Efforts to clean up the ongoing radioactive mess at Fukushima have failed once again after an experimental robot "died" just three hours into a roving expedition inside Unit 1, one of three reactors at the Japanese nuclear complex that experienced a meltdown following the 2011 disaster. And a top expert now admits that it will likely be many years before any viable solution to the problem is developed, signifying that all hope might now be lost.
The Guardian reports that the robot, which was hoped to be able to sustain the high levels of radiation inside the reactor, which is still inaccessible to humans, failed to successfully retrieve nuclear fuel and capture the intended imagery and radiation levels to help move along the cleanup process. Rather than operate for roughly 10 hours as intended, the robot stopped moving very early on, suggesting that radiation levels inside the unit are still exceptionally high.
Developed by Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy and the International Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning, the robot had been designed to be a "transformer," of sorts, capable of altering its shape to tackle debris and other unknown terrain inside the failed reactor. And while it reached 14 of the 18 intended locations prior to failing, the robot's operators say they aren't exactly sure why it failed.
"[T]he robot was supposed to be able to function for about 10 hours even when exposed to radiation at levels that would cause ordinary electronic devices to malfunction," wrote Justin McCurry for The Guardian. "[O]fficials said... they had yet to establish the cause of the problem."
"Radiation levels in these structures is higher, and working inside them is problematic," stated Dale Klein, a former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in apparent defeat. "This is a challenge that has never been faced before in the world, and there will have to be new equipment developed to make that happen," he added, noting that those "tools and equipment do not exist today."
What this means, more than four years after the disaster, is that marine life in the Pacific Ocean will continue to die, water supplies will continue to become polluted, food crops will further sustain endless radioactive impact, and the world will consequently suffer with no end in sight. And all this as a result of pro-nuclear energy policies that have long subsidized the development of this deadly technology.
Though Fukushima has already devastated the environment, we can all do our part to help stop the further development of nuclear energy programs by demanding that our government stop subsidizing them with taxpayer dollars. The following petitions are working towards this end:
Petitions.MoveOn.org
Change.org
Secure.Avaaz.org
You can also help protect your family from the damage caused by radioactive cesium-137 with this powerful "Cesium Eliminator" dietary supplement product, which contains a proprietary blend of zeolites, seawater extract, dehydrated seaweed, Hawaiian spirulina and chlorella, all at specific particle sizes and ratios:
CesiumEliminator.com.
To keep up to date with developments at Fukushima, you can also check out Fukushima Update:
FukushimaUpdate.com.
The Guardian reports that the robot, which was hoped to be able to sustain the high levels of radiation inside the reactor, which is still inaccessible to humans, failed to successfully retrieve nuclear fuel and capture the intended imagery and radiation levels to help move along the cleanup process. Rather than operate for roughly 10 hours as intended, the robot stopped moving very early on, suggesting that radiation levels inside the unit are still exceptionally high.
Developed by Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy and the International Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning, the robot had been designed to be a "transformer," of sorts, capable of altering its shape to tackle debris and other unknown terrain inside the failed reactor. And while it reached 14 of the 18 intended locations prior to failing, the robot's operators say they aren't exactly sure why it failed.
"[T]he robot was supposed to be able to function for about 10 hours even when exposed to radiation at levels that would cause ordinary electronic devices to malfunction," wrote Justin McCurry for The Guardian. "[O]fficials said... they had yet to establish the cause of the problem."
The technology to effectively mitigate Fukushima radiation does not yet exist, admits nuclear expert
An advisor to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which operates the now-shuttered Fukushima complex, told reporters that extremely high radiation levels inside the three failed reactors, including Unit 1 where the transformer robot failed, have made it exceptionally difficult to mitigate the damage. He admitted that the appropriate technology does not yet exist to effectively stop the radioactive releases from Fukushima."Radiation levels in these structures is higher, and working inside them is problematic," stated Dale Klein, a former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in apparent defeat. "This is a challenge that has never been faced before in the world, and there will have to be new equipment developed to make that happen," he added, noting that those "tools and equipment do not exist today."
What this means, more than four years after the disaster, is that marine life in the Pacific Ocean will continue to die, water supplies will continue to become polluted, food crops will further sustain endless radioactive impact, and the world will consequently suffer with no end in sight. And all this as a result of pro-nuclear energy policies that have long subsidized the development of this deadly technology.
Though Fukushima has already devastated the environment, we can all do our part to help stop the further development of nuclear energy programs by demanding that our government stop subsidizing them with taxpayer dollars. The following petitions are working towards this end:
Petitions.MoveOn.org
Change.org
Secure.Avaaz.org
You can also help protect your family from the damage caused by radioactive cesium-137 with this powerful "Cesium Eliminator" dietary supplement product, which contains a proprietary blend of zeolites, seawater extract, dehydrated seaweed, Hawaiian spirulina and chlorella, all at specific particle sizes and ratios:
CesiumEliminator.com.
To keep up to date with developments at Fukushima, you can also check out Fukushima Update:
FukushimaUpdate.com.
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