High level of radioactive iodine measured in the sea water near Fukushima

A radioactive iodine level 1,250 times higher than normal has been measured in the sea water, a few hundred meters off the coast near the Fukushima nuclear power plant, in North-Eastern Japan, announced on Saturday the Japanese Agency for Nuclear Safety.

The agency said the tests had been conducted by the company that manages power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), in the water off the coast of reactor 1.

"If you drank 500 ml of water with this concentration of iodine, you would immediately reach the annual maximum limit that you can absorb. This is a relatively high level." said an agency spokesman.

He added that "the radioactivity released into the sea will dilute due to the tide, which in turn means that the concentration would have to be much higher for marine algae and animals to absorb", he added.

"In addition, the concentration of iodine is reducing itself by half every eight days, so that when people will eat these sea food products, the quantity will most likely be greatly reduced" he said.

Tuesday, the level of iodine 131 was 126 times higher than the legal limit set by the Government in the water tested in the Pacific Ocean at the exact same place, near Fukushima Daiichi plant. Therefore, radioactive iodine concentration increased approximately ten times in just a few days.

Public authorities have announced increased controls imposed on fish and seafood caught along the coast.

This nuclear power plant located 250 km North-East of Tokyo, was severely damaged by the earthquake followed by a tsunami on March 11. Cooling systems at four of the reactors have been shut down since then, resulting in numerous incidents and emissions of radioactive particles.

Japan: Increased radioactive levels in tap water in Tokyo

The latest control shows increased radioactive levels in both running water and food products!

A radioactive iodine level above the legal limit allowed for infants has been detected in tap water in the 35 million people metropolis located 250 kilometers South-West of the Fukushima nuclear plant, announced authorities on Wednesday.

A city official said that a iodine concentration of 210 becquerel per kilogram was found in samples taken from running water, while the limit set by the Japanese for babies is only 100 becquerel.

Also Wednesday, the Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged people not to consume vegetables, especially spinach, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, where abnormal levels of radioactivity have been detected. He temporarily banned the sale of green vegetables from Fukushima and raw milk and parsley coming from Ibaraki.

Radioactive substances in quantities greater than legal norms have been detected in 11 types of vegetables in areas near the Fukushima nuclear power plant, announced the Japanese Ministry of Health.

A level of 82.000 becquerel radiocaesium - 164 times the legal limit - was measured in leaves of some vegetables from Motomiya, a village in Fukushima Prefecture, together with a level of radioactive iodine of 15.000 becquerel, seven times higher than the limit, according to the ministry.

If a person consumed 100 grams of contaminated vegetables each day for ten days, this would amount to half the radiation level to which a person shhould ever be exposed during a year, the ministry said.

Fear of a major contamination of fish and seafood has intensified Tuesday after the discovery of an abnormally high level of radioactive substances in seawater near the Fukushima plant.

The United States stopped the import of food products from the 4 prefectures surrounding the nuclear plant. France in turn asked the European Commission to impose a "systematic control" of the imports of fresh products from Japan at the EU borders.

Radiation pills

After the nuclear accident in Japan, scores of people all over the world could be exposed to radiation. Depending of the level of radiation, this may lead to several symptoms, like hair loss, skin rash, even burns and, in case of extreme exposure, acute radiation syndrome. Cancer risk sharply increases.

As nuclear threat in spreading, people all over the world is mistakenly ingesting potassium iodine pills, widely considered “to protect against cancer”. What is true and what is myth in all this hysteria?

The truth is that potassium iodine protects you against one single type of cancer and incorrectly taken may have adverse side effects. In most instances of radiation exposure, the benefits of taking KI outweigh any known risks or side effects. Newborn infants taking a repeat dose of KI increase their risk of developing hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid.

As a general rule, never take potassium iodine without proper medical advice. You can freely buy it without a prescription as side effects may be very dangerous too. But if a doctor recommends you to take it, do not avoid taking it. In case of a nuclear accident, potassium iodine is extremely important for pregnant women, as their thyroids absorb radioactive iodine leaked by reactors much faster than other persons. Taking the recommended dose of potassium iodine, the pregnant woman also protects her baby, who automatically absorbs the needed quantity.

Radiation exposure sharply increases cancer risk, a danger that usually looms for decades after the exposure. Immune system is strongly affected by radiation, leading to cancer and other diseases.

Japan's nuclear crisis overwhelmed drugstores in the U.S. and other countries for a drug that can protect against one type of radiation damage. Though the risk of radiation remains only in Japan people in other places is worried that potassium iodine might disappear and want it in their homes.

Doctors warned that there's no reason for people outside Japan to stock up on potassium iodide but the stronger the warns, the greater the panic.

The myth about the use of potassium iodide is that this is a general radiation antidote. But the pill can help prevent radioactive iodine from causing thyroid cancer. Mostly children are known to be at risk in a nuclear disaster.

In the U.S., whether people fear fallout from Japan or a nuclear accident here, potassium iodide seems to have become something of a hot commodity.

Potassium iodide is a salt also known as KI that has only one use, to protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine. It blocks no other type of radiation, and protects no other body part.
The drug, either pill or liquid form, is sold over-the-counter and is considered safe, but doctors warn that it disturbs hormonal equilibrium of the body and may lead to allergic reactions.
Potassium iodide is most important for children and pregnant women, because a growing thyroid is much more active and more likely to absorb radioactive iodine. It should be given within a few hours of radiation exposure — but isn't considered that useful for people over age 40.
Only two U.S. companies are approved by the FDA to manufacture KI, so supply from friends and relatives abroad is usual these days.

Potassium iodine is a salt of stable iodine. This substance is used by our bodies to produce thyroid hormones. KI is sold as a tablet or as a liquid medicine to protect the thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine. Saturating your body with potassium iodine prevents absorbtion of the radioactive one, which is released into the air by crippled nuclear plant. It is able to block radioactive iodine because the thyroid recognizes both KI and radioactive iodine as the same substance. KI “fills up” the thyroid with its daily iodine quota, thus blocking the radioactive version from being absorbed. That is why KI should be taken as soon as the possibility of radiation contamination is known, before the damage can occur. Without such protection, the thyroid gland would quickly absorb the radioactive iodine, that often results in thyroid cancer.

The problem is that KI protects only the thyroid. Radioactive iodine continues to enter the body through breathing, or by eating contaminated food. KI also does not protect other parts of the body besides the thyroid, and it cannot protect even the thyroid from other radioactive materials besides iodine. Nor can it reverse damage once the thyroid has been exposed to radioactive iodine. One dose of KI is effective for 24 hours.

Iodized table salt also contains iodine, but it doesn't contain enough to block radioactive iodine and should not be used as a substitute for KI.

Radioactive traces in the tap water in Tokyo

Authorities said they found traces of radioactivity in drinking water in Tokyo and five other regions. They also announced that spinach and milk from two prefectures near the plant have been slightly irradiated too.

However, officials from the Japanese Ministry of Science have declared that: "Doses are lower than the maximum level allowed".

"The ministry has started to make measurements of current water quality on Saturday and we have detected traces of radioactive iodine and cesium", said an official from the Ministry in charge of verification (quoted by AFP).

The radioactive iodine was detected in tap water in the prefectures of Tokyo, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba and Niigata, he said. In addition, caesium was discovered in the drinking water distributed in Gunma and Tochigi prefectures.

The highest levels were recorded in Tochigi, 77 becquerel per liter of water for radioactive iodine and 1.6 becquerel per liter of water for cesium. However, these values ​​are still lower than those legally accepted in Japan. Japanese law stipulates that radioactive iodine in the water can not exceed 300 becquerel per liter, and cesium can not exceed 200 becquerel per liter, according to Japanese Ministry of Health.

Japan has lifted the serverity level of the Fukushima accident from 4 to 5

11.35 Update: The Japanese Nuclear Agency raised from 4 to 5 the severity level of the accident at Fukushima.

10.10 Update: Japanese engineers take into account burying the nuclear reactor in sand and concrete in order to save Japan from a nuclear catastrophe.

Nevertheless, the potential nuclear disaster at Fukushima has a good chance of being avoided. The technicians have restored the electricity supply necessary for the cooling pumps at reactors 5 and 6. The situation situation still remains critic at the other four reactors, more seriously damaged by explosions and fires.

Meanwhile, the radioactivity level near the nuclear power plant has decreased slightly. A priority remains cooling the first four reactors, where it's believed that part of the nuclear fuel (in the reactor's core) has already melted. Technicians continue their efforts to restore the operation of the cooling pumps, which triggered the this chain of events in the first place. Until now, water has been poured over the reactors from helicopters, which seems to have slowly started to stabilize the situation.

As a precaution, passengers and goods arriving from Japan are being tested for radioactivity in airports. So far they have only detected radiation in certain parcels of goods, but the level is still far below the risk limits.

Hope revives: Reactor 2 connected to an external source of electricity

Japanese authorities have informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that engineers were able to finally connect one of the reactors (Reactor 2 of the Fukushima nuclear power plant) to an external source of electricity.

Tepco had been trying to connect the power line yesterday, but radiation risks postponed the work.

The new power line means that they will most likely be able to cool down the core of the reactor before it melts. Tepco already had resorted to cooling reactors 1, 2, and 3 with seawater, including dropping several loads of water from a helicopter, insufficient though to successfully reduce the reactor's core temperature.

Due next for a connection is reactor 3, which suffered a previous explosion of its own and which is fueled by a more hazardous combination of uranium and plutonium oxide.

Japan: Next 48 hours are crucial at Fukushima

The radiation level at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan is "extremely high". The warning was released by the chief of the American Nuclear Regulating Commission. The Institute for Nuclear Safety, France, announced that the next 48 hours will be crucial in Fukushima. Last night the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency admitted that the situation at the nuclear power is "very serious".

U.S. warning is especially important when it comes from the most important agencies inthe nuclear field.

"We are halfway between a disaster and an even greater disaster. During the next hours catastrophic developments could happen and there is a real danger to the health and life of the island's inhabitants" said a European Energy Commissioner.

The IAEA Director stated that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant situation is very serious. The interior of the three reactors was damaged and currently it is not known exactly what the situation is inside the reactors.

Meanwhile, the Fukushima response teams are struggling to drop the core temperature of the reactors. Two military helicopters have dropped tons of seawater over reactor 3, damaged by an explosion on Monday night. Helicopters have made four drops of about 100 needed, but the radiation level remained unchanged. Yesterday operation failed due to strong winds.

Faced with the threat of a major nuclear accident, most embassies have advised their citizens to depart from the area towards the south, in the Osaka region, or leave Japan altogether. The U.S. Embassy has established a risk zone at 80 km around the plant.

Japan's nuclear crisis - The situation is still deteriorating

The fire at the reactor 4 is "apparently out", they announced on Tuesday several Japanese publications. "The fire which occurred on the fourth floor of the reactor 4 is apparently off, " said agency Jiji. 

IAEA stated that there were places whre the radioactivity was up to 400 milisievert per hour. Medical observations show that starting from a level of 100 milisievert/h the cancer risk is increasing dramatically in the human body.

As the situation develops, people are starting to compare the potential of this crisis with the 1986 Chernobyl explosion. The author William Tucker said "This is not going to be a Chernobyl... The Soviets didn't have a containment structure on top of their reactor."

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant does. It has a massive structure of concrete and steel sitting on top of its reactors. But given the fact that the emergency cooling system failed due to the tsunami, the authorities are now trying other ways of containing the situation, like pumping seawater to cool the fuel rods and even using a helicopter to attack the problem directly from above.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has tried to keep the population calm, saying that serious radioactive leaks can be averted. But given the company's track record, we can't help but question their candidness.

"The history of Japan's nuclear industry and the government, that is very closely tied with the industry, is less than glorious in regards to public information and full disclosure, and what is going on now is actually an illustration of that," says Arjun Mahkhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research.

In 2002, TEPCO's president and some executives resigned after it was revealed that they have falsified the repair and inspection records. "It was discovered that TEPCO had covered up incidents of cracking in an important piece of equipment with the reactors' vessels of all its reactors, and as a result, they were forced to close down all 17 reactors," says Philip White of the Citizens Nuclear Information Center.
Then, in 2007, after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake, TEPCO told the public the plant had only suffered a minor fire and leak of radioactive water. It was later revealed that the fire had burned for a few hours and hundreds of gallons of radioactive water had leaked into the sea.

For the moment though, the situation at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has not reached a critical level, but the events are still unfolding.

We'll just have to keep an eye on these developments. So follow the news!

Radiation danger - Nuclear preparedness

Japan crisis update:

As of Monday, 14.March, the Fukushima plant was emitting as much radiation in one hour as it normally would in six months, but government spokesman, Yukio Edano, said "The possibility that a large amount of radiation has been released is low."

However, reactor 2 remains unstable and it's hard to predict how things will develop.

Practical Advice in a Nuclear Power Plant Emergency

The following are guidelines for what you should do if you find yourself in such a situation.

Stay informed. Watch the news and follow all new developments. Also keep a battery-powered radio with you at all times to listen for specific instructions issued by the authorities (even when on the move).

If you are told to evacuate:
- Keep car windows and vents closed; use re-circulating air.
- Wear a face mask or a wet cloth to cover your nose and mouth (when outside your car)
- Cover your yourself while moving outside to prevent radioactive particles from landing directly on your skin.

If you are advised to remain indoors:
- Turn off the air conditioner, ventilation fans, furnace, and other air intakes.
- Go to a basement or other underground area, if possible (or above 12th floor).
- Do not use the telephone unless absolutely necessary (to avoid blocking emergency telephone lines for others who really need it).

If you expect you have been exposed to nuclear radiation:
- Change clothes and shoes.
- Put exposed clothing in a plastic bag.
- Seal the bag and place it out of the way.
- Take a thorough shower.
- Keep food in covered containers or in the refrigerator. Food not previously covered should be washed before being put in to containers.

Radiation exposure threat in Japan

In a nutshell: Nuclear alert and radioactive leakage, smoldering fires at the refinery, thousands of people still trapped under rubble, interrupted communications, and dozens of replicas of the huge earthquake still rock Japan. 

The Japanese Government declared a state of emergency following the earthquake off the eastern coast of the country on Friday, 11.March. The first estimates say that over 3,000 people died in the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the devastating tsunami that followed, but authorities fear that the actual death toll could exceed 10,000. Nevertheless, the search for survivors continues.

After the earthquake, all nuclear reactors in the area automatically shut down, beginning a slow cool-down process. Howerver, the cooling systems in the 40-year old Fukushima nuclear reactors 1 and 3 failed and the coolant began to evaporate from heat building up inside. To reduce pressure, the steam had to be vented, which released the first amount of radiation into the atmosphere. Caesium-137 and Iodine-131 were detected near Reactor 1. The nuclear alert in Japan is currently just one step bellow the maximum alert level established in the Chernobyl accident.

A fire at a fourth reactor followed by an explosion has released even more radiation and the Government is currently telling people within a 20-mile radius to stay indoors.

More and more countries express concern over Japan's nuclear incidents. Radiation is also increasing in Russia, where Russian troops are preparing to evacuate residents of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, in the event of a worsening situation.