Shock as Japan admits nuclear leak could be worse than Chernobyl
JAPANESE officials have admitted that the nuclear crisis in Fukushima could become worse than Chernobyl.
Officials said the total leak from Fukushima so far amounted to a 10th of the radiation emitted from Chernobyl, but could yet (Read: will soon.)eclipse the Ukraine disaster.
..
The decision to upgrade the accident to the highest threat level was the subject of international criticism after Japan admitted delaying the announcement.
Workers at stricken Japan nuclear plant make a little progress
Workers Wednesday were a step closer to emptying highly radioactive water from a crippled reactor, which would allow them to start repairing the cooling system crucial to bringing one of the world's worst nuclear crises under control.
U.S. Nuclear safety regulator Gregory Jaczko described the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant as "static" rather than stable, because of the continuing struggle to cool the reactors badly damaged by a 15-meter tsunami on March 11, which was triggered by the biggest quake in Japan's recorded history.
..
It is expected to take months before the damaged reactors will be cool enough. Some officials have speculated that the authorities may have to entomb the plant if the crisis drags on too long, the solution that was eventually used to close off Chernobyl.
High radiation levels in sea off Fukushima coast Via Rense. Excerpts:
The science ministry says radiation levels in seawater off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture are the highest since it began monitoring them about 3 weeks ago.
The ministry says the level of iodine-131 was 88.5 becquerels per liter in a sample taken on Monday in the sea about 30 kilometers east of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The figure is 2.2 times the government's upper limit for waste water from nuclear facilities.
And:
Radiation levels are higher in the sea to the north of the crippled plant.
The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says radioactive substances seem to be flowing and diffusing northward.
File Under: Are you shitting me? Edano: No need to change Fukushima response. Via Rense.
Japan's top government spokesman says there will be no change in the way the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is being handled.
..
Edano stressed that raising the crisis level does not mean the situation is worsening. He said the upgrade was not due to a new emergency, but is based on the latest analysis of data.
Aftershocks Continue to Pummel Japan
It's not unusual, then, to read about the aftershocks of an earthquake; what's unique about the aftershocks in Japan, however, is their severity. Even a month later, quakes measuring greater than 5.0 on the Richter scale continue to be felt. While many of them are occurring well off of the coast of Japan, enough of them have been close enough to cause injuries, fatalities, damages and power outages. The beleaguered Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, for one, was temporarily evacuated after a large aftershock on Monday caused extensive power outages.
..
Due to the intensity of the original earthquake, exceptionally powerful aftershocks could continue for several months. Minor aftershocks, including ones that aren't even perceptible to humans, could keep happening for many decades to come. For the earthquake- and tsunami-wary people of Japan, the continuing geological activity is doubtlessly stressful and upsetting. Search and rescue missions are also ongoing, although hope is fading fast for any additional would-be survivors.
Chernobyl and Fukushima: a tale of two disasters
Categorisation can sometimes have a dramatic effect on how we perceive the world, and to learn yesterday that the nuclear debacle at Fukushima now officially ranks alongside that of Chernobyl in terms of seriousness appears to be an ominous worsening of the situation in Japan.
And:
How do the two incidents compare? Although Fukushima has spilt a lot of radioactivity into the environment, the full amount is still thought to be far below the amount released in the accident at Chernobyl 25 years ago.
Using the common measure of "terabecquerels", it is thought that about 500,000 to 600,000 terabecquerels of radiation has so far been released from the damaged Fukushima reactors, whereas Chernobyl is thought to have released between five and six million terabecquerels, about ten times as much. (Again, an Apples and Oranges argument. Chernobyl: One reactor; contained. Fukushima: Four--potentially six-- reactors, ongoing.)
Japan economy to take hit from quake, nuke accident
Japan cut the outlook for its economy on Wednesday for the first time in six months, saying last month's devastating quake and tsunami would hurt growth, with no sign yet when the nuclear crisis they triggered might be brought under control.
..
After recent fears of possible contamination in the region, neighboring China said that the impact there had been small, noting the amount of radiation was about one percent of what it had experienced from the world's worst nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.
The total cost of the March 11 triple disaster has been estimated at $300 billion, making it the world's most costly natural disaster.
Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen demonstrates how Fukushima's fuel rods melted and shattered
Video
JAPANESE officials have admitted that the nuclear crisis in Fukushima could become worse than Chernobyl.
Officials said the total leak from Fukushima so far amounted to a 10th of the radiation emitted from Chernobyl, but could yet (Read: will soon.)eclipse the Ukraine disaster.
..
The decision to upgrade the accident to the highest threat level was the subject of international criticism after Japan admitted delaying the announcement.
Workers at stricken Japan nuclear plant make a little progress
Workers Wednesday were a step closer to emptying highly radioactive water from a crippled reactor, which would allow them to start repairing the cooling system crucial to bringing one of the world's worst nuclear crises under control.
U.S. Nuclear safety regulator Gregory Jaczko described the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant as "static" rather than stable, because of the continuing struggle to cool the reactors badly damaged by a 15-meter tsunami on March 11, which was triggered by the biggest quake in Japan's recorded history.
..
It is expected to take months before the damaged reactors will be cool enough. Some officials have speculated that the authorities may have to entomb the plant if the crisis drags on too long, the solution that was eventually used to close off Chernobyl.
High radiation levels in sea off Fukushima coast Via Rense. Excerpts:
The science ministry says radiation levels in seawater off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture are the highest since it began monitoring them about 3 weeks ago.
The ministry says the level of iodine-131 was 88.5 becquerels per liter in a sample taken on Monday in the sea about 30 kilometers east of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The figure is 2.2 times the government's upper limit for waste water from nuclear facilities.
And:
Radiation levels are higher in the sea to the north of the crippled plant.
The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says radioactive substances seem to be flowing and diffusing northward.
File Under: Are you shitting me? Edano: No need to change Fukushima response. Via Rense.
Japan's top government spokesman says there will be no change in the way the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is being handled.
..
Edano stressed that raising the crisis level does not mean the situation is worsening. He said the upgrade was not due to a new emergency, but is based on the latest analysis of data.
Aftershocks Continue to Pummel Japan
It's not unusual, then, to read about the aftershocks of an earthquake; what's unique about the aftershocks in Japan, however, is their severity. Even a month later, quakes measuring greater than 5.0 on the Richter scale continue to be felt. While many of them are occurring well off of the coast of Japan, enough of them have been close enough to cause injuries, fatalities, damages and power outages. The beleaguered Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, for one, was temporarily evacuated after a large aftershock on Monday caused extensive power outages.
..
Due to the intensity of the original earthquake, exceptionally powerful aftershocks could continue for several months. Minor aftershocks, including ones that aren't even perceptible to humans, could keep happening for many decades to come. For the earthquake- and tsunami-wary people of Japan, the continuing geological activity is doubtlessly stressful and upsetting. Search and rescue missions are also ongoing, although hope is fading fast for any additional would-be survivors.
Chernobyl and Fukushima: a tale of two disasters
Categorisation can sometimes have a dramatic effect on how we perceive the world, and to learn yesterday that the nuclear debacle at Fukushima now officially ranks alongside that of Chernobyl in terms of seriousness appears to be an ominous worsening of the situation in Japan.
And:
How do the two incidents compare? Although Fukushima has spilt a lot of radioactivity into the environment, the full amount is still thought to be far below the amount released in the accident at Chernobyl 25 years ago.
Using the common measure of "terabecquerels", it is thought that about 500,000 to 600,000 terabecquerels of radiation has so far been released from the damaged Fukushima reactors, whereas Chernobyl is thought to have released between five and six million terabecquerels, about ten times as much. (Again, an Apples and Oranges argument. Chernobyl: One reactor; contained. Fukushima: Four--potentially six-- reactors, ongoing.)
Japan economy to take hit from quake, nuke accident
Japan cut the outlook for its economy on Wednesday for the first time in six months, saying last month's devastating quake and tsunami would hurt growth, with no sign yet when the nuclear crisis they triggered might be brought under control.
..
After recent fears of possible contamination in the region, neighboring China said that the impact there had been small, noting the amount of radiation was about one percent of what it had experienced from the world's worst nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.
The total cost of the March 11 triple disaster has been estimated at $300 billion, making it the world's most costly natural disaster.
Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen demonstrates how Fukushima's fuel rods melted and shattered
Video
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