Monday, April 11, 2011

Fukushima Developments are Scary

http://www.fairewinds.com/updates




Arnie Gunderson explains that at least in reactor #2 (and maybe #3) the fuel pellets are melting THROUGH the bed of the nuclear reactor
.
I do not know what that means but it doesn't sound good and seems to portend continued and perhaps increased releases of radioactive steam that will circulate around the northern hemisphere.



The Los Angeles Times is reporting more earthquakes in Japan on Monday (Japan is ahead of the U.S. time zone):

By Kenji Hall and John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times April 11, 2011, 8:06 a.m. Reporting from Tokyo and Rikuzentakata, Japan— "Three powerful aftershocks struck already jittery northeastern Japan within the span of 10 minutes on Monday, as the government announced new plans to expand the evacuation area near a stricken nuclear plant due to high radiation levels...

"The first of Monday's tremors, which trapped some victims in collapsed homes and vehicles, hit at 5:16 p.m. near the coast in Fukushima prefecture, registering a magnitude 7.1 at a depth of 6 miles underground, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency...

"The quakes temporarily knocked out the power to the Fukushima nuclear power plant and led to a 50-minute stoppage in the water-spraying operations to cool four of the plant's six reactors. Highways were closed, bullet train services to the region were halted briefly, and as many 220,000 homes in Fukushima prefecture were without power.... http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-japan-earthquake-20110412,0,2410014.story




MEANWHILE Japan plans on raising the level of nuclear disaster from a 5 to a 7


http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/04/84721.html



"Japan may raise nuke accident severity level to highest 7 from 5 TOKYO, April 12, Kyodo

The Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan released a preliminary calculation Monday saying that the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant had been releasing up to 10,000 terabecquerels of radioactive materials per hour at some point after a massive quake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan on March 11. The disclosure prompted the government to consider raising the accident's severity level to 7, the worst on an international scale, from the current 5, government sources said. The level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale has only been applied to the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe

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