Fukushima update – contaminated beef found, reactor cleanup will take decades

From the lips of Japan’s Prime Minister: It will take decades to clean up the meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

“It is expected to take three, five, or 10 years for controlling it,” said Naoto Kan, “and even several decades until the accident settles finally.”

Three to ten years, just to bring it under control.

Tokyo Electric (TEPCO) has set a goal for when they’ll begin removing the melted-down nuclear fuel: 2021.

They also said they would “reduce” radiation leaks by the end of this month (isn’t that nice of them?) and have the reactors in a “stable cold shut-down” by January.

Meanwhile, our worst fears are being realized as reports come in of radioactive cesium contaminating beef raised downwind of the plant.

The meat came from one of 11 cows shipped this month to Tokyo from a farmer in Minamisoma city, according to the statement by the Tokyo metropolitan government.

The 11 cows all showed high levels of radioactive caesium, ranging from 1,530 to 3,200 becquerel per kilogram, compared with the legal limit of 500 becquerel, the Tokyo statement said.

The trouble with random sample radiation testing is: radiation isn’t distributed randomly. It’s kinda lumpy. So while you can test 100 cows and find everything is “just fine”, the next 11 could be 3 to 6 times the legal limit.

It’s a crapshoot… or a game of Russian roulette.

Officials had been doing an external radiation test… which this batch of cows had passed. And five cows from the same farm had had sold into the Tokyo market over the past two months. There’s no way of knowing what the radiation level in that beef might have been.

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