Nuclear meltdown in Japan reactor?

[Valerie]

"The possibility of further radioactive leakage is heightening," a grim-faced Kan said in an address to the nation earlier in the day.

"We are making every effort to prevent the leak from spreading. I know that people are very worried but I would like to ask you to act calmly."

Levels of 400 millisieverts per hour had been recorded near the No. 4 reactor, the government said. Exposure to over 100 millisieverts a year is a level which can lead to cancer, according to the World Nuclear Association.



Lam Ching-wan, a chemical pathologist at the University of Hong Kong, said the blasts could expose the population to longer-term exposure to radiation, which can raise the risk of thyroid and bone cancers and leukemia. Children and fetuses are especially vulnerable, he said.

"Very acute radiation, like that which happened in Chernobyl and to the Japanese workers at the nuclear power station, is unlikely for the population," he said.

There have been a total of four explosions at the plant since it was damaged in last Friday's massive quake and tsunami. The most recent were blasts at reactors No. 2 and No. 4.

Concerns now center on damage to a part of the No. 4 reactor's core known as the suppression pool, which helps cool and trap the majority of cesium, iodine and strontium in its water.

Authorities had previously been trying to prevent meltdowns in the complex's nuclear reactors by flooding the chambers with sea water to cool them down.

Murray Jennex, a professor at San Diego State University in California, said the crisis in Japan -- the only nation to have suffered a nuclear attack -- was worse than the Three Mile Island disaster of 1979.

"But you're nowhere near a Chernobyl ... Chernobyl there was no impediment to release, it just blew everything out into the atmosphere," he said. "You've still got a big chunk of the containment there holding most of it in."

Japan braces for potential radiation catastrophe | TPM News Pages

 

[Big Fitz]

If you live on the west coast I recommend you do something totally insane.
Listen to Terral.
Spend a couple of weeks on the east side of the Rockies. It'll be fun and might save your life. If not ? It'll still be fun.
Remember. All governments are run by psychopathic , lying, motherfuckers.
If you believe the Japs or the murkins, you're a fool.

Panic much? At least you're remaining rational

 

[Douger]

If you live on the west coast I recommend you do something totally insane.
Listen to Terral.
Spend a couple of weeks on the east side of the Rockies. It'll be fun and might save your life. If not ? It'll still be fun.
Remember. All governments are run by psychopathic , lying, motherfuckers.
If you believe the Japs or the murkins, you're a fool.

Panic much? At least you're remaining rational

I don't do panic.
When I hear a train coming, financial or other, I calmly collect my things and move away from the tracks.

 

[mashburn]

I have a friend who is a english teacher in Japan. He is living at Nagano. I'm not sure how far away it is, but wish I could find out eactly what is from the radiation plants. I was in good talks with him from the day the earthquake hit. we stayed in contact until 3 days ago. it is possible he is busy, but I am kinda wondering for his safety with these power plants now.

he stated that what I am seeing on TV is TOTALLY different then what he is seeing. he told me the raidation was leaking almost from day one, while the news here just now mentioned it the other day. Japan has made it almost clear that they are not telling us everything about these reactors.

Also Japan has stated that the the wind and water helps them out if the radiation was to continue. all of it comes to the west coast of the United States. Is there a potential that this could affect us? If so how bad?
I know that two days ago on Japans TV they were still saying that Tsunamis were still uccuring. on almost all of their channels they show new warning zones. why is it still happening days after.

 

[martybegan]

I have a friend who is a english teacher in Japan. He is living at Nagano. I'm not sure how far away it is, but wish I could find out eactly what is from the radiation plants. I was in good talks with him from the day the earthquake hit. we stayed in contact until 3 days ago. it is possible he is busy, but I am kinda wondering for his safety with these power plants now.

he stated that what I am seeing on TV is TOTALLY different then what he is seeing. he told me the raidation was leaking almost from day one, while the news here just now mentioned it the other day. Japan has made it almost clear that they are not telling us everything about these reactors.

Also Japan has stated that the the wind and water helps them out if the radiation was to continue. all of it comes to the west coast of the United States. Is there a potential that this could affect us? If so how bad?
I know that two days ago on Japans TV they were still saying that Tsunamis were still uccuring. on almost all of their channels they show new warning zones. why is it still happening days after.

THE WALL OF TEXT!!! IT BURNS!!!

The assumptions, mistakes and general guesswork of this post makes me giggle a bit.

 

[Valerie]

I have a friend who is a english teacher in Japan. He is living at Nagano. I'm not sure how far away it is, but wish I could find out eactly what is from the radiation plants. I was in good talks with him from the day the earthquake hit. we stayed in contact until 3 days ago. it is possible he is busy, but I am kinda wondering for his safety with these power plants now.

he stated that what I am seeing on TV is TOTALLY different then what he is seeing. he told me the raidation was leaking almost from day one, while the news here just now mentioned it the other day. Japan has made it almost clear that they are not telling us everything about these reactors.

Also Japan has stated that the the wind and water helps them out if the radiation was to continue. all of it comes to the west coast of the United States. Is there a potential that this could affect us? If so how bad?
I know that two days ago on Japans TV they were still saying that Tsunamis were still uccuring. on almost all of their channels they show new warning zones. why is it still happening days after.

Nagano is way farther south and west of where the leak is.


The nuclear plants that are in trouble are at Fukushima:
Japan's Nuclear Program

 

[Big Fitz]

If you live on the west coast I recommend you do something totally insane.
Listen to Terral.
Spend a couple of weeks on the east side of the Rockies. It'll be fun and might save your life. If not ? It'll still be fun.
Remember. All governments are run by psychopathic , lying, motherfuckers.
If you believe the Japs or the murkins, you're a fool.

Panic much? At least you're remaining rational

I don't do panic.
When I hear a train coming, financial or other, I calmly collect my things and move away from the tracks.

This isn't "Stand By Me" you know. No train is heard, seen, smelled or even operating on this track. Your imagination's running away from you.

Next thing you're going to be doing is scaring the baby seals outside your window by running around your igloo screaming "Its gonna go through the ground like a great big glowing gopher!!!!"

Take a breath, hump a seal and possibly log off till your next life. The world's too big and scary for you.

 

[skookerasbil]

Like I said this AM........we're getting our chains pulled. The media has played the entire world for the past few days........and will for the next several.

Tomorrows headline will be, "Fire in 4th reactor gets even hotter!!!"


Im setting up an over/under on the reactor meltdown crap..........Im taking 6 and the under!!!

 

[The Gadfly]

Latest report: At about 1030 hours, local time, the Japanese government is reporting a "sudden rise in radiation levels" at the main gate of the Fukashima complex. Also report they have pulled back all their workers inside the complex. Fire in Reactor #4 area still NOT controlled. This looks like they have possibly lost the ability, at least for now, to keep water flowing to those reactors. This is NOT good!

 

[American Horse]

They're evacuating people within a 19 mil radius of the reactor?

Sounds kinda GRIM, doesn't it?

Considering winds and some of the explosions, wouldn't that be prudent in a case where public safety is an issue, even if the reaction can be contained?

 

[Mini 14]

Smoke coming from plant now, 1300microsv recorded.

NHK WORLD TV on USTREAM: Official NHK WORLD TV live on USTREAM. NHK WORLD TV is an English language 24-hour international news and information channel. New...

The smoke appears to be blowing inland, and appears to be heavy.

 

[Mini 14]

Some confusion about whether or not they are abandoning plant. Official word is they have "suspended operations" but some are saying they may be going back in.

 

[The Gadfly]

Given the Japanese tendency to understate everything, this, coming on the heels of the steadily increasing downward spiral of events in the last three days, sounds pretty grim. If in fact it's now too hot an environment for them to work inside the plant, they are pretty much out of realistic options; the explosion risk is too much for helicopters to do water drops, and that would be unlikely to be sufficient for them to regain control anyway. They may have to back off, and just hope the containment holds. It sounds like those spent rods now uncovered in reactor #4 have cooked off at least two hydrogen explosions in the last 24 hours, one core is 70% melted, another is 30% "damaged". What concerns me most, is the steady deterioration of the situation (at least as they are reporting it).

 

[Zander]

The anti nuke crowd has been praying for this. Folks, take a deep breath. The world is not coming to an end. The media is being totally irresponsible in their coverage. Even in the worst case the amount of fallout that might leave the general area of the plants isn't going to be dangerous. As far as the fallout threatening the U.S. or the rest of the world, that's Pure B.S.

Americans would be better served to worry about the horrible debt that the current administration has piled up in just two years. That's going to effect your life more than any fallout from Japan

 

[Mini 14]

It appears the reports are true and that they have abandoned the plant due to high levels of radiation.

Still some confusion, but government official just relayed that info again in press conference, and BBC has a storyu on it already:

BBC News - Fukushima workers withdraw after radiation spikes

 

[Chris]

The anti nuke crowd has been praying for this. Folks, take a deep breath. The world is not coming to an end. The media is being totally irresponsible in their coverage. Even in the worst case the amount of fallout that might leave the general area of the plants isn't going to be dangerous. As far as the fallout threatening the U.S. or the rest of the world, that's Pure B.S.

Americans would be better served to worry about the horrible debt that the current administration has piled up in just two years. That's going to effect your life more than any fallout from Japan

93% of the National Debt was created by Reagan and Bush lowering taxes for the rich.

Go to reaganbushdebt.org.

 

[Mini 14]

I have to believe if they are abandoning the plant, with active fires, it is over. They know they can't stop it.

And Zander is right....little to no chance of any impact on US from fallout, and any impact would be negligible.

 

[dilloduck]

The anti nuke crowd has been praying for this. Folks, take a deep breath. The world is not coming to an end. The media is being totally irresponsible in their coverage. Even in the worst case the amount of fallout that might leave the general area of the plants isn't going to be dangerous. As far as the fallout threatening the U.S. or the rest of the world, that's Pure B.S.

Americans would be better served to worry about the horrible debt that the current administration has piled up in just two years. That's going to effect your life more than any fallout from Japan

agreed---especially in light of the fact that we tested hundreds of nuclear bombs in Nevada and the Pacific with very few if any precautionary measures in place.

 

[Chris]

The anti nuke crowd has been praying for this. Folks, take a deep breath. The world is not coming to an end. The media is being totally irresponsible in their coverage. Even in the worst case the amount of fallout that might leave the general area of the plants isn't going to be dangerous. As far as the fallout threatening the U.S. or the rest of the world, that's Pure B.S.

Americans would be better served to worry about the horrible debt that the current administration has piled up in just two years. That's going to effect your life more than any fallout from Japan

agreed---especially in light of the fact that we tested hundreds of nuclear bombs in Nevada and the Pacific with very few if any precautionary measures in place.

Yea, what's a little caesium 137 between friends, right?

 

[skeptic]

Some confusion about whether or not they are abandoning plant. Official word is they have "suspended operations" but some are saying they may be going back in.

there have been several serious but momentary radiation spikes since the first explosion.

It is requisite to pull personnel out when they occur.

But it means very little.