Radiation levels no threat to the marine life - Japanese speaker

The Japanese marine life said in no danger regardless of that radiation values 1 nuclear power plant in the waters close to the crippled Fukushima, Government spokesman Yukio Edano on Saturday.

The nuclear and industrial Agency 1,250.8 times of the permitted Friday morning in sea water was radioactive iodine-131 in a concentration detected sample approx. 330 m (1, 083 ft) South of the plant, located near the drain outlets of his troubled four nuclear reactors.

"The increased no influence level of radiation in the sea water to marine life,", Edano said during a briefing on the situation at the Japanese nuclear accident.

Kyodo News Agency quoted Government officials as saying that the radiation levels in sea water are an immediate danger to human health, but that it is well above the normal level and fan, thus of fish products in the northeastern Japan.

She confirmed the deaths of the 11 March earthquake and tsunami stands at more than 10,000, according to police, and more than 17,440 are listed as missing.

Operations have continue to try the cooling systems in Fukushima's six reactors, restart to avoid a radioactive major release.

On Friday asked leave the Japanese Government people within 30 km (19 miles) of the damaged plant due to lack of food and other essential.

Moscow, March 26 (RIA Novosti)

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Radiation has work in the Japanese nuclear power plant

Workers fought for disaster today in a highly competitive Japanese nuclear plant preempt self-described earthquake aftershocks and a radiation spewing at the site of fire rattled the nation.

By Wally Santana, AP

An evacuee is screened on Tuesday for an uncontrolled in Koriyama, Fukushima, Prefecture.

By Wally Santana, AP

An evacuee is screened on Tuesday for an uncontrolled in Koriyama, Fukushima, Prefecture.
On the fifth day of the crisis in the Japanese prefecture Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, northeast of Tokyo, the Islands earthquake and a tsunami, recovered from Friday magnitude 9.0 which killed thousands of people."Reactors have the plant again and again small amounts of radioactive gas in the crisis, which release ventilated result of the intentional movements of pressure in the reactors."There is still a very high risk for more radiation coming out "warned Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan Tuesday.The two hours fire on Tuesday on the plant reactor buildings in a water pool it apparently heated verwendet-Up nuclear fuel rods kept." That triggered the release of radioactive steam more than 160 times the annual dose received course one person short spiked heel radiation levels after a year.A second fire broke this morning in the same building. Tokyo electric power spokesman Hajimi Motujuku said the blaze exterior of reactor containment vessel broke out.Tokyo electric power, said the new blaze broke out, because the first fire had not completely extinct.The plant as spraying water and acid of helicopters and Firetrucks in his troubled nuclear reactors to prevent further a radiation of Leaky, Masami Nishimura, a spokesman for Japan nuclear Sicherheitsagentur.Hohen radiation levels said prompted an evacuation of the plant Tuesday, pouring sea water left 50 employees in three overheating reactors continue."They had operations suspend this morning after an increase in the radiation made too dangerous for the workers continue to set up, Chief Cabinet Secretary said Yukio Edano."The workers even the smallest work now to perform the work, "he said." "Because of the radiation hazard, we are on stand by mode."The most worrying, a reactor was an earlier explosion at the site showing signs of leaks to. Such a leak in the steel and concrete containment vessel, the houses the nuclear core of a reactor the biggest threat of a "radiological event" in the crisis, said Anthony Pietrangelo of the nuclear energy Institute, an industry organization in WashingtonD.C.The Dai-Ichi plant had its three operating nuclear reactors automatically stopped, when the earthquake hit Friday, but the tsunami still hot nuclear fuel rods knocked out cooling of the system.Pietrangelo compared the crisis 1979's three mile Iceland disaster, in which about half of the nuclear fuel in a reactor melted down.In an effort to prevent a similar fate for the installation of three working reactors - all probably with partially molten fuel rods - cast engineers in sea water.Japanese officials Tuesday indicated that water levels in two of the reactors seem stable but are on the reactor shakily signs of a leak. "To keep cool the fuel rods the key is to prevent a major meltdown and large amounts of radiation."You are working with razor-thin margins, "said nuclear expert David hole tree from the Union of concerned scientists against building more nuclear power plants." Hydrogen explosions at the site have injured 15 workers and the outer housing all three reactors building damaged.In a last desperate step sea water cools the rods, the the water, creating steam boiling. The steam must be drained release to pressure on the reactor Chamber. "More water can be added, to keep the bars immersed."Sea water is not what normally would like to use for this operation "Engineer of Brian Woods said Oregon State University in Corvallis the nuclear."As long as is to keep the sea water, cool things, but should it released relatively little radioactive gas, "Woods said.

Post: Julie Schmit, the associated press

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Agency: Container can cause radiation spike

Evacuations at damaged power plantAuthorities say latest smoke spotted may be caused by containment vessel breachWorkers are allowed to return to the plant after an evacuation order is liftedPlant managers may remove part of two reactor buildings to prevent more explosionsA fire and explosion Tuesday at the Fukushima Daiichi plant led to temporary radiation spike

Tokyo (CNN) -- Officials asked workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to evacuate temporarily Wednesday after a white cloud of smoke rose above the plant and radiation levels spiked.

Workers were "asked to withdraw to a safe area," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. Authorities later allowed them to return after radiation levels dropped, the Tokyo Electric Power Company said.

Radiation levels at the plant have surged and dropped repeatedly over the past few days. The most recent spike "probably" occurred "because the containment vessel in reactor No. 3 has been damaged," a spokesman for Japan's nuclear safety agency later told reporters.

Edano said the smoke or vapor above the plant may have been caused by breach in the containment structure around the No. 3 reactor's containment vessel -- the steel and concrete shell that insulates radioactive material inside.

It was the second visible sign of trouble at the earthquake-damaged nuclear plant Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, firefighters battled a blaze in the plant's No. 4 reactor building.

Since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami Friday, the plant has suffered a series of setbacks that have heightened fears about the possibility of widespread radiation contamination.

A hydrogen explosion took place at the plant's No. 2 reactor Tuesday. Hydrogen explosions had previously occurred in the plant's No. 1 and No. 3 reactors.

Another fire had broken out Tuesday in the No. 4 reactor. While it burned, radiation levels at the plant increased to about 167 times the average dose, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

That dose quickly diminished with distance from the plant, and radiation fell back to levels where it posed no immediate public health threat, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.

But the deteriorating situation and concerns about a potential shift in wind direction that could send radiation toward populated areas prompted authorities to warn people as far as 18.6 miles (30 kilometers) from the plant to stay inside.

"There is still a very high risk of further radioactive material coming out," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday, asking people to remain calm.

In all, the plant holds six reactors. At the time of Friday quake, Unit 4 was shut for maintenance and all fuel from the reactor had been moved to its spent fuel pool. Units 5 and 6 were also shut at the time of the quake, but both its reactors are loaded with fuel, the IAEA said.

About 200,000 people living within a 12.4-mile (20 kilometer) radius of the plant already had been evacuated.

Authorities also banned flights over the area.

Between Units 3 and 4, Japanese authorities said they had measured radiation dose rates of up to 400 millisieverts-per-hour, IAEA reported. That's equivalent to about 2,000 chest x-rays per hour, the agency said on its website. "This is a high dose-level value, but it is a local value at a single location and at a certain point in time," it added.

As a result of the monitoring of about 150 people from around the Daiichi site, 23 have been decontaminated, IAEA said.

The number of nuclear workers who remained on site has been slashed from 800 to 50.

"Their situation is not great," said David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University. "It's pretty clear that they will be getting very high doses of radiation. There's certainly the potential for lethal doses of radiation. They know it, and I think you have to call these people heroes."

Although the plant's three functioning reactors shut down automatically when the quake occurred, the tsunami that followed swamped the diesel generators that provided backup power to the reactor cooling systems.

Crews restored backup power, but problems keeping the reactors cool forced plant officials to take the drastic step of flooding them with seawater. Still, pressure buildups, problems with valves and a failure to fill a generator's gas tank led to hydrogen explosions and other problems.

Tuesday's events appeared to escalate the situation: Edano said the radiation releases from the explosion and fire were the first that appeared to pose a threat to human health, if only briefly.

On Monday, an explosion in the building housing the plant's No. 3 reactor apparently damaged both a water-filled chamber at the base of the reactor and the reactor containment unit itself, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano told reporters Tuesday.

Damage to the core involved about 5% of its nuclear fuel, Amano said.

It was unclear how much radioactive material may have been emitted, what kind of health threat that could pose or when the danger would end.

"There are enormous quantities of radiation," said Dr. Ira Helfand, a member of Physicians for Social Responsibility, which opposes the use of nuclear power. "The containment is not nearly as good as around the reactor cores themselves. The potential for a major release of radiation from those sites is very real, as we saw last night with the fire."

Japanese officials told the IAEA that radioactivity had been released "directly into the atmosphere" during Tuesday's fire in the No. 4 reactor, the U.N. watchdog organization said.

Crews put that fire out, and by Tuesday afternoon, Edano said, radiation readings -- which had reached dangerously high levels at the plant earlier -- had decreased.

Still, concerns about radioactive fuel boiling off its coolant and igniting continued Wednesday. Plant operators and government officials initially considered using helicopters to drop water into the cooling pond through the damaged roof of the reactor building, but rejected the idea when they discovered that the spent fuel pond was too far from the hole in the roof, a Kyodo News report said.

In addition, Edano said, cooling systems at two other reactors, No. 5 and No. 6, were "not functioning well."

Plant managers were considering removing panels from the buildings housing those reactors in an effort to prevent the hydrogen buildup that officials believe caused the other explosions, the IAEA said.

Edano said earlier that he could not rule out the possibility of a meltdown at all three troubled reactors at the plant.

A meltdown occurs when nuclear fuel rods cannot be cooled and melt the steel and concrete structure containing them. In the worst-case scenario, the fuel can spill out of the containment unit and spread radioactivity through the air and water. That, public health officials say, can cause both immediate and long-term health problems, including radiation poisoning and cancer.

If fuel rods inside the reactors are melting, "the million-dollar question is whether that melting will be contained," said James Walsh, a CNN contributor and research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's security studies program.

At present, the long-term impact on public health from the crisis appears minimal, Brenner said.

"I think, at this point in time, there's no real evidence that there are health risks to the general population," he said.

The weather has emerged as a key variable, but on Wednesday morning, winds were blowing out to sea, CNN Meteorologist Sean Morris said.

Radiation levels in Tokyo, about 225 kilometers (140 miles) southwest of the plant, were twice the usual level on Tuesday. But the concentration -- 0.809 microsieverts per hour -- posed no health threat, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said.

CNN's Stan Grant, Steven Jiang, Sabriya Rice and Richard Greene contributed to this report.

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Workers left work of Japan after radiation surge shortly

Shinichi Saoshiro and CHISA Fujioka

Tokyo (Reuters) - workers received the command, short escape knit Japanese nuclear power plant on Wednesday after radiation levels increased, a development which the crisis suggested was spiral out of control.

Only hours earlier, another fire broke in the earthquake crippled body which draw small amounts of radiation sent in Tokyo of the past 24 hours, fear in the capital and triggering international alarm.

Workers of attempted a street build so that fire engines could reach reactor No. 4. Flames were no longer on the building of the reactor, but television images showed smoke or steam is visible. A helicopter was also to water at no 3 reactor-casting the roof of a previous explosion-to try its fuel rods, cool broadcaster NHK said was damaged.

Nuclear experts said the solutions for radiation leaks at the Daiichi complex in Fukushima, 240 km to suppress (150 miles north of Tokyo, were what remained as one of the world's worst industrial disasters in memory last desperate efforts to stem cells.)

"This is a slow nightmare," said Dr. Thomas Neff, a research affiliate at the Center for international studies, that of Technology Institute is in the Massachusetts.

Panic about the economic impact of last Friday knocked out $620 billion from Japan's stock market massive earthquake and tsunami in the first two days of the week, but the Nikkei index rebounded on Wednesday to end 5.68 per cent up.

Nevertheless, estimates of losses on the Japanese edition of damage to buildings, production and consumer activity ranged from between 10 and 16 trillion yen ($ 5.125$ 200 billion), up to one and a-half times of the economic losses from the devastating Kobe earthquake in 1995.

Also significant disruption of the global supply chain, particularly in the areas of technology and auto threatens damage to Japan the production of base and infrastructure.

Scores of flights to Japan have been stopped or redirected, Tokyo avoid passengers fear of radiation and on Wednesday, France calls its nationals in the city of either Japan or head in the South of the country to leave.

The fate of hundreds of thousands homeless Quake which the and devastating tsunami, which followed the snow in some of the worst affected areas deteriorated overnight after a cold snap brought.

While the death toll to around 4 ' 000 is, more than 7,000 are listed as missing, and the figure is expected to rise.

In this work of Fukushima authorities spent days desperately trying to prevent water which is intended to the radioactive cores of the reactors of evaporate, leading to overheating and possibly a dangerous meltdown cool.

Concern focuses now on damage to a part of the reactor building No. 4 at the spent rods were stored in pools of water, and also a part of the reactor No. 2, which helps cool and catch the most caesium, Iodine and strontium in its waters.

Japanese officials said that they were talking about military help in the work in the United States.

Earlier concerns that the skeleton handling of the crisis enough, after working for days since the earthquake damaged exhausted the plant were or might not be large crews mounted. Authorities moved leave on Tuesday, only 50 750 workers.

All the remaining were extracted for almost an hour on Wednesday because radiation levels were too high, but there were allowed to return later.

Arnie Gundersen, a veteran 39 years of the nuclear industry, now Chief Engineer at fairwinds Associates Inc and that on reactor designs Daiichi plant, similar to worked said 50 or so people might not babysitter six nuclear power stations.

"That evacuation (750 workers) can be a sign that they throw in the towel," Gundersen said.

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Spike in radiation readings forces nuclear workers, to leave posts

Knit new evaluation offers of the explosion in unit 2 of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant increased Tuesday fears that it will begin to spew large amounts of radiation.

Radiation readings from difficulties in the entire work spike so high, that the remaining skeleton crew of workers at least temporarily was ordered, said their posts to give up Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano at a press conference Wednesday.

The draw-down who said plant workers "a sign for me, that they have given up, trying to prevent a catastrophe and try in the mode, then clean gone" nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen.

The explosion in unit 2 was probably damaged the main shield to the uranium-filled core within one of the six reactors at the plant. Would such an infringement to be a nuclear power plant the first since the disaster of Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union 25 years ago.

The explosion, combined with a fire in a different unit and the deepest setbacks to stabilize even the five day battle the Daiichi plant drag back of the workers marked, which suffered heavy damage his cooling systems for earthquake and tsunami on Friday. Other explosions occurred nuclear reactors already on two of the plant.

The explosion unit 2 was to visible, but potentially dangerous not to the outside because it created escape routes for radioactive material in bottles in the thickness of steel-concrete pipe reactor. Radiation-laced steam may be experts, between buildings, the tube and the building that houses it, said triggering fears that the pressure the structure apart blow would, radiation from the core.

"they are the core of water commissioning and production of steam and the steam is, somewhere, go", Gundersen said that more than 40 years experience, supervision of the Vermont Yankee nuclear facilities, whose Reaktoren are from the same vintage and design than those in the Prefecture Fukushima Daiichi plant. "It must carry radiation."

Nuclear experts have stressed repeatedly that radiation releases on the scale of Chernobyl unlikely or even impossible, heavy engineering and additional layers of containment in the face of the Japanese plant.

Still, Tokyo Electric Power Co., operates the Daiichi plant, said radiation shortly at dangerous levels at the plant Tuesday morning and Wednesday again increased. Raised on Wednesday morning, the Japanese Government of permissible radiation exposure for the few workers still in the works of 2.5 times, so that they more, work the national television broadcaster NHK reported.

After the explosion Tuesday crew noticed a decrease in the pressure in the reactor and also within a ring-shaped structure below, called a suppression pool. The simultaneous loss of pressure in the two places are heavy damage, nuclear experts said.

The explosion happened probably after the currents of sea water, the crews have been in the reactor pumps have come to a halt. Left the fuel rods were exposed completely for some time in the air, said in a statement Tepco. Without water, the stakes grew white hot and possibly melted through the steel concrete pipe.

TEPCO said a skeleton crew of 50 to 70 staff - far less than the 1,400 or more in the works in the normal operation - had worked in shifts, sea water to the three reactors now in trouble to keep.

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Precautions should health problems from nuclear plant radiation limit

The Japanese Government has evacuated people in the next to who said plant, others home stay and distributed to protect the drug potassium iodide thyroid from radioactive iodine.

The great tragedy of Chernobyl was an epidemic of thyroid cancer among people exposed to the radiation as children - more than 6,000 cases so far, with more expected for many years to come. There is no reason for it in Japan be repeated.

The epidemic in Chernobyl was unnecessary and probably would not have happened if people told me, had to stop local drink milk, made, which was by far the most important source of radiation. Grass of fallout from the reactors and secreted radioactive iodine in their milk cows ate contaminated.

The thyroid gland needs iodine and easily takes on the radioactive form that can cause cancer. Children are particularly vulnerable. Pills to potassium iodide thyroid gland with ordinary iodine in the hope, that it prevents the gland will flood in which radioactive type. Possibly unnecessary people avoid drinking milk, the drug but for most people, there is no harm in it. And if already the pills can that help get rid of, has started building in the thyroid gland, Dr. Richard said radioactive iodine j. Vetter, a Professor of Biophysics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota

"It always will help if you are within a month or so of the exhibition," said Dr. cousin. "The higher is, the less it helps."

If the pills are in short supply, and he said, are rationed, they should go first, children and pregnant women. But taking the drug not you is to stay safe in the vicinity of a reactor, the radiation issues, he said. Still, people need to evacuate.

Apart from the increase of thyroid cancer is "there is no evidence of a large public health impact attributable to radiation exposure two decades after the accident" in Chernobyl, partially due to the evacuation efforts, according to a recently published report of the United Nations.

There are several ways to tell whether someone was exposed to radiation. A Geiger counter detects radioactivity outside the body, clothes, hair and skin. To be found infected people should be advised to take off and take a shower, and their clothing should when disposed of hazardous waste, said Dr. cousin.

Another device, a sodium iodide detector can check, radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland from the neck inch or so maintained; If it detects any, the person may be given pills iodide.

Appear in photographs from Japan health personnel of the public with a Geiger counter and sodium iodide detectors are screening.

If it is suspected that someone has suspended a large dose of radiation, is the first test, which doctors are likely to result in a complete blood count, Dr. Vetter said. Anomalies in the count - less white cells as, for example - can appear for a day or so, and give a rough estimate the exposure was how bad the.

"In Japan, it is very unlikely that a member of the public would get a dose of radiation, which would result in a reduction in each blood cells," said Dr. cousin. "If someone this way of the dose is probably people who work in the nuclear power plants themselves."

People with significantly reduced blood counts for radiation medication on their can be given to stimulate more blood cells bone marrow. These drugs were not available in the year 1986, when a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine, blew up. Other drugs can be used to help the body to get rid of certain radioactive isotopes. If the exposure was so high that the medications do not help people must - may be treated however hospitalized in isolation and antibiotics to prevent infection, and possibly blood transfusions. A bone marrow transplant can as a last resort, but Dr. Vetter said "the patient in real trouble at this point."

Cultures due to fallout, which contaminated are brackets can be addressed on the surface of the plants at first and later by their roots.

The time required for half of it fall apart, or disappear - so most of it is has gone two months a half life of only eight days - radioactive iodine. But radioactive forms of particles cesium much longer to maintain, and in the regions of Chernobyl affected, they are still the greatest threats to human health and are for decades.

Wild mushrooms, berries, and animals with caesium in fields dirty are contaminated by Chernobyl were, and, is expected to last for decades. Lakes and freshwater fish can also be contaminated, but experts say that less is a marine fish concern, because the contaminants are more spread and diluted in the Ocean as in lakes.

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