Record high radiation levels that’s lethal even after brief exposure have been detected at a damaged reactor at the Fukushima power plant in Japan. Specialists also found a hole, likely caused by melted nuclear fuel.
Radiation levels of up to 530 Sieverts per hour were detected inside an inactive Reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex damaged during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami catastrophe, Japanese media reported on Thursday citing the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
A dose of about 8 Sieverts is considered incurable and fatal.
A hole of no less than one square meter in size has also been discovered beneath the reactor's pressure vessel, TEPCO said. According to researchers, the apparent opening in the metal grating of one of three reactors that had melted down in 2011, is believed to be have been caused by melted nuclear fuel that fell through the vessel.
http://www.blacklistednews.com/Record_high_fatal_radiation_levels%2C_hole_in_reactor_detected_at_crippled_Fukushima_nuclear_facility/56649/0/38/38/Y/M.html
The bottom line is that the melted cores are still emitting radiation and need to be contained - such as what happened in Chernobyl. The lack of action in this regard is criminal.
What needs to happen (from the first days) is the construction of a huge concrete containment structure that surrounds the site in three dimensions. The effort would be a huge undertaking but this needs to happen. Presently radioactive material continues to leech into the environment. This is unacceptable.
Furthermore, safe (thorium) nuclear reactors need to replace the existing uranium-powered ones.
[Posted at the SpookyWeather blog, February 7th, 2017.]
Radiation levels of up to 530 Sieverts per hour were detected inside an inactive Reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex damaged during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami catastrophe, Japanese media reported on Thursday citing the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
A dose of about 8 Sieverts is considered incurable and fatal.
A hole of no less than one square meter in size has also been discovered beneath the reactor's pressure vessel, TEPCO said. According to researchers, the apparent opening in the metal grating of one of three reactors that had melted down in 2011, is believed to be have been caused by melted nuclear fuel that fell through the vessel.
http://www.blacklistednews.com/Record_high_fatal_radiation_levels%2C_hole_in_reactor_detected_at_crippled_Fukushima_nuclear_facility/56649/0/38/38/Y/M.html
The bottom line is that the melted cores are still emitting radiation and need to be contained - such as what happened in Chernobyl. The lack of action in this regard is criminal.
What needs to happen (from the first days) is the construction of a huge concrete containment structure that surrounds the site in three dimensions. The effort would be a huge undertaking but this needs to happen. Presently radioactive material continues to leech into the environment. This is unacceptable.
Furthermore, safe (thorium) nuclear reactors need to replace the existing uranium-powered ones.
[Posted at the SpookyWeather blog, February 7th, 2017.]
