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IAEA Expert Presents Ecological Risk Analysis for Fukushima

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Published: 05 May 2014

Left: International Atomic Energy Agency expert Dr. Ronald Szymczak delivered lectures on radiological risk analysis, marine radioactivity and the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Accident at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) Atomic Research Division Lecture Series on April 10 and 14. Dr. Szymczak was formerly a radiochemical oceanographer for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) and is presently an IAEA consultant and Lead Country Coordinator for RAS 7/021 project "Marine Benchmark Study on the Possible Impact of the Fukushima Radioactive Releases in the Asia-Pacific Region".

Right: Dr. Szymczak is awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by PNRI Atomic Research Division Chief Soledad Castañeda and Health Physics Research Section Head Teofilo Garcia.

Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan INFORMATION BULLETIN No.31 (2 September 2011 Update as of 3:00 PM)

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Published: 15 September 2011

• The DOST-PNRI continues to closely monitor the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The following are updates on the nuclear power plant as the information becomes available and verified:
  • Stable cooling has been achieved in the spent fuel pools. The reactors continue to be cooled by purified and recirculated water.
  • The discharges of contaminated effluents have been contained.
  • Work is proceeding to construct full external enclosures around the reactor buildings to limit airborne radioactivity releases and to protect the damaged buildings from the harsh weather conditions. The installation of reactor building cover has been started in Unit 1.
  • Efforts are continuing to enable evacuees to return to their homes.
  • Measurements of activity concentrations of Iodine-131, Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 radionuclides in marine water samples as of 29 August 2011 at sampling points offshore (within 30 km) from the plant have shown nothing is detectable.
• The PNRI continues to analyze food products and animal feeds imported from Japan. All had activity concentrations lower than 3 Bq/kg of Cesium-134 and Cesium-137, and lower than 1 Bq/kg of Iodine-131. The WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission recommended limit for total radioactivity concentration in food for international trade is 1000 Bq/kg.
• The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) air monitoring station, PHP 52, in the Philippines being serviced by the DOST-PNRI is monitoring radionuclide activity concentrations in the atmosphere. Iodine-131, Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 have not been detected since 2 June 2011.

• The PNRI continues to monitor radioactivity in environmental samples. The detected Cesium-137 in various samples are within baseline level. Results of analysis are shown below:

Activity Concentration of Seawater Samples:

Activity Concentration of Marine Biota Samples:

Activity Concentration of Soil Samples:

• Latest DOST-PNRI RADIATION LEVEL CHECK at PNRI grounds as of 9:00 AM, 02 September 2011: 
  87 – 102 nSv/h, STATUS: NORMAL
• The radiological and safety impact of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident on the Philippines REMAINS INSIGNIFICANT.
• For the latest information, please access the following websites:
  • International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html)
  • Nuclear and Industrial Safety Administration (NISA) of Japan (www.nisa.meti.go.jp/english/index.html)
  • World Health Organization (http://www.who.int/hac/crises/jpn/en/index.html)
  • Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) (http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/index-e.html)
• For further advisories, please call the PNRI trunklines with Tel Nos. 929-6010 to 19 or visit the following:
  • DOST (www.dost.gov.ph)
  • PNRI (www.pnri.dost.gov.ph)
  • STII (www.stii.dost.gov.ph)

Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan INFORMATION BULLETIN No.30 (19 July 2011 Update as of 11:00 AM)

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Published: 20 July 2011

• The DOST-PNRI continues to closely monitor the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The condition in the plant remains   serious but stable. The following are updates on the nuclear power plant as the information becomes available and verified:
  • A recovery plan is being implemented, but Units 1 to 3 are not expected to achieve a cold shutdown state until mid-January 2012. There has not been a massive release of radioactivity since March 2011, but small releases continue and extensive environmental radiation monitoring and sampling continues around the plant.
  • The reactor cores of Units 1 to 3 are now believed to have largely melted down and solidified but confined within the primary containment. However, the remains of the cores appear to be sufficiently cooled by continuous water injection.
  • Large amounts of highly-contaminated water are leaking out of the containments to the basements of the reactor and turbine buildings but are being transferred to storage tanks. Purification systems have been installed to treat the highly-contaminated water, and are now operational after some initial problems although their expected clean-up capability has not yet been attained. Closed-loop core cooling has been achieved by re-injecting the purified water into the reactor pressure vessels, greatly reducing the continued accumulation of contaminated water.
  • The spent fuel pools of Units 2 and 3 have recovered closed-loop cooling, but the spent fuel pools in Units 1 and 4 continue to be cooled by injecting fresh water to replace water lost by evaporation. Steel and concrete reinforcement has been installed inside the reactor building of Unit 4 to provide additional support for the spent fuel pool there, in view of the heavy structural damage to the building.
  • Human entry has been achieved into all of the reactor buildings, but radiation levels remain too high for a sustained presence. Remotely-controlled machines are being used to remove radioactive debris to lower the radiation level.
  • Nitrogen is being injected into the reactor containments of Units 1 and 2 to prevent any more hydrogen explosion. This has not yet been accomplished in Unit 3, but efforts continue.
  • Work is proceeding to construct full external enclosures around the reactor buildings to limit airborne radioactivity releases and to protect the damaged buildings from   harsh weather conditions.

• The PNRI continues to analyze food products and animal feeds imported from Japan. All had activity concentrations lower than 3 Bq/kg of Cesium-137 and Cesium-134, and lower than 1 Bq/kg of Iodine-131. The WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission recommended limit for total radioactivity concentration in food for international trade is 1000 Bq/kg.

• The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) air monitoring station, PHP 52, in the Philippines being serviced by the DOST-PNRI is monitoring radionuclide activity concentrations in the atmosphere. Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 have not been detected since 4 May 2011. Over the same period, Iodine-131 has not been detected except on 1 June 2011 when 3.2 µBq/m³ was recorded.

• The PNRI continues to monitor radioactivity in environmental samples collected from provinces on the Pacific Coast. Results of analysis are shown below:

Activity Concentration of Water Samples taken from various sites:

Activity Concentration of Marine Biota Samples:

^a The detected Cesium-137 in the marine biota samples are within baseline level. The Cesium-137 is residual activity from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing in the 1950’s and 1960’s, not from the Fukushima accident. 

• Ambient gamma radiation dose rate measurements taken at PNRI and in Metro Manila, Batanes, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Camarines Norte, Samar, and Surigao are all within the baseline level (21-146 nSv/h for the entire Philippines).
• Latest DOST-PNRI RADIATION LEVEL CHECK at PNRI grounds as of 1:00 PM, 19 July 2011: 
  91 – 105 nSv/h, STATUS: NORMAL
• The radiological and safety impact of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident on the Philippines REMAINS INSIGNIFICANT.
• For the latest information, please access the following websites:
  • International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html)
  • Nuclear and Industrial Safety Administration (NISA) of Japan (www.nisa.meti.go.jp/english/index.html)
  • JAIF (www.jaif.or.jp/english/)
    
  • World Health Organization (http://www.who.int/hac/crises/jpn/en/index.html)
  • Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) (http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/index-e.html)
• For further advisories, please call the PNRI trunklines with Tel Nos. 929-6010 to 19 or visit the following:
  • DOST (www.dost.gov.ph)
  • PNRI (www.pnri.dost.gov.ph)
  • STII (www.stii.dost.gov.ph)