Japan earthquake
Live updates of developments after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, selected by Reuters.com editors and readers. To see updates from Reuters only, click "Options" and turn off comments.
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@Dean Perhaps try this site www.scribd.com -
"As a step to bring the reactors under control, authorities are eager to replace seawater with fresh water in cooling the reactor cores and the pools, as crystallized salt could form a crust on the fuel rods and prevent smooth water circulation, thus diminishing the cooling effect." Source: english.kyodonews.jp
I mentioned this twice same day saltwater injection to the cores started, but neither of my posts made it to this blog. -
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Merkel says Europe to heed the warnings of Japan’s nuclear accident with tough tests at home - www.washingtonpost.com
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Edano: Voluntary evacuation from 20-30 km advised - www3.nhk.or.jp
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@Reuters_RossChainey In the same article it mentions... Despite the partial halt of restoration work due to the technicians' radiation exposure, TEPCO on Friday began injecting freshwater into the No. 1 reactor core, as it prepares to inject freshwater into all the troubled three reactor cores and four spent fuel pools, instead of seawater currently used.
Makes you wonder why they used seawater for so long or was it simply because they needed the power frid restored. It doesn't say they are using cooling pumps yet. -
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Update to previous post: Found the article from Bloomberg. The damaged reactor vessel was #4, not #3. www.bloomberg.com Referenced information is about half way thru this article. -
Reuters reporter Chisa Fujioka, sends this report from Higashimatsushima in Japan where victims of the tsunami have been buried in a solemn ceremony. uk.reuters.com
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@Reuters_RossChainey Why do you think this has slipped off the main news agenda? I know Libya is big news, but the BBC front page is notable for its absence. Most of the media seem to have dropped it in favor of other stories - did they get bored of waiting for a radioactive cloud to envelope Tokyo? I'd be interested in hearing a journos point of view.
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Could anyone comment on what would happen if the rods in a spent fuel pool became partially uncovered, experienced some cracking with some loss of fuel pellets, but the pool was later completely covered over with water again? Can cooling still happen? This appears to be the current situation.
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AIR Worldwide tightens Japan loss estimate uk.reuters.com
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R3- the high level of iodine (which has a short half life) in the R3 turbine room water is the reason why they think the leak is from the core. R2 - extremely high 500mSv being recorded (didn't say exactly where) which hindering or halting progress. All this just reinforces my deep concern that workers do not have appropriate protective suits to perform their job. Surely the US can provide something better.
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@ John - the rods will still cool, but the problem seems to be that the rods don't do well if stressed through heating, cooling, drying etc. The Zirconium cladding forms a thin oxide layer, but the thermal shock of temperature fluctuations can lead to thicker layers, cracking etc, and ultimately exposure of the inner fuel. While the cooling process will of course work, it can lead to far higher concentrations of radioactive material in the water, which is a massive problem if it's leaking out to sea or into the air. The thing that worries me the most about this situation is that the best possible outcomes are pretty awful and the worst don't bear thinking about.
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Japan's top government spokesman says Tokyo Electric likely liable for accident www.reuters.com -
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@Rob in SF , in this context I wonder why the plant operators have not used the access from the sea earlier. Why did not they bring up barges with generators and fuel immediately after power was lost? Furthermore, it has become quite clear that reactor buildings need to be equipped with vents that can be used to release hydrogen in similar emergencies. There are many lessons to be learned from this incident. -
I would like to hear from Reuters and other news agencies as to whether there has been any pressure from governments to downplay coverage in order to "avoid panic". It seems very strange that coverage of this very dramatic story fell so suddenly across most major news sources.
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Status of Fukushima reactors as of 16:00 on 25th March (PDF) : goo.gl
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@Peter 200+ Demron radiation suits are en route already. www.miamiherald.com
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Robert Laprade's account of his experience as a member of CARE's emergency response team in northern Japan www.trust.org -
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The news media (note the two words) wanted to do TV from areas that had no infrastructure to support them, plus they got antsy about the radiation situation during it's peak, so they withdrew to Tokyo and couldn't report much from their hotel balconies. The non Japanese reports coming out now sound like old school journalists, able to get by with less logistics than a news media crew, more mobile and probably embedded withlocal groups. -
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Do not panic. It will pass. I live 450 miles from Chernobyl. I was 17 than. Yes, high radiation even at this distance. We took the famous pills (potassium iodide). We hated the rain that was bringing radiation down, we hated the green plants that we had to wash every day from radiation, we hated the tap water we could't drink, we hated the indoors that we have to stay covered. We had no internet, no Reuters live blog. We thought we were suposed to end it in a few years. We are still alive. Panic is worst. And thank you, Reuters.
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The director of a children's home in Ichinoseki and project partner to Malteser International, the relief service of the Order of Malta for worldwide humanitarian aid, explains what life has been like since the Japan earthquake and tsunami.
www.trust.org -
U.S. Navy barge YOGN-115, carrying 1.04 million litres (275,000 gallons) of fresh water, departs Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) to support cooling efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in this U.S. Navy handout photo dated March 25, 2011.REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mikey Mulcare/Handout
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