progresshiv
New Member
Breathing air since 1950
Posts: 34
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Post by progresshiv on May 1, 2013 8:50:44 GMT -5
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Post by Vierotchka on May 3, 2013 7:12:43 GMT -5
Published on 2 May 2013
Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster first began back in March of 2011, there have been near-daily updates on the condition of that stricken plant, updates which have been getting worse and worse, painting a very dire scene at the Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. From the moment the earthquake and tsunami devastated the plant, officials have been struggling to contain the leaks of radioactive waste, fuel, and cooling water. In February, for example, officials discovered a fish in a nearby water intake station for the plant that contained more than 7,400 times the recommended safe limit of radioactive cesium. And now, officials are concerned that, because of all of the leaks, power outages, and glitches that have occurred, the Dai-chi nuclear power plant could begin to break apart and cause an even worse nuclear disaster, when a decades-long clean-up process finally begins.
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Post by freespiritmuse on May 28, 2013 18:16:10 GMT -5
Stricken Fukushima nuke plant struggles to keep staffajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201305230104Keeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant's operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decades-long effort to safely decommission it. Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility that runs the Fukushima No. 1 plant that melted down in March 2011 after being hit by a tsunami, is finding that it can barely meet the headcount of workers required to keep the three broken reactors cool while fighting power outages and leaks of tons of radiated water, said current and former nuclear plant workers and others familiar with the situation at Fukushima. Construction jobs are already plentiful in the area due to rebuilding of tsunami ravaged towns and cities. Other public works spending planned by the government, under the “Abenomics” stimulus programs of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is likely to make well-paying construction jobs more abundant. And less risky, better paid decontamination projects in the region irradiated by the Fukushima meltdown are another draw. Some Fukushima veterans are quitting as their cumulative radiation exposure approaches levels risky to health, said two long-time Fukushima nuclear workers who spoke to The Associated Press. They requested anonymity because their speaking to the media is a breach of their employers' policy and they say being publicly identified will get them fired. TEPCO spokesman Ryo Shimizu denied any shortage of workers, and said the decommissioning is progressing fine. “We have been able to acquire workers, and there is no shortage. We plan to add workers as needed,” he said. The discrepancy may stem from the system of contracting prevalent in Japan's nuclear industry. Plant operators farm out the running of their facilities to contractors, who in turn find the workers, and also rely on lower-level contractors to do some of their work, resulting in as many as five layers of contractors. Utilities such as TEPCO know the final headcount--3,000 people now at the Fukushima plant--but not the difficulties in meeting it. TEPCO does not release a pay scale at the Fukushima plant or give numbers of workers forced to leave because of radiation exposure. It does not keep close tabs on contracting arrangements for its workers. continues at link
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