Saturday, February 15, 2014

#Fukushima I NPP: TEPCO Now Admits Underestimation of Beta Nuclides in 167 Samples Since March 2011


The total number of samples for beta nuclide analyses from March 2011 to January 2014 is 20,866. It turns out that if the sample contains more than 200,000 Bq/Liter of beta nuclides, the instrument cannot accurately measure the radioactivity.

From Fukushima Minyu (2/15/2014):

167体で誤測定の可能性 ベータ線を出す放射性物質

Possibility of mistakes in measuring beta nuclides in 167 samples

東京電力が福島第1原発の汚染水測定でストロンチウム90などベータ線を出す放射性物質の濃度を過小に推計していた問題で、東電は14日、事故直後の2011(平成23)年3月から今年1月末までに測定した試料167体について、正確な測定できず、測定値を過小に推計した可能性があるとする調査結果を発表した。いずれも実際の値はさらに上昇する見通し。

TEPCO underestimated the densities of beta nuclides including strontium-90 in the analyses of contaminated water at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. On February 14, TEPCO announced the result of the investigation that says TEPCO underestimated [the densities of beta nuclides] in 167 samples taken and analyzed between March 2011 and the end of January 2014. The actual densities are expected to be much higher.

東電によると、167体は、海水や観測用井戸から採取した地下水や、敷地内の土壌など。

According to TEPCO, these 167 samples were taken from the seawater, groundwater from the observation wells, and soil inside the plant compound.

東電が原発事故直後から今年1月末までに測定したベータ線を出す放射性物質の件数は計2万866体。これまでの調査で、測定機器では1リットル当たり20万ベクレルを超える試料は正確な値が測定されないことが判明しており、検体数を確認したところ167体に上った。東電は今後、これらの検体を測定し直し、正確な測定値を公表するとしている。

The total number of samples for beta nuclide analyses from immediately after the start of the nuclear accident and the end of January this year is 20,866. The investigation so far has revealed that the instrument [used by TEPCO] cannot accurately measure the samples with beta nuclides exceeding 200,000 Bq/Liter, and there are 167 such samples. TEPCO says the company will analyze these samples again, and publish the accurate results.


Only now TEPCO is allowed to admit to the mistake. Now that the 2020 Olympics will be held in Tokyo, and now that the Tokyo gubernatorial election is safely over, with the win by a pro-nuclear candidate with whom TEPCO is very comfortable working.

TEPCO correctly measured the sample with 5 million Bq/L of strontium-90, but they did not disclose the number because their measurement of all-beta including strontium-90 in the same sample was 0.9 million Bq/L, which was an impossibility. They sat on it, and sat on it until February 7, 2014.

According to tweets by nuclear experts, TEPCO has the analysis lab at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant with 30 staff members. According to these experts, it is barely adequate for the amount of work they have to do.

And where is the promise of "the national government at the forefront" by the Abe administration?

Now that the 2020 Olympics is in the bag and the governor of Tokyo is the highly blackmailable Masuzoe, Abe has moved on to his pet project - Constitutional amendment, which will be determined solely by him as the "CEO" of the nation.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can only once again repeat that TEPCO cannot be allowed to be the only entity to take measurements and release related information since they have a vested interest in what is publicly known or, more importantly, not known. At a minimum, the Japanese government (NRA or an EPA-equivalent government entity) should be doing its own measurements even though, of course, it too has a vested interest in keeping "uncomfortable" information from the public.

As it stands, TEPCO's results should be checked and double-checked by not only the government, but preferably independent experts.

There will be no end to "measuring errors" and the like as long as we have to rely solely on TEPCO information.
*mscharisma*

Anonymous said...

Good points, mscharisma.

Concentrate the focus a little more and you must ask Why is TEPCO revising at this stage? Internal QA or is an outside agency testing and questioning TEPCO's numbers?

Can any of the food contamination measures be trusted? Done by whom, again?

All these actors have demonstrated their prerogative: TEPCO with their measures, with the TEPCam jiggering, food export kept in the dark.
They only have one product left to target -- your concept of what's really being done.
Since it's not being double-checked there's only one option: anything that comes out of Japan gets boycotted. Fair and enough.

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

Anon at 5:50AM, food sample analyses are not done by TEPCO at all, or the national government. They are done by the prefectural governments, municipal governments, citizens organizations, universities.

sangell said...

I really doubt the IOC would have blocked Japan getting the 2020 Olympic Games if the swimming competition were held in the spent fuel pools at Fukushima. These guys are more about money and who will offer the most and can 'sell' the games the best. Japan has a good record hosting the games in the past and can build the venues, facilities and audiences the IOC requires. Consider the World Cup is going to be held in Qatar or some such emirate where game time temperatures will be around 120 degrees F and you get an idea of how high athlete safety and comfort rank. I remember them running the 26 mile Marathon at the 2008 Athens Summer games in 100 degree conditions so having a few athletes collapse and die even of radiation will only enhance public interest and the TV audience. The IOC is probably more worried about political tension between Beijing and Tokyo causing a Chinese boycott of the games than anything else. If Chinese and Japanese athletes actually get into fights is good as long as both teams are there!

Anonymous said...

All of these agencies have a stake in keeping the misinformation coming.For Jobs, economy,tax base,property values.

Anonymous said...

Nor did I think TEPCO did food testing.

I won't be asked to believe the prefecturals and others did not know the methods TEPCO was using to test, and that they were incorrect. C'mon, if you're set up to test this stuff word gets passed what methods and equipment are used.
Somebody forgot again to point it out several years ago??

Anonymous said...

Japan government is acting ashamed, Tepco is acting cheap. Winner combo to contain the biggest nuclear disaster mankind has ever witnessed... from a distance...

Anonymous said...

Tepco receiving taxpayer money, maybe it's the next step in a near-future corporate dystopia in Japan where all of the northeast of the island will become a nuclear reservation where all their waste is stored and only there will the reactors be allowed. Manned by the lowest castes who are forced to deny at every turn the symptoms of the radiated death. Residents of Leukemiavilles will mutter to themselves about the benefits of working for their benefactors, the Fuku-corps.

Anonymous said...

@ Anon at 3:14:
True, there is likely no one without a vested interest in what information is collected and released or not. However, the more different entities measure and evaluate, the more would have to make the same "errors" to come up with consistent results and the easier it would be to expose the schemers as what they are.
*mscharisma*

Anonymous said...

Replying to mscharisma and 3:14's,

What we are seeing in Japan is what vested interests expressed in the U.S.'s Cold War. For Japan, "baseless rumors".
For the U.S., it was this one & that was "defecting".

Same playbook.

http://beanroad.blogspot.com/2008/03/nuclear-lake-before-at.html

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/article/history/nuclear-accident-at-wood-river-junction

In how many locales did those same scenarios play out across the country, each Radiation Bucket Shop "entitled" to dispose of their waste any way felt to?

Radiation Bucket Shops, Wall Street bucket shops.

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