Japan nuclear agency upgrades Fukushima alert level

bbc ^ | 8/21 | bbc

[RummyChick]

Japan's nuclear agency has upgraded the severity level of a radioactive water leak at the Fukushima plant from one to three on an international scale.

Highly radioactive water was found to be leaking from a storage tank into the ground at the plant on Monday.

It was first classified as a level one incident on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (Ines).

But Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority proposes elevating it to level three on the seven-point scale.

[RummyChick]

Dont worry. You, too, can go live near Fukushima. FR crowd says everything is fine, TEPCO wouldn't lie, Japan wouldn't lie, radiation is safe, everything at the plant is under control...

[freebird5850]

Time and time again we see this “crescendo” effect on how they (TEPCO etc) report the news. I know these people hate to be disgraced but my gosh, what will the news be tomorrow?

[kidd]

A level 3 event is a “serious event”, but one that does not have consequences outside of the plant itself. This is the equivalent of a fire at the plant, without any other consequences.

Technically, the release of radioactive water into the environment is a level 4 event, “accident with local consequences”, where “Minor release of radioactive material - unlikely to result in implementation of planned countermeasures other than local food controls”

Nevertheless, the INES scale really has no practical meaning and is mainly a tool made for the media. Sort of on par with the number of stars you would give a hotel. An INES rating of 3, or 4, does not trigger any kind of response or change how a situation is to be dealt with.

[redgolum]

This is in the groundwater now.