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This is another clearinghouse diary for discussion and commentary about the ongoing nuclear disaster(s) in Japan. Previous diaries can be found listed in the Mothership.
Please be kind to Kossacks with low bandwith and avoid video and photos, but any info and updates, from whatever sources are available to you, are what these diaries are all about. But PLEASE provide links to the original sources!!
Recent Events
- From NewScientist:
Austrian researchers have used a worldwide network of radiation detectors – designed to spot clandestine nuclear bomb tests – to show that iodine-131 is being released at daily levels 73 per cent of those seen after the 1986 disaster. The daily amount of caesium-137 released from Fukushima Daiichi is around 60 per cent of the amount released from Chernobyl.
h/t brainwave
- Update
From ABC
Japan's prime minister says the situation at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant remains grave and he cannot be optimistic.
h/t mahakali overdrive
- Update From Kyodo
The Japanese government has encouraged people living within 20 to 30 kilometers of the troubled nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture to leave voluntarily, with concerns over access to daily necessities rather than resident safety prompting the advice, top government spokesman Yukio Edano said Friday.
h/t mahakali overdrive
- Update The INES for Fukushima has been raised to level 6 accident.
- Update From Kyodo:
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Friday it has begun injecting freshwater into the No. 1 and No. 3 reactor cores at the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to enhance cooling efficiency, although highly radioactive water was found leaking possibly from both reactors as well as the No. 2 reactor.
h/t EmbraceYourInnerCrone
- Update h/t siri
From the IAEA Briefing on Fukushima Nuclear Accident (24 March 2011, 21.30 UTC)
Reactor pressure is increasing in Unit 1, pressure readings are unreliable in Unit 2, and stable in Unit 3 as water continues to be injected through their feed-water pipes. The temperature at the feed-water nozzle of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) is decreasing at Units 1 (243 ºC) and 3 (about 185 ºC), and stable at Unit 2 (about 102 ºC).
- More municipalities are reporting levels of I-131 in their tap water that exceed the limit for children under 1 year of age to safely consume.
- External Power has been reconnected at all six Fukushima Daiichi reactor units and the lights are on in control rooms at units 1 and 3. Tests are underway to determine situation in all units before power is turned on.
According to David Lochbaum, Director of UCS's Nuclear Safety Project, conventional methods are now being used to inject water into Unit 1 reactor core and Unit 3 spent fuel pool. In addition, there has been success or progress made in re-establishing external power to all six units, although there's still some work to remain to then extend that power to all the components on the units that need to be repowered. However, these systems are not yet at the stage which exists at spent fuel ponds at Units 5 and 6 "of having the normal systems that remove water, cool the water and then return that cooled water to either the reactor core or the spent fuel pools. And right now, they're using conventional systems to inject water, allowing that water to be warmed up and dissipated, kind of a feed and bleed mode, but they're moving towards regaining control over the cooling of the three reactor cores and the spent fuel pools on Units 1, 2, 3 and 4."
Discussing "scattered information about contamination exposures that is not always entirely consistent," Senior Scientist in the UCS Global Security Program Dr. Edwin Lyman says the situation is one which provides a 'lessons learned' scenario for the NRC "which I think has grown too complacent with the belief that these releases are very carefully or already very well understood and that information will be adequate in the aftermath of an accident. I would like to say, I've been looking at some modeling results of my own, and I believe that the estimates that we heard from the Austrians Meteorological Agency yesterday about the amount of cesium that has already been released from the plant does appear to be roughly consistent with the plume map that the Department of Energy put out on March 22nd that shows the existence of a plume of contamination reaching toward northwest of the exclusion site. That does appear to be consistent, at least in order of magnitude terms with the idea that roughly 50 percent of the cesium that was released at Chernobyl has already been released from the plant."
Lyman also said it appears as if there are going to be areas considerably further than 12 kilometers which will require significant decontamination or condemnation, and recommends Japan increase its evacuation zone beyond its current 12 miles and ‘shelter in place’ policy for individuals between 12 and 18 miles from reactor.
Latest reports from NHA state that excessive radioactivity has been found in Tokyo vegetables and radioactive water has been detected in #6 prefecture
Italy announced today a one-year moratorium on building any new nuclear power plants. Germany has suspended its nuclear power program.
Update from spideymike in the comments quoting NHK (Japanese)
("Two workers taken to hospital for radiation exposure")
(Paraphrasing)
Shortly after noon on the 24th three workers working in the turbine room of the #3 reactor were exposed to radiation. Two of them were taken to hospital. The exposed dosage was between 170 and 180 mSv and two of them (presumably the same to taken to hospital) had radioactive particles stuck to the skin of their feet. They had gotten soaked with water while pulling cables in the basement of the turbine room.
Due to extensive coverage, the Japan Nuclear Incident Liveblogs team is now saving ALL Coverage @ KOS to the group page. Please visit Japan Nuclear Incident Liveblog. You can save any relevant diaries to the group's queue.
A database of temperature, pressure, radiation levels, etc readings over time can be found in: The Daiichi Database This is an evolving diary that will be updated regularly
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UPDATES
New Scientist validates Austrian report h/t brainwave
Partial Meltdowns Led to Hydrogen Explosions at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant
Hydrogen and steam explosions pose ongoing risks at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant, where three such events have already occurred in the past five days Link h/t mahakali overdrive,
Newly Homeless in Japan Re-Establish Order Amid Chaos h/t Gilmore