JAPAN: THREE NUCLEAR REACTORS MAY BE MELTING DOWN
March 14th, 2011Via: CNN:
A blast at a nuclear reactor and a series of problems at a neighboring one led to a brief spike in radiation levels outside Japan’s troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant Monday, triggering even greater fears that dangerous radiation could add to the country’s devastation.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said he was not ruling out the possibility of a meltdown at all three troubled reactors at the plant.
The blast — caused by a buildup of hydrogen — also damaged the cooling system at reactor No. 2, starting a new round of problems for officials trying to contain the damage from Friday’s earthquake and tsunami.
The explosion at Fukushima Daiichi’s reactor No. 3 Monday morning injured 11 people. It was powerful enough to blow the roof and walls off a building, the Kyodo news agency reported.
More: Unit Three Uses More Toxic ‘MOX’ Fuel
Via: Cnet:
The fuel used in the Japanese nuclear reactor where an explosion occurred today is more volatile and toxic than the fuel used in the other reactors there, a Japanese nuclear expert warned.
At a press conference in Tokyo, Masashi Goto, who worked for Toshiba as a reactor researcher and designer, said the mixed oxide (MOX) fuel used in unit 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant contains plutonium, which is much more toxic than the fuel used in the other reactors.
MOX fuel is a mixture of uranium and plutonium reprocessed from spent uranium, and is sometimes involved in the disposal of weapons-grade plutonium.
Goto added that the MOX also has a lower melting point than the other fuels. The Fukushima facility began using MOX fuel last September, becoming the third plant in Japan to do so.
Research Credit: GP
Hope this guy is wrong:
http://my.firedoglake.com/kirkmurphy/2011/03/14/nuke-engineer-fuel-rod-fire-at-stricken-reactor-would-be-like-chernobyl-on-steroids/
The article is terrifying, as well as the comments.
Urban Survival posted this article several months ago: The Good News About Nuclear Destruction!
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51648
or
http:www.kiwu.comgoodnews.htm
May just need a bottle of iodine for thyroid protection for older folks like me who are past child bearing years. Dunno. I’m not an expert in these nuclear matters. Problem is, I don’t think anyone else in this ballgame is either.
@dermot:
thanks for the link.
there is a little bit more discussion on tv now about the spent fuel cooling pools, but the issue is still being downplayed imho. the media people don’t seem to get how important these pools are.