福島原発問題
The Fukushima nuclear power plant is now in a very dangerous situation. The meltdown has already begun and there is a risk of explosions if things continue to stand as they are now.
The fuel rods are causing nuclear fission with astonishing speed. This means that the problem is not such that the explosion could be prevented simply by the use of nitrogen. Of the six nuclear reactors of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant No.1, the uranium 235 is used in the five reactors other than the No.3 Reactor and it is said that if all of the five reactors explode, such explosions will cause the thermal energy of 7 or 8 times as much as those involved in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb tragedies.
And with the No.3 Reactor, they use Mox fuel (a mixture of uranium 235 and plutonium; while plutonium is said to be 237, really it is suspected to be 239 which means to be more toxic.). Thus if the No. 3 Reactor explodes, extremely toxic radioactive substances will be diffused in the air.
We remain unable to estimate the scale of the explosion and the dimension of the spread of the radioactive substances caused by the explosion because Tokyo Electric Power Co. (“TEPCO”) has not disclosed data needed for such estimation and also because such estimation depends on weather conditions and seasonal factors.
But we made a simple calculation based on some reliable information and found that the explosion of the No.1 Reactor of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant No.1 alone will diffuse radioactive substances of about 4 times as high level as those diffused by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.
This means that if all of the reactors Nos. 1 through 4 explode, radioactive substances of about 16 times as much as those involved in the Chernobyl accident will be diffused (this calculation was made ignoring the fact that Mox fuel is used in the No.3 Reactor). But in actuality, it is said that the thermal energy of the explosions will certainly cause the fuel rods in the Nos. 5 and 6 Reactors to start meltdown as well.
In conclusion, therefore, the explosion of any reactor will lead to explosions of all of the reactors Nos. 1 through 6 and the volume of radioactive substances to be diffused will be as much as about 24 times of the radiation level (decibel) of those diffused in the Chernobyl accident.
Scientists seem to point out that this diffusion of radioactive substances in the air will spread all over Japan and neighboring countries and carried by the westerlies it may even cross the Pacific Ocean to cover North America. Further, they say that, depending on weather conditions, the radioactive substances may go across the Atlantic to reach the European Continent.
Isn’t it necessary for people in the world as well as the Japanese to recognize definitely that we are now faced with the global scale crisis? We feel scared to hear that the explosions in the Fukushima Plant No. 1 will possibly have domino effect to cause the explosions in the Fukushima Plant No.2, and further, the Onagawa Plant. If that happens, the size of the damages will undoubtedly be beyond our imagination.
It is too late to block the reactors with concrete after covering them with graphite. We hear that after nitrogen is infused, it must be subsequently discharged. Within the reactors, the vapor has been resolved by radiation into hydrogen and oxygen and the vapor explodes when the reactor contains hydrogen of 4% or more and oxygen of 5% or more, but even in the preceding stage, an explosion happens when there exists something to start a fire.
Therefore, it is impossible to drill a hole into the reactor ( there seem to be some cracks or breaks somewhere in the reactor and vapor containing radioactive substances, hydrogen, etc. are leaking from the reactor because presently the data shows no increase of pressure within the reactor).
The problems have come to the stage where there is nothing we can do. However, there is only one most simple and rational way to solve this catastrophic situation. This solution may be too late or may be in time. This is to take out the fuel rods, to seal each of them in a lead container, to ship them to the Nihon Trench, and to sink them to the bottom of the sea (it is said that it is easy to take out and carry the fuel rods).
It is believed that the sea depth of 2,000 meter brings 200 air pressure added by water pressure and will prevent the radioactive substances from floating from the bottom of the sea. The Nihon Trench has no problem with the depth because it is 6,000 meter deep.
Probably Japan will face a barrage of criticism in the world if we sink the lead containers holding the nuclear fuel rods in the Nihon Trench.
But if incalculable amount of radioactive substances is diffused in the air by the explosions of the reactors, the damages will not be limited to Japan and tremendous damages will be caused to the global environment. All of the problems can be resolved by sinking the fuel rods into deep waters. This will save Japan and the world and allow all of the people in Fukushima to continue to live there.
Japan should stop acting like a good-natured idiot and instead make this decision firmly showing fortitude to the world, shouldn’t it? We can offer reasons for that decision enough to avoid criticism from the world. And we can tell the world that we are willing to take the lead in eating fish caught in waters near Japan.
Japanese commentators are too timid to express such an opinion and that is why Japan is criticized from the world like this. If anyone raises an objection, you can ask him which course he would take if he was put in the same situation.
It is quite evident which would cause less adverse influence on mankind and the environment. Japan was blamed for discharging low-level contaminated water into the sea, but actually this is not so dangerous to human body as blamed and it is rumored that the blame was instigated by foreign press combined with some scheme to exclude certain Japanese foods.
Also in Japan, information through the ignorant press has stirred up fear and we really sympathize with fishermen who are caused damage by rumor.
In the past, both Russia and the US have dumped a large amount of unprocessed radioactive wastes (such as engine parts of nuclear submarine)into several parts of the sea on the earth and some of such wastes have been dumped in the Sea of Japan. That conduct was far more problematic.
But we have eaten fish caught in the same parts of the sea for a long time without any health problem. The natural world, by nature, contains radioactive substances and such substances are found in the sea as well. Therefore, the argument about discharging low-level contaminated water is totally nonsense.
The ocean disposal of wastes may sound reckless and you may feel that such a measure is out of the question for the Japanese who have taken pride. However, this is a scientifically convincing solution that is the simplest and most reasonable and “least problematic to the environment”.
Imagine what will happen to the earth if such massive amount of radioactive substances is emitted in the air. This is no longer a problem for a country and it is certain that foreign countries will recognize the gravity of the matter and intensify the alert against the danger. This may help Japan have the nerve to decide to dispose of the radioactive substances in the ocean.
At least Japan is supposed to have sufficient grounds and reasoning which will discourage anyone in foreign countries from complaining of Japan’s action. In order to carry out this measure, dozens of people of the 460 members who are currently working around the clock in the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant No.1 must bear the risk of life by joining in something like a death squad.
But they are already in a practical death squad and if the ocean disposal is not adopted, the problem will remain unresolved and really irrevocable incident will undoubtedly occur even at the cost of the life of all of the 460 members. This is because the present situation is just like applying an adhesive plaster to almost rotten human body.
Currently about 460 people are working in the Fukushima plant. They are also the sufferers of the disaster, but they have continued to work on the plant without an opportunity to go searching for their missing family members. Their actual circumstances have almost never been reported by the Japanese media.
The only one instance of the media report is an article that was reported by the Mainichi Shinbun a while ago, but the substance of the article was hard to believe. The actual working conditions seem to be so poor and miserable that one can not mention without hesitation. The workers are not provided with a dosimeter nor protection suits, and they have no chance to take a bath for more than ten days. Some female workers are among them and they are said to be working without taking a bath and without any daily attention including their menstruation care. Their internal report is said to state that initially their meals were twice a day, with 3 pieces of biscuit for breakfast, just one rice ball for supper and one PET bottle of drinking water was shared by two workers. This reflects even more miserable substance of meals than was reported by the Mainichi Shinbun.
Although the Mainichi Shinbun article stated that the workers were wearing protection suits, it is stated that actually there are very few such suits and no body is wearing such suits. Otherwise, there would not have happened the accident in which workers of a subcontractor were exposed to plutonium radiation in their ankles.
In addition, the article referred to the arrival of twice a day of a bus loaded with supplies including food. If this was true, they would be able to secure better food. If the bus transportation is not enough, then the frequency of the bus shuttles should be increased.
What in the world are the government and TEPCO doing? Someone said that each of the workers is sleeping with only one blanket in a cold corridor. All of the job process of the workers are video recorded and closely monitored. Then, why haven’t they been made public?
If made public, we should be able to know everything about the real state. While it is of course important to support the citizens who suffered from the disaster, shouldn’t we offer more support to these workers who, despite their own damage caused by the disaster, risk their life in working for the benefit of the country in such a poor environment? We can continue to live safely thanks to their efforts. In order to fight, you need an environment and strategy for fighting.
In the present state, they are too exhausted to work and likely to make a mistake. We hear that when a worker of a subcontractor felt sick while working, his son who was in his early twenties was called to work on behalf of his father. It is a very big problem that the number of workers is too small to take turns in working. So the amount of radiation to which each worker is exposed is too much. Each of the workers is exposed every hour to the amount of radiation far exceeding the government- designated maximum amount of exposure per person for a year. Thus, it is outrageous to enter such a terrible workplace without protection suits in 8 hour shifts. It is said that in the Chernobyl accident, the total number of 600,000 man-days worked, in rotation with very short time allotted to each person’s work.
In order to reduce the amount of exposure per person, the number of workers should be increased more, but TEPCO would not send any additional workers. It is said that some workers are working under water of the pool of the underground of each outer containment building, in the middle of this severe winter, reportedly because of some problem in the bottom of the pool. The scenes that have been made public so far have only depicted workers wearing protection suits.
But they are outside public employees( the Self-Defense Forces personnel and fire fighters) engaged in working such as spraying of water. On the other hand, the workers who were exposed to radiation are working in the places in underground where you must be prepared to the most radiation dosage, and without wearing protection suits. People working in the places where you must deal with the most radiation dosage do not wear protection suits, while people engaged in spraying of water from distant places do wear protection suits. Is there any country in the world like this? There has been no discussion so far about whether this is wrong, even though it is certainly wrong. Nobody has ever been aware that this is wrong. You need protection suits to take out the fuel rods and keep working. Without protection suits, people inside will die one after another. Having worked like this for as long as one month, the amount of their radiation exposure must have been substantial.
Neither the government nor TEPCO will take any steps to deal with the problem even though they are well aware of it, despite the fact that the worst picture can be expected in the future, and despite the fact that Japan could not be saved once such worst picture becomes reality.
Officials from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, who are supposed to stay there, have all evacuated the place and most of the people found staying there are employees of the subcontractors and some of the TEPCO employees who said they have been told by the TEPCO management not to leave the place. One person said to me, ” this is like Japan during the World War II, when nobody could dare to mention Japan’s evident loss of the war while everyone was aware of it.” What do you all think of this? If you are rich, we do want you to buy and send them protection suites. We want a part of the donation to be first spent for them and deliver sufficient food to them. Isn’t it possible to give them the protection suits which were used by the fire fighters? This is an issue that must be dealt with seriously and immediately.
We owe our present ordinary life to them. They are desperately working for Japan with their life at stake in the status like a deserted slave, told by their employers to fight to death. They go back to the working place without wearing protection suits, although they may not be able to come back alive. Something must be done to this. The danger is imminent.
Because neither the government nor TEPCO discloses sufficient information, the experts remain unable to offer appropriate work whether in making estimate or in giving advice. For instance, the experts can estimate when the crisis will come if they identify how much pressure the 20cm thick aluminum of the reactor can endure.
But we hear that the experts have no way to respond to any request for help in this regard because any accurate data and information will not be disclosed by the government and TEPCO.
The hundreds of experts visiting Japan from the US are reported to have evacuated to outside of the 80km range and they are simply monitoring the situation. According to an expert, although the “Operation Tomodachi” sounds nice, they really have not come to help us but simply to monitor the situation and they are excited at the prospect of being able to monitor the valuable incident of the nuclear fission of the reactor and subsequent progress of radioactive exposure.
And the expert said that the US army will retreat to Guam on the Japan’s sympathy budget, or ”Host Nation Support,” and that such a course is taken for granted in the world of military affairs. The Ministry of Defense seems to be beginning to suspect their attitude. If we can no longer rely on the Americans, we have no alternative but to make our own decision and act along it. How innocent and good-natured are we Japanese? Even though we are faced with a risk of the annihilation of the Japanese people, the government and the media will not disclose the facts, any photo or image of the cruel situation of the local employees of TEPCO and its subcontractors, and any of the information and data necessary to avoid the risk.
On the other hand, the Japanese people are very gentle and, even without any information which they deserve, are trying to give heart-warming help to the disaster victims. This brings tears to my eyes.
Everybody should be made aware of these non-disclosed facts, that is, what constitutes a risk at present, who must be really supported on an emergency basis, and what will happen if things keep moving without change.
Everybody must realize that saving Japan means saving the world and that there remains a measure to achieve that, though in a limited time, and we must act immediately. Send them protection suits and come up with a plan to sink the fuel rods into the Japan Trench. Otherwise we have to see the collapse of our beautiful country, Japan and the Japanese people.
If anyone is aware of any better measure to solve the current problem, we would like to be taught of that. Everyone should think how the present situation will develop if we sit on our hands and what must be done at this point. Unless we act before it becomes too late, we will lose everything, including our beloved children, family, our peaceful life as well as the Japanese culture and economy. It will be too late if that happens.
