Fukushima's radiation still so potent that even robots can't survive
Samantha Debbie
(NaturalNews) The site at which three Fukushima Daiichi reactors melted down in Japan more than six years ago remains a complete disaster zone, unsuitable for both humans and the electronic devices they have created. Though a massive cleanup is still underway, a lot must be done before the area can safely host human life again.
New information reveals that the radiation in the disaster zone is still so high that specialized robots built to assist in the cleanup are unable to function. Electronics designed by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and Toshiba have failed to perform the job they were created to do as a result of excessive radiation levels.
"The robots are designed to 'swim' in the radiated pools where the radioactive fuel rods are located, to search for and recover them," according to Fukushima Update.
Robots built to withstand high radiation prove faulty
However, the devices have been incapable of entering reactor number three, due to "concentrated levels of radiation" which exceed those found in reactor four, where an estimated 1,500 fuel rod assemblies were previously removed.
Reports confirm that workers were able to stand close enough to the radioactive pool of water in an effort to observe the process in reactor four. However, reactor three, the most toxic and arguably the deadliest, remains essentially unreachable.
TEPCO was previously exposed for using inadequate equipment after it admitted to "accidentally" deploying monitoring equipment measuring radiation levels that maxed out at 100mSv, despite radioactivity being 18 times higher.
"Nobody was concerned that the reading was stuck at 100 for really long periods of time," notes Fukushima Update.
Suspicious TEPCO may still be concealing information about reactor meltdown
TEPCO maintains that radiation levels have fallen dramatically at the disaster site; however, the company's continual lies and coverups make confirming facts difficult. TEPCO admitted in February of this year that it waited two months to disclose the severity of the Fukushima disaster.
The company knew within a matter of hours after the tsunami struck the plant on March 11, 2011, that a multi-reactor nuclear meltdown was underway. However, it refused to inform the public until April 2011.
"Despite the acknowledgement of wrong-doing in the press release, on the other hand, TEPCO says it didn't break the law, and did what was required when it reported the meltdowns to the Japanese Government within three days," reports Enviro News.
"But the company downplayed the severity to the public, allowing people to linger in worry, and to remain ignorant of the fact that dangerous radiation had already been spewed and rained down onto the population. And sadly, the Japanese government didn't let them know either."
In March 2016, three former TEPCO executives were indicted on charges of criminal negligence after being accused of "failing to take measures that would have protected the nuclear plant from the damage the tsunami wrought," the New York Times reported.
The former executives claimed it was impossible for them to foresee the disaster, which was invoked by a powerful earthquake that triggered a 15-meter tsunami, resulting in the meltdown of three of Fukushima's Daiichi reactors and the displacement of 100,000 residents.
The event killed 40 people and continues to affect the lives of thousands forever impacted by radiation-induced disease.
Fukushima robots could be used in everyday life, experts say
What exactly happens inside a nuclear reactor following a meltdown remains unknown, robotic engineer Hiroshi Endo told the LA Times, adding that the environment is less predictable than space.
More than 100 different kinds of robots are actively working to resolve the issues at Fukushima, all capable of various maneuvers including the ability to walk, crawl and brave dust, debris and radiation levels strong enough to kill a human.
Some of the devices deploy dry ice that absorbs radiation, while others use high-pressure water. Experts say the robots could be "spun off into regular society" through their ability to transmit data through concrete walls.
TEPCO says the Fukushima disaster zone is stable, allowing thousands of employees to assist in the cleanup, "pumping water into the devastated reactors to cool them and storing the contaminated water in massive tanks."
However, the long-term effects of the radioactive disaster on people and wildlife remain largely unknown.
Sources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/z055089_TEPCO_Fukushima_robots.html