3 million gallons of contaminated water from Japan's nuclear plant into Pacific Ocean

[sharingwisdom]

https://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ht...arthquake.html

Workers began pumping more than 3 million gallons of contaminated water from Japan's tsunami-ravaged nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Monday, freeing storage space for even more highly radioactive water that has hampered efforts to stabilize the reactors.

It will take about two days to pump most of the less-radioactive water out of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, whose cooling systems were knocked out by the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

On Saturday, they discovered that some radioactive water was pouring into the ocean.

The less-radioactive water that officials are purposely dumping into the sea is up to 500 times the legal limit for radiation.

"We think releasing water with low levels of radiation is preferable to allowing water with high levels of radiation to be released into the environment," said Junichi Matsumoto, an official with plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.

Workers need to get rid of the highly radioactive water, but first they need somewhere safe to put it. Much of the less-radioactive water being dumped into the sea is from the tsunami and had accumulated in a nuclear waste storage building.

Although the government eventually authorized the dumping of the less-radioactive water, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said officials were growing concerned about the sheer volume of radioactive materials spilling into the Pacific. It is not clear how much water has leaked in addition to what is being dumped purposely.

"Even if they say the contamination will be diluted in the ocean, the longer this continues, the more radioactive particles will be released and the greater the impact on the ocean," Edano said. "We are strongly urging TEPCO that they have to take immediate action to deal with this."

[Note: Can you believe the article then says, "Experts said Monday that at this point, they don't expect the discharges to pose widespread danger to sea animals or people who might eat them."?]

[stonebeadmaker]

There have been some incredibly bad decisions made in Japan in the past few weeks, but the decision by TEPCO ''officials '' to dump large amounts of contaminated waste water into the ocean is the clear crossing of what will probably be many points of no return. This is such a truly tragic and unforgiveable crime against the planet by fools who have already lied to and betrayed countless lives. We can only hope that one Japanese tradition may still have the power to address situations that have become disgraceful beyond all reason. It is time for every TEPCO ''official'' to put on that special kimono and to write their most heartfelt death poem, and then to swiftly take themselves out of the gene pool. This planet can only ''soak up '' so many mistakes commited by foolish uninitiated ''experts'' before there is nothing left to destroy in the name of human vanity. That beautiful and appropriate Japanese tradition is just waiting for many,many deserving upper level managers to confess their crimes against the planet and to get on with it.

["Mad" Miles]

So, StoneBeadWorker,

You're advising ritual suicide, seppuku, harakiri, for the corporate bosses at TEPCO? Really? That's your contribution to the discussion? REALLY!?

You find a place in the West County, or in "Town", that meets your needs yet?

[Claire]

So, StoneBeadWorker,

You're advising ritual suicide, seppuku, harakiri, for the corporate bosses at TEPCO? Really?

I'm pretty sure that he is advising Harakiri BY the corporate bosses.
This fiasco encompasses such negligence and greed over honor or commonsense. Greed and Hubris.
Who said, "Live by the sword, die by the sword." ?
The corporate bosses have stolen from the people in their country, their children and untold living beings. no lie.
I think it would be rational for them to go in and try and fix their mess, laying their beliefs out and on the line.
Why should low level workers give their lives?
And again, where are the robotics that should be already in place if this is too dangerous a milieu for human bodies?? It's all so asinine.
Simply my opinion.