Cleaning up Fukushima: Decommissioning work continues on nuclear power plant • FRANCE 24 English
[Music] Two pairs of special socks have to be worn on the site. We start with the first pair. These precautions have become second nature for Takahara who works at the Fukushima Dichi Nuclear Power Plant. Socks, masks, and gloves. We also put on protective gear that enables us to access the green area where radiation levels are lowest and which accounts for 96% of the entire site. The Tokyo Electric Power Company, which owned and operated the plant during the disaster, is using robots to extract hazardous melted fuel from the damaged reactors. In November, 14 years after the disaster, the robots made a breakthrough. For the first time, they were able to extract 0.7 g of harmful radioactive debris. A tiny quantity given that the remaining amount is estimated at 880 tons. On March the 11th, 2011, Japan was struck by the most powerful earthquake in its modern history. The quake unleashed a tsunami that killed almost 19,000 people along the northeast coast. Three reactors at the Fukushima plant melted down after a 15 m high wave breached its protective seaw wall and crippled its backup power supply. In the days that followed, hydrogen explosions rocked reactor buildings. Radioactive material leaked into the atmosphere. After the disaster, TCO was accused of downplaying the risks posed by tsunami. The utility has since built a new barrier, a reinforced seaw wall based on a French design. Although the structure can block tsunamis of up to 60 m in height, we’re also preparing for the possibility of even more powerful waves. Additionally, if water accumulates, we can get rid of it using a drainage system. TCO was faced with the huge task of dealing with water that’s used to cool the reactors. After being treated, the water was stored in these giant tanks. They now contain enough water to fill 510 Olympic size swimming pools. But the utility was unable to remove one radioactive element, tritium. Instead, workers dilute the treated water with seawater to bring tritium down to safe levels before pumping it into the Pacific. The World Health Organization safety limit for tritium is 10,000 beckerels per liter. The levels at Fukushima dichi are 25 times lower. Amid concern from nearby countries such as China and South Korea, fish were placed in treated water containing higher doses of tritium for 2 years. Experts say the water does not pose a threat to the environment or human health. The mortality rate is exactly the same in fish raised in normal seawater as it is among those raised in the treated water mixture containing tritium. TCO and local officials have struggled to persuade evacuated residents to return. There were concerns over a small number of cancer cases among plant workers that were attributed to radiation exposure. Several people who were children at the time of the disaster and have developed thyroid cancer are seeking compensation from TCO. While some areas are still off limits, others have been cleared for residents to return. [Music] This family moved from Tokyo 2 years ago and now live about 5 kilometers from the plant. This is a doimeter. We each have one and wear it at all times. How often do we receive the results? Atmospheric radiation levels here are 7 to 10 times higher than in Tokyo, but they’re still below international safety thresholds. Each of these parents has a dosimter to use outside and two for indoors. Local authorities announce radiation levels daily. These residents say they’re adapting to life here. When we go outside to play with the kids, we pay close attention to radiation levels. If the readings show it’s safe, we stay out a little longer, maybe 2 or 3 hours, while the kids play. The Yamaguchi family chose this area for its public school. Founded two years ago, it stresses individual education and the importance of play. The aim is to attract families with children aged up to 15. If this school didn’t exist, I probably wouldn’t have come here, I would have stayed in Tokyo. The school had just 26 pupils when it opened. Now it has 85, 70% of whom are from other regions. The school’s principal believes Japan’s rigid education system, which discourages people from questioning authority, was partly responsible for the 2011 disaster. You won’t find anything in textbooks about how our town will be rebuilt or how to deal with the uncertain future facing Japan and the world. We believe children should learn to think for themselves and become more independent in their learning. While residents build new lives near the site of Japan’s worst nuclear disaster, decommissioning work at Fukushima Dichi is expected to continue for at least another three decades.
Decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan began soon after it suffered a triple meltdown in March 2011. Fourteen years on, the work continues. This summer will mark two years since Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant’s operator, began discharging water that was used to cool the damaged reactors into the sea. In November last year, workers removed a few grams of radioactive debris from a reactor for the first time. A second extraction took place a few weeks ago. Neighbourhoods closest to the plant are still off-limits, but other areas are safe to live in. For some residents, life is slowly returning to normal. Justin McCurry, Alexis Bregere and Airi Futakuchi Report.
#Japan #Fukushima #nuclear power
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5 comments
Where did they find a Japanese family with THREE children?
Womp womp. Nobody cares.
I do 5 live shows a week on nuclear and Fukushima watch my last 2 live shows or watch my short videos to understand the facts Ignore the trolls . I carried out 6 years of marine research on Pacific ocean so see my playlist to get the actual facts every species of whale is showing up emaciated same as migratory sea birds . Fukushima radioactive fallout broke the food chain . There was a extra 865000 cancers in Japan in just the first year .
You can't decommission medusa.
It's important to remember no one died and no one was injured by Fukushima radiation.
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