HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Radiation levels in Tokyo surged to 23 times normal on Tuesday, according to reports that cited readings released by the Tokyo metropolitan government. Radiation levels of .809 micro severts were recorded in central Tokyo at 10.00 a.m. local time (9.00 p.m. U.S. Eastern time), reports said. Southerly winds are believed to be pushing a radioactive plume from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which lies about 150 miles north of Tokyo.
http://www.marketwatch.com/...
earlier headline:
Tokyo detects "minute" amount of radiation
(Reuters) - "Minute levels" of radiation have been detected in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, Kyodo news agency said, quoting the metropolitan government.
They had found iodine and cesium but it was not immediately clear if it was linked to the damaged nuclear plant in the northeast.
It also said that radiation levels in Saitama, near Tokyo, were 40 times normal levels, quoting the local government.
Per Wiki the Tokyo metro area has 35.7 million human beings.
NY Times - Japan Faces Prospect of Nuclear Catastrophe
TOKYO — Japan faced the likelihood of a catastrophic nuclear accident Tuesday morning...
When the Grey Lady bluntly states it like that, well Japan is facing 'apocalypse now'.
CNN is just reporting that people with 30 km of the plants should stay indoors.
Back to the Times:
emergency workers were withdrawn from the plant, and much larger emissions of radioactive materials appeared immiment, according to official statements and industry executives informed about the developments.
The company can't keep people in a dangerous situation, and it seems to me they can't stop the meltdowns without people to work the problem.
I am having this horrible thought of a land in ruins abandoned for hundreds or thousands of years because of radiation contamination.
Latest NY Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Update
This meltdown looks like it might cause a financial meltdown. Zero Hedge:
Nikkei Flash Crash - Futures Plummet 16% As All Hell Breaks Loose In Japan
Kyodo essentially confirms there was a reactor meltdown as radiation levels at Fukushima 3 are now 400 times legal levels. And topping it all Japan's warning that all people within 30 kilometers from Fukushima should stay indoors and that the radioactive winds may reach Tokyo in as little as 8 hours.
http://www.zerohedge.com/...