http://www.hazmatmag.com/columns/three-things-watch-ponder-2014-ends This will not only be my final online article (blog) for 2014
(I'm about to go on holiday) but my last article written as
Editor of HazMat- by Guy Crittenden
Guy Crittenden was formerly Editor of this magazine and is
currently a freelance writer specializing in environmental and
producer responsibility themes. He lives in Collingwood,
Ontario, Canada and can be contacted directly at gcrit @ rogers
DOT com
... a 30-minute video clip on YouTube that I implore you
to watch. Make the time when you have a quiet moment, and
share the link with family and friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mn8XUxVq0g The video assembles different pieces of information about the
deteriorating status of things at the destroyed nuclear plant at
Fukushima, Japan. I know this sounds depressing but you have an
obligation, really, to be aware of conditions there. Note that
this is not sensationalized stuff about radiation spreading to
the west coast of North America via the oceans. The short
documentary focuses instead on the very real and present threat
from the hundreds of highly radioactive rods in the destroyed
cores of the reactors, as well as things like the storage of
contaminated water in hastily-built, rusting containers.
This is serious stuff: the earthquake and subsequent tsunami
that wrecked the plant led to an actual meltdown of the reactors
-- real China Syndrome stuff -- as had been assumed would never
likely happen in a modern reactor. The situation is
exponentially more dire than Chernobyl, as it's going to be
almost impossible in the wrecked buildings to selectively remove
the rods for safe containment without having them contact one
another and trigger a fire, the consequences of which would be
unimaginable. We're talking mass extinction around the world,
especially in the northern hemisphere. Yet most people have
forgotten the situation and think of it only as a local Japanese
problem. (It's only a matter of time before another earthquake
or tidal wave triggers such an event, and these rods will remain
volatile for centuries.)
http://nuclear-news.net/2014/12/13/japans-communities-deeply-divided-over-move-to-restart-nuclear-reactors/
MATTHEW CARNEY, REPORTER: In one of the holiest sites in southern Japan, the monks are sending out a warning to the world. . Nearby, the Sendai nuclear reactors are about to be turned back on. The industry was shut down after the Fukushima disaster.
HIROAKI MURAI, BUDDHIST MONK, CHINKOKU TEMPLE (voiceover translation): If a second accident happens, it will be a catastrophe. Most areas of Japan will become unliveable. Restart of the reactors is unthinkable.
http://nuclear-news.net/2014/12/13/general-electric-ebasco-toshiba-and-hitachi-should-be-held-responsible-for-costs-of-irradiated-sailors/
The sailors allege that Tepco knowingly and negligently gave false and misleading information concerning the true condition of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to the public, including the U.S. military. They further allege that Tepco knew the sailors on board the USS Ronald Reagan would be exposed to unsafe levels of radiation because Tepco was aware three nuclear reactors at the site had already melted down....The sailors accuse Tepco of negligence, failure to warn of the dangers, and design defects in the construction and installation of the reactors, among a total of nine claims for damages. To date, the sailors have experienced such illnesses as leukemia, ulcers, brain cancer, brain tumors, testicular cancer, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, thyroid illnesses, stomach ailments and a host of other complaints unusual in such young adults.
http://nuclear-news.net/2014/12/13/as-usa-government-ignores-the-issue-usa-citizen-scientists-find-fukushima-radiation-in-pacific-ocean/
New data from Woods Hole shows very low levels of Fukushima
radiation about 400 miles due west of Newport, as well as at
other offshore sites along the West Coast. At current levels, the radiation is not expected to harm
humans or the environment.
But in the absence of federal monitoring, citizens such as
Waldron have taken it upon themselves to test for its arrival on
beaches.
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