Scheduled three-day drill begins at San Onofre nuclear plant

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April 12, 2011 | 10:19 am

The operators of the San Onofre nuclear power plant are starting a drill Tuesday to test the ability of the facility and local, state and federal agencies to respond to a radiological emergency.

The three-day exercise by Southern California Edison will simulate a radioactive release from the plant into surrounding communities, said Tina Walker, a spokeswoman for the California Emergency Management Agency.

Nuclear emergency sirens will sound during the drill, which will be overseen and evaluated by state and federal disaster officials, she said.

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To read the complete article, click here -> http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/routine-drill-begins-at-san-onofre-nuclear-plant.html

TEPCO wary of Fukushima radiation leak exceeding Chernobyl

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April 12 (Reuters) – The operator of Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said on Tuesday that they are concerned that the radiation leakage could eventually exceed that of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

“The radiation leak has not stopped completely and our concern is that it could eventually exceed Chernobyl,” an official from operator Tokyo Electric and Power told reporters on Tuesday.

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To read the complete article, click here -> http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=tepco-wary-of-fukushima-radiation-l

Japan raises nuke accident severity to highest level

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TOKYO, April 12 (Xinhua) — Japan’s nuclear safety agency announced on Tuesday that it has raised the severity level of the accident at the crippled Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant to 7, the worst on an international scale, from the current 5.

The ranking had only been applied to the 1986 Chernobyl accident. According to Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, the amount of radiation emissions released at the Fukushima plant was equivalent to 10 percent of that in the Chernobyl accident.

The International Atomic Energy Agency described an accident ranked 7 as a major one.

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To read the complete article, click here -> http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-04/12/c_13824832.htm

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TEPCO steps up effort to remove contaminated water

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updated at 8:15 UTC, Apr. 09

The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has stepped up its effort to remove highly radioactive water that is hampering restoration of reactor cooling systems.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says contaminated water in a concrete tunnel of the Number 2 reactor has risen 10 centimeters since leakage of the water into the ocean stopped on Wednesday.

The company says the gap between the surface of the waste water and the top of the tunnel was 94 centimeters as of 7 AM on Saturday. It denies any possibility that the water could overflow from the tunnel.

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To read the complete article, click here -> http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/09_15.html

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‘No Safe Levels’ of Radiation in Japan

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This article is a few days old. I apologize for the delay in bringing it to you. – SK

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By Dahr Jamail*
MARFA, Texas, U.S., Apr 4, 2011 (IPS/Al Jazeera) – In a nuclear crisis that is becoming increasingly serious, Japan’s Nuclear Safety Agency confirmed that radioactive iodine-131 in seawater samples taken near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex that was seriously damaged by the recent tsunami off the coast of Japan is 4,385 times the level permitted by law.

Airborne radiation near the plant has been measured at 4- times government limits.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, the company that operates the crippled plant, has begun releasing more than 11,000 tons of radioactive water that was used to cool the fuel rods into the ocean while it attempts to find the source of radioactive leaks. The water being released is about 100 times more radioactive than legal limits.

Meanwhile, water that is vastly more radioactive continues to gush into the ocean through a large crack in a six-foot deep pit at the nuclear plant. Over the weekend, workers at the plant used sawdust, shredded newspaper and diaper chemicals in a desperate attempt to plug the area, which failed. Water leaking from the pit is about 10,000 times more radioactive than water normally found at a nuclear plant

Thus, radiation from a meltdown in the reactor core of reactor No. 2 is leaking out into the water and soil, with other reactors continuing to experience problems.

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To read the complete article, click here ->http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=55118

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Governments say radiation levels low in B.C., but concerns persist

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Posted on April 7th, 2011 by MuskegPress

Even though federal government agencies have said there is no radiation risk to B.C. as a result of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, some in the North Coast are nevertheless concerned about the after-effects of the disaster.

The Fukushima nuclear plant was severely damaged following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Situated on the east coast of Japan, the plant experienced explosions at three of its units, and a fire at its fourth unit. By the end of March, radioactive material was leaking into the ocean.

Health Canada, which has a network of 100 radiation monitoring stations across the country, found the amount of radiation coming from Japan was miniscule and didn’t pose a risk to Canadians. “The damaged nuclear power reactors in Japan are not expected to pose a health risk to residents of British Columbia or the rest of Canada,” said media relations officer Gary Holub.

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To read the complete article, click here -> http://www.muskegnews.com/rad-concerns101

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Radiation from Japan reaches B.C. shores

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March 28, 2011

Simon Fraser University researchers are attributing increased levels of the radioisotope iodine-131 in B.C. seaweed and rainwater samples to the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear reactor situation in Japan.

Japanese officials have been working to prevent a nuclear meltdown after cooling systems failed following a magnitude 9.0 earthquake earlier this month that was accompanied by a tsunami. Medical and pharmaceutical industries use iodine-131; it’s also present in nuclear fission products.

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To read the complete article, click here -> http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/media_releases/media_releases_archives/radiation-from-japan-reaches-bc-shores.html

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Million homes lack power after new Japan quake

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By JAY ALABASTER and TOMOKO A. HOSAKA, Associated Press Jay Alabaster And Tomoko A. Hosaka, Associated Press – 1 hr 18 mins ago

SENDAI, Japan – Nearly a million homes suffered blackouts in Japan‘s northeast Friday after a new earthquake killed three people and piled more misery on a region buried under the rubble of last month’s devastating tsunami.

The northeastern coast was still reeling from the destruction wrought by a jumbo 9.0-magnitude earthquake on March 11, with tens of thousands of households without power or water. The 7.1-magnitude aftershock Thursday threw even more areas into disarray and sent communities that had made some gains back to square one.

Gasoline was scarce again, and long lines formed at stations. Stores that had only recently restocked their shelves sold out of basics Friday and were forced to ration purchases again.

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To read the complete article, click here -> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_earthquake

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Core of Stricken Reactor Probably Leaked, U.S. Says

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By MATTHEW L. WALD and ANDREW POLLACK
Published: April 6, 2011

WASHINGTON — The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday that some of the core of a stricken Japanese reactor had probably leaked from its steel pressure vessel into the bottom of the containment structure, implying that the damage was even worse than previously thought.

The statement came as the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, started to inject nitrogen into the reactor containment vessel of unit No. 1 to prevent a possible explosion.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s statement regarded unit No. 2, and the agency underscored that its interpretation was speculative and based on high radiation readings that Tokyo Electric had found in the lower part of unit No. 2’s primary containment structure, called the drywell. The statement said that the commission “does not believe that the reactor vessel has given way, and we do believe practically all of the core remains in the vessel.”

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To read the complete article, click here -> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/world/asia/07japan.html?_r=1&ref=asia

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Crown prince, princess encourage earthquake, nuclear evacuees

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TOKYO, April 6 Kyodo

Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako encouraged evacuees affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent nuclear crisis, at a shelter in Tokyo on Wednesday as the
Japanese imperial family is engaging in various support measures following the disaster.
The royal couple visited the Ajinomoto Stadium in Chofu in western Tokyo, where around 129 people, most of whom have fled from the vicinity of the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, are taking shelter.

 

 

 

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To read the complete article, click here -> http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Crown-prince–princess-encourage-earthquake–nuclear-evacuees.html?soid=1103590107335&aid=5C213EXH79w

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