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<p class="publishDate">Sunday, March 13, 2011</p>
<h1>Meltdown Caused Nuke Plant Explosion: Safety Body</h1>
<div class="mainBody">
<p> TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
(NISA) said Saturday afternoon the explosion at the Fukushima
No. 1 nuclear plant could only have been caused by a meltdown of
the reactor core.</p>
<p> The same day, Tokyo Electric Power Co. <a
href="http://e.nikkei.com/e/app/ac/market/companyoverview.aspx?scode=9501">(9501)</a>,
which runs the plant, began to flood the damaged reactor with
seawater to cool it down, resorting to measures that could rust
the reactor and force the utility to scrap it.</p>
<p> Cesium and iodine, by-products of nuclear fission, were
detected around the plant, which would make the explosion the
worst accident in the roughly 50-year history of Japanese
nuclear power generation.</p>
<p> An explosion was heard near the plant's No. 1 reactor about
3:30 p.m. and plumes of white smoke went up 10 minutes later.
The ceiling of the building housing the reactor collapsed,
according to information obtained by Fukushima prefectural
authorities.</p>
<p> At a news conference Saturday night, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yukio Edano discounted the possibility of a significant leak of
radioactive material from the accident. "The walls of the
building containing the reactor were destroyed, meaning that the
metal container encasing the reactor did not explode," Edano
said.</p>
<p> The amount of radiation detected inside the plant after 4:00
p.m. slightly exceeded the dose people can safely receive in a
year, according to information obtained by the Fukushima
prefectural government.</p>
<p> The No. 1 reactor shut down automatically soon after a massive
earthquake hit the area Friday, but its emergency core cooling
system failed to cool the reactor's core sufficiently.</p>
<p> NISA is affiliated with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry.</p>
<p> (The Nikkei March 13 edition)</p>
</div>
<br>
<br>
On 3/12/11 1:02 PM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:4D7BC34A.9030002@illinois.edu" type="cite">The
question is, Is he right about the result of similar earthquake
off the California coast?
<br>
<br>
"No One Can be Wrong All the Time." --News from Neptune
<br>
<br>
On 3/12/11 11:54 AM, Brussel Morton K. wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Harvey Wassserman is a no nothing, IMHO.
--mkb
<br>
<br>
On Mar 12, 2011, at 1:16 AM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Concerning the proximity of the large
earthquake in Japan’s recorded history to nuclear reactors,
Bob Alvarez writes today on [CounterPunch.org],
<br>
<br>
“In the aftermath of the largest earthquake to occur in Japan
in recorded history, 5,800 residents living within five miles
of six reactors at the Fukushima nuclear station have been
advised to evacuate and people living within 15 miles of the
plant are advised to remain indoors.
<br>
<br>
“Plant operators have not been able to cool down the core of
one reactor containing enormous amounts of radioactivity
because of failed back-up diesel generators required for the
emergency cooling….Early on Japanese nuclear officials
provided reassurances that no radiation has been released.
However, because of the reactor remains at a very high
temperature, radiation levels are rising on the turbine
building – forcing to plant operators to vent radioactive
steam into the environment.”
<br>
<br>
Perhaps the news that Japanese nuclear reactors have been
damaged and that clouds of official deception are already
rising above them will cool the revival of enthusiasm for
building new nuclear plants here in the US, spearheaded
politically by President Obama and okayed by major green
groups using the cover of alleged AGW, as long ago planned by
the nuclear industry.
<br>
<br>
As Harvey Wasserman points out on this site today:
<br>
<br>
“Had the violent 8.9 Richter-scale earthquake that has just
savaged Japan hit off the California coast, it could have
ripped apart at least four coastal reactors and sent a lethal
cloud of radiation across the entire United States.
<br>
<br>
“The two huge reactors each at San Onofre and Diablo Canyon
are not designed to withstand such powerful shocks. All four
are extremely close to major faults.”
<br>
<br>
--from<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn03112011.html"><http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn03112011.html></a>.
<br>
<br>
=====================
<br>
[Peace-discuss] Japanese warning
<br>
E. Wayne Johnson ewj at pigs.ag
<br>
Fri Mar 11 19:33:53 CST 2011
<br>
<br>
After you stop (nay, pause) for just a moment,
<br>
consider, and reflect upon, how much, and how deeply,
<br>
the directors and stockholders of Illinois Power (now Ameren)
<br>
really and truly care about the health and happiness
<br>
of the people of central Illinois,
<br>
you will be much encouraged.
<br>
I am quite sure of that.
<br>
<br>
[pppfffffffft.]
<br>
<br>
On 3/12/2011 9:13 AM, Robert Naiman wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">The massive earthquake that forced the
closure of four nuclear power
<br>
plants in Japan has highlighted the grave risk of inadequate
back-up
<br>
generators at U.S. facilities, a leading U.S. scientist
group said on
<br>
Friday.
<br>
<br>
While the U.S. regulator made clear that the national
nuclear fleet is
<br>
built to withstand the biggest earthquakes in history,
scientists said
<br>
they needed to do more to ensure that future quakes don't
risk the
<br>
kind of reactor impact that Japan is now grappling with.
<br>
<br>
"We do not believe the safety standards for U.S. nuclear
reactors are
<br>
enough to protect the public today," Edwin Lyman, senior
scientist,
<br>
global security programs, at the Union of Concerned
Scientists, told
<br>
Reuters. The group supports nuclear power as a means to
combat global
<br>
warming, but wants tougher safety measures.
<br>
<br>
- Reuters: Scientists Say Japan Quake Shows US Nuclear Risk
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/a/-/technology/8998257/scientists-say-japan-quake-shows-us-nuclear-risk/">http://au.news.yahoo.com/queensland/a/-/technology/8998257/scientists-say-japan-quake-shows-us-nuclear-risk/</a>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 5:58 PM, C. G. Estabrook<galliher
at illinois.edu> wrote:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Given the damage to Japanese nuclear
reactors from the earthquake, what do
<br>
you think would happen to the nuclear reactor down the
road in Clinton, IL,
<br>
if a similar quake should occur along the New Madrid
fault? --CGE
<br>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
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