Radiation Levels Inside Fukushima Too High For Robot

CNN, BBC, "mainstream media" continue to cover-up extent of the Fukushima catastrophe and radiation fallout spread to the U.S. West Coast, going so far as to label Independent Media reports "conspiracy theories"

CBC NEWS
02/09/2017

A remote-controlled cleaning robot sent into a damaged reactor at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant had to be removed Thursday before it completed its work because of camera problems most likely caused by high radiation levels. 

Mainstream media labels Fukushima a "conspiracy

theory" 

It was the first time a robot has entered the chamber inside the Unit 2 reactor since a March 2011 earthquake and tsunami critically damaged the Fukushima Da-ichi nuclear plant. 

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said it was trying to inspect and clean a passage before another robot does a fuller examination to assess damage to the structure and its fuel. The second robot, known as the "scorpion," will also measure radiation and temperatures. 

Fukushima's ground zero: No place for man or robot

Thursday's problem underscores the challenges in decommissioning the wrecked nuclear plant. Inadequate cleaning, high radiation and structural damage could limit subsequent probes, and may require more radiation-resistant cameras and other equipment, TEPCO spokesman Takahiro Kimoto said. 

"We will further study (Thursday's) outcome before deciding on the deployment of the scorpion," he said.

TEPCO needs to know the melted fuel's exact location and condition and other structural damage in each of the three wrecked reactors to figure out the best and safest ways to remove the fuel. It is part of the decommissioning work, which is expected to take decades. 

The remote-controlled "cleaning" robot, bottom, was sent in to inspect and clean a passage for another robot in the damaged nuclear facility

During Thursday's cleaning mission, the robot went only part way into a space under the core that TEPCO wants to inspect closely. It crawled down the passage while peeling debris with a scraper and using water spray to blow some debris away. The dark brown deposits grew thicker and harder to remove as the robot went further. 

More Obstacles For Second Mission

After about two hours, the two cameras on the robot suddenly developed a lot of noise and their images quickly darkened — a sign of a problem caused by high radiation. Operators of the robot pulled it out of the chamber before completely losing control of it.

The outcome means the second robot will encounter more obstacles and have less time than expected for examination on its mission, currently planned for later this month, though Thursday's results may cause a delay. 

Radioactive water from destroyed Fukushima reactors continues to leak into the Pacific, impacting the West Coast of the United States

Both of the robots are designed to withstand up to 1,000 Sieverts of radiation. The cleaner's two-hour endurance roughly matches an estimated radiation of 650 Sieverts per hour based on noise analysis of the images transmitted by the robot-mounted cameras. That's less than one-tenth of the radiation levels inside a running reactor, but still would kill a person almost instantly. 

Kimoto said the noise-based radiation analysis of the Unit 2's condition showed a spike in radioactivity along a connecting bridge used to slide control rods in and out, a sign of a nearby source of high radioactivity, while levels were much lower in areas underneath the core, the opposite of what would normally be the case. He said the results are puzzling and require further analysis. 

TEPCO officials said that despite the dangerously high figures, radiation is not leaking outside of the reactor.

Images recently captured from inside the chamber showed damage and structures coated with molten material, possibly mixed with melted nuclear fuel, and part of a disc platform hanging below the core that had been melted through.

This news bureau contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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Antibiotic Resistance: "Superbugs" Can Be Killed By Modifying Existing Drugs

Extreme care needs to be taken in quickly disinfecting minor wounds and insect bites in tropical environments - especially among children, the elderly, immune compromised and diabetics  

THE INDEPENDENT
By Ian Johnston
02/03/2017

In the evolutionary arms-race between deadly bacteria and the antibiotics used by doctors to kill them, the bugs have very definitely been gaining the upper hand in recent years.

But, amid growing reports of bacteria resistant to even the ‘last resort’ antibiotics, comes the news that scientists have found a new way that some existing drugs can still be effective.

Normally antibiotics must bind to a bacteria cell in order to kill it, like putting a key in a locked door.

But the researchers found that one drug exerted such a strong physical force on the bacteria that it “tore the door off its hinges”.

The hunt is now on for other antibiotics with similar properties to create a “new generation” of drugs capable of defeating even the most resistant superbugs. The UK was instrumental in organising a meeting at the United Nations to discuss the issue.

One of the researchers, Dr Joseph Ndieyira, of University College London, said: “Antibiotics work in different ways, but they all need to bind to bacterial cells in order to kill them.

“Antibiotics have ‘keys’ that fit ‘locks’ on bacterial cell surfaces, allowing them to latch on. 

Coral reef cuts can and often do turn septic within hours if not immediately and aggressively treated

“When a bacterium becomes resistant to a drug, it effectively changes the locks so the key won’t fit any more. 

“Incredibly, we found that certain antibiotics can still ‘force’ the lock, allowing them to bind to and kill resistant bacteria because they are able to push hard enough. 

“In fact, some of them were so strong they tore the door off its hinges, killing the bacteria instantly.”

The study tested a powerful antibiotic called vancomycin, used as a last-resort treatment for infections like MRSA, and another called oritavancin, used to treat skin infections.

“We found that oritavancin pressed into resistant bacteria with a force 11,000 times stronger than vancomycin,” says Dr Ndieyira. 

“Even though it has the same ‘key’ as vancomycin, oritavancin was still highly effective at killing resistant bacteria. 

“Until now it wasn’t clear how oritavancin killed bacteria, but our study suggests that the forces it generates can actually tear holes in the bacteria and rip them apart.”

Tropical puncture wounds are some of the worst and must be immediately attended to in order to avoid infection, removal of all foreign material and debridement if necessary in addition to oral antibiotics

This way of killing bacteria has not been seen before.

“Oritavancin molecules are good at sticking together to form clusters, which fundamentally changes how they kill bacteria,” Dr Ndieyira said.

“When two clusters dig into a bacterial surface they push apart from each other, tearing the surface and killing the bacteria. 

“Remarkably, we found that conditions at the bacterial surface actually encourage clustering which makes antibiotics even more effective.”

Animal bites are a medical nightmare anywhere, transmitting both

bacteria and viruses: Look, don't touch or feed

The researchers have now developed a mathematical model that could be used to screen for new antibiotics that have the same “brute force” approach.

“Our findings will help us not only to design new antibiotics but also to modify existing ones to overcome resistance,” Dr Ndieyira said. 

“Oritavancin is just a modified version of vancomycin, and now we know how these modifications work we can do similar things with other antibiotics. 

“This will help us to create a new generation of antibiotics to tackle multi-drug resistant bacterial infections, now recognized as one of the greatest global threats in modern healthcare.”

The growth of antibiotic resistance has been driven partly by over-prescription of the drugs for conditions like the common cold, which is a virus, not a bacterium, and is therefore unaffected. 

Antibiotics have also been used in agriculture to boost the growth of livestock.

The researchers' findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.

This news bureau contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.  We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

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