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Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor


george

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I'm posting this especially for James... A very nice L.A. Times graphic on the impact of different kinds of radiation exposure.

Note the reading in the upper right column, 80,000 microsievert per year (80 milli-sieverts) from smoking a pack a day of ciggies for a year... You get radiation exposure from smoking ciggies???

post-53787-0-51209000-1300347158_thumb.j

that's why I gave up that filthy disgusting habit almost a month ago (havent felt so terrible in my life btw) :lol:

Congratulations, the most difficult month is the first one so you have done very well getting that far. It will get easier - no, that's not true. It will get less difficult with every month that passes by. I stopped 2 years ago and I still feel I want to smoke sometimes

Beware of the health hazards involved in stopping smoking. I put on 10 kilos in 6 months when I stopped and am still struggeling to keep it there

Dangerous to underestimate the power of smoking and nuclear reactors :)

Thanks Mike: quite over it thankfully - no withdrawls or cravings anymore: body still in shock - throat dry a lot and other side effects. Nothing compared to those guys in Japan though...

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Kyodo News

NEWS ADVISORY: Edano to meet press after meetings on quake, nuke plant 17:05 17 March

NEWS ADVISORY: Gov't to hold meetings on quake, nuke plant from 6 p.m. Japan time (4 pm Thai time)

NHK reporting U.S. has given spy plane flyover data of reactors to Japanese govt.

Edited by jfchandler
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I don't get it... they talked about the dire need to get water on the pools today. The first water canon truck has been there for hours. I suspect they need to mix boric acid with the water, so would it not make sense to be working out the details and trying it with this one truck while waiting for the 10 or 11 others en-route? The helicopters have not been back... nothing seems to be happening, nor are there any news conferences going on. The US overflew already and turned over spy photos...

Why is nothing happening? I'm getting nervous. Is anyone still at the site?

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Gov't warns of massive blackout in Tokyo area on bigger power demand

TOKYO, March 17, Kyodo News The government warned that an unpredictable massive blackout could occur in the Tokyo area from the evening through the night Thursday as power demand in the region has increased overnight due to cold temperatures.

To prevent such a situation, the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry asked railway operators serving the metropolitan area to reduce the number of trains during the time frame, when the use of electricity is expected to peak for the day amid the commuter rush, as an emergency measure.

The development comes even as Tokyo Electric Power Co. implemented rolling blackouts Thursday for the fourth consecutive day in part of the Kanto region surrounding Tokyo to cover substantial power shortages following last week's massive earthquake in Japan.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda said a massive blackout could occur despite the scheduled power rationing measure in TEPCO's service area as demand for electricity already approached the supply available for Thursday in the morning hours.

Kaieda and Electricity Conservation Promotion Minister Renho thus called for further efforts by businesses and individuals to save power, warning that electricity demand could surpass supply from evening to night if demand remains at the current level.

Railway operators, including East Japan Railway Co. and Tokyo Metro Co., said they will cut the number of local trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area from 5 p.m.

Around 10 million households will be affected by TEPCO's electricity rationing scheduled for Thursday. Tohoku Electric Power Co. serving northeastern Japan, meanwhile, announced it has decided to forgo power rationing all day Thursday.

Confusion has continued since the start of the area-by-area power rationing Monday, with more than 120 cases of people getting stuck in elevators reported so far and many shops forced to suspend business for the time being.

The power saving measure is expected to continue until the end of April in areas around Tokyo, stirring concerns over economic stagnation and disruption to people's lives.

On Thursday, some areas in the Kanto region will face scheduled blackouts twice.

http://english.kyodo...1/03/78908.html

Edited by jfchandler
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It's a wild wacky world out there....

Radiation leaks from Japan plant trigger 'salt panic' in China

BEIJING, March 17, Kyodo

Radiation leaks from a Japanese nuclear power plant have prompted Chinese consumers to hoard salt and other daily necessities, creating a ''salt panic'' across the country, local media reported Thursday. The move came amid rumors that radiation leaked into the sea from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, will undermine the safety of salt taken from the sea, according to reports.

Chinese consumers also believe the rumor that salt with iodine will help protect people from nuclear radiation.

''Supermarkets in many Chinese cities have run out of salt as a wave of panic buying spread from east China's Zhejiang Province Thursday afternoon to Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces as well as the municipalities of Beijing and Chongqing,'' the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

In Zhejiang alone, China National Salt Industry Corp., the nation's largest salt maker, reported total sales of 4,000 tons of salt on Thursday, or eight times the province's average daily sales figure, according to Xinhua.

China National Salt Industry on Thursday tried to allay public concern over the salt supply, saying the country has substantial reserves to meet demand for the product.

''We have ample salt reserves to meet people's needs and panic buying and hoarding is unnecessary,'' Xinhua quoted the corporation as saying in a statement.

Dong Yongsheng, deputy general manager of China National Salt Industry, was quoted as saying that the buying spree ''is an irrational phenomenon,'' and that the salt reserve ''is quite substantial in China and salt companies usually have stocks for three months' consumption.''

China has an annual salt production capacity of more than 80 million tons but the country's consumption of edible salt was about 8 million tons a year, Xinhua quoted Dong as saying.

http://english.kyodo...1/03/78921.html

Edited by jfchandler
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I don't get it... they talked about the dire need to get water on the pools today. The first water canon truck has been there for hours. I suspect they need to mix boric acid with the water, so would it not make sense to be working out the details and trying it with this one truck while waiting for the 10 or 11 others en-route? The helicopters have not been back... nothing seems to be happening, nor are there any news conferences going on. The US overflew already and turned over spy photos...

Why is nothing happening? I'm getting nervous. Is anyone still at the site?

My guess is that the RT post about the helicopters pulling out due to radiation is correct - seeing as the primary reason was to get water into the pools, not to get the radiation level down - which is only the end goal. Also the radiation level of 87.7 millisievert per hour at an altitude of 300 feet is quite specific. It could be that the ground area is much more radioactive and is impeeding work.

Edited by Chopperboy
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A bit ago, NHK ran video of a military general type looking guy saying now they were planning to start water spraying with FIVE trucks... not 10 or 11...

But... predictably...in the video... he said nothing about WHEN.

I wonder, did they remember to hand out road maps???

Edited by jfchandler
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A bit ago, NHK ran video of a military general type looking guy saying now they were planning to start water spraying with FIVE trucks... not 10 or 11...

But... predictably...in the video... he said nothing about WHEN.

I wonder, did they remember to hand out road maps???

But they've had one on site all day! Would they not have been using it while waiting? If nothing else, to work out the kinks? Are they just waiting for nightfall to withdraw? What is going on? The new power supply to the grid was supposed to be in this pm. Am I alone in thinking this is all very strange?

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I'm really curious.. how does cigarette smoking create radiation exposure by the smoker???

For accuracy, will use a legitimate source rather than guess. ;)

"While not an obvious source of radiation exposure, cigarette smokers inhale radioactive material that, over time, contribute large radiation dose to the lungs. Worse, smokers are not the only ones affected by the radiation in cigarettes. Second-hand can be just as harmful to nearby non-smokers.

Naturally-occurring radioactive minerals accumulate on the sticky surfaces of tobacco leaves as the plant grows, and these minerals remain on the leaves throughout the manufacturing process. Additionally, the use of the phosphate fertilizer Apatite – which contains radium, lead-210, and polonium-210 – also increases the amount of radiation in tobacco plants.

The radium that accumulates on the tobacco leaves predominantly emits alpha and gamma radiation. The lead-210 and polonium-210 particles lodge in the smoker’s lungs, where they accumulate for decades (lead-210 has a half-life of 22.3 years). The tar from tobacco builds up on the bronchioles and traps even more of these particles. Over time, these particles can damage the lungs and lead to lung cancer."

Enviornmental Protection Agency

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A bit ago, NHK ran video of a military general type looking guy saying now they were planning to start water spraying with FIVE trucks... not 10 or 11...

But... predictably...in the video... he said nothing about WHEN.

I wonder, did they remember to hand out road maps???

But they've had one on site all day! Would they not have been using it while waiting? If nothing else, to work out the kinks? Are they just waiting for nightfall to withdraw? What is going on? The new power supply to the grid was supposed to be in this pm. Am I alone in thinking this is all very strange?

I dont think its strange - I mean I am sure given the circumstances its a bit more complicated than just driving the police / firetrucks up to the reactors and turning on the water.

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6:30 pm Japan time James, you eternal optimist you... :lol:

I do think it's something...not sure strange or not..

The only thing that makes me wonder is the Japanese officials get on TV, make their pronouncements, time comes and passes, and they don't come back to say anything or explain the delay...or what's going on...

Emergencies by their nature are unpredictable.. But that's why you need to be cautious about what you promise and when...

It sounds like Edano will be back on TV after their 6 pm Japan time govt. meeting.

Edited by jfchandler
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Night falls over the lovely Fukushima beachfront... Reactors still smoking or steaming...

post-53787-0-81483900-1300354693_thumb.j

NHK TV has been running exactly the same hourly update for the past 5 hours... every time saying water SOON!

The guy saying 5 water trucks first was indeed a general from the Japanese Self Defense Force.

Edited by jfchandler
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Hello, First post here, this forum thread has been very useful to follow the disaster, thankyou. Did either of the reactor buildings that lost their roof also have the pool with 'depleted' rods as part of the structure ?

cheers Pete in NZ

Hi and welcome!

All plants have a storage pool, but no mention has been made about the status / amount of fuel rods in there except for the #4 plant. The #4 plant itself is fine, as there is no fuel in its core due to it being in maintenance at the time. However due to the maintenance its fuel rods were moved to the storage pool, which is most likely a bit crowded, which lead to overheating when the power went and lost cooling.Plants #1 to #3 all had hydrogen explosions due to core pressure venting, and while the damage -looks- extensive, it is limited to the outer building. Except for #2 where it originated in the torus. (still outside the actual reactor vessel, but inside the containment)

Thanks !

Seems incredible that the tanks on the roof of the two explosion damaged buildings may have contained rods that would have been scattered across the landscape by the blasts. The last explosion seemed to have heavy debris going very high... What a nightmare to clean up.

Pete

Edited by Organicpete
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