JAPAN > Plant Decontamination Progress Slower Than Planned

photo courtesy of csmonitor.com

Thursday, July 7, 2011 [Full article]

Tokyo Electric Power said a new mechanism for decontaminating radiation-tainted water at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant ran at roughly 76 percent efficiency over a seven-day period that ended on Tuesday, falling short of a goal for the equipment to achieve four-fifths of its maximum possible output, Kyodo News reported (see GSN, July 6).

The plant operator has battled to prevent radioactive contaminants from escaping the six-reactor Fukushima facility following a March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 20,000 people dead or missing in Japan. The firm has pumped water into the plant on an ongoing basis in an effort to cool components; the new system is intended to cleanse tainted fluid for reuse in the temperature control efforts.

The company now believes it would need until the middle of next month, or roughly 10 days later than previously planned, to reduce the depth of significantly contaminated water at the No. 2 and No. 3 reactor sites to 1 meter under the groundwater threshold.

The decontamination unit has treated 14,970 tons of highly radioactive water since it was first activated on June 17, Tokyo Electric Power indicated. The 6,830 tons of fluid it processed over the seven-day reporting period fell 2,020 tons short of the intended target.

Technical problems forced that forced numerous shutdowns of the system are in part to blame for the processing shortfall, the company said, adding it hoped to reach the 80 percent decontamination goal in July and 90 percent treatment efficiency next month (Kyodo News/Mainichi Daily News, July 7).

Meanwhile, specialists have launched an effort to model the dispersal of radioactive cesium from the plant through Japan's Kanto region, the Asahi Shimbun reported on Thursday (Hirohiko Nakamura, Asahi Shimbun, July 7).

CHEMICAL ACCIDENTS > Three chemical accidents at DuPont plant in West Virginia in 2010 were ‘preventable’

Thu, 2011-07-07 12:44 PM

By: Jacob Goodwin

Three accidents which occurred within a 33-hour period in January 2010 at a DuPont Corp. chemical manufacturing plant in West Virginia were caused by a “series of preventable safety shortcomings,” including a failure to maintain the integrity of a hose that carried lethal phosgene gas, whose leak led to the death of one exposed plant worker.

That was the conclusion contained in a draft report prepared by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which was directed to examine the circumstances surrounding three successive accidents that took place at DuPont’s  facility in Belle, WV, on January 22 and 23, 2010.

The Board’s report included several remedial recommendations. “Among them, DuPont is urged to enclose all of its phosgene production and storage areas so that any releases of phosgene will be contained,” said a press release issued by the CSB on July 7.

The Board concluded that the hose that burst in front of the DuPont worker was supposed to be changed at least once a month, but the hose that failed had not been changed for seven months. Furthermore, the hose involved “was susceptible to corrosion from phosgene,” the release explained.  Read more

FREE TRAINING > Anhydrous Ammonia Training

This is the best training I have ever seen on anhydrous ammonia.  Please pass along to all your emergency responder buddies and who ever else might benefit from this great training!  

Photo courtesy of:  http://transcaer.com

Below is the list of contents.  Go to course page

1. Introduction
2. How To Use This Training Package
3. Student Handbook
4. Properties
5. Transports
6. Railcars
7. Emergency Response
8. Additional Materials
9. Sponsors & Partners
10. Conclusion

WEBINAR 19JUL2011 > Preparing For the Unexpected: The Trigger Events for Systemic Failure

Preparing For the Unexpected: The Trigger Events for Systemic Failure

Join us for a Webinar on July 19

This topic outlines the situation, complications and solutions to help leaders ensure the continuity of business operations in the face of unprecedented risks. The hypothesis is that a convergence of many long wave cycles is increasing the probability and impact of large scale disasters such as the incident in Japan. Surviving and thriving amidst these threats requires an enterprise resiliency plan that encompasses all internal functions, suppliers, and enterprise eco-system touch points. Are you prepared?

Japan Plans Safety Review for Every Atomic Reactor

Image courtesy of: http://www.nucleartourist.com/world/japan.htm 

Japan on Wednesday announced plans to probe how well each of its atomic energy facilities could stand up to significant environmental pressures, a new effort to alleviate the fear of nearby populations following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Jiji Press reported (see GSN, July 5).Wednesday, July 6, 2011The Fukushima plant's operator has struggled to prevent radioactive contaminants from escaping the six-reactor facility following a March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 20,000 people dead or missing in Japan (Jiji Press, July 6). Multiple additional reactors in Japan have remained switched off amid fears of potential new crises, Reuters reported (Tsukimori/White, Reuters, July 6).

The "stress tests" would take place in addition to standard risk audits, Jiji Press quoted Japanese Industry Minister Banri Kaieda as saying.

"Although the safety of nuclear power plants in Japan has already been ensured, we will be doing the stress tests to have Japanese people feel safer," Kaieda said (Jiji Press).

Meanwhile, a trace amount of cesium 137 has turned up in Tokyo's public water supply, the Dow Jones Newswires reported on Monday.

A quantity drawn on Saturday had .14 becquerels per kilogram of the radioactive substance, down from the .21 becquerels found in a April 22 check, the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health said. Cesium 137 was the only contaminant seen in the fluid, the organization indicated.

Water containing as much as 100 becquerels per kilogram is considered reasonable for consumption by very young children (Hiroyuki Kachi, Dow Jones Newswires, July 4)

Japan > Fuel Melted in Additional Japan Nuclear Reactors: Operator

Fuel Melted in Additional Japan Nuclear Reactors: Operator

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

photo courtesy channel4.com

Nuclear material melted down inside three reactors at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after a March 11 earthquake and tsunami severely damaged the facility, according to an initial Tokyo Electric Power assessment made public on Tuesday (see GSN, May 23).  

The finding suggests fuel in the six-reactor Fukushima plant's No. 2 and No. 3 reactors sustained a level of damage comparable to what Tokyo and independent specialists said the No. 1 reactor's material had experienced in the aftermath of the the March 11 events, Reuters reported. The devastating earthquake and tsunami left more than 20,000 people dead or missing in Japan (Shinichi Saoshiro, Reuters I, May 24).

“We have analyzed data, which showed that it was highly likely that most of the fuel rods have melted. But it is unlikely that melting fuel rods could worsen the crisis because the melted fuels are covered in water,” the Associated Press quoted firm spokesman Takeo Iwamoto as saying (Associated Press/Washington Post, May 23).Full article

Bombed Syrian Facility Likely Contained Reactor: IAEA

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

The International Atomic Energy Agency in a new safeguards report said a Syrian facility destroyed in a 2007 Israeli airstrike had quite possibly housed an undisclosed nuclear reactor nearing completion, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday (George Jahn, Associated Press/Washington Times, May 24; seeGSN, May 20).

"Features of the destroyed building are comparable to those of gas cooled graphite moderated
reactors of the type and size alleged," IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano asserted in the document. "Prior to the bombing, the configuration of the infrastructure at the site, including its connections for cooling and treated water, was able to support the operation of such a reactor and was not consistent with Syria’s claims regarding the purpose of the infrastructure," he added.

"In addition, a number of other features of the site add to its suitability for the construction and
operation of a nuclear reactor; analysis of samples from the site indicates a connection to nuclear related activities; and the features of the destroyed building and the site could not have served the purpose claimed by Syria," the report states.

Amano concluded: "Based on all the information available to the agency and its technical evaluation of that information, the agency assesses that it is very likely that the building destroyed at the Dair Alzour site was a nuclear reactor which should have been declared to the agency" (International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards report, May 24)  Full article
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Swimming Safety > CDC promotes Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week --- May 23--29, 2011

image courtesy of
camarillo.macaronikid.com 

May 23-29, 2011, marks the seventh annual Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week. This observance highlights simple steps swimmers and pool operators can take to reduce health and safety risks at pools, water parks, and other recreational water venues.

Recreational water illness can result from ingesting, inhaling aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, or oceans. These illnesses also can be caused by chemicals in the water or chemicals that evaporate from the water.

This year's observance focuses on preventing swimmer's ear (acute otitis externa), a common and painful infection of the outer ear canal that results in 2.4 million health-care visits and nearly half a billion dollars in health-care costs every year (1). Simple steps, such as keeping ears as dry as possible, can help prevent this illness. More information on preventing swimmer's ear is available at http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/illnesses/swimmers-ear-prevention-guidelines.html.

Injuries and drowning also can occur in and around the water. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death among children aged ≤14 years (2). Additional information on drowning prevention is available at http://www.cdc.gov/safechild/drowning/index.html.

Medal of Valor > 5 GA. State Defense Force member's awarded Medal of Valor for saving woman

On 18APR2010, a woman riding a motorized wheelchair, got caught in the tracks of a railroad crossing. With a mere 10 seconds to spare, 5 brave GA State Defense Force member's rushed to pull her and the wheelchair out of harm's way!  - Read more

photo courtesy of:   http://www.mdjonline.com