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Fukushima News 5/30/16: TEPCO Vacuuming Meltdowns; Fukushima's Ice/Slushie Wall

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• published: 31 May 2016
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TEPCO clearing radioactive debris from reactor The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is using a vacuum-like device to clear radioactive debris from a damaged reactor building. The No. 1 reactor building suffered a hydrogen explosion in 2011. The top floor of the building is scattered with relatively small pieces of rubble, including iron frames and concrete. The debris is an obstacle to plans to remove nuclear fuel from a cooling pool in the building. On Monday, a device measuring 13 meters long and 5 meters high was lifted by crane to the building. It is fitted with a hose capable of sucking up objects weighing as much as 20 kilograms. Tokyo Electric Power Company says it wants to complete the work in July and move on to larger pieces of debris next year. The company hopes to start removing the nuclear fuel in about four years. The company says workers are spraying chemical agents and taking other steps to prevent the spread of radioactive dust. TEPCO came under fire in 2013, when work to remove rubble from the No. 3 reactor building resulted in radioactive substances being dispersed to surrounding areas. The company says that during the work on Monday, no abnormalities were detected in radiation levels or in the count of radioactive particles. More measures needed for Fukushima ice wall The operator of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is considering conducting additional work to help freeze the ground around the crippled reactors. Tokyo Electric Power Company began freezing the soil in late March to build a 1.5-kilometer underground ice wall around the 4 reactors. The utility wants to reduce the amount of groundwater flowing into the reactor buildings, because it becomes contaminated with radioactive substances. TEPCO says the ground at multiple locations along the barrier has yet to reach below zero degree Celsius and one checkpoint remain at around 10 degrees. It says those areas contain more gravel and that the accumulated groundwater may be hampering the freezing process. It is studying additional measures, such as pouring chemical compounds to solidify the ground, and will discuss its ideas with Nuclear Regulation Authority. TEPCO had hoped to expand by this month the areas to be frozen but say it will examine the timing carefully, taking into consideration the problem facing the project. Govt. to assist Fukushima Daiichi workers' health Japan's government will open a health counseling service for the growing number of workers engaged in decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The health ministry says about 6,000 people are doing the long-term work of clearing the contamination and closing down the crippled plant. That number has doubled in the past 2 years. Health care management for workers is a key issue due to radiation concerns. Risk of heat stroke or other health consequences as temperatures rise in the summer are other implications. The ministry will set up a free consultation desk near the plant in early July. It will send physicians and health counselors knowledgeable about radiation. The operator and its contractors are basically responsible for worker health checks. But the ministry expects the new service to offer another channel to meet the needs of workers with health problems. NRA planning snap nuclear plant inspections Japan's nuclear regulator is proposing surprise inspections of nuclear power plants. This comes in response to a recent suggestion by the International Atomic Energy Agency that Japan should make its nuclear plant inspections more effective. On Monday, the Nuclear Regulation Authority, or NRA, held the first meeting of a team to review its inspection system. They discussed a draft reform plan prepared by the NRA Secretariat. Japanese law stipulates when inspections are to be held and what is to be checked. This includes 4 rounds of safety inspections per year to confirm maintenance management, and regular inspections of facilities once each 13 months in principle. The reform plan says power companies should plan and conduct checkups themselves, and then NRA inspectors should be allowed to check, without prior notice, all safety measures taken by the companies. The NRA Secretariat says it is considering improving its training of inspectors, as the proposed plan would rely more on their capabilities. The reviewing team hopes to come up with a final plan in a few months after consulting the Federation of Electric Power Companies and others. The NRA says it wants to introduce a new system in 2020. Veterans of Atomic Test Blasts: No Warning, and Late Amends http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/30/us/veterans-of-atomic-test-blasts-no-warning-and-late-amends.html?_r=0 LEGACY: Upriver Radioactive Contamination May Have Impacted Huntington Cancer Risk http://www.huntingtonnews.net/137279 Atomic Vets http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000004443035/atomic-vets.html?emc=edit_th_20160530&nl;=todaysheadlines&nlid;=11424992 http://nucnews.com/whatsnew.php