27 September – 3 October 2015 Fukushima: current situation · 2015-12-13 · Meeting with Story-telling Group of Former Residents from Tomioka. Presentation by prof. Jonathan Samet

Fukushima: current situation

Wim C. Turkenburg

(1) Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development - Utrecht University [email protected]

(2) Wim Turkenburg Energy and Environmental Consultancy – Amsterdam [email protected]

27 September – 3 October 2015

The Fukushima Daiichi NPP, December 2014

1 2 3 4

Storage of Radioactive Waste, September 2015

ANVS – The Hague (NL) 7 December 2015

2

Overview Green Cross study trip

to Fukushima Prefecture

3

Today, the Green Cross network operates in more than 30 countries, including Japan and the Netherlands

The mission of GCI: “To respond to the combined challenges of security, poverty and environmental degradation

to ensure a sustainable and secure future”.

To achieve this, CGI will: 1. Promote legal, ethical and behavioural norms that ensure basic changes in the values,

actions and attitudes of government, the private sector and civil society, necessary to develop a sustainable global community;

2. Contribute to the prevention and resolution of conflicts arising from environmental degradation;

3. Provide assistance to people affected by the environmental consequences of wars, conflicts and man made calamities.

Green Cross International was formally launched in Kyoto, on 18 April 1993

On the invitation of Mikhail Gorbachev, many renowned figures joined its Board of Directors and Honorary Board (including Ruud Lubbers)

Green Cross Switzerland facilitates overcoming consequential damages caused by industrial disasters

(27 September – 3 October 2015)

• Sept. 27: Departure from Europe to Japan.

• Sept. 28: ‘Nuclear Technology Dialogue’, an exchange on nuclear power and alternatives (Tokyo).

• Sept. 29: Travel to Koriyama; meeting with local politicians (mayor; former governor).

• Sept. 30: Excursion to Naraha and Tomioka (10 km from Fukushima Daiichi). Meeting with TEPCO at J-Village (Naraha Town). Presentation on decommissioning and clean-up work power plant, by Naohiro Masuda (CDO-TEPCO).

• Oct. 1: Presentation on awareness trainings offered by Green Cross Family Club. Meeting with Story-telling Group of Former Residents from Tomioka. Presentation by prof. Jonathan Samet on health implications Fukushima disaster.

• Oct. 2: Visit to Nikko temple (and shrine) complex in Tochigi Prefecture .

• Oct. 3: Return to Europe. 4

Study trip Green Cross to Fukushima

Main tour itinerary

Source figure: IAEA, 2015

(27 September – 3 October 2015)

Study trip Green Cross tour Fukushima: pictures and participants

• From the Netherlands: Andries de Vries, prof. José Dijkhuizen, Mark Lambregts, Robert Jan Nieland, Katinka Simonse (‘Tinkebell’), prof. Wim Turkenburg, Sanne Turkenburg, Tom van de Beek, Petra Wijnsema.

• From other countries (some names): prof. Ian Fairlie (UK), prof. Jonathan Samet (USA), Chris Weiss (USA); Natalie Gysi (Switserland), Maria Vitagliano (Switserland), Liza Kuster (Switserland), Kawamoto Tsunehiko (Japan), Kawahara Ryuji (Japan).

5

25 participants in total

(27 Sept - 3 October 2015)

Kikvorsfilm (Sanne Turkenburg) making a movie on Fukushima

6 Photographs: Wim Turkenburg and Petra Wijnsema

www.kikvorsfilm.nl

7

The accident with Fukushima Daiichi NPP,

11 March 2011

March 11, 2011: Earthquake and Tsunami at Nuclear Power Plant Fukushima-1

Source: NYT, April 7, 2011

(6 Boiling Water Reactors, plus a Common Spent Fuel Storage Facility)

Earthquakes that struck northern Japan

- Friday, March 11, 2011 Magnitude: 9.0; Depth: 32 km -Thursday April 7, 2011 Magnitude: 7.1; Depth: 66 km - Monday April 11, 2011 Magnitude: 7.1; Depth: 10 km - Friday, August 19, 2011 Magnitude: 6.8; Depth: 20 km

TEPCO (9 July 2011): “The March 11 tsunami reached up to 14 meters on the ocean side of the reactor and turbine buildings” (9 April 2011: 15 m).

The figure is far beyond the height of 6 meters assumed in TEPCO’s risk analyses.

Sources: Kyodo News, 9 April 2011 & NHK, 9 July 2011

6,757 aftershocks between March 11, 2011 and Dec. 31, 2011, with 35 of them magnitude 5 or above. Source: The Japan Times, 19 January 2012

(June 2011) The Accident Quick Progression

Fuel Assemblies Exposed (h)

Fuel Assemblies Damaged (h)

Reactor Pressure

Vessel Damaged (h)

Unit 1 NISA 2 3 5 TEPCO 3 4 15

Unit 2 NISA 75 77 80 TEPCO 75 77 109

Unit 3 NISA 41 44 79 TEPCO 40 42 66

9

Estimates of NISA and TEPCO of the length of time that passed after the earthquake until (i) fuel became exposed, (ii) fuel started to melt, and (iii) molten fuel started to damage the reactor pressure vessels:

Source: The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC), “Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake,” June 10, 2011 // J.M. Acton and M. Hibbs, “Why Fukushima was Preventable”, The Carnegie Papers, March 2012.

(1 December 2011) Reactor Core Melted Fully, TEPCO Says

10 Source: The Wall Street Journal, December 01, 2011

- For the first time, TEPCO said that nuclear-fuel rods in the complex's No. 1 reactor had likely melted completely, burning through their so-called pressure vessel and then boring through concrete at the bottom of a second containment vessel.

- TEPCO estimates the fuel then eroded about 65 centimeters (about two feet) deep into the 2.6-meter (8.5-foot) concrete bottom. The government model estimated the erosion at up to 2 meters.

- The molten core stopped short of reaching the vessel's steel casing, under which lies an additional 7.6 meters of concrete foundation, TEPCO said.

11

Source: Reuters, March 12, 2011

(March 12, 14 and 15, 2011) Hydrogen explosions at the Fukushima-Daiichi NPS

Source: The Guardian, August 29, 2013

12 March 2011

14 March 2011

Source: NYT, April 5, 2011

Hydrogen explosions: - reactor 1 (12 March) - reactor 3 (14 March) - reactor 4 (15 March)

Reactor 3 (l.) and reactor 4 (r.), early April 2011

http://knowledge.allianz.com/?1436/how-does-radiation-travel&mcg=2062462492_6297664732&kwg=Broad_2062462492_nuclear+power

12

(March 11-24, 2011) Measurement (by monitoring car) of dose rates

at Fukushima-Daiichi

Source: Additional Report of the Japanese Government to the IAEA, September 2011

13

Design and manufacture of transportation / storage containers to transfer fuels from the pool to the Common pool,

Source: TEPCO, 31 August 2012

(31 August 2012) Release rates of radioactive materials (Cesium)

per hour from the PCVs of units 1 to 3

(28 August 2011) NISA: Radioactive emission Fukushima

about one-sixth of Chernobyl • The amount of radioactive cesium ejected by the Fukushima reactor

meltdowns is about 168 times higher than that emitted in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the government's nuclear watchdog NISA said Friday.

• NISA provided the estimate at the request of a Diet panel but noted that making a simple comparison is problematic and could lead to "irrelevant" results.

• The report said the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant has released 15,000 tera-becquerels of cesium-137, which lingers for decades and can cause cancer, compared with the 89 tera-becquerels released by the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

• The report estimated each of the 16 isotopes released by the "Little Boy" bomb and 31 of those detected at the Fukushima plant.

• NISA has said the radiation released at Fukushima was about one-sixth of that released during the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

14 Source: The Japan Times, August 28, 2011

(17 November 2011) Study: 70-80% of radioactive materials from Fukushima

fell into sea

• Between 70 and 80 percent of the radioactive cesium from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Fukushima Prefecture had fallen into the sea by April, with the rest having fallen on land, according to the simulation done by the Meteorological Research Institute in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, and other researchers.

• The simulation showed they largely completed a trip around the globe in roughly 10 days after first crossing the Pacific.

• Once released into the atmosphere, the materials were dispersed mostly northbound and reached the western coast of the mainland United States around March 17 after passing through eastern Russia and Alaska, according to the simulation.

• Most of the radioactive materials fell with rain as they got carried through the atmosphere, the study showed, saying that about 65 percent of the cesium released has since fallen into the sea.

15 Source: The Mainichi Daily News, Thursday, November 17,

16

Radioactive pollution caused by the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP

Dose rate 1 meter above the ground in μSv/h, as of 18 September 2011

Source: http://josen.env.go.jp/en/pdf/progressseet_progress_on_cleanup_efforts.pdf?140827

100km

160km

250km

Tokyo

Yokohama

Fukushima City

20km

30km

Fukushima NPP

60km

350km

(27 October 2011) Overview of the status of countermeasures

at Fukushima-1, Unit 1-4

17

③Accumulated water Goal: Reduction total amount of contaminated water. Status: Treatment of high level radioactive wastewater (Approx. 77,000 m3 [Oct. 25]) in progress. Water treatment facility is being enhanced.

②Spent Fuel Pool cooling (Unit 1-4) Goal: More stable cooling (achieved). Status: Circulation cooling with heat exchanger and desalination of pool water in progress.

⑤Radioactive materials in the atmosphere / soil Goal: Mitigation of dispersion of radioactive materials. Status: The release rate of radioactive materials from the facilities is declining. Cover over reactor building being installed for no.1 and designed for no. 3 and 4.

①Reactor cooling （Units １- 3） Goal: Cold shutdown condition. Status: Circulating injection cooling in progress (Further diversification of the core injection system is being planned).

④Ground water Goal: Mitigation of contamination in the ocean. Status: Monitoring the radioactive materials in the groundwater. Design of shielding wall completed. Source:

JAIF website, October 27, 2011

(March 2015) Stabilization of Nuclear Units

18 Source: TEPCO (website), March 31, 2015

TEPCO: “We have maintained the nuclear reactors in a stable condition at low temperature by cooling them via continuous water injection. We are also continuously performing nitrogen injection to control the hydrogen concentration and monitoring parameters such as water temperature, water levels, and on-site radiation dose.”

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, March 2015

19 Source: NHK, March 27, 2015

The Fukushima Daiichi plant is laid out like this. It's a 3.5 square kilometer site that faces the Pacific Ocean.

20

Current status of the Fukushima Daiichi

Nuclear Power Plant

(30 September 2015) Lecture Naohiro Masuda (TEPCO)

Chief Decommissioning Officer of the Fukushima Daiichi NPS

21 Photograph: Wim Turkenburg

(30 September 2015) J-Village: Base camp for cleaning-up and decommissioning

the Fukushima Daiichi NPS

22

● J-Village used to be a national soccer training complex, having 12 soccer fields which are now used as helipads, storage for heavy equipment, parking lots, a place to decontaminate cars, etc.

● One soccer stadium has been converted into dorms for workers with, and employees of TEPCO.

● There are 1,000 rooms in prefabricated, two-story buildings built on the field, surrounded by rows of empty blue bleachers. In nearby prefabricated buildings, there’s a cafeteria and a laundry for workers.

Source: Wall Street Journal, 2011-11-11

September 30, 2015: Workers returning at J-Village from their job at the Fukushima Daiichi NPS - Photo: Wim Turkenburg

November 2011: Workers dressed in protective suits and masks wait outside a building at J-Village, located in Naraha, 20 km south of the Fukushima-1 NPS.

Photo: David Guttenfelder

23 Source: TEPCO, August 26, 2013

(26 August 2013) Fundamental measures against contaminated water

24 Source: TEPCO, August 26, 2013 // NHK July 30, 2014 // Reuters, October 08, 2014

(26 August 2013 – 26 October 2014) Fundamental measures against contaminated water

Workers prepare frozen pipes during operations to construct an underground ice wall at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi NPP, July 9, 2014.

25 Source: TEPCO, August 26, 2013

(26 August 2013) Fundamental measures against contaminated water

(26 October - 25 November 2015) Groundwater wall at Fukushima plant leans slightly

• TEPCO completed construction of a steel piling wall along the plant's coastal embankment in October 2015. It is a significant step toward blocking radioactive groundwater from seeping into the sea more than 4 years after the nuclear accident.

• The wall made of 600 steel pipe sheet-piles is 780 m. long and 30 m. deep. • To prevent the groundwater from accumulating inside the wall and

overflowing, TEPCO pumps it up and removes radioactive materials before releasing it into the sea.

• TEPCO says the level of beta-ray-emitting materials in the sea along the embankment fell to 32 becquerels per liter on average early November from 150 becquerels in mid-September.

• However, end November TEPCO has found that a wall it built to block the flow of radioactive water is leaning slightly.

• TEPCO inspectors found that the wall is leaning up to some 20 centimeters toward the sea. They say this is due to the pressure of the groundwater flow.

• The utility says workers are buttressing the wall with steel pillars. TEPCO says the lean doesn't affect the wall's ability to block contaminated water.

26 Source: NHK, Oct. 26, Nov. 5, Nov. 25, 2015

(27 May 2015) Contaminated Water Treatment

27 Source: TEPCO, 27 May 2015 [http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommision/planaction/alps/index-e.html]

(16 October 2014) New ALPS unit to remove radioactive substances

- This is a new unit of ALPS, the Advanced Liquid Processing System. It's designed to remove most radioactive substances. Officials with TEPCO say it can treat 750 tons of water per day. - Workers switched on their first ALPS unit in March 2013. They showed the media their second unit. They're building a third with higher performance. - The extra units are essential. 300 tons of groundwater flows into the reactor buildings every day and gets contaminated. Workers store that water in tanks. They need to process about 360,000 tons.

28 Source: NHK (Nuclear Watch), October 16, 2014

(27 May 2015) Detailed Flow Chart Contaminated Water Treatment


(27 May 2015) Situation of Contaminated Water Treatment


TEPCO: “On May 27, 2015, the treatment of stored water - except residual water in the bottom of the storage tanks - was completed, which will help reduce the risks attributed to contaminated water at the site.”

• TEPCO and government officials on Monday reviewed their medium- and long-term plan aimed at eventually decommissioning all the reactors at the Fukushima-1 NPP.

• They agreed to complete the removal of the fuel rods from a storage pool at the No. 4 reactor building by December of 2014, a year earlier than initially scheduled, by using improved procedures.

• To achieve this goal, work to remove the fuel rods will start in November of next year, a month earlier than initially planned.

(3 December 2012) TEPCO speeds up removal of spent fuel rods

31 Source: NHK, Monday, December 03, 2012

● TEPCO and the Japanese government have decided to accelerate the removal of spent fuel rods from reactor 4.

● The officials regard the removal of the fuel rods from the No. 4 reactor building as the first important step toward decommissioning the facility.

(2013-2014) Fuel removal from Unit 4

32 Source: The Japan Times, 5 Nov. 2014

TEPCO workers remove fuel rods from the storage pool in the Fukushima Daiichi No. 4 reactor building, October 2014

Transport of the first batch of nuclear fuel from the reactor building to a safer storage pool.

Completion of the Fukushima Daiichi unit 4 cover

Source: WNN, 23 July 2013

Source: NHK, 22 Nov. 2013

(4 November 2014) Fuel removal from Unit 4

33 Source: TEPCO, 5 Nov. 2014 [http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommision/index-e.html]

Breakdown of transferred assemblies by kind: - Spent fuel: 1,331 assemblies / 1,331 assemblies - Unirradiated (new) fuel: 22 assemblies / 202 assemblies

Number of times of cask transportation: 62 times

(4 November 2014) All spent fuel removed from Fukushima No.4 reactor

• Workers have finished removing highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel from one of the reactor buildings at the crippled Fukushima-1 plant.

• The No.4 reactor had no nuclear fuel when the plant was hit by a massive quake and tsunami in March 2011. But there were more than 1,500 units of spent and unused fuel in the pool in the reactor building.

• The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, is putting priority on removing spent fuel because it is highly radioactive. The utility began removing 1,331 units of spent fuel in November of last year. Workers completed the removal of the last 11 units by Tuesday.

• TEPCO plans to finish removing the unused fuel from the building by the end of the year.

• The procedure will be more difficult at the No.1, 2 and 3 reactor buildings due to high radiation levels and reactor core meltdowns.

• TEPCO plans to start removing fuel from the pool of the No.1 reactor building in fiscal 2019. That's a delay of 2 years from its plan.

• The utility faces difficulties with melted fuel because the exact location and condition are unknown.

34 Source: NHK, Tuesday, November 4, 2014

(28 July 2015) Dismantling of reactor building No 1 cover begins

• TEPCO has begun work to remove the cover of the Number 1 reactor building, a step toward decommissioning the plant. Workers are using a remote-controlled crane to remove one of the panels of the ceiling.

• TEPCO installed the cover after the 2011 accident to prevent the dispersal of radioactive materials. But the utility needs to remove it to allow the clearing of debris and removal of nuclear fuel in a spent fuel storage pool.

• The operator plans to take several months to remove the 6 panels of the ceiling. It plans to then dismantle the cover while clearing debris. The utility says it expects to complete the task around the winter of 2016.

• The dismantling of the cover was originally due to start in July last year. But TEPCO delayed the operation after people living nearby expressed concerns over the possible spread of radioactive materials. The utility postponed the work again in May this year as it found a problem with a device that controls the air flow in the building.

35 Source: NHK, Tuesday, July 28, 2015

36

Radioactive pollution caused by the accident

and evacuation of residents

(22 April 2011) 20-km evacuation area now declared a no-go zone

37

- The government declared the 20-km evacuation area around the radiation-spewing Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant a no-go zone Thursday, urging residents to abide by the order for their own safety or possibly face fines or detention.

- Nearly 80,000 residents left when the area was evacuated March 12.

Source: The Japan Times, 22 April 2011

38 Source: Ministry of the Environment, Japan, September 05, 2015

(29 April 2011 // 5 September 2015)

(2015) Measured dose equivalent rate

(in µSv/h), in 2011 - 2014

Measured aerial ambient dose equivalent rate (in µSv/h) resulting from deposits from the releases that spread in areas to the north-west of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Data from: • 29 April 2011 • 02 July 2011 • 05 November 2011 • 16 November 2012 • 19 November 2013 • 07 November 2014

39 Source: IAEA, 2 October 2015

75 µSv/h ≈ 650 mSv/yr 20 µSv/h ≈ 175 mSv/yr 2.3 µSv/h ≈ 20 mSv/yr

(12 March 2011) 8,000 Tomioka Town residents evacuated to

Kawauchi Village

40 Source: JAEA , March 14, 2014

- On March 12, 2011 immediately following the disaster, approximately 8,000 residents of Tomioka Town took refuge in Kawauchi Village. -

- However, the subsequent explosion at the nuclear power station led to the mass evacuation of all residents of Kawauchi Village, including those from Tomioka, to Koriyama City on March 16, 2011. Kawauchi Village is located in Fukushima Prefecture

and situated to the west of the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Stations.

(3 October 2013) Fukushima’s deserted towns – in pictures (1)

41 Source: the Guardian - Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters

A woman paying a brief visit to her home walks under a sign reading 'Nuclear power – the energy for a better future', at the entrance of the empty Futaba town.

Decades ago the citizens of Futaba took such pride in hosting part of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex that they built a sign over a promenade proclaiming that atomic power made their town prosperous



AKeigo Sakamoto, 58, holds Atom, one of the 21 dogs and more than 500 animals he keeps at his home in the exclusion zone near Naraha.

Sakamoto, a former caregiver and farmer who refused to leave the exclusion zone, named his dog Atom because it was born just before the 2011 disaster. With donations and support from outside Fukushima, Sakamoto lives with his animals.



Naoto Matsumura, 53, poses in an empty street in the evacuated town of Tomioka. Despite government orders, Matsumura never left and now lives alone inside of the nuclear exclusion zone with his 50 cows, two cats, a dog, a horse and two ostriches.

He has made it his mission to take care of those animals left behind, even if they no longer can be sold to a market due to their exposure to high levels of nuclear radiation.

(12 March 2015) 53 families live in Fukushima evacuation zones

• NHK has learned that 4 years after the nuclear disaster members of 53 households are living in the areas still designated as evacuation zones around the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

• There are currently 10 municipalities around the crippled plant where Japanese government has established evacuation zones due to high levels of radioactive fallout. The zones are divided into 3 types based on levels of radioactivity.

• The government allows residents from the middle and lower level types to return home temporarily during the daytime. No overnight stays are allowed anywhere within the zones.

• NHK has found people live in at least 53 households in the zone. Some live in the most contaminated areas. The residents reportedly say it is difficult to adapt to a new environment. Others comment they have to take care of livestock left in the zone.

• Relevant government officials say they have repeatedly warned residents of the risk of radioactivity and urged them to leave. The law stipulates no punishment for remaining.

44 Source: NHK, Thursday, March 12, 2015

October 2014

128 thousand evacuees in Fukushima Prefecture in October 2014

Source: IAEA, ‘The Fukushima Daiichi Accident – Post-accident Recovery’, 2 October 2015

Changes in the number of evacuees in Fukushima Prefecture (2012 – 2014)

46

Decontamination activities

(27 May 2011) Fukushima begins to decontaminate school grounds

• Fukushima begins to decontaminate school grounds.

• Work has begun to remove radioactive contaminated topsoil from school grounds in Fukushima Prefecture.

• The decontamination work began in 26 elementary and junior high schools in Fukushima City on Friday.

• In one, Watari Elementary School, the top 5 centimeters or so of soil will be scraped off and replaced with uncontaminated earth.

Source: NHK, Friday, May 27, 2011

47

The municipality says it expects the removal of the topsoil to substantially lower radiation levels at the school to about 0.6 microsieverts per hour from Friday's reading of 3.0 microsieverts per hour.

(2 August 2011) Decontamination no-entry zone to start next month

• Japan's minister in charge of the nuclear crisis says full-scale decontamination measures will begin September 2011 for the 20-kilometer evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

• Goshi Hosono made the remark on a commercial TV channel on Monday.

• Hosono said the government will begin decontamination on a large scale and continue monitoring radiation levels.

• He said the government is aiming for a complete clean-up of the evacuation zone.

• The minister added that radioactive materials must be removed from the zone so that residents can return home by early next year.

48 Source: NHK, Tuesday, August 02, 2011

(10 October 2011) Decontamination plan compiled

• The Japanese Environment Ministry has come up with a revised plan to clear away radioactive substances from the crippled Fukushima-1 nuclear plant.

• It says decontamination will be carried out in areas where radiation levels are above 1 millisievert per year.

• The ministry revised an earlier plan to only decontaminate places with more than 5 millisieverts per year. Municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture that have areas with less than 5 millisieverts argued they should be included in the cleanup.

• The government will be responsible for the decontamination of no-entry zones and government-designated evacuation zones. Local governments will clean up the rest of the affected areas.

• Areas with radiation levels higher than 20 millisieverts per year will be reduced stage by stage as soon as possible.

49 Source: NHK, Monday, October 10, 2011


(2013)

(2013) Before and after the decontamination work (Tamura City)

51 Source: Min. of Environment, Japan, ‘Progress on Off-site Cleanup Efforts in Japan’, Dec. 2014

(20 March 2014) Photograph of decontamination work for farms

Workers are stripping soil at top surface region

52 Source: JAEA, April 15, 2014

(30 September 2015) Wild boars looking for food at decontaminated land

in Tomioka

53

Photograph: Wim Turkenburg

(26 August 2013) Govt. plans new round of radioactivity clean-up

• Japan's Environment Ministry plans to conduct new decontamination work in areas where radiation levels have risen again following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

• Municipal governments and residents are demanding more clean-ups in areas where radiation levels have climbed following the initial decontamination.

• The Environment Ministry originally said it would handle such matters on a case-by-case basis.

• It now says it plans to re-clean sites where radiation levels are considerably higher than they were after the first round of cleaning, probably because of waste carried in rainwater and on fallen leaves.

• The ministry says it plans to re-clean woodland areas within about 5 meters of residential zones. Workers removed tainted leaves from within 20 meters of homes in the first round of clean-ups. However, radiation levels remain high in some areas.

54 Source: NHK, Monday, August 26, 2013


(31 August 2015)


(5 September 2015)

Copernicus Institute

Source: IAEA, “Final Report of the IAEA International Mission on Remediation of Large Contaminated Areas Off-site the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant”, Geneva, 15 November 2011

Reduction of the relative external exposure rate subsequent to deposition of Cs-134 and Cs-137 (ratio = 1)

due to radioactive decay

(10 June 2014) Estimates of decontamination costs: more than 35 bln $ • The National Institute of Advanced

Industrial Science and Technology estimates it will cost 6.6 billion US dollars to clean up areas designated as uninhabitable.

• The amount includes fees for transportation and storing contaminated soil.

• But the government has not decided whether to conduct cleanup operations in such areas.

• Last year, it estimated the cost of decontaminating other areas would be 19.2 billion dollars. This figure includes spending for setting up the initial storage sites and follow-up checking of radiation levels.

58 Source: NHK, June 10, 2014

• The government also calculated that building intermediate storage facilities to keep contaminated soil for up to 30 years would cost about 10.4 billion dollars. This amount includes the funds needed to buy land for such facilities.

59

Storage of decontamination waste

(30 September 2015) Storage of radioactive decontamination waste in Tomioka

60


(February 2015) Temporary storage site of plastic bags with radioactivity

Workers move large black plastic bags containing irradiated soil, leaves and debris from the ongoing decontamination operation at a temporary storage site in the town of Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, in February 2015

61 Source: The Japan Times, Saturday, June 6, 2015

Photo: Reuters

(September 2015) Workers position bags of radioactive waste at a temporary

waste storage site in Naraha

62 Source: The Guardian, October 12, 2015

Photograph: Greg Baker / AP


63



64




(11 October 2015) An aerial photograph of dump sites, taken by a drone

66 Source: The Guardian, October 11, 2015 Photographer: Arkadiusz Podniesinski


(2013)

(15 September 2015) 395 bags of tainted material washed away in floods

• Japan's Environment Ministry says nearly 400 bags of weeds and other waste contaminated with radioactive materials were washed into a river during a torrential rain in Fukushima.

• The plastic bags contained weeds, branches and soil from cleanup work in Iitate Village in the prefecture. The area was contaminated by fallout from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.

• The bags were being stored on farmland near a river temporarily.

• The ministry says that of the 395 bags that were washed away, 314 were recovered. But about half of them were torn, and their contents were empty.

68 Source: NHK, Tuesday, September 15, 2015

• Environment Minister Yoshio Mochizuki noted that the grass and branches in the bags had been collected recently and had relatively low radiation levels. He suggested that the possibility they will affect the environment is low.

• He added that his ministry will work to recover the remaining bags and implement measures to prevent a recurrence.

(30 September 2015) Incinerator radioactive decontamination waste in Tomioka



(5 September 2015)

(September 2015) Storing radioactive waste from decontamination activities • The Ministry of Environment (MOE) in Japan estimates that all

decontamination work in Fukushima Prefecture will result in a total volume of 22 million cubic meter of (low-level) radioactive waste.

• Large plastic bags can be found all over the meanwhile decontaminated area, each one containing 1 cubic meter low-level waste, mainly contaminated soil but also e.g. radioactive ash from incinerators.

• At present, the bags are collected and stored in Temporary Storage Sites (TSS’s) and Stock Yards.

• Near the Fukushima Daichi NPP, an Interim Storage Facility (ISF) will be realized to handle and store all bags, consisting of e.g:

1. Acceptance & Separation Facility (to separate soil by weight and radiation); 2. Soil Storage Facility (to store soils after separation); 3. Volume Reduction Facility (to reduce volumes by incineration); 4. Waste Storage Facility (to store waste measuring more than 100,000 Bq/kg). • Within 30 years after the start of the ISF, final disposal of the waste is

planned outside Fukushima Prefecture. • The Ministry will investigate whether contaminated soil can be used as e.g.

road bed material in road construction, or inside walls to break sea water.

71 Based on: Ministry of Environment, Japan, September 5, 2015


(2014)


(2014)

(22 August 2014) Issue of temporary (‘interim’) storage entering final stage

• The assemblies of 2 towns in Fukushima Prefecture have decided to hear from the central government about recreating living conditions using a proposed subsidy. The funds are linked to the construction of temporary storage facilities for radioactive waste in those towns.

• The government plans to build facilities in Futaba and Okuma towns for storing radioactive waste generated by the decontamination effort at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The 2 towns host the nuclear plant.

• On August 8, the government told Fukushima Prefecture and its municipalities that it would pay them a total of 301 billion yen, or about 3 billion dollars, if they consent to the construction of temporary (‘interim’) storage facilities.

• The central government has already explained about the plan to the prefectural assembly. The sources say the Futaba and Okuma assemblies decided to hold conferences next Tuesday to hear the government explain about the subsidy. And next Wednesday the government is to provide explanations for representatives of the towns' residents at Futaba and Okuma.

74 Source: NHK, Friday, August 22, 2014

(12 March 2015) Transfer of tainted Fukushima soil to ISF to start

• As cleanup work continues, workers in Fukushima Prefecture will start transferring contaminated materials to an intermediate storage facility.

• Construction of a storage facility began only last month due to difficulties in finding a suitable site. It is located in an area between 2 towns near the stricken nuclear plant. The transfer will start on Friday, without waiting for completion of the facility.

• The Environment Ministry is aiming to transport 1,000 cubic meters of contaminated materials each from 43 municipalities during the first year.

• So far the government has only secured enough land to accommodate 20,000 cubic meters, roughly 0.1 percent of the planned size.

• The completed 16-square-kilometers intermediate storage facility will hold up to 22 million cubic meters of contaminated soil and debris.

• At the same time the government must start looking for a final disposal site for the contaminated materials. Officials promised the citizens of Fukushima that if they host the intermediate facility for 30 years. The final storage site would be outside their prefecture.

75 Source: NHK, Thursday, March 12, 2015

76

Decontamination and

return of evacuees

(23 May 2011) Parents demand lower radiation limit for children

• After the Fukushima-1 nuclear accident, the government set the limit for accumulated external radiation for children undertaking outdoor activities at 20 millisieverts a year.

• A group of parents of school children from Fukushima Prefecture is calling for lowering the government-set radiation limit for children.

• On Monday, May 23, members of the group visited the education ministry and submitted a petition bearing more than 15,000 signatures.

• The parents have been pointing out that the government safety level is too high for children and are demanding that it be lowered to 1 millisievert per year, the level recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) as a long-term annual reference level for humans.

77 Source: NHK, Monday, May 23, 2011

(6 October 2011) Gov't panel mulls interim goals on radiation dose

• A government panel on radiation believes it will be difficult to restrict exposure in some areas near the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant below the annual radiation limit of 1 millisievert set by the government for normal times.

• The panel proposed on Thursday to set an interim exposure target. It says the target should be set between one and 20 millisieverts in line with recommendations by the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP).

• The panel says the target should be lowered in steps as decontamination progresses.

• It adds that targets could differ by region and that residents should have a voice in setting the targets.

• The panel will wrap up its proposal at its next meeting, but its plan to ease the radiation exposure limit is expected to arouse controversy.

78 Source: NHK, Thursday, October 6, 2011

(21 April 2014) Fukushima evacuees discuss whether to go back home

• Residents of Naraha, a town in Fukushima Prefecture who fled the accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March 2011, are considering whether to go back home.

• Officials of Naraha have begun hosting town meetings to discuss return, now that the government has finished removing radioactive material from living areas.

• The first meeting was held on Monday in Iwaki city, where 80 percent of the town's residents have evacuated. About 60 people took part in the event.

• Officials explained that radiation in residential areas of Naraha has dropped by half from pre-decontamination levels. It's now at 0.44 microsieverts per hour, and a municipal panel of experts has judged the town livable.

• They also reported that a makeshift shopping mall has been built in the town for returnees.

• But many residents were wary. One person said it's too early to go back, as radiation levels remain high in other parts of the town. Another asked the officials not to rush and to make careful decisions.

79 Source: NHK, Tuesday, April 22, 2014

(8 May 2014) Naraha Town Assembly demands more decontamination

• A town assembly near the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant has called for more decontamination work before evacuees are allowed to return.

• 10 members from the town assembly including the chairman, Motoi Aoki, visited the Environment Ministry on Thursday. The delegation handed a written demand to Senior Vice Minister Shinji Inoue.

• The demand urges the central government to reduce annual radiation exposure to below 1 millisievert per year before residents return home.

• It says the government should be responsible for decontaminating and cleaning inside houses and buildings. It also calls for the thorough decontamination of the bottom of the town's Kido Dam.

• Most parts of Naraha Town were designated as an evacuation zone after the nuclear accident in March 2011. The area is currently designated as preparing for early resettlement. The central government finished decontaminating residential areas on schedule in March.

80 Source: NHK, Thursday, May 8, 2014

(6 July 2015) Naraha residents allowed to return in September

• The Japanese government has decided to lift in early September its evacuation order for the deserted town of Naraha near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

• Economy and industry state minister Yosuke Takagi informed Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto of the decision on Monday. Takagi serves as head of the government's local task force on the nuclear disaster.

• Takagi said lifting the evacuation order on September 5th would meet the expectations of residents who wish to return home. He said it would also help post-disaster rebuilding efforts.

• Mayor Matsumoto accepted the government's decision.

81 Source: NHK, Monday, July 06, 2015

- The central government had earlier planned to lift the evacuation order by mid-August. But the plan was postponed because residents expressed concerns over radiation and shortages of medical clinics and other infrastructure. - All of the town's approximately 7,400 residents were forced to relocate because of the nuclear accident. - The town is the first municipality totally emptied after the disaster to have its evacuation order lifted.

(12 October 2015) Naraha town – the first community declared fit for humans • “Our children told us never to come

back to this place,” says Kohei, one of a small number of residents who returned to Naraha last month after it became the first contaminated community in Fukushima prefecture to be declared fit for human habitation.

• The stress of moving from one temporary home to another – the Yamauchis have moved six times since the disaster – outweighs any concerns they have about radiation, the 79-year-old adds.

• “We’re too old to be worried about getting cancer from radiation exposure. I expect a lot of older people will return, but not their children or grandchildren. It’s going to be difficult to raise children here.”

82 Source: The Guardian, October 12, 2015

Entering the living room of Kohei and Tomoko Yamauchi’s house in Naraha is a disconcerting experience. Above the tatami-mat floor, the shelves are lined with rows of kokeshi dolls; to one side is a large display of daruma figures, a traditional harbinger of good fortune. Kohei’s ancestors look down from framed black-and-white photographs mounted on the wall.

Kohei and Tomoko Yamauchi at their home in Naraha

In Naraha 200-300 people have returned since 5 September 2015 - including just 2 children – out of a pre-disaster population of 7,400.

(7 March 2014) Survey: 74% of voluntary evacuees not returning

• An NHK survey has found that many voluntary evacuees from Fukushima are still haunted by radiation fears and plan to live outside the prefecture for good. NHK conducted the survey ahead of the 3rd anniversary of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

• Following the March 2011 accident, at least 25,000 people who lived outside government-designated evacuation zones left the prefecture voluntarily. NHK received responses from 307 such people.

• Results show that 74 percent are planning to stay where they are now or find a new place to settle down. Some of these people had returned to Fukushima at one point but decided to flee again. Many of them cited fears about radiation and possible exposure.

• The survey respondents included 129 households in which the husbands are staying in Fukushima but their wives live separately. 97 percent of them said the husbands have work in the prefecture. 25 percent of the couples cited conflicting views on evacuation and radiation as the reasons for living apart.

• 23 percent of the overall respondents had divorced or were planning to divorce.

83 Source: NHK, Friday, March 7, 2014

(17 October 2014) Survey: More Fukushima evacuees give up returning

• A survey shows more evacuees from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident have given up returning home.

• The Reconstruction Agency and local municipalities released on Friday the results of the annual survey conducted in August.

• Almost half of respondents from 2 towns designated as an evacuation zone said they decided they will not go back. The percentage of people who gave this answer is up 11 points from last year in the town of Namie and up 3 points in Tomioka town.

• Officials say some of the people who were undecided in last year's survey have made up their mind.

• In last year's survey, more than 60 percent of evacuees from 2 towns near the damaged plant, Okuma and Futaba, said they will not return.

• The agency says it will consult with local governments to incorporate the survey results in a reconstruction plan.

84 Source: NHK, Friday, Oct. 17, 2014

85

Impacts of the accident on local population

(12 March 2011) Officials checked for signs of radiation on children from the evacuation area near the Fukushima Daini

nuclear power plant in Koriyama

86 Source: Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters; 12 March 2011

87

Source: Jonathan Samet and Dyana Chanson; ‘Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant Disaster: how many people were affected – 2015 report’, University of South California, March 9, 2015

Potential consequences due to nuclear accidents

(26 April 2011 - 26 October 2011) WCT: ‘First rough estimates of health effects in Japan’

• No death within weeks due to radiation; about 4 death due to other reasons.

• At present (October 2011): Exposure to radiation of about 3,700 workers, about 97% of them to values below 100 mSv, 3% between 100 and 250 mSv, and some above 250 mSv (up to 650 mSv).

• Radioactive contamination of an area of about 1,000 km2 to levels that may result in its long-term evacuation.

• Not many thyroid cancers to be expected, because of timely evacuation (apart from some areas) and provision of iodine tablets.

• Radiogenic cancers are suspected but undetectable in a much larger background of cancers due to other courses. A first rough estimation: 2,000 death in total due to the release of radioactivity, applying a fatal risk coefficient of 5% per Sievert (see: ICRP-103, 2007).

• A large number of death due to the evacuation, stress, depression, social destruction, suicide. [Dec. 2015: estimated at ~1400 death]

88 Source: Wim C. Turkenburg, De Volkskrant, 26 April 2011 & Lecture on Fukushima, 26 October 2011

(20 October 2015) Fukushima worker to get cancer compensation

• Japan's labor ministry says it will provide compensation to a man confirmed to have developed cancer as a result of working at nuclear power plants.

• The man was in his late 30s when he worked from November 2011 to December 2013 at various nuclear plants. They include the Fukushima Daiichi plant that suffered a meltdown in March 2011.

• Ministry experts determined that he was likely to have contracted leukemia following clean-up work at Fukushima Daiichi. They found he had been exposed to a total of 19.8 millisievert of radiation from his work at various plants. He was exposed to 15.7 millisievert at the Fukushima plant.

• Compensation is granted if a nuclear power plant worker has been exposed to annual radiation of 5 millisievert and has developed cancer more than a year afterward.

• Ministry officials say that so far, 13 nuclear plant workers have been granted compensation for work-related cancer. This is the first such case involving the Fukushima plant.

• About 45,000 people have been involved in work at the Fukushima plant since the accident. More than 21,000 of them have been exposed to annual radiation levels of 5 millisieverts.

89 Source: NHK, Tuesday, October 20, 2015

(20 August 2013) Thyroid cancer found in 18 Fukushima children

• Medical examinations in Fukushima Prefecture following the nuclear crisis of 2011 have detected 18 children with thyroid cancer. The finding was reported on Tuesday by a prefectural panel examining the impact of radiation on the health of local residents.

• The prefecture is giving medical checkups to all 360,000 children aged 18 or younger at the time of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in March 2011. That's because radioactive substances released can accumulate in children's thyroid glands, possibly increasing their risk of developing cancer.

• Some 210,000 children had been tested by the end of July. Besides the 18 minors diagnosed with cancer, 25 others are suspected to have the illness.

• The panel says it cannot determine if the accident has affected the incidence of cancer among children in Fukushima. The incidence rate of thyroid cancer in children is said to be 1 in 100,000. In Japan, 46 people under 20 were diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2006.

90

Source: NHK, August 20, 2013

● Green Cross, Japan, Sept. 28, 2015: ‘New research shows: 137 children with thyroid cancer, out of 360,000 children receiving medical check-ups.’

(1 October 2015) Interview with an evacuee in Koriyama,

a farmer’s wife from Tomioka

91 Photograph: Petra Wijnsema

(2 October 2015) Impacts of sheltering, evacuation and relocation (1)

• The implementation of evacuation, especially within the 20 km zone, was stressful for many of the evacuees, with traumatic situations and deaths of hospital patients during the transport out of the 20 km zone.

• Many evacuees were accommodated in temporary shelters, such as large school auditoriums or other local municipal buildings. Many evacuees lived in uncomfortable conditions for several months

• Following the accident, sheltering continued for a longer period, during which living standards of residents deteriorated as a consequence of isolation and lack of supplies.

• Construction of temporary housing began in the summer of 2011, leading to an improvement in living conditions, but these conditions were still not ideal.

• Also there is the continued isolation of evacuees from their home community life.

• Opportunities for employment and for participation in community activities have been limited.

• The temporary and uncertain situation has made planning for the future very difficult.

• As a consequence, evacuees have suffered psychologically and physically. 92 Source: IAEA, ‘The Fukushima Daiichi Accident’, 2 October 2015

(2 October 2015) Impacts of sheltering, evacuation and relocation (2)

• Long term evacuation has affected family structures. Before the accident, many residents lived in large farmhouses, often with three generations living together. After the accident, the number of households increased, because temporary housing units are generally too small to accommodate all family members.

• Local communities disintegrate when their members move. Additionally, relationships within a community can and have been affected by inequities in the application of measures within it, due to zoning and the monetary compensation policies.

• The age distribution of the population between March 2011 and September 2013 over the whole of Fukushima Prefecture shows a decrease in the younger population and an increase for populations older than 65.

• The demographical changes illustrate the social disruption brought about by the separation of families, typically resulting from one parent leaving the area with their children while the other parent remains for work reasons.

• Other concerns in the affected populations are stigmatization and discrimination, including discrimination against children evacuated as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi accident after moving to new schools.

93 Source: IAEA, ‘The Fukushima Daiichi Accident ‘, 2 October 2015

(11 April 2014) TEPCO, dairy farmer's family settle over suicide

• TEPCO and the family of a dairy farmer who committed suicide after the nuclear disaster reached a settlement for several hundred thousand dollars in compensation.

• Shigekiyo Kanno killed himself at his farm in Soma city, Fukushima Prefecture in June 2011, leaving a note that said, "If only there were no nuclear plant.“

• Before his death, Kanno had complained to other dairy operators in the area that he was unable to ship milk because of the effects of the nuclear accident.

• Kanno's wife, Vanessa, and her 2 sons had sued Tokyo Electric Power Company for compensation and TEPCO initially intended to fight the case in court. But the two sides eventually reached an agreement, with the provision that TEPCO will not include an apology in the settlement papers.

94 Source: NHK, Friday, April 11, 2014

95

Nuclear energy policy Japanese government

(11 April 2014) Govt. sets new energy policy

• The Japanese government has decided on a new medium- and long-term basic energy plan that calls nuclear power a key energy source. The Cabinet on Friday approved the plan, after modifying an initial version to take into account calls from within the governing coalition for more use of renewable energy sources.

• The plan defines nuclear power as an important base-load power source that enables a stable supply of energy. The government will allow nuclear plants to resume operations if they meet safety standards set by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).

• But the plan calls for minimizing dependence on nuclear power by promoting renewable energy and making thermal power plants more efficient. The plan cites a goal set 4 years ago to have renewable energy sources account for 20 percent of total demand in 2030.

• On nuclear fuel recycling, the government says its basic policy is to promote it. Junior coalition partner New Komeito says the prototype Monju fast-breeder reactor should be scrapped. But the government is sticking with its initial plan to use the facility as an international research base.

96 Source: NHK, Friday, April 11, 2014

(16 July 2015) Japan adopts mix plan for electricity

• An expert panel in Japan has approved a government plan that sets out how the country should meet its electricity needs by the year 2030.

• The panel endorsed the electricity mix plan at a meeting on Thursday. • By fiscal 2030 Japan will take between 20 and 22 percent of its power from

nuclear plants, down from more than 28 percent before the 2011 nuclear accident.

• Power from renewable sources will make up between 22 and 24 percent, up from just over 10 percent in fiscal 2013.

• Some panel members opposed the plan. They said it contradicts a government policy to minimize dependence on nuclear power.

97 Source: NHK, Thursday, 16 July 2015

(Jan. 2015) Overview new enhanced safety requirements in Japan

98 Source: IEA-NEA, ‘Technology Roadmap Nuclear Energy’ – edition 2015, Jan. 2015

(11 August 2015) Sendai nuclear plant restarted after more than 4 years

• A nuclear reactor has been restarted in Japan for the first time in nearly 2 years.

• The No.1 reactor at the Sendai nuclear plant in southwestern Japan is the first to go back online under new regulations introduced after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.

• On Tuesday morning, workers at the plant's central control room operated a lever to pull out the reactor's 32 control rods.

• If all goes well, the reactor is due to achieve a sustained nuclear chain reaction in about 12,5 hours and begin generating power on Friday.

• After gradually raising output, Kyushu Electric plans to begin commercial operations in early September.

99 Source: NHK, Tuesday, August 11, 2015

- The 2-reactor Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture last year cleared the new, rigorous regulations introduced after the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. It completed all necessary inspections on Monday.

- The reactor has been kept off line for more than 4 years. It is the first to go online since September 2013, when the Ohi nuclear plant in central Japan halted operations.

100

Thanks!

Wim Turkenburg Utrecht University The Netherlands

[email protected]

Documents

27 September – 3 October 2015 Fukushima: current situation · 2015-12-13 · Meeting with Story-telling Group of Former Residents from Tomioka. Presentation by prof. Jonathan Samet