New Norwegian report says Fukushima radiation releases twice initial estimates

From Bellona:

The estimate of much higher levels of radioactive caesium-137 in the atmosphere comes from a worldwide network of sensors that was studied by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research in a report authored by Andreas Stohl .

The Norwegian study says the Japanese government estimate came only from data in Japan, and that would have missed emissions blown out to sea. Its says that Fukushima Daiichi radioactive releases equal 40 percent of those from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

A study by the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety also stated that the amount of caesium-137 that flowed into the Pacific from the coastal plant is some 30 times more than was estimated by the plant’s owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO).

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Cancer, nuke site study begins; Trying to find risks of living nearby

From USA Today:

As the nation explores whether to invest more in nuclear energy, the National Academy of Sciences has begun a study of cancer risks faced by people living near nuclear facilities -- a study it admits is worrisome. A patchwork of state and local mortality reports, inconsistent data on illnesses and pollution combined with an American population that has moved around quite a bit in the past 50 years are just some of the challenges, said John Burris, chairman of the cancer-risk study committee. Proving scientifically whether long-term exposure to low doses of radiation around the nation's 104 nuclear facilities has meant a higher rate of cancer for those living nearby will be a daunting task, Burris said. "If you show living near a nuclear facility increases your chances of getting cancer, there will have to be radical changes, but that is not up to the committee," Burris said at a public meeting in Tennessee this month. The study, called for by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is planned to update a 1991 National Cancer Institute study that found no danger in living near nuclear plants. President Obama has called for $36 billion in federal loan guarantees for nuclear power plant construction.

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Fallout forensics hike radiation toll

From Nature:

The disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March released far more radiation than the Japanese government has claimed. So concludes a study¹ that combines radioactivity data from across the globe to estimate the scale and fate of emissions from the shattered plant.

The study also suggests that, contrary to government claims, pools used to store spent nuclear fuel played a significant part in the release of the long-lived environmental contaminant caesium-137, which could have been prevented by prompt action. The analysis has been posted online for open peer review by the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Andreas Stohl, an atmospheric scientist with the Norwegian Institute for Air Research in Kjeller, who led the research, believes that the analysis is the most comprehensive effort yet to understand how much radiation was released from Fukushima Daiichi. "It's a very valuable contribution," says Lars-Erik De Geer, an atmospheric modeller with the Swedish Defense Research Agency in Stockholm, who was not involved with the study.

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Correction Letter for Peach Bottom: Safety Evaluation (ML112911410)

CORRECTION LETTER FOR PEACH BOTTOM ATOMIC POWER STATION, UNIT 3 - SAFETY EVALUATION REGARDING SAFETY LIMIT MINIMUM CRITICAL POWER RATIO VALUE CHANGE (TAC NO. ME6391)

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Panel proposes widening nuclear evacuation perimeter to 30 km (18 miles)

From Kyodo News:

The secretariat of the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan proposed on Thursday expanding the maximum evacuation perimeter around a nuclear power plant to a 30-kilometer radius from the current 10 km in the event of a future nuclear accident.

The secretariat also proposed newly designating a 5-km radius around a nuclear plant as a zone from which people should immediately be evacuated following a plant accident.

The proposal was shown to the commission's working group reexamining evacuation rules for nuclear accidents in the wake of the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture triggered by the massive earthquake and tsunami in March.

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Susquehanna: Correction Letter RE: Transmittal of Accident Sequence Precursor Analysis

SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNIT 1 - CORRECTION LETTER RE: TRANSMITTAL OF ACCIDENT SEQUENCE PRECURSOR ANALYSIS FOR SUSQUEHANNA STEAM ELECTRIC STATION, UNIT 1

Adams Accession No. ML11286A202

TMI: Decomissioning Funding Status Report - Request for Additional Information

Three Mile Island Nuclear Station Unit 2 - 2011 Decommissioning Funding Status Report - Request for Additional Information, License: DPR-73, Docket: 50-320

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