With Libya and then the debt ceiling taking center stage over the course of the last couple of months, the Fukushima nuclear crisis effectively disappeared from view.
But what’s going on in Japan may be even worse than when it became a global panic in March of this year. Bloomberg News is finally reporting what alternative news media like The Intel Hub and Rense.com have warned about for weeks – that radiation levels have skyrocketed and Japan is unable to contain the meltdowns. In fact, the radiation readings are so high that the Geiger counters used to measure them have reached their limits:
Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported its second deadly radiation reading in as many days at its wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant north of Tokyo.
The utility known as Tepco said yesterday it detected 5 sieverts of radiation per hour in the No. 1 reactor building. On Aug. 1 in another area it recorded radiation of 10 sieverts per hour, enough to kill a person “within a few weeks” after a single exposure, according to the World Nuclear Association.
Radiation has impeded attempts to replace cooling systems to bring three melted reactors and four damaged spent fuel ponds under control after a tsunami on March 11 crippled the plant. The latest reading was taken on the second floor of the No. 1 reactor building and will stop workers entering the area.
…
The 10 sieverts of radiation detected on Aug. 1 outside reactor buildings was the highest the Geiger counters used were capable of reading, indicating the level could have been higher, Junichi Matsumoto, a general manager at the utility, said at a press conference.
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Radioactive soil in pockets of areas outside the exclusion zone around the plant have reached the same level as in Chernobyl following a reactor explosion in the former Soviet Union, the report said.
In terms of nuclear accidents, this meltdown is about as bad as it can get, unless you consider the possibility of a “nuclear melt through,” which some experts have speculated may be the case in at least three reactors. Though they have been trying for nearly five months, Tepco and the government of Japan have been totally ineffective at cooling the fuel rods or capping the reactors like the Russians did with Chernobyl.
Nearly 200,00 have been evacuated so far, but the Nuclear Regulatory Commission maintains all is well:
Gregory B. Jaczko, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said in mid July that the catastrophe at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NRC), caused by an earthquake and tsunami in March, appears to have resulted in “no immediate health impacts.”
Source: The Intel Hub
Based on today’s reports, it’s likely that people across not just the Fukushima region, but all of Japan and to some extent other countries down wind from the fall out, will experience significant health impacts. Japan has already banned the export of beef and other foods from the Fukushima region as a result of high radiation levels, suggesting that if animals have been exposed, so too have humans.
The impact on the Japanese people with respect to their health remains an open ended question, but if Chernobyl is any guide we can expect an increase in the cases of cancer related illness and death over the next two decades. At this point, it is impossible to estimate how much radiation has been released and what the exposure levels across different parts of Japan may be. Tepco, the Japanese government, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the International Atomic Energy Agency have been less than forthcoming with accurate date, refusing to release readings at the onset, and then making adjustments to the baseline radiation safety levels to prevent mass hysteria in the country.
In the US, the Surgeon General issued a warning to West coast residents about the nuclear threat, going so far as to recommend they acquire anti-radiation potassium iodide supplements. To ensure that no health alerts needed to be issued in the US, the EPA quickly moved to raise safety limits for radiation and even argued that the millions of gallons of radioactive water being dumped into the ocean were safe.
As Mike Adams of Natural News points out, Fukushima is a massive dirty bomb, and it is contaminating our air, water and food – and according to the latest measurements it cannot be contained!
Starting next year all new Toyotas will be available in flourescent green only. Also, headlights will be optional as the front of the car tends to glow constantly. The new Prius* model offers flex fuel options as well. Runs on diesel, gasoline, electric or nuclear power with an average refueling range of 7000 miles or 5 months(whichever comes first), however, drivers are cautioned to hold their breath while inside the vehicle. And remember not to park within 12 miles of people or pets…
*comes with our new ‘lead-lined’ garage conversion kit as standard equipment
Japanese cowpunchers are rounding up steers at night cause they’re easier to see. Them ain’t fireflys roaming the “Nippon Plains”.
The Japanese cowpunchers are now performing steer roundups at night because they’re easier to see. Them an’t fireflys roaming the “Nippon Plains”.
There’s been an explosion at the whipped cream factory. Bubba has volunteered to wade into the mess and eat his way out in a circular motion, thereby saving thousands in clean up costs. The local vegetarians say this is karma paying us back for exploiting cows. The cows have no comment. The state dairy producers association says there’s no danger, and that whipped cream is actually a great weight loss food. The factory owners swear that all federal Dept of Whipped Cream guidelines were followed. Washington is sending hordes of extra bureaucrats to the scene, just in case. Fox news sent a helicopter, but before it landed they were called back to cover urgent developments in the Casey Anthony case. (latest count shows Fox with more choppers than the Nicaraguan air force-and they’re all still on the Anthony case) Nobody in town plans on buying cat food this week. Madame Darva, a local psychic, predicts a similar blow up at the peach packing shed next door- something about ‘leveling the universal forces in the dessert realm.’…Me? I’m gonna get a spoon and go help Bubba!
Stop! I just choked on my morning cereal from laughing so hard!
Excellent! I thought your first comment was better though; however, after reading this one, I was compelled to encourage you do to this more…please 🙂
“radiation is good for you”
Suntan lotion, lead lined underwear and sun bloc aviator sun glasses.
If you get cancer you can heal it with peroxide, usually.
To die is cool if you have a soul left!
Dh’s father healed some spots with iodine–no joke!!!
True story.
Iodine 131 is a fission product – and has a half-life of 8 days. After 40 days – there is essentially ZERO Iodine 131 left. At this point (3 months later) – there is ZERO benefit to taking potassium iodide pills to “protect the thyroid”. Anyone suggesting that the pills are needed is ignorant of nuclear concepts and nuclear medicine.
It only works for children and elderly. healthy adults it has no effect on. The whole point behind it is to fill your thyroid with non-radioactive iodine to prevent it from absorbing radioactive iodine. Aside from that it is pretty much worthless and can also be bad for you to take too much.
40 days from the time fission stops there may be zero Iodine 131 left. However, as long as fission continues, so too do emissions of Iodine 131. Has fission ceased to occur at Fukushima?
If any of the other stories on here in the past six months have been read, we have more to worry about than radiation exposure in the next 2 decades
Before folks go all ‘splodey over it, I think it’ll help to understand how radiation is measured, and how it all stacks up.
A gent who runs an excellent physics/mathematics comic online has assembled a useful and accurate chart (and is IMHO well worth printing out):
http://xkcd.com/radiation/
Cool chart. One small issue/question:
This chart doesn’t specify the kind of radiation. Wouldn’t it make a difference whether the radiation exposure was from natural sunlight, for instance, or plutonium isotopes?
If you mean alpha/beta/gamma? Nope, no difference is made – damage is damage. OTOH, it counts all kinds of ionizing radiation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionizing_radiation
the Fukushima nuclear crisis effectively disappeared from view>>>>>>>>
Not what I read:
http://english.aljazeera.net/video/asia-pacific/2011/08/2011836014188954.html
Japan radiation ‘contaminated rice crop’
Radiation crisis gets worse as claims of further contamination of food chain come to fore.
Did you see this on Drudge Report this morning?
Europe on Brink of ‘Major Financial Collapse’
http://www.cnbc.com/id/43988195
Silent Bank Run Hits Greece
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/01/greece-panic-change
Damn! And I was so looking forward to the NWO [insert sarcasm face here].
I was reading about the bank runs in Greece when it mentioned a factory that had had 200, but was now down to about 30. My jaw hit the floor. The factory I work in had about 200 employees and is now down to about 30. Made me think. Are we already where Greece is and just don’t know it yet?
If there is anyone new to “prepping”, there are a series of articles by Peggy Layton (has written several books on this subject). The articles are not that long and quite informative. I have forwarded them to family and friends – hopefully to urge them to prepare.
Preparedness Articles by Peggy Layton
http://www.personalliberty.com/index.php?s=peggy+layton
“The land will be broken up in the western portion of America. The greater portion of Japan must go into the sea. …. ” Edgar Cayce
http://shtfearthchanges.blogspot.com/p/edgar-cayce.html
Faster than a speeding snail…More powerful than a raging tea party…Able to leap tall debt ceilings in a single bound! Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a black helicopter. No, it’s Super-Congress! Stronger than ever and able to destroy constitutional kryptonite without a flinch. Don’t miss the next exciting episode of Super-Congress!
*note: some twitter episodes may not be suitable for children
I’m sure terrorists interested in an asymmetrical-warfare result against “The Great Satan” are looking at fuckup-i-shima with a keen interest….
japan is dying