World

Developing: Another Explosion Rocks Troubled Fukushima Nuclear Reactor

Kyodo:

The sound of a blast was heard Tuesday morning at the troubled No. 2 reactor of the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the government said.

The incident occurred at 6:10 a.m. and is feared to have damaged the reactor’s pressure-suppression system, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said, citing a report from the plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power Co.

In a news briefing, Tokyo Electric officials confirmed the blast at reactor 2 happened “near the pressure vessel.”  They also confirm that some staff at the nuclear power plant are being evacuated while 50 employees are staying behind at the Fukushima plant.  Radioactive materials are feared to be leaking.

Higher radiation levels have been measured in Ibaraki — south of Fukushima — suggesting there may be a crack in the reactor’s containment dome.

The latest explosion is the third in four days at the Fukushima, amid fears of a meltdown.

Update

Kyodo confirms radiation levels surrounding the Fukushima nuke plant increased dramatically following Monday afternoon’s explosion.

The radiation level at the troubled nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture shot up to 8,217 micro sievert per hour temporarily Tuesday morning after an explosion was heard at its No. 2 reactor, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

The level as of 8:31 p.m. was more than eight times the 1,000 micro sievert level to which people are usually exposed in one year.

Tim Trevan, a former U.N. weapons inspector, offered his insight on reports out of Japan. Trevan says the latest explosion means there’s a problem getting water in to cool down the fuel rods:

FNC’s Shep Smith also heard new earthquake warning sirens sounding off in Tokyo:

Update 10:38 p.m.
The New York Times reports:

Japan faced the likelihood of a catastrophic nuclear accident Tuesday morning, as an explosion at the most crippled of three reactors at the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Station damaged its crucial steel containment structure, emergency workers were withdrawn from the plant, and much larger emissions of radioactive materials appeared immiment, according to official statements and industry executives informed about the developments.

With the latest explosion, NBC’s Tom Costello predicts a situation eclipsing Three Mile Island:

Developing: Another Explosion Rocks Troubled Fukushima Nuclear Reactor

Japanese government officials warn that a fourth reactor has caught fire and residents within 20 kilometers of the plant should stay inside to minimize their risk of getting radiation sickness.

Japanese police say the official death toll stands at 2,414, but worry at least 10,000 are dead.

Update 11:14 p.m.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano says: “Now we are talking about levels that can impact human health. I would like all of you to embrace this information calmly. These are readings taken near the area where we believe that the release of radioactive substances is occurring. The further away you get from the power plant or reactor the value should go down”.

Developing…

Comments (58)

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  • lane829
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 10:48pm

    I have zero faith in the poor japs, dont get me wrong they made some good cars and tv’s and such, but i dont trust that they can do anything to stop this, given the incompetence already demonstrated. Rewind:
    Building nuke plants on a fault, ok their island blows and they need the power, free pass.
    Using said plants for 40 some years.
    Failure to build a snorkel on those generators, let alone seal them in a nice safe dry room, seal up the fuel, run a few tests maybe.
    Failure to helicopter in and HOOK UP additional generators in the 8 HOURS they had with back-up battery. Saying “the connections were wrong” doesn’t cut it. figure it out.
    Only having 8 hours of back up battery.
    Not having a reliable back up source of non sea water on hand in case of city failure. (water tower, tank, well, filter)
    Not having a nice simple set of back up pumps and vents that can be manually manipulated.
    Im sure i missed some things.
    But its all water under the bridge at this point.
    All we can do is pray for the poor arrogant bastards.

    P.S. I tried to retrace my steps on some pretty ugly Chernobyl research i did years ago, cant find much of the nasty stuff. It makes for a horrible read if you can find some of it, the soviets really attacked the problem, at the expense of their own people, right down to the farmer with a front end loader. Some one has to clean up right?

    Report Post »  
    • AzDebi
      Posted on March 15, 2011 at 12:33am

      @LANE:
      “P.S. I tried to retrace my steps on some pretty ugly Chernobyl research i did years ago, cant find much of the nasty stuff. It makes for a horrible read if you can find some of it, the soviets really attacked the problem, at the expense of their own people…”
      ____________________-
      http://www.mediastorm.com/publication/chernobyl-legacy

      Report Post » AzDebi  
  • RugDog
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 10:25pm

    Please send Jesse Jackson! Please!!!!

    Report Post » RugDog  
  • King Dave
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 10:14pm

    it might

    Report Post »  
  • heavyduty
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 10:14pm

    It doesn’t matter what type of fuel source you use, the greeners will never be satisfied, and will always find something wrong with it. Then when they finally get us back to the dark ages, then they will gripe that it’s too hot, or cold, to wet, to dry, not enough light, and all the rest of it. You can’t plan for all the different scenarios that can happen to these plants. But just like Shep, (I had a dog named Shep) they will never believe that they have the whole news story. They will always think that the company or person will be holding something back.
    Hopefully Japan will be able to contain these reactors soon, and they will be able to clean up this mess. I will be praying for them daily.

    Report Post »  
  • donh2
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 9:57pm

    Some of my Japanese friends here have family back home worried that the entire Island of Japan is going to sink under the ocean and become the next Atlantis.

    Report Post »  
  • King Dave
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 9:54pm

    the 3rd was Godzilla farting because he saved Japan by eating the nuke plants and it gave him gas is all.just a Godzilla Fart Cloud.

    Report Post »  
  • Sr Newk
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 9:26pm

    Glenn,
    You did a pretty good job of explaining the Reactor Vessel, Primary Containment, and the Reactor Building. The Primary Containment’s inner wall, floor is welded steel plate which is re-enforced with steel rebar and concrete. If someone as the question about emission neutrons the answer is yes the neutron stream increase from the vessel, however there is a biological shield wall that completely encircles the vessel. The shield wall is constructed with steel rebar and concrete, and the placement of steel rebar is arranged where you cannot get a pencil through it. The Primary Containment is also constructed in the same manner on the concrete and rebar is thicker in measurement. The use of the pressure cooker was a good example.

    Majority of the plants in the US are Pressurized Water Reactors, Japan reactors are Boiling Water Reactors for those who want to learn more about the types of reactors the internet shows illustrations of the types and the differences in design.

    Report Post » Sr Newk  
  • BeingThere
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 9:18pm

    I think that this is definitely the WRONG name for a nuclear reactor! LOL

    Report Post » BeingThere  
  • mossbrain
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:29pm

    I’ve heard the dolphins are planning a beach assult. They are planning on clubbing the Japs to death while they are weak with radiation poisoning as revenge for the Japs annual slaughtering of their kinfolk.

    I fear not the coming radiation clouds. I already live in an underground cave and have rolls and rolls of tin foil at my disposal. All you above ground dwellers will henceforth be reffered to as Mutants.

    Report Post » mossbrain  
  • the old plumber
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:21pm

    This is bad but we need the facts and they need to begin a cap plan to seal these reactors like in Russia
    they have waited too long .

    Report Post »  
  • miles from nowhere
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:15pm

    If you think the reactor problem in Japan is big watch Obama use this to raise hell in this country with Americans and our livelihoods for no good reason. The news will do everything in there power to sensationalize what has happened in Japan to make money on the story. I am only warning people to watch out for our goofy president and especially George Soros, these guys are buddies and if there is a stock out there that they are going to try and convince people to buy in this time of Japans crisis you can bet that Obama and Soros will take advantage of it. My understanding is that Soros wants people to buy a certain stock that he has invested heavily in and he will have political pull to encourage you to spend money on it from known sources. Truthfully I am more concerned about the bond markets in the world then the overall crisis in Japan.

    Report Post »  
    • trueblueday
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 9:39pm

      Which stock, GE? Can’t be Toyota – he already wrecked that a year ago.

      Report Post »  
  • Showtime
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:15pm

    Thank you, scientists, who post here.

    Report Post » Showtime  
  • smartypoop
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:13pm

    http://www.nei.org/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/
    http://www.nei.org
    A really good article, from the folks who know, not the panting blathering idiots hoping for a meltdown to improve ratings.

    Report Post »  
  • Contrarian51
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:05pm

    The pace of development of nuclear power plants was already at a crawl, or less, and now with these developments we have useful idiot Joe Lieberman suggesting we need to put the brakes on until we figure out what happened and can safeguard against it. In other words, having not started construction on a new plant since 1977 (36 years) and having not brought a new plant on line since 1996 (15 years), we need to slow down this frantic pace. Hard to believe anything could move that slowly if the brakes weren’t already being applied, isn’t it?

    We’ve seen what the administration did to domestic oil production after the BP spill, and now we’ll see the same approach applied to nuclear. Not only will you soon be unable to put gas in your car, you won’t be able to keep the lights on in your home.

    How long before the people start to panic and beg government to save them, even at the cost of becoming wards of the state? Can we get to 2012 before the masses capitulate?

    Report Post »  
  • donh2
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:58pm

    Is there anything more Oxymoronic than a “ controlled leak ” ? …If you had control, there would be no leak. Its this oxymoron code speak than makes me distrust the virtual realty terms spoken by the nuclear experts “ Catastrophy unlikely ”

    Report Post »  
  • imareader
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:53pm

    ..God help those people….fervent prayers for all those who are working to get this situation under control, as well as those who are going through this unimaginable horror.

    Report Post »  
  • JRsas2000
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:38pm

    My prayers are with them.

    Report Post »  
  • Exrepublisheep
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:35pm

    Damn.

    Report Post » Exrepublisheep  
  • Chuck Stein
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:34pm

    We need to help them in any way we can. Time is so essential in cooling these reactors down.
    When a reactor is first shut down, 7% of the full power is still being produced by the decay of fission products. After 2.5 hours, that is down to 1% of full power. By now, it should be down to 0.5% of full power. Time is on the side of avoiding catastrophe.

    Report Post »  
    • Psychosis
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:01pm

      unless the fissil material isnt cooled……………..in that case, it just gets hotter and hotter it will reach a point of fuel failure and a complete meltdown

      now that is not to say the meltdown is what most people think it is as even a complete meltdown in this case will still be completely contained within its chamber thus not the radiative nightmare most people think

      this will be a complete failure of the fuel supply and the chamber will have to be removed or sealed and let to continue burning into infinity, though at little or no risk to people or the environment

      the media and anti nuclear advocates are blowing this way out of proportion for sake of agenda

      will this site be usable again if it melts down? no

      will a meltdown effect the population? minimal if at all

      will this meltdown, if it does occur effect anything but disposal of the core and chamber? not likely

      Report Post » Psychosis  
  • Tnredneck
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:32pm

    The wind has changed and now blowing down the coast toward Tokyo. All this means that our energy cost will necessarily sky rocket.

    Report Post »  
    • chips1
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:39pm

      And Obummer keeps on golfing.

      Report Post »  
    • Showtime
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:00pm

      Obama woke up this morning. Our energy costs will necessarily skyrocket.

      Report Post » Showtime  
    • trueblueday
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 9:37pm

      But, his heart “aches” – if I hear that one more time from him….*&%#$

      Report Post »  
  • jjohnson_n_oklahoma
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:28pm

    I feel so bad for the people of Japan. What is this, the third explosion now? I think that even though the “experts” say it will be okay, I would be getting out of there!!

    Report Post » jjohnson_n_oklahoma  
    • chips1
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:35pm

      Evacuate them to America. They can replace the Illegal aliens. No downside to that.

      Report Post »  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:06pm

      This demonic onslaught on Japan is so horrible, it hurts to even try to fathom it.

      Report Post »  
    • AzDebi
      Posted on March 15, 2011 at 12:03am

      @chips1:
      “Evacuate them to America. They can replace the Illegal aliens. No downside to that.”
      _________________
      I’m in with that! So, how do we get the illegals outa here? Maybe we could ask Hamas to come and escort them back across the border?…I know that they know the way, cause they’ve worn out quite a path! (just ask anyone in Tucson)…

      Report Post » AzDebi  
  • Showtime
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:21pm

    Those things don’t heal themselves. That is troublesome, that someone will have to die and know it.

    Report Post » Showtime  
  • jhaydeng
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:21pm

    Hang on Japan!

    Report Post »  
  • krjones
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:20pm

    Speculation?

    Report Post »  
  • Showtime
    Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:20pm

    I’m telling you, AC — get yourself and your crew OUTA THERE!

    Report Post » Showtime  
    • Tnredneck
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:27pm

      No… Leave him there!

      Report Post »  
    • rpp
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:41pm

      The US West Coast is downwind of this. As a left coaster, I am concerned. Prvailing winds can carry a plume here in three to five days.

      Potassium Iodide can help protect against thyroid cancers. It is available from many health food and vitamin shops; online as well as brick-and-mortar, without a prescription. It is usually found in the form of Sea Kelp. A dose of 150 mcg per day is usually recommended. to help reduce the chance of thyroid cancers. It is the and is the supplement that Bio-Chem-Nuke first responders are trained to give people. Please note that it can cause some stomach and intestinal discomfort. Should not be taken for more than 10 day without a doctor’s oversight.

      This post is not intended to provide medical advice. Please confirm this with other, more reliable sources than an anonymous internet post.

      Report Post » rpp  
    • marine249
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 7:41pm

      I want him to light up my life

      Report Post »  
    • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:06pm

      Showtime:

      If you mean Allen Couper – agreed, let him stay until he glows.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • smartypoop
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:11pm

      @RPP, dont worry about it. We here in Hawaii will suck up any radiation long before it gets to you!

      Report Post »  
    • Showtime
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:13pm

      I like Anderson Cooper’s reporting. I don’t like the network for which he reports.

      Report Post » Showtime  
    • A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:24pm

      So, it was the bully’s friends that posted the video?

      Report Post »  
    • GONESURFING
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:27pm

      It does sound increasingly dangerous. Am not a big supporter of nuclear power, it is “safe” until something goes wrong, and when things go wrong, they really go wrong. I like FOX News, but lately have been watching CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera for better world news coverage.

      Report Post » GONESURFING  
    • A Doctors Labor Is Not My Right
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:27pm

      Oops. Wrong thread. :)

      Report Post »  
    • Rockman10
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 8:43pm

      This is not a legitimate reason to ban further nuclear power plants. These Japanese plants are relying on 40 year old technology to protect these reactors from a “once in a lifetime” event! And all in all have done a pretty fair job. Let the engineers learn from this event & move forward!

      Report Post »  
    • Gold Coin & Economic News
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 9:24pm

      Any way you look at it, this is a pretty serious problem, not only from the nuclear situation, but from the electrical power situation as well. When Japan gets back on its feet, so to speak, they’re going to have several power plants off line and it may take years to get back to normal, we’re talking about many, many years.

      Bad, bad situation.

      Report Post » Gold Coin & Economic News  
    • scott2012
      Posted on March 14, 2011 at 9:37pm

      What is next for these poor folks? Godzilla? Pray for them.

      Report Post »  
    • paleoconservatarian
      Posted on March 15, 2011 at 12:08am

      Live updates of radiation readings near Tokyo show 4x normal levels. Here’s the link.

      http://park18.wakwak.com/~weather/geiger_index.html

      The site should only be used by those not interested in cracking jokes about people dying from radiation exposure, however.

      Report Post » paleoconservatarian  
    • donh2
      Posted on March 15, 2011 at 12:19am

      This is the Joint Toho UPA studio film Godzilla Vs The Devil cancelled in 1978 and finally brought out into full production…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5u79XMo7uw

      Report Post »  
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