclear plant where reports have indicated that this process is behind schedule. According to Satoshi Mizuno, the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which is the company that oversees the Fukushima plant, have not noted any damage as a result of this recent earthquake.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDFOTDS5FVA

    [Image Via Wikimedia Commons And Courtesy of Captain Blood]

  • 5.3-Magnitude Earthquake near Fukushima

    5.3-Magnitude Earthquake near Fukushima

    An earthquake that registered as a 5.3-magnitude on the Richter scale was detected at 17:25 GMT today, according to a statement made by the United States Geological Service (USGS). Currently the ‘USGS’ and organizations like the ‘Japan Meteorological Society’ and the analysts at ‘The Weather Channel’ aren’t in complete agreement as to the size of the quake – both of which currently assert that they detected it as a 5.8-magnitude. Regardless of this minor qualm, the incident in itself caused quite a scare. The quake was within a close enough range that it’s effects were once again experienced by the Fukushima Prefecture – the region that is home to the recently devastated Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
    Fukushima Nuclear Plant
    The areas primarily affected by the tremors were said to have only been in the constrains of the ‘Intensity II’ category as described in the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Intensity II describes areas which the tremors were only felt by a limited number of people who were currently at rest, as well as some movement in the upper floors of buildings and skyscrapers. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, more concisely known as Phivolcs estimated that the epicenter was about 84 kilometers Southeast of General Santos City (Philippines). The group initially cited the coordinates of the epicenter to be 05.45 degrees North latitude and 125.54 degrees East longitude.

    After the March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi plant was rendered virtually unusable – as well as being extremely dangerous. In the aftermath of the two natural disasters, Fukushima had three of it’s reactors meltdown and extensive damages were caused to one of the primary fuel cooling pools. Fortunately, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) had been advised only days before by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to ensure all six reactors were completely shutdown (including the two that weren’t damaged last year). The Prime Minister also encouraged the plant to concentrate their full attention and capabilities toward solving the clean-up and disposal issues associated with the radioactive water leak caused by the disasters that happened in 2011. In pictures of the facility we can see several large barrel shaped tanks that are currently holding the contaminated waste that has already been collected in efforts made by associates of the plant.
    Plant Disaster Diagram
    During the time the tremors began to effect the Fukushima Prefecture, operations at the plant were being heavily monitored and has thus far not reported any incidents. Seismic activity within the Prefecture registered at a depth of around 13 miles (22 km.). Throughout the history of Japan, the people have been continually plagued by large and often disastrous earthquakes in the majority of the country’s various regions. Japan is the closest country to the vicinity at which four primary tectonic plates are all almost adjacent: the North American plate, the Pacific plate, the Eurasian plate, and the Philippine Sea Plate – the constantly floating plates cause the location to be an extremely seismically active region.

    Photos Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons: Aerial View of Fukushima Daiichi 1975, Present Day Plant Photo, Plant Damages Diagram

  • 5.3 Earthquake Rocks Japan’s Power Plant Prefecture

    An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale hit the Fukushima Prefecture early this morning at a depth of about 13 miles, but officials say the equipment is stable for now.

    The plant was heavily damaged in 2011 after an earthquake and tsunami hit and caused three reactors to melt; a cooling plant was also affected. Since then, radioactive water has been leaking into the Pacific, although it was announced on Thursday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has ordered Tokyo Electric Power Company to scrap all six reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in order to focus on stopping the leaks. As of now, no new issues have been reported or are expected at Fukushima, but experts say the damage done in 2011 will most likely be much more difficult to clean up than even Three-Mile Island.

    The area is situated inside the “Ring of Fire”, an area known to hold 90% of the world’s earthquakes. Volcanic activity is also increased in this area.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons

  • Hiroshima: Japan Honors 68th Anniversary

    Hiroshima: Japan Honors 68th Anniversary

    Today marks the 68th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima by the Enola Gay on August 6, 1945. The AP reports 50,000 people gathered in the Hiroshima peace park accompanied by many of the “hibakusha,” or “explosion-affected” and burned incense in honor of the over 140,000 decedents who perished in the inferno.

    Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui were both in attendance. Abe spoke about the duty Japan faces as the sole country to be the victim of a nuclear attack while vowing to “do everything in my power to make peace a lasting reality and abolish nuclear weapons.” To some, these comments sounded hollow without even a slight mention of either the dilemma the country is facing over nuclear energy or the thousands who were made refugees by the Fukushima power plant disaster.

    The Fukushima disaster of 2011 caused most of Japan’s nuclear reactors to be shut down after a tsunami/earthquake combination set off a series of meltdowns. The dangerous radioactivity displaced many of the people living in the regions of the plants.

    Abe is in favor of restarting the plants after putting new safety guidelines in place, but others are not so sure. The Christian Science Monitor notes that after Abe had spoken, Matsui used his time to heavily criticize Abe’s administration on several political points, including its plans to sell nuclear energy technology to India.

    “The government’s ongoing negotiations may bring economic benefits to Japan and India, but they will hamper efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons,” Matsui said. “We [The people of Hiroshima] urge the national government to rapidly develop and implement a responsible energy policy that places top priority on safety and the livelihoods of the people.”

    Matsui went on to comment of the absurdity of Abe’s plan to restart the reactors, noting that the Tokyo Electric Power Co. has admitted to massive quantities of radioactive materials that are continuously and uncontrollably leaking into the ocean since the disaster.

    The Japanese government is considering making modifications to their pacifist constitution and changes to their Self-Defense force. Such changes might even include permitting domestic weapons manufacturers to ship their products overseas. In related news, the Japanese also launched the largest warship they have fielded since WWII.

  • Google Street View Takes You to Abandoned Fukushima Town of Namie-machi

    Google is announcing another batch of fresh Street View imagery, this time coming from Japan.

    More specifically, Namie-machi, a small city in Fukushima Prefecture that’s in the Fukushima exclusion zone. That means that although years have passed since the nuclear accident that occurred as a result of the great earthquake of 2011, Namie-machi’s residents are still unable to return to their city.

    And that affects 21,000 people, according to a Google blog post.

    Google’s Street View team combed through the deserted town, and what you have is some more stunning imagery from a natural disaster. Back in December of 2011, Google unveiled Street View imagery of the earthquake and tsunami-torn northeastern coast of Japan.

    Here’s the kind of stuff you’ll see:

    Namie-machi mayor Tamotsu Baba explains the above image:

    This image shows an area located one kilometer inland from the Pacific Ocean. In the distance you can see Ukedo Elementary School. Nearby Ukedo Harbor once proudly boasted 140 fishing boats and 500 buildings, but suffered some of the worst tsunami damage. After being set off-limits, we have not been able to clean up the wreckage on the side of the road, including the many fishing boats that were washed several kilometers inland.

    Baba goes on to heartbreakingly convey that some people just want to see the state of their home.

    “Many of the displaced townspeople have asked to see the current state of their city, and there are surely many people around the world who want a better sense of how the nuclear incident affected surrounding communities.”

    You can start looking around Namie-machi today.

  • Nuclear Butterflies Showing Abnormalities After Fukushima

    Although it’s been 17 months since what has been called the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl occurred in Japan, officials are still testing animals and insects in the area for traces of radiation. Recently, they found a large cluster of pale grass blue butterflies which exhibited abnormalities, and residents in the affected area are concerned about what it could mean for them.

    Several butterflies were collected for a study around two months after the accident at Fukushima Daiichi which showed smaller-than-normal wings–about 12 percent of the total number was affected. But in later studies, it was also found that the abnormalities doubled in their offspring. In a third generation of the species–created when healthy butterflies mated with those affected by the accident–the abnormalities rose to over 30%.

    “At the time of the accident, the populations of this species were overwintering as larvae and were externally exposed to artificial radiation,” the study reads. “It is possible that they ate contaminated leaves during the spring and were thus also exposed to internal radiation.”

    Because every species reacts differently to such a volatile event as a nuclear disaster, officials are asking the public not to jump to any conclusions.

    “Sensitivity (to irradiation) varies between species, so research should be conducted on other animals,”Joji Otaki, associate professor at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa, said. “Humans are totally different from butterflies and they should be far more resistant to the health effects of radiation.”

    Though high levels of radioactive cesium has been found in seafood near the Fukushima coast–and has made its way to tuna found as far away as San Diego–officials say it is well below the amount considered dangerous to humans.

    Image credit: Khew SK