Plutonium Detected in Soil at Fukushima Nuke Plant

[tekisui]

Source: Kyodo News

Plutonium has been detected in soil at five locations at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday.

The operator of the nuclear complex said that the plutonium is believed to have been discharged from nuclear fuel at the plant, which was damaged by the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

While noting that the concentration level does not pose a risk to human health, the utility firm said it will strengthen monitoring on the environment in and around the nuclear plant.

Meanwhile, high levels of radiation exceeding 1,000 millisieverts per hour have been detected in water in a trench outside the No. 2 reactor's building at the nuclear plant, with the contaminated water suspected to have come from the reactor's core, where fuel rods have partially melted, authorities said Monday.

more: http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/81603.html

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

1. "While noting that the concentration level does not pose a risk to human health" give us a break!!

Plutonium exposure is never safe.

[Junkdrawer]

2. We are now in a whole new world of risk.....

If even a microgram of Pu gets inside your body, you're almost certainly going to get cancer. Bone cancer - an extremely painful way to die.

[leveymg]

3. That is confirmation - the MOX rods have begun to melt or vaporize. Actual Pu molecules would not

be found distant from the source, otherwise. This is worse than we had been told. These things have reached 3,000 degrees.

Time to repost an article I put up and withdrew earlier about the potentially catastrophic implications of melting MOX (Mixed Oxide of uranium and plutonium) rods.

[snappyturtle]

4. "...the concentration level does not pose a risk to human health..."

So why report it? So glad to hear TEPCO will strengthen its monitoring!

I realize tekisui that you a the messenger here but doesn't all this double speak drive you nuts?

[tekisui]

5. It's enough to make your head spin.

It seems that every report is countered by the next, although the ultimate trend is in the direction of bad to worse.

[snappyturtle]

8. For certain...from bad to worse..one- slow- ratchet at-a-time-ad infinitum. nt

[SpoonFed]

13. correction

ad nauseum

actually, well past naseum.

[snappyturtle]

15. True! nt

[Angry Dragon]

6. ...........

:coffin:

[flamingdem]

7. More crappy news - holes in 1,2,3 reactors within pressure vessels

From Asahi Shinbun news about one hour ago (3:00PM JST 3/28/2011).

In the Reactors 1, 2, and 3, the water level within the Pressure Vessels are not rising as much as desired. TEPCO admitted in the March 28 press conference that the reason why the Pressure Vessels haven't been filled with water was "probably a hole near the bottom, that's the image we have". Asked why there was a hole, TEPCO answered they did not know.

The Reactor Pressure Vessels (RPVs) are the most important of the 5-layer protection against radiation leak (other 4 are the fuel pellets, cladding of fuel rods, Container Vessels, and the Reactor buildings). The RPVs at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is made of 16-centimeter thick steel, and it has an outlet at the bottom to insert measuring instruments. It is possible that the leak is from that area.

TEPCO also admitted to the possibility of the exposed nuclear fuel rods overheating and damaging the RPVs. According to the nuclear experts, if the fuel rods get damaged and start to melt, it will fall to the bottom of the RPVs and settle. It then becomes harder to cool with water effectively, because the surface area is smaller. It is possible that the melted fuel rods melted the wall of the RPVs with high temperature and created a hole.

On the other hand, TEPCO said it didn't think the RPVs are completely broken, because the pressures inside the RPVs were higher than the atmosphere. "It is not like Chernobyl where the RPV exploded and the fuels were outside the RPV." TEPCO continued to believe in the integrity of the RPVs.

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

9. so, they suspect corium is melting through the bottom of the RPV?

If that is the case, what do they think will stop it from continuing on down?

[flamingdem]

10. I think this OP mentions billowing smoke - they probably can't get to it

in order to do more tests.....

I think they know it's in meltdown but they're trying to keep the lid on to reduce amounts being melted who knows!

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

11. keeping the lid on will do no good when the bottom melts out.

[flamingdem]

12. at least they accepted help from the French

and the French sold them the MOX, thanks France!

[SpoonFed]

17. tenuous

at best.

who owns GE?
where are they from?

I guess all Americans are responsible for this disaster?

As a metaphor,

the United States sold 'em the gun,
France sold 'em the ammunition, and
Japan shot themselves in the foot,
or the foot according to TEPCO,
possibly the testicles.

[Ichingcarpenter]

14. When exposed to moist air,

It reacts with carbon, halogens, nitrogen and silicon. When exposed to moist air, it forms oxides and hydrides that expand the sample up to 70% in volume, which in turn flake off as a powder that can spontaneously ignite...... well isn't that special


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


It has a half life of 80 million years to 24 thousand years depending on the type.

Just peachy don't you think?

[suffragette]

18. This is so bad on so many levels

[uppityperson]

16. k&r. sigh