Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Deepens as Explosions Occur and High Radiation Levels Detected

The situation at the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant has worsened as fresh explosions occurred at the site and its operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., reported that water in a pool storing spent nuclear fuel rods may be boiling, a concerning sign for the release of high-level radioactive materials. The government has ordered TEPCO to inject water into the pool at the No. 4 reactor to cool it down as soon as possible to avert a major nuclear disaster. The company has evacuated around 730 of the 800 workers from the site due to high radiation levels, and workers were only able to remain in the central control rooms for 10 minutes to avoid exposure to excessive radiation.

Key Takeaways:

• The water level in the pool storing spent fuel rods at the No. 4 reactor may have dropped, exposing the rods, which could lead to damage and emission of radioactive substances.
• TEPCO has created holes in the walls of the building that houses the reactor to pour water into the troubled pool, but workers were unable to prepare for the pouring due to high radiation levels.
• Around 730 workers were evacuated from the site, and only 10 minutes were spent in central control rooms to avoid exposure to excessive radiation levels.
• The explosion at the No. 4 reactor created two square-shaped holes about 8 by 8 meters in the walls of the building, and a fire broke out there, causing smoke to billow from the holes.
• The utility firm said it could not deny the possibility that the early morning explosion was caused by hydrogen generated by a chemical reaction involving the exposed spent nuclear fuel and vapor.
• Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano stated that high-level radioactive substances have not been emitted continuously from the No. 4 reactor, citing radiation monitoring data at the plant.
• Water temperatures in the pools at the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors have also been rising, and the situation is considered the severest at the No. 4 reactor due to the change of the reactor's shroud.
• Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged people living within 20 to 30 kilometers of the plant to stay indoors due to radiation levels equivalent to 400 times the level to which people can be safely exposed in one year being detected near the No. 3 reactor.
• The transport ministry banned aircraft from flying within 30 kilometers of the nuclear plant to prevent possible radiation exposure.

Statistics:

• 730 workers evacuated from the site
• 400 times the level of safe radiation exposure detected near the No. 3 reactor
• 400 millisievert per hour of radiation recorded around debris in front of the No. 3 reactor
• 84 degrees C water temperature in the pool at the No. 4 reactor as of 4 a.m. Monday
• 10 meters from the surface of the pool where the upper tip of the fuel rods is usually located
• 40 to 50 degrees C as the normal water temperature in the pool

Sources:

• Kyodo
• Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO)
• Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano
• Prime Minister Naoto Kan
• News Agency I...IUIypress - 2001-2011 Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company