The basement of reactor 3 is flooded with water, with radiation 10,000 times higher than “normal”.  Three workers from the Fukushima Daiichi were sent to the hospital with Beta Burns, as a result.  There is now evidence that the radioactive water came from the reactor core.

There are high levels of iodine-131 in the water. Iodine-131 is made only with nuclear fission, so it is a sign that the water came from the reactor core. Officials are now trying to determine if the core vessel is cracked, or if the water came from a damaged pipe or valve. Iodine-131 has a short half life span of 8 days, so the high levels of that isotope in the basement water indicates that it recently came from the reactor core.

Reactor 1 is now showing pools of water in the basement as well.  Reactor 2 continues to emit high levels of radiation. Reactor 2 did not suffer an explosion, so the building is intact, but, along with the high radiation leak, white smoke is coming from a window on one side of the building.

The concern that reactor cores might have been damaged by the 9.0 quake/tsunami, has caused the Japanese government to tell people outside the 20-30km zone to voluntarily evacuate, and to prepare for mandatory evacuations.  People inside the zone are still being told to stay indoors (which if you think about it is not practical, they’re going to run out of food & water).

Tokyo Electric Power Co is now using fresh water, pumped in from fire truck water tankers.

It turns out that many problems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant were being caused by salty sea water. Experts had been warning TEPCo officials to stop using sea water.

The U.S. Navy is also sending a tanker ship full of fresh water.

Japanese Cabinet Secretary, Edano Yukio, says they have “…explored all possibilities…” regarding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  So far officials are at a loss as to where the radiation leak is coming from.

At this point they can’t tell if the leaking radiation is coming from spent fuel pools, or reactor cores.  This is why, earlier in the day, officials announced that they have no way to stop radiation leakage in the short term, and asked people to voluntarily evacuate.

TEPCo officials are echoing the Japanese government’s calls for people to prepare to evacuate.  TEPCo officials now say there is no short term chance that they can stop the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant from emitting radiation.

Also, some media are reporting that work on reactor’s 1 & 2 has been stopped because of highly contaminated water, however TEPCo officials say that is not so.  Yesterday, 3 workers were sent to the hospital with Beta Burns, caused by highly contaminated water in reactor 3.  The water has 10,000 times the radiation levels that are considered normal for the reactor.

Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, that were rushed to the hospital after being exposed to 10,000 times the normal radiation levels, might have been exposed due to previously unknown damage in reactor 3.

The workers were in the basement of reactor 3’s turbine building, trying to reconnect electricity.  The basement was flooded with radioactive water, that held contamination 10,000 times normal.

TEPCo officials are now worried that there is unseen damage to the reactor, because there was no water in the basement the day before.

Because of the continued problem, after problem, with trying to get the Fukushima Daiichi plant under control, the Japanese government has told people outside the 20km (12.4 miles) evacuation zone, to voluntarily evacuate, and prepare for mandatory evacuations.