Nuclear explosion in Japan

[suityou01]

Sky News is reporting that the danger is not over yet - in fact it is escaling. One reactor is starting to melt down

I cannot see this anywhere on Sky News nor their website.

[TimberWolf]

Sky News are speculating on whether Japan is going to be hit by a meteor next. I didn't think of that one.

[TimberWolf]

I cannot see this anywhere on Sky News nor their website.

A report here says radioactive caesium and iodine have been detected near no.1 reactor, which suggests a bit of melting has occurred.

As far as I understand it the steam (water) is relatively safe to vent. It contains two radioactive isotopes (and these in low quantities I think):

• Nitrogen-16, with a half life of 7 seconds and only a danger to people very near by
• Tritium, with a half life of 12 years. This can't penetrate more than 6mm of air or dead skin ordinarily, but is dangerous if inhaled, ingested or absorbed by the skin pores. It doesn't accumulate in the body.

But if the rods melt, the biggest nasties are:

• Iodine-131 with a half life of 8 days. Pretty nasty, especially for children
• Caesium-137 with a half life of 30 years

[centurian]

I cannot see this anywhere on Sky News nor their website.

They reported on the news channel itself (not the website) about 10 minutes before I made the post. I haven't noticed it being mentioned since, so clearly they've stepped back from that claim a bit.

No doubt the script for the movie is being worked upon as we speak. Will probably have those Japanese dudes from Heroes as the techies that saved the world from disaster.

[centurian]

As of 10:07 today

FT.com / Asia-Pacific - Japan battles partial nuclear meltdown

Japanese nuclear experts are working to contain a partial meltdown...

“I am trying to be careful with words ... This is not a situation where the whole core suffers a meltdown,” Mr Edano said.

A partial meltdown, experts said, would likely mean that some portion of the reactors’ uranium fuel rods had cracked or warped from overheating, releasing radioactive particles into the reactors’ containment vessels. Some of those particles would have escaped into the air outside when engineers vented steam from the vessels to relieve pressure building up inside

More links

http://www.wltx.com/news/article/127...blast-possible

http://en.news.maktoob.com/200900006...e_/Article.htm


Still strange that Sky News are no longer using the Meltdown word

[TimberWolf]

A partial meltdown, experts said, would likely mean that some portion of the reactors’ uranium fuel rods had cracked or warped from overheating, releasing radioactive particles into the reactors’ containment vessels. Some of those particles would have escaped into the air outside when engineers vented steam from the vessels to relieve pressure building up inside

That's been my understanding of the situation too. It's the way these oldish designs fail in a worst(ish) case scenario. Nothing like Chernobyl or the likelihood of it happening, but some radioactive material will be released if or when a steam/hydrogen explosion or venting occurs. The reactors might well be unusable in future though.

[centurian]

The reactors might well be unusable in future though.

Several reports have stated that the act of pouring Boron and sea water have effectively ruined the reactors permanently from a power generating point of view.

If true, this goes to show just how much of a last resort measure it is - you don't write off billions of pounds worth of reactors if you don't have to.

[TimberWolf]

State of emergency at Japan's second nuclear plant IAEA - Channel NewsAsia

meanwhile...

JAPAN: VOLCANO ERUPTS IN COUNTRY'S SOUTH EAST

[suityou01]

According to tinfoil hat site Prison Planet the reactor has melted down.

Linky

As we accurately reported earlier today, the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan was the result of a nuclear meltdown of the reactor core at the facility.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) confirmed the meltdown Saturday afternoon. Fukushima is one of the 25 largest nuclear power stations in the world. The NISA is affiliated with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

High levels of cesium and iodine, by-products of nuclear fission, are being reported and providing more evidence that a nuclear meltdown is currently underway.

[TimberWolf]

High levels of cesium and iodine, by-products of nuclear fission, are being reported and providing more evidence that a nuclear meltdown is currently underway.

Disaster Prevention and Nuclear Safety Network for Nuclear Environment/ English Top Page

'Interestingly' everything but radiation levels at Fukushima and Miyagi survey stations are being reported.