100 anti-nuclear rallies across Japan mark 3 months since Fukushima catastrophe began

Agence France Presse has reported that 100 anti-nuclear rallies across Japan -- including in Tokyo (photo, left), Osaka, and Hiroshima -- took place on Saturday, marking three months since the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe began in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The Tokyo rally was organized by the Japan Congress against Atomic and Nuclear Bombs. Greenpeace, after monitoring high radiation levels in the prefectural capital 40 miles from the Daiichi nuclear power plant, have called for the expanded evacuation of pregnant women and small children.

Radiation levels too high for workers in Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3

NKH World public broadcasting in Japan has reported that a small team of Tokyo Electric Power Company workers entered the devastated Unit 3 reactor building at Fukushima Daiichi for a short time last Thursday, long enough to measure radiation dose rates at 10 rem per hour -- much too high for prolonged exposure. Before the catastrophe began, Japanese nuclear workers were limited to 5 rem per year of "acceptable" dosage. However, in the aftermath of the catastrophe, the Japanese federal government upped the "permissible" exposure to 25 rem per year. German nuclear power plant workers, by contrast, are limited to 2 rem per year of exposure under ordinary (non-emergency) nuclear working conditions. Work is needed within the rubble-ized Unit 3 reactor secondary containment building to install a circulating water system to cool the molten core, reported to have breached the reactor pressure vessel and now be spreading onto the primary containment structure's floor, lest it burn through. However, leakage pathways exist in the reactor pressure vessel and primary containment structure, as 6,400 tons of radioactively contaminated water have accumulated in the Unit 3 basement areas, NHK reports.

Comparing working conditions for "bio-robots" (that is, workers) at Fukushima Daiichi with Chernobyl

A blog post at Lucas Whitefield Hixson compares the humidity, heat, and high radiation at Chernobyl in 1986 to Fukushima Daiichi today, as Japanese workers are now suffering heat stroke and dehydration as summer temperatures making already difficult working conditions even more unbearable. Workers wear 20 pounds of protective gear and respirators, to fend off radioactive particles and gases, although such suits do not protect against X-ray like gamma radiation -- thick lead would be required to block that. Included is a documentary with footage and commentary regarding the hazards faced by Chernobyl "liquidators" in the first days and weeks after the Chernobyl catastrophe began, including shoveling by hand chunks of highly radioactive debris back into the gaping maw of the exploded reactor. Dose rates of 7,000 Roentgen per hour led to 45 second shifts for "liquidators". Even that short a shift would deliver close to a 10 Roentgen dose. It is not clear from the documentary, however, how many such shifts individual "liquidators" were forced to undertake.

May photos by Daisuke Tsuda show latest images of devastation at Fukushima Daiichi

May 2011 photos, posted June 12th by Lucas Whitefield Hixson, by Japanese photographer Daisuke Tsuda show what the reactor units and surrounding facilities look like after the triple assault of earthquake and tsunami on March 11th, followed by nuclear catastrophe for the past three months. Note how Unit 3's secondary containment reactor building is largely rubble-ized, at least on the upper floors, where, for one thing, the high-level radioactive waste storage pool is (was?!) located. Note also how Unit 4's entire secondary containment reactor building -- especially at the top -- is leaning, risking complete loss of the high-level radioactive waste storage pool if the building actually collapses.

Earless "mutant" rabbit born near Fukushima

The baby bunny has raised concerns about birth defects after massive amounts of radiation were released around the failed Fukushima reactors.