Al Jazeera Update

[nadinbrzezinski]

12:54am
Some US air crews are being given potassium iodide tablets ahead of missions as a precaution against radiation, says Reuters - though no US military personnel in Japan are showing signs of radiation poisoning, says the Pentagon.

12:50am
Some news breaking out of the Pentagon: US forces in Japan are not being allowed within 80km of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant without special authorisation.

It's worth remembering, for Japanese residents, the evacuation zone around the site is limited to 20km, and those living between 20-30km from the plant encouraged to 'stay indoors'.

12:32am
Japanese officials are worried about the state of a pool holding spent nuclear fuel the Fukushima nuclear plant, says the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency saud:

Japanese authorities have reported concerns about the condition of the spent nuclear fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 and Unit 4.

The IAEA said Japan's defence minister had announced helicopters planned to drop water onto Unit 3, and officials were also preparing to spray water into Unit 4 from ground positions, and possibly later into Unit 3.

Some debris on the ground from the March 14 explosion at Unit 3 may need to be removed before the spraying can begin.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/asia/disaster-japan-march-17-live-blog

[tabatha]

1. Al Jazeera shames the western media.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. I was talking about that with hubby

the US Press has done a great job in scaring the pant lights of people... except for the RMS it has been comedy gold

[JuniperLea]

3. Yep...

I was plesantly surprised to hear Hillary Clinton say basically the same thing.

[Scuba]

4. ++++++++++++++++++++

[Shagbark Hickory]

8. I beg your pardon but the problem is not with "western media".

The problem is with "US media".

Western media is quite good.

[tabatha]

9. You are right.

I stand corrected.

[FLPanhandle]

13. I think the BBC has done the best job so far covering Japan nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. They both have, much better than our lovely media

[mia]

5. U.S forces not allowed to be within 50 miles of Fukushima

"US forces in Japan are not being allowed within 80km of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant without special authorisation."

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. That is actually logical

within 50 miles you will get some crud since they have already have had radiation.

I am wondering when DOD will take out dependents? We are that close IMO... fly gear in, fly dependents out

[Hell Hath No Fury]

7. BBC pics -

[sudopod]

10. Why give KI to aircrews?

It's meant to protect the thyroid from damage due to ingestion of radioactive iodine isotopes, it won't do didly against external radiation doses.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Actually it does, but that is ok...

I guess NBC trained personnel know less huh?

:banghead:

Since this is STANDARD practice, give it BEFORE exposure.

[sudopod]

15. Let's say I have some training in this area.

It just seemed odd that they're only giving it to flight crews as opposed to, say, everyone. Radioactive iodine mainly causes a problem when it is ingested, often coming in through food and water contamination.

KI doesn't stop gamma rays, beta rays, or alpha rays (that is, direct dosages), nor does it do much to protect against (or correct) oxidative damage due to ionizing radiation. My understanding is that all KI does is saturate the thyroid gland with iodine so that any radioactive iodine that is ingested is passed quickly rather than absorbed.

I just thought that was odd.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. So do I

and if they are FLYIING INTO A CLOUD... they may ingest it... in the most innocent of ways.

[sudopod]

17. No need to get so angry.

I only bring up the point because there is a wide-spread misconception that KI is a general antidote. I hear it all the time where I am.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. It is not... hell, the ONLY reason why I might get them

is the plant up the road, not this.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. more

3:49am
The Tokyo Electric Power company says "a new power line that could solve the nuclear crisis is almost ready".

We'll keep you posted.

3:25am
The "US nuclear chair" is being quoted by the AFP news agency as saying there is now "no water at the Fukushima reactor No.4", and radiation levels are "extremely high".

Read below for why this is a bad thing.

We'll bring you more details as they emerge...

3:14am
The US military has delivered high-pressure water pumps to Japan to help cool Fukushima's crisis-hit nuclear power plant.

The pumps were ferried to Yokota Air Force Base for use at the crippled Fukushima plant, with four additional pumps delivered from Sasebo, in Japan's southwest, the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement.

Rising temperatures caused by damage to the cooling system pumps during Friday's earthquake are cauding the water in the reactor cores to turn to steam, increasing pressure, and exposing the fuel rods.

When the fuel rods become even partly exposed, the temperature increases rapidly, turning more of the water to steam, and increasing pressure even more quickly. When the rods come into contact with steam, rather than water, hydrogen is produced.

With large amounts of hydrogen held in a container whose heat and pressure is increasing rapidly, there is a risk of an explosion, which may damage the containment vessel and allow nuclear fuel to leak out, spreading large amounts of radiation.

The high-pressure pumps are used to re-fill the reactor cores as the water level begins to drop, replacing the water at a speed which cools both the rods and the chamber, reducing pressure and averting the potential for a meltdown.

3:07am
As foreigners are urged by their governments to consider leaving Tokyo, many Japanese residents are not taking any chances and have started rushing out of the capital.

Concern is growing in the capital that radiation leaking from the Fukushima plant, about 270km away, will spread. Many have begun hoarding supplies of basic necessities, in case they need to spend long periods indoors.

[hifiguy]

19. Ever since things in Egypt started hopping

I have made it a point to watch the nightly Al Jazeera English news on MHz network. Fully the equal of the deservedly vaunted BBC. And Deutsche Welle is quite good, too.