Lessons from Fukushima – A Hometeam Perspective ABSTRACT: The Great Tohoku Earthquake of 11 March 2011 devastated many communities on the Tohoku Coast of Japan, and caused meltdowns of multiple reactors at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power installation. This presentation provides one perspective of the event and its aftermath from the point of view of a Hometeam Assessment Scientist.

Lessons from Fukushima A Home Team Perspective

LA-UR-12-20872

Japan has recorded more tsunamis that any other country…197 over a period of 1,327 years (or one every 6.7 years). A sampling of historical Tsunami on the Tohoku Coast - each generated by strong earthquakes:

Date Wave Height Notes

869 AD 6 meters Jogan

1611 AD 7 meters

1700 AD 5 meters Originated in Cascadia

1896 AD 38 meters Meiji-Sanriku

1933 AD 4 meters

1952 AD 3 meters Originated near Kamchatka

1960 AD 4 meters Originated in Chile

2011 AD 12 meters Tohoku

T = 35 seconds T = 1:23

T = 3:04 T = 5:28

NEA report, 18 March

C-12 Huron

UH-60 Blackhawk

UH-1 Iroquois

In SITU

Exposure rate measurements

Soil sampling

22

Core Sampling

23

Air sampling

Ground Level Dose Rate (normalized to 29 Apr)

Total Cs Deposition (normalized to 29 Apr)

Aerial Measuring Results Joint US / Japan Survey Data

Aerial Measuring Results Joint US / Japan Survey Data

Aerial Measuring Results Joint US/Japan Survey Data

Aerial Measuring Results Joint US / Japan Survey Data

Aerial Measuring Results Joint US/Japan Survey Data

Chernobyl Cs-137 Deposition

Location Population (thousands) Annual EXTERNAL dose

(mrem/yr)

Ramsar, Iran 2,000 1,750

Kerala and Madras, India 100,000 1,500

Orvieto, Italy 21,000 500

Toscana, Italy 100,000 150

Location Population Annual EXTERNAL dose

(mrem/yr)

Japan 125,000,000 50

Worldwide 7 billion 58 (average)

• Dose from natural background (UNSCEAR 2000) • Average worldwide dose from background radiation, all sources (external and internal), 240 mrem/yr. • Typical range, worldwide, external dose – 50 to 1000 mrem/yr.

High background areas (external radiation only):

Japan currently has 54 large nuclear power plants

52 of these are off-line

The Japanese have a trade deficit

for the 1st time in 31 years, mostly due to coal and LNG purchases to supply power for the off-line nuclear plants.

(http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a5f3a548-5b8f-11e1-841c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1syVvdb00)

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