...According to a 25 March 2011 Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency press release, (cick title to entry - thank you) the results of the examinations indicated that the dose rate "of all the 66 children including 14 infants from 1 to 6 years old had no big difference from the level of background and was at the level of no problem in light of the view of Nuclear Safety Commission."...
The important aspect to this report, which appears at the IAEA website, is that the initial RESPONSE by the Japanese and its citizens was correct. They evacuated the area where the danger WAS BEGINNING in time to save lives and with a large margin of safety. The Japanese government is to be congratulated for its rapid response to a highly dangerous set of circumstances.
From the same website:
Update on Conditions of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
At Unit 1 ...While the pressure in the reactor vessel remains high, Japanese authorities are reporting that it has stabilized.
At Unit 2 engineers are working for the recovery of lighting in the main control room, and the instrumentation and cooling systems.
At Unit 3, ...three workers were exposed to elevated levels of radiation on 24 March.
At Unit 4, the spent fuel pool was sprayed with around 150 tonnes of water using concrete pump truck.
Units 5 and 6, cooling started again 21 minutes after repairs were made.
At the Common Spent Fuel, ...the water temperature of the pool was around 73 °C.
As of 24 March, 10:30 UTC workers continue to inject seawater into the reactor pressure vessels of Units 1, 2 and 3 and are preparing to inject pure water.
These are the current conditions for the six nuclear facilities in question, they have been compromised in the recent past so while the cuurrent conditions are optimistic, except for Unit 3 and Unit 4, the environment did receive contaimination.
Mar. 25 2011 - 4:43 am
VIENNA—Japanese scientists have found measurable concentrations of radioactive iodine-131 and cesium-137 in seawater samples taken 30 kilometres from land, the UN nuclear watchdog said Thursday.
“The iodine concentrations were at or above Japanese regulatory limits, and the cesium levels were well below those limits,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
Japanese authorities had given the agency data on samples collected on March 22-23, after detecting iodine and cesium in the water near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant....
The contamination noted in the seawater off the coast of Japan is NOT due to helicopters ferrying seawater to the nuclear reactors. Nice try to conceal the truth, but, that isn't the cause. The cause is the wind and percipitation that existed.
Why is it important to monitor these levels of dangerous substances? Because, culturally, the Japanese value seafood. To INSURE all the people are safe from ACCUMULATIONS of these radioactive 'elements' on in areas where they don't belong, the Japanese scientists are taking every measurement possible to determine 'individual' levels and the potential for accumulation over time.
The Japanese government has been magnificent in 'being ahead of the curve' in monitoing ANY effects post earthquake and tsunami of the radioactivity that is a part of the environment.
The estimations regarding the core breach of at least one of the nuclear facilites may result in a sarcophagus. The first sarcophagus ever noted to the human experience was Chernobyl in 1986. It has been effective, however, radiation is radiation and it deteriorates structures in ways that other dynamics do not. Twenty-five years for a concrete structure is about half the life of what one would expect for any such structure if not containing a highly radioactive power plant. If there is some leakage from the Chernobyl sarcophagus it is more a statement of how effective it has been in the face of incredible odds for it to be otherwise.
The problem with the Japanese facilities is its close location to ocean water and being use the radioactivity is contained from further effecting the fisheries. It will a little more tricky than Chernobyl. But, if anything Chernobyl has proven it can be done and gives us a 'baseline' to the longevity of the sarcophagus as a containment structure while best finding still yet another solution to extent the safety surrounding these damaged and dangrous plants.
The important aspect to this report, which appears at the IAEA website, is that the initial RESPONSE by the Japanese and its citizens was correct. They evacuated the area where the danger WAS BEGINNING in time to save lives and with a large margin of safety. The Japanese government is to be congratulated for its rapid response to a highly dangerous set of circumstances.
From the same website:
Update on Conditions of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
At Unit 1 ...While the pressure in the reactor vessel remains high, Japanese authorities are reporting that it has stabilized.
At Unit 2 engineers are working for the recovery of lighting in the main control room, and the instrumentation and cooling systems.
At Unit 3, ...three workers were exposed to elevated levels of radiation on 24 March.
At Unit 4, the spent fuel pool was sprayed with around 150 tonnes of water using concrete pump truck.
Units 5 and 6, cooling started again 21 minutes after repairs were made.
At the Common Spent Fuel, ...the water temperature of the pool was around 73 °C.
As of 24 March, 10:30 UTC workers continue to inject seawater into the reactor pressure vessels of Units 1, 2 and 3 and are preparing to inject pure water.
These are the current conditions for the six nuclear facilities in question, they have been compromised in the recent past so while the cuurrent conditions are optimistic, except for Unit 3 and Unit 4, the environment did receive contaimination.
Mar. 25 2011 - 4:43 am
...Two weeks into the crisis (click here) caused by Japan’s run-away nuclear reactors, the government has expanded the zone it considers too dangerous for residents to remain. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the decision to urge people living between 20-30 kilometers (12-18 miles) from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power facility to “voluntarily evacuate” was not because of any increased risk of radiation from the power plant....
I remind, the USA presented a warning to USA citizens in Japan to evacuate the area to 30 miles. It is proving to be prudent and providing a GOOD safety zone with peace of mind. Now, the current Japanese assessment and increasing 'safety zone' is based on current conditions and continuous monitoring. It is not that the Japanese are wrong in regard to their vigilance and safety of its citizens, it's policies are different. The USA standard is based on the understanding citizens of the USA value their peace of mind. While the two countries see the safety zone slightly differently it may be based in the way they exert their polices and monitoring. The USA did not have active monitors in the way Japan does. Whether one method of determining the safety zone is better than another is a discussion I am sure will happen at the IAEA.
Radioactive elements found in seawater off Japan (click here)
Published On Thu Mar 24 2011VIENNA—Japanese scientists have found measurable concentrations of radioactive iodine-131 and cesium-137 in seawater samples taken 30 kilometres from land, the UN nuclear watchdog said Thursday.
“The iodine concentrations were at or above Japanese regulatory limits, and the cesium levels were well below those limits,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
Japanese authorities had given the agency data on samples collected on March 22-23, after detecting iodine and cesium in the water near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant....
The contamination noted in the seawater off the coast of Japan is NOT due to helicopters ferrying seawater to the nuclear reactors. Nice try to conceal the truth, but, that isn't the cause. The cause is the wind and percipitation that existed.
Why is it important to monitor these levels of dangerous substances? Because, culturally, the Japanese value seafood. To INSURE all the people are safe from ACCUMULATIONS of these radioactive 'elements' on in areas where they don't belong, the Japanese scientists are taking every measurement possible to determine 'individual' levels and the potential for accumulation over time.
The Japanese government has been magnificent in 'being ahead of the curve' in monitoing ANY effects post earthquake and tsunami of the radioactivity that is a part of the environment.
The estimations regarding the core breach of at least one of the nuclear facilites may result in a sarcophagus. The first sarcophagus ever noted to the human experience was Chernobyl in 1986. It has been effective, however, radiation is radiation and it deteriorates structures in ways that other dynamics do not. Twenty-five years for a concrete structure is about half the life of what one would expect for any such structure if not containing a highly radioactive power plant. If there is some leakage from the Chernobyl sarcophagus it is more a statement of how effective it has been in the face of incredible odds for it to be otherwise.
The problem with the Japanese facilities is its close location to ocean water and being use the radioactivity is contained from further effecting the fisheries. It will a little more tricky than Chernobyl. But, if anything Chernobyl has proven it can be done and gives us a 'baseline' to the longevity of the sarcophagus as a containment structure while best finding still yet another solution to extent the safety surrounding these damaged and dangrous plants.
