Fukushima Workers Face Risk of Uncontrolled Reactions

Japan’s damaged nuclear plant may be in danger of emitting sudden bursts of heat and radiation, undermining efforts to cool the reactors and contain fallout. The potential for limited, uncontrolled chain reactions, voiced yesterday by the International Atomic Energy Agency, is among the phenomena that might occur, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters in Tokyo today. The IAEA "emphasized that the nuclear reactors won’t explode," he said.

Radioactive chlorine found March 25 in the No. 1 turbine building suggests chain reactions continued after the reactor shut down, physicist Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California, wrote in a March 28 paper. Radioactive chlorine has a half-life of 37 minutes, according to the report. 

Contamination of seawater found near the plant has increased. Radioactive iodine rose to 4,385 times the regulated safety limit yesterday from 2,572 times on Tuesday, Nishiyama said. No fishing is occurring nearby and the sea is dispersing the iodine so there is no threat, he said. 


Source: bloomberg

Japanese authorities today confirmed finding traces of plutonium

"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."

Fukushima nuclear power plant update: get all the data

Japan is racing to gain control of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plan. Where does the most detailed data come from? Updated daily

The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met Japanese officials in Tokyo on Monday

The head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met Japanese officials in Tokyo on Monday to assess the battle to contain the crisis at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, and offer U.S. support.

Yukio Edano earlier said some is "almost certainly" seeping from a damaged reactor core in one of the units

Government spokesman Yukio Edano earlier said some is "almost certainly" seeping from a damaged reactor core in one of the units. If so, that raises the potential for long-lasting environmental contamination in areas around the plant.

low levels of radioactive material were detected in Chinese provences

Chinese government: Health authorities are monitoring food and drinking water for contamination in 14 provinces and cities in the northeast after low levels of radioactive material were detected there.

 TEPCO 3/28/2011:

The water inside the reactor 2 turbine room was measured at 1,000 millisieverts an hour. 

Greenpeace 3/28/2011:

Greenpeace said its experts had confirmed radiation levels of up to 10 microsieverts per hour in a village 40 km (25 miles) northwest of the plant. It called for the extension of a 20-km (12-mile) evacuation zone.

Yukio Edana 3/28/2011: 

As officials scrambled to determine the source of the radioactive water, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the contamination in Unit 2 appeared to be due to a partial meltdown of the reactor core.

China 3/28/2011

- CHINA MONITORS RADIATION. Health authorities are monitoring food and drinking water for contamination in 14 provinces and cities in the northeast after low levels of radioactive material were detected there.

Four of eleven radiation detectors in California were offline..

"And while American Authorities promise that only trivial amounts of radiation have harmlessly trickled over to our continent, and that our precious anus burgers and plasma widescreens are still safe, four of eleven radiation detectors in California were offline for “repairs” last week. Oh, and now traces of radiation have been detected on the East Coast, on the other side of the world"

source: wonkete