Have you heard ANYTHING on the state of the Fukushima disaster lately? You know, that little “oopsie” in Japan when an earthquake and tsunami combined to create one of the three largest nuclear disasters in human history? If you’re like most people, the only sound you’ve heard is the chirping of radioactive crickets in the resounding silence of media coverage. But, there are new developments in the story and there’s information to be had if you’re curious. Here are a few links that we’ve added to bring you up to speed.
- 8/15/13– It’s been too long since we updated this page, but the disaster has been going quietly on. Recent events have prompted us to add some new information… “Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has announced that 300 tons of radioactive groundwater is flowing daily into the Pacific Ocean and there is nothing they can do to stop it. Furthermore, despite Tokyo Electric Power’s (TEPCO) previous statement that things were contained, it is suspected that the leaks have been ongoing since the disaster occurred in March 2011.” Read all about it in “The Deadliest Part of Japan’s Nuclear Cleanup“, “Fukushima: It Only Gets Worse“, or many other sources.
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8/15/13– The ongoing radiation leak is an abomination, but the engineers have come up with a fascinating yet not-completely-effective way to stop it from infecting the groundwater. The Fukushima plant sits on the coast with a mountain range to the west. Water, as water is wont to do, flows downhill from the mountains to the sea, and through the radioactive plume of the Fukushima leak. They can’t stop the water flow, but they can probably divert it… using a wall made of ice.
- 3/7/12- Did you know that eating a banana gives you twice the radiation as sleeping next to a person for the night? This fascinating and extremely detailed Radiation Dose Chart shows the radiation doses you can expect from a banana all the way up through Fukushima and Chernobyl.
- 3/7/12- This page from the International Atomic Energy Agency gives you the Fukushima story from the point of view of the government and TEPCO
- 3/7/12– Natural News may not be your first thought when it comes to Fukushima coverage, but they’ve cataloged hundreds of articles on the event and its aftermath. Some are about homeopathic remedies and radiations, but others are in-depth, hard news. Best of all, for each article they have links at the bottom to the original first-source material so you can dig as deep as you want.
- 3/7/12- The Mainichi Daily news is a Japanese newspaper that, unsurprisingly, is doing quite a bit of reporting on Fukushima. Just a few of the articles they ran are “Preventing radiation contamination more important than TEPCO’s stock prices” , “From broken temp sensors to leaky pipes, Fukushima nuke plant plagued with problems”, and “Tainted water still major problem at Fukushima nuke plant 1 year after meltdowns”. This link will take you to all their Fukushima articles.
- 3/7/12- Frontline does some of the best documentary reporting available. Their February report “Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown” gives an account of the crisis from the people who were there. The one-hour video is here.
- 3/7/12- The International Atomic Energy Agency warns that nuclear safety must be strengthened in light of the Fukushima disaster, a warning that is being loudly ignored.
- 3/7/12- What are we doing to make our nuke plants safer? This report from the Center for Public Integrity will tell you about the fight between the nuclear industry and its regulators.
- 3/7/12- Video Links
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- MSN’s Rock Center with Brian Williams takes you on a tour of a town frozen in time.
- Explanation of the flaws in the Mark I containment system, and the story of the people who have been trying to get them shut down since 1972
- This video by Arne Gundersen, a nuclear engineer with almost 40 years experience in the field, explains how containment vents were added to the GE Mark 1 BWR as a “band aid” 20 years after the plants built in order to prevent an explosion of the notoriously weak Mark 1 containment system. Fukushima proved how ineffectual these band aids are. He also discusses seismic design flaws, inadequate evacuation planning, and the taxpayer supported nuclear industry liability fund.
- 12/6/11– Fukushima Update– Site brings you constantly updated coverage of the Fukushima disaster
- 12/6/11– Video of reactor damage- There are three recent videos taken by an unmanned aerial vehicle of the damaged reactor buildings. This link will take you to the first one, where you’ll also find links to the other two.
- 12/6/11– Pictures of affected area- The Washington Post’s Chico Harlan took a trip through the restricted zone around the Fukushima plant. Photos from his trip are here, and a video with Chico’s commentary is here. These images are eerily (and not coincidentally) reminiscent of Paul Fusco’s 2006 tour of the Cherobyl disaster area.
