Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor 3 is still pouring massive amounts of contamination into the Pacific Ocean.
Since Friday, cesium-134 and 137 have being detected at levels thousands of times above government safe limits.
So far Tokyo Electric Power Company says they can only monitor the radiation levels coming from Reactor 3. It seems their hands are full with the meltdown of Reactor 1.
In a clear case of obsession, Tokyo Electric Power Company announced they will resume water injection in Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor 1.
TEPCo officials say the water level is far too low, and they have confirmed that holes and cracks have formed in the reactor vessel, as a result of the meltdown.
A couple of days ago the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told TEPCo that it’s a waste of time to keep pumping in massive amounts of water, now that the reactor has melted down. TEPCo continues to insist that if they pump in enough water, and connect a new cooling system, they can control the situation.
TEPCo will monitor their water injection plan for the next two days.
Japan has ordered the mandatory evacuations of two towns in Fukushima Prefecture, 15 May, almost three days after it was reveled that Reactor 1, of Fukushima Daiichi nuke plant, was melting down.
Families with children kindergarten age or younger, and pregnant women, are the first to be evacuated. At least 7,700 people will be evacuated from the small towns. Local officials claim they have secured places for the families to stay.
Farmers are being given extra time so they can move their livestock. The evacuation was ordered because of increased radiation levels in the towns.
On the evening of 13 May, the Central American country Costa Rica, was hit by a 6.0 quake. The epicenter is near the Arenal volcano.
Then, in the early morning of 14 May, Japan was hit by a 6.2 quake (some reports say 5.7), near the same spot as 11 March 9.0 earthquake, off the coast of Fukushima. Initially a tsunami warning was issued, but was canceled. No word on any damage to the nuke plants in Fukushima.
The first death connected to the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has occurred. A 60 year old man working for a subcontractor, fell unconscious while removing nuclear waste.
Tokyo Electric Power Company officials say he was wearing a full protective suit, and claim he was not exposed to radiation. It’s reported that the worker complained of feeling ill before collapsing. He was rushed to a hospital where he died.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the number of U.S. citizens living in poverty increased to 43 million, in 2009 (the most recent survey data).
If corporations keep reporting profits, why aren’t they hiring more people? Paul Sheldon Foote says corporate America is still “cooking their books”, the recovery is false: “…how is it possible for example for American banks to report increases in income and have their stocks go up when all they’re doing is releasing reserve accounts on their balance sheet.”
Also: “If in fact you are playing games with the accounts creating reserve accounts and releasing reserve accounts and playing other accounting tricks you are publishing false financial statements. This is what has been happening.”
Foote is an Accounting Professor at California State University in Fullerton.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, and Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency officials, announced that a shield will be built to entomb Reactor 1, at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
It was discovered that Reactor 1 did indeed experience fuel rod melt down! To try and reduce the amount of radiation spewing from the reactor a shield will be built around it. Construction will start in June. TEPCo still has to deal with contaminated water pouring from the building.
Officials with Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency say it’s too late now that fuel rods in Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 1 have melted down! Tokyo Electric Power Company officials wanted to pump more water into the reactor, in the hopes of stopping the meltdown.
Nuclear Safety officials think the melted rods have cooled enough in the water at the bottom of the reactor, that there might not be too much concern. However, TEPCo believes that holes in the reactor vessel have been created by the meltdown, which is causing large amounts of radioactive water to pour into the Pacific Ocean.
The Agency suggested that TEPCo should inject water only to the point of keeping the bottom of the reactor filled.
Two prefectures bordering Fukushima Prefecture, have discovered that plants are contaminated with cesium.
Tochigi and Ibaraki Prefectures have cesium contamination well about safe limits. As much as 3,600 becquerels of cesium has contaminated pasture land, and crops! The government’s safe limit is 300 bequerels.
Farmers are being told not to feed their animals the grass. Crops are so contaminated that farmers are being told not to harvest, or ship their crops. Some contaminated parsley had already been shipped to market.
13 March 2011, Tokyo Electric Power Company has announced that fuel rods in reactor 1 have melted. Government officials think this might be the cause of holes where highly contaminated water is pouring from.
TEPCo officials say that most of the fuel rods have melted and are now melting through the bottom of the reactor. Officials think the melted rods are cooling down at the bottom of the reactor because there is still water there.
TEPCo is now trying to find out how much water is actually in the reactor, and come up with a new plan to address the meltdown.