Monday, August 15, 2011

Neptunium-239 Detected from Soil in Iitate-mura in Fukushima???

(Correction: my initial post said "several thousand becquerels per kilogram", but on checking the original Japanese post there is no mention of "per kilogram" or per any other unit.)

The information comes from a strange source - the husband and wife comedian couple cum independent journalists attending and reporting on TEPCO and the government press conferences when they are not on stage.

In their blogpost on August 11 (in Japanese), they relate their talk with a researcher at the University of Tokyo who has submitted a scientific paper to a foreign academic society. This researcher, whom they say they cannot name because the paper is being reviewed right now, went to Fukushima and collected soil samples, rice hay samples, and water samples. He even went to the front of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant and collected samples there.

He also went to Iitate-mura. And he tells the couple that he found neptunium-239 in Iitate-mura, about 38 kilometers from the plant, in approximately the same amount as he found at the front gate of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. That is the topic of his paper.

The couple says in the very intelligent post that they cannot provide details because the paper is in review (but they also say the researcher has given them permission to talk about it in general terms), but it was in several thousand becquerels. There is no mention of whether it was per kilogram or per square meter or per something else.

There is no mention of when the researcher went to Iitate-mura. I could be wrong but the indication from the post is that it was after the news that chlorine-38 detection at Fukushima I Nuke Plant was false. TEPCO retracted the earlier announcement of chlorine-38 detection, on April 20.

Uranium-239, whose half life is about 24 minutes, decays into neptunium-239 through beta decay. Neptunium-239, gamma emitter whose half life is about 2.4 days, decays into plutonium-239 whose half life is 24,200 years.

If this Tokyo University researcher went to Iitate-mura after April 20 and he was still detecting neptunium-239 whose half life is only 2.4 days, I just abhor to think of the implications. The locations that he found neptunium-239, in Iitate-mura and in front of the plant, were never tested by the Ministry of Education and Science or by TEPCO, according to the post.

Evacuation of Iitate-mura wasn't completed till late May, but not all villagers evacuated. There are still old people living in the village, and the villagers regularly go back to the village to check up on things.

I don't know how much longer Japan can continue to "Extend and Pretend", but probably much longer than anyone outside expects. We'll find out when this paper gets published.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's rather strange - could be that he or the software he's using mis-identified something.

Anonymous said...

Bad news, people are dying all around Japan
suddenly from heart like attack
that caused by cesium, young people different ages. It is not in news, but it is what my Japanese husband is reading on Japanese forums. Volunteer worker went to Fukushima, then died, saka player died suddenly in Fukushima while was playing. Who can prove now that it is cesium related ? Who ? Japanese government and Tepco are mafia !!!!

Matt D said...

Sounds like Arnie Gundersen follows your blog:

http://enenews.com/nuclear-engineer-suggests-enenews-during-interview-visit-site-several-times-day-immediately-experiences-audio-difficulties-video

Thank you for all your hard work!

Anonymous said...

Arnie the deaf? LOL.

Listen, can u hear?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_83clarF6AY

Anonymous said...

.

"I just abhor to think of the implications."

-> I am lost: Pls give out the worst case scenario

.

Anonymous said...

the husband and wife comedian couple what kind of source is that, you, you, rumor monger

Anonymous said...

RE:Anonymous @ 5:01
Cancers are not the only health problems caused by radiation exposure, and cardiovascular effects were found at Chernobyl.

From the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) Report on Chernobyl:

"D. Lazyuk examined cardiovascular diseases amongst liquidators from Belarus.
His study showed that, in the observation period 1992 to 1997, there was a huge increase in cases of fatal cardiovascular disease amongst liquidators (22.1 percent) compared with the general population (2.5 percent)."

There is also a table toward the end of the report that shows an astounding 98,000+ out of every 100,000 people in the Ukraine
wound up having circulatory health problems.

http://www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/accidents/chernob_report2011webippnw.pdf

Also here is a link to the IPPNW Special Report on Fukushima:
http://www.ippnw.org/pdf/2011-mgs-fukushima.pdf

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...

the husband and wife comedian couple what kind of source is that, you, you, rumor monger"

This is an excellent site, accumulating the information TEPCO and other governement would be HAPPY to ignore. While not a scientist presenting this data, this provides a timeline and comments for discovery! So WHO do you work for, talking about rumor-mongering? TEPCO? If you dont like this blog, dont read it.

Anonymous said...

Soccer player died in Matsumoto. Nowhere near Fukushima.

A rabbit born in Fukushima with no ears makes worldwide headlines, but people suddenly dying of cardiac arrest all over Japan is somehow not making the news? Please...

Anonymous said...

This is the problem with the internet. Someone tweets something, or quotes a completely unreliable source, it gets picked up by ENENEWS, then circulates on more blogs and people start repeating it as fact. ENENEWS should start screening out hearsay because it's eroding it's journalistic integrity as a news source.

By the way, comments like "98,000+ out of every 100,000 people in the Ukraine
wound up having circulatory health problems."
are patently false. 98% of the population of the Ukraine did not fall ill.

I live in Japan and real scientific monitoring by credible independent sources is providing enough data to show how bad the situation really is. It is completely unnecessary to spread sensationalist rumors. All it does is create confusion and muddy the situation.

If we stick to fact, then a clear picture can emmerge of the real threats we face and how we can better deal with them.

-Brett

pat said...

Hopefully the spike in cardiac arrests will make the Japanese statistics reports. In the US, we pubish MMWR, and you can see that, maybe.

The problem is Heart failure is the technical definition of death. There are no dead people without heart failure. The trick is what caused the heart to stop. Was it coronary occlusion? Cardiac insufficiency? arryhtmia? Which of these would be caused by radiation?

Will the japanese stats show us this?

as for Neptunium, I need to know the concentration. if it's a few bQ/M3 it's probably leftovers, if it's 10-20 bq/CM3 that's a big deal.

Anonymous said...

Brett@6:47
Please READ the IPPNW report. The IPPNW has won the Nobel Prize. Their report is NOT a rumor. I would think this group is rather more qualified in its scientific presentations on the health effects of radiation than you are.

LOOK at the table on page 61 of the report as to circulatory heath problems per 100,000 in the Ukrainian population before you attempt to discredit information with your own baseless opinions.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how much longer Japan can continue to "Extend and Pretend," easy1, until teh very bitter end, you rumor monger

Caveat Emptor said...

Fukushima-Diary has a category of posts which selects social media posts; considered as independent events, like radiation testing in Japan, these social-media posts present anecdotal evidence which are converging into a similar outcome that quantitative physical testing suggests:

radiation levels ARE far, far higher than the posturing being made by officials suggest.

Anonymous said...

For many outsiders this Fukoshima is just a replay(my second big one), the difference is not only the scale of it, also the wide range of isotops in the picture. The constant downplaying and lies is not even new, its the same pattern everywhere, from oilind. to chemicals.
The fact that the situation on site is not even improving is also highly alarming.

People are acustumed to Holywood film acidents or catasrofes, the real world dont operate like that.
This is not a bullet, its a slow process.
It will slowly accumulate untill it surfaces.
We know it, but its never "highlighted" in the news. Like Falujha in Iraq, regarding DU dust.
Where women dont want to have baybies anymore, because of the massive numbers of birthdefects.
And all that is related to DU, and now they are filling Libya with the same shitt, christ ...
We have the same shitt, but the scale is bigger.

Well, you may regard this a scearmongering, then all I will say is than, in 3-6 months time, I hope you have the balls to sand infront of the children and say that this is just a joke.
Stopp drinking sodapopp.
huh.

Even the millisivert sounds small, doesnt it.
Tiny tiny, but so is also the amount of posion, injected from a common seasnake, just millilitres.
Almoust nothing, right.

What I am trying to tell is that this is a werry sirious situation, and to ridicoulding it away, will only fool you and those that have
the same aproch to radiation fallout.
But for the folks involved and us you are behaving irresponcible and reckless on behalfe of the people of Japan.
Remeber the Black Rain, in Tokyo. It was no ilution, we all know that it rained radioactive isotops.

We have only tryed to predare you for the reality of this fallout and the implications involved. And again the scale is making me even more worryed.
Its downright sceary.

Anonymous said...

To Brett at 6:47

"Journalistic integrity' has been absent in the professional media throughout this event. It's a media blackout that the government(s) want and the media provides. If the professional media had integrity, they would be acting in the best interests of humanity.

Anonymous said...

Blah, Blah, Blah....all this scientific banter is worthless. The place is contaminated. The food, water, air, animals, dong, urine, trees, and flies are ALL CONTAMINATED!

So the bottomline....everything is going to die! Die! Die!

The Science of radiation is worthless once things are contaminated. Someone should have paid attention to the Science of radiation BEFORE the disaster hit, not after.

Frankly, I'll be happy when everything is gone. I'm so sick of hearing how everyone is ignoring the facts! They are stupid, what did you expect?
Smart people left that place in minutes and to parts unknown!

TEPCO and the Governments of the World love to play "Make Believe Everything Is Normal"!
Let's all keep the game going!

Anonymous said...

"Scientific banter is worthless". I can now imagine Arnie Gundersen regretting he ever mentioned ex-skf. The posters here have now completely jumped the shark and are now embracing faith-based paranoia. "If you don't like it, read another blog..." I guess no different opinions are allowed on this site. Ironic that this blog has now become the fascist police state that it accuses Japan of becoming.

Anonymous said...

See above for a classic example of fakery by some PR firm / government department, desperate to close down discussion on this issue. Straw man argument; weird repetition of 'now' which suggests this was bashed out in a hurry; wild allegations that lack relevance or basis.

Be discerning!

Anonymous said...

See above for classic example of groupthink. If you aren't with us, you're agin' us.

Bush Jr. would be proud.

Anonymous said...

Pretty sad when the only person to have accurately called this thing has been Anne Coulter.

Anonymous said...

Any source for the claim that people are dying all around Japan?

Anonymous said...

I can't tell you what a broken heart I feel for the people of Japan. I watched a documentary on YOU TUBE produced by NHK, the other day.

A horse breeder and his adult son stayed in a radioactive location, their farm, to assist a mare about to give birth to her colt. It was beyond poignant, as I felt a bond thousands of miles away with this family.

The TEPCO and the government has engaged in systematic lies and distortions...and the good, decent, people of Japan deserve way better than this.

Woop says: may God bless everyone there.

Anonymous said...

The scientist's name is Katsumi Shozugawa, a researcher at Tokyo University specializing in gamma spectrum analysis of radionuclides.

Anonymous said...

@ woop
i saw that video and it really brought a human dimension to this whole affair! toward the end i was in tears when the farmers drove of and the dog chasing....heartbreaking...the sadness in peoples eyes! this is the real tradgedy!
a link to the video can be found here
http://enenews.com/166000000-bqm-radioacttve-iodine-cesium-212-million-detected-researchers-4-km-fukushima-plant-nhk-video
peace

Anonymous said...

the daughter product of neptunium 239 is plutonium 239 i believe! it takes 40 or 50 days to convert! :(

Anonymous said...

Why did you delete this post,

Neptunium-239 Was Indeed Detected in Iitate-mura Soil, Higher Than ...

ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/08/neptunium-239-was-indeed-detected-in.html

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

@anon 4:20PM, see my comment on the post: http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/08/ecological-half-life-of-cesium-137-may.html

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