whats up: March 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

fukushima plutonium

“I have become Death,
the destroyer of worlds”

Robert Oppenheimer, quoting the Baghavad Gita,
on witnessing the first atomic bomb test, 1945

new fukushima art at whats more >
Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 3 exploding, March 2011
- one version includes the Einstein quote: "The splitting of the atom changed everything save man's mode of thinking; thus we drift towards unparalleled catastrophe." He also said, "Nuclear power is a hell of a way to boil water."

files are suitable for 4x6 high resolution photo prints - please print some and pass them around - no nukes!

FUKUSHIMA UPDATE:
radiation spreads with three reactor cores and their fuel damaged - major to extreme damage to four reactor buildings and vital equipment - melting of fuel likely - at least one containment breach suspected - pressure in reactors dubious with unreliable data for some - status of overheating and fuming fuel ponds also a critical issue following fires - extremely dangerous radioactivity venting directly into the atmosphere - pools of radioactive water and high radiation levels hamper efforts with workers evacuated on and off and some injuries - plutonium detected on land as contamination of the sea becomes obvious - radiation levels in food and water supplies cause concern

TELL OBAMA: NO MONEY FOR NUKES!

Obama plans to spend $36 billion on nukes. That money should be spent jump-starting safe alternative energy and sophisticated energy use/conservation programs development.

see below

Japan finds plutonium at stricken nuclear plant

(Reuters | Mar 28, 2011) - Plutonium found in soil at the crippled Fukushima nuclear complex heightened alarm on Tuesday over Japan's protracted battle to contain the world's worst atomic crisis in 25 years.

Experts believe that at least some of the plutonium may have come from spent fuel rods at Fukushima or damage to reactor No. 3, the only one to use plutonium in its fuel mix.

"While it's not the level harmful to human health, I am not optimistic. This means the containment mechanism is being breached so I think the situation is worrisome," agency official Hidehiko Nishiyama was quoted as saying by Jiji news agency.

Nuclear radiation 'the greatest public health hazard'
CNN Interview -

Dr. Helen Caldicott -
There are six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Plant No. 1 in Japan, and their spent fuel pools, which contain highly radioactive fuel rods, are also at risk of melting down. These pools contain two to 10 times more radiation than in the reactor core, which itself contains as much long-lived radiation as 1,000 Hiroshima bombs.

CNN: Is it possible to have a safe nuclear power plant?

Caldicott: No. They are very complicated machines containing the energy released when an atom is split: Einstein's formula e=mc², the mass of the atom times the speed of light squared. Anything can go wrong: natural disasters, failure of cooling systems, human and computer error, terrorism, sabotage. Radioactive waste must be isolated from the ecosphere for half a million years or longer, a physical and scientific impossibility, and as it leaks it will concentrate in food chains, inducing epidemics of genetic diseases, leukemia and cancer in all future generations, the greatest public health hazard the world will ever see.

Einstein said, "The splitting of the atom changed everything save man's mode of thinking; thus we drift towards unparalleled catastrophe." He also said, "Nuclear power is a hell of a way to boil water."

CNN: Doesn't every form of energy production involve some risk, as we saw with the oil spill in the Gulf?

Caldicott: Well, that was dreadful. But to leave a legacy of huge vats of leaking radioactive waste around the world, inducing epidemics of malignancy and random compulsory genetic engineering, is a legacy for which future generations will be distinctly ungrateful.

CNN: Is there any other aspect of this event that we should be paying attention to and are not?

Caldicott: No, except that the media keep interviewing nuclear engineers and physicists, but in truth this is a medical problem of vast dimensions.

NUCLEAR THEAT: Helen Caldicott - Montreal, PART 1

IAEA UPDATES

IAEA Fukushima reactor status chart, 29 March 2011 0500 UTC

IAEA chart showing radioactive contamination of the sea

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Update (28 March, 23:00 UTC)

Japan Confirms Plutonium in Soil Samples at Fukushima Daiichi

For now, radioactivity in the environment, foodstuffs and water - including the sea - is a matter of concern in the vicinity of the Fukushima plant and beyond. Current levels indicate a need for further comprehensive monitoring.

After taking soil samples at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japanese authorities today confirmed finding traces of plutonium that most likely resulted from the nuclear accident there. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told the IAEA that the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) had found concentrations of plutonium in two of five soil samples.

Statement by Dr Helen Caldicott

Posted on March 16, 2011 by admin
“I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds”.
Robert Oppenheimer, quoting the Baghavad Gita, on witnessing the first atomic bomb test, 1945

As I write this – on the afternoon of March 16 in the United States – the situation at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant No. 1 is, tragically, looking increasingly grim. Radiation levels are increasing, mass evacuations in the area surrounding Fukushima are underway; and experts are speculating –with trepidation, but understandable caution – about how far the radiation will spread, both within Japan and to other parts of the planet.

My heart goes out to the people of Japan who are of course suffering under the double blow of the effects of the earthquake and tsunami, as well as the threat from the Fukushima reactors.

They are dealing stoically and with great dignity with conditions that are severely challenging. And I want to pay special tribute to the incredibly brave band of TEPCO workers who are fighting to bring the situation at the plant under control. Their efforts are heroic, their courage beyond measure.

The world is now paying – and will pay however severe Fukushima turns out to be – a grave price for the nuclear industry’s hubris and the arrogance and greed that fueled their drive to build more and more reactors.

What’s more, having bamboozled gullible politicians, the media, and much of the public into believing that it is a “clean and green” solution to the problem of global warming, the nuclear industry has operated facilities improperly, with little or no regard for safety regulations, and they have often done this with the connivance of government authorities.

Nuclear power is not the answer to global warming; it is not clean, it is not green; it is not safe; and it is not renewable. It is instead “a destroyer of worlds.” It is time the global community repudiated it – however economically painful in the short term that taking such a step would be. There is no other choice for the sake of future generations.

New and improved nuclear power plant locator map | Greenpeace USA

Nuclear Disaster Japan | Greenpeace USA

TELL OBAMA: NO MONEY FOR NUKES!

Taxpayers should NOT take on the risk of building new nuclear plants

The disaster at Japan's nuclear power plant highlights the inherent dangers of nuclear power, we should be phasing it out in favor of clean energy like wind and solar and energy efficiency. And yet President Obama says he still wants to spend $36 billion of our tax dollars to subsidize the nuclear industry so it can build more nuclear plants here in the United States. Americans don't want their money going to dangerous and dirty energy sources; according to a recent poll, 74% of Americans oppose nuclear subsidies.

Of course, nuclear industry lobbyists are doing everything they can right now to make sure our members of Congress don't listen to the American people. So we need to make sure they know we don't want our tax dollars wasted on new nuclear plants that would threaten more communities here in the United States.

Send an urgent message to the President and your members of Congress TODAY and tell them that there is no place for taxpayer giveaways to the nuclear industry in the budget and that now is the time to invest in technology that uses clean and unlimited energy sources like the sun and wind.

Greenpeace Push for No New Nukes

art by roseadjoa

See also
• LINKS PAGE
• VIDEOS PAGE
• TOP OF BLOG for more recent posts
• recent Fukushima & related updates for nuclear news, background info, links and actions -

Three Nuclear Meltdowns, Radiation Leaked into Sea; U.S. Waste Poses Deadly Risks
Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe Update | Related News
Nuclear Safety is an Oxymoron | How will broken-melting-fuming-leaking Fukushima Daiichi weather Monster Typhoon?
What's going on at Japan's damaged nuclear power plant?
End the nuclear loan program now | Quaint Vermont fixer-upper
Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown Confirmed
abolish atomic - new art | news from Beyond Nuclear | TAKE ACTION
Learning from the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster? | Unsafe at Any Dose
We do not want atom!
Fallout? | Delay Licensing! | Evacutation? | Taxes?
NO NUKES | RE-TOOL NOW - Flyer
Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945 | Downwinders | Nuclear Law
25th Anniversary of Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster | NUCLEAR "SAFTEY" = NUCLEAR THREAT
Anti-nuclear movement | California Nukes
Arnie Gundersen on Current Fukushima Daiichi Situation
Deepak Chopra homebase: Fukushima ~ Indian Point, NY
Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth
Fukushima a "Ticking Time Bomb"
Nuclear Catastrophe in Japan “Not Equal to Chernobyl, But Way Worse”
Nuclear Power = Crime Against Humanity
Obama: No Money for Nukes!
Pacifica Nuclear Teach-in | The Code Killers by Ace Hoffman
Nuclear Obama, Radioactive Boars & Frogs of Fukushima
>fukushima plutonium
Fukushima still fuming - nuclear catastrophe update
MARCH ARCHIVE

CHECK FOR NEWS
• google news ~ "Fukushima + nuclear"
• news feeds below

-!- fukushima nuclear power plant japan nuclear crisis nuclear disaster radiation catastrophe radioactive fallout nuclear energy safety hazard environment ecology pollution -!-

NO NUKES | RE-TOOL NOW

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Fukushima still fuming - nuclear catastrophe update

NO NUKES | RE-TOOL NOW

Go to TOP OF BLOG for more recent posts

U.S. PACIFIC WEST COAST ("PDT" Time = UTC -0700)

LATEST UPDATE 5:00 PM 1700 PDT FRIDAY MARCH 25 2011

Live camera footage released by Japanese Fukushima nuclear plant operator Tepco on March 23 shows black smoke rising from the Unit 3 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 23 - FRIDAY MARCH 25

Radioactive water hampering efforts and injuring workers as radiation spreads from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, contaminating food and water supplies, and the sea. Bottled water in short supply across Tokyo - tap water too dangerous for consumption by infants. Nuclear industry reels. See latest headlines from numerous feeds.

three reactor cores and their fuel damaged with possible melting of fuel - at least one containment breach suspected - half the fuel exposed - pressure in reactors dubious with unreliable data for some - radioactive vapor vented into the atmosphere because of spikes in reactor pressure - major to extreme damage to four reactor buildings and equipment - status of overheating and fuming fuel ponds also a critical issue following fires - extremely dangerous radioactivity being released directly into the atmosphere - - workers evacuated on and off due to high radiation levels with some injured...

I have to say that (higher level meltdown or not) this is an extremely terrible event which will have major consequences for Japan, the entire Pacific Region, and the world over the coming days, weeks, years, decades... Do not believe otherwise.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan addressed the nation Friday evening, stating the situation at the Fukushima plant remained "grave and serious."

"We are not in a position where we can be optimistic," Kan said. "We must treat every development with the utmost care."

Mar. 25, 2011 5:54 PM ET:
Breach suspected at troubled Japanese power plant

TOKYO (AP) — A possible breach at Japan's troubled nuclear plant escalated the crisis anew Friday, two full weeks after an earthquake and tsunami first compromised the facility. The development suggested radioactive contamination may be worse than first thought, with tainted groundwater the most likely consequence...

The uncertain nuclear situation again halted work at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex, where authorities have been scrambling to stop the overheated facility from leaking dangerous radiation. Low levels of radiation have been seeping out since the March 11 quake and tsunami knocked out the plant's cooling system, but a breach could mean a much larger release of contaminants. The most likely consequence would be contamination of the groundwater.

"The situation today at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant is still very grave and serious. We must remain vigilant," a somber Prime Minister Naoto Kan said. "We are not in a position where we can be optimistic. We must treat every development with the utmost care."

FRIDAY 1:00 AM PDT, MARCH 25 - breaking -

Japan reactor nuclear core may have breached

TOKYO (AP) Mar. 25, 2011 2:12 AM ET — Japanese nuclear safety officials said Friday that they suspect that the reactor core at one unit of the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant may have breached, raising the possibility of more severe contamination to the environment.

"It is possible that somewhere at the reactor may have been damaged," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the nuclear safety agency. But he added that "our data suggest the reactor retains certain containment functions," implying that the damage may have occurred in Unit 3's reactor core but that it was limited.

Officials say the damage could instead have happened in other equipment, including piping or the spent fuel pool.

Operators have been struggling to keep cool water around radioactive fuel rods in the reactor's core after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami cut off power supply to the plant and its cooling system.

Damage could have been done to the core when a March 14 hydrogen explosion blew apart Unit 3's outer containment building.

This reactor, perhaps the most troubled at the six-unit site, holds 170 tons of radioactive fuel in its core. Previous radioactive emissions have come from intentional efforts to vent small amounts of steam through valves to prevent the core from bursting. However, releases from a breach could allow uncontrolled quantities of radioactive contaminants to escape into the surrounding ground or air.

Operators stopped work Friday at units 1 through 3 to check on radiation levels.

See also:
• previous update for background info and links - Fukushima Nuclear Energy Emergency Update (including US Pacific "West Coast" fallout update )
• fallout alert with some info on radiation exposure remedies and warnings - (rosemary, potassium iodide)

CHECK FOR NEWS:
• news feeds on right, and links at top of previous posts
• more news feeds below

The "outer building" surrounding Unit 3 of Fukushima I explodes, presumably due to the ignition of built up hydrogen gas, on March 13, 2011. This is the reactor which has the extremely dangerous plutonium-laced MOX fuel. State of the nuclear reactor core remains unknown... (photo enhanced for contrast and enlargement with several layers of noise, sharpening and blurring)

UPDATES FROM IAEA
(main page now includes → Chronology of Daily Updates)

(25 March 2011, 15:30 UTC): At Unit 3, radiation exposure of three TEPCO subcontracting workers has been confirmed. They were working in the basement, with contaminated water on the floor. Two of them were transferred to hospital with contamination of their feet.

...Measurements in the marine environment have been carried out 30 km off-shore and 330 metres from the discharge points on 23 March and repeated the next day. The results made available up to 25 March indicate concentrations of iodine-31 (some 80 becquerel/litre) and caesium-137 (about 26 becquerel/litre). This contamination is most likely due to atmospheric fallout rather than just ocean currents. Dilution in the ocean is expected to decrease rapidly this initial surface contamination. Caesium-137 will be more important over the long term owing to its half-life (30 years) compared to that of iodine-131 (8 days). Modelling of the dispersion of these radionuclides has been started, and the first results are becoming available. Marine dispersion will of course be much slower than atmospheric transport.

(Thursday evening, 3/24):
Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (25 March 2011, 05.15 UTC)
Update on Conditions of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

At Unit 1 workers have advanced the restoration of off-site electricity and lighting in the Unit's main control room was recovered as of 24 March, 11:30 UTC. They are now checking the availability of the cooling system.

While the pressure in the reactor vessel remains high, Japanese authorities are reporting that it has stabilized.

At Unit 2 engineers are working for the recovery of lighting in the main control room, and the instrumentation and cooling systems.

At Unit 3, around 120 tonnes of seawater was injected in the spent fuel pool via the cooling and purification line. The operation was carried out between 23 March, 20:35 UTC and 24 March, 07:05 UTC.

Work was under way for the recovery of the instruments and cooling systems. However, it had to be suspended because three workers were exposed to elevated levels of radiation on 24 March.

At Unit 4, the spent fuel pool was sprayed with around 150 tonnes of water using concrete pump truck. The operation was carried out between 24 March, 05:36 UTC and 06:30 UTC of the same day.

At Units 5 and 6, repair of the temporary pump for Residual Heat Removal (RHR) was completed as of 24 March, 07:14 UTC, and cooling started again 21 minutes later.

At the Common Spent Fuel, the power supply was restored as of 24 March, 06:37 UTC and cooling started again 28 minutes later. Work is now under way for the recovery of the lighting and instrumentation systems.

As of 24 March, 09:40 UTC, the water temperature of the pool was around 73 °C.

As of 24 March, 10:30 UTC workers continue to inject seawater into the reactor pressure vessels of Units 1, 2 and 3 and are preparing to inject pure water.

more

IAEA Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Update (24 March, 17:30 UTC)

Japanese Seawater Samples Show Signs of Radioactive Materials

Japanese authorities today provided the IAEA with data on seawater samples they collected on 22 and 23 March, after detecting iodine and cesium in the water near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. (visit IAEA page for details)

A vessel from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) collected water samples at several points 30 kilometres from the coastline and found measurable concentrations of iodine-131 and cesium-137. The iodine concentrations were at or above Japanese regulatory limits, and the cesium levels were well below those limits.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL REPORT AND UPDATES
They have now added an archive of daily logs

from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Update (24 March 17:25 UTC) -
Japanese Workers Treated for Radiation Exposure

Japanese authorities today reported that three workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were exposed to elevated levels of radiation. The three were working in the turbine building of reactor Unit 3 and have received a radiation dose in the range of 170-180 millisieverts.

Two of the workers have been hospitalized for treatment of severely contaminated feet, which may have suffered radiation burns. The workers had been working for about three hours in contact with contaminated water.

CLICK HERE FOR Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log - Updates of 24 March 2011-

From Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Update (23 March, 20:00 UTC) -

"Monitoring of the marine environment is being undertaken by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology (MEXT). High levels of iodine-131 and caesium-137 were measured close to the effluent discharge points Units 1 to 4 of Fukushima Daiichi (i.e. before dilution by the ocean). Future monitoring will cover eight locations 30 km off the coast at 10 km intervals. Results for seawater and the atmosphere above the sea should be available in the next few days. IAEA experts from the Marine Environment Laboratory, Monaco will assess this data..."

Greenpeace statement on radioactivity levels in Japan’s food and water
Tokyo, 23 March 2011: Greenpeace responded today to reports of increased radiation in food from areas surrounding the Fukushima/Daiichi nuclear plant, and the detection of radioactivity in the Tokyo water supply by calling for more effective protection of public health an immediate and transparent availability of information.

“This alarming rise in reports of radioactive contamination in Japan’s food chain and water supply once again demonstrates that the government’s constant reassurances and downplaying of the Fukushima nuclear crisis and risks public health are at best unreliable,” said Greenpeace energy campaigner Dr Rianne Teule.”

“A few days ago, Tokyo Metropolitan Government stated that radiation levels had decreased in the city, yet today warns that babies should not be given Tokyo tap water. The authorities may be trying to brave about the current crisis by trying to avoid causing panic, but are they risking people’s health in the process?”

“The Fukushima disaster once more demonstrates that it is impossible to guarantee public safety in the event of nuclear accident”, continued Teule. “Over the last two weeks, we’ve had inconsistent and unclear information from Japanese authorities, and often contradictory advice from international nuclear regulators.”

“Any attempt to throw the nuclear industry a climate change lifeline in the wake of the Fukushima crisis is a dangerous deceit. The only smart response to this nuclear wake up call would be for governments around the world would be to heavily invest in energy efficiency and to redouble their efforts to harness safe and secure renewable energy sources.

CHECK NEWS HEADLINES FOR UPDATES:
links at top of previous post + news feeds on right and more news feeds below
See also:
• previous update for recent background info and links - Fukushima Nuclear Energy Emergency Update (including US Pacific "West Coast" fallout update )
• fallout alert with some info on radiation exposure remedies and warnings - (rosemary, potassium iodide)

Radioactivity in Food, Water Sparks Fears of Widespread Contamination in Japan
Democracy Now! video interview
Japan is facing growing fears as radiation leaking from the badly damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station has contaminated food and water supplies. Bottled water was in short supply across Tokyo after Japanese authorities warned that tap water is too dangerous for consumption by infants. Thousands of people remain without potable water in areas of northern Japan ravaged by the earthquake and tsunami. We speak with Aileen Mioko Smith of Kyoto-based Green Action, one of Japan’s leading voices challenging the production, commerce and transport of nuclear material, and calling for sustainable energy policies. [includes rush transcript]

spent fuel pools a critical problem in addition to reactors

rc's NUCLEAR Playlist @YouTube, includes Democracy Now! video reports and interviews

Neutron beam observed 13 times at crippled Fukushima nuke plant
TOKYO, March 23, Kyodo News: Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Wednesday it has observed a neutron beam, a kind of radioactive ray, 13 times on the premises of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after it was crippled by the massive March 11 quake-tsunami disaster.

TEPCO, the operator of the nuclear plant, said the neutron beam measured about 1.5 kilometers southwest of the plant's No. 1 and 2 reactors over three days from March 13 and is equivalent to 0.01 to 0.02 microsieverts per hour and that this is not a dangerous level.

The utility firm said it will measure uranium and plutonium, which could emit a neutron beam, as well.

In the 1999 criticality accident at a nuclear fuel processing plant run by JCO Co. in Tokaimura, Ibaraki Prefecture, uranium broke apart continually in nuclear fission, causing a massive amount of neutron beams.

In the latest case at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, such a criticality accident has yet to happen.

But the measured neutron beam may be evidence that uranium and plutonium leaked from the plant's nuclear reactors and spent nuclear fuels have discharged a small amount of neutron beams through nuclear fission.

Physicians for Social Responsibility

PSR Statement on Radiation Exposure in the United States from the Japan Nuclear Accident
March 21, 2011
The unknown and changing situation in Japan regarding radiation releases is continuing to cause concern and confusion here in the United States. PSR National and our Chapters are receiving many questions regarding radiation effects and requests for medical advice. It is not possible for PSR to provide specific case-by-case medical advice. This should be given by individual health care providers and public health officials.

Currently, the primary public health risk from radiation exposure is to people closest to the plant site in Japan and in particular the workers. At this time, it is not known how much radiation may reach the US. It will depend on the amount of radiation released and how the wind blows. Given the long distance across the ocean between the US and Japan, much smaller amounts are likely to reach the US and will likely not require any special treatment. However, avoiding radioactively contaminated food and water is strongly recommended.

For those people who are close by and directly affected by the radioactive plume, protective measures include staying indoors, moving to safer areas, and having children, pregnant women and lactating mothers take potassium iodide (KI). Pregnant mothers should do this only in consultation with their physician. Patients with known thyroid disorders should also consult a physician.

At this time, we do NOT recommend that people in the US purchase or take potassium iodide (KI). We do not recommend further preventive measures at the present time. We will continue to monitor the situation as best we can.

Additional Information
Potassium Iodide fact sheet (CDC)
FAQs About Radiation (California Department of Public Health)

Ace Hoffman
Nuclear power reports.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Slowly but inexorably worse and worse...
March 25th, 2011
Dear Readers,

We are two weeks into the Fukushima Daiichi tragedy. Now the Unit 3 Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) has apparently breached. That is, it's leaking. Oh, no. This may make it impossible to keep coolant covering the damaged reactor core, greatly increasing the likelihood of a meltdown or even an RPV explosion -- a very violent steam explosion or steam/hydrogen explosion, which would release huge amounts of radioactivity all at once.

In typical Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), the control rods are inserted into the RPV from the bottom. Just one more stupid part of a stupid design, like the spent fuel pools being above the reactors. (But don't go thinking other reactor designs are much better. They each have their own problems.)
...And yet, the mainstream media can still present "experts" who will tell the public that the U.S. nuclear industry is somehow different. That it is more "safety-conscious." It reacts faster to problems. It's taking the "lessons learned" from Fukushima Daiichi very seriously. They'll always say things like that.

The public has to demand that the plants be shut down. (Or they can just demand that the illogical and immoral Price-Anderson Act be abolished and put the liability for an accident where it belongs -- that would work, too.)

more

OPINION: From Hiroshima to Fukushima and back
By Tilman Ruff
TOKYO, March 19, Kyodo News: Settled agriculture began about 12,000 years ago. If human children are still born and play on a hospitable planet in another 12,000 years, it will be because we succeeded in eradicating the terror of nuclear weapons and preventing runaway climate change. Twelve thousand years is not very long really.

Earth has been around for 4.6 billion years. 400 human generations; one half of one half-life of plutonium-239, among the most potent radioactive carcinogens, produced in every nuclear reactor, present in large amounts in the mixed uranium/plutonium fuel in the Fukushima Daiichi No.3 reactor, and one of the two fuels for nuclear weapons.

If people can look back in 12,000 years, they will scratch their heads at the unrivalled folly of the 20th and 21st centuries. Very cleverly packaging the primordial energy that powers the stars into nuclear weapons in their tens of thousands, about 2,000 still ready to be launched in minutes. Weapons by which a self-selected few claim the right to threaten the birthright of all. Weapons able to unleash temperatures hotter than the sun, and radiation which can deliver a lethal dose with little more energy than the heat in a cup of coffee.

The same awesome power dispersed in hundreds of nuclear reactors to boil water for electricity in the most hazardous way possible, amplifying the radioactivity of the starting fuel around one million times. After a few decades the reactors themselves become radioactive waste, needing absolute isolation for hundreds of thousands of years on a small interconnected planet, with 11 earthquakes of magnitude 8.5 or greater in the 20th century, and 5 in the first 11 years of the 21st, almost all of them followed by tsunamis. More nuclear reactors raising further the danger of nuclear war have been justified on the pretext of slowing climate change.

Our paramount shared responsibilities are clear: first, negotiate an irreversible, verifiable global treaty to outlaw and eliminate nuclear weapons, urgently. This will require enrichment of uranium to be very tightly restricted, and extraction of plutonium from spent nuclear fuel to cease. Second: prevent rampant global warming by massively and speedily scaling up energy efficiency, demand reduction and benign, renewable energy production.

In our ordinary, fallible, uncontrollable world, there are already enough primordial forces capable of great destruction. We don't need any more. The power of nuclear fission and fusion belong in the stars. And that is where they should stay. The recent catastrophe in Fukushima is a strong vindication of this truth.

(Tilman Ruff is chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and associate professor in the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne, Australia.)

Ace Hoffman - Nuclear power reports.
I'm not impressed when people tell me they think something has been "over-engineered." Here's why not.

• "The terrible disaster in Japan has revealed dangers world wide..."

Mark Fiore's Animated Cartoon Site

thanks to Ace Hoffman Nuclear power reports - see Godzilla, Cutzilla, and other monsters from the deep blue sea

recent at Ace's blog:

I agree with the enclosed letter, which was written yesterday by Lorna Salzman. All nuclear power plants are extremely hazardous, replaceable technology. Our voice should be united: SHUT 'EM DOWN!

>Respectful suggestion:
>All groups facing relicensing proceedings or new ones should be contacting each other to exchange information and coordinate responses. Some groups may have technical information that other groups night need but dont yet have. I would even suggest that a national strategy meeting be held, or at least one or two, one in the east or at least northeast (Vermont Yankee, Millstone, Indian Point, Oyster Creek), and the others in California. There are also two nukes in upstate NY (Ginna, near Rochester). Oyster Creek is the oldest in the country, and Vermont Yankee...just relicensed. Are we up for a blockade?

SOME NUCLEAR ENERGY INFORMATION RESOURCES
(more news statement, video & opinion below)

Union of Concerned Scientists

Nuclear Reactor Crisis in Japan

The massive earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan has caused a potentially catastrophic situation at one of Japan’s nuclear power plants. The situation is still evolving, but we have linked to an assessment based on the facts as UCS experts understand them.

All Things Nuclear blog updates on the crisis
UCS Daily Press Briefings
ABCs of Japan's Nuclear Accident
Frequently Asked Questions
UCS Position on Nuclear Power

The NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety in 2010, is the first in a series of annual reports. This report was prepared and scheduled for release before the crisis in Japan began to unfold, but the disaster makes the report’s conclusions more timely than ever.

Nuclear Power Solutions

IN DEPTH
Petition to NRC on Longstanding Radioactive Leaks
Petition to NRC on Containment Sump Problem at Indian Point
Safety Problems at Salem and Hope Creek

OUR ANALYSIS
Nuclear Power: Still Not Viable without Subsidies
Nuclear Power: A Resurgence We Can't Afford
Nuclear Power Subsidies: Report Recommendations (2011)
Nuclear Power Subsidies Will Shift Financial Risks to Taxpayers
Nuclear Power in a Warming World (2007)
Nuclear Loan Guarantees - Another Taxpayer Bailout Ahead? (2009)

Nuclear Power: Still Not Viable without Subsidies (2011)
This UCS report offers a comprehensive analysis of public subsidies to the nuclear power industry and examines their economic impacts and policy implications.

Nuclear Power Subsidies Will Shift Financial Risks to Taxpayers (2010)
This UCS analysis is the first to quantify the most significant nuclear power subsidies proposed in the American Power Act (APA) and the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA). These massive new subsidies would disadvantage more cost-effective, less risky approaches to curb global warming.

Nuclear Power: A Resurgence We Can't Afford (2009)
A new UCS analysis finds that the U.S. does not need to significantly expand its reliance on nuclear power to make dramatic cuts in power plant carbon emissions through 2030—and that doing so would be uneconomical.

Nuclear Power in a Warming World (2007)
In Nuclear Power in a Warming World, UCS describes the risks of nuclear power and recommends practical steps to minimize those risks, which is essential if nuclear power expands to help reduce global warming.

Physicians for Social Responsibility

Resources on the Japan Nuclear Crisis

PSR Deeply Concerned About Reports of Increased Radioactivity in Food Supply
PSR expressed concern over recent reports that radioactivity from the ongoing Fukushima accident is present in the Japanese food supply. While all food contains radionuclides, whether from natural sources, nuclear testing or otherwise, the increased levels found in Japanese spinach and milk pose health risks to the population. PSR also expressed alarm over the level of misinformation circulating in press reports about the degree to which radiation exposure can be considered "safe."

PSR Calls for a US Moratorium on New Nuclear Reactors, Citing Medical Risks
PSR has called for a nationwide moratorium on new nuclear reactors in the United States and a suspension of operations at the nuclear reactors with a similar design as those involved in the disaster in Japan, as well as those on fault lines.

PSR Statement on Radiation Exposure in the United States from the Japan Nuclear Accident

NUKEFREE.ORG
In August 2007, musicians Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne and Graham Nash, along with longtime energy activists and colleagues, Harvey Wasserman and Tom Campbell, helped organize NukeFree.org as an on-going grassroots campaign and website working to defeat up to $50 billion in proposed loan guarantees for building new atomic reactors. Had these guarantees gone through, there would be virtually no chance of stopping the construction of dozens of new atomic reactors all over the United States.

Garnering support of scores of other artists/musicians and aligning with scientists and environmental groups, in just one month NukeFree.org was able to gather over 120,000 signatures on a petition presented to Congress. In a stunning victory shared with grassroots non-profit safe energy organizations, the proposed loan guarantees were pulled from the 2007 Energy Bill.

But the fight isn't over. Today the nuclear power industry is desperately trying to build new reactors in the United States, and to prolong the operation of the 104 currently licensed to operate here. And since the nuclear industry can't get private financing, they continue to go after state and federal funding for new plants. It is our commitment to stop that from happening. Going forward, NukeFree.org is committed to preventing the construction of new nuclear reactors and helping to pave the way for an energy economy based on renewables, efficiency and conservation. Toward that goal...

Mycle Schneider: Nuclear Cloud Comes with Aura of Arrogance
more News:
Workers Exposed to Radiation at Fukushima
WSJ: Radiation Extends Past Zone, Report Says
Daily Beast: Panic in the Nuclear Industry
Status Report on Six Fukushima Reactors

EDITOR'S BLOG
MAR 22, 2011
Kill Nuke Power Before it Kills Us All!
The Japanese people are now paying a horrific price for the impossible dream of the "Peaceful Atom." For a half-century they have been told that what's happening now at Fukushima would never occur.
Our hearts and souls must first and foremost go out to them. As fellow humans, we must do everything in our power to ease their wounds, their terrible losses and their unimaginable grief.

We are also obliged---for all our sakes---to make sure this never happens again.

"Nuclear Boy has a stomach ache"

See also
• LINKS PAGE
• VIDEOS PAGE
• TOP OF BLOG for more recent posts
• recent Fukushima & related updates for nuclear news, background info, links and actions -

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MARCH ARCHIVE

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Sunday, March 20, 2011

Fukushima Nuclear Energy Emergency Update

GO TO TOP OF BLOG for more recent updates

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CHECK NEWS HEADLINES FOR UPDATES:
news feeds on right and more news feeds below
See also:
• yesterday's update for background info and links - Fukishima update 3/19/11 - Situation Better ??? (including US Pacific "West Coast" fallout update )
• fallout alert with some info on radiation exposure remedies and warnings - (rosemary, potassium iodide)

UPDATES FROM IAEA (below)

U.S. PACIFIC WEST COAST ("PDT" Time = UTC -0700)

UPDATE 8:00 PM 2000 PDT SUNDAY MARCH 20 2011

Situation Critical

three reactor cores and their fuel damaged with possible melting of fuel - half the fuel exposed - elevated pressure in one reactor, unreliable data for another - at least one containment breach suspected - radioactive vapor vented into the atmosphere because of spikes in reactor pressure - major to extreme damage to four reactor buildings - status of four fuming fuel ponds also a critical issue following fires

I have to say that (higher level meltdown or not) this is an extremely terrible event which will have major consequences for Japan, the entire Pacific Region, and the entire world over the coming days, weeks, years, decades... Do not believe otherwise.

Progress in gaining control has been claimed and I have not yet heard of any catastrophic meltdown, but there is potential for world-wide consequence in this with six reactors all lined up like that.

IAEA Summary on Fukushima Nuclear Emergency (chart from 20 March 2011, 15.30 UTC)

Japan nuclear progress as toll up
BBC Asia/Pacific (21 March 2011 00:33 ET): The United Nations nuclear agency says there have been positive developments in Japan's efforts to tackle a nuclear emergency after the 11 February quake.

The IAEA said smoke or vapour rising from one of the overheating reactors at the damaged Fukushima power plant had become less intense.

But it said the overall situation remained very serious.

IAEA Summary of Conditions at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant @iaea.org
(see other recent reports below)

...of great concern is Unit 3, the only one which has a fuel mix containing extremely toxic plutonium - stabilized after fire trucks doused it for hours with hundreds of metric tonnes of water, but now the pressure is erratic ... reactor 3 fuel ponds are also in serious trouble

it appears that work advanced on bringing power back to water pumps used to cool overheating reactors and various fuel ponds, but is taking time due to dangerous radiation levels, difficult conditions and damaged systems...

they have flooded the site with water canons - technicians have vented radioactive vapor into the air because of spikes in reactor pressure at points, but some plans for venting have been abandoned for fear of spreading excess radioactive contamination into the atmosphere - there are conflicting reports of pressure building and falling in Reactor 3.

QUAP: If there's a hell, it's surely radioactive... and looks like Fukushima Dai-ichi...
Here's the news today: Japanese nuclear experts "might" be making SOME progress on cooling the overheated reactors and spent fuel pools at Fukushima Dai-ichi. The problem is, maybe they AREN'T making ANY progress at all! They just can't know. The internal temperatures of the reactor cores are unknown. Pressures at various places in the system are all that is known. The only thing that creates heat in the system -- and thus, pressure -- is the radioactive fuel. So the continued steam releases suggest fuel isn't cooling very quickly, and stability is NOT guaranteed at ANY of the three reactors that had the misfortune to be operating when the 9.0 earthquake struck.
- Ace Hoffman Nuclear power reports, Sunday, March 20, 2011.

More background below

See also: Fukushima Update - Situation Critical | fallout on US West Coast? (3/19/11)

More of today's news (3/20/11) below

CHECK: links at top + news feeds on right | more news feeds below

US - Pacific "West Coast" fallout update

Pacific Storm track bringing fallout to North America, but the severity said to be insignificant - all this acknowledging that no amount of contamination is good at all; and that, especially locally in Japan and the Northern Pacific, this is surely of historic and catastrophic proportion.

authorities say the level (miniscule) is and will be "safe," but don't take their word for it. alternative views maintain that no level of exposure is safe - its a numbers game (i guess you would have to ask those certain few individuals who fell within the percentage and actually did develop cancer and genetic damage some number of years from now)

North Pacific storm surge (imgage from 4:00 PM PDT Friday, 2300 UTC March 18)

StormSurf weather animation > > Click for Current Wave Model - North Pacific Surface Pressure and Wind (180 hr. loop)

See also:

Saturday's post for US West Coast fallout info - Pacific "West Coast" fallout update (3/19/11) - includes more info and links

fallout alert (including info on radiation remedies and usage warnings)

EnviroReporter.com’s Radiation Station
- live shot of a RadAlert Inspector Nuclear Radiation Monitor in EnviroReporter.com‘s Santa Monica office on the West Los Angeles border.

CHECK NEWS HEADLINES FOR UPDATES:
links at top + news feeds on right | more news feeds below

Recent Background (more of (3/20/11) "today's news" below)

All Things Nuclear

MARCH 19, 2011: Possible Source of Leaks at Spent Fuel Pools at Fukushima
A current focus of concern in Japan now is the pools at the reactors where spent fuel is stored. Some of this spent fuel is still very radioactive since it was only removed from the reactors a few months ago, and it must be covered by water and cooled to keep from overheating. If the spent fuel rods get too hot, they can suffer damage and release significant amounts of radioactive gases into the atmosphere, and could eventually catch fire.

from UPDATE 9:00 PM 1700 PDT THURSDAY MARCH 17 - -

until today it has been only an extremely serious situation getting worse.

although still an extremely serious situation with terrible potential and already tragic consequences, a bit of good news now is that they are apparently getting power back to the plant so that they might be able properly cool what's left of the reactors and fuel ponds. also: water canons and fire trucks may have been able to spray water into the critical #4 reactor pond, and the US is sending some giant pumps.

hopeful for success with cooling efforts -- still no encouraging word on meltdown status with four out of six reactors in serious trouble, some extremely so with partial meltdowns and containment breaches which verge on critical -- utter catastrophe looms as extreme radiation levels continue inhibiting effort to gain control -- fuming and perhaps melting spent fuel ponds perhaps most serious as they are not contained and vent directly into the atmosphere -- reactor 3 contains plutonium mix capable of worst -- radiation plume forecast to hit U.S. West Coast, but so far predicted fallout said to be minimal.

The "outer building" surrounding Unit 3 of Fukushima I explodes, presumably due to the ignition of built up hydrogen gas, on March 13, 2011. This is the reactor which has the extremely dangerous plutonium-laced MOX fuel. State of the nuclear reactor core remains unknown... (photo enhanced for contrast and enlargement with several layers of noise, sharpening and blurring)

from UPDATE 11:15 PM 2214 PDT WEDNESDAY MARCH 16

Containment breaches are suspected following four explosions at three reactors - fuel storage pond burns and vents radiation - no catastrophic meltdown is reported, but multiple partial meltdowns are suspected - extremely dangerous radiation levels rise and fall - local human catastrophe and environmental disaster with world-wide ramifications continues to unfold

facility fires reported involve areas with extremely dangerous "spent fuel" - spent fuel storage "pond" was on fire twice and radioactivity was being released directly into the atmosphere - - many workers evacuated due to high radiation levels, at times all of them - smoke seen rising from the site is assumed to be radioactive...:

IAEA - INTERNATION ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY

UPDATED MARCH 23

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Update (23 March, 20:00 UTC)

Brief update on state of Fukushima Daiichi reactors

Japanese authorities today announced a number of developments at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where reactor cooling systems were disabled following the massive earthquake and tsunami on 11 March.

At Units 1, 2, 3, and 4, workers have advanced the restoration of off-site electricity, and the lights are working in Unit 3's main control room.

Black smoke was seen emerging from the Unit 3 reactor building, spurring the temporary evacuation of workers from Units 3 and 4. The emission of smoke has now decreased significantly.

Crews continued today to use a concrete pump truck to deliver high volumes of water into the Unit 4 spent fuel pool, where there are concerns of inadequate water coverage over the fuel assemblies.

At Units 5 and 6, workers have successfully restored off-site power to the reactor, which had previously reached a safe, cold shutdown status.

Briefing on Fukushima Nuclear Accident (23 March 2011, 15:30 UTC)

On Wednesday, 23 March 2011, Graham Andrew, Special Adviser to the IAEA Director General on Scientific and Technical Affairs, briefed both Member States and the media on the current status of nuclear safety in Japan. His opening remarks, which he delivered at 15:30 UTC at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, are provided below:

There are some positive developments related to the availability of electrical power supply to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants, although the overall situation remains of serious concern.
AC power is now available at Units 1, 2 and 4. Power has been restored to some instrumentation in all Units except Unit 3. At Unit 3, the main control room has lighting, but no power to its equipment or instruments. As a positive development instrumentation, as it becomes available, is providing more data that can be assessed by experts.
The pressure in the reactor pressure vessel and drywell of Unit 3 is stable. However, pressure has increased in both the reactor pressure vessel and the drywell of Unit 1, where seawater injection has been increased. Until heat can be removed from Unit 1, pressure tends to increase as water is injected. The reactor feed water system is being used, in addition to water injection through fire extinguisher lines.
Pressure readings in Unit 2 appear to be less reliable. Only limited data is available concerning the reactor pressure vessel and reactor containment vessels' integrity of Unit 2. Temperature readings in the reactor pressure vessels of Units 1 and 3 were high and of some concern. The temperature has now dropped in Unit 1 following the start of seawater injection via feed-water pipes. Indications are that the temperature at Unit 2 is stable.
Units 5 and 6 continue to have off-site power and remain in cold shutdown.
Dose rates measured in the containment vessels and suppression chambers of Units 1, 2, and 3 are available and are being studied.
Periodic water spraying of Units 2, 3, and 4 and the common spent fuel pool has continued.
Radiation Monitoring

The IAEA radiation monitoring team took additional measurements at distances from 30 to 73 km from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Results from gamma dose-rate measurements in air ranged from 0.2 to 6.9 microsievert per hour. The beta-gamma contamination measurements ranged from 0.02 to 0.6 Megabecquerel per square metre.

The second IAEA monitoring team has now arrived in Japan. The two teams in Japan will continue to work closely with the Japanese authorities. Monitoring will be undertaken in the areas of Fukushima and Tokyo. Measurements will be taken to determine more precisely the actual composition of the radionuclides that have been deposited.

More data has become available from the Japanese authorities. The measurements indicate that the radiation dose rates at the Daiichi site are decreasing. Absent further releases from the site, this is to be expected as relatively short lived radionuclides such as Iodine-131 decay away. At the Daiini site, small spikes have been observed in gamma dose rate measurements; these are most likely to be the result of releases carried by the wind from the nearby Daiichi site.

The deposition of iodine-131 and caesium-137 varies across some ten Prefectures from day to day, but the trend is generally upward. In contrast, environmental radiation monitoring data in the Fukushima Prefecture outside the 20km evacuation zone, shows mostly decreasing values.

Monitoring of the marine environment is being undertaken by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology (MEXT). High levels of iodine-131 and caesium-137 were measured close to the effluent discharge points Units 1 to 4 of Fukushima Daiichi (i.e. before dilution by the ocean). Future monitoring will cover eight locations 30 km off the coast at 10 km intervals. Results for seawater and the atmosphere above the sea should be available in the next few days. IAEA experts from the Marine Environment Laboratory, Monaco will assess this data.

Since yesterday, the IAEA has received further information from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare regarding the presence of radioactivity in milk, drinking water and vegetables. The results of some samples were above the limits specified in Japanese regulations concerning limits for food and water ingestion.

In Fukushima prefecture six raw milk samples, and in Ibaraki prefecture three spinach samples, showed concentrations of Iodine-131 in excess of limits. We understand that the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Naoto Kan, has today issued instructions to food business operators to cease, for the time being, the distribution of, and for the public to cease the consumption of, certain leafy vegetables (e.g., spinach, komatsuna, cabbages) and any flowerhead brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower) produced in Fukushima Prefecture. The Prime Minister has ordered food business operators not to distribute, for the time being, any fresh raw milk and parsley in Ibaraki Prefecture.

We have also been advised that the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has encouraged Ibaraki and Chiba Prefectures to monitor seafood products.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Water Office stated that levels of iodine-131 in tap water at a purification plant were found to be above the limits for drinking water for infants but below the level for adults. The Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare, has requested that tap water in Tokyo is not used as drinking water for infants.

So, in summary: there are some positive indications on the site; precautionary restrictions around the site on certain foodstuffs; and monitoring of the environment is continuing beyond the evacuation zone and at sea. No significant risk to human health has been identified.

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident Update (23 March, 1:10 UTC)
Restoring power to Fukushima Daiichi

Without electrical power, cooling systems at Fukushima Daiichi’s six reactors cannot operate. Many of the problems facing the nuclear power plant stem from the loss of electrical power at the site following the massive earthquake and tsunami on 11 March. The earthquake cut off external power to the plant and the tsunami disabled backup diesel generators.

Japanese officials have been working to restore power to the facility, and their efforts are organized in three phases.

Units 1 and 2

Reactor cooling systems at these units are severely hampered. There is suspected damage to the nuclear fuel in both units. Workers have successfully connected off-site electrical supplies to a transformer at Unit 2 on 19 March and later to at least one electrical distribution panel inside the plant. Technicians are conducting diagnostic tests to determine the integrity of the reactor’s electrical systems.

Japanese authorities plan to connect Unit 1 sometime after Unit 2. Because of the degraded condition of the Unit1 reactor building, this work may take more time compared to Unit 2, were the reactor building sustained significantly less damage since the earthquake intact.

Units 3 and 4

Reactor cooling systems at Unit 3 are severely hampered. There is suspected damage to the reactor’s fuel, and the condition of its spent fuel pool is uncertain. Unit 4 had been shut down for routine maintenance — and all its fuel was removed to the reactor building’s spent fuel pool — prior to the earthquake. There is therefore no concern about fuel in the reactor core, but considerable concern about the fuel from the spent fuel pool.

Workers are moving toward restoring electricity to both units, but their progress is uncertain.

Units 5 and 6

Both units had been shut down for routine maintenance prior to the earthquake, reducing their cooling needs somewhat, but not entirely. On March 17 operators were able to start one of the Unit 6 diesel generators. On March 19, workers successfully connected the second diesel generator in Unit 6. The two generators were used to power cooling systems in both reactors, which then achieved a safe, cold shutdown configuration. Off-site power was restored to Unit 5 on 21 March.

Restoring external power to the power plant does not mean the reactors will immediately resume normal safety function. The earthquake and tsunami may have inflicted considerable damage in addition to knocking out electricity supplies. Since the extent of this damage (and therefore the extent of necessary repair) is unknown, it is not possible to accurately estimate a work schedule. Progress of efforts to restore power may be impaired by heavy gloves or respirators required to permit the operators work at in the reactors following the damage inflicted by the earthquake and tsunami.

As power is restored, workers will perform checks to make certain the conditions are safe to restart individual components. They will check for grounds and ensure circuits remain intact. If damage is discovered, a decision will have to be made whether to perform repairs or move on to the next component on a prioritised list. Nuclear reactors, especially safety related equipment, incorporate multiple layers of redundancy. So a problem in one component does not necessarily mean a specific safety function will be unrecoverable. It is more likely that operators will move on to the redundant equipment in an effort to determine the most intact system and focus their restoration efforts there. This process takes time.

more / possibly a more current update has been posted

Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (21 March 2011, 23:15 UTC)

Status of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

Japanese authorities have notified the IAEA that efforts to restore power for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are on-going. As of 19 March at 21:46 UTC, the power centre at unit 2 had received electricity. Work to restore electricity to units 3 and 4 is continuing.
White smoke was reported seen emanating from unit 2 on 21 March at 9:22 UTC. Grayish smoke was reported seen emanating from unit 3 at 6:55 on 21 March, and this was reported to have 'died down' two hours later. All workers at units 1 through 4 evacuated after the smoke at unit 3 was seen. The IAEA is seeking further information at this time on the status of workers at the site.
Japanese authorities have also reported that water has been sprayed over the Common Spent Fuel Pool; this started on 21 March at 1:37 UTC. The IAEA is seeking further information on this development and will report further as updates are received from Japan.
Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update (21 March 2011, 15:30 UTC)
On Monday, 21 March 2011, Graham Andrew, Special Adviser to the IAEA Director General on Scientific and Technical Affairs, briefed both Member States and the media on the current status of nuclear safety in Japan. His opening remarks, which he delivered at 15:30 UTC at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, are provided below:

1. Current Situation
We are seeing some steady improvements, but the overall situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains very serious. High levels of contamination have been measured in the locality of the plant.
The restoration of electrical power to Unit 2, which we reported yesterday, is good news. AC power is available and an electrical load check to pumps, etc. is currently on-going. Work on the restoration of off-site power to Units 3 and 4 is also underway.
Seawater is still being injected into the reactor pressure vessels of Units 1, 2 and 3.
Pressure in the reactor pressure vessel and the containment vessel drywell at Unit 3, which had been rising yesterday, has again fallen.
Water is being sprayed periodically into the spent fuel pools at Units 2, 3 and 4. The Agency still lacks data on water levels and temperatures in the spent fuel pools at Units 1, 2, 3 and 4. Following the restoration of cooling at Units 5 and 6, temperatures in the spent fuel pools continue to decline.

2. Radiation Monitoring
As I reported yesterday, the IAEA radiation monitoring team took measurements at distances from 56 to 200 km from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. At two locations in Fukushima Prefecture gamma dose rate and beta-gamma contamination measurements have been repeated. These measurements showed high beta-gamma contamination levels. Measurements by the IAEA and the Japanese authorities were taken at the same time and locations. The Japanese and independent IAEA measurements gave comparable results.
Measurement of gamma dose rate and beta-gamma contamination were taken on 20 March at more locations. The dose-rate results ranged from 2-160 microsieverts per hour, which compares to a typical natural background level of around 0.1 microsieverts per hour. High levels of beta-gamma contamination have been measured between 16-58 km from the plant. Available results show contamination ranging from 0.2-0.9 MBq per square metre.
Further measurements are needed to assess possible contamination beyond the area currently monitored - both closer to the facility and further way. We have no contamination measurements showing that that contamination levels are high at greater distances than 58 km from the plant, but this cannot be excluded.
I have no further information available regarding the measurement of alpha radiation. As I reported yesterday, from the measurements taken within the evacuation zone (20 km), no significant alpha radiation had been detected at that time.
In the coming days, the IAEA monitoring team will continue to take measurements in the Fukushima prefecture. We are seeking data from Japan on radioactivity contamination measurements for the rest of Japan.
Some results on the monitoring of foodstuffs have been made available by Japan to the IAEA and FAO. Results provided recently by the Japanese authorities range up to 55 000 Bq per kg of I-131 in samples of Spinach taken in in the Ibaraki Prefecture. These high values are significantly above Japanese limits for restricting food consumption (i.e. 2 000 Bq/kg). I understand that the Japanese Government is actively considering relevant precautionary measures and has instructed four Prefectures (Ibaraki, Totigi, Gunma, Fukushima) to refrain, for the time being, from distributing two types of vegetables (spinach and kakina) from these Prefectures and milk from Fukshima.

IAEA Briefing on Fukushima Nuclear Emergency (20 March 2011, 15.30 UTC)

Here is the current status of the six reactors, based on documents and confirmed by Japanese officials:

Unit 1
Coolant within Unit 1 is covering about half of the fuel rods in the reactor, and Japanese authorities believe the core has been damaged. High pressure within the reactor's containment led operators to vent gas from the containment. Later, an explosion destroyed the outer shell of the reactor building above the containment on 12 March.
There are no indications of problems with either the reactor pressure vessel or the primary containment vessel.

Efforts to pump seawater into the reactor core are continuing.
No precise information has been available on the status of the spent fuel pool.

On 18 March, Japan assigned an INES rating of 5 to this Unit.

→ Further information on ratings and INES scale
.
* LEVEL 5 MEANS "ACCIDENT WITH WIDER CONSEQUENCES"

On 19 March, the containment vessel pressure indication was restored.

Unit 2
Coolant within Unit 2 is covering about half of the fuel rods in the reactor, and Japanese authorities believe the core has been damaged. Following an explosion on 15 March, Japanese officials expressed concerns that the reactor's containment may not be fully intact. As of 19 March, 11:30 UTC, officials could no longer confirm seeing white smoke coming from the building. Smoke had been observed emerging from the reactor earlier.

Efforts to pump seawater into the reactor core are continuing.
No precise information has been available on the status of the spent fuel pool. On 20 March, workers began pumping 40 tonnes of seawater into the spent fuel pool.
On 18 March, Japan assigned an INES rating of 5 to this Unit.

Unit 3
Coolant within Unit 3 is covering about half of the fuel rods in the reactor, and Japanese authorities believe the core has been damaged. High pressure within the reactor's containment led operators to vent gas from the containment. Later, an explosion destroyed the outer shell of the reactor building above the containment on 14 March.

Following the explosion, Japanese officials expressed concerns that the reactor's containment may not be fully intact. White smoke has been seen emerging from the reactor, but on 19 March it appeared to be less intense than in previous days.

Efforts to pump seawater into the reactor core are continuing.
Of additional concern at Unit 3 is the condition of the spent fuel pool in the building. There are indications that there is inadequate cooling water level in the pool, and Japanese authorities have addressed the problem by dropping water from helicopters into the building and spraying water from trucks. Spraying from trucks continued on 20 March. There is no data on the temperature of the water in the pool.

On 18 March, Japan assigned an INES rating of 5 to this Unit.

Unit 4
All fuel from Unit 4 had been removed from the reactor core for routine maintenance before the earthquake and placed into the spent fuel pool. The building's outer shell was damaged on 14 March, and there have been two reported fires - possibly including one in the area of the spent fuel pool on 15 March - that were extinguished spontaneously.
Authorities remain concerned about the condition of the spent fuel pool, and Japanese Self Defence Forces began spraying water into the building on 20 March.
On 18 March, Japan assigned an INES rating of 3 to this site.

Units 5 and 6
Shut down for routine maintenance before the earthquake, both reactors achieved cold shutdown on 20 March. The reactors are now in a safe mode, with cooling systems stable and under control, and with low temperature and pressure within the reactor.
Instrumentation from both spent fuel pools had shown gradually increasing temperatures over the past few days. Officials configured two diesel generators at Unit 6 to power cooling and fresh-water replenishment systems in the spent fuel pools and cores of Units 5 and 6. As of 20 March, temperatures in both pools had decreased significantly.
Workers have opened holes in the roofs of both buildings to prevent the possible accumulation of hydrogen, which is suspected of causing explosions at other Units.

Restoration of Grid
Progress has been achieved in restoring external power to the nuclear power plant, although it remains uncertain when full power will be available to all reactors. Off-site electrical power has been connected to an auxiliary transformer and distribution panels at Unit 2. Work continues toward energizing specific equipment within Unit 2.

Evacuation
Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA that the evacuation of the population from the 20-kilometre zone around Fukushima Daiichi has been successfully completed. Japanese authorities have also advised people living within 30 kilometres of the plant to remain inside.

Iodine
On 16 March, Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission recommended local authorities to instruct evacuees leaving the 20-kilometre area to ingest stable (not radioactive) iodine. The pills and syrup (for children) had been prepositioned at evacuation centers. The order recommended taking a single dose, with an amount dependent on age:
Baby
12.5 mg
1 mo.-3 yrs.
25 mg
3-13 yrs.
38 mg
13-40 yrs.
76 mg
40+ yrs.
Not necessary

Radiation Measurements
Radiation levels near Fukushima Daiichi and beyond have elevated since the reactor damage began. However, dose rates in Tokyo and other areas outside the 30-kilometre zone remain below levels which would require any protective action. In other words they are not dangerous to human health.
Dose rates have been provided by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology for 47 cities and town representing a comprehensive nationwide monitoring network. The data set covers the period from 15 March, 08:00 UTC to 20 March, 17:00 UTC with an hourly sampling frequency. No significant changes of dose rates have been observed if compared to previous day data.
At the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, radiation levels spiked three times since the earthquake, but have stabilized since 16 March at levels which are, although significantly higher than the normal levels, within the range that allows workers to continue onsite recovery measures. Two new on-site environmental monitoring locations have been added to the monitoring network.

Radionuclides in Foodstuffs and Water
The IAEA has received information from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare regarding the presence of Iodine-131 in three milk samples tested in the town of Kawamata. The concentration is reported to be above allowed levels. Cesium-137 was detected in one sample, though in concentration below allowed levels.
In the Ibaraki prefecture, Iodine-131 and Cesium-137 have been detected in leaf vegetables such as spring onions and spinach. Some of the samples have been reported to be above the levels allowed by the Japanese food hygiene law for emergency monitoring criteria for intake of vegetables.

According to the Nuclear Safety Division, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) analysis for Iodine-131 and Cesium-137 in tap water from 46 locations yielded the majority of samples as non-detects. Only six out of 46 exhibited any iodine-131, though the concentration was reported to be below levels allowed by the Japanese food hygiene law for emergency monitoring criteria for drinking water.

"TODAY'S NEWS" - (3/20/11) -

CHECK NEWS HEADLINES FOR UPDATES:
links at top + news feeds on right | more news feeds below

Building pressure at reactor 3 increasingly dangerous, fuel pool cooling slowly progressing
Possibility of major releases from reactor #3, wind currently blowing inland

Greenpeace: Pressure inside the reactor’s steel containment is still rising. Tepco increased cooling efforts but has been unable to stop the increasing pressure which unabated threatens to breach the containment structure. In such an event, given the destruction of the reactor building, radioactive steam and air would be released directly into the atmosphere.

Greenpeace info page
Four nuclear power plants located on the eastern coastline close to the epicenter were affected: Onagawa (3 reactors), Fukushima-Daiichi (6 reactors), Fukushima-Daini (4 reactors) and Tokai (1 reactor). These reactors are all using boiling water technology, and enter services in the 1970s and 1980s.

Radiation levels may be falling at stricken nuclear plant
Los Angeles Times
March 20, 2011, 4:43 p.m.
The radiation levels are still high at the Fukushima Daiichi plant but appear to be coming down, says the head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, cautioning that it is still hard to obtain accurate data.

Although the restoration of electricity to two of the reactors at the Fukushima plant appears to have stabilized them, the situation in Japan "is still quite uncertain," said Edwin Lyman of the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington.

"It's premature to make any assessment about the most severely affected reactors," he said.

After stringing a new power line to the plant from the electric grid, company officials reported on Saturday that they had reconnected coolant pumps in reactor Nos. 5 and 6 and restored the flow of water to the spent fuel cooling pools in those buildings. In the day since, temperatures in those pools have returned to near normal.

But those two pools had not been considered a significant threat. Authorities are much more concerned about reactors No. 2 and No. 3 and the spent fuel pool at No. 4. The reactor containment vessel at No. 2 may be cracked and venting some radioactive gases into the environment. Reactor No. 3 is the only reactor at the site that contains plutonium in the fuel rods and its escape would be extremely dangerous because it is carcinogenic in even minute doses.

See Saturday's post for US West Coast fallout info - Pacific "West Coast" fallout update (3/19/11)

Democracy Now! - "Underestimating the Seriousness of the Problem": Experts Urge Japan to Raise Nuclear Alert Level and Evacuate Wider Area

March 18 - The Japanese nuclear crisis worsens as Japanese authorities race to cool the overheating reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. Earlier today, Japan raised the nuclear alert level at the crippled plant from a four to a five, on par with Three Mile Island. This decision has shocked many nuclear experts. “Our experts think that it’s a level 6.5 already, and it’s on the way to a seven, which was Chernobyl," says Philip White of the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center in Tokyo. We also speak with Dr. Ira Helfand of Physicians for Social Responsibility about the long-term health effects from radiation exposure from Fukushima. [includes rush transcript]

JOINT EPA/DOE STATEMENT:
Radiation Monitors Confirm That No Radiation Levels of Concern Have Reached the United States
Release date: 03/18/2011

Today, one of the monitoring stations in Sacramento, California that feeds into the IMS detected miniscule quantities of iodine isotopes and other radioactive particles that pose no health concern at the detected levels. Collectively, these levels amount to a level of approximately 0.0002 disintegrations per second per cubic meter of air (0.2 mBq/m3). Specifically, the level of Iodine-131 was 0.165 mBq/m3, the level of Iodine-132 was measured at 0.03 mBq/m3, the level of Tellurium-132 was measured at 0.04 mBq/m3, and the level of Cesium-137 was measured at 0.002 mBq/m3.

Similarly, between March 16 and 17, a detector at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington State detected trace amounts of Xenon-133, which is a radioactive noble gas produced during nuclear fission that poses no concern at the detected level. The levels detected were approximately 0.1 disintegrations per second per cubic meter of air (100 mBq/m3),

The doses received by people per day from natural sources of radiation - such as rocks, bricks, the sun and other background sources - are 100,000 times the dose rates from the particles and gas detected in California or Washington State.

These types of readings remain consistent with our expectations since the onset of this tragedy, and are to be expected in the coming days.

EPA: No Dangerous Radiation Levels on West Coast
Rachel Krech – Sun Mar 20, 5:14 pm ET
Contribute content like this. Start here.
Panic over radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power plant reaching the West Coast of the U.S. is still spreading. Potassium iodide pills, which can prevent radiation from being absorbed by the thyroid, are flying off store shelves and fetching high prices online too. But many government agencies have stepped forward and released statements in hopes of easing the fears many Americans may have about nuclear radiation from Japan.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released an official public statement saying that they are monitoring the concentration of radioactive substances in the air at many different locations through the west coast and the rest of the U.S. and as of this past Friday, there has been no major increase in the amount of radiation.

EnviroReporter.com’s Radiation Station
- live shot of a RadAlert Inspector Nuclear Radiation Monitor in EnviroReporter.com‘s Santa Monica office on the West Los Angeles border.
Why do the numbers jump around?
Ions from the earth (radium and uranium) and cosmic radiation (including the Sun) do not emit in a steady manner. It’s random. That said, when the numbers go up and stay up, that’s the time to pay close attention.
When should I be worried?
A range of normal background radiation at this location at this time over several days has been determined to be between 40 to 46 CPM. These measurements are similar to background measurements taken in this location over long periods of time prior to the partial meltdowns in Japan.
Should radiation measured by the Inspector begin to rise to double background, we will be concerned. If the measurements go to triple background and above for a sustained period of time in the next few days, we might deduce that this may be coming from the Japan nuclear disaster.

Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Truth: Locally Chernobyl
By Sascha Vongehr | March 20th 2011 08:07 AM
For decades we have been told that with the lessons learned from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, nuclear energy is safe. As the still unfolding mayhem at the Dai-Ichi plant in Fukushima, Japan, proves, nothing could be further from the truth.

The fuel rods in at least three reactors are partly molten. All six reactors are in trouble, although most were not on-line during the earthquake! In spite of all downplaying by officials, the nuclear industry, and science apologists, a complete meltdown of some reactors and a nuclear chain reaction of molten fuel are still possible. A few [http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2011/03/current_status_of_the_nine_nuc.php?utm_source=sbhomepage&utm_medium=link&utm_content=channellink] science bloggers keep up honest reporting about the current state.

Saturday
Only two blocks have been connected to electricity. Venting of radioactive gas is going on.

Sunday
The crisis is far from over. Pressures in the plutonium carrying reactor rose again. Venting a cloud dense with radioactive Iodine, Krypton and Xenon may be necessary. Moreover: The wider consequences start to become apparent:

Radioactivity in spinach and milk from areas as far as 75 miles away exceed safety limits. Tap water turned up radioactive iodine in Tokyo and other areas. Safety officials finally admit that protective iodine pills should have been distributed near the plant days earlier.

Daily update from Japan
BY TATSUJIRO SUZUKI | 18 MARCH 2011
Sunday, March 20, 6 p.m. ET, Tokyo

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, press conference: Pressure inside until 3's containment vessel has been stabilized; thus, venting has not been necessary so far and efforts to restore power have not been interrupted. Meanwhile, food contamination (spinach from Ibaraki prefecture, milk from Fukushima prefecture) was reported again. No immediate risk, but more careful monitoring is needed. It is possible that there may be a restriction on food distribution.

Sunday, March 20, 12:30 p.m. ET, Tokyo
Nuclear Industry and Safety Agency (NISA) press conference: There is increased pressure inside the containment vessel of unit 3; the deicsion was made to vent the steam from the vessel, which will result in higher radioactivity levels.

The reasons for this increase in pressure are not yet known. This development may stop the current efforts of spraying water on the storage pools, as well as efforts of recovering power.

Sunday, March 20, 12 p.m. ET, Tokyo
TEPCO press conference: The special rescue team and the Special Defense Forces spent more than 10 hours spraying water, and their heroic efforts seem to have a positive impact. Radiation level near the plant (500 meters away) decreased from 3,443 microsieverts per hour last night to 2,625 microsieverts per hour this morning. Meanwhile, Ibaraki prefecture announced it would stop distributing spinach. Food contamination issue is now emerging.

Sunday, March 20, 1 a.m. ET, Tokyo
Situation on the site is getting better, but food issue is emerging.

The 1,200 tons of water sprayed on the storage pool of unit 3 seems to be having a positive impact. The Nuclear Industry and Safety Agency (NISA) reported that, 500 meters from the plant, the radiation level decreased from 3,443 microsieverts per hour to 2,906 microsieverts per hour; however, detailed analysis is still needed.
Meanwhile, units 1 and 2 are now connected to the grid. The equipment needs to be checked whether it is in working order.

Saturday, March 19, 4:30 p.m. ET, Tokyo
Press conference: Confirmed reports of first food contamination of spinach (from Ibaraki prefecture) and milk (from Fukushima prefecture). More sampling is needed to determine how the food contamination is spread. The level -- although it is beyond food safety standards -- is still not harmful to public health; the total exposure level is about one CT scan (around 6.9 millisieverts) if consumed over one year.

Saturday, March 19, 4 p.m. ET, Tokyo
Defense Ministry press conferece: Pictures taken by the infrared censor camera suggest that the surface temperatures of units 1,2,3, and 4 are all below 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit). This is good news. Currently, water is continuously being sprayed (unmanned operation) on the storage pool of unit 3. A total of more than 1,200 tons will be poured. I hope it will cool down the pool for a while.

Saturday, March 19, 2 p.m. ET, Tokyo
Last night 60 tons of water was poured on the storage pool of unit 3, and plans are underway to water continuously for seven hours or longer this afternoon. It has been confirmed that there is water in the storage pool of unit 4. For unit 5 and unit 6: Power has been recovered and so has the cooling capability. There are no major changes in other reactors (units 1-3) and radiation monitoring.

Friday, March 18, 11:45 p.m. ET, Tokyo
A total of about 60 tons of water was sprayed over the 1,300 ton storage pool of unit 3 tonight. Meanwhile, efforts to restore power are underway. Once power is restored, cooling capability could be significantly improved, assuming necessary equipments can work. There is hope now.

Friday, March 18, 4:50 p.m. ET, Tokyo
Press conference: One week after the earthquake. This afternoon, 50 tons of water was poured on the unit 3 pool. It is confirmed that water was successfully poured, but its effectiveness is not known yet. Efforts to restore power are still underway. Radiation monitoring data is showing steady decline in most places; this is good news.

Status of Fukushima nuclear power plants Sunday midnight
The Mainichi Dalily News, TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The following is the known status as of Sunday evening of each of the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and the four reactors at the Fukushima Daini plant, both in Fukushima Prefecture, which were crippled by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami on March 11.

Fukushima Daiichi plant

-- Reactor No. 1 (Operation suspended after quake)
Partial melting of core, cooling failure, vapor vented, building housing containment of reactor damaged by hydrogen explosion, roof blown off, seawater being pumped in.

-- Reactor No. 2 (Operation suspended after quake)
Damage to reactor containment structure feared, cooling failure, seawater being pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, building housing containment of reactor damaged by blast at adjacent reactor No. 3, blast sound heard near suppression chamber of containment vessel, seawater pumped into pool holding spent-fuel rods on Sunday, access to external power restored Sunday.

- Reactor No. 3 (Operation suspended after quake)
Partial melting of core feared, cooling failure, vapor vented, seawater being pumped in, building housing containment of reactor badly damaged by hydrogen explosion, seawater dumped over spent-fuel storage pool by helicopter Thursday, water sprayed at it from ground for four days in a row through Sunday.

-- Reactor No. 4 (Under maintenance when quake struck)
Renewed nuclear chain reaction feared at spent-fuel storage pool, fire at building housing containment of reactor Tuesday and Wednesday, only frame remains of reactor building roof, temperature in the pool reached 84 C on March 14, water sprayed at pool on Sunday.

-- Reactor No. 5 (Under maintenance when quake struck)
Some fuel rods left in reactor core, cooling in spent-fuel storage pool resumed Saturday, cold shutdown at reactor on Sunday, access to external power restored Sunday.

-- Reactor No. 6 (Under maintenance when quake struck)
Some fuel rods left in reactor core, emergency power generator and cooling functions restored Saturday, cold shutdown at reactor on Sunday.

Fukushima Daini plant

-- Reactors No. 1, 2, 3, 4 (Operation suspended after quake)
Cold shutdown, not under emergency status.

Notice the phrase "Nine of ten nuclear reactors at two locations at Fukushima, Japan" - most of the focus has been on Daiichi, but there is also Fukushima Daini along with many other reactor facilities in Japan. I wonder if there are any others besides the Fukushima plants which have been affected?
- From March 18 -

Current Status of the Nine Nuclear Reactors Damaged in Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami
March 18, 2011 6:53 PM, by Greg Laden's Blog
Nine of ten nuclear reactors at two locations at Fukushima, Japan, have problems ranging from damaged cooling systems to partial meltdowns, and spent fuel storage facilities at several of these reactors are severely damaged. In some cases, facilities seem to have been shut down safely. In other cases, there is a strong suspicion of serious damage but the degree of damage is uncertain.
Executive summary: (Fukushima Daiichi) The current most likely worst-case scenario is that the spent fuel rods in the storage pool at Reactor Number 4 will undergo a renewed chain reaction. However, two reactors, Number 1 and 3, may be partly melted, and the stored spent fuel rods at Reactor Number 3 contain a somewhat more dangerous fuel, Plutonium, as a percentage of their fissionable material.
----- At Fukushima Daini, Reactor Number 3 was shutdown after the quake and there appears to be no problem there. Reactors number 1, 2 and 4 at this location suffered cooling pump failures, and were shut down. Reported increases in radiation observed at this plant on March 14th were probably due to radiation coming from Fukushima Daiichi. There seems to be little information regarding the nature of the "cooling pump failures" at this plant, and information about the condition of the plant (i.e., what it will take to make it operable again) is not readily available.

Watch and Listen - NEWS REPORTS AND COMMENTARY FROM DEMOCRACY NOW!

rc's NUCLEAR Playlist @YouTube, includes Democracy Now! video reports and interviews

"Underestimating the Seriousness of the Problem": Experts Urge Japan to Raise Nuclear Alert Level and Evacuate Wider Area

March 18 - The Japanese nuclear crisis worsens as Japanese authorities race to cool the overheating reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. Earlier today, Japan raised the nuclear alert level at the crippled plant from a four to a five, on par with Three Mile Island. This decision has shocked many nuclear experts. “Our experts think that it’s a level 6.5 already, and it’s on the way to a seven, which was Chernobyl," says Philip White of the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center in Tokyo. We also speak with Dr. Ira Helfand of Physicians for Social Responsibility about the long-term health effects from radiation exposure from Fukushima. [includes rush transcript]

"Why Are We Playing Russian Roulette With the American People?": Longtime Nuclear Critic Ralph Nader Advocates Phasing Out Nuclear Power Industry

March 18 - Former presidential candidate and longtime consumer advocate and nuclear critic Ralph Nader strongly advocates phasing out nuclear power in the United States by calling for public hearings on the status of every single nuclear power plant. "What we’re seeing here is 110 or so operating nuclear plants in the United States, many of them aging, many of them infected with corrosion, faulty pipes, leaky pumps and combustible materials... Why are we playing Russian roulette with the American people for nuclear plants whose principal objective is simply to boil water and produce steam? ... This is institutional insanity, and I urge the people in this country to wake up before they experience what is now going on in northern Japan." [includes rush transcript]

“Serious Danger of a Full Core Meltdown”: Update on Japan’s Nuclear Catastrophe

March 17 - Fears of a full-scale nuclear reactor meltdown are increasing as Japanese authorities use military helicopters to dump water on the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. The water appears to have missed its target and failed to cool the plant’s reactors and spent fuel rods. “The walls of defense are falling, with the melting of the cores, the collapsing of the—we’re expecting the collapsing of the vessels. And then, with these damaged containments, these are all open windows to the atmosphere,” says Paul Gunter of Beyond Nuclear. Some experts say U.S. reactors are safer than those in Japan. But investigative journalist, Karl Grossman, notes a 1985 report by the National Regulatory Commission acknowledged a 50 percent chance of a severe core accident among the more than 100 nuclear power plants in the United States over a 20-year period. [includes rush transcript]

Prominent Japanese Environmentalist Keibo Oiwa Urges Global Movement to End Nuclear Power and Confront the “Crazy System Based on Greed, Anger and Ignorance”

March 17 - We speak with leading Japanese cultural anthropologist and environmentalist Keibo Oiwa in Yokohama. He is the founder of the Sloth Club, Japan’s leading "Slow Life" environmental group. “I’m realizing again that democracy is so hollow now. We do not have power,” Oiwa says. “We have been controlled by the government and the Tokyo Electric Company, a private company... We have to really look for a lifestyle and a way of thinking again, to live again with harmony, in harmony with nature.” [includes rush transcript]

“No Happy Ending”: Nuclear Experts Say Japan’s Disaster is Intensifying

March 16 - Japan’s nuclear crisis is intensifying. A second reactor unit at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station may have ruptured and appears to be releasing radioactive steam. The plant has been hit by several explosions after a devastating earthquake and tsunami last Friday damaged its cooling functions. It has sent low levels of radiation wafting into Tokyo more than 130 miles away. The company operating the reactors withdrew at least 750 workers on Tuesday, leaving a crew of 50 struggling to lower the temperatures. We go to Japan to speak with Philip White of the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center in Tokyo and with Peter Ford of the Christian Science Monitor in Sendai. We also speak with Peter Bradford, a former commissioner at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “The best-case scenario at this point is not a good one, not a good one for the public, not a good one for the nuclear industry,” Bradford says. “There is not going to be a happy ending to this story.” [includes rush transcript]

"Get the Children Away from the Reactors": Japan Urged to Expand Evacuation Area Around Nuclear Plants as Leaking Radiation Spreads

Japanese anti-nuclear activist Aileen Mioko Smith and nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen question whether Japanese officials are doing enough to protect civilians from radiation, including proper monitoring and widening the evacuation zones. Some 70,000 residents have been forced to evacuate their homes, and another 140,000 people have been ordered not to step outside. “You can’t protect the people from reality,” Smith says. And Gundersen says, “If I were in Japan, I would at least get the children away from the reactor, because their bodies are growing faster and their cells are more susceptible to radiation damage. I would go out to 50 kilometers and at least get the children away from those reactors.” [includes rush transcript]

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