Fukushima Reactor Disaster: Japan to Restart Nuclear Plants, Post #7824

[michaelteever]

Jeff, that's a given. Not to diminish their sacrifice whatsoever. My point was rather clumsily made. Nearly all initial information is distorted during a crisis of this magnitude. Especially nowadays when the truth is an ever increasingly rare commodity.

I appreciate your posts and the personal efforts provided to bring information forward.

FWIW I've been through the whole Chernobyl thing. Deaths, cover-ups, and dis-info. I've been there and seen what this stuff is really all about. Most of it I've been trying to forget because it's so damned ugly. Radiation sickness, cancers, deformities, areas closed for tens of thousands of years - the works.

Are there people out there with an agenda? Yes and they're bastards when they capitalize on fear and misery through duplicity.

Denial however is another insidious poison. Especially when vital time is lost.



===


.

Very insightful Tom, and to all of you have contributed to my limited knowledge in this thread, I appreciate it!!

But I must admit now, I've got a headache and am probably going to take a nap, after all...since I can't be all doom and gloom.

Gotta keep living your life, and mine consists of enjoying a few cocktails with my sweetie, a few friends and whatever family members make it, to celebrate our traditional St. Patrick's event in South Buffalo.

You'd have to be in Ireland to celebrate any hardier...

Just saying.

Michael

[minkykat]

What's this about no more flights allowed into Japan??

[Ellie]

Dazed said:

It IS bad. But it is NOT the end of the world. 6 moths from now, the effect on Japan is going to be marginal, if even measurable. The effect on the us will be nearly unmeasurable if even that bad.

THIS is the kind of unmitigated CRAP that I can't stand. I don't mind if you say, "In my opinion... blah blah blah..." But when you state this like you have the direct line to God, that offends me hugely. Because YOU ARE JUST SPECULATING, LIKE THE REST OF US. There's no PhD after your name, just like there isn't one after Jeffrey Thomason's. So far, MickeyMouse has consistently given the most balanced accounting of the various "what-if" scenarios.

If all you're going to do is sound like a cheerleading squad for nuclear power and the NRC, then I cordially invite you to STAY THE HELL OFF THIS THREAD. If you want to speculate, fine. Just don't make it sound like YOU KNOW, because YOU DON'T.

Period.

No one has even mentioned the birth defects that will appear for years after this melt. I am personally affected by the lies that gov'ts tell - my niece is a result of the lies of Three mile Island and our gov'ts happy lies, of don't panic. The doctors at Hershey Medical center are well aware of the number of children born with birth defects after TMI.... a foul legacy and I will never TRUST one darn thing they (NRC and thugs) tell to the people.

So will Japan soon forget this melt, well it depends if their children and grandchildren are born with missing or deformed limbs.

Time will tell, but truth has died - Nuke reactors are not safe especially when in the control of liars and greedy corps.

[Red Baron]

March 17, 2011

Japan Should Be First In Line for Potassium Iodide Pills

WASHINGTON (March 17, 2011)--The people of Japan should be given priority access to potassium iodide (KI) pills used to protect against thyroid cancer following inhalation of radioactive iodine, according to a recommendation released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Given the fact that Japan is thousands of miles from the United States, it is highly unlikely that Americans would be exposed to radioactive iodine from direct inhalation of a plume from the Fukushima nuclear complex. Direct inhalation is the kind of exposure that potassium iodide pills would be most effective against.

Regardless, there are reports that global supplies of potassium iodide pills are being depleted because Americans are buying them, prompting fears that there will not be adequate supplies in Japan in the event of a larger radiological release.

Besides inhalation, another way Americans could be exposed to radioactive iodine is if agricultural products were contaminated. Radioactive iodine could be ingested by dairy cows, for example, and then would be concentrated in milk. Potassium iodide, however, would not be an effective countermeasure in that situation. Moreover, federal and state health authorities would test for such contamination and could take products off the market if necessary.

The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading U.S. science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also has offices in Berkeley, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_rel...t-in-line.html

[Cascadians]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/wo...a/18intel.html
By DAVID E. SANGER and WILLIAM J. BROAD
Published: March 17, 2011

U.S. Flights Over Plant Gather Crucial Data


WASHINGTON — The first readings from American data-collection flights over the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan show that the worst of the contamination has not spewed beyond the 18-mile range of highest concern established by Japanese authorities, but there is also no indication that another day of frantic efforts to cool nuclear fuel in the reactors and spent fuel pools has yielded any progress, according United States government officials.

The data was collected in the first use of the Aerial Measurement System, among the most sophisticated devices rushed to Japan by the Obama administration in an effort to help contain a nuclear crisis that the top American nuclear official said Thursday could go on for “possibly weeks.”

The data show ground-level fallout of harmful radioactive pollution in the immediate vicinity of the stricken plant — a different standard than the trace amounts of radioactive particles in an atmospheric plume now projected to cover a much broader area.

While the findings were reassuring in the short term, the United States declined to back away from its warning to Americans to stay at least 50 miles from the plant, a far larger perimeter than the Japanese government has established.

President Obama affirmed the warning, saying in the Rose Garden on Thursday afternoon, that the decision was based on “a careful scientific evaluation” of the “substantial risk” to those near the plant. He also repeated that there was no expectation that the radioactive plume emitted by the plant would bring harmful levels of radiation to any part of the United States, including its territories in the Pacific.

But he also called for a “comprehensive review” of the country’s nuclear plants.

In interviews, American officials said their biggest worry about the Japanese plant was that a frenetic series of efforts by the Japanese military to get water into the four reactors there — including water cannons and fire-fighting helicopters that dumped water but appeared to largely miss their targets — showed few signs of working.

Another effort by the Japanese, to hook electric power back up to the plant, only began on Thursday and was likely to take several days to complete — and even then it was unclear how the cooling systems, in reactor buildings battered by the tsunami and then torn apart by hydrogen explosions, would work, if at all.

“What you are seeing are desperate efforts — just throwing everything at it in hopes something will work,” said one American official with long nuclear experience, who would not speak for attribution. “Right now this is more prayer than plan.”

After a day in which American and Japanese officials had radically different assessments of the danger of what is spewing from the plants, the two governments attempted Thursday to join forces. Experts met in Tokyo to compare notes. The United States, with Japanese permission, began to put the intelligence-collection aircraft over the site, in hopes of gaining a view for Washington as well as its allies in Tokyo that did not rely on the announcements of officials from the Tokyo Electric Power Company. Officials say they suspect that company has consistently underestimated the risk and moved too slowing to contain the damage.

Aircraft normally used to monitor North Korea’s nuclear weapons activities — a Global Hawk drone and U-2 spy planes — were flying missions over the reactor, trying to help the Japanese government map out its response to the quake, the tsunami and now the nuclear disaster.

President Obama made an unscheduled stop at the Japanese Embassy to sign a condolence book, writing, "My heart goes out to the people of Japan during this enormous tragedy.” He added: “Because of the strength and wisdom of its people, we know that Japan will recover, and indeed will emerge stronger than ever.”

But before the recovery can begin, the nuclear plants must be brought under control. And so American officials were fixated on the temperature readings inside the three reactors that had been operating until the earthquake shut them down, and at the spent fuel pools, looking for any signs that they were decreasing. So far they saw none, but on the Web site of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, it was clear that there were no readings at all from some critical areas. Part of the American effort, by satellites and aircraft, is to identify the hot-spots, something the Japanese have not been able to do in some cases.

Critical to that effort are the “pods” flown into Japan by the Air Force over the past day. Made for quick assessments of radiation emergencies, the Aerial Measuring System is an instrument pod that fits on a helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft to sample air and survey the land below. The information is used to produce colored maps of radiation exposure and contamination.

The sensors on the instrument pod are good at mapping radioactive isotopes, like Cesium-137, which has been detected around the stricken Japanese complex and has a half-life of 30 years. Its radiation can alter cellular function, leading to an increased risk of cancer.

Cesium-137 mixes easily with water and is chemically similar to potassium. It thus mimics how potassium gets metabolized in the body and can enter through many foods, including milk. Cesium gets widely distributed in the body and its concentrations are said to be higher in muscle tissues and lower in bones.

On Wednesday when the American Embassy in Tokyo, on advice from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told Americans to evacuate a radius of “approximately 50 miles” from the Fukushima plant, the recommendation was based on a specific calculation of risk of radioactive fallout i the affected area.

In a statement, the commission said the advice grew out of its assessment that projected radiation doses within the evacuation zone might exceed 1 rem to the body or 5 rem to the thyroid gland. It is extremely sensitive to Iodine-131 — another of the deadly radioactive byproducts of nuclear fuel that causes thyroid cancer.

A rem is a standard measure of radiation dose.

[Cascadians]

To me, no expert, it does not look like plugging an extension cord in will solve these problems:

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...actor-in-japan

[Jeffrey Thomason]

Errr wow...

http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=182524

From the BBC:

2226: The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, quoting a senior official of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, said the US made the offer immediately after the disaster damaged Fukushima No 1 nuclear plant. According to the unnamed senior official, US support was based on dismantling the troubled reactors run by Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) some 250 km (155 miles) northeast of Tokyo. However, the government and TEPCO thought the cooling system could be restored by themselves, the report said.

Am I reading this right?

Our government demanded that the Japanese dismantle - that is, permanently remove - over five gigawatts of power in order to help them with a critical safety problem that had the potential to destroy 100 square miles of land and kill or injure thousands of people?

That as compensation for helping them we demanded that they cripple their electrical generating capacity on a permanent basis?

You have to be kidding me.

This is an extremely serious charge. If it's true it stands alone as grounds for impeachment and dismembering of every single federal agency involved.

Perhaps this explains why the US Military and/or civilian authorities didn't stick a couple of big-ass generators on a transport plane and get them over there, restoring power to the reactors within hours of the incident and avoiding all of the serious radiation and physical damage at the plant.

This allegation is ridiculously incendiary and demands an immediate and complete Congressional investigation. Not only do the citizens of the United States deserve to know the truth (or falsity) of this charge (and who initiated it if it is false), but so do the Japanese people.

If this is how this man treats our friends and attempts to use a crisis threatening the lives of civilians to score a political point and advance his "green" agenda.....

[Warthog]

OK...what did I miss? Last I heard we had nothing to worry about. Now we won't be able to grow crops or food? Please explain!!!!

Sure it will grow, but who wants to eat it?

[willowlady]

Thank you for the answer, Fringe Ranger.

No, the material did not go airborne. The rods are down in a well, and at the time the hydrogen explosions happened they were still in a secure building and more or less fully covered with water. The blast popped apart the buildings' shells and may have damaged the spent pool, but would not have been able to launch the entire water body including the fuel rods, so they stayed put at that time.

When they catch fire, of course, particles will go airborne.

[bbkaren]

March 17, 2011

Japan Should Be First In Line for Potassium Iodide Pills

WASHINGTON (March 17, 2011)--The people of Japan should be given priority access to potassium iodide (KI) pills used to protect against thyroid cancer following inhalation of radioactive iodine, according to a recommendation released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Given the fact that Japan is thousands of miles from the United States, it is highly unlikely that Americans would be exposed to radioactive iodine from direct inhalation of a plume from the Fukushima nuclear complex. Direct inhalation is the kind of exposure that potassium iodide pills would be most effective against.

Regardless, there are reports that global supplies of potassium iodide pills are being depleted because Americans are buying them, ...

Why on EARTH is not every single individual equipped with this item in a nation where so many are within spitting distance of nuclear power stations? When we move to TN near a nuclear plant, it'd be the first thing I'd make sure we had. (Besides the fact that, being preppers to begin with, we already have a month's worth for our family on hand here in NJ).

[MickeyMouse]

Sure it will grow, but who wants to eat it?

Why NOT eat it?

Little radioactive contaminate is going to make the journey from Japan as there is nothing propeling it high enough into the atmosphere.

Um, radioactive iodine, I-131? Gone in 80 days, dated from when the chain reaction stopped. There is NONE in the spent fuel pools as the fuel has been out of the reactor (so far as I know) for longer than 10 half lives of I-131 or 80 days. I-131 would have to originate from one of 1, 2, or 3. So far none of them have had anywhere near an energetic enough event to loft the stuff high into the atmosphere.

Cesium-137? Yep, nasty stuff. 30 year half life so will not be gone for 300 years. HOWEVER, it takes a lot more than a spek to matter. Unless a sufficient quantity is deposited on crops and taken up, it adds little or nothing to the background radiation level. Even if tons of the stuff were released in Japan, by the time it arrived in the USA it would be spread out so wide that any particular place (or plant) would get only a tiny amount of it. Unlikely you could detect it if you swept all your food with a Geiger counter. (BTW, you DO KNOW that most bananas are radioactive, don't you? Get out your Geiger counter and check!)

Same is true of all the other particles that may arrive from the disaster including Uranum, Plutonium, Strontium and all the other feared materials.

Concentration folks, concentration! If someone pees in a big lake and you are 100' away does it matter if you drink the water? No.

[bbkaren]

Besides, I'm being simplistic here but isn't half our food irradiated before we get it anyway nowadays?

[Cascadians]

Irradiated and then we stick it in the microwave ...

[MickeyMouse]

Besides, I'm being simplistic here but isn't half our food irradiated before we get it anyway nowadays?

Sadly, no. Unwarranted fear precludes wider use of a proven way to reduce disease.

In any event, you are making a common error. Irradiated and contaminated are two different things. I'll try to explain.

If you are standing next to an operating reactor and the shield has been removed, you will be irradiated or EXPOSED. Strong enough rate and you have REAL problems !! However, you are not contaminated, just exposed, mostly to GAMMA radiation.

OTOH, if you are sprayed with, say, Cesium, as a powder or liquid, NOW you are contaminated. You walk around and peole near you are EXPOSED but not necessarily contaminated unless you rub some of the stuff off you and on to them. Cesium decays by emmiting a Beta particle and Gamma radiation. While it is on you or close to you, then you will be exposed to its emmisions, Gamma being the most dangerous. If you wash it off and move away from the place where it went, exposure is reduced or eliminated, depending on how long it was on you, how well you washed and whether you were protected by clothing or other covering.

Remember radiation follows square law. If you are twice as far away, you receive one fourth of the radiation. Distance is your friend!!

To recap:
EXPOSURE means you were close to a SOURCE of radiation.
CONTAMINATED means you got something on or in your body or clothes that emits RADIATION and therefore EXPOSES you to that RADIATION.

Square law. Double the distance, 1/4 the EXPOSURE. Four times the distance, 1/16 the exposure.

Help a little?

[Cascadians]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...r-2245413.html
By Oliver Wright, Whitehall Editor
Friday, 18 March 2011

British ministers 'spooked' by chief scientific advisor

Senior ministers were "misinformed" about the risks of a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant by the Government's chief scientific advisor, The Independent has learnt.

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday ministers were briefed on the "worst-case scenario" by Sir John Beddington. But less than 24 hours later the situation had deteriorated beyond even the most pessimistic private forecasts by Sir John. As a consequence, there was a significant delay in advising British residents to leave Tokyo and the surrounding area.

Yesterday a plane flew to Japan to be on standby to evacuate the British rescue teams working in the disaster zone in case of further leaks. The Foreign Office advised British nationals in Tokyo and to the north of the capital to consider leaving the area.

The Independent understands that both moves were ordered by ministers after they realised that earlier briefings had significantly underestimated the risk of a full nuclear meltdown.

"This has really spooked us," one minister said. "On Tuesday we were given a briefing by Sir John outlining the risk of nuclear leaks at the plant. He outlined a range of possibilities. But within 24 hours we were already in a position where things had already deteriorated beyond what he had described as the worst-case scenario. We were misinformed of the dangers."

Yesterday Sir John took to the airwaves to admit that the Government was now "extremely worried" about the situation and, in particular, the effect of fuel tanks leaking in plants five and six.

Sir John said: "We are worried about that. The reason we're worried is there is a substantial volume of material there and that this, once open to the air and starting to heat up, can start to emit significant amounts of radiation.

"If it starts to emit significant amounts of radiation then that will undermine the ability of the Japanese authorities to actually work in the vicinity because there will be a danger to human health. So that's why the situation has changed and why we're very worried."

It contrasts sharply with his position on Tuesday when, as well as briefing Cabinet, he told Britain's ambassador to Japan there was "unequivocally" no problem with radiation in the Tokyo area.

He said then: "What would be a reasonable worst-case scenario? If the Japanese fail to keep the reactors cool and fail to keep the pressure in the containment vessels at an appropriate level, you can get this dramatic word 'meltdown'... it's not serious for elsewhere."

[Cascadians]

Per above article it sounds like the US & Brit .govs now expect full nuclear meltdown.

[MickeyMouse]

Why on EARTH is not every single individual equipped with this item in a nation where so many are within spitting distance of nuclear power stations? When we move to TN near a nuclear plant, it'd be the first thing I'd make sure we had. (Besides the fact that, being preppers to begin with, we already have a month's worth for our family on hand here in NJ).

Referring to Potassium Iodate or Potassium Iodide. (Sometimes a quote leaves behind important information!!)

You are correct, why DOESN'T everyone keep a proper supply on hand? Doesn't matter if you are right next to a nuke. One could get deposited a hundred miles up wind of you by an unfriendly person. The stuff is cheap, stable and a godsend IF you need it. Should a need arise, and you don't have it, you are NOT going to be able to obtain it!! Like most preps, what you can lay your hands on is yours. What you need to get, you ain't got and may well not be able to GET.

Do you have a survey meter, calibrated and ready for use?
A Geiger counter to check food, water, people entering your place?
A dosimeter so you know your cumulative exposure over time?
The knowledge to use these things (no fair looking on the late great internet AFTER TSHTF!!!) ??

If not, why not?

[Cascadians]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...117246/1/.html
18 March 2011 0757 hrs

TEPCO asked to pull workers from nuclear plant: report

TOKYO - Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) asked the Japanese government earlier this week to permit a full withdrawal of its employees from the troubled nuclear plant now facing fears of a meltdown, a daily said Friday.

TEPCO had first concluded that it would be "difficult" for its workers to continue to restore the Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant, where high levels of radiation have been monitored, the Mainichi Shimbun said.

TEPCO sounded out the plan on Monday after explosions and fire hit the nuclear reactors crippled by a massive earthquake and tsunami.

But Prime Minister Naoto Kan turned down the request, telling TEPCO: "Withdrawal is impossible. It's not a matter of whether TEPCO collapses. It's a matter of whether Japan goes wrong," according to Mainichi.

An unnamed official related to TEPCO, however, was quoted by Mainichi as saying: "If withdrawal is unacceptable, it's as if (Kan) said 'Do it until you are exposed to radiation and die."

Up to 5,000 people used to work at the plant. TEPCO has not announced the number of employees still working inside the facility. Some news reports say around 70 people are working now.

[MickeyMouse]

To me, no expert, it does not look like plugging an extension cord in will solve these problems:

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...actor-in-japan

Great picture, thank you!

This is reactor #4 looking in from the sea. (Obviously and aerial view!) The wisp of steam rising from the wrecked fuel loading area is from the spent fuel pool, obviously hot. The building in the foreground is where the turbines are located. Note the door at the corner and that it is partially blown outward, possibly from the pressure pulse when the reactor building was damaged. (The buildings are connected.)

No Cascadias, an extension cord won't fix it. However, adequate, reliable electrical power will help - a lot. With power it may be possible to repair pumps and restore cooling to the steaming pool toward the top. Very good thing. Not likely they can do that without power. Small steps.........

[Catbird]

Presser by Edano coming up "soonish".

[bbkaren]

Did I miss where the whole "we're bringing in power to run the water pumps" thing didn't work?

[Hansa44]

What is really starting to get on my nerves is that statement gov. and authorities keep making that they won't allow anyone in there to work on these reactors because it MAY ENDANGER THEIR HEALTH!!

As compared to what may I ask? Endangering the lives of many millions? I know there are people that would give their lives to help others if they're given the opportunity. I tend to believe there's plenty of people on TB that would do the same if necessary.

So what the hell is going on? I can only figure they're are saying this because the situation is totally unrepairable. FUBAR!

[Jeffrey Thomason]

A comparison shot, I'd like to believe I can see water in the pool:

[Publius]

To me, no expert, it does not look like plugging an extension cord in will solve these problems:

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...actor-in-japan

effort

Nope, they blew it as they did not make an all out effort to get generators to the site in the first 24 to 36 hours, after that it a run away and all they did was delay what we now see.

[Jeffrey Thomason]

Nope, they blew it as they did not make an all out effort to get generators to the site in the first 24 to 36 hours, after that it a run away and all they did was delay what we now see.

Honest question... given the risks involved in inaction, why would they not make an all out effort? What benefit would they have in not trying everything at their disposal?

[Catbird]

Translated tweets from presser. I think it's TEPCO talking right now, to be followed be Edano, I think.

"kenmogi

1. Ppl working at site equipped with radioactivity detectors giving alarm at 80% of permitted exposure. #japan #earthquake 1 minute ago via web

2. The 5 water cannon cars are now stationed 20km from the nuclear plant, loading of water proceeding. #japan #earthquake 4 minutes ago via web

3. SDF to resume water cannon car operations in the afternoon at the troubled reactors, NHK reports. #japan #earthquake 5 minutes ago via web



"W7VOA

2. Kyodo: 130 Tokyo firefighters sent to Fukushima nuke plant. 12 minutes ago via TweetDeck

[Anjou]

March 17, 2011

there are reports that global supplies of potassium iodide pills are being depleted because Americans are buying them, prompting fears that there will not be adequate supplies in Japan in the event of a larger radiological release.
http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_rel...t-in-line.html

This sounds odd. This disaster hasn't been going on long enough for Americans to buy more potassium iodide than what is available at retail (in stores and online). What, was Japan going to suddenly send out a plea for all stores to suddenly send over boxes of potassium iodide? I don't think so. For wide population administration in a crisis like this it's a government-stockpile thing - whether it's U.S. or Japan or the rest of the world community. (In other words, was there ever any valid info beneath that depletion part of the story? It doesn't sound like it, unless you are just considering that someone in Tokyo can't buy them at a decent price, which is a point - but if there was rapid buying in Tokyo you'd expect the same.)

[LONEWOLF]

I'd think that judging by the size of the Fukushima NPP area, the amount of electricity necessary to maintain standard operations would be HUGE compared with the amount of juice possibly generated by portable units. A few diesel units cannot replace a cities-worth of power. Now if the USS Enterprise could sit close by that's another story, but it's not the case at all. I'm sure the intelligent Japanese did all within their ample power to stop this mess from getting any larger but it was soon out-of-control no matter if the US Marines and Light Brigade put their shoulders to the wheel. This is simply a once-in-a-10-thousand year event.....

[MickeyMouse]

Nope, they blew it as they did not make an all out effort to get generators to the site in the first 24 to 36 hours, after that it a run away and all they did was delay what we now see.

I don't think generators would have solved the problem. May have helped with the spent fuel pools, I'm not sure. They did get gennys on site the next day or so.

What has never been reported is what damage was sustained to critical pumps and piping as well as DI water tanks.

Remember, when the reactor SCRAMS due to an EQ it is full of 1000 PSI steam. The Core Isolation Cooling Pump is steam driven, NOT electric. It could cool the reactor fully for many hours, so long as water is in the supression pool. The steam vented goes to the pool so the plant will care for itself a long time IF, repeat IF there is not serious EQ damage to that pump and piping. As yet, TEPCO has not explained why the CICP failed.

Make-up water is stored in DI water tanks. Was the pump disabled or the tanks? That IS an electric pump but during the hour before the Tsunami it should have filled the reactor to proper level. Suppression pool cooling was probably damaged as the pools heated pretty quickly.

[Catbird]

The DI tanks were taken out by the tsunami at the same time that the original generators were. I'd have to dig back in the thread but I remember posting about it at some point.

[Jeffrey Thomason]

I posted this earlier: http://www.worldvillage.org/fia/kinkyu_english.php

And it's updated:

[Catbird]

TEPCO is still droning on, I think.

"marisa_nt

1. Radiation levels dropped a little on Thu at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after a water injection by pump trucks. NHK 1 minute ago via TweetDeck

2. An image of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant taken Wed. It convinced them to prioritize no 3 reactor which appears in greater trouble. NHK 3 minutes ago via TweetDeck

3. TEP plans to activate cooling system of No 2 reactor @ Fukushima N-plant as early as Fri night after restoring power to the system. : NHK 7 minutes ago via TweetDeck

[MickeyMouse]

The DI tanks were taken out by the tsunami at the same time that the original generators were. I'd have to dig back in the thread but I remember posting about it at some point.

Thanks Catbird, I missed that. Shame on me!!

[Catbird]

No prob MM. There's only been what... 50 some pages of details to remember.

----------

"W7VOA

1. martyn_williams General radiation levels still not at level to impact human health - Edano 8 minutes ago via TweetDeck Retweeted by W7VOA and 10 others

2. As we mentioned earlier, Edano confirming cooling effort on site will resume this afternoon (it's 11 a.m. here). 5 minutes ago via TweetDeck

3. Japan gov't spokesman: There's water in the Reactor-3 cooling pool now but not sure quantity. 9 minutes ago via TweetDeck

4. Chief Cabinet Sect'y now briefing reporters in Tokyo. 12 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# Edano denies any lack of coolant for the time being (can use seawater). less than 10 seconds ago via TweetDeck

# Edano says reactors 3, 4 remain priority. (R3 has MOX spent fuel) 1 minute ago via TweetDeck

# Edano: Tokyo FD trucks to spray Reactor 1 Fukushima-1. 2 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# Edano is the Chief Cabinet Secretary of the Prime Min. Kan's government. 3 minutes ago via TweetDeck

# Japan gov't spokesman: Work at Fukushima this morning centered on restoring power needed to cool crippled nuke plant. 4 minutes ago via TweetDeck


"martyn_williams

NEWS ADVISORY: IAEA chief Amano to meet with Kan at 2:15 p.m. - Kyodo 17 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Edano says govt sure that water from water drop, cannon did enter spent fuel pool, but unable to say how much 13 minutes ago via TweetDeck

[Kent]

I think Shane has/had a bigger supply of KI than the Government.

[Anjou]

That's a total of roughly 4,254,100 pounds of uranium on site.

That sounds like a lot.

[WakeMeUp]

I really don't understand people poo-pooing any danger as if we're all nuclear physicists. I just want the truth, but I doubt we're going to get any except by connecting the "dots".

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/wo...er=rss&emc=rss

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15gGuQJzD-U

[SIRR1]

[QUOTE=Exodia;4022989]

Maybe because in reality, it won't make a difference. It's too late to save the day with power. In the long term, they will need the power to conduct whatever sealing operations they will have to do, so might as well continue the work that has to be done anyway.

Originally Posted by undead

I am confused.

If hooking up power lines to get the water pumps restarted is going to fix everything, then why didn't they bring in as many industrial diesel generators as they needed days ago to accomplish the very same thing?


I made that statement many, many, many posts ago and why they did not go all out to get them there?!! Someone thats in control that should not be.


Ya know, maybe possibly the folks who were in charge of the fukushima plants emergency response team were killed in the earth quake or tsunami.

And that is why the people who were in charge from Friday on at the fukushima plant did not have a clue on what to do like calling for big gennys to power the cooling pumps...

Something drastically wrong had to happen here because the people in charge were for sure amateurs.

This was not suppost to happen!

SIRR1

[MickeyMouse]

I think Shane has/had a bigger supply of KI than the Government.

If the governemnt stockpiled KI they would be admitting there might be a need for it. They would rather stick their heads in the sand. What else is new?

[Zinnia]

[QUOTE=SIRR1;4023568]

Originally Posted by undead

I am confused.

If hooking up power lines to get the water pumps restarted is going to fix everything, then why didn't they bring in as many industrial diesel generators as they needed days ago to accomplish the very same thing?


I made that statement many, many, many posts ago and why they did not go all out to get them there?!! Someone thats in control that should not be.


Ya know, maybe possibly the folks who were in charge of the fukushima plants emergency response team were killed in the earth quake or tsunami.

And that is why the people who were in charge from Friday on at the fukushima plant did not have a clue on what to do like calling for big gennys to power the cooling pumps...

Something drastically wrong had to happen here because the people in charge were for sure amateurs.

This was not suppost to happen!

SIRR1

My husband has also been wondering about this.