Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

[bkkjames]

Tokyo Metropolitan Govt: Radiation Level 23 Times Normal Amount

http://twitter.com/CNBC

[jfchandler]

No. of confirmed dead, missing in fatal quake believed to top 6,000

TOKYO, March 15, Kyodo

The number of those confirmed dead or who remain unaccounted for following Friday's catastrophic earthquake in Japan is believed to exceed 6,000, a police tally showed Tuesday.

The National Police Agency said 2,475 people were confirmed dead while 3,118 were missing as of 10 a.m., but many unidentified bodies have been detected in quake-hit coastal areas.

The agency has identified 1,060 bodies so far, of which around 420 were returned to their families.

Thousands of survivors are believed to be cut off at places where they have taken refuge, with around 1,300 people found stranded on the island of Oshima, Miyagi Prefecture, according to local authorities.

AND

Meanwhile, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said the number of buildings completely or partially destroyed by the quake had reached 72,945 as of 11 p.m. Monday.

MORE: http://english.kyodo...1/03/78111.html

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[webfact]

Post on MIT's Dept. of Nuclear Science & Eng site about what's happened at Fukushima: http://is.gd/snW240 (Via @dannysullivan) /RT @Dany_k:

[jfchandler]

Finally a bit of good news from NHK ..but...from a different location....

All Fukushima No.2 [Daini, not Daiishi] plant reactors safely halted

The operation of all 4 reactors at the quake-stricken Fukushima No.2 nuclear power plant has been brought to a halt.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says the 4th reactor at the No.2 plant was safely brought to a stop at around 7:00 AM on Tuesday. It also says the reactor's temperature dropped below 100 degrees Celsius after its cooling function was restored. The reactor's cooling system was damaged in Friday's massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

The operation of the other 3 reactors at the Fukushima No.2 plant was earlier suspended. Two of the reactors were unable to cool down for some time due to tsunami damage.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 11:58 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/15_24.html

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

This is the explanation of the prior report I mentioned from NHK.

Radiation exceeds limits at Ibaraki facility

A University of Tokyo facility in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo, has reported radiation levels higher than legal standards.

The facility alerted the central government on Tuesday after it registered 5 microsieverts per hour before 8:00 AM and the radiation level continued to exceed the yardstick figure designated by a law for 10 straight minutes.

The facility is located in Tokai village, about 110 kilometers south of the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant.

The facility says the radiation level later fell to 3 microsieverts per hour. It says normally the reading is at around 0.05 microsieverts per hour.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 10:43 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/15_21.html

[webfact]

Official says slightly elevated radiation levels detected in Tokyo, no health threat so far. http://apne.ws/eWKMgY - VW /via @AP

[webfact]

Report: Radiation detected in Tokyo

Tokyo - Small amounts of radioactive substances were deteced in Tokyo Tuesday after several blasts at reactors at an earthquake-damaged nuclear power plant, the Kyodo News agency reported.

-- The Nation 2011-03-15

[webfact]

No-fly zone set for 30-kilometer radius over Fukushima nuclear plant - Kyodo /RT @BreakingNews:

[jfchandler]

Govt Sets Up Joint Task Force with Tokyo Electric Power

Tokyo, March 15 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government will set up a joint task force with Tokyo Electric Power Co. to join forces in dealing with accidents at quake-damaged nuclear power plants of the company, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday.

Kan will head the task force at Tokyo Electric Power's head office in Tokyo, and Industry minister Banri Kaieda and the company's President Masataka Shimizu will serve as deputy chiefs.

The prime minister told reporters that the government's task force and the company's have been at difference places. The government decided to have the joint task force for unified, real-time responses, he said.

Kan also said the government is taking all possible measures to prevent the damage from the accidents from expanding. Although the situation remains worrisome, he will take the initiative in efforts to overcome the crisis, he said.

Kan later visited Tokyo Electric Power's head office and held talks with company officials. He was there for some three hours.

http://jen.jiji.com/...k=2011031500331

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Reuters:

Tokyo city govt: Not considering telling residents to stay indoors

[jfchandler]

Reuters public forum:

Tepco has all today's images (appear to be taken hourly) from its webcam overlooking the site on their website: pointscope01.jp ; the file name is yearmonthdayhourminutesecond.jpg - you can change the hour part to see earlier images, e.g. to 20110315050000.jpg ).

http://pointscope01....10315130000.jpg

Also:

http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/f1-np/camera/index-j.html

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

This 10 am photo from today shows the smoke/fumes rising from the Daichi plant...

http://pointscope01.jp/data/f1np/f1np1/pic/20110315100000.jpg

[jfchandler]

Some readers here may have missed this photo post from late late last night.. It's the best aerial view I've seen of the No. 1 and 3 damaged reactors -- taken before this morning's fire in reactor No. 4.

[brahmburgers]

Is this to be believed or not ?

" Special USAF aircraft have detected large amounts of Radioactivity over the mid-north Pacific region. The radiation cloud could make landfall in western North America within 24 hours.The WC-135 Constant Phoenix is a special purpose aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 and used by the United States Air Force. Its mission is to collect samples from the atmosphere for the purpose of detecting and identifying nuclear explosions. It is also informally referred to as the “weather bird” or “the sniffer” by workers on the program. " http://quinetiam.com/?p=125

It appears now that the above paragraph is a hoax. Yet it, and the earlier report of one or two US aircraft carriers raising concern is a reflection of how US authorities can sometimes overreact to perceived toxicity. Example; a friend of mine had a fleet of new trucks in California for his distribution business. One day, a very small puddle of motor oil (less than a liter) was discovered near a truck, apparently from a sloppy oil change. From that, the EPA was called in, wearing hap-haz suits, and the friend was fined $2,000 for having a toxic spill on his commercial property.

All this talk about hydrogen mixing with oxygen and causing explosions. I'm not a chemist, but last time I checked, H + O = water.

Last time I checked hydrogen was quite flammable, and oxygen is required for burning. Remember the Hindenburg.

Individually they're flammable, yet when they combine, seems to me they would form water vapor or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) which is highly reactive, thereby devolving to water and oxygen. However, the Kursk explosion (Russian Sub) was caused by leaking H2O2 which, when it touched iron, exploded. Perhaps someone with chemical knowledge can clear up some of the chemical intricacies of what's causing the explosions at the damaged reactors in Japan.

Similarly, sodium and chlorine are toxic individually, yet when combined, form salt.

added note: Men and women of childbearing age (or those planning to make babies) might be well advised to get far away from radiation, as it could conceivably (no pun intended) <deleted> up reproductive cells.

[jfchandler]

NHK:

In the first meeting held at the [TEPCO] power company, [Prime Minister] Kan strongly condemned the company for the way it has been addressing the problem.

He said that when an explosion occurred at its No.1 reactor on Saturday, he watched the reports on television, and that the prime minister's office was not notified for about one hour.

AND

He then demanded an explanation about the situation at the No.2 reactor and was informed that there was damage to the reactor's facility called the suppression pool, which is linked to the reactor containment vessel.

[jfchandler]

Reuters:

In a sign of mounting fears about the risk of radiation, neighboring China said it was strengthening monitoring and Air China said it had canceled flights to Tokyo.

Several embassies advised staff and citizens to leave affected areas. Tourists cut short vacations and multinational companies either urged staff to leave or said they were considering plans to move outside the city.

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

Reuters:

Japan asked local governments to make more frequent radiation checks after explosions at two nuclear reactors, with reports of radiation levels nine times normal briefly detected in Kanagawa near Tokyo.

Chief cabinet minister Yukio Edano said radiation levels near the stricken plant on the northeast coast reached as high as 400 millisieverts (mSv) an hour, thousands of times higher than readings before the blast. That would be 20 times the current yearly level for some nuclear-industry employees and uranium miners.* Exposure to 350 milliSv was the criterion for relocating people after the Chernobyl accident, according to the World Nuclear Association.

* People are exposed to natural radiation of about 2 milliSv a year.

* Airline crew flying the New York-Tokyo polar route are exposed to 9 milliSv a year.

* Exposure to 100 milliSv a year is the lowest level at which any increase in cancer is clearly evident. A cumulative 1,000 mSv would probably cause a fatal cancer many years later in five out of every 100 persons exposed to it.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/15/us-japan-radiation-factbox-idUSTRE72E14R20110315

[jfchandler]

Reuters:

Japan asked local governments to make more frequent radiation checks after explosions at two nuclear reactors, with reports of radiation levels nine times normal briefly detected in Kanagawa near Tokyo.

Chief cabinet minister Yukio Edano said radiation levels near the stricken plant on the northeast coast reached as high as 400 millisieverts (mSv) an hour, thousands of times higher than readings before the blast. That would be 20 times the current yearly level for some nuclear-industry employees and uranium miners.* Exposure to 350 milliSv was the criterion for relocating people after the Chernobyl accident, according to the World Nuclear Association.

* People are exposed to natural radiation of about 2 milliSv a year.

* Airline crew flying the New York-Tokyo polar route are exposed to 9 milliSv a year.

* Exposure to 100 milliSv a year is the lowest level at which any increase in cancer is clearly evident. A cumulative 1,000 mSv would probably cause a fatal cancer many years later in five out of every 100 persons exposed to it.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/15/us-japan-radiation-factbox-idUSTRE72E14R20110315

[jfchandler]

Factbox: Travel warnings after Japan's earthquake

(Reuters) - Following are travel warnings from several countries following an earthquake and tsunami and subsequent crisis at a nuclear power complex.

Ed Note: This below is an excerpted list with highlights of the full list:

BRITAIN: -- Britain's Foreign Office advised against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and the northeast of Japan.

CANADA:

-- Canada warned its citizens to avoid all travel within 20 km (12 miles) of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, and to avoid non-essential travel to areas of northern Japan that were near the quake and hit by the subsequent tsunami.

-- Canadians were also warned to "exercise a high degree of caution" in traveling to the Tokyo region because of damage suffered by its transportation, power and telecommunication systems. The warning note said there would be rolling blackouts in the Tokyo area starting March 14.

CHINA

-- Air China, the country's flag carrier, has canceled flights from Beijing and Shanghai to Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon and in the evening, according to the company's website.

FRANCE: The French embassy in Tokyo urged its citizens in the Japanese capital to stay indoors and close their windows, saying a low-level radioactive wind could reach the city within 10 hours, based on current winds.

It had earlier strongly advised its nationals not to travel to Japan because of the high threats of aftershocks.

GERMANY:

-- The foreign ministry advised Germans to consider if their travel to the Yokohama/Tokyo region was necessary.

-- "Given the current situation, the foreign ministry warns against staying in the crisis region and advises all Germans near nuclear plants or in the greater Tokyo/Yokohama area to consider whether staying in Japan is necessary," it said on its website.

*NEW ZEALAND:

-- Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to advise avoiding all non-essential travel to Tokyo and the affected north-east regions.

PHILIPPINES

-- Non-essential embassy personnel and dependents are being sent home, Philippines' ambassador to Tokyo, Manuel Lopez, said in an interview with a local radio station in Manila.

SOUTH KOREA: -- The South Korean foreign ministry has issued a travel advisory for Japan. It advised against travel to the Fukushima area and other areas north of Tokyo.

UNITED STATES:

-- The U.S. State Department urged U.S. citizens to avoid tourism and non-essential travel to Japan at this time and also requests all non-essential official U.S. government personnel defer travel to Japan.

Full List:

http://www.reuters.c...E72E0LL20110315

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

NHK saying one central Toyko monitoring station measures 0.87 microSieverts per hour radiation this morning... an elevated but not short term harmful level.

[Shotime]

Is it possible, given the explosions at the plants, that a cloud of radiation could cover parts of S. E. Asia? Especially Thailand.

[jfchandler]

Japanese Meteorological Agency map shows winds lightly blowing in westerly direction (inland) from Fukushima area as of 2 pm Japan time...

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[Crushdepth]

can clear up some of the chemical intricacies of what's causing the explosions at the damaged reactors in Japan.

Hydrogen and oxygen combust to form water vapour and lots of heat/flame (literally used as rocket fuel). Goes off with quite a bang.

[jfchandler]

I'm no chemist, but the reports say that a lot of hydrogen gas is created when the cooling water comes into contact with the hot reactor core elements... The hydrogen gas then circulates the reactor building, mixes with other elements, and becomes potentially explosive...

The authorities are saying that process was what led to the prior explosions at Reactor 1 first, then Reactor 3 yesterday, and then Reactor 2 this morning...

[jfchandler]

Japanese ordered indoors in radiation leak crisis

By ERIC TALMADGE and SHINO YUASA

Associated Press

SOMA, Japan (AP) -- High levels of radiation leaked from a crippled nuclear plant in tsunami-ravaged northeastern Japan after a third reactor was rocked by an explosion Tuesday and a fourth caught fire in a dramatic escalation of the 4-day-old catastrophe. The government warned 140,000 people nearby to stay indoors to avoid exposure.

Tokyo also reported slightly elevated radiation levels, but officials said the increase was too small to threaten the 39 million people in and around the capital, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) away.

AND

The nuclear crisis is the worst Japan has faced since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. It is also the first time that such a grave nuclear threat has been raised in the world since a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine exploded in 1986.

AND

Officials said 50 workers, all of them wearing protective radiation gear, were still trying to put water into the [Daiichi] reactors to cool them. They say 800 other staff were evacuated. The fires and explosions at the reactors have injured 15 workers and military personnel and exposed up to 190 people to elevated radiation.

MORE: http://staging.hoste...-03-15-02-01-05

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[bkkjames]

(CNN) -- U.S. Navy personnel are taking precautionary measures after instruments aboard an aircraft carrier docked in Japan detected low levels of radioactivity from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the Navy said Tuesday.

The USS George Washington was docked for maintenance in Yokosuka, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) from the plant, when instruments detected the radiation at 7 a.m. Tuesday (6 p.m. ET Monday), the Navy said in a statement.

http://edition.cnn.c...tion/index.html

to add the map where this was detected. note the arrow on it. This is South of Tokyo!

Edited March 15, 2011 by bkkjames

[jfchandler]

Japan's nuke crisis raises radiation fears [among local residents]

By ERIC TALMADGE

Associated Press

SOMA, Japan (AP) -- Anxious neighbors of a stricken nuclear plant accused the government Tuesday of hiding the truth about possible radiation risks, compounding the misery of a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

"I don't think they are telling us the truth. Maybe even they don't know," said Toshiaki Kiuchi, a 63-year-old innkeeper whose business was flooded waist-deep by Friday's tsunami.

MORE: http://staging.hoste...-03-15-02-11-25

[jfchandler]

Here's a better version of the evacuation area map from NHK, showing both the Daiichi and Daini nuclear plants.

[jfchandler]

And here's another chart showing typical radiation exposure levels...

The highest level monitored at the Daiichi Plant this morning was 400 millisieverts per hour.

The "per hour" issue is a noteworthy one, because radiation exposure is a cumulative thing... So someone exposed at 400 mSv for two hours would receive a cum dose of 800 mSv.. And so on....

There may be some issue...I'm not a nuclear medicine type .. about short term high level exposure creating issues different that long term lower exposure...

But the bottom line is, you don't want to be staying in an area with significantly elevated radiation levels for longer periods of time.

Edited March 15, 2011 by jfchandler

[jfchandler]

NHK:

Govt to gather, release nationwide radiation data

The Japanese government has instructed all 47 prefectures to report the results of their environmental radiation observations every day.

Education and science minister Yoshiaki Takaki said on Tuesday that this follows the detection of unusually high-level radiation at nuclear power plants in Fukushima prefecture after Friday's massive earthquake and tsunami.

The prefectures are now asked to report their radiation data from monitoring posts at least twice a day and swiftly inform the central government if higher-than-usual readings are recorded.

Takaki said his ministry is to release the nationwide data at least twice a day, starting possibly on Tuesday.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011 14:32 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/15_34.html