More Fukushima drama: Plutonium found in the ground nearby

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Plutonium is a substance that’s emitted when the temperature is high, and it’s also heavy and so does not leak out easily. So if plutonium has emerged from the reactor, that tells us something about the damage to the fuel. And if it has breached the original containment system, it underlines the gravity and seriousness of this accident.
Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency deputy director Hidehiko Nishiyama • Discussing what the finding of plutonium in the ground near the Fukushima reactors means. No, that doesn’t sound very good at all. In other news, France sent over some of their most knowledgable nuclear experts to help out the Japanese. The surrender-prone European nation is also the one most dependent on nuclear energy. source

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28 Mar 2011 09:53

The trench is located outside the building and the water contains radioactive materials. There is normally no water found in this area so it is difficult to compare this to normal levels.
TEPCO spokesperson Hiro Hasegawa • Discussing the finding of highly-radioactive water inside of a trench, outside of the Fukushima No. 2 reactor. The level matches the 1,000 millisievert level found inside the No. 2 reactor yesterday. “But we do not believe it is leaking into the ocean,” Hasegawa continued. “We are now working out where the cause of the leak is and finding ways to remove the water as soon as possible.” source

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It was just pitch black. It was the middle of the night and all we had to see with were our own head torches. We could see smoke and vapour coming up from the reactor. Everything else had failed, so they called us in to pump seawater to try to cool the thing. We don’t even work for the government, but for the city of Tokyo. They were desperate. They must have been on their last legs.
Fukushima crew leader Kazuhiko Fukudome • Describing what he saw as a member of the “Fukushima Fifty.” Fukudome was tracked down by The Daily Telegraph, who got the first interview with the once-anonymous crew of workers. We recommend you read the whole thing, but we’re sure you will after you read Fukudome’s description of the inside of the plant: “It was far worse than I expected. Everything was covered in rubble,” he said. Harrowing. (via Josh Sternberg) source

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» Progress, but no end in sight: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano had these vaguely calming words about the incident: “We are preventing the situation from worsening — we’ve restored power and pumped in fresh water — and making basic steps toward improvement,” he said, “but there is still no room for complacency.” There are good and bad parts about the overall situation right now — while aftershocks are starting to tail off, radiation levels in seawater miles away are very high, but are said to be of little threat to those eating seafood from the ocean. Still, though …

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The reactors are more stable as time progresses. By now, the decay heat is greatly reduced and it becomes easier to supply sufficient water for cooling. As far as we know, the containments are holding and the radiation levels have dropped.
UC Berkley nuclear expert Peter Hosemann • Suggesting that Fukushima is quickly becoming less of an issue, and more under control. He does warn, however, that radiation may still get into the environment: “We might see some more release of radioactive material, mostly due to the water going through the systems.” Overall, though, this is promising in terms of getting things handled. source

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