Exposed to the elements, nuclear fuel in meltdown (Telegraph UK 10:20PM GMT March 17)

[jpak]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8389415/Japan-nuclear-plant-exposed-to-the-elements-nuclear-fuel-in-meltdown.html

Close-up pictures of the devastated No 4 reactor building show the gaping hole through which radiation is escaping into the atmosphere as the rods break down.

Last night, the UN's nuclear safety body said it was "too early to say" whether desperate attempts to cool them by spraying water into the building had been a success.

The Foreign Office issued an urgent statement advising any Britons within 50 miles of the plant to leave the area immediately, and arranged charter flights to get British citizens out of the country.

Radiation levels 20 miles from the plant – well outside Japan's official 12-mile evacuation zone – came close to double the safety limit normally allowed for nuclear workers.

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[Poll_Blind]

1. That last sentence you excerpted is very, very troubling. n/t

PB

[meow mix]

2. what an eerie green glow in there nt

[phantom power]

3. I think that's paint.

[meow mix]

4. yah wasnt sure why.. it just looks wierd

like the hulk is gonna pop out.

[phantom power]

6. well, it is that nasty "institution green"

[kristopher]

8. On the crane used to move the fuel rods. nt

[AtheistCrusader]

11. That's the disgusting paint they used. Cherenkov radiation actually glows blue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherenkov_radiation

[Electric Monk]

5. Who the hell would un-rec this but a paid shill for the industry?

It just went down from 5 to 3, now back to 4 with my rec.

[applegrove]

12. I hate when a really good universally democratic thread gets unrec'd. Then

again we must do doing something awfully right to have the attention of such trolls.

[FBaggins]

7. Isn't that steam?

Implies they got some water in there.

[jpak]

9. Or condensate of radioactive volatiles from thermally decomposing spent fuel

yup

[madokie]

10. I would say more than likely yes

[flamingdem]

13. I bet they know what it really is, that's why they wanted to fully evacuate.. nt