CBS is reporting of 25 letters sent to individuals about "Al Qaeda" planting 160 nuclear devices in America.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/03/29/threats-claim-nuclear-bombs-hidden-all-over-u-s/
Complete with the picture of Osama bin dead (Dec 2001),to scare the American public into believing that a dead guy in a cave in the mountains of Afghanistan has the capacity to buy/manufacture, transport and place that much radioactive material around the US. If that one missile that went missing back in 2007 from Minot AFB happens to suddenly surface with a boom then they have a back story already packaged up. All set to usher in the new dark ages for the world. Remember what Senetor Bob Keary said, "it's a 30 year conspiracy". boom...
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Reactor Core # 2 Meltdown
The core in # 2 reactor in Fukushima apparently has melted down through the floor of the containment vessel and into the concrete dryroom below.
Richard Lahey, who has worked on the plant at Fukushima, told the Guardian officials seemed to have “lost the race” to save the reactor, but added that there was no danger of a Chernobyl-style catastrophe
…
At Fukushima, workers have been pumping water into three reactors in a desperate bid to keep the fuel rods from melting down. But Lahey, who was head of safety research for boiling-water reactors at General Electric when the company installed the units at the plant, said his analysis of radiation levels suggested these attempts had failed at reactor two.
He said at least part of the molten core, which includes melted fuel rods and zirconium alloy cladding, seemed to have sunk through the steel “lower head” of the pressure vessel and on to the concrete floor below.
“The indications we have, from the reactor to radiation readings and the materials they are seeing, suggest that the core has melted through the bottom of the pressure vessel in unit two, and at least some of it is down on the floor of the drywell,” Lahey said. “I hope I am wrong, but that is certainly what the evidence is pointing towards.”
The major concern when molten fuel breaches a containment vessel is that it will react with the concrete floor of the drywell, releasing radioactive gases into the surrounding area. At Fukushima, the drywell has been flooded with seawater, which will cool any molten fuel that escapes from the reactor and reduce the amount of radioactive gas released.
Lahey said: “It won’t come out as one big glob; it’ll come out like lava, and that is good because it’s easier to cool.
Meanwhile back at CNN...
Richard Lahey, who has worked on the plant at Fukushima, told the Guardian officials seemed to have “lost the race” to save the reactor, but added that there was no danger of a Chernobyl-style catastrophe
…
At Fukushima, workers have been pumping water into three reactors in a desperate bid to keep the fuel rods from melting down. But Lahey, who was head of safety research for boiling-water reactors at General Electric when the company installed the units at the plant, said his analysis of radiation levels suggested these attempts had failed at reactor two.
He said at least part of the molten core, which includes melted fuel rods and zirconium alloy cladding, seemed to have sunk through the steel “lower head” of the pressure vessel and on to the concrete floor below.
“The indications we have, from the reactor to radiation readings and the materials they are seeing, suggest that the core has melted through the bottom of the pressure vessel in unit two, and at least some of it is down on the floor of the drywell,” Lahey said. “I hope I am wrong, but that is certainly what the evidence is pointing towards.”
The major concern when molten fuel breaches a containment vessel is that it will react with the concrete floor of the drywell, releasing radioactive gases into the surrounding area. At Fukushima, the drywell has been flooded with seawater, which will cool any molten fuel that escapes from the reactor and reduce the amount of radioactive gas released.
Lahey said: “It won’t come out as one big glob; it’ll come out like lava, and that is good because it’s easier to cool.
Meanwhile back at CNN...
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Full Core Meltdown?
Full Core Meltdown in Japan?
by Stephen Lendman
March 18, 2011
Possibly it's ongoing and concealed. All along, Japanese and Tokyo Electric (TEPCO) officials downplayed or lied about the severity of the crisis. Virtually nothing they say can be believed.
Nor from the Obama administration, budgeting loan guarantees for new reactor construction instead of decommissioning all 104 nuclear plants because operating them risks full core meltdowns.
Partial or full ones gravely harm earth, air, water and food. Three hazardous Fukushima radioactive isotopes are especially problematic. University of Rochester Professor Jacqueline Williams, a radiation expert, says ingesting radioactive iodine-131 causes thyroid and other cancers. So does hazardous beta and gamma radiation from Cesium-137. Released Strontium 90 also causes leukemia and other cancers. Large amounts of all three are spewing daily.
Under a worst case scenario, millions of Japanese, Pacific rim and northern hemisphere people will be harmed, many gravely. Millions of deaths may result. The dangers of nuclear power can't be overstated. Potentially, all planetary life is threatened. What better reason to end all commercial and military use now.
Wikipedia calls a nuclear meltdown "an informal term for a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating." Partial or full meltdowns result, releasing toxic atmospheric radiation.
Through nuclear fission, reactors generate high heat to produce electricity - essentially boiling water to create steam, used to run turbines and generate power. Unless controlled, dangerously high heat results.
Core meltdowns occur when heat generated exceeds what cooling systems remove, causing uranium and plutonium fuel to melt. At fault may be coolant problems, including accidents, fires, loss of coolant pressure, low coolant flow, or none at all from high heat causing evaporation. In other words, insufficient cooling elevates temperatures high enough to trigger melting and toxic atmospheric radiation releases.
Measured in rems (roentgen equivalent in man or mammal), it represents the amount needed to damage living tissue. All radiation is harmful, cumulative, permanent, and unforgiving. The more gotten, the greater the danger, especially doses over 100 rems, producing radiation sickness, including nausea, vomiting, headaches, white blood cell loss, and susceptibility to infection.
Doses above 200 rems cause hair loss and other harm. Above 300, significant internal harm, including damaged nerve cells, others lining the digestive track, the reproductive system, DNA and RNA. Severe white blood cell loss also results, the body's main defense against infection, causing vulnerability to cancer and other diseases.
Moreover, radiation reduces blood platelets production, making hemorrhaging more likely. Doses above 450 rems kill half of those exposed. Above 800 assures death in days, weeks, or longer-term after painful illnesses, including leukemia and other cancers.
High atmospheric radiation levels threaten life over the short or longer-term. The more ingested, absorbed or inhaled, the greater the risk. Fukushima is spreading large amounts. If unstoppable, all bets are off.
On March 17, New York Times writers Norimitsu Onishi, David Sanger and Matthew Wald headlined, "High Radiation Severely Hinders Emergency Work to Cool Japanese Plant," saying:
"Amid widening (global alarm), military fire trucks began spraying cooling water on (Fukushima's) spent fuel rods." Earlier, high radiation levels forced back police water cannon trucks. Japan's Self-Defense Forces dumped tons of seawater on Unit 3, saying later it was ineffective. Unknown is whether anything can work. In day six, everything tried failed, raising grave doubts, a frightening prospect if true.
Panic throughout Japan is increasing. Some Toyko residents are fleeing. Everyone is scared. Radiation levels are spreading and rising. People are jamming airports to leave. Some embassies and companies are evacuating their personnel. Inbound flights are being cancelled.
An anonymous nuclear industry official told The Times of India that TEPCO management is "in a full-scale panic, (not) know(ing) what to do." On March 16, European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger told an EU parliamentary committee:
Fukushima "is effectively out of control. In the coming hours, there could be further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island," and beyond.
In fact, global contamination is threatened. Obama said radioactivity wouldn't reach America. He lied. It will reach California by weekend and spread east across the entire country and North America. The industry-controlled World Nuclear News warned of a "dramatic escalation in Japan."
Compounding the threat, around 600,000 exposed Fukushima spent fuel rods are stored unprotected near the top of reactors, making them extremely vulnerable to melting. Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen said if they catch fire, it "would be like Chernobyl on steroids."
Several fires, in fact, erupted. Others could ignite any time. If one or more containment vessels ruptures, all bets are off. Fears are it already happened, making a bad situation far worse. Fukushima is an unprecedented disaster, in unchartered territory. Understating the potential catastrophic risk is irresponsible and criminal.
On Wednesday, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) chairman, Gregory Jaczko, told a congressional committee that thousands of Unit 4 spent fuel rods have little or no protective water, meaning they're exposed, melting, and spreading toxic atmospheric radiation. He added:
"We believe that radiation levels are extremely high, which could possibly impact the ability to take corrective measures."
Fukushima has six reactors. All risk meltdown. Experts believe a full plant evacuation may be necessary, leaving reactor and spent fuel rods to melt down, a potential worst case unstoppable "China syndrome."
Late Wednesday night, the US State Department announced a "voluntary" evacuation of government personnel dependents and other US citizens from northeastern Japan down to Tokyo and Yokohama. Charter flights will be provided. Numerous other nations are urging their nationals to leave.
Nuclear Power in America: How Safe?
On March 16, New York Times writer Matthew Wald headlined, "Nuclear Agency Tells a Concerned Congress That US Industry Remains Safe," saying:
NRC chairman Jaczko "told two House Energy and Commerce subcommittees:
"We will continue to work to maintain (a high) level of protection." Reactors are designed to withstand "the most severe natural phenomena historically reported," perhaps forgetting his comments about Fukushima's unprecedented disaster and its unpreparedness to cope.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu claimed:
"The American people should have full confidence that the United States has rigorous safety regulations in place to ensure that our nuclear power is generated safely and responsibly. The administration is committed to learning from Japan's experience as we work to continue to strengthen America's nuclear industry."
Chu, in fact, is deeply compromised, a shill for nuclear interests since his days as director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), originally called the UC Radiation Lab. Today, the Energy Department runs it, continuing its radiation research, what it's done since the 1940s with little regard for public safety or environmental concerns, as true under Chu. In fact, he was picked as Energy Secretary for his commitment to military and commercial nuclear power, mindless of the risks.
When asked in 2005 if fission-based plants should be part of the energy-producing portfolio, he responded:
"Absolutely," displaying a cavalier attitude about its dangers in advocating for "recycling" waste, when independent experts say doing it spreads poisons causing cancer, genetic damage, and premature deaths.
Chu also has longstanding ties to BP and Big Oil that funded UC Berkeley's Energy Biosciences Institute he founded a year before becoming Energy Secretary. On matters of oil, nuclear power, and other sources of energy, nothing Chu says is credible.
Obama also has longstanding nuclear industry ties, including with Chicago-based Exelon. On March 14, Bloomberg said it operates "17 reactors at 10 stations in Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, provid(ing) 20% of US nuclear capacity," according to its web site. His former top political aide, David Axelrod, once lobbied for Exelon, and Rahm Emanuel, his former White House chief of staff, profited handsomely as an investment banker arranging mergers that created the company.
In his proposed budget, Obama includes $36 billion in industry loan guarantees for new facilities, free money. He's committed to jump-start new construction, halted since Three Mile Island in 1979. Already takers are lining up, 20 or more applications pending before the NRC.
He and Chu downplay Fukushima, mindless of industry hazards, including 23 US nuclear plants at 16 locations using the same failed GE-designed Mark 1 containment vessels. Earlier the NRC called it susceptible to explosion and failure because of cost-cutting design failures. Its 1985 study warned that failure within the first few hours after a core meltdown was very likely. Its top safety official at the time said it had a 90% probability of failing if an accident caused overheating and melting. When reactor cooling is compromised, the containment vessel is the last line of defense. However, GE's design is hazardous and unsafe.
No matter. In January 2011, Obama appointed Jeffrey Immelt, GE's CEO, head of his outside panel of economic advisers, replacing Paul Volcker. He'll also provide administration energy policy input. For him, Obama, Chu and other administration officials, public health, safety, and environmental protection are secondary to bottom line priorities. Unless popular outrage resists, America faces an inevitable nuclear nightmare, replicating or exceeding Fukushima.
by Stephen Lendman
March 18, 2011
Possibly it's ongoing and concealed. All along, Japanese and Tokyo Electric (TEPCO) officials downplayed or lied about the severity of the crisis. Virtually nothing they say can be believed.
Nor from the Obama administration, budgeting loan guarantees for new reactor construction instead of decommissioning all 104 nuclear plants because operating them risks full core meltdowns.
Partial or full ones gravely harm earth, air, water and food. Three hazardous Fukushima radioactive isotopes are especially problematic. University of Rochester Professor Jacqueline Williams, a radiation expert, says ingesting radioactive iodine-131 causes thyroid and other cancers. So does hazardous beta and gamma radiation from Cesium-137. Released Strontium 90 also causes leukemia and other cancers. Large amounts of all three are spewing daily.
Under a worst case scenario, millions of Japanese, Pacific rim and northern hemisphere people will be harmed, many gravely. Millions of deaths may result. The dangers of nuclear power can't be overstated. Potentially, all planetary life is threatened. What better reason to end all commercial and military use now.
Wikipedia calls a nuclear meltdown "an informal term for a severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating." Partial or full meltdowns result, releasing toxic atmospheric radiation.
Through nuclear fission, reactors generate high heat to produce electricity - essentially boiling water to create steam, used to run turbines and generate power. Unless controlled, dangerously high heat results.
Core meltdowns occur when heat generated exceeds what cooling systems remove, causing uranium and plutonium fuel to melt. At fault may be coolant problems, including accidents, fires, loss of coolant pressure, low coolant flow, or none at all from high heat causing evaporation. In other words, insufficient cooling elevates temperatures high enough to trigger melting and toxic atmospheric radiation releases.
Measured in rems (roentgen equivalent in man or mammal), it represents the amount needed to damage living tissue. All radiation is harmful, cumulative, permanent, and unforgiving. The more gotten, the greater the danger, especially doses over 100 rems, producing radiation sickness, including nausea, vomiting, headaches, white blood cell loss, and susceptibility to infection.
Doses above 200 rems cause hair loss and other harm. Above 300, significant internal harm, including damaged nerve cells, others lining the digestive track, the reproductive system, DNA and RNA. Severe white blood cell loss also results, the body's main defense against infection, causing vulnerability to cancer and other diseases.
Moreover, radiation reduces blood platelets production, making hemorrhaging more likely. Doses above 450 rems kill half of those exposed. Above 800 assures death in days, weeks, or longer-term after painful illnesses, including leukemia and other cancers.
High atmospheric radiation levels threaten life over the short or longer-term. The more ingested, absorbed or inhaled, the greater the risk. Fukushima is spreading large amounts. If unstoppable, all bets are off.
On March 17, New York Times writers Norimitsu Onishi, David Sanger and Matthew Wald headlined, "High Radiation Severely Hinders Emergency Work to Cool Japanese Plant," saying:
"Amid widening (global alarm), military fire trucks began spraying cooling water on (Fukushima's) spent fuel rods." Earlier, high radiation levels forced back police water cannon trucks. Japan's Self-Defense Forces dumped tons of seawater on Unit 3, saying later it was ineffective. Unknown is whether anything can work. In day six, everything tried failed, raising grave doubts, a frightening prospect if true.
Panic throughout Japan is increasing. Some Toyko residents are fleeing. Everyone is scared. Radiation levels are spreading and rising. People are jamming airports to leave. Some embassies and companies are evacuating their personnel. Inbound flights are being cancelled.
An anonymous nuclear industry official told The Times of India that TEPCO management is "in a full-scale panic, (not) know(ing) what to do." On March 16, European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger told an EU parliamentary committee:
Fukushima "is effectively out of control. In the coming hours, there could be further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island," and beyond.
In fact, global contamination is threatened. Obama said radioactivity wouldn't reach America. He lied. It will reach California by weekend and spread east across the entire country and North America. The industry-controlled World Nuclear News warned of a "dramatic escalation in Japan."
Compounding the threat, around 600,000 exposed Fukushima spent fuel rods are stored unprotected near the top of reactors, making them extremely vulnerable to melting. Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen said if they catch fire, it "would be like Chernobyl on steroids."
Several fires, in fact, erupted. Others could ignite any time. If one or more containment vessels ruptures, all bets are off. Fears are it already happened, making a bad situation far worse. Fukushima is an unprecedented disaster, in unchartered territory. Understating the potential catastrophic risk is irresponsible and criminal.
On Wednesday, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) chairman, Gregory Jaczko, told a congressional committee that thousands of Unit 4 spent fuel rods have little or no protective water, meaning they're exposed, melting, and spreading toxic atmospheric radiation. He added:
"We believe that radiation levels are extremely high, which could possibly impact the ability to take corrective measures."
Fukushima has six reactors. All risk meltdown. Experts believe a full plant evacuation may be necessary, leaving reactor and spent fuel rods to melt down, a potential worst case unstoppable "China syndrome."
Late Wednesday night, the US State Department announced a "voluntary" evacuation of government personnel dependents and other US citizens from northeastern Japan down to Tokyo and Yokohama. Charter flights will be provided. Numerous other nations are urging their nationals to leave.
Nuclear Power in America: How Safe?
On March 16, New York Times writer Matthew Wald headlined, "Nuclear Agency Tells a Concerned Congress That US Industry Remains Safe," saying:
NRC chairman Jaczko "told two House Energy and Commerce subcommittees:
"We will continue to work to maintain (a high) level of protection." Reactors are designed to withstand "the most severe natural phenomena historically reported," perhaps forgetting his comments about Fukushima's unprecedented disaster and its unpreparedness to cope.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu claimed:
"The American people should have full confidence that the United States has rigorous safety regulations in place to ensure that our nuclear power is generated safely and responsibly. The administration is committed to learning from Japan's experience as we work to continue to strengthen America's nuclear industry."
Chu, in fact, is deeply compromised, a shill for nuclear interests since his days as director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), originally called the UC Radiation Lab. Today, the Energy Department runs it, continuing its radiation research, what it's done since the 1940s with little regard for public safety or environmental concerns, as true under Chu. In fact, he was picked as Energy Secretary for his commitment to military and commercial nuclear power, mindless of the risks.
When asked in 2005 if fission-based plants should be part of the energy-producing portfolio, he responded:
"Absolutely," displaying a cavalier attitude about its dangers in advocating for "recycling" waste, when independent experts say doing it spreads poisons causing cancer, genetic damage, and premature deaths.
Chu also has longstanding ties to BP and Big Oil that funded UC Berkeley's Energy Biosciences Institute he founded a year before becoming Energy Secretary. On matters of oil, nuclear power, and other sources of energy, nothing Chu says is credible.
Obama also has longstanding nuclear industry ties, including with Chicago-based Exelon. On March 14, Bloomberg said it operates "17 reactors at 10 stations in Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, provid(ing) 20% of US nuclear capacity," according to its web site. His former top political aide, David Axelrod, once lobbied for Exelon, and Rahm Emanuel, his former White House chief of staff, profited handsomely as an investment banker arranging mergers that created the company.
In his proposed budget, Obama includes $36 billion in industry loan guarantees for new facilities, free money. He's committed to jump-start new construction, halted since Three Mile Island in 1979. Already takers are lining up, 20 or more applications pending before the NRC.
He and Chu downplay Fukushima, mindless of industry hazards, including 23 US nuclear plants at 16 locations using the same failed GE-designed Mark 1 containment vessels. Earlier the NRC called it susceptible to explosion and failure because of cost-cutting design failures. Its 1985 study warned that failure within the first few hours after a core meltdown was very likely. Its top safety official at the time said it had a 90% probability of failing if an accident caused overheating and melting. When reactor cooling is compromised, the containment vessel is the last line of defense. However, GE's design is hazardous and unsafe.
No matter. In January 2011, Obama appointed Jeffrey Immelt, GE's CEO, head of his outside panel of economic advisers, replacing Paul Volcker. He'll also provide administration energy policy input. For him, Obama, Chu and other administration officials, public health, safety, and environmental protection are secondary to bottom line priorities. Unless popular outrage resists, America faces an inevitable nuclear nightmare, replicating or exceeding Fukushima.
Worse news
From Science Daily
Friday, March 18, 2011
The Amount of Radioactive Fuel at Fukushima DWARFS Chernobyl
Science Insider noted yesterday:
The Daiichi complex in Fukushima, Japan ... had a total of 1760 metric tons of fresh and used nuclear fuel on site last year, according to a presentation by its owners, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). The most damaged Daiichi reactor, number 3, contains about 90 tons of fuel, and the storage pool above reactor 4, which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Gregory Jaczko reported yesterday had lost its cooling water, contains 135 tons of spent fuel. The amount of fuel lost in the core melt at Three Mile Island in 1979 was about 30 tons; the Chernobyl reactors had about 180 tons when the accident occurred in 1986.
And see this.
That means that Fukushima has nearly 10 times more nuclear fuel than Chernobyl.
It also means that a single spent fuel pool - at reactor 4, which has lost all of its water and thus faces a release of its radioactive material - has 75% as much nuclear fuel as at all of Chernobyl.
However, the real numbers are even worse.
Specifically, Tepco very recently transferred many more radioactive spent fuel rods into the storage pools. According to Associated Press, there were - at the time of the earthquake and tsunami - 3,400 tons of fuel in seven spent fuel pools plus 877 tons of active fuel in the cores of the reactors.
That totals 4,277 tons of nuclear fuel at Fukushima.
Which means that there is almost 24 times more nuclear fuel at Fukushima than Chernobyl.
Friday, March 18, 2011
The Amount of Radioactive Fuel at Fukushima DWARFS Chernobyl
Science Insider noted yesterday:
The Daiichi complex in Fukushima, Japan ... had a total of 1760 metric tons of fresh and used nuclear fuel on site last year, according to a presentation by its owners, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco). The most damaged Daiichi reactor, number 3, contains about 90 tons of fuel, and the storage pool above reactor 4, which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Gregory Jaczko reported yesterday had lost its cooling water, contains 135 tons of spent fuel. The amount of fuel lost in the core melt at Three Mile Island in 1979 was about 30 tons; the Chernobyl reactors had about 180 tons when the accident occurred in 1986.
And see this.
That means that Fukushima has nearly 10 times more nuclear fuel than Chernobyl.
It also means that a single spent fuel pool - at reactor 4, which has lost all of its water and thus faces a release of its radioactive material - has 75% as much nuclear fuel as at all of Chernobyl.
However, the real numbers are even worse.
Specifically, Tepco very recently transferred many more radioactive spent fuel rods into the storage pools. According to Associated Press, there were - at the time of the earthquake and tsunami - 3,400 tons of fuel in seven spent fuel pools plus 877 tons of active fuel in the cores of the reactors.
That totals 4,277 tons of nuclear fuel at Fukushima.
Which means that there is almost 24 times more nuclear fuel at Fukushima than Chernobyl.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
You can't make this shit up!
Israel worried of sushi supply.
As people get lethal radiation dosages and count the dead from the earthquake and resulting meltdown of 6 nuclear reactors, Israel is concerned with fucking sushi! Fuck them, fuck settlements. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck THEM! It is time to put an end to the apartheid regime in Tel Aviv. I am sorry but this goes way beyond comprehension. Fucking Zionist assholes. I think we should harvest the ingredients around Honshu and send them the glow in the dark sushi. Just don't tell them fuckheads.
This from Desert Peace;
Israel fears sushi shortage after quake
Situation in Japan may affect regular supply of ingredients for one of Israelis’ favorite dishes While Japan continues to deal with the aftermath of last Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, and has yet to recover from one of the greatest disasters in its history, Israelis fear a shortage in the ingredients of one of their favorite dishes: Sushi.
As people get lethal radiation dosages and count the dead from the earthquake and resulting meltdown of 6 nuclear reactors, Israel is concerned with fucking sushi! Fuck them, fuck settlements. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck THEM! It is time to put an end to the apartheid regime in Tel Aviv. I am sorry but this goes way beyond comprehension. Fucking Zionist assholes. I think we should harvest the ingredients around Honshu and send them the glow in the dark sushi. Just don't tell them fuckheads.
This from Desert Peace;
Israel fears sushi shortage after quake
Situation in Japan may affect regular supply of ingredients for one of Israelis’ favorite dishes While Japan continues to deal with the aftermath of last Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, and has yet to recover from one of the greatest disasters in its history, Israelis fear a shortage in the ingredients of one of their favorite dishes: Sushi.
# 4 reactor breached
Top US officials have testified before congress today that situation in Japan has a reached a catastrophe of proportions on par with Chernobyl. Both the Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Gregory B. Jaczko, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave dire testimony before the The House Energy and Commerce committee.
At this point both the primary and secondary containment vessels at the Fukushima nuclear reactor #4 are breached. To make matters worse radiation readings taken by the US indicate that the cooling pond is empty indicating which means the fuel rods are in a state of complete meltdown with no cooling to counteract the meltdown in progress.
The latest reports out of Japan are that plant operations have been once again suspended due to the extremely high lethal levels of radiation coming out of the plant. Helicopters that were dumping water and boric acid onto the plant from the air have been called off as well. The news comes on the heels that the US has issued a 50 mile evacuation zone around the plant.
Highlights of the testimony from the NY Times:
Radiation levels outside of the plant are lethal within a very short period of time.
Representative Michael Burgess, Republican of Texas, asked for detail about the radiation levels at the Japanese nuclear plant. “Are we talking about radiation equivalent to a chest X-ray? A CAT scan?’’ he asked.
Mr. Jaczko replied, “Levels that would be lethal with a fairly short period of time.’’
“It’s certainly a more recent development than we’ve seen, these very, very high readings,’’ the commission chairman said.
US Embassy tells all Americans within 50 miles to evacuate the area.
The American Embassy in Tokyo has told American to evacuate to a radius of “approximately 50 miles” from Fukushima, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission testified before the House subcommittee, based on advice from the commission.
The advice reflects a far more grave assessment of the situation at the stricken reactors than the decisions made by the Japanese themselves do; the Japanese have told everyone within 20 kilometers, about 12 miles, to evacuate, and those between 20 and 30 kilometers, or about 19 miles, to take shelter. And the recommendation comes as the Japanese government has indicated that it will be releasing less information about the situation.
The recommendation was based on what the commission would do “for a comparable sitiuation in the U.S.’’ said the chairman, Gregory Jaczko.
A complete meltdown at reactor#4 has caused the cooling pond to boil completely dry.
Mr. Jaczko (pronounced YAZZ-koe) said the commission believed that all the water in the spent fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi unit 4 had boiled dry and that as a result, “we believe that radiation levels are extremely high, which could possibly impact the ability to take corrective measures.”
In fact, experts say that it would be hard to approach a pool that was dry because radiation levels would be so high, he said. In a normally operating pool, the water provides not only cooling but radiation shielding.
At this point both the primary and secondary containment vessels at the Fukushima nuclear reactor #4 are breached. To make matters worse radiation readings taken by the US indicate that the cooling pond is empty indicating which means the fuel rods are in a state of complete meltdown with no cooling to counteract the meltdown in progress.
The latest reports out of Japan are that plant operations have been once again suspended due to the extremely high lethal levels of radiation coming out of the plant. Helicopters that were dumping water and boric acid onto the plant from the air have been called off as well. The news comes on the heels that the US has issued a 50 mile evacuation zone around the plant.
Highlights of the testimony from the NY Times:
Radiation levels outside of the plant are lethal within a very short period of time.
Representative Michael Burgess, Republican of Texas, asked for detail about the radiation levels at the Japanese nuclear plant. “Are we talking about radiation equivalent to a chest X-ray? A CAT scan?’’ he asked.
Mr. Jaczko replied, “Levels that would be lethal with a fairly short period of time.’’
“It’s certainly a more recent development than we’ve seen, these very, very high readings,’’ the commission chairman said.
US Embassy tells all Americans within 50 miles to evacuate the area.
The American Embassy in Tokyo has told American to evacuate to a radius of “approximately 50 miles” from Fukushima, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission testified before the House subcommittee, based on advice from the commission.
The advice reflects a far more grave assessment of the situation at the stricken reactors than the decisions made by the Japanese themselves do; the Japanese have told everyone within 20 kilometers, about 12 miles, to evacuate, and those between 20 and 30 kilometers, or about 19 miles, to take shelter. And the recommendation comes as the Japanese government has indicated that it will be releasing less information about the situation.
The recommendation was based on what the commission would do “for a comparable sitiuation in the U.S.’’ said the chairman, Gregory Jaczko.
A complete meltdown at reactor#4 has caused the cooling pond to boil completely dry.
Mr. Jaczko (pronounced YAZZ-koe) said the commission believed that all the water in the spent fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi unit 4 had boiled dry and that as a result, “we believe that radiation levels are extremely high, which could possibly impact the ability to take corrective measures.”
In fact, experts say that it would be hard to approach a pool that was dry because radiation levels would be so high, he said. In a normally operating pool, the water provides not only cooling but radiation shielding.
Fallout
Steam rising from the # 3 reactor roof. Whether the reactor vessel is intact or not is irrelevant. The steam rising is from the cooling ponds, this is highly radioactive.
More from Kyodo,
Spent nuke fuel pool may be boiling, further radiation leak feared
TOKYO, March 15, Kyodo
A nuclear crisis at the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant deepened Tuesday as fresh explosions occurred at the site and its operator said water in a pool storing spent nuclear fuel rods may be boiling, an ominous sign for the release of high-level radioactive materials from the fuel.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the water level in the pool storing the spent fuel rods at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's No. 4 reactor may have dropped, exposing the rods.
The firm said it has not yet confirmed the current water level or water temperature in the pool and will try to pour water into the facility from Wednesday through holes that were created following an explosion earlier Tuesday in the walls of the building that houses the reactor.
Unless the spent fuel rods are cooled down, they could be damaged and emit radioactive substances. The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency urged TEPCO to inject water into the pool soon to prevent heating of the fuel rods.
TEPCO said Tuesday night that its workers were unable to remain in the central control room at the Fukushima No. 1 plant due to high radiation levels and retreated to a remote site to monitor data on the reactors.
At 6:14 a.m., a blast occurred at the No. 4 reactor and created two square-shaped holes about 8 by 8 meters in the walls of the building that houses the reactor. At 9:38 a.m., a fire broke out there and smoke billowed from the holes.
The utility 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 said at a press conference, ''We believe very high-level radioactive substances have not been emitted continuously from the No. 4 reactor,'' citing radiation monitoring data at the plant.
The nuclear agency said the water temperature in the pool stood at 84 degrees C as of 4 a.m. Monday, higher than the normal level of 40 to 50 degrees. Usually, the upper tip of the fuel rods is at a depth of 10 meters from the surface of the pool, it said.
Agency officials said the fuel rods will not reach criticality again as they have been stored in racks containing boron to prevent it.
Edano said water temperatures in the pools at the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors at the Fukushima plant have been rising as well.
The three reactors were not in service when a magnitude 9.0 earthquake jolted Fukushima Prefecture and other areas in northeastern Japan on Friday.
The agency said among the three, the situation is the severest at the No. 4 reactor because all the fuel rods are stored in the pool due to the change of the reactor's shroud. At the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors, up to one-third of the rods are being kept in the pools. The more fuel rods that are kept in a pool, the more radioactive substances could be emitted.
The new development followed a critical situation at the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima plant earlier in the day, in which part of the reactor's containment vessel was damaged following an apparent hydrogen explosion at 6:10 a.m.
TEPCO said the problem could develop into a critical ''meltdown'' situation, in which fuel rods melt and are destroyed, emitting massive amounts of radioactive materials into the air.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan urged people living within 20 to 30 kilometers of the plant to stay indoors, after radiation equivalent to 400 times the level to which people can be safely exposed in one year was detected near the No. 3 reactor at the plant.
Residents within a 20-km radius have already been ordered to evacuate the area following Saturday's hydrogen blast at the plant's No. 1 reactor. The transport ministry also banned aircraft from flying within 30 kilometers of the nuclear plant to prevent possible radiation exposure.
''The danger of further radiation leaks (from the plant) is increasing,'' Kan warned the public at a press conference, while asking people to ''act calmly.''
Edano said the high radiation level detected at 10:22 a.m. after the explosions at the No. 2 and No. 4 reactors ''would certainly have negative effects on the human body.''
The utility firm said later in the day the massive radiation amount of 400 millisievert per hour, or 400,000 microsievert, was recorded around debris in front of the No. 3 reactor and that the material may have come from the nearby No. 4 reactor.
TEPCO has been continuing operations to pour seawater into the troubled No. 1, 2 and 3 reactors to prevent overheating and further damage to their containment vessels. But despite the injection of water, fuel rods in the three reactors remain partially exposed.
The cores of those three reactors at the plant are believed to have partially melted following the devastating quake.
The country's strongest recorded quake, also one of the largest in global history, caused the three reactors, which were all operating at the time, to automatically shut down.
==Kyodo
The Real Terrorists
Since 9/11 2001 the US Government has spent in excess of 1 Trillion dollars scaring their population (and the rest of the world) into believing an evil (dead) Nemesis Osama Bin Laden hiding in a cave (really now folks he is taking the long dirt nap since Dec 2001), is planning on setting off a "dirty bomb". I think that money should have been spent on upgrading nuclear safety for reactors that were built by General Electric in the most earthquake prone zone in the world. Back up diesel generators were located on the ground. They should have been up over 50 feet in the air. A fucking 10 year old could have planned this better! The portable gen sets brought in COULD NOT PLUG IN BECAUSE NO ONE THOUGHT ABOUT IT! An American company that "Brings Good Things To Life". What a fucking joke! Nuclear experts rate events on a scale of 1-7, they have elevated this one at Daichi to a level 6 approaching 7. This means worst case scenario. Full blown meltdown. Not only the MOX (mixed oxide, PLUTONIUM, Uranium oxide) but the 600,000 spent fuel rods in the cooling ponds on the roof of the reactors (yes where the explosions were). This situation is running out of control. All workers and personnel have been evacuated for a 30 kilometre radius.NO ONE IS MANNING THE REACTORS! Runaway meltdown imminent. The real terrorists are the corporate assholes that grease the wheels of government regulators so as to skirt regulations and relax safety standards. Muslims in caves did not attack us with "dirty bombs", assholes in suits did. Hang the fuckers.
http://ca.gizmodo.com/5782402/japan-evacuates-all-workers-nuclear-vessel-breach-feared
http://theintelhub.com/2011/03/16/fukushima-workers-withdraw-after-radiation-spikes/
Japan's Nuclear Crisis Is "Completely Out Of Control!"
http://ca.gizmodo.com/5782402/japan-evacuates-all-workers-nuclear-vessel-breach-feared
http://theintelhub.com/2011/03/16/fukushima-workers-withdraw-after-radiation-spikes/
Japan's Nuclear Crisis Is "Completely Out Of Control!"
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Anonymous
The Anonymous manifesto:
•We are a decentralized non-violent resistance movement, which seeks to restore the rule of law and fight back against the organized criminal class.
•One-tenth of one percent of the population has consolidated wealth in unprecedented fashion and launched an all-out economic war against 99.9% of the population.
•We are not affiliated with either wing of the two-party oligarchy. We seek an end to the corrupted two-party system by ending the campaign finance and lobbying racket.
•Above all, we aim to break up the global banking cartel centered at the Federal Reserve, International Monetary Fund, Bank of International Settlement and World Bank.
•We demand that the primary dealers within the Federal Reserve banking system be broken up and held accountable for rigging markets and destroying the global economy, effective immediately.
•As a first sign of good faith we demand Ben Bernanke step down as Federal Reserve chairman.
•Until our demands are met and a rule of law is restored, we will engage in a relentless campaign of non-violent, peaceful, civil disobedience.
•In our next communication we will announce Operation Empire State Rebellion.
Glorious Chairman Ben - our free advice to you: change your e-mail password stat...
•We are a decentralized non-violent resistance movement, which seeks to restore the rule of law and fight back against the organized criminal class.
•One-tenth of one percent of the population has consolidated wealth in unprecedented fashion and launched an all-out economic war against 99.9% of the population.
•We are not affiliated with either wing of the two-party oligarchy. We seek an end to the corrupted two-party system by ending the campaign finance and lobbying racket.
•Above all, we aim to break up the global banking cartel centered at the Federal Reserve, International Monetary Fund, Bank of International Settlement and World Bank.
•We demand that the primary dealers within the Federal Reserve banking system be broken up and held accountable for rigging markets and destroying the global economy, effective immediately.
•As a first sign of good faith we demand Ben Bernanke step down as Federal Reserve chairman.
•Until our demands are met and a rule of law is restored, we will engage in a relentless campaign of non-violent, peaceful, civil disobedience.
•In our next communication we will announce Operation Empire State Rebellion.
Glorious Chairman Ben - our free advice to you: change your e-mail password stat...
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