Posted on 03/20/2011 8:50:13 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Japan says it is making some progress in efforts to regain control of a crippled nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan. Officials at the Tokyo Electric Power Company and the Japanese government say tandem water spraying has apparently partly re-filled depleted pools for spent fuel rods. They also say radiation levels inside the Fukushima-1 complex are continuing to decline.
Despite some reported progress Sunday, officials are not ready to say the situation at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power complex is under control.
The key to stabilizing the reactors is re-starting water pumps through external electricity sources. That infrastructure was destroyed by the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11th.
On Sunday, the government acknowledged what appeared to be obvious for some days; the entire power plant is a loss and will likely have to be decommissioned.
Chief government spokesman Yukio Edano says radiation spewed from the plant is being detected in drinking water as far away as Tokyo and in samples of spinach and milk tested in communities near the nuclear facility.
Edano says there is no threat to human health at these levels and he asks the people of Japan not to worry.
Such appeals have been a daily refrain from top government officials.
Hopes of turning the situation around have fallen on a group of soldiers and firefighters who have been spraying water on the damaged reactor buildings.
Yasuo Sato, the commander of the Tokyo Fire Department's Hyper Rescue unit, says his crews have managed to keep their fear in check.
He says the firefighters understand the dangers of nuclear radiation and have managed to keep their exposure within acceptable limits. Sato adds that they believe they were able to spray most of the water on the primary target - the containment pool of the Number 3 reactor where the fuel rods, which contain highly toxic plutonium, need to be kept submerged.
One of the squad leaders, Toyohiko Tomioka, choked with emotion when asked what has been the most difficult part of the assignment.
Tomioka says the morale of his team is high but he realizes how difficult it has been for its family members. He says he feels sorry for them and wants to apologize to the families for causing them so much stress.
Tokyo Electric says six of its workers at Fukushima-1 have recorded exposure to high levels of radiation but are showing no ill effects. Utility spokesmen say the irradiated workers are continuing with the desperate and dangerous work to restore power for cooling systems to all six damaged reactors.
After renewed concerns Sunday about pressure inside the number 3 reactor, Tokyo Electric later in the day said a controlled release of gases to prevent a bigger buildup is no longer necessary. Such venting would cause additional concern among an already nervous public about further contamination of people, crops and livestock in an area where agriculture is a major industry.
It’s complicated.
Everything is fine, spraying spent fuel rods and their holding ponds with fire hoses is perfectly normal when it’s to ‘hot’ to work on normally. Using saltwater to cool non-functioning reactors is perfectly normal in a crisis.
Irradiated spinach is good for you, food is irradiated all time here in the US to kill the bad nasty bugs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.