Plutonium found, problems mount at Japan nuclear plant

[Guest guest]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110328/wl_nm/us_japan_quake

Plutonium found, problems mount at Japan nuclear plant

By Yoko Nishikawa Yoko Nishikawa – 29 mins ago

TOKYO (Reuters) – Plutonium found in soil around the crippled Fukushima nuclear

complex added to mounting problems on Tuesday in Japan's battle to contain the

world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said the radioactive material,

which is used in nuclear bombs, was traced in soil at five locations at the

plant, hit by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

The under-pressure company stressed the traces were not at dangerous levels.

" Plutonium found this time is at a similar level seen in soil in a regular

environment and it's not at the level that's harmful to human health, " TEPCO

vice-president Sakae Muto told reporters at a briefing.

Muto said the level was similar to that found in the past in other parts of

Japan as a result of nuclear testing abroad. He said it was unclear where the

plutonium was from, although it appeared two of the five finds were related to

damage from the plant rather than from the atmosphere.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear

watchdog, said the find was to be expected.

" It is reactor-grade plutonium which is formed into the reactor as far as we can

see, " IAEA official Denis Flory said. " It means that there is degradation of the

fuel, which is not news. We have been saying that consistently for so many

days. "

The plutonium discovery, from samples taken a week ago, was reported after TEPCO

said on Monday highly radioactive water had been leaking from one reactor.

In a growing list of problems, the environmental group Greenpeace said it had

detected high levels of radiation outside an exclusion zone.

FIRES, EXPLOSIONS, RADIATION

Fires, explosions and radiation leaks have forced engineers to suspend efforts

to stabilize the plant, including at the weekend when radiation levels spiked to

100,000 times above normal in water inside reactor No. 2.

A partial meltdown of fuel rods inside the reactor vessel was responsible for

the high levels, although Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the radiation

had mainly been contained in the reactor building.

TEPCO said later radiation above 1,000 millisieverts per hour had been found in

water in concrete tunnels that extend beyond the reactor.

The nuclear crisis has compounded Japan's agony after the magnitude 9.0 quake

and huge tsunami devastated its northeast coast, turning towns into apocalyptic

landscapes of mud and debris.

More than 11,000 people are confirmed dead and 17,339 are missing. About a

quarter of a million people are living in shelters and the cost of damage could

top $300 billion, making it the world's costliest natural disaster.

Greenpeace said its experts had confirmed radiation levels of up to 10

microsieverts per hour in the village of Iitate, 40 km (25 miles) northwest of

the plant. It called for the extension of a 20-km (12-mile) evacuation zone.

" It is clearly not safe for people to remain in Iitate, especially children and

pregnant women, when it could mean receiving the maximum allowed annual dose of

radiation in only a few days, " Greenpeace said in a statement.

More than 70,000 people have been evacuated from an area within 20 km (12 miles)

of the plant and 130,000 people within a zone extending a further 10 km are

advised to stay indoors. They have been encouraged to leave.

Beyond the evacuation zone, traces of radiation have been found tap water in

Tokyo and as far away as Iceland.

" POLITICS OVER SCIENCE "

Japanese officials and international experts have generally said the levels away

from the plant were not dangerous for people, who in any case face higher

radiation doses on a daily basis from natural sources, X-rays or flying.

Greenpeace urged the government to acknowledge the danger and " stop choosing

politics over science. "

The deputy head of the nuclear safety agency, Hidehiko Nishiyama, said the

environmental group's measurement was not reliable and hardly any people were

still living in that area.

TEPCO, which has conceded it faces a long and uncertain operation to contain the

crisis, sought outside help from French firms including Electricite de France SA

and Areva SA, a French government minister said.

Murray Jennex, a nuclear power plant expert and associate professor at San Diego

State University in the United States, said " there's not really a plan B " other

than to dry out the plant, get power restored and start cooling it down.

" What we're now in is a long slog period with lots of small, unsexy steps that

have to be taken to pull the whole thing together, " he said by telephone.

There was good news at least about the radiation levels in the sea just off the

plant, which skyrocketed on Sunday to 1,850 times normal. Those had come down

sharply, the nuclear safety agency said the next day.

Although experts said radiation in the Pacific would quickly dissipate, the

levels at the site were clearly dangerous, and the 450 or so engineers there

have won admiration and sympathy around the world for their bravery and sense of

duty.

(Additional reporting by Elaine Lies, Yoko Kubota and Shinichi Saoshiro in

Tokyo, Dolan in Fukushima, Gerard Wynn in London, Alister Doyle in Oslo,

Sylvia Westall in Vienna; Writing by Cawthorne and Birsel; editing

by Dobbie)

[Guest guest]

If true, that is a very bad sign. Also, high levels of radiation are being detected in the oceans now.

In a message dated 3/28/2011 1:32:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Plutonium found, problems mount at Japan nuclear plant

[Guest guest]

If true, that is a very bad sign. Also, high levels of radiation are being detected in the oceans now.

In a message dated 3/28/2011 1:32:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, no_reply writes:

Plutonium found, problems mount at Japan nuclear plant

[Guest guest]

Maybe it will discourage the Japanese from future " scientific " whaling

expeditions.

Administrator

If true, that is a very bad sign. Also, high levels of radiation are being

detected in the oceans now.

[Guest guest]

Maybe it will discourage the Japanese from future " scientific " whaling

expeditions.

Administrator

If true, that is a very bad sign. Also, high levels of radiation are being

detected in the oceans now.