FUK-U-SHIMA: TEPCO Prepares To Remove Nuclear Fuel At Fukushima Plant - "Big Step" With "Large Risk Potential" That Could Result In A Catastrophic Disaster; Very High Radiation Levels Are Preventing Entry To Some Areas; Contaminated Water Leaks Continue To Plague The Site!

<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">November 08, 2013 - JAPAN </span></b>- The 1,533 nuclear fuel assemblies were lined up in neat rows in the storage pool of the No. 4 reactor building amid new equipment and a clean environment.<br /><br />But in stark contrast was the scene around the No. 4 reactor building at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fX9dvODklHw/UnzvIPc0qCI/AAAAAAABNe0/IeVc0qtnc2c/s1600/fuku01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fX9dvODklHw/UnzvIPc0qCI/AAAAAAABNe0/IeVc0qtnc2c/s1600/fuku01.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The No. 4 reactor building of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in February 2013 before <br />the canopy was installed (Asahi Shimbun file photo)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Concrete walls were still missing from the third and fourth floors of the No. 4 reactor building, raising questions among onlookers if the structure could withstand a huge earthquake.<br /><br />On the sea side of the building, a piping system and metal rods were exposed behind collapsed walls of a former boiler building.<br /><br />A truck swept up by the 2011 tsunami remained upside down by the side of the turbine building.<br /><br />Amid these surroundings, Tokyo Electric Power Co. plans to start removing the nuclear fuel assemblies from the No. 4 storage pool as early as next week. The work would represent a new stage in the overall plan to end the nuclear crisis that started 32 months ago.<br /><br />“It is a big step in the process to decommission the reactor,” Nuclear Regulation Authority Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa said.<br /><br />The entire decommissioning plan for the plant is expected to take 30 to 40 years to complete, and the strategy could change at any moment.<br /><br />Workers still do not know the location of melted nuclear fuel in the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors. High radiation levels are preventing entry to some areas. And contaminated water leaks continue to plague the site.<br /><br />And removing the nuclear fuel from the No. 4 pool will require delicate procedures, considering the state of the building and the dangers involved.<br /><br />NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka told TEPCO President Naomi Hirose to use extreme caution in removing the assemblies.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNfGlKbfUC4/UnzvVBlfRDI/AAAAAAABNe8/QgyYw9bCXs8/s1600/fuku03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNfGlKbfUC4/UnzvVBlfRDI/AAAAAAABNe8/QgyYw9bCXs8/s1600/fuku03.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A canopy is seen on the walls of the No. 4 reactor building at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power <br />plant that were blown out by the March 2011 explosion. (Soichiro Yamamoto)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />“The process involves a very large risk potential,” Tanaka told Hirose. “In a sense, it is more risky than the radioactive water crisis.”<br /><br />TEPCO on Nov. 6 allowed reporters to see the spent fuel storage pool of the No. 4 reactor building and other areas of the stricken nuclear plant.<br /><br />An elevator took the reporters to the top floor of the five-story building. A steel frame had been assembled near the pool, and a new fuel hoist and a new crane had been installed.<br /><br />The No. 4 reactor building itself was covered by a canopy to replace the roof that was blown off in an explosion on March 15, 2011.<br /><br />TEPCO plans to transfer the 1,533 nuclear fuel assemblies to a “storage pool for common use” 100 meters west of the No. 4 reactor.<br /><br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><b>WATCH:</b></span> 'Fukushima beyond tragic, it's a crime'. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="321" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/LJdrvbt-MYk?showinfo=0&version=3" width="570"></iframe></div><br /><br /><br />The removal and transfer is expected to be completed at the end of next year.<br /><br />The assemblies contain both spent and unused fuel. Some bundles were moved to the pool from the reactor core because the No. 4 reactor was undergoing a regular safety check when the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami struck the plant on March 11, 2011.<br /><br />The disaster knocked out the cooling system for the storage pool, sparking fears that it would dry up, leaving the fuel exposed and allowing huge amounts of radioactive substances to spew into the air.<br /><br />That didn’t happen. However, the explosion four days after the tsunami left large chunks of debris in the storage pool.<br /><br />Those chunks have been cleared, but a number of smaller pieces remain in the storage pool.<br /><br />The fuel removal process will use a cask receptacle that is 5.5 meters long, weighs 91 tons and can hold 22 fuel assemblies. It will be submerged in the pool and receive one fuel assembly at a time to prevent a nuclear reaction from occurring.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1eN0h9DK8zc/Unzvpe5QlgI/AAAAAAABNfE/khyGT4MlY6M/s1600/fuku02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1eN0h9DK8zc/Unzvpe5QlgI/AAAAAAABNfE/khyGT4MlY6M/s1600/fuku02.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fuel hoist has been installed to remove nuclear fuel from a storage pool in the No. 4 reactor<br />building at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. (Soichiro Yamamoto)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />A crane will lower the receptacle to the ground, where a vehicle will pick it up and take it to the common-use storage pool.<br /><br />TEPCO plans to use two receptacles to speed up the transfer process and finish removing all the fuel in just over a year.<br /><br />In addition to uranium, spent nuclear fuel contains highly toxic plutonium and other radioactive substances, which could be released if the fuel assemblies are damaged during the removal or transfer process.<br /><br />TEPCO has taken measures to check for deformed fuel assemblies and to prevent the remaining debris from causing damage when the fuel is pulled out.<br /><br />The company has also decided to use double wires to ensure the receptacles are not dropped by mistake.<br /><br />The canopy covering the No. 4 reactor building is designed to contain radioactive materials in the event of an accident. The bottom of the storage pool has also been strengthened with concrete and other materials.<br /><br />The reinforced storage pool could withstand shaking as strong as the magnitude-9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake, TEPCO officials said.<br /><br /><span style="color: yellow;"><b>MYSTERIES REMAIN AT NO. 1 TO NO. 3 REACTORS</b></span><br /><br />The government and TEPCO announced the three-stage road map for decommissioning the Fukushima reactors in December 2011.<br /><br />The first stage involves preparatory work, such as clearing debris, followed by the second-stage program that includes the removal of nuclear fuel from the pool in the No. 4 reactor building.<br /><br />According to the road map, work to remove spent nuclear fuel from the pool in the No. 3 reactor building should start in the first half of fiscal 2015. But high radiation levels have prevented workers from approaching the No. 3 reactor, meaning that remote-control equipment will be needed to assess the situation.<br /><br />The road map does not specify when the removal work will be completed there.<br /><br />Removing the melted nuclear fuel from the No. 1 to No. 3 reactors is part of the third stage, and it is expected to start in fiscal 2020 at the earliest.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jeuK_rKWTIk/Unzv34_qCHI/AAAAAAABNfQ/EXMFdAENhQs/s1600/fuku04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jeuK_rKWTIk/Unzv34_qCHI/AAAAAAABNfQ/EXMFdAENhQs/s1600/fuku04.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuclear fuel assemblies are stored in a pool in the No. 4 reactor building of the Fukushima<br />No. 1 nuclear power plant. (Soichiro Yamamoto) </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_vS3Mw5IQnw/Unzv3r7Yh-I/AAAAAAABNfM/72vSPvlPGQI/s1600/fuku05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_vS3Mw5IQnw/Unzv3r7Yh-I/AAAAAAABNfM/72vSPvlPGQI/s1600/fuku05.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Operations of the Alps system to remove radioactive substances from water have been suspended.<br />(Soichiro Yamamoto)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Engineers will first study methods to deal with the melted fuel, followed by the installation of equipment for the task. Currently, remote-control robots are being developed to study the situation and reduce workers’ exposure to radiation.<br /><br />The locations and the condition of the melted fuel for these reactors remain a mystery. It apparently dropped to the containment vessels through the inner pressure vessels housing the reactor cores.<br /><br />In addition, TEPCO has not determined the extent of damage to the pressure and containment vessels.<br /><br />TEPCO plans to insert a small remote-control device equipped with a camera into the suppression pool in the bottom part of the containment vessel of the No. 1 reactor on Nov. 13 at the earliest to get an idea of the internal situation.<br /><br />The road map for decommissioning work could drastically change depending on the conditions of the melted nuclear fuel and the damage to the containment vessels.<br /><br /><span style="color: yellow;"><b>ONGOING CONTAMINATED WATER PROBLEM</b></span><br /><br />One obstacle in the decommissioning plan is the continuous leaks of water contaminated with radioactive materials.<br /><br />The Alps system that can remove 62 types of radioactive materials, including strontium, from water is scheduled to be put into full operation within this month.<br /><br />It is considered a key piece of equipment to cut down the workers’ risk of exposure to radiation.<br /><br />On Nov. 6, the Alps system was still not operational.<br /><br />Under a tent the size of a gymnasium, where the Alps equipment is stored, workers were inspecting tanks and piping while using cranes hanging from ceilings to relocate containers.<br /><br />Test runs of Alps started in March. But the operations were suspended in June after water was found leaking from some of the tanks in the system.<br /><br />On Sept. 27, Alps operations were restarted, only to be shut down the same day due to a different problem.<br /><br />Contaminated water is increasing by about 400 tons every day at the plant due to the continuing cooling of the reactors and groundwater entering cracks in the buildings and mixing with radioactive water.<br /><br />TEPCO has removed only cesium from about 380,000 tons of contaminated water so far. And since even the Alps system cannot remove tritium, TEPCO has no choice but to store the radioactive water at the site.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DY43Yf55CnA/UnzwLW6vh2I/AAAAAAABNfc/-3tMkQ_dCKs/s1600/fuku06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DY43Yf55CnA/UnzwLW6vh2I/AAAAAAABNfc/-3tMkQ_dCKs/s1600/fuku06.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Asahi Shimbun.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In April, radioactive water was found to have leaked from an underground storage tank. In August, 300 tons of highly contaminated water had spilled from a tank and likely reached the ocean.<br /><br />Other leaks have also taken place, spreading soil contamination in the plant’s compound.<br /><br />Workers on Nov. 6 were seen heightening barriers and embankments to prevent radioactive water from spilling over the encasements surrounding tanks holding contaminated water.<br /><br />About 200 workers have been assigned to monitor the tanks for possible leaks.<br /><br />“The division to deal with contaminated water is different from the one to remove nuclear fuel. So we will be able to sufficiently carry out work for the two issues,” said Akira Ono, director of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.<br /><br />However, TEPCO Vice President Zengo Aizawa was not so optimistic.<br /><br />“From the mid- and long-term perspective, I have concerns,” Aizawa said. - <a href="http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201311070083"><span style="color: orange;"><b>AJW</b></span></a>.<br /><br /><br /> <br /></div>

Cesium Contaminated Pools Dead Zones Earthquake Fish Fukushima Fukushima Daiichi Japan Mass Animal Die-Off Nuclear Contamination Nuclear Meltdown Radioactive Water Strontium TEPCO FUK-U-SHIMA: TEPCO Prepares To Remove Nuclear Fuel At Fukushima Plant - "Big Step" With "Large Risk Potential" That Could Result In A Catastrophic Disaster; Very High Radiation Levels Are Preventing Entry To Some Areas; Contaminated Water Leaks Continue To Plague The Site!

November 08, 2013 - JAPAN - The 1,533 nuclear fuel assemblies were lined up in neat rows in the storage pool of the No. 4 reactor building a...

Read more »

MASS MAMMAL DIE-OFF: Mass Die-Off Of Turtles Off The Coast Of Guanacaste, Costa Rica?!

<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">November 07, 2013 - COSTA RICA </span></b>- Alejandro Masis Cuevillas, Regional Director of the Regional Directorate of the Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG) confirmed the mass killing of turtles in the North Pacific.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EXMSOjAg-vA/UnuI2qMd99I/AAAAAAABNVQ/BFwazlOCRB8/s1600/costaricaturtles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EXMSOjAg-vA/UnuI2qMd99I/AAAAAAABNVQ/BFwazlOCRB8/s1600/costaricaturtles.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />"Through a journey made in the area - attended the biologist Luis Fonseca Widcast organization, National Technical University, National Animal Health Service and Coast Guard and the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Agriculture, an amount determined important and significant of dead turtles, "said Mr. Masis.<br /><br />Also fishermen in the area also confirmed the presence of dead or dying turtles on beaches.<br /><br />Biologists suggest that turtles were not to shore but were swept away by currents, even though the area where they were, are places of the turtle nesting.<br /><br />As stated by Mr. Masis, "individuals took samples to laboratories in San Jose to determine if there is any indication of toxicity associated with death." "At the moment there is no clear cause of death associated with massive," said the principal. - <a href="http://www.teletica.com/Noticias/31477-Confirman-muerte-masiva-de-tortugas-en-Pacifico-Norte-e-investigan-causas.note.aspx"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Teletica</b></span></a>. [Translated]<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

Beaching Costa Rica Dead Turtles Fukushima Guanacaste Guanacaste Conservation Area Mass Mammal Die-Off North Pacific Pacific Ocean Sea Currents Stranding Toxicity Turtles MASS MAMMAL DIE-OFF: Mass Die-Off Of Turtles Off The Coast Of Guanacaste, Costa Rica?!

November 07, 2013 - COSTA RICA - Alejandro Masis Cuevillas, Regional Director of the Regional Directorate of the Guanacaste Conservation Are...

Read more »

FUK-U-SHIMA: "A Catastrophic Event,... The Most Terrifying Situation I Can Imagine,... All Hell Could Break Loose,... " - Mega-Quake Near Fukushima Would "Decimate Japan, Lead To The Evacuation Of The Entire United States West Coast;" Probability Of A Large Quake In The Next 3 Years Is 95 PERCENT!

<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: yellow;"><b><b><span style="color: yellow;">November 06, 2013 - JAPAN </span></b></b></span>- The stricken nuclear plant at Fukushima in northern Japan is in such a delicate condition that a future earthquake could trigger a disaster that would decimate Japan and affect the entire West Coast of North America, a prominent scientist has warned.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zeM9FhGELug/UnpBe5Ntj4I/AAAAAAABNLc/lviTOsO5jP0/s1600/fukuquake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zeM9FhGELug/UnpBe5Ntj4I/AAAAAAABNLc/lviTOsO5jP0/s1600/fukuquake.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An aerial view shows the Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s (TEPCO) tsunami-crippled Fukushima<br />Daiichi nuclear power plant (Reuters/Kyodo)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Speaking at a symposium on water ecology at the University of Alberta in Canada, prominent Japanese-Canadian scientist David Suzuki said that the Japanese government had been <span style="color: yellow;"><b><i>“lying through its teeth”</i></b></span> about the true extent of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. <br /><br />He attributed the cover-up to the Japanese government’s collusion with the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) that administers the plant. <br /><br />“Fukushima is the most terrifying situation that I can imagine,” Suzuki said, adding that another earthquake could trigger a potentially catastrophic, nuclear disaster. <br /><br />“The fourth [reactor] has been so badly damaged that the fear is if there’s another earthquake of a 7 or above then that building will go and all hell breaks loose,” he said, adding that the chances of an earthquake measuring 7 or above in Japan over the next three years were over 95 percent. <br /><br />“If the fourth [reactor] goes under an earthquake and those rods are exposed, then it’s bye, bye, Japan and everybody on the west coast of North America should be evacuated. And if that isn’t terrifying, I don’t know what is,” Suzuki said.  <br /><br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><b>WATCH:</b></span>  Suzuki and Schindler on Fukushima.  <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="321" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/iTqzqoKMLEg?showinfo=0&version=3" width="570"></iframe></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: yellow;"><b> ‘Too proud’</b></span><br /><br />Addressing the Japanese government’s attempts to bring the crisis under control, Suzuki said the scientists charged with the plant’s safety “don’t know what to do.”<br /><br />“The thing we need is to let a group of international experts go in with complete freedom to do what they suggest,” Suzuki said, adding that the only thing impeding this was the “pride” of the Japanese government that was refusing to admit this was necessary.<br /><br />Suzuki referred to the current scheme of freezing the soil around the reactor to prevent radioactive leaks as “cockamany.”<br /><br />TEPCO has accepted the US government’s help in undertaking the risky cleanup operation of the Fukushima site. Teams of experts will begin the removal of fuel rods from the fourth reactor in mid-November in a decommissioning process that is likely to take decades. One wrong move in the delicate operation could result in horrific quantities of radiation being released into the atmosphere or trigger a massive explosion. <br /><br />Dr Helen Caldicott described the risks of removing the rods to RT as “terribly serious” because of the danger of releasing a large amount of radiation.<br /><br />“Two rods could touch each other in this process which has been done before and there could be a fission reaction and a very large release of radiation.”<br /><br />Suzuki, a prominent environmental campaigner and scientist from the University of British Columbia, whose television science programs and books have gained a wide international audience, has been very vocal in his criticisms of Japan in its handling of the disaster. <br /><br /><br /><span style="color: lime;"><b>WATCH:</b></span>  Japanese media given rare look inside stricken nuclear plant.  <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="321" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/iIS5iZJ4lPM?showinfo=0&version=3" width="570"></iframe></div><br /><br /><br />Despite his prominence in Canada, Suzuki has been criticized in the past by the media for double standards and his credentials as a scientist have been queried. While his television programs encourage society to consume less fossil fuel and adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, Suzuki reportedly lives in one of Vancouver’s most exclusive areas and has faced criticism over his globetrotting airplane travel.<br /><br />However, with regard to the current situation at Fukushima, a number of scientists have echoed Suzuki’s concerns. Nuclear technology historian Robert Jacobs told RT that there could easily be more destruction at the plant’s fourth reactor.<br /><br />“If this building were to collapse, which could happen, it would spill these spent nuclear fuel rods all over the ground which would make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics impossible and could threaten all kinds of health problems throughout northern Japan and Tokyo itself,” Jacobs said. - <a href="http://rt.com/news/fukushima-destroy-japan-us-290/"><span style="color: orange;"><b>RT</b></span></a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

Cesium Contaminated Pools Dead Zones Earthquake Fish Fukushima Fukushima Daiichi Japan Mass Animal Die-Off Nuclear Contamination Nuclear Meltdown Radioactive Water Strontium TEPCO FUK-U-SHIMA: "A Catastrophic Event,... The Most Terrifying Situation I Can Imagine,... All Hell Could Break Loose,... " - Mega-Quake Near Fukushima Would "Decimate Japan, Lead To The Evacuation Of The Entire United States West Coast;" Probability Of A Large Quake In The Next 3 Years Is 95 PERCENT!

November 06, 2013 - JAPAN - The stricken nuclear plant at Fukushima in northern Japan is in such a delicate condition that a future earthqu...

Read more »

FUK-U-SHIMA: Massive Fukushima Debris Island The Size Of Texas Floating Towards The United States - Could House Invasive Organisms That Could Disrupt Local Environments!

<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: yellow;">November 05, 2013 - JAPAN </span></b>- A massive island of debris is slowly making its way to the United States after forming in the wake of the tsunami that rocked Japan back in 2011.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iRihNiK0_AA/Unky72zJylI/AAAAAAABNDc/Ekh5jiEjJXo/s1600/fukushimadebrisisland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iRihNiK0_AA/Unky72zJylI/AAAAAAABNDc/Ekh5jiEjJXo/s1600/fukushimadebrisisland.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reuters / Kim Kyung-Hoon.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The tsunami killed almost 16,000 people in Japan, caused numerous problems at the nuclear plant in Fukushima, and dislodged more than 1.5 million floating objects into the Pacific Ocean. Now, a collection of debris the size of Texas is roughly 1,700 meters off the coast of California.<br /><br />According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the debris scattered by the tsunami has been spread around an area of the ocean that’s three times the size of the continental United States. It also said to expect trash to continue arriving on American shores for the next few years.<br /><br />Already, objects such as boats, rooftops, soccer balls, and docks have hit various parts of the West Coast. Even more will arrive with the Texas-sized island, but, more than the trash, scientists are interested in the organisms that could be living on them.<br /><br />"At first we were only thinking about objects like the floating docks, but now we’re finding that all kinds of Japanese organisms are growing on the debris," John Chapman of the Marine Science Center at Oregon State University told Fox News.<br /><br />"We've found over 165 non-native species so far," he continued. "One type of insect, and almost all the others are marine organisms … we found the European blue mussel, which was introduced to Asia long ago, and then it grew on a lot of these things that are coming across the Pacific ... we’d never seen it here, and we don’t particularly want it here."<br /><br />The worst-case scenario would be that the trash is housing invasive organisms that could disrupt the local environment’s current balance of life.<br /><br />Other concerns such as radiation, meanwhile, have been downplayed. On its website, the NOAA says, “Radiation experts agree that it is highly unlikely that any tsunami generated marine debris will hold harmful levels of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear emergency.”<br /><br />Independent groups like the 5 Gyres Institute, which tracks pollution out at sea, have echoed NOAA’s findings, saying that radiation readings have been “inconsequential.” Even the release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear reactor shouldn't be a grave concern, since scientists say it will be diluted to the point of being harmless by the time it reaches American shores in 2014. - <a href="http://rt.com/usa/fukushima-debris-island-texas-266/"><span style="color: orange;"><b>RT</b></span></a>.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>

Cesium Contaminated Pools Dead Zones Earthquake Fish Fukushima Fukushima Daiichi Japan Mass Animal Die-Off Nuclear Contamination Nuclear Meltdown Radioactive Water Strontium TEPCO FUK-U-SHIMA: Massive Fukushima Debris Island The Size Of Texas Floating Towards The United States - Could House Invasive Organisms That Could Disrupt Local Environments!

November 05, 2013 - JAPAN - A massive island of debris is slowly making its way to the United States after forming in the wake of the tsunam...

Read more »