UNDT STILL IN JAPAN!!! August 9, 2012 - Japan Daily Press - Fukushima’s rice gets tested for radiation - Better to be safe than sorry right? This is why the Fukushima Prefectural Government has undertaken the task of doing experimental testing of all the rice produced in its region for radioactivity. The first batch of experiments was conducted at an agricultural facility on August 7th. This comes just ahead of the launch of shipments of rice from the Fukushima Prefecture, due later this month. JA Michinoku Adachi facility in Motomiya, Fukushima Prefecture, was the place where the tests were conducted. The facility checked for radioactive cesium on all bags of rice from the prefecture. Since the Fukushima Prefectural Government plans to test all rice produced in their province, it sums it up to about 360,000 tons that need to be tested. For the experiment, the rice from last year was placed on a conveyor belt and newly developed equipments scanned them for radiation levels. If the radioactivity of cesium in the rice exceeds 100 becquerels per kilogram, then the rice needs to be disposed and not shipped. One of the aims of the experiment was to access if radioactivity could be detected in rice with varying concentrations of radioactive cesium. According to the officials around 143 testing devices will be used for the testing and the experiment is expected to conclude early next year.
August 8, 2012 - Recycling International - Radioactive vehicles pile up in Japanese yards - Vehicle recyclers in the Fukushima Prefecture of Japan are suffering serious consequences of last year’s earthquake-related nuclear power plant accidents. End-of-life vehicles and car carcasses contaminated with radiation are said to be accumulating in recyclers’ yards. According to Napro Fukushima Co., a car recycler located in Hironomachi in the so-called Emergency Evacuation Preparation Zone, a shredder operator group has established a voluntary limit of 0.3 micro sievert if blocks of pressed cars are to be accepted; any blocks with radiation levels exceeding the limit are rejected. By comparison, a Toyota Crown taken from Iwaki city several months ago has recorded 2.9 micro sievert of radiation; such highly-contaminated vehicles used in the cities of Fukushima, Koriyama and Iwaki are often found, says the company. In effect, it is argued, contaminated vehicles have nowhere to go once they arrive at recyclers’ sites; even if they are dismantled and scrapped, shredder operators will not accept them and so they are increasingly piled up in recyclers’ yards.
August 8, 2012 - KRNV Reno - Free radiation screening clinic offered in Reno - Personnel from the Nevada Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (RESEP) will offer free medical screenings on Saturday, August 25, 2012 at University of Nevada, Reno in the Brigham Building. Screenings are by appointment only. Nevadans who lived near or worked at the Nevada Test Site during the period of atmospheric nuclear testing (1951 – 1963) may be eligible to participate. The Nevada RESEP Program offers Nevadans exposed to radiation no cost medical screenings. This screening program also provides education on cancer and illnesses related to exposure to nuclear radiation. In addition, the Nevada RESEP program assists individuals in applying for compensation through the federal Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Under this act, eligible Nevadans who have had cancer or other radiogenic illnesses may receive up to $75,000 in compensation.
August 7, 2012 - Limerick Patch - Potassium Iodide Tablets Available Thursday - The Pennsylvania Department of Health will be handing out potassium iodide tablets at several locations on Thursday, August 9, according to a press release sent out on Monday. Potassium iodide, often referred to by its chemical formula KI, can help protect thyroid tissue from cancer in the event of a radioactive release. Anyone who lives, works, and/or attends school within a ten-mile radius of one of the state's five nuclear plants (including Limerick Generating Station) can obtain four potassium iodide pills per adult in their household. There are smaller doses for children, based on age. Anyone can take potassium iodide as long as they are not allergic to it. The pills are considered an emergency measure and would only be taken if people are directed to do so by the governor or other state health officials.
August 7, 2012 - Associated Press - Japan nuclear plant workers face stigma - A growing number of Japanese workers who are risking their health to shut down the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant are suffering from depression, anxiety about the future and a loss of motivation, say two doctors who visit them regularly. But their psychological problems are driven less by fears about developing cancer from radiation exposure and more by something immediate and personal: Discrimination from the very community they tried to protect, says Jun Shigemura, who heads a volunteer team of about ten psychiatrists and psychologists from the National Defense Medical College who meet with Tokyo Electric Power Co. nuclear plant employees.
August 7, 2012 - Reuters - Guards replaced after Tennessee nuclear security breach - The Energy Department said on Monday it was replacing guards and supervisors on duty 10 days ago when three peace activists, including an 82 year-old nun, breached perimeter security at the principal U.S. facility for storing weapons-grade enriched uranium. The guards and supervisors work for WSI Oak Ridge, a subsidiary of the giant international private security contractor G4S, which was at the center of a dispute over security preparations at the London Olympic Games. A federal official at the U.S. Energy Department's Y-12 complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, had also been "temporarily re-assigned" pending the investigation, a government official said. The U.S. government both processes and stores enriched uranium at the Y-12 complex. Joshua McConaha, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Energy Department branch responsible for designing and building U.S. nuclear weapons, told Reuters that the incident, which occurred during the night of July 27-28, was "not consistent with the level of professionalism and expertise we expect from our guard force." As a consequence, McConaha said, the agency "has taken steps to remove the leadership team and the guard forces on duty at the time, and to replace them with some of the best security experts from around our enterprise."