The Japan nuclear power crisis moves again breath risk - voice of America

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VOA News ?April 06, 2011

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel, wearing protective suits, operate on an auxiliary multi-purpose support ship Hiuchi near the Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, in this photo taken April 5 and released by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force April 6, 2011.

Workers are pumping nitrogen into one of the reactors at Japan's damaged nuclear plant in an attempt to prevent an explosion caused by dangerously overheated fuel rods.

Wednesday's crisis at the Fukushima plant came after technicians finally stopped a leak of highly radioactive water from the power station that dramatically increased the amount of radiation found in nearby ocean waters.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the water leak stopped before 6 a.m. Wednesday local time.? Until then, water samples in the vicinity had shown radiation levels up to 7.5 million times the allowable limit.

However, Edano said it is too early to say with confidence that the problem has been solved, and that officials from the Tokyo Electric Power Company are trying to determine whether radioactive water is leaking from any other location.

Radioactive water dumping continues

The government official apologized to neighboring countries for Japan's failure to notify them before it began pumping thousands of tons of low-level radioactive water into the sea near the plant - an issue separate from the water leak into the ocean.

Edano said the pumping will continue, possibly until Friday, in order to drain a storage area that will be used to hold much more dangerous water - up to 200,000 times as radioactive - from inside the reactor.? He said steps have been taken to ensure better communication with nearby countries before such action is taken in the future.

The chief Cabinet secretary also said authorities are considering compensation payments for fishermen affected by the disaster, as well as whether to adjust the criteria for acceptable radiation levels within the 20-kilometer evacuation zone around the reactors.

After pumping began Tuesday to transfer 11,500 tons of lightly radioactive water from the number-two reactor into the sea, South Korea protested the action as a possible violation of international law.

New threats

Officials at TEPCO, which operates the Fukushima plant, said a dangerous hydrogen buildup is taking place at its number-one reactor.? Japan's NHK television quoted officials saying hydrogen is accumulating inside the reactor's containment vessel - an indication that the reactor's core has been damaged.

Hydrogen explosions destroyed the outer housings of two of the plant's six reactors during the first days of the nuclear crisis that followed the earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

And highly radioactive water has accumulated in lower levels of several reactors, following weeks in which workers pumped in massive amounts of water to prevent fuel rods from overheating. The water needs to be removed before workers can complete repairs to the permanent cooling systems.

National police said Wednesday the confirmed death toll in the March 11 disasters now stands at 12,468, with more than 15,000 people still unaccounted for.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

06-04-2011 KAKOLI SANYAL (INDIA(RAJASTHAN))

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE SO OTHER NATIONS TOO LEARN SOMETHING FROM THIS INCIDENT.

06-04-2011

They say that the radiated water will be diluted by the ocean, but isn't that like saying it's ok to pollute a little. A drop in the bucket so to speak. I don't believe that it will not have long term effects. If japan can't do something soon we as people of earth have a responsiblity to protect the environment and our childrens future. I'm disgusted, we waste our time in Libia, protecting that oil supply, but let these idiots ruin our environment.

06-04-2011 Dave (USA)

Do you notice that they use the term "Technicians" when they say who is trying to fix the nuclear meltdowns, when actually it is "Engineers" who graduated from "Universities and Colleges" and have "advanced degrees" for which they have paid thousands of dollars to these institutions to be taught by "experts" who know much more than anyone on this planet to command such monies and respect and admiration.

06-04-2011 andypaul (Sydney)

Sigh... I was really wanting to travel to Japan in August but now have my doubts about food safety, etc... hopefully things will stabilize in a few months... I want to certainly, spend money and add in my small way to the Japanese economy as well as, see a magical place I've dreamed about for the last 30 years.

06-04-2011 charles Majomi (Nigeria)

Hopefully, we are drawing closer to a safe and secure solution for all. Keep up the good work!!!!!

06-04-2011 V.K.Hans (India)

This is the hour Japan needs samurai heros to fight the deamon of radiation who are ready to sacrifice their lives to keep their children safe.

06-04-2011 Keith (USA)

They continue to pump millions of gallons of water over the reactor cores and over the spent fuel rods in these various power plants. They have no way of capturing and holding this water that is contaminated and cleaning it before it is going to flow back into the ocean or seep down into the fresh water table there in Japan.

06-04-2011 William P (Australia)

Illuminati! NWO! FREEMASONS! SATANISTS!!! We humans will not die! You Satanist reptilian demons from hell running our governments and trying ot poison humanity are going to burn in hell!! Praise God and Jesus Christ who will defeat you!

06-04-2011 (US)

Continued irresponsible reporting. Terms such as "millions of times" and "hundreds of thousands" are misleading considering how miniscule the actual limits are. When dealing with radiation the actual limits are measured in the milli and micro range so millions of times more is still quite insignificant. Publish the actual limits and the current readings and then this will be a legitimate story.

06-04-2011

What is 200 thousand times more dangerous than 7.5 million times the allowable limit? Funny how they only admit the million number after they apparently plug the leak. The 10million number showed up earlier, only to be recanted by the higher ups saying only 100,000 times the limit, only to let the number reappear now. Total Bs

06-04-2011 perumal (Malaysia)

The idea of pumping 11500tonnes of radioactive water is unkind move .This could easily be contained inland in an man made temporary lake 20m x100m x4m deep.And later treat the water ....Why destroy the ocean and affect the sea life and other countries......

06-04-2011 hubert (Canada)

If it will go like they say for years Canadian fishery will be also in big trouble. I think that world as we know is "finished"...

06-04-2011 Wils (SA)

It is just getting worse. What is next...? Who will ever know !

06-04-2011 Wils (SA)

Thank God,we only have one Nuclear reactor in South Africa!

06-04-2011 soundarajan narasiah (india)

this is the right time every country should revisit whether to depend on nuclear power for there power requirement as such high risk power system, incase of radiation leak, make the zone unworthy to live any living being.this high risk level is not there in any other power generation system. all to thinkover this and look forward to have a perinial risk free power generation system.

06-04-2011 Dr (USA)

I cant imagine that the ocean can absorb such poisonous radioactivity without concentrating it in marine animals. Japan has been shown again, to be a corrupt horrible nation of crimminals.

06-04-2011 Ken (USA)

Instead of dumping radio active water back into the ocean... Why not freeze it untiul it is at a safe level to dump it back in the ocaen? This would appear to safe guar the planet and minimize the contamination to the fish.

06-04-2011 gim min su(???) (korea)

our goverment say, radiation level is low but some of schools are close

06-04-2011 Cosmic Justice (USA)

This whole crisis is rather fascinating. It's kind of like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Yet in another way, it is truly a beautiful process to behold. As I monitor rising radiation levels across the US, I feel a sense of relief in knowing that the criminals who have seized control of America have no place to hide. For those who pay the salaries of Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and other prophets of hate, your time has come. https://cdxnode64.epa.gov/radnet-public/showMap.do

06-04-2011 Slarty Bartfast (Rupert Murdochland)

This is just media SCAREMONGERING!!!! Why don't you report the real figures about this harmless radiation that poses no risk to human health, ever? Any fool nose that 7 million times nothing is still nothing. There's clearly nothing to worry about here, radiation suits are just the latest fashion.

06-04-2011 Greg (USA)

What? Should Japan just sit on its hands and do nothing? This is similar to the Deep Horizon oil drilling explosion last April. The engineering and dangers involved in these types of catastrophes are rarely tested and almost never used. But once they happen, you often have to choose between bad and worse. In this case, illegal spillage contaminating food we can choose not to eat or a much larger hydrogen explosion into the atmosphere which we would have no choice but to breath...

06-04-2011 wee kee meng (singapore)

We had saw enought of these unaccurage reports, I hope this is the last one.

06-04-2011 M (USA)

READ ' the corporation' by joel bakan. It wiil give you understanding of what OUR democracy has become. Good luck to ya'll

06-04-2011 Johnson (China)

The effects, which in a long run can be visualized, should not be so decisively and swiftly now claimed safe and bearable to people, sea creatures and enviorment only by some strong voices from governments, those I doubt very much this time why they are so tacit in accordance, especially the curious silence of USA.

06-04-2011 cp (usa) (usa)

Dr. ( usa) : Did you accuse the people responsible at 3 mile island and the really bad Russian mess in the same manner you stated for this accident or do you simply hate Japan for other reasons.

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