From John Wells....
Reuters: Crisis deepening at Fukushima nuclear plant; Upgraded to ‘Level 3 Serious Incident’ — Represents a 100-fold increase in “severity of a radiological release” — Tepco says highly radioactive leakage continues, but unknown where from.
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Reuters
Reuters story #2
CNN Story
Fukushima (John Wells)
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Fukushima (John Wells)
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson
Also from John is this story from Infowars.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson
I think Fukushima is FAR worse than they are saying even now. They admit to tons of contaminated water both inland and in the ocean. Some of the heavy metals generated by reactors have lethal toxic does in the sub mg range. The area in and around Japan will suffer first but the ocean currents will eventually reach just about every Pacific fishing area and beyond. If you think fish are bad now considering Mercury, wait until Strontium and its cousins start showing up.
I studied nuclear energy back in 70s. I learned enough that I thought the downside was too big compared to the energy produced.
Just my $0.02 worth.....
I studied nuclear energy back in 70s. I learned enough that I thought the downside was too big compared to the energy produced.
Just my $0.02 worth.....
Update: LINK
UPI: “Fukushima plant is approaching a worst case scenario” — Top Japan Nuclear Official: “This is what we have been fearing”
‘Worst-case scenario’ at Fukushima
The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority said the cascading series of radioactive water leaks from the Fukushima plant is approaching a worst case scenario.
[Tepco] warned there may be hundreds more tanks like [the one leaking] on the site of the 2011 meltdown.
“We cannot waste even a minute,” [Chairman of the Japan Nuclear Regulation Authority Shunichi Tanaka] said. “This is what we have been fearing.” [...]
Atsunao Marui, director of research at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, said the situation is likely to get worse.
“It’s important to think of the worst-case scenario,” he said.
UPI: “Fukushima plant is approaching a worst case scenario” — Top Japan Nuclear Official: “This is what we have been fearing”
‘Worst-case scenario’ at Fukushima
The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority said the cascading series of radioactive water leaks from the Fukushima plant is approaching a worst case scenario.
[Tepco] warned there may be hundreds more tanks like [the one leaking] on the site of the 2011 meltdown.
“We cannot waste even a minute,” [Chairman of the Japan Nuclear Regulation Authority Shunichi Tanaka] said. “This is what we have been fearing.” [...]
Atsunao Marui, director of research at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, said the situation is likely to get worse.
“It’s important to think of the worst-case scenario,” he said.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson
LINK
WASHINGTON POST
Japan’s Fukushima plant leaking highly radioactive water
Japan’s nuclear watchdog said the leak at the tsunami-crippled power plant could be the start of a new problem: Contaminated water might start seeping from storage tanks one after another. “That’s what we fear the most,” Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said.
LINK
THE GUARDIAN
Fukushima warning: danger level at nuclear plant jumps to 'serious'
Justin McCurry in Osaka - The Guardian
Japan is to issue its gravest warning about the state of the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant since the facility suffered a triple meltdown almost two and a half years ago.
The new warning, expected on Wednesday, comes only a day after the nuclear watchdog assigned a much lower ranking when the plant's operator, Tepco, admitted about 300 tonnes of highly toxic water had leaked from a storage tank at the site.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority has now said it will dramatically raise the incident's severity level from one to three on the eight-point scale used by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for radiation releases. Each single-digit increase in the scale actually represents a tenfold increase in the severity of a radiological release, according to the IAEA.
The NRA on Tuesday classified the leakage only as an "anomaly" on the IAEA scale but now considers it a "serious incident".
The leak is the single most dangerous failure at the plant since the 2011 meltdown, which warranted the maximum level of seven on the severity scale, putting it on a par with the Chernobyl disaster 25 years earlier.
"Judging from the amount and the density of the radiation in the contaminated water that leaked ... a level three assessment is appropriate", the NRA said in a document posted on its website on Wednesday.
Tepco has admitted it has yet to identify the cause of the leak, in which highly radioactive water appears to have breached a steel storage tank and seeped into the ground. The leak from the tank, which can hold up to 1,000 tonnes of water, has yet to be stemmed, according to Japanese media reports.
The incident is separate from additional water leaks of up to 300 tonnes a day recently reported by Tepco.
Those spillages involve groundwater that is leaking into the nearby Pacific ocean. Tepco said there was no evidence that water from the storage tank had found its way into the sea. The utility said radioactive matter, including caesium and strontium, had seeped into soil, which may have to be dug up and removed.
Puddles near the faulty tank are so contaminated that a person standing 50 centimetres away would in one hour receive five times the annual dose limit for Japanese nuclear workers. Initial readings showed that radiation levels in one puddle were 100 millisieverts an hour.
The leak underlined the risks being taken by workers at the site; after 10 hours anyone in proximity to the contaminated water would develop radiation sickness, with symptoms including nausea and a drop in white blood cells.
The new warning is the most serious since the plant was struck by a powerful tsunami on 11 March 2011. The wave, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Japan's north-east coast, wrecked the plant's back-up power supply and sent three of its six reactors into meltdown.
Tepco is using huge quantities of water to cool melted fuel rods lying deep inside the wrecked reactors, but has failed to prevent contaminated water leaking into the ground and the sea. Contaminated water is stored in about 1,000 tanks that have been built about 500 yards from the shoreline.
The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, recently indicated he had lost confidence in Tepco's ability to deal with the water crisis.
Abe, a supporter of nuclear energy, said the government would intervene to help the utility stem the leaks and begin the long and costly process of decommissioning the plant.
The new leaks have fuelled public anger over Tepco's handling of contaminated water and caused concern overseas.
Asiana Airlines, South Korea's second-biggest carrier, said it would cancel four chartered flights between Seoul and Fukushima in October out of concern over radiation leaks.
WASHINGTON POST
Japan’s Fukushima plant leaking highly radioactive water
Japan’s nuclear watchdog said the leak at the tsunami-crippled power plant could be the start of a new problem: Contaminated water might start seeping from storage tanks one after another. “That’s what we fear the most,” Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said.
LINK
THE GUARDIAN
Fukushima warning: danger level at nuclear plant jumps to 'serious'
Justin McCurry in Osaka - The Guardian
Japan is to issue its gravest warning about the state of the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant since the facility suffered a triple meltdown almost two and a half years ago.
The new warning, expected on Wednesday, comes only a day after the nuclear watchdog assigned a much lower ranking when the plant's operator, Tepco, admitted about 300 tonnes of highly toxic water had leaked from a storage tank at the site.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority has now said it will dramatically raise the incident's severity level from one to three on the eight-point scale used by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for radiation releases. Each single-digit increase in the scale actually represents a tenfold increase in the severity of a radiological release, according to the IAEA.
The NRA on Tuesday classified the leakage only as an "anomaly" on the IAEA scale but now considers it a "serious incident".
The leak is the single most dangerous failure at the plant since the 2011 meltdown, which warranted the maximum level of seven on the severity scale, putting it on a par with the Chernobyl disaster 25 years earlier.
"Judging from the amount and the density of the radiation in the contaminated water that leaked ... a level three assessment is appropriate", the NRA said in a document posted on its website on Wednesday.
Tepco has admitted it has yet to identify the cause of the leak, in which highly radioactive water appears to have breached a steel storage tank and seeped into the ground. The leak from the tank, which can hold up to 1,000 tonnes of water, has yet to be stemmed, according to Japanese media reports.
The incident is separate from additional water leaks of up to 300 tonnes a day recently reported by Tepco.
Those spillages involve groundwater that is leaking into the nearby Pacific ocean. Tepco said there was no evidence that water from the storage tank had found its way into the sea. The utility said radioactive matter, including caesium and strontium, had seeped into soil, which may have to be dug up and removed.
Puddles near the faulty tank are so contaminated that a person standing 50 centimetres away would in one hour receive five times the annual dose limit for Japanese nuclear workers. Initial readings showed that radiation levels in one puddle were 100 millisieverts an hour.
The leak underlined the risks being taken by workers at the site; after 10 hours anyone in proximity to the contaminated water would develop radiation sickness, with symptoms including nausea and a drop in white blood cells.
The new warning is the most serious since the plant was struck by a powerful tsunami on 11 March 2011. The wave, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off Japan's north-east coast, wrecked the plant's back-up power supply and sent three of its six reactors into meltdown.
Tepco is using huge quantities of water to cool melted fuel rods lying deep inside the wrecked reactors, but has failed to prevent contaminated water leaking into the ground and the sea. Contaminated water is stored in about 1,000 tanks that have been built about 500 yards from the shoreline.
The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, recently indicated he had lost confidence in Tepco's ability to deal with the water crisis.
Abe, a supporter of nuclear energy, said the government would intervene to help the utility stem the leaks and begin the long and costly process of decommissioning the plant.
The new leaks have fuelled public anger over Tepco's handling of contaminated water and caused concern overseas.
Asiana Airlines, South Korea's second-biggest carrier, said it would cancel four chartered flights between Seoul and Fukushima in October out of concern over radiation leaks.
Last edited by voguy on 08-22-2013 07:28 PM, edited 1 time in total.
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson