Earthquake in Japan....9.0...ouch!

Ewanb75 said:
I am sitting here, head in hands, lost with words, unknown what to do or think next. This is terrible, I wouldnt know where to start to help over there, let alone feel like i would BE any help.

Am just flabbergasted
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Fire again at reactor 4, grr, so it was supposedly on fire but, went out, when really it just got smaller and they couldn't see it, hours later it was back on fire and they noticed almost by accident. Then the fire was "not visible" this time they wouldn't commit to saying it was out, and its back again.

Decent level of radiation aswell, they haven't stated it but, there used to be a limit saying they couldn't go near a reactor with 100milliSv's being read, they've raised this 2.5x in some committee, so you assume the radiation level while the fire is going is somewhere not far off 250mSv.

Feel very sorry for the guy who has to go near it.

LOL, I was thinking the footage of the white smoke coming out the plant was, well, awful quality, before she said the camera is on a chopper more than 30km from the plant, i which case the footage is pretty damn awesome.

Hmm, it also got quite a bit clearer, its quite a lot of smoke aswell, and constant.
 
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It wasn't clear but they are announcing some serious radiation levels. They think, maybe the big radiation from its reactor 3, is the same thing that caused radiation to spike yesterday from reactor 2.

It sounds like they think the high radiation yesterday might have been caused by the suspension cooling(it seems) was leaking and evapourating out, and now the same from number 3, though I don't know if they are venting or its venting automatically. They are saying part of the containment vessel is likely broken like reactor 2 yesterday.

They were reading 1000milliSV, which dropped to 800 later and might be still dropping, yesterday the max it got up to was 400milliSv, then they said they are getting MilliSv readings at the gate, it was unclear if the 1000mSv was from right outside the plant or by the gate.

They've seemingly reacted everyone from the site completely right now, and are planning to get on with cooling reactor 4 when the radiation dies down a bit.
 
Could be very good news as he said he mispoke about the radiation levels, but he spoke about radiation twice, it could be he meant microSv rather than milli when he said 1000milliSv, or he could be talking about radiation at the reactor and then at the gate which should be very different levels.

I doubt its only 1millSv at the reactor as they changed the rules to allow them to get close to reactor 4 by changing the limit to 250milliSv, seems unlikely he made a mistake, if they were planning to send them in with up to 250millsv(the limit before was 100), then he wouldn't suddenly pull them out unless it increased further. I hope he did make a mistake though.

EDIT:- It does sound like, from the safety guys press conference, that the main guy mispoke and was talking about 1000microSv at the gate, which is great news, though outside reactor vs by the gate radiation is very very different anyway. Doesn't seem like they are giving us a reading around the reactor this time.
 
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Spitfir3 said:
I see a lot of tweets on Twitter saying the 50 workers at the plant as been ordered to evacuate - that really doesn't sound good?
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Also not as bad as it sounds, theres seemingly up to 50 who can be around the buildings themselves, people who have seemingly been designated as most qualified, or maybe volunteers.

Either way, while they haven't got anything to do they move them away, and they were seemingly near the gate at a "safe" level with a lot of the other workers who were moved away from the control building.

When the numbers spiked at the gate they moved everyone further away because for now they can't get water to the reactor 4 so theres no need for them to get extra exposure. I think as soon as it drops around the reactor, maybe when the smoke stops, I'd imagine they should be back in there.

Saying that, the smoke cloud that definately has increased radiation is pretty big and has been coming out for quite a while which is a tad worrying.

Also keep in mind that the up to 6.4milliSv around the core at the moment, is not at all lethal short term, 1000millSv is marginally dangerous, you only get up to real lethal levels at some 2-6Sv, which is 2000-6000milliSv, or 2,000,000 to 6,000,000 microSv, so they are no where near that at the moment. 6.4MilliSv is the peak aswell, its mostly around 2Millisv around the plant at the moment, 20km away that will be another magnitude lower, theres really no danger yet.

I think saying evacuation and 1000millSv panicked everyone, because he's stated basically 1000x higher radiation than he meant to. Also it wasn't clear but the 50 people near the cores are basically there as little as possible which makes sense, if they can stand around waiting in 2000-6000microSv or 100-500microSv a little further away, yes, they should stay in safer area's.
 
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drunkenmaster said:
Also not as bad as it sounds, theres seemingly up to 50 who can be around the buildings themselves, people who have seemingly been designated as most qualified, or maybe volunteers.

Either way, while they haven't got anything to do they move them away, and they were seemingly near the gate at a "safe" level with a lot of the other workers who were moved away from the control building.

When the numbers spiked at the gate they moved everyone further away because for now they can't get water to the reactor 4 so theres no need for them to get extra exposure. I think as soon as it drops around the reactor, maybe when the smoke stops, I'd imagine they should be back in there.

Saying that, the smoke cloud that definately has increased radiation is pretty big and has been coming out for quite a while which is a tad worrying.

Also keep in mind that the up to 6.4milliSv around the core at the moment, is not at all lethal short term, 1000millSv is marginally dangerous, you only get up to real lethal levels at some 2-6Sv, which is 2000-6000milliSv, or 2,000,000 to 6,000,000 microSv, so they are no where near that at the moment. 6.4MilliSv is the peak aswell, its mostly around 2Millisv around the plant at the moment, 20km away that will be another magnitude lower, theres really no danger yet.

I think saying evacuation and 1000millSv panicked everyone, because he's stated basically 1000x higher radiation than he meant to. Also it wasn't clear but the 50 people near the cores are basically there as little as possible which makes sense, if they can stand around waiting in 2000-6000microSv or 100-500microSv a little further away, yes, they should stay in safer area's.
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That's very good news. Come to think of it, if the radiation levels were really 1Sv/hr at the gate, there is no way in hell they could have people working on the reactors, they would all be dead within hours, if not sooner. 1mSv/hr at the gate seems much more likely.
 
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26k people rescued so far, considering the sheer difficulty of getting to the towns and going through them, thats pretty amazing going. Someone posted a pic not long ago showing a couple rescue workers moving across just a vast wasteland of upturned cars and houses, just getting into some of the towns looks nuts, let alone finding people and getting teams in to get them out.
 
Essay Writers

Well we can't say yet that they are fortunate. Cause as you said 5 nuclear power station has been shut down. But some power station has been explode. And Japanese president has said to their people that evacuate this place where the power stations are. Is it like that? If i am wrong then please correct me.
 
The latest status report on the reactors:

TOKYO, March 16, Kyodo


The following is the known status as of Wednesday afternoon of each of the six reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and the four reactors at the Fukushima No. 2 plant, both in Fukushima Prefecture, which were crippled by Friday's magnitude 9.0 earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.

Fukushima No. 1 plant

-- Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, building damaged Saturday by hydrogen explosion, seawater being pumped in.

-- Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, seawater being pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, building damaged Monday by blast at Reactor No. 3, damage to containment vessel on Tuesday, potential meltdown feared.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater being pumped in, building damaged Monday by hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby on Tuesday, plume of smoke observed Wednesday, damage to containment vessel likely.

-- Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, fire Tuesday possibly caused by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, pool water level not observed, fire observed Wednesday at building housing reactor, no water poured in to cool pool.

-- Reactor No. 5, No. 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature slightly rising in spent fuel pool.

Fukushima No. 2 plant

-- Reactor No. 1, No. 2, No. 4 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Cold shutdown.

==Kyodo
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White smoke has been pouring out of one of the plants and choppers are being used to pour water over the reactor/s.

Highest recorded radiation levels recorded at reactor 3.

Not looking good at all there.
 
The second British rescue team (not the government team) - International Rescue Corps - is on its way back from Tokyo after the British Embassy in Tokyo refused to give them a letter of authorisation which would allow them entry into the disaster zones and enable them to get fuel. "There's an emptiness and disbelief," said Willie McMartin, IRC Operations Director. "This was the 32nd world disaster we have been to and we've only had problems twice before with host governments in China and Afghanistan. We have never encountered the position where the British embassy, our own country, came up with a show stopper."
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Some jobsworth should get the bullet for that, they had full permission from the Japaneese Govt
 
Fukushima No. 3 reactor's container feared damaged: Edano

Japan's nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power station showed no signs of abating Wednesday, five days after a mega earthquake crippled it, with authorities pointing to possible damage to the No. 3 reactor and the release of radioactive steam, and another fire hitting the No. 4 reactor.

If the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. and authorities confirm damage to the No. 3 reactor's containment vessel, it will be the second among the plant's six reactors to have suffered damage to the steel containment key to enclosing harmful radioactive substances, meaning steps they have taken to avoid a further critical situation are not working.

Top government spokesman Yukio Edano told a press conference in the morning that smoke has been recognized from about 8:30 a.m. around the No.3 reactor and said, ''As we saw in the No. 2 unit, steam has been released from the (No. 3) reactor's containment vessel.''

At the No. 2 reactor, the pressure-suppression chamber connected to its containment vessel was damaged following an apparent hydrogen explosion early Tuesday.

The government's nuclear safety agency separately said that the radiation level briefly reached 10 millisievert per hour at the plant's entrance at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, but added that it was possibly due to radioactive substances emitted from the No. 2 reactor.

Still, the level is lower than the 400 millisievert per hour, a radiation equivalent to 400 times the level to which people can be safely exposed in one year that was recorded Tuesday as the maximum so far reported at the plant after apparent hydrogen blasts hit the No. 2 and No. 4 rectors.

Edano said Wednesday regarding the smoke, which he called steam, that the government has no plans to expand the evacuation area of within 20 kilometers from the plant for now.

Self-Defense Force choppers prepared to pour water onto the No. 3 unit in the afternoon, an operation delayed due to strong winds, but TEPCO officials are having difficulty grasping the situation in detail due to the high radiation doses detected in the area.

Tokyo Electric said that the latest rise in the radiation level may have been either caused from the No. 2 reactor, or the No. 3 reactor's pool storing spent fuel rods, which may be overheating and releasing radioactive steam.

Adding to concerns, a fire broke out earlier Wednesday at the No. 4 reactor, which was already posing the risk of leaks of high-level radioactive materials, while flames became no longer visible about 30 minutes later, according to TEPCO. Fire was first seen at around the same place Tuesday.

The utility said Tuesday water in the reactor's pool storing spent fuel rods may be boiling and that its level may have dropped, exposing the rods. The government ordered the firm to inject water into the pool ''as soon as possible to avert a major nuclear disaster.''

The utility firm said Wednesday morning it is considering spraying boric acid by helicopter to prevent the spent nuclear fuel rods from reaching criticality again, restarting a chain reaction.

Unless the spent fuel rods are cooled down, they could suffer damage and emit radioactive substances.

An estimated 70 percent of the nuclear fuel rods have been damaged at the plant's No. 1 reactor and 33 percent at the No. 2 reactor, the firm also said the same day.

The cores of the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 reactors are believed to have partially melted with their cooling functions lost in the wake of Friday's magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami.
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Not very good news:

Fukushima No. 3 reactor's container feared damaged: Edano
TOKYO, March 16, Kyodo


The containment vessel of the quake-hit No. 3 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant may have been damaged, Japan's top government spokesman said Wednesday, indicating that radioactive steam may be spreading outside.

The government's nuclear safety agency said the radiation level briefly reached 10 millisievert per hour at the plant's entrance at 10:40 a.m., but added that it was possibly due to radioactive substances emitted from the No. 2 reactor, as the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. continued to scramble to address the ongoing nuclear crisis in the wake of Friday's devastating earthquake that hit Japan centering on its northeastern region.

The utility firm is also considering spraying boric acid by helicopter to prevent spent nuclear fuel rods at another troubled reactor, No. 4, from reaching criticality again, restarting a chain reaction.

Earlier Wednesday, a fire broke out again at the No. 4 reactor, which was already posing the risk of leaks of high-level radioactive materials, but flames were no longer visible about 30 minutes later, according to TEPCO.

The No. 3 reactor started to draw more attention after live TV footage of the plant showed white smoke coming out around 10 a.m.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a press conference that the smoke has been recognized from around 8:30 a.m. and said, ''There is a possibility that the No. 3 reactor's containment vessel is damaged.''

Edano, however, said that the government has no plans to expand the evacuation area of within 20 kilometers from the plant for now.

As for the No. 4 reactor, the utility said Tuesday that water in a pool storing the spent fuel rods may be boiling and that its level may have dropped, exposing the rods. The government ordered the firm to inject water into the pool ''as soon as possible to avert a major nuclear disaster.''

Due to high radiation levels at the reactor, workers have been unable to pour water into the troubled pool. Difficult conditions have led the utility to evacuate around 730 of the 800 workers from the site, according to TEPCO.

''The possibility of re-criticality is not zero,'' TEPCO said Wednesday as it announced the envisaged step to put the No. 4 reactor under control.

Unless the spent fuel rods are cooled down, they could suffer damage and emit radioactive substances.

An estimated 70 percent of the nuclear fuel rods have been damaged at the plant's No. 1 reactor and 33 percent at the No. 2 reactor, the firm also said. The cores of both reactors are believed to have partially melted with their cooling functions lost in the wake of Friday's magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami.

At the No. 2 reactor, the pressure-suppression chamber connected to its containment vessel was damaged following an apparent hydrogen explosion early Tuesday.

An apparent hydrogen blast also occurred Tuesday morning at the No. 4 reactor, before a worker at the plant saw flames around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday on the fourth floor of the building housing the reactor, believed to be the same spot with the blast that caused a fire the day before. The reactor had been halted for regular checks from before the quake.

==Kyodo
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