BBC Updates on Explosion

[jannyk]

Ongoing updates here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
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0957: From Richard Black, BBC environment correspondent: "Although Japan has a long and largely successful nuclear power programme, officials have been less than honest about some incidents in the past, meaning that official re-assurances are unlikely to convince everyone this time round."

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1009: "This is starting to look a lot like Chernobyl" Walt Patterson, an associate fellow with Chatham House, has told the BBC after seeing pictures of the explosion at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant. "The nuclear agency says that they have detected caesium and iodine outside the unit, which certainly indicates fuel melting at the very least," he says. "Once you have melting fuel coming into contact with water, that would almost certainly be the cause of the explosion."

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1011: More from Walt Patterson of Chatham House. He says the presence of the radioactive caesium in the surrounding area does not pose a huge threat to public health in the immediate aftermath of the explosion. "What would be serious is if there was an explosion or fire that lifted this stuff high in the air, meaning it could get carried over a wide area."

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0847: NHK TV carrying advice to people to protect themselves against radiation. Experts say people should cover their mouths and noses with wet towels. Exposed skin should also be covered and people should wash after coming indoors. People should also avoid vegetables and other fresh food, as well as tap water, until authorities give the all-clear.

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0905: Japan's NHK TV says officials measured the level of radiation at the entrance of the Fukushima-Daiichi plant at 1529 Japanese time. If people are exposed to this level of radiation for an hour they'd receive the same amount of radiation they normally would in a year, the report says.

[jannyk]

1. Evac areas extended to 20k

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1023: Japanese authorities are extending the evacuation zone around the two Fukushima nuclear plants from 10km to 20km, according to local media.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

2. Poss hydrogen explosion

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1016: The BBC's environment correspondent Roger Harrabin says he understands the blast at the nuclear plant may have been caused by a hydrogen explosion - also one of the possibilities laid out by Walt Patterson of Chatham House. "If nuclear fuel rods overheat and then come into contact with water, this produces a large amount of highly-flammable hydrogen gas which can then ignite," our correspondent says.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[leveymg]

4. (Hydrogen explosion)

Not to be picky. :nuke: :hi:

[jannyk]

6. Thanks - hubby was talking to me as I typed it - fixed it.

:hi:

[Scuba]

3. Nothing to see here folks. Just move along. Just go back to hating your neighbors. n/t

[jannyk]

5. It's almost a news blackout - the Beeb is begging for details and

getting 'crumbs'. The International Nuke Agency can't get any firm info either. When I'm lied to or not told what is happening is when I really worry!

[jannyk]

7. Nothing to worry about...move along.....per officials

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1045: BBC environment correspondent Roger Harrabin says local officials believe the release of radiation following the nuclear plant explosion is likely to be small. He adds that nuclear incidents aren't always as serious as they may sound or appear, and actually, in terms of loss of life and destruction, accidents at hydroelectric plants are far more dangerous.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[Junkdrawer]

8. Just watched it live. A jawdropping, surreal juxtaposition.....

Voice over of video showing the fucking crippled reactor blowing to smithereens while the expert says "could be just a steam explosion - the main reactor is probably just fine." :wow:

[jannyk]

10. When the Beeb was first showing it, the 'Officials' were claiming

a roof had merely 'collapsed'. The derision in the announcers voice was palpable. In other words, don't believe your own lying eyes. Took a long while for them to officially pronounce it an explosion.

[Citizen Worker]

23. Roof collapse caused that massive shock wave a millisecond prior to the explosion? I don't think th...

roof caused that shock wave.

[jannyk]

9. TepCo not providing promised info

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1052: Neil McKeown in Nakameguro, Tokyo writes: "The evacuation zone has been extended to 20km by the government. However TepCo appeared in a news conference and promised to release new radioactivity readings after 6pm. It is now 7.30pm and they have not done so. People are getting extremely frustrated at the lack of news coming from TepCo and the government - they have yet to confirm if the building that suffered an explosion housed a reactor, and we have no indication how much radiation has been released or in what direction winds are blowing."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

11. No damage - be happy

Then one has to ask the to define their idea of 'serious'.

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1057: Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says serious damage to the nuclear reactor container is unlikely despite the explosion at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant - Kyodo news.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[Junkdrawer]

13. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency: Taking spin and denial...

to a whole new level.

[Hannah Bell]

12. you've done a bit of cherry picking.

LONDON (Reuters) - Radiation was leaking from an unstable nuclear reactor north of Tokyo on Saturday, the Japanese government said, after an explosion blew the roof off the facility following a massive earthquake.

The development has led to fears of a disastrous meltdown. Here are comments from experts about what might have happened.

ROBIN GRIMES, PROFESSOR OF MATERIALS PHYSICS AT IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON

"It does seem as if the back-up generators although they started initially to work, then failed," Grimes, an expert in radiation damage told BBC TV.

"So it means slowly the heat and the pressure built up in this reactor. One of the things that might just have happened is a large release of that pressure. If it's that then we're not in such bad circumstances.

"Despite the damage to the outer structure, as long as that steel inner vessel remains intact, then the vast majority of the radiation will be contained.

"At the moment it does seem that they are still contained and it's a release of significant steam pressure that's caused this explosion. The key will be the monitoring of those radiation levels."

PROFESSOR PADDY REGAN, NUCLEAR PHYSICIST FROM BRITAIN'S SURREY UNIVERSITY

"What is important is where that explosion is," Regan told Sky News.

"It's not clear what has exploded. The big problem would be if the pressure vessel has exploded but that does not look as though that's what's happened.

"If the pressure vessel, which is the thing that actually holds all the nuclear fuel ... if that was to explode -- that's basically what happened at Chernobyl -- you get an enormous release of radioactive material.

"It doesn't look from the television pictures ... as though it's the vessel itself.

He said media reports suggested that a small fraction of the nuclear fuel might have melted at the core of the reactor which would not be surprising.

NUCLEAR EXPERT MARK HIBBS OF THE CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE

"We don't have any information from inside the plant. That is the problem in this case.

"If it melts down the probability that there would be a breach or that radiation would get outside of the plant because of weakness of the structure of the plant ... is much greater."

[meow mix]

15. because the contaimnent vessel is already reported to be damaged.

and they dont know about it i guess. so why print the innacurate info?

[jannyk]

16. Take it up with the BBC sweetheart.

I'm posting their updates good and bad as they appear. It also completely corresponds with the live coverage I'm watching right now on BBCWorld.

[jannyk]

14. (4) Injured workers conscious

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

#
1103: Japan's Kyodo news is also reporting that the four people injured in the nuclear plant explosion are conscious and their injuries are not life-threatening.

[jannyk]

17. New Statement from Japan's Cabinet Secretary

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1122: A full quote from Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano's press conference: "As reported, we have been informed that there was some kind of an explosive phenomenon at Fukushima No 1 nuclear power plant, although it has yet to be confirmed whether was that of a nuclear reactor itself. At present, after the talks among political party heads held a while ago, government officials including the prime minister and the minister of economy, trade, and industry, along with experts, are making all-out efforts to get hold of and analyse the situation, and to take measures."

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1125: Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano also said that the current level of radioactivity at the power plant was "within the range that was anticipated" when it was decided that steam would be vented from the reactor to release pressure.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[Junkdrawer]

18. Translation: Now that video of the reactor explosion is being viewed around the world....

we are feverishly trying to figure out how we can downplay this and save the nuclear industry.

[LiberalEsto]

29. Nothing to see here. Keep moving.

Go back to your local shopping malls and consume freely.

[jannyk]

19. More from Japanese PM

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1211: More from Japanese PM Naoto Kan. He says the government will do its best to make sure "not a single person will suffer health problems."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

20. Spokesman: Reactor ok

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1202: Government spokesman says the nuclear reactor container at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant has not been damaged, and the level of radiation has dropped following the explosion earlier on Saturday, AFP reports.

[joshcryer]

21. nm

you caught it

[jannyk]

22. Spokesman: pressure has dropped

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1216: Government spokesman Yukio Edano says the pressure as well as the radiation at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant has fallen following this afternoon's explosion.

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1218: It seems clear now from Mr Edano's comments that the nuclear plant building that was blown apart earlier did house a reactor, but the reactor was protected by its metal casing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

24. Cooling with Sea Water and Boric Acid and Iodine distrubution

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1320: Noriyuki Shikata, from Japanese PM's office tweets: "TEPCO's efforts to depressurize the container was successful. Additional measures are now taken tonight using sea water and boric acid. "

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1305: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Japanese authorities are making preparations to distribute iodine to residents in the area of both the Fukushima nuclear plants. The IAEA has reiterated its offer of technical assistance to Japan, should the government request this.

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1316: Noriyuki Shikata, deputy cabinet secretary for public relations for the Japanese prime minister tweets: "Blast was caused by accumulated hydrogen combined with oxygen in the space between container and outer structure. No damage to container."

[jannyk]

25. Specialist Medical team dispatched to Fukushima (as precautiion)

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1149: A team from the National Institute of Radiological Sciences has been despatched to Fukushima as a precaution, reports NHK. It is reportedly made up of doctors, nurses and other individuals with expertise in dealing with radiation exposure, and has been taken by helicopter to a base 5km from the nuclear plant.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

26. 300,000 evacuated from 'exclusion' zone

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1427: More than 300,000 people have now been evacuated from homes in northern Japan and that number will rise as the government increases the exclusion zone around the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Kyodo reports

[KittyWampus]

27. Thanks for this thread, very informative.

[jannyk]

28. 3 with radiation exposure

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1459: At least three residents evacuated from a town near quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 plant have been exposed to radiation, both Kyodo and NHK report

[jannyk]

30. Situation still unclear as per US nuke expert

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1602: US nuclear expert Joseph Cirincione tells CNN the full picture of what it happening at the Fukushima No. 1 reactor has yet to emerge: "The big unanswered question here is whether there's structural damage to this facility now. We saw the explosion early this morning. Are there other structural damages that may make a meltdown all but inevitable? We don't have any information from the power company on that."

[jannyk]

31. Incident was a 4 (on a scale of 7)

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1617: AFP: Japan nuclear agency rates nuclear plant accident in Fukushima at 4 on 0-7 international scale.

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1631: Some more: The International Nuclear Event Scale was developed in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The rating of 4 for the Fukushima plant incident comes from an as yet unidentified official at Japan's nuclear safety agency, news wires report.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

32. Explanation of that 'Scale'

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1622: More information on that figure: The 1986 Chernobyl disaster was rated 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale; the 1979 Three Mile Island accident was rated 5

[jannyk]

33. A big "If." ...

It's nightime in Japan, so very little info coming out now (not like they were saying a lot last night). All I can ascertain is that nuclear experts around the world are still usure what actually did or did not happen.

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1807: If radiation has leaked from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, winds will likely blow it out over the Pacific Ocean, says the French Nuclear Safety Authority: "The wind direction for the time being seems to point the pollution towards the Pacific," said Andre-Claude Lacoste, speaking in Paris.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

34. WHO comments

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1820: The World Health Organisation says the public health risk from Japan's radiation leak appears to be "probably quite low": "We understand radiation that has escaped from the plant is very small in amount," World Health Organisation spokesman Gregory Hartl told Reuters news agency.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698