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UN nuclear energy chief urges compliance with non-proliferation treaty [27Jul11] - 0 views

www.un.org/...story.asp
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • The head of the United Nations nuclear agency today stressed that all States must comply with their obligations under the international nuclear weapons non-proliferation treaty, naming Iran, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Syria as countries that are not in full compliance. “My approach to nuclear verification since taking up office in December 2009 has been very straightforward – all safeguards agreements between Member States and the Agency, and other relevant obligations such as UN Security Council resolutions, should be implemented fully,” said Yukiya Amano, the Director General the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
  • “Iran is not providing the necessary cooperation to enable the agency to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities,” Mr. Amano said in his keynote address to the three-day 23rd UN Conference on Disarmament Issues in Matsumoto, Japan. He urged Iran to move towards the full implementation of all relevant obligations to build international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.
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Vermont bucks American nuclear trend [07Jul11] - 0 views

www.dw-world.de/...0,,15272439,00.html
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  • While President Obama still favors nuclear energy after the Fukushima disaster, the New England state of Vermont wants to scrap it altogether. The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is slated for shutdown in March 2012.
  • Nestel has already been arrested 11 times in protests against the reactor. She is a member of the "Shut it down!" group, which consists of 12 women from the ages of 40 to 92. They all have the same mission: to shut down Vermont Yankee, and in doing so make Vermont a nuclear power-free state. "We have a lot to do," says Nestel. "We are always going to have protests at the reactor and we will always let ourselves be arrested. We don't leave until we're arrested. But they always drop the charges because we're so well-liked in the community."
  • Since the reactor, identical in construction to the one in Fukushima, went on line in 1972, it has made headlines time and again. In 2007 a cooling tower collapsed due to shabby wooden girders. When in 2010 it was discovered that radioactive tritium had seeped into the groundwater from a pipe leak, the Vermont Senate voted by a large majority to close Vermont Yankee by 2012. Differing opinions among politicians and population
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  • A completely different message, however, came just a few weeks later from the American nuclear energy authorities in Washington, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Just days after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the NRC extended Vermont Yankee's operating license for another 20 years. Whether it was Vermont or Washington that overstepped its boundaries is currently being disputed in the courts.
  • Experts anticipate that the Vermont Yankee case will end up at the highest court, the Supreme Court, and that obtaining a final decision will take several years.
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When Does a Nuclear Disaster End? Never. Fukushima [29Mar11] - 0 views

www.sott.net/...-a-Nuclear-Disaster-End-Never-
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • Those who think Japan's Fukushima disaster is today's headlines and tomorrow's history need to take a good look at the Chernobyl disaster, which to this day is a continuing threat to the people of Ukraine. It will be hundreds of years before the area around the destroyed reactor is inhabitable again and there are disputes over whether or not Chernobyl's nuclear fuel still poses a threat of causing another explosion. There is also a teetering reactor core cover and the deteriorating sarcophagus itself that may collapse and send plumes of radioactive dust in all directions.
  • The New York Times article "Lessons from Chernobyl for Japan," reflects on the Chernobyl disaster and how its legacy still looms over us today as a very real threat. Those who believe in a quick fix for the Fukushima disaster would be wise to remember Chernobyl's legacy
  • More importantly, with tens of millions of lives at stake, nation actors that have the ability to assist in mitigating this disaster now, but choose instead to squander their manpower and resources elsewhere (like in Libya), must remember that their actions today will be remembered and judged for centuries to come.
  • D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11
     
    Has a series of short videos about Chernobyl
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Radiation from Fukushima detected in Glasgow [29Mar11] - 0 views

news.scotsman.com/...tion-from-Fukushima.6742386.jp
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • TINY traces of radioactive iodine from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan have been detected in Glasgow. The authorities have stressed there is no danger to public health.Very small traces of radioactive iodine were detected by an air sampler at a Health Protection Agency monitoring site in Glasgow picked up.
  • The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) later confirmed that this radiation was from the Japanese incident, but it said that the levels found were consistent with reports from other European countries such as Iceland and Switzerland.SEPA has released a statement in which it says the concentration of iodine is "extremely low" and "not of concern for the public or the environment".
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Comparisons with X-rays and CT scans "meaningless" - Inhaling particles increases radia... - 0 views

enenews.com/ctor-of-a-trillion-says-expert
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • Hirose Takashi: The Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Accident and the State of the Media, Asahi NewStar, March 17, 2011:
  • [Interviewer] Yo: Every day the local government is measuring the radioactivity.  All the television stations are saying that while radiation is rising, it is still not high enough to be a danger to health. They compare it to a stomach x-ray, or if it goes up, to a CT scan.  What is the truth of the matter? Hirose: For example, yesterday.  Around Fukushima Daiichi Station they measured 400 millisieverts – that’s per hour.  With this measurement (Chief Cabinet Secretary) Edano admitted for the first time that there was a danger to health, but he didn’t explain what this means.  All of the information media are at fault here I think.  They are saying stupid things like, why, we are exposed to radiation all the time in our daily life, we get radiation from outer space.  But that’s one millisievert per year.  A year has 365 days, a day has 24 hours; multiply 365 by 24, you get 8760.  Multiply the 400 millisieverts by that, you get 3,500,000 the normal dose.  You call that safe?  And what media have reported this? 
  • None.  They compare it to a CT scan, which is over in an instant; that has nothing to do with it.  The reason radioactivity can be measured is that radioactive material is escaping.  What is dangerous is when that material enters your body and irradiates it from inside.  These industry-mouthpiece scholars come on TV and what to they say?  They say as you move away the radiation is reduced in inverse ratio to the square of the distance.  I want to say the reverse.  Internal irradiation happens when radioactive material is ingested into the body.  What happens?  Say there is a nuclear particle one meter away from you. You breathe it in, it sticks inside your body; the distance between you and it is now at the micron level. One meter is 1000 millimeters, one micron is one thousandth of a millimeter.  That’s a thousand times a thousand squared.  That’s the real meaning of “inverse ratio of the square of the distance.”  Radiation exposure is increased by a factor of a trillion.  Inhaling even the tiniest particle, that’s the danger.
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  • Yo:  So making comparisons with X-rays and CT scans has no meaning.  Because you can breathe in radioactive material. Hirose:  That’s right.  When it enters your body, there’s no telling where it will go.  The biggest danger is women, especially pregnant women, and little children.  Now they’re talking about iodine and cesium, but that’s only part of it, they’re not using the proper detection instruments.  What they call monitoring means only measuring the amount of radiation in the air.  Their instruments don’t eat.  What they measure has no connection with the amount of radioactive material. . .
  • Read the report here.
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Professor: Nuclear scientists claiming radioactivity is a healthy thing for people - An... - 0 views

enenews.com/people-an-incredible-lie-video
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • Interview with Karl Grossman, July 27, 2011:
  • [...] “A lot of nuclear scientists … actually have the nerve to claim that radiation is good for you, and they have this theory called ‘radiation hormesis’ and they claim that radioactivity exercises the immune system and it’s a healthy thing for people. Essentially what they are doing is promoting their technology with this incredible lie,” Karl Grossman, a professor at State University of New York College told Press TV’s U.S. Desk in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. [...]
  • See the interview here.
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Nearly 5,000 nuke plant workers suffering internal radiation exposure after 'visiting' ... - 0 views

enenews.com/ovt-consider-testing-residents
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • Nuclear plant workers suffer internal radiation exposure after visiting Fukushima, Mainichi, May 22, 2011:
  • The government has discovered thousands of cases of workers at nuclear power plants outside Fukushima Prefecture suffering from internal exposure to radiation after they visited the prefecture, the head of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said. [...] The revelation has prompted local municipalities in Fukushima to consider checking residents’ internal exposure to radiation. Nobuaki Terasaka, head of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, told the House of Representatives Budget Committee on May 16 that there were a total of 4,956 cases of workers suffering from internal exposure to radiation at nuclear power plants in the country excluding the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, and 4,766 of them involved workers originally from Fukushima who had visited the prefecture after the nuclear crisis. [...] But as of May 16, only about 1,400 workers have gone through checkups — roughly 20 percent of the total number of workers. And only 40 of the workers have had their test results confirmed. [...]
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Reactor No.3 requiring more water than No. 1 and 2 because of leaks and "other problems... - 0 views

enenews.com/se-of-leaks-and-other-problems
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • TEPCO seeks new ways to reduce contaminated water, NHK, July 27, 2011:
  • [...] Tokyo Electric Power Company sent a remote-controlled robot into the No.3 reactor building on Tuesday to take photos of the piping and measure radiation levels. [...] TEPCO says the temperature of the No.3 reactor is relatively stable, but it needs more water than the others because of leaks and other problems. [...] TEPCO hopes to eventually send workers into the buildings to find a way to pour water directly onto the fuel rods.
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People in Albuquerque more concerned over black Rio Grande water from Los Alamos-area f... - 0 views

enenews.com/t-results-have-come-back-video
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • July 26, 201
  • State testing ash runoff in river water, KOB Eyewitness News 4, July 26, 2011
  • People more concerned over black Rio Grande water The State Environment Department said water is being tested as ash continues to flow down the Rio Grande from the Las Conchas fire. But so far, state officials don’t believe any test results have come back. [...] Officials said it takes about a week to get results back. It is unknown when samples were taken. [...]
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Japan scientists say gov't testing may be missing radiation threats [26Jul11] - 0 views

enenews.com/y-be-missing-radiation-threats
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • Japan Scientists Say Sea Radiation Tests May Miss Seafood Threat, Bloomberg, July 26, 2011:
  • “Depending on the species, fish have been known to accumulate as much as 100 times the amount of pollutants in the environment,” Jota Kanda, a professor at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology specializing in marine environment, said by phone yesterday. [...] The minimum detection limit is defined as 4 becquerels per liter for Iodine-131, 6 bq/l for Cesium-134 and 9 bq/l for Cesium-137, the report said. “Which means that at 5 becquerels per liter the ministry will proclaim the water safe, but concentration in fish may exceed the 500 becquerel limit” per kilogram set by the government, Kanda said. [...]
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Newly released chart shows 133 acres burned on Los Alamos lab property - Officials had ... - 0 views

enenews.com/cials-insisted-only-tiny-fires
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • 133 acres burned on lab property — Las Conchas: The majority of the burned acreage, though, was due to backburn, Los Alamos Monitor, July 23, 2011:
  • Officials at Los Alamos National Laboratory were insistent throughout that the Los Conchas Fire only came onto LANL and Department of Energy property twice. [...] On Friday, the Las Conchas Burned Area Emergency Response team released the acreage burned by jurisdiction. The chart said that 133 acres burned on DOE and LANL property.
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U.S. wasn't fully prepared for radiation risks following Japan earthquake, top general ... - 0 views

www.stripes.com/...uake-top-general-says-1.150236
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • In the first few days of Japan’s nuclear crisis this spring, the U.S. military wasn’t fully prepared to deal with possible radiation exposure to its troops and equipment, the top U.S. general in Japan said Wednesday.
  • U.S. Forces Japan commander Lt. Gen. Burton M. Field talked about the radiation risk to U.S. troops during a briefing on Operation Tomodachi for members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan on Wednesday.
  • “As the (Fukushima Dai-ichi) reactors exploded and they sent some of that radiation out, we had the issue with it being detected off shore by the Navy,” he said. “We had to start dealing with the kind of environment that the U.S. military had not really worked in, so we didn’t have the strictest guidelines on what kind of risk we would take in terms of radiation exposure for our (service) members.”
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  • Servicemembers didn’t initially know what kind of contamination procedures they would have to use for equipment that was going to be exposed to the radiation, he said.
  • Shortly after the earthquake, personnel from the Department of Energy departed the U.S. with radiation measuring equipment bound for Yokota Air Base, he said.The equipment could measure radiation on the ground if it was flown over an area in an aircraft, Field said.“We figured out how to strap these things on airplanes and helicopters,” he said. “We asked the pilots: ‘Okay, we are going to have you fly into weird and wonderful places that might have a lot of radiation. Who’s in?’ ”
  • Every pilot who was asked volunteered for the mission, Field said.U.S. Forces Japan has declined Stars and Stripes’ requests to release the levels of radiation or toxic substances detected in areas where U.S. personnel worked during Operation Tomodachi. The military also has not released levels of radiation detected on servicemembers’ clothing and equipment.
  • However, last week the U.S. Pacific Command’s top surgeon Rear Adm. Michael H. Mittelman held town hall meetings at U.S. bases in Japan to tell people about a plan to calculate radiation doses received by each of the approximately 61,000 U.S. personnel living and working in Japan during the disaster. The military has already done “internal monitoring” of radiation levels inside the bodies of 7,700 personnel who worked in parts of the disaster zone closest to the damaged power plant, including those who flew over the disaster zone, Mittelman said.
  • The scans revealed that 98 percent of those personnel did not have elevated radiation inside their bodies, he said. Mittelman said that among the 2 percent of servicemembers (about 154 individuals) with elevated internal radiation levels the highest readings were about 25 millirems, equivalent to the dose that they would receive from 2 1/2 chest X-rays.Field said he learned some lessons from the operation.“I would have been a lot smarter on the effect of radiation on humans, plants, animals, fish, ocean, land, air, soil, kids…,” he said. “I had zero idea about nuclear reactors before. I could probably teach a course in nuclear reactors and nuclear physics medicine at this point.”
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U.S. spent $11.7M to fly dependents out of Japan after earthquake - Earthquake Disaster... - 0 views

www.stripes.com/...apan-after-earthquake-1.147677
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — The U.S. military paid $11.7 million on chartered flights for thousands of U.S. family members to escape Japan’s nuclear crisis in the days following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to figures released Tuesday by U.S. Pacific Command.That $11.7 million figure covers only military-chartered flights from U.S. bases near Tokyo and in northern Japan. It does not include travel expenses nor per diem paid to the nearly 10,000 dependents who took the military up on its voluntary departure offer and fled to towns and cities across the United States, PACOM said following an information request by Stars and Stripes. Expenses for those who left Japan on commercial airlines also were not included in the figures released Tuesday.Reimbursements for lodging, meals and other expenses are likely to significantly increase the total cost of the evacuation program. But those additional travel costs are being tallied by the individual services in the region, and therefore, could not be provided by PACOM.
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Voluntary departure program: A safe haven or a free vacation? Fukushima [29Mar11] - 0 views

www.stripes.com/...en-or-a-free-vacation-1.139336
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • U.S. family members who left Japan under the military’s “voluntary departure” program stand to pocket a considerable amount of money, depending on whether they flew home to stay with family in North Dakota or chose to lie on the beaches of Waikiki.Some 7,000 family members from five U.S. military bases have departed mainland Japan so far amid fears of radiation leaking from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, left crippled by the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
  • But the departures are generating a measure of controversy, with some military community members blasting their neighbors for taking “paid vacations.” Others defend the decision, saying fears of a nuclear crisis, repeated earthquake aftershocks and concerns for their children’s safety made heading back to the United States the only real option.
  • Each family member who leaves Japan under the voluntary departure program is entitled to lodging, meals, a daily stipend for incidentals and a $25 daily family travel allowance.The amount they’re allowed to spend depends on the location the family picked as its so-called “safe haven,” and whether family members are staying with relatives or in a hotel. Children 12 or older are eligible for 100 percent of the local per diem rate, while children under 12 are eligible for 50 percent.
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  • In a low-cost area, such as Grand Forks, N.D., a military family of three — mom, a teen and a child under 12 — would receive a maximum of $9,795 for the first month. That same family, however, would receive as much as $21,975 for the first month if they picked Honolulu, with its much higher cost of living, as the place they wanted to stay until they were authorized to return to Japan
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Families who choose to return to Japan do so at their own risk, military officials say ... - 0 views

www.stripes.com/...ilitary-officials-say-1.139316
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan — U.S. officials said this week that they are hearing that some people already want to return to Japan after taking a free flight out of the country.The simple answer: Don’t do it.“Right now, the government will not pay to bring them back,” said Marine Lt. Col. Katherine Estes, the staff judge advocate for the joint task force overseeing Operation Pacific Passage. “Families who have taken advantage of the authorized departure are now in a ‘safe haven status’ and should remain at their safe haven location until ordered to a designated location or authorized to return.”
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Nearly 8,000 military family members signed up to evacuate Japan [20Mar11] - 0 views

www.stripes.com/...-up-to-evacuate-japan-1.138362
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • According to estimates provided by the military and compiled by Stars and Stripes, more than 7,900 residents at bases in central and northern Japan want to flee on flights sponsored by the U.S. military.
  • There were 233 family members on the first voluntary evacuation flight from Yokota to Seattle, Wash., on Saturday as Japan continued spraying water on reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant about 130 miles north of Tokyo. Even though power was restored to part of the plant this weekend, the country still faces a possible meltdown that many fear could spread dangerous radiation over the region.
  • So far, only Yokota has ferried residents out of Japan, but more flights are expected in the next two days.
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  • The military is working to schedule flights through contractors because no military aircraft will be used for the voluntary departures, according to U.S. Forces Japan spokesman Maj. Neal Fisher.
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Up to the minute US Military Response ... - Earthquake Disaster in Japan [18Mar11] - 0 views

www.stripes.com/...up-to-the-minute-1.138206
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • Stars and Stripes reporters across Japan and the world are sending disaster dispatches as they gather new facts, updated in real time. All times are local Tokyo time.  Japan is 13 hours ahead of the East Coast. So for example, 8 a.m. EDT is 9 p.m. in Japan.
  • No increase in Yokota radiation levels   11 p.m. Saturday, Tokyo timeLatest advisory from Yokota’s Facebook page says base officials there just checked with emergency managers and they have confirmed that the radiation levels at Yokota remain at the same background levels we experience every day (even prior to the quake)."To ensure everyone's safety, we are scanning air samples repeatedly every day, we're checking the water daily and we are inspecting aircraft ... and vehicles as they arrive," the Facebook page says.-- Dave Ornauer
  • The latest on Navy support to Japan   10:20 p.m. Saturday, Tokyo timeU.S. 7th Fleet has 12,750 personnel, 20 ships, and 140 aircraft participating in Operation Tomodachi. Seventh Fleet forces have delivered 81 tons of relief supplies to date.USS Tortuga is in the vicinity of Hachinohe where she will serve as an afloat forward service base for helicopter operations. CH-53 Sea Stallion aircraft from attached to Tortuga delivered 13 tons of humanitarian aid cargo on Friday, including 5,000 pounds of water and 5,000 MREs, to Yamada Station, 80 miles south of Misawa.USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry and USS Germantown with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived off the coast of Akita prefecture Saturday. Marines of the 31st MEU have established a Forward Control Element in Matsushima to coordinate disaster aid planning with officials. They are scheduled to move to Sendai later Saturday.
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  • The USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, to include the cruiser USS Chancellorsville, the destroyer USS Preble and the combat support ship USNS Bridge, the guided-missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald, USS John S. McCain, USS McCampbell, USS Mustin and USS Curtis Wilbur continue relief operations off the east coast of Iwate prefecture. Three U.S. Navy liaison officers are on JS Hyuga to coordinate U.S. operations with Japan Maritime Self Defense force leadership.Helicopters from HS-4 and HSL-43 with the Reagan strike group, and HSL-51 from Carrier Airwing Five (CVW-5) in Atsugi, on the 18th delivered 28 tons of food, water, clothes, medicine, toiletries, baby supplies, and much needed kerosene to displaced persons at fifteen relief sites ashore. For two of the relief sites serviced, it was the first humanitarian aid they have received since the tsunami a week ago. Eight of the sites serviced made requests for specific aid, including a need for a medical professional.CVW-5 on Friday completed the relocation of 14 helos normally assigned to USS George Washington from Atsugi to Misawa Air Base in northern Honshu.
  • USS Cowpens continued its northerly track to rendezvous with the Reagan Carrier Strike Group. Cowpens is expected to join the Strike Group overnight. USS Shiloh is en route from Yokosuka to deliver relief supplies to the Strike Group.USS Blue Ridge, the flagship for the U.S. 7th Fleet, remains in the vicinity of Okinawa to conduct transfers of supplies and additional personnel to augment the staff.All 7th Fleet ships, including George Washington and USS Lassen which are currently conducting maintenance in Yokosuka, are preparing to go. Personnel have been recalled and leaves canceled.
  • Two P-3 Orion aircraft from Patrol Squadron Four conducted two aerial survey missions over ports and airfields in northern Honshu on Saturday. CTF-72 has embarked two liaison officers from Japan Maritime Self Defense Force on each mission. Aerial imagery captured on these missions is shared with Japan. VP-4 has established a detachment in Misawa with two aircraft and four aircrews. Radioactive iodine found in Tokyo drinking water10:07 p.m. Saturday, Tokyo timeFrom the Associated Press:TOKYO — Japan officials say radioactive iodine detected in drinking water for Tokyo and other areas.
  • A valuable resource on your entitlements during evacuations
  • The link for this Office of Personnel Management (OPM) handbook is: http://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/2008/HandbookForEmergencies(PayAndLeave)
  • Voluntary departure" updates at Misawa
  • Video: Yokosuka commander talks flights
  • Who is authorized to fly out?·         Command Sponsored and non-Command Sponsored Dependents of Uniformed and Civilian DoD personnelo    NOTE: Non-Command Sponsored dependents are only entitled to a round trip flight to the first destination in the United States. These dependents are not entitled to draw per diem or Safe Haven Allowance.What about girlfriends or significant others?They are not authorized departure. Only <span>Dependents</span> of Uniformed and Civilian DoD personnel are covered by the current authorization.
  • What about dependents of our NAFA/CFAY/ZAMA contractors?·         They will be allowed to board the plane and fly to the States, HOWEVER, as things currently stand, they are NOT entitled to any allowances or even to government-funded air travel out of NAFA.·         Funding issues should be worked through the contractor’s parent company, and the contractor sponsor should beware that he/she may ultimately be required to reimburse the U.S. Government for the value of the flight.
  • What about non-DoD American Citizens who aren’t contractors or attached to our bases?
  • D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11
     
    a log of updates during the initial phase of the disaster, mainly about evacuating military and report of navy vessels arriving to aid, Didn't highlight all of it, see site for more
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U.S. military expected to lift ban on Japanese foods soon [15Jul11] - 0 views

www.stripes.com/...n-japanese-foods-soon-1.149253
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • The U.S. military is preparing to lift a ban on some Japanese foods, imposed after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear scare.The Japan District Veterinary Command, which is responsible for food safety on U.S. bases, said Thursday that, within a month, products from 26 Japanese processing plants will once again be sold on U.S. installations.
  • Food deliveries from those factories were suspended due to a range of health concerns, including the proximity of some of them to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station, which was severely damaged by the quake and tsunami, said Lt. Col. Margery Hanfelt, commander of the veterinary command.The suspended plants — among 60 that deliver to U.S. bases — produce a variety of foods ranging from baked goods and eggs to fresh fruit, vegetables and processed items. Some of the facilities, which Hanfelt declined to identify, were damaged by the earthquake while others had supplies of basic ingredients cut. For example, a farm supplying grain to one plant was destroyed by the tsunami, she said.
  • “As they recover, we are going through and re-auditing and re-assessing them,” she said.In the past month, teams of U.S. servicemembers have been inspecting the suspended plants — located in 13 prefectures in northern Honshu — and testing food samples for chemical, microbiological and radiological contamination, she said.
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  • “We have been gathering data and samples and combining them with their (the plants’) test results so we have a total picture from before, during and after [the disaster] to make sure the food safety measures they put in place weren’t impacted,” she said.
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U.S. extends travel alert around Fukushima power plant till Aug. 15 [10Jun11] - 0 views

www.stripes.com/...wer-plant-till-aug-15-1.146217
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • The U.S. government has extended a warning to U.S. citizens to keep out of a 50-mile evacuation zone surrounding the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.The alert, which expires Aug. 15 and was transmitted Thursday by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, advises that, although the situation at the Fukushima plant remains serious and dynamic, it is not a significant risk to U.S. citizens outside the evacuation zone.
  • “Out of an abundance of caution, we continue to recommend that U.S. citizens avoid travel to destinations within the 50-mile evacuation zone of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant,” the alert stated. “U.S. citizens who are still within this zone should evacuate or shelter in place.”In contrast, the Japanese government’s evacuation zone extends 12 miles away from the nuclear plant.
  • Transport routes between Tokyo and Sendai that run through the zone are open to the public and the U.S. government believes health and safety risks associated with using the routes are low, the alert states.“It is safe for U.S. citizens to use the Tohoku Shinkansen railway and Tohoku Expressway to transit through the area,” the alert states.
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Thousands of pets left behind in restricted zone near nuclear power plant -Fukushima [2... - 0 views

www.stripes.com/...r-nuclear-power-plant-1.144956
shared by D'coda Dcoda on 27 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • After the March 11 earthquake and tsunami struck, residents in the area were ordered to evacuate. Knowing that most shelters banned pets and believing the evacuation would be short-lived, many residents left their pets behind. In past weeks, numerous dogs have been found dead, chained to their doghouses.Despite efforts from animal rescue volunteers and advocacy groups, thousands of pets remain in the 12-mile no-go zone, they say.
  • For dogs alone, there are at least 2,000 to 3,000 left behind in the restricted zone,” said Yuri Nakatani, director of the Hiroshima-based animal rights advocate group Dogs and Cats Orphan Support.Dogs and Cats Orphan Support has rescued about 400 dogs and cats so far from the area, said member Hirofumi Sasaki.Animals rescued by the group are taken to a shelter in neighboring Tochigi prefecture, where they are paired with a temporary caregiver or adopted to a new home, Sasaki said.
  • “Besides food, what the animals in the shelter crave for is love of human beings,” he said.
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  • The Japanese government began efforts this month to rescue animals from the restricted zone around Fukushima.About 67 dogs and cats have been taken to safety so far, according to Ministry of the Environment officials, who said it is unclear how many pets remain in the area.There are 5,800 dogs registered in the nine municipalities covered by the evacuation zone, said Koji Okura, deputy chief of the Ministry’s Office of Welfare and Management of Animals. The number of displaced cats cannot be estimated because Japan does not require cats to be registered, he said.“It is not possible to figure out exactly how many dogs are still left within the zone,” Okura said.
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