Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Fukushima's last week

Absorbed by other events and also because the new information arriving has only confirmed the worst expectations discussed here earlier, I have not commented on Fukushima these last days. However the problem is anything but gone: it is in fact revealing all its worst as a bud of death flowering. 

Follow most important snippets from Energy News, which is the best resource I know for instant news on this matter. I've read them all but can't get to analyze them. 

It can be synthesized maybe into key phrases such as: "like Chernobyl", "worse than Chernobyl", "radiation cover up", "meltdown", "China syndrome", "nuclear explosions", "exposure to radiation", "earless bunny" or "extended evacuation".

In chronological order from May 17 till today:

Reactor No.1′s fuel rods “completely melted” admits TEPCO

Japan gov’t “alarmed” by high levels of radioactive cesium detected outside of Tokyo in tea leaves picked May 15

BBC: “Melted floor” at Reactor No. 1 — Damage “far more severe than initially thought”

Melting of nuclear fuel at Reactors No. 2 and 3 “extensive if not complete” — “Far more dire than previously recognized”

“There have been nuclear explosions” — “Ongoing nuclear reaction taking place now” (VIDEO)

Molten fuel made it outside of Containment Vessel at Reactor No. 1– Pressure Vessel is “completely broken” says Kyoto U. nuclear professor

Rapid meltdown happened at Reactors No. 2 and 3 — Indicated by black smoke at No. 3

Melted fuel in Reactor No. 3 appears to have burned through pressure vessel — Loaded with rods containing plutonium

Nuclear Physicist: Most of the fallout from plutonium-containing MOX fuel will drop on U.S.

TEPCO says it has yet to be able to grasp “entire situation” at Fukushima — Will have to “drastically modify its plans”

Strange: U.S. made “strong request” that radioactive water be dumped in ocean says special adviser to Japan gov’t

Reactor No. 6 now has over 6 feet of contaminated water in turbine building — Water in reactor building may cause cooling system to fail

Nuclear Engineer: Almost all nuclear engineers have known since early on that the reactors have melted through the core

Fukushima worker’s told his internal radiation level is 30,000 cpm — “That’s never happened before”

Cesium-137 levels 100 times normal levels in Osaka, 350 miles SW of Fukushima — First-ever detection of cesium-134

British Scientist: There’s no doubt Fukushima dwarfs Chernobyl

Fukushima may release more radiation than Chernobyl: TEPCO

Korean TV news director exposed to 148 milliSieverts — Chromosome analysis shows 7 cells out of 1,000 damaged

Experts detect 5 times higher radiation levels in Tokyo than announced by government

“A Massive Cover-up”: Texas officials directed staff to change test results that showed drinking water exceeded EPA radiation limits

Report: Reactor No. 1 “exploded” after full meltdown — Similar pattern of disaster befell Reactors No. 2 and 3

Kyoto U. nuclear professor: Much more serious than I envisioned — We’re in uncharted territory for first time ever since humans started using nuclear power (VIDEO)

Highest Radiation Levels Yet: 1,000 millisieverts/hour found on debris outside Reactor No. 3

High levels of radioactive material found in Tokyo — 170,000 Bq/kg in slag approaches levels found in Fukushima

Nearly 5,000 nuke plant workers suffering internal radiation exposure after ‘visiting’ Fukushima — Local gov’t to consider testing residents

Testimony: University professor pressured not to release radiation data

Fukushima plant “seems to be going through a limited version of the China syndrome”

ACRO: Contamination from Fukushima meltdown is very large and comparable to environment of Chernobyl

Radiation at Reactor No. 1 skyrockets — Now over 200 Sieverts per hour

Over one thousand nuclear workers have internal radiation of 10,000+ cpm after visiting Fukushima

IBT: “Japan nuclear radiation leak gives birth to earless bunny?” (VIDEO)

IAEA informed in March that No. 1 reactor core started melting about 50 minutes after cooling stopped — Melted pile of fuel in 3.5 hours

Tepco Confirms Meltdown of Reactors No. 2 and 3 — No. 3 in worse condition

70,000 more “must evacuate around Fukushima” — Contamination up to several million Bq/m2


See also at this blog label: nuclear catastrophe for older news, background info and analysis.

Also retired nuclear engineer Arnie Gunderssen has regular video-analysis on this matter.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for all these updates Maju.
    they are a great help.
    keep up the great work, we all appreciate it.
    Cheers and regards
    A13

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm not providing anything here but you are welcome anyhow.

    I simply refuse to let the largest environmental and health catastrophe ever to die into mediatic nothingness. It should be first page in all media until it's "solved" in some satisfactory matter.

    ReplyDelete

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