Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of US Nuclear Plants

367 Pages·2014·12.05 MB·English

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Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for
Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants
Committee on Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for
ISBN
Improving Safety and Security of U.S. Nuclear Plants; Nuclear and
978-0-309-27253-7
Radiation Studies Board; Division on Earth and Life Studies; National
366 pages Research Council
8.5 x 11
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants

LESSONS LEARNED FROM
THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR ACCIDENT
FOR IMPROVING SAFETY
OF U.S. NUCLEAR PLANTS

Committee on Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident
for Improving Safety and Security of U.S. Nuclear Plants

Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board
Division on Earth and Life Studies

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu

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Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the
National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of
Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the
committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for
appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Contract/Grant No. NRC-HQ-12-G-03-0002 between the National
Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Any opinions, findings,
conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants

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Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants

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Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants
Committee on Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident
for Improving Safety and Security of U.S. Nuclear Plants

NORMAN P. NEUREITER, Chair, American Association for the Advancement of Science,
Washington, District of Columbia
B. JOHN GARRICK, Vice Chair, Independent Consultant, Laguna Beach, California
ROBERT A. BARI, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York
PERCY M. BEARD, JR., Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (retired), Atlanta, Georgia
JAN BEYEA, Consulting in the Public Interest, Lambertville, New Jersey
M. QUINN BREWSTER, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
MICHAEL L. CORRADINI, University of Wisconsin-Madison
RICHARD S. DENNING, The Ohio State University, Columbus 1
VIJAY K. DHIR, University of California, Los Angeles
MICHAEL W. GOLAY, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
BARBARA L. HAMRICK, University of California, Irvine Medical Center
SHELLEY A. HEARNE, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland,
and Big Cities Health Coalition, National Association of County and City Health Officials,
Washington, District of Columbia
PAUL A. LOCKE, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
JAMES E. MATHESON, SmartOrg, Menlo Park, California
NAJMEDIN MESHKATI, University of Southern California, Los Angeles2
THOMAS G. MOSER, Osprey Global Solutions, Wilmington, North Carolina
ARTHUR T. MOTTA, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
JOHN A. ORCUTT, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La
Jolla
EMILIE M. ROTH, Roth Cognitive Engineering, Menlo Park, California
JOSEPH E. SHEPHERD, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
ELIZABETH Q. TEN EYCK, ETE Consulting, Inc., Great Falls, Virginia
MARK H. THIEMENS, University of California, San Diego3
FRANK N. VON HIPPEL, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
LORING A. WYLLIE, JR., Degenkolb Engineers, San Francisco, California

Technical Advisor
NAJMEDIN MESHKATI, University of Southern California, Los Angeles4

Staff
KEVIN D. CROWLEY, Study Director
OURANIA KOSTI, Senior Program Officer
DANIEL POMEROY, Postdoctoral Fellow (December 10, 2012 to September 1, 2013)
DARLENE GROS, Senior Program Assistant

__________________
1 Separated from committee on November 21, 2012
2 Resigned from committee on June 12, 2013
3 Resigned from committee on July 26, 2012
4 Effective July 10, 2013

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Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants

Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board

ROBERT C. DYNES, Chair, University of California, San Diego
BARBARA J. MCNEIL, Vice Chair, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
JOHN S. APPLEGATE, Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington
DAVID J. BRENNER, Columbia University, New York, New York
MARGARET S. Y. CHU, M.S. Chu & Associates, LLC, Albuquerque, New Mexico
MICHAEL L. CORRADINI, University of Wisconsin, Madison
TISSA H. ILLANGASEKARE, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado
CAROL M. JANTZEN, Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina
ANNIE B. KERSTING, Glen T. Seaborg Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
Livermore, California
MARTHA S. LINET, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
FRED A. METTLER, JR., New Mexico VA Health Care System, Albuquerque, New Mexico
NANCY JO NICHOLAS, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
LAWRENCE T. PAPAY, PQR, LLC, La Jolla, California
DANIEL O. STRAM, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
RICHARD J. VETTER, Mayo Clinic (retired), Rochester, Minnesota
SERGEY V. YUDINTSEV, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Staff
KEVIN D. CROWLEY, Director
JENNIFER HEIMBERG, Senior Program Officer
OURANIA KOSTI, Senior Program Officer
TONI GREENLEAF, Administrative and Financial Associate
LAURA D. LLANOS, Administrative and Financial Associate
DARLENE GROS, Senior Program Assistant
ERIN WINGO, Senior Program Assistant

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Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The successful completion of this study would not have been possible without the
cooperation and assistance of a very large number of organizations and individuals. The
committee would especially like to thank the following organizations and individuals for
providing logistical support, advice, and assistance during this study.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which sponsored the study and provided
information on the agency’s post-Fukushima activities and actions. The committee would
especially like to thank former Executive Director of Operations Bill Borchardt and staff in
the Japan Lessons-Learned Division, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation: David Skeen,
Rob Taylor, Bill Reckley, and Kevin Witt. Mr. Witt served ably as the agency’s liaison to
the committee and was effective in responding to the committee’s many requests for
information.
U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, which assisted the committee with logistical arrangements
for its meeting in Japan: former Ambassador John Roos and embassy staff Jeffrey Miller and
Jen Ladlein.
Government of Japan for its full cooperation with NAS on this study and for
providing technical and logistical assistance:
 Japanese Embassy in the United States: Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae, former
Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki, embassy staff members Takashi Toyota and Akira
Tsugita, and former staff member Seiichi Shimasaki. Embassy staff responded
effectively to the committee’s many requests for information and logistical support.
 Atomic Energy Commission of Japan: former Chairman Shunsuke Kondo.
 Japan Atomic Energy Agency: former President Atsuzuki Suzuki.
 Japan Science and Technology Agency: Center for Research and Development
Strategy (CRDS) Director General Hiroyuki Yoshikawa; CRDS Deputy Director
General Tateo Arimoto; Principal Fellow Kenkichi Hirose; and Washington, DC
representative Takashi Ohama.
 Nuclear Regulation Authority: Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa and staff member
Masahiro Aoki.
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (Tokyo) for cosponsoring and
supporting the committee’s meeting at the institute’s facilities in Tokyo: President Takashi
Shiraishi and faculty members Tateo Arimoto, Kiyoshi Kurokawa, and Atsushi Sunami.
Science Council of Japan for assisting with the identification of technical experts for
the committee’s meeting in Tokyo: President Takashi Onishi and Vice President Fumiko
Kasuga.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) for its full cooperation and support for
this study, particularly for providing technical information about the company’s response to
the earthquake and tsunami at the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini nuclear plants;
for arranging and hosting tours of those plants; and for participating in the committee’s
meeting in Tokyo: Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice President Zengo Aizawa

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Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants
Acknowledgments

General Manager of International Relations and Strategy Group Akira Kawano; Fukushima
Daiichi Superintendent Takeshi Takahashi; Fukushima Daini Superintendent Naohiro
Masuda; TEPCO’s Washington, DC, representative Kenji Tateiwa; and the many other
TEPCO staff listed in Appendix B. Mr. Tateiwa served effectively as a liaison between
TEPCO and National Academy of Sciences’ staff.
Tohoku Electric Power Company for arranging and hosting the tour of the
Onagawa nuclear plant and participating in the committee’s Tokyo meeting: Managing
Director Shigeru lnoue; Onagawa Superintendent Shun Tsubata; Deputy Superintendent lsao
Kato; staff members Masayoshi Abe and Satoshi Otokita; Washington, DC, representative
Hiroya Shimanuki; and the other Tohoku staff listed in Appendix B.
Nuclear Energy Institute for providing information about the U.S. nuclear
industry’s response to the Fukushima Daiichi accident to improve safety of nuclear plants in
the United States: President and Chief Executive Officer Marvin Fertel; Executive Director
(Fukushima Response) Jim Scarola; Vice President of Nuclear Operations Joe Pollock; and
Senior Technical Advisor Steven Kraft. Mr. Kraft provided lead support for the committee’s
information requests and visits to the Oyster Creek Generating Station and Edwin I. Hatch
Nuclear Plant.
Institute of Nuclear Power Operations for providing information about the U.S.
nuclear industry’s response to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident: President and CEO
Robert Willard and Vice-President David Hembree.
Southern Company for hosting a tour of the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant: Site Vice
President Dennis Madison, staff member J. Derwood Tootle, and the many other plant staff
who supported the plant tour.
Exelon Corporation for hosting a tour of the Oyster Creek Generating Station: Site
Vice President Garey Stathes, Plant Manager Russell Peake, and the many other plant staff
who supported the plant tour.
Speakers and invited participants at the committee’s information-gathering
meetings. These individuals are too numerous to be listed here. Their names are provided in
Appendix B.
Other individuals and organizations who provided information and support for
this study: Scott Deitchman, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Nancy Hedinger,
Paula Gotsch, and Kerry Margaret Butch, League of Women Voters of New Jersey; Jaewon
Hong, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Kiyohiko Mabuchi, National Cancer Institute;
Alan Morris, Anbex; Damian Peko, U.S. Department of Energy; Andrew Sowder, Electric
Power Research Institute; Satoru Tanaka, Atomic Energy Society of Japan; and the World
Health Organization, especially María del Rosario Pérez.
Najmedin Meshkati, University of Southern California, who served as a technical
advisor to the committee for issues related to nuclear safety culture.
And last, but certainly not least, National Academy of Sciences’ staff for organizing
and facilitating this study. Study Director Kevin Crowley and Senior Program Officer
Ourania Kosti organized the committee meetings and assisted the committee with report
writing and review. They also provided valuable technical and policy insights and
perspectives. Postdoctoral Fellow Daniel Pomeroy assisted with research and report writing.
Program Assistant Darlene Gros managed the logistics of the meetings, report review, and
publication. Senior Program Officer Jennifer Heimberg and Program Assistant Erin Wingo
assisted with production of the final report.

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Lessons Learned from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident for Improving Safety of U.S. Nuclear Plants

REVIEWER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse
perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the Report
Review Committee of the National Research Council. The purpose of this independent
review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Research
Council in making this published report as sound as possible and will ensure that this report
meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study
charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the
integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their
participation in the review of this report:

Brian Atwater, United States Geological Survey and University of Washington
Lake Barrett, L. Barrett Consulting
Dennis Bley, Buttonwood Consulting, Inc.
Daniel Blumenthal, U.S. Department of Energy
Robert Budnitz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Cynthia Costello, New York State Department of Health
Jeffrey Gabor, ERIN Engineering and Research, Inc.
Randall Gauntt, Sandia National Laboratories
Robert Geller, University of Tokyo
David Gertman, Idaho National Laboratory
Sherrell Greene, Advanced Technologies Insights, LLC
Dave Klimek, Nexus Technical Services Corporation
Joseph Klinger, Illinois Emergency Management Agency
Shunsuke Kondo, Japan Atomic Energy Commission (retired)
Kiyoshi Kurokawa, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
David Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists
Thomas McKenna, International Atomic Energy Agency
Richard Meserve, Carnegie Institution for Science
Randall Mumaw, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Per Peterson, University of California, Berkeley
William Radasky, Metatech Corporation
Scott Sagan, Stanford University
Craig Sawyer, General Electric Company (retired)
Fred Tollison, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (retired)

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and
suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions and recommendations of this
report, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this
report was overseen by Marvin Adams, Texas A&M University, and Chris Whipple,
ENVIRON. Appointed by the National Research Council, Drs. Adams and Whipple were

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