Officials: Pressure rises again in Japan reactor - No. 3 in trouble again

[flamingdem]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

Officials: Pressure rises again in Japan reactor

FUKUSHIMA, Japan – Technicians prepared to vent radioactive gas into the air Sunday because of a new spike in pressure at Japan's crippled, leaking nuclear complex, while a safety official said protective iodine pills should have been distributed near the plant days earlier.

snip

After the government said Saturday that the unit appeared to be stabilizing after being doused with water, nuclear safety officials said the efforts may not have worked. Pressure was rising again inside the reactor's containment vessel, requiring a release of radioactive gas to prevent a more dangerous buildup, said safety agency official Hidehiko Nishiyama.

The venting is an "unavoidable measure to protect the containment vessel," Nishiyama said. He warned that a larger amount of radiation would have to be released than when similar venting was done a week ago because more nuclear fuel have have degraded since then.

[snagglepuss]

1. Does that mean plutonium gets released?

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Fortunately we are not in vladivostok

It is a heavy particle and will fall fairly fast...

That said we did get iodine and xenon, as predicted.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x691867

[AndyTiedye]

5. Hello Mr. Plutonium

Hello I'm Mr. Plutonium Can I spend the night.
I kind of need a place to crash and this place looks all right.
It's quite a sight so I just might
settle down and stay
250,000 years and then I'll go away.
…

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Plutonium/dp/B001955U28

[flamingdem]

9. Hi Mr. Plu since there's no room at the inn, please stay encladded in your zirconimum tube nt

[bananas]

3. Reactor containment buildings are not designed to contain a meltdown

- Reactor containment buildings are not designed to contain a meltdown, and can rupture in a matter of hours.

- In 2002, the NRC's own inspector general concluded: "NRC appears to have informally established an unreasonably high burden of requiring absolute proof of a safety problem, versus lack of a reasonable assurance of maintaining public health and safety."

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x280732

[AndyTiedye]

7. What Containment Building?

These old reactors don't even have a containment building like a modern reactor. That's the naked reactor vessel there. :hide:

[bananas]

16. I want people to be informed that even modern reactor containment buildings will not contain a

full meltdown, and that even with a partial meltdown they have to vent radioactive gasses to prevent the containment from rupturing. In past discussions, many people are misinformed and think that the containment building is indestructible. The reactors in Japan did have a containment building, but it was blown away by the hydrogen explosions.

[flamingdem]

4. Taiwan finds radiation on imported Japanese beans

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Taiwan-finds-radiation-on-apf-719235656.html?x=0


TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- A Taiwanese official says radiation has been detected on fava beans imported from Japan but the amount is too small to harm human health.

It's the first case of radiation found on Japanese imports amid a crisis at a nuclear power plant damaged by an earthquake and tsunami a week ago.

The official from Taiwan's Cabinet-level Atomic Energy Council spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to deal with the press.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Mexico issued a health warning

No, no link...mom told me

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. By the way sadly, I expect this to die

[flamingdem]

10. The thread? nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. The issue

Shiny...

We have a very short attention span

[wtmusic]

11. Not good. nt

[wtmusic]

12. Pressure has now stabilized?!

FUKUSHIMA, Japan – The operator of Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear plant has backed away from plans for a tricky venting of radioactive gas at one of the troubled reactors, saying that pressure inside has stabilized.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110320/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake

[flamingdem]

13. Good news, not sure I believe it

I'm inclined to believe it is in meltdown mode and they can't do anything and don't want to risk explosion by adding water and getting things into criticality.

Just too many unexplained and suspicious things.

[wtmusic]

15. Seems like they don't even know what's going on inside the containment vessel.

Pressure goes up. Pressure goes down. Why? Do they have any way to monitor the status of the core anymore? :shrug:

[DearAbby]

17. True we are in uncharted territory

And these people have been working this problem for quite some time. I am just sending my good thoughts and what strength I can send them...to think otherwise, unthinkable.

[in_cog_ni_to]

18. *sigh* and our "news" networks ("News" used loosely here) ignore it.

Thanks for the important info.