Naval fleet ready for evacuation assistance at Taal Volcano
As the seismic activity at the Volcano Taal remains active, the Philippine Navy ordered a nearby fleet to stand by, in case Taal Volcano erupts anytime, according to the military sources on Saturday. About a company size of troops from the Philippine Fleet are on standby throughout the holy week to provide evacuation and rescue assistance to more than 1,000 caretakers who are reportedly left behind in the danger zone, Jose Luis Alano, Commander of the Philippine Fleet, said in a press release on Saturday. The Philippine Fleet is the nearest Naval facility that can respond immediately in case Taal Volcano erupts. Aside from the troops, the Fleet Support Force is prepared to deploy rubber boats, trucks, life vests, a team of divers, and an ambulance with a medical team. Taal Volcano, an island situated in the middle of Taal lake in Batangas province of north Philippines, has more than 5,000 residents, most of whom were already evacuated to safer grounds. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 19 earthquakes in the past 24 hours, one of those event which occurred at 4:31 a.m. Saturday was felt at Intensity III. The temperature at the Main Crater Lake has increased from 30.5 degrees Celsius to 31.5 degrees Celsius. Phivolcs advises the public to keep away from the Main Crater, because sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate. The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Four Japanese vehicles detected with radiation in Mauritius
According to information from multiple media in Mauritius (The Express and Mauritius), Friday afternoon, the Radiation Protection Authority (RPA) has detected radiation on four used vehicles imported from Yokohama, Japan. If they do not pose a direct threat to health, the Mauritian authorities are unwilling to take any chances.
As a precaution, three cars and truck have been placed under investigation in an airtight container in a protected area of the port area. Thus isolated, the RPA has defined a “restricted area” in the scope of this container. Imported into Mauritius by the firm Camel Motors, vehicles will be returned as quickly in Japan, where experts will conduct their decontamination.
Following the Japanese nuclear crisis caused by various accidents at the plant in Fukushima-Daichii, the Mauritian government had taken steps to tighten controls on food products, as well as cars imported from Japan. This measure had been recorded on March 28 last, when the vehicles had already left the Japanese coast.
The levels of radioactivity found is not alarming, but reaches a higher level standards. Damaged by the tsunami and the earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, the Fukushima nuclear power plant has suffered several explosions. A cloud of radioactive particles escaped from the nuclear complex and the area is currently prohibited. The four vehicles will be shipped back to Japan in the coming days, at the expense of the importer.
TEPCO to cautiously inject water in No.4 fuel pool
Tokyo Electric Power Company has decided to be more cautious about the volume of cooling water injected into the spent fuel pool of one of its reactors.
This is due to fear that the reactor building might be further damaged by the weight of the water itself.
The company has been injecting water daily into the spent fuel pools of the reactors to prevent fuel rods from being exposed and further damaged.
At the Number 4 reactor’s pool, the water temperature was about 91 degrees Celsius on Friday, more than 50 degrees higher than the normal level, and TEPCO was forced to inject 200 tons of water. Substantial amounts of water will have to be injected daily.
Citing damage to the walls of the building supporting the pool during last month’s hydrogen explosion, the power company says excessive water injection could further weaken the structure of the building.
From Saturday, the utility started assessing more carefully the appropriate amount of water to be poured into the pool, using a device to monitor temperature and the level of cooling water in the pool.
1,535 spent fuel rods are stored in the pool of the Number 4 reactor’s building, the largest amount at the site.
Fear of Taal Volcano eruption hurts tourism in Philippines
Fear of possible eruption in Taal Volcano has hurt tourism in Philippines. The Taal Volcano in Philippines is scaring tourists away from nearby regions costing millions to the tourism industry.
Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said that the recent activity in Taal volcano has triggered massive cancellations in the nearby Talisay, Batangas and Tagaytay City. Thousands of tourists have already canceled their trips fearing the volcanic eruption.
He said that nearby popular regions are safe to travel. Alberto Lim said that Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has notified him that these regions are safe to travel. The report by volcanologist Ted Sandoval says that Tagaytay City is safe even at the Alert Level 4 or the actual eruption.
Tourism in the Tagaytay City and the nearby lakeshore towns started to drop after alert level for Taal Volcano was raised to 2 and tourists were banned from the Taal volcano island. some resorts in the region are losing 500 to 1000 customers everyday.
Therefore tourism secretary assured tourists that these regions are safe to travel. Although the Taal Volcano Island still remains off limits for the tourists. Hopefully the assurance by the Tourism Secretary will encourage tourists to travel Tagaytay City and nearby regions.
90 million people live near nuclear plants
As the scientific journal “Nature” in a radius of 30 km around the gym, I Fukushima, damaged in the March earthquake and tsunami, before evacuation lived 172 thousand. people. For comparison, the same distance from 21 power plants located in Asia, North America, Germany, Britain, Belgium and Switzerland, the lives of at least a million people. Houses nearly 16 million Americans, 9.6 million Chinese, and many Germans are located within a radius of 30 km from any nuclear power plant - according to research conducted jointly by “Nature” and the American University of Columbia. In Europe, the most densely populated areas are around the German plant and Neckarwestheim Philippsburg - respectively 1.7 million and 1.6 million inhabitants. On the other hand, if one takes into account the 75 km radius around each reactor, it turns out that just such a home to almost half a billion citizens of the globe.
Dead leopard sharks found in Redwood City
Researchers said Friday they are baffled why a dozen leopard sharks died in tide pools and sloughs off Redwood City over the last several days. Canals that regulate tide flow may be preventing the sharks, which usually grow about five feet long, from escaping some kind of toxic discharge or other manmade pollution source, said Sean Van Sommeran with the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation in Santa Cruz. “We’re mapping and photographing and making contact with the management for the nearby facilities that control the flow of water through those manmade canals,” he said.
TEPCO mulls sinking walls around Japan reactors
The operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant is considering installing underground walls around its crippled reactors to prevent radioactive water seeping out, according to a broadcaster. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is studying the measure to contain contaminated water leaking from the plant’s reactors which were damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, TV Asahi said on Saturday, citing unnamed sources. Workers would have to dig to a depth of 15 metres (50 feet) to reach an impervious layer to build the walls on, it said. TEPCO has dumped a massive amount of water into reactor containers and overheating pools containing spent nuclear fuel rods, after the magnitude 9.0 quake triggered monster waves which knocked out the plant’s cooling systems. Workers battling to stabilise the battered nuclear facility later found highly contaminated water submerging turbine buildings and underground tunnels, with some running off from a cracked concrete pit into the Pacific Ocean. They sealed the crack but have faced a challenge in trying to ensure no underground water seeps out of the plant.
Taal Volcano bulletin
Taal Volcano’s (14.0000°N, 120.9833°E) seismic network recorded eleven (11) volcanic earthquakes during the past 24 hours. One of these quakes, which occurred at 5:33 AM yesterday, was felt at Intensity I at Brgy. Calauit at the southeastern side of the Volcano Island and was accompanied by rumbling sounds. Epicenter was located approximately 500 m offshore east of the Volcano Island and with a depth of 0.9 km.
Field observation and measurements conducted at the eastern sector inside the Main Crater Lake showed that the temperature at the Main Crater Lake increased from 30.5°C to 31.5°C. Result of the ground deformation survey (precise leveling) conducted around the Volcano Island last 05-11 April 2011 showed that volcano edifice is slightly inflated as compared with the 02-09 February 2011 survey.
Alert Level 2 is hoisted over Taal Volcano with the interpretation that magma has been intruding towards the surface, as manifested by CO2 being released in the Main Crater Lake and sustained seismic activity.
Hence, PHIVOLCS advises the public that the Main Crater, Daang Kastila Trail and Mt. Tabaro (1965 -1977 Eruption Site) are strictly off-limits because sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate.
Breathing air with high concentration of gases can be lethal to human, animals and even cause damage to vegetation. In addition, it is reminded that entire Volcano Island is a Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ), and permanent settlement in the island is strictly not recommended.
Taal Volcano in Philippines may erupt anytime
All indications point to the imminent eruption of Taal Volcano.
National Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council head Benito Ramos gave this report in yesterday’s briefing in Malacañang.
Ramos said the volcanic quakes in the area have become stronger.
“And the indication is that it may erupt anytime. So the whole island is off limits to people. We still have some people there,” he said.
Ramos said many of the residents have evacuated and most of those left behind are the caretakers of fish pens and those raising ducks who can still evacuate in 30 minutes once the volcano erupts. He gave assurances that all concerned agencies are on standby.
He said there are also enough pump boats that can be used to evacuate people on the island.
“We also keep the National Police and the local government agencies there,” he added.
Japan bans catching konago fish off Fukushima
Japan on Wednesday formally banned the shipment and consumption of a small fish caught off its Fukushima prefecture where a crippled nuclear power plant has leaked radioactive water into the sea. The ban applied to a small fish known as konago, or sand lance, the health ministry said. Fishing fleets in the area had already refrained from catching the species since elevated radiation levels were found earlier this month. Since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami hit and damaged the plant, forcing dousing operations at its reactors, some radioactive runoff has leaked and low-level contaminated water has had to be dumped in the sea. Officials have said that ocean currents would quickly dilute the contaminants, radioactive iodine and caesium, and said there was no wider threat to the marine environment or public health from eating seafood. Japan imposed a new limit of 2,000 becquerels per kilogram for iodine and 500 becquerels per kilogram for caesium in seafood, after a konago caught off Ibaraki prefecture, south of the plant, showed iodine above this level. A konago sample taken off Fukushima Monday found 3,900 becquerels of iodine-131 per kilogram and 14,400 becquerels of caesium per kilogram, the ministry said. Local fishermen in Ibaraki have voluntarily refrained from catching konago. “Actually no-one is fishing the konago there now because of the heavy disaster damage in Fukushima,” said a health ministry official. “In Ibaraki, fishermen have voluntarily stopped catching konago. So there is no risk of contaminated fish being sold at markets. “But the health ministry called for the government to impose an official ban on it because some people, like fishermen, may consume some on their own.” Iodine above legal limits has been found in vegetables, dairy products and mushrooms near the plant, triggering some shipping bans in Japan and overseas.
Tepco must end ‘Whack-a-Mole,’ cover Fukushima reactors as typhoons loom
Tokyo Electric Power Co. must speed up plans to cover reactors at its crippled nuclear plant and drain tainted water to prevent more radiation leaks as Japan’s cyclone season approaches, engineering professors said. In 2004, eight cyclones passed over or skirted Japan’s Tohoku region, where the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power station is spewing radiation after an earthquake and tsunami on March 11. The earliest was in May that year, according to Japan’s weather agency data. The eyes of two storms passed within 300 kilometers of Tohoku last year, the data show. Last month’s disaster wrecked the plant’s cooling systems, triggering the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986. The roofs of three buildings were damaged in blasts as water inside reactor cores and spent-fuel ponds boiled away. The utility known as Tepco plans to install temporary covers within nine months, and concrete ceilings over the “medium term.” “The buildings should be covered at least before the typhoon season is in full swing by late July,” said Tadashi Narabayashi, a professor of nuclear engineering at Hokkaido University. “Tepco’s actions are like a game of Whack-a-Mole because the company keeps reacting after the event.” Tepco said on April 17 it will start erecting temporary covers for the damaged building within three months provided radiation falls to levels at which workers can begin construction. The work is expected to be completed in the next three to six months, according to the action plan, which lists the “possibility of the cover being damaged by a big typhoon” as a risk.
Intensity 3 quake ‘with rumbling sounds’ felt near Taal Volcano
Intensity 3 and Intensity 1 volcanic earthquakes were felt in two villages near Taal Volcano yesterday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported. Phivolcs said in its April 20 bulletin that a total of 13 volcanic earthquakes were detected in Taal Volcano during the past 24 hours. One of the quakes, which occured at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, was felt at Intensity 3 in Barnagay Calauit and Intensity 1 in Barangay Pira-Piraso. Phivolcs said that the tremor was accompanied by rumbling sounds. In the Phivolcs Earthquake Intensity Scale, Intensity 3 is classified as “weak”, but it is felt by many people indoors specially in upper floors of buildings. In events of an Intensity 3 tremor, Phivolcs said, “Vibration is felt like the passing of a light truck. Dizziness and nausea are experienced by some people.” Meanwhile, Phivolcs said that field observation and measurements conducted at the eastern sector inside the main crater lake yestery showed that the temperature increased from 30.5°C to 31.5°C. Alert Level 2 remains hoisted over the volcano, meaning “magma has been intruding towards the surface.”
Small amounts of radioactive iodine found in breast milk
A citizen’s group concerned about the impact on mothers and babies of the radioactive leaks from a crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture said Wednesday that small amounts of radioactive iodine have been found in the breast milk of four women living east or northeast of Tokyo. Of the samples provided by the four women, the breast milk of the mother of an 8-month-old baby in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, contained the highest level of 36.3 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram, but no radioactive cesium was found, the group said. The Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan has not set safety levels for radioactive substances in breast milk, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. But the reading was below the safety limit of 100 becquerels per kg for tap water consumption by infants under 1 year old.
Areva to set up treatment system at Japan plant
French nuclear group Areva said Tuesday it will set up a system to treat radioactive water from a quake-hit Japanese power plant to allow power supplies and cooling systems to be repaired. The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeast coast of Japan on March 11 knocked out power systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing cooling systems to fail and triggering a series of explosions. To prevent a nuclear catastrophe, crews have pumped thousands of tonnes of seawater and later freshwater into the reactors and pools, creating a massive amount of radioactive runoff that is now hindering crucial repair work. Areva will use a system designed to separate radioactive substances out of the contaminated water, the company’s chief executive Anne Lauvergeon told a news conference in Tokyo. “This is a mechanism to treat contamination. We will inject chemicals into the contaminated water that will cause the radioactive substances to separate out,” she said, without giving any further details. Areva said it had been working with the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which runs the Fukushima Daiichi plant, for three weeks to try to come up with a decontamination system. Tens of thousands of people living near the 1970s-era plant have been forced to evacuate their homes as radiation has leaked into the air, soil and sea in the wake of the disaster. TEPCO said Sunday it hopes to reduce radiation leaking from the plant in three months and to achieve “cold shutdowns” of all reactors within six to nine months.
Fukushima fallout constantly detected in North Korea
Radioactive substances from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were continuously being detected in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), official news agency KCNA reported Tuesday. Monitoring stations across the country from April 11 to 17 detected iodine-131 and cesium-137 in the air above Wonsan in the southeast and Chongjin in the southeast, according to the KCNA. Traces of radioactive substances were also detected in the rain that covered most of the country on April 14, the report said. It was reported the monitoring stations, set up in coastal areas including Chongjin, Hamhung, Wonsan and Haeju, had extended their sampling to include seawater, fish and sea plants after Japan discharged a large amount of contaminated water into the sea.
