Tuesday, July 19, 2011

1 Billion Becquerels Per Hour Emission of Radioactive Materials from Fukushima I Nuke Plant at the End of June

That's an amazing reduction from the maximum emission of 2,000 terabecquerels per hour on March 15, it is actually one-2 millionth of the maximum, says TEPCO in the Reference No. 2 of the progress report on the "roadmap" to God knows where.

Is this number, 1 billion becquerels per hour emission, good? TEPCO's Matsumoto, in the press conference on July 19, avoided the judgment, and said he didn't know, but it was one-2 millionth of what it had been on March 15.

On closer reading of the document, though, I noticed one strange thing about this emission number. TEPCO is talking about the radiation emission measured in cesium (cesium-134 and -137), not in iodine equivalence.

To come up with the iodine-131 equivalence, you have to multiply cesium-134 by 3, and cesium-137 by 40 (according to INES handbook). TEPCO doesn't even give the breakdown of cesium 134 and -137 in its calculation of 1 billion becquerels/hour number. Other nuclides have even higher multiplier: americium-241 is 8,000, plutonium-239 is 10,000.

If half of 1 billion becquerels is cesium-134 and the other half is cesium-137, then in iodine-131 equivalence like in the previous calculations, the emission would be:

(0.5*3)+(0.5*40)=1.5+20=21.5 billion becquerels/hour

Instead of 1 billion becquerels/hour, it would be 21.4 billion becquerels/hour in iodine equivalence, or 516 billion becquerels in one day. In less than 2 days, we would be talking about over 1 terabecquerels.

Why TEPCO would do the calculation in cesium instead of iodine equivalent? To make a ready comparison with the previous emission calculations difficult and to give the impression that the number is low?

And what about iodine? They may not be detecting radioactive iodine at Fukushima I Nuke Plant, but iodine-131 is still being detected in sewage sludge in Tokyo and other parts of Kanto.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

2,000 terabecquerels per hour on March 15 is worse, obviously

Anonymous said...

As an American, I am curious why MIT and the US government suddenly went quiet about this whole affair in April.

NO analysis, opinions, commentary ---nothing.

Anonymous said...

I-131 damage is a paradox. More is better, strangely enough.

However, detection of I-131 in sewage sludge is a major concern. Its half-life is short. It should not be detectable at all if the situation was"contained". Because I-131 decays with a half-life of 8.02 days with beta and gamma emissions"

"Much smaller incidental doses of iodine-131 than are used in medical therapeutic uses, are thought to be the major cause of increased thyroid cancers after accidental nuclear contamination. These cancers happen from residual tissue radiation damage caused by the I-131, and usually appear years after exposure, long after the I-131 has decayed."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine-131

Viola said...

Another thing I realized after reading was that they totally exclude the emission into the sea which is much worse in numbers compared to what is measured in the air.

Anonymous said...

I suspect that the Japanese buys the American bounds that pay for the U.S. Government debt. Without the Japanese, the US probably has a more severe economial problem. This is why Japan has so much leverage with the U.S. I suspect. Also worlwide gouvernment are quite weak and have far less power than large corporations do. Governments needs large corporation support in many different ways. Most of them will not talk and legislate against large corporations. Only if population show strong support against them, like in Germany, the Government will be able to do something. Until then, don't expect world wide countries to complain about the nuclear industry, they are more likely to do (and actualy do) the opposite. Democracy has lost, corporatoins have the employments and the power.

Anonymous said...

The reason for the low MSM (Main Stream Media) coverage is because of the various money factors, Mainly, not wishing to panic investors, or the populace. Since various mega companies who will remain unnamed contribute so much money to politicians legally and have vast lobbying campaigns it is not surprising about their control of the mainstream media since the same companies own all those outlets except for the Internet secondary news sites. They control all aspects of how events are reported or whether they are reported at all. Enemies become friends, heroes become villains or vice versa...if they want to slant the news then it happens. The vast majority of the public is never aware there is anything to worry about. Future Shock, Big Brother, and 1984 all rolled into one neat little package to keep the masses under control.

netudiant said...

The point about the iodine conversion made by EX-SKF is an important one.
A cesium emission of 1 billion bq is a lot worse than a similar number from iodine. Cesium is a gift that keeps on giving, a lifelong human threat with its 30 year half life.
We can hope that TEPCO will soon be able to contain these emissions inside the building covers now under construction, although one might worry that these confinements will rapidly get so contaminated that it precludes any work on the reactors. Given the reality that it will take decades to clean up this site, that may be something the government will accept, to just hide the wound behind a clean white wall.

Anonymous said...

"TEPCO doesn't even give the breakdown of cesium 134 and -137 in its calculation .."

"Why TEPCO would do the calculation in cesium instead of iodine equivalent? To make a ready comparison with the previous emission calculations difficult and to give the impression that the number is low?"

It's become a spectacle, TEPCO watching the reporters and saying to themselves, "Look how much they are willing to let us get away with. Not a peep."


Viola said...
"Another thing I realized after reading was that they totally exclude the emission into the sea which is much worse in numbers compared to what is measured in the air."

So to complete the spectacle, remember the mid-level manager who cried when announcing they had dumped the radioactive water in the ocean?
There's your TEPCO.

Anonymous said...

The total information lockdown in the US is scary. They just effectively covered up the meltdown of three reactors to the public. Now they have shut down any discussion of the aftermath, I suppose to protect the nuclear industry, especially GE.

I checked the radiation reports that Berkeley had been doing. Oddly, even though Fukushima is still emitting, ALL of the radiation in California has vanished. No isotopes of any kind anywhere. Modern day miracle.

Anonymous said...

not TRUE, MIT wrote a paper on it saying everything OK, StanFraud put out a paper on Chernobyl stating only 42 people died from that, so, there you go. the nuclear companies are so bad I think they created the Anti Nuclear Strength, as opposed to dubious merits of Anti Nuclear.

Anonymous said...

Here is the MIT paper:

http://mitnse.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/fukushima-lessons-learned-mit-nsp-025.pdf

"The initial response of the nuclear industry and the U.S government to the Fukushima accident has been measured and rational (see Appendix B). However, the risk of over-reacting to an accident, particularly one as dramatic as Fukushima, remains high. The industry is concerned about the near-term effect of Fukushima on the process of life extension of current plants and the support for new construction projects. Under the pressure of the public and the media, the government may be compelled to push for sweeping policy and regulatory changes, which may ultimately prove to be unnecessarily onerous on existing and future plants. Decision-making in the immediate aftermath of a major crisis is often influenced by emotion. Therefore, the following questions should be addressed after searching for vulnerabilities at existing plants, but before enacting significant changes in nuclear energy regulations and policy. Does an accident like Fukushima, which is so far beyond design basis, really warrant a major overhaul of current nuclear safety regulations and practices?"

Anonymous said...

"Therefore, the following questions should be addressed after searching for vulnerabilities at existing plants, but before enacting significant changes in nuclear energy regulations and policy. Does an accident like Fukushima, which is so far beyond design basis, really warrant a major overhaul of current nuclear safety regulations and practices?"

Jesus, I really can't believe I just read that.

I'll answer the goofball(s)'s question,
Yes, overhaul before changes to regulations/policy, both before and after searching for vulnerabilities. In fact, phase it out.

MIT as a den of conspirators is certainly believable.

Anonymous said...

MIT research labs need grants from industries. Shame it has to be done in such denial and "criminal" way, and against the health of their own students. These industries have deep pockets and control so much, it is very disturbing. Here gows our tax money, or what should have been our tax money (or our salaries).

Anonymous said...

Hmmm

Intersting point to consider. In the Last 5 years every major industrialized country in the world has been on a major (off the charts in fact) building effort. Care to guess what that effort has been. Russia has admitted to having built over 5000 new ones........

"bomb" shelters. These shelters have 2 primary functions of course. Blast protection and drum roll please.....protection from radiation. Completion for all this building that was started about 5 years ago? September 2011. Talk about good timing!

Anonymous said...

I do not understand what "1 Billon Becquerels Per Hour" means. A "Becquerel" means "one disintegration per second." Does the author mean "1 Billon Becquerels" and leave out the words "Per Hour?"

Anonymous said...

MIT just goes to show that 'science' is only as honest as the gun aimed at the 'scientists' head.
First to sell out, Athiestic brainless infoturds.

Massachusetts institute of TechnoRetards.

Anonymous said...

"MIT just goes to show that 'science' is only as honest as the gun aimed at the 'scientists' head."

And is at least as old as WWII, see their work on air traffic control systems since then, HIGHLY entrenched in their culture, branch of the govt. even.


Maybe the Cold War's not over, the attacks on banks' computers in the WTC on 9/11 ..

Malicious software, mailicious hardware

all based on funding grabs in the essential climate of secrecy/hostage-taking


TEPCO did apply to build more reactors at Daiichi before even beginning to clean up the present disaster.

Nostradamus said...

Nostradamus said...
Hi, It is July 24th. Mark my words. You read it here first: Japan will be evacuated permanently by March of 2012. I am already packing. We are not very nice people to each other. We are also so F@cked. No news source wants to report this because there will be widespread panic and mass anarchy by March of next year. My little crystal ball told me so. (just kidding, what do I know?, ha, ha, hee, hee...)

AntonioPR said...

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