Japan: Crippled reactors stabilized

[Bonobo]

Associated Press

TOKYO - The crippled reactors at Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant have reached stability more than four months since the disaster, and the plant is on track for a cold shutdown within six months, the government and plant operator said Tuesday.
Workers have toiled in hot and harsh conditions to stabilize the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami destroyed reactor cooling systems, triggering partial meltdowns and making the disaster the world's worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.

The assessment of reactor stability was based on several milestones:

-Temperatures at the bottom of reactor pressure vessels are no longer climbing.
-A makeshift system to process contaminated water is working properly after initial problems.
-Nitrogen injections are helping prevent more explosions.
-Radiation around the plant has shown a "sufficient decrease" from peak levels measured soon after the disaster.

Still, growing worries about radiation in Japan's beef supply underscored the widespread impact of the nuclear accident. The central government instructed Fukushima on Tuesday to suspend shipment of all beef cows raised in the prefecture.