Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

[bkkjames]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_N-wNFSGyQ&feature=youtu.be&a

[jfchandler]

Kyodo News:

NEWS ADVISORY: 11 people injured in blast at Fukushima nuke plant: TEPCO. -- 13:06 14 March

[jfchandler]

New York Times: Photo showing Reactors No. 1 and 3, post explosions:

[webfact]

Information hotlline of Sendai city. 022-265-2471, 022-224-1919 (Eng, 24h) /#jishin_e #earthquake #tsunami #japan /RT @veen_NT: RT @UKinJapan:

[jfchandler]

New York Times:

Radioactive Releases in Japan Could Last Months, Experts Say

Published: March 13, 2011

WASHINGTON — As the scale of Japan's nuclear crisis begins to come to light, experts in Japan and the United States say the country is now facing a cascade of accumulating problems that suggest that radioactive releases of steam from the crippled plants could go on for weeks or even months.

The emergency flooding of two stricken reactors with seawater and the resulting steam releases are a desperate step intended to avoid a much bigger problem: a full meltdown of the nuclear cores in two reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. On Monday, an explosion blew the roof off the second reactor, not damaging the core, officials said, but presumably leaking more radiation. So far, Japanese officials have said the melting of the nuclear cores in the two plants is assumed to be "partial," and the amount of radioactivity measured outside the plants, though twice the level Japan considers safe, has been relatively modest.

But Pentagon officials reported Sunday that helicopters flying 60 miles from the plant picked up small amounts of radioactive particulates — still being analyzed, but presumed to include cesium-137 and iodine-121 — suggesting widening environmental contamination.

MORE: http://www.nytimes.c...=3&pagewanted=1

Edited March 14, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Thanks for finding that video, James...

[webfact]

Letter from Tokyo

By Thidarat Noisuwan Brouqueyre, a Thai freelance translator

Follow this link:

[webfact]

Six injured in post-quake blast at Japanese reactor

Tokyo - Six people were injured Monday after an explosion at a nuclear reactor in north-east Japan following an earthquake, news reports said.

The steel hull of the reactor in Fukushima, 240 kilometres north of Tokyo, was not damaged, a government spokesman said, citing information from the plant operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO).

The city is home to 10 reactors at two power plants, and explosions have occurred at two of the reactors since Friday's magnitude-9 earthquake and tsunami. One happened Saturday and the second Monday after a magnitude-6.2 aftershock.

A TEPCO spokesman said radiation was measured at the plant at 20 microsievert per hour 25 minutes after Monday's blast. Japan allows an hourly exposure of 500 microsievert, which is a measure of the biological effects of radiation.

-- The Nation 2011-03-14

[jfchandler]

From The New York Times

Several Plant Workers Are Ill, but Radiation Risk in Japan Is Seen as Low for Now

By DENISE GRADY

Published: March 13, 2011

Although several plant workers are ill from radioactive exposure in Japan, the radiation risk to the public appears low so far, experts said. "At least as of now, what we're looking at is rather more like Three Mile Island than Chernobyl," said Dr. David J. Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University.

The radiation release from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, where the entire reactor blew up and vaporized its radioactive fuel, was about a million times the amount released from the partial core meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979, he said. The Chernobyl accident led to an epidemic of thyroid cancer and increases in leukemia, he said.

But from Three Mile Island, Dr. Brenner said, "There is no evidence that anybody at all got sick, even decades later."

At the exposure rate now being reported at the boundary of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, it would take many weeks before people exposed would notice any symptoms.

"The sorts of numbers I'm seeing are not the sort that could be linked with radiological symptoms," Dr. Brenner said.

Inside the plant, however, the three workers with radiation sickness were presumably exposed to much more radiation.

MORE: http://www.nytimes.c...a/14health.html

Edited March 14, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

From The New York Times

Japan's Nuclear Crisis Stokes Fear in Europe

By JUDY DEMPSEY

Published: March 13, 2011

BERLIN — The nuclear power emergency that began unfolding at a Japanese atomic power plant during the weekend could lead to a major reassessment in European countries that are already building such plants or are considering a shift from fossil fuels to nuclear energy to combat climate change.

With the devastating accident 25 years ago at the Soviet-built reactor in Chernobyl, Ukraine, beginning to fade in European memories, governments across the Continent have grown more open to using or expanding nuclear power. Enthusiasm for nuclear power is particularly strong in eastern Europe, which wants to move away from dependence on Russian oil and natural gas, and on heavily polluting coal-fired power plants. Eastern governments have begun renovating existing nuclear plants or are building or planning new ones.

But as Japan struggled to bring under control the escalating crisis, debate about the merits and dangers of nuclear power flared anew.

MORE: http://www.nytimes.c...ope/14atom.html

Edited March 14, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

From The New York Times:

On Monday morning, Tokyo Electric, which runs both plants, said it had restored the cooling systems at two of three reactors experiencing problems at Daini. That would leave a total of four reactors at the two plants with pumping difficulties. “I’m not aware that we’ve ever had more than one reactor troubled at a time,” said Frank N. von Hippel, a physicist and professor at Princeton, explaining the difficulties faced by the Japanese.

“The whole country was focused on Three Mile Island,” he said, referring to the Pennsylvania nuclear plant accident in 1979. “Here you have Tokyo Electric Power and the Japanese regulators focusing on multiple plants at the same time.”“

[jfchandler]

From The New York Times

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory said in a statement posted on its blog that it is not expecting harmful radioactivity from Japan to reach the United States:

We are working with other U.S. government agencies to monitor the situation in Japan — and to monitor for radioactive releases and to be prepared to predict their path. Fortunately, all the available information at this time indicates weather conditions have taken the small releases from the Fukushima reactors out to sea away from the population.

And, importantly, given the thousands of miles between Japan and us – including Hawaii, Alaska, the U.S. territories and the U.S. West Coast – we are not expecting to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity here. We would like to repeat — we are not expecting to experience any harmful levels of radioactivity here.

[webfact]

Unlike Fukushima, there was no containment vessel in Chernobyl /RT @DanRook:

[jfchandler]

As for the injury report from the Fukushima No. 3 reactor explosion...

NHK is reporting 11 injuries, including some Japanese Defense Force personnel.

Kyodo News now is saying 3 TEPCO workers sustained bruises...

Plus, 1 SDF officer breaks bones, others slightly injured in Fukushima blast

No way right now to reconcile the varying reports.

Edited March 14, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Singapore checking Japanese fresh produce imports for radiation

SINGAPORE, March 14, Kyodo News

Singapore's authority in charge of food safety said Monday that it is monitoring food products from Japan for any possible radioactive contamination in the wake of Friday's quake and tsunami disaster.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said, ''As a precautionary measure AVA will monitor Japanese produce based on source and potential risk of contamination.''

''Samples will be taken for testing for radiation,'' it said, adding that the priority for the checks will be on fresh products.

Peter Chek of Ban Choon Marketing, a company which imports fruits and vegetables from Japan to Singapore, said Japanese fresh produce -- fruits and vegetables -- account for 10 to 15 percent of the Singapore market for such produce.

Japanese fruits have become more popular in Singapore in recent years due to its quality, he said.

He said his imports of Aomori apples will be slightly affected over the next few weeks as the apple farms in that prefecture have been damaged by the quake and tsunami.

It is possible that random checks for radioactivity might be carried out on all fresh produce coming from Japan, and not only those coming from affected areas, although AVA has not given the details of how the checks would be carried out.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77661.html

[jfchandler]

NHK report:

TEPCO: Unforeseeable tsunami caused plant trouble

Tokyo Electric Power Company says unexpectedly powerful tsunami caused cooling system failures at its nuclear power plants in quake-stricken Fukushima prefecture.

The reactors have not been cooling properly at the Fukushima N0. 1 and No. 2 nuclear power stations ever since the cooling systems failed after they were hit by tsunami. It is unknown whether they can be restored.

TEPCO says the water-drenched equipment and machinery short-circuited after the power plants were submerged in sea water on Friday.

Based on the government's guidelines, the Fukushima No. 1 plant [Daichi] was designed to withstand tsunami waves of up to 5.7 meters and the No. 2 [Daini] plant, up to 5.2 meters.

TEPCO says the tsunami waves that hit the plants were higher than 10 meters.

Monday, March 14, 2011 09:53 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.j...lish/14_16.html

Edited March 14, 2011 by jfchandler

[webfact]

Dozens of ambulances and firetrucks suddenly ripping south through downtown Sentai. Anyone know what's happening? /RT @markmackinnon:

[jfchandler]

Excerpt of CNN report on today's Daichi No. 3 reactor explosion:

The crisis has stoked fears of a full-on nuclear meltdown, a catastrophic failure of the reactor core that has the potential for widespread release of radiation.

High levels of hydrogen, as evidenced at Daiichi, is one sign that a meltdown may be occurring. So, too, is the detection noted of radioactive cesium outside that plant, according to Toshihiro Bannai, an official with Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency. This could be caused by the melting of fuel rods inside the reactor, indicating at least a partial meltdown.

Despite such evidence, Noriyuki Shikata, a spokesman for Prime Minister Naoto Kan repeated Edano's assertion that the situation is "under control" and said he would not describe what was occurring in the reactors as a "meltdown."

But Cooke, also editor of Nuclear Intelligence Weekly for the atomic-energy community, said she's not convinced authorities have a full handle on what she called "this hugely dangerous technology."

"The more they say they're in control, the more I sense things may be out of control," she said.

The Daiichi plant has a containment vessel, which theoretically would capture radioactive material if a full meltdown occurs.

MORE: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/13/japan.nuclear.reactors/index.html

[jfchandler]

I'm going to take a break ...

BTW, here are some of the key news sources that I've been monitoring:

Live feed of NHH World TV via CNN:

http://edition.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live.html?stream=stream1

NHK Top Stories in English:

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/index.html

Kyodo News headlines in English:

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/

Reuters Japan:

http://www.reuters.com/places/japan

TEPCO Plant Updates in English:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/index-e.html

Edited March 14, 2011 by jfchandler

[SurfRider]

.

A gallery of random photos of the devastation in Japan.

http://www.news.com....0613950?page=01

.

[webfact]

Cooling functions have stopped and water levels are falling in the No.2 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi - Reuters quoting local news agency /RT @RodrigoEBR:

[bkkjames]

Cooling functions have stopped and water levels are falling in the No.2 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi - Reuters quoting local news agency /RT @RodrigoEBR:

well, the only good news (if one can call it that) is that after number 2 goes, only number 4 will be left.

[jfchandler]

Nothing on NHK or Kyodo on issues at Reactor 2, as yet...

But Reuters is quoting JiJi News:

Fukushima Daiichi plant No.2 reactor cooling functions have stopped, the Jiji news agency is reporting.

Edited March 14, 2011 by jfchandler

[bkkjames]

Nothing on NHK or Kyodo on issues at Reactor 2, as yet...

lots of on google john

[brahmburgers]

This is becoming a game of adjectives. With each deepening of the crisis, the ensuing official Japanese announcement carefully weighs their adjectives. We're hearing such things as "there is no massive radiation release" - which makes one wonder, what constitutes a 'massive radiation release'? Perhaps there was a 'giant radiation release' but that didn't quite qualify it for a 'massive radiation release.'

It's understandable that authorities choose to downplay the dangers as much as possible. It reminds me of the times, during the Soviet Union (and afterwards, Russia) whenever there were major mishaps, the official pronouncements were as low-keyed as humanly possible. Happened with Chernobyl, happened with the Kursk submarine, etc etc.

We're also hearing reports that, although containment structures have blown, the actual reactor vessels are intact. Are we to believe that, in this age of downplaying disaster as much as possible?

If/when Thailand gets the nuclear reactors it wants, and things go bad - will we be subject to the same sort of official downplaying of catastrophic events, or will it be worse? I'll let you answer that.

[jfchandler]

Meanwhile, Kyodo News has updated its injury tally from this morning's Reactor No. 3 explosion to match NHK's report.

A hydrogen explosion occurred Monday morning at the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant's troubled No. 3 reactor, injuring 11 people, but the reactor's containment vessel was not damaged, the government's nuclear safety agency and the plant's operator said.

[jfchandler]

Nothing on NHK or Kyodo on issues at Reactor 2, as yet...

lots of on google john

Just telling what the major Japan news services are or aren't saying... Not saying it's not true.

[jfchandler]

Here's TEPCO;s latest announcement re the morning Reactor No. 3 explosion:

At approximately 11:01am, an explosive sound followed by white smoke occurred at the reactor building of the Unit 3. It was believed to be a

hydrogen explosion.

According to the parameter, it is estimated that the reactor containment vessel remains intact. However, the status of the plant and the impact of radioactive materials to the outside environment are presently under investigation. (previously announced)

As of 12:00 am, 4 TEPCO employees and 2 workers of related companies have sustained injuries (all of them are conscious) and ambulances are on their way to care for them.

As of 11:44 am, the measured value of radiation dose near MP6 is 20μSv/h and the radiation level remains stable.

TEPCO continues to take all measures to restore the safety and security of the site and are monitoring the site's immediate surroundings.

Edited March 14, 2011 by jfchandler

[bkkjames]

Wonder why there isnt an independent Japanese agency of some sort overseeing what TEPCO is up to. Seems the IAEA is being kept suitably in the dark.

[animatic]

This is becoming a game of adjectives. With each deepening of the crisis, the ensuing official Japanese announcement carefully weighs their adjectives. We're hearing such things as "there is no massive radiation release" - which makes one wonder, what constitutes a 'massive radiation release'? Perhaps there was a 'giant radiation release' but that didn't quite qualify it for a 'massive radiation release.'

It's understandable that authorities choose to downplay the dangers as much as possible. It reminds me of the times, during the Soviet Union (and afterwards, Russia) whenever there were major mishaps, the official pronouncements were as low-keyed as humanly possible. Happened with Chernobyl, happened with the Kursk submarine, etc etc.

We're also hearing reports that, although containment structures have blown, the actual reactor vessels are intact. Are we to believe that, in this age of downplaying disaster as much as possible?

If/when Thailand gets the nuclear reactors it wants, and things go bad - will we be subject to the same sort of official downplaying of catastrophic events, or will it be worse? I'll let you answer that.

Brahm

One thing that can't be overstated is that being blatantly over the top direct on something like this can cause great mis-understanding and so needless panic which is as great an enemy nas the potential.

Stating the harsh truth to people with out the background knowledge to understand it's implications 100%, can often be worse than letting it out gradually, in digestible segments.

Not to say people should blythly be left exposed to radiation, but that moving them away in controllable stages is MUCH more effective than in a mass paniked crush, in which case many more are trapped in harms way longer from grid locked panik.

Without a doubt national leaders DO measure their words, and do moderate the cold harsh truth till later times, to prevent mass paniks and the deaths and destruction that they are known to cause. A judgment call of course and a horrible lesser of two evils judgment I would never want to be forced to make. But in hindsight some will see it as sound and others will see it as flawed and that is life as we know it.

Edited March 14, 2011 by animatic