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visitorq
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
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 Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 1:52 am Post subject: |
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| Lazio wrote: |
| There had been an explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant just recently.... |
Yes, and radioactive steam was released into the air there earlier today. Plus the explosion. Cesium has been detected, which is produced during a chain reaction, indicating that the reactor may already have gone into meltdown...
Latest news is the gov't has expanded the evacuation area around plants #1 and #2 to a 10 km radius and advised people not to eat fresh fruit etc. or drink tap water until the all clear is given.
All this in spite of them saying all day yesterday "there's nothing to worry about". Clearly it is being downplayed in gov't press releases, and is potentially a very serious situation. |
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TECO
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:15 am Post subject: |
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| visitorq wrote: |
| All this in spite of them saying all day yesterday "there's nothing to worry about". Clearly it is being downplayed in gov't press releases, and is potentially a very serious situation. |
The Japanese Prime Minister was quoted in the media confirming that nuclear reactors were not affected by the earthquake / tsunami.
NHK, the national news service, was not broadcasting the explosion on Japanese TV. However, the videos can be seen on CNN and other news services. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 2:47 am Post subject: Quake |
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Just to attempt clarifying, this is my understanding of the 2 nuclear reactors causing concern:
1/ Daiichi (Tokyo Electric Power Company) This is the one that exploded & the one authorities were downplaying that everything was under control.
2/ Daini (Tohoku Electric Power's Onagawa facility) Also causing concern but as far as I know it hasn't yet exploded.
Also noticed from the 'Telegraph' link in my previous post that an entire bullet train is missing with several hundred passengers aboard. This is the 2nd train reported missing.
Edit: 4 (four) trains are now missing.
Last edited by chris_J2 on Sat Mar 12, 2011 5:20 am; edited 2 times in total |
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visitorq
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 4:04 am Post subject: |
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| Although the gov't is still downplaying it, it's pretty much official that a meltdown has occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Levels of radiation (incl. Cesium) of 1000 times higher than usual have been detected (1,015 microsieverts per hour), the evacuation area has been doubled to a 20 km radius, and a radioactive emergency team has been dispatched. The real question is whether it can be contained as a small event, or whether it still has the potential to become something like Chernobyl (which is apparently quite unlikely, due it being a different type of reactor). Still quite worrisome... |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 4:18 am Post subject: |
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This is a horrible event. I hope that the people of the affected area are getting as much help as possible.
The nuclear issue is worrisome and could escalate.
Japan is however well equipped to deal with earthquake and tsunami relief, still this will stretch them.
My brother in Tokyo is starting to worry. They still have not reached his wifes mother who lives in the affected area. |
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visitorq
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 4:20 am Post subject: |
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I think the plants were unaffected by the tsunami. It was the tremor that did the damage (which I suppose begs the next question: why build in such a quake prone country)...
I'm not a big fan of nuclear plants in Japan for the above reason. But I'm not sure there's a viable alternative there... |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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Junior
Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: the eye
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Died By Bear
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Location: On the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 6:36 am Post subject: |
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| CNN reporting there are 9500 people missing in Miyagi - that's half the population. |
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chris_J2
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Location: From Brisbane, Au.
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silkhighway
Joined: 24 Oct 2010
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 8:48 am Post subject: |
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| I don't trust the Japanese officials on the nuclear reactor. They're trying to save face and diminuish the panic. A 3km to 10km to now 20km evacuation zone, controlled release of radioactive steam to relieve pressure, and explosion within the plant, but everythign is under control. Yeah right! |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:05 am Post subject: |
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| silkhighway wrote: |
| I don't trust the Japanese officials on the nuclear reactor. They're trying to save face and diminuish the panic. A 3km to 10km to now 20km evacuation zone, controlled release of radioactive steam to relieve pressure, and explosion within the plant, but everythign is under control. Yeah right! |
C'mon. Japan is a real country. Thus, they will have all the safeguards and failsafes in any other nuclear reactor. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 10:23 am Post subject: |
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MOD EDIT
Red Alert: Nuclear Meltdown at Japanese Plant
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A meltdown does not necessarily mean a nuclear disaster. As long as the reactor core, which is specifically designed to contain high levels of heat, pressure and radiation, remains intact, the melted fuel can be dealt with. If the core breaches but the containment facility built around the core remains intact, the melted fuel can still be dealt with � typically entombed within specialized concrete � but the cost and difficulty of such containment increases exponentially.
However, the earthquake in Japan, in addition to damaging the ability of the control rods to regulate the fuel � and the reactor�s coolant system � appears to have damaged the containment facility, and the explosion almost certainly did. There have been reports of �white smoke,� perhaps burning concrete, coming from the scene of the explosion, indicating a containment breach and the almost certain escape of significant amounts of radiation.
Read more: Red Alert: Nuclear Meltdown at Quake-Damaged Japanese Plant | STRATFOR |
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laconic2
Joined: 23 May 2005
Location: Wonderful World of ESL
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