Evening Buzz: New Fire at Japanese Nuclear Plant
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/03/15/gall.japan.grocery.jpg caption="A masked boy walks past nearly-empty shelves at a supermarket in the Japanese city of Akita PHOTO CREDIT: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images." width=300 height=169]
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Editor's note: Tune in to AC360° tonight beginning at 10pm ET to get the latest from Anderson Cooper and CNN's team of correspondents and producers on the ground in Japan.
There's new trouble at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, increasing fears of more radiation contamination. A second fire has broken out at the plant's No. 4 reactor. It's the latest setback for Tokyo Electric Power Company as it tries to prevent a meltdown, following Friday's 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan's coast Friday.
Nuclear fears were first raised when the quake and tsunami knocked out regular and backup cooling systems to reactors No. 1 and No. 3. Workers have poured seawater and boric acid into the reactors to prevent a meltdown, but a hydrogen buildup caused an explosion Saturday. Four workers were hurt when the roof was blown off the No. 1 reactor building. Due to radiation fears, those who lived within a 12-mile radius of the plant were told to evacuate.
Monday morning, local time, a second explosion, this time in reactor No. 3, injured several additional workers. Later that night, the No. 2 reactor lost its cooling capability. Workers injected seawater and boric acid into that reactor.
Tuesday morning, local time, a third explosion rocked the site, involving reactor No. 2, and the first fire broke out in reactor No. 4. Officials reported a temporary spike in radiation levels and warned people who lived within 18.6 miles of the plant to stay inside. Japan's Prime Minister called on everyone to stay calm, but acknowledged there is still a "high risk" of further radioactive material of seeping out.
Tonight only about 50 workers remain at the facility.
"I think the workers at this site are involved in a heroic endeavor, because there is at least fragmentary evidence that in some places on this site there are life-threatening doses of radiation," Robert Alvarez, a former Department of Energy official said.
Alvarez also said normally one reactor would have 100 workers assigned to it, with a total of up to 700 people on site.
Another concern is that the seawater effort is not working.
"They are just pumping saltwater in and it's boiling off," nuclear safety advocate Arnie Gundersen said.
"Almost like a pot on the stove. It will keep boiling off. You have to make up for what's boiling off. If the water drops and fuel becomes exposed, it causes a very high gamma ray exposure on site."
Radiation levels in Tokyo, about 140 miles southwest of the plant, were twice the normal level Tuesday, but officials said they didn't pose a health threat.
The U.S. Navy said it is monitoring winds closely and "moving our ships and aircraft as necessary" from the Fukushima nuclear plant. The U.S. ships and helicopters are delivering food, water and blankets to the victims.
Meanwhile, the official death toll from the quake and tsunami has risen to 3,676. That number is expected to rise as search teams reach the hardest hit areas.
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Filed under: Maureen Miller • The Buzz |
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Eliza
Just going on what we were taught when I worked at a uranium enrichment facility back in my government days. You don't have to get dust on you to suffer radiation exposure; sheltering in place is rarely effective although some places will recommend it as its at least better than nothing. If they are wearing dosimeters which Anderson showed then it is more serious than sheltering in place will help. Pregnant women are particularly at risk; they cannot take the same amount of exposure a non-pregnant person can take because of the effects on the fetus. I wore a dosimeter for 7 years and it got checked by our health division on a quarterly basis and sometimes we got moved because of the dosimeter readings. I just want them all to be safe and have no long term effects from this.
Where is our world wide nuclear response team? If we are going to use nuclear power we should have a team to react, like we have for mine disasters,oil disasters and all other man made and mother nature's disasters.
Get those reporters out of the country NOW...the winds shifting onshore and will contaminate the entire country. It has many more times the radioactive material than the chernobyl disaster!!!
I am wondering, if no.4 has spent fuel stored above the core, are there similar pools in the no.1 and no.3 reactors, and were these compromised in the hydrogen explosions?
Why can't we send in radiation protected teams to knock down the remaining structures and bulldoze over the reactors with earth to keep the radiation leaks into the atmolsphere at a minimum until we can figure out how to bury them to a greater extent.
@Harlarld, I'm in the military and I don't know of any satellites that measure radiation. The level of exposure to radiation is a logarithmic function of distance and satellites are quite a distance away. That's why you can say that right next to the reactor, radiation levels are very high while at 1 mile away the levels are significantly less. Imagine that a neutron particle is like a bullet, they can only travel so far and molecules in the atmosphere will slow it down. For example cosmic radiation, the higher in elevation you are the more exposure you experience such as a cross country flight or the fact that people living in Denver receive twice as much cosmic radiation as those that live at sea level. (Source: Uni of Iowa)
like an earlier guest asked, we're is the International Atomic Energy Agency ?...where?...this is an awful time in human history and the world leaders are sticking their heads in the sand, all the while there are workers that have probably lost their loved ones and homes are risking their lives to save millions of lives. These are truly heroes....:(
LET ME TRY AGAIN. YOU HAD AN IMPORTANT TRANSLATION ERROR IN CONVEYING CHIEF CABINET SECRETARY EDANO'S COMMENT.
I COULD HEAR HIM UNDER THE INTERPRETER'S VOICE OVER. HE SAID THE WORKERS HAD BEEN '"TEMPORARILY" WITHDRAWN FOR SAFETY REASONS BY THE POWER COMPANY. ALSO SAID HE WOULD GIVE FURTHER DETAILS AS SOON AS HE COULD.
NOW, NONE OF US CAN BE SURE WHAT THIS MEANS BUT ONE EXPLANATION IS THAT A NEW TEAM IS COMING IN BECAUSE THE OTHERS HAVE EXPOSED TO TWO MUCH RADIATION.
KEEP UP THE SUPERB REPORTING ON THIS TERRIBLE TRAGEDY –
FRANK MCNEIL – A FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT JAPAN HAND AND LATER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE 1990S COMMISSION ON US JAPAN RELATIONS FOR THE 20TH CENTURY.
When you are able – get aboard USS Ronald Reagan – show viewers what US Navy is doing in the effort.
URGENT TO ANDERSON !!!!
Anderson according to american engineers who jusr returned from the plants in Japan it is reported on another network that the #4 reactor was under repair Maint. and the active rods had been moved to the spent rod pool. the pool will not hold water now and the active rods are burning in the spent fuel pool.
Someone needs to ask the question what happens to a mass of molten fuel rods at say 5000 degrees that melt through the vessel then into the ground, and make contact with cold ground water...
Hint massive steam explosion throwing fuel rods for miles. Answer: a Chernobyl 1000 times worse than this planet could imagine.
Anderson and Sanjay,
Get the hell out of there! I want to be watching you deliver the news for many years to come.
Could DRY ICE be used to cool rods?
I was a nuclear plant worker as an electrican if they don't pull those workers out of there they should be getting body bags for them . I know this is harse but it is true.
Anderson – – –
I am a very concerned fan of yours, please get the heck out of there in Japan along with Dr. Gupta before you guys are exposed to the radiation. Your health and life are more important, don't end up like poor Peter Jennings with cancer, God forbid, we need you back here in the U.S., Anderson. God speed and God bless you and Dr. Gupta.
A very concerned fan of yours,
Suzanne Suffern – Chicago
hi anderson
will someone at CNN please enlighten me about something...why is the international nuclear community still allowing inferior nuclear reactors to operate anywhere on the planet?...nuclear power is a global issue...why do we not go with the "best design" for these beasts, and build them all the same?...this should not be a "free enterprise" commodity...take the BEST design, and use IT.
regards
judy best, ontario, canada
In speaking with someone today, they pointed out how civilized and supportive to each other the traumatized Japanese people have been to one another. No rioting, no looting, no assaults, no murders. Also, if anyone believes that the leaked radiation is going to stay contained in the atmosphere only in Japan, then there is a bridge in Brooklyn that's for sale. We are all vulnerable once it gets into the food supply, the soil and the air we breath.
well I saw a documentary on Discovery about nuclear survival documentary,a very small section of the actual documentary,where giving out the trick of covering your window with plastic to block partial amount of radiation that can be prouven life treathning.I wonder if a couple 5$-10$ plastic cover all would be available for the people living in the area of the fukichima plant, 18.6 miles radius,as a survival tool agaisnt potential nuclear disaster.
Just a tought BTW.
I thought that the US military has satelites that can detect radiation levels. I have not heard anything from the official sources. Can they give any details? I bet the Commander of the USS Ronald Reagan has seen the satelite images. This might be a good angle to report on.
Yea drywall won't protect anyone against radiation.I don't know why people are using those geiger counters on ppl when it only will pick up contamination not your dose so what's the point...
Annie – if they aren't in direct contact with the dust particles, their exposure is far lower than what they would pick up from several metres away through walls and roof. At that distance (20km) their main worry is now radioactive iodine particles in the air, and that degrades within a few weeks – so they merely need to keep this dust off their bodies/clothes for a few weeks.
With all of the aid efforts from the US, what is China doing? The largest and closest nation to Japan, it seems that they could be extremely effective at assisting the Japanese if they so chose. What is going on with their efforts and efforts of the other countries around the world?
It was reported that Japanese authorities told people in the 12 to 18 mile radius of the reactors to stay inside and "shelter in place". How does that help against radiation exposure which is not stopped by walls and a roof?
The mortality number is so large and suppose to climb higher; it is heartbreaking to see the numbers and think about how many families have been impacted by this tragedy. There are a lot of stories to be told out of this one and I know that CNN and AC360 in particular will be there to tell them well.