Not good news -Japanese nuclear officials fear crack in reactor core

[malaise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/25/japanese-nuclear-fear-crack-reactor-core
<snip>
Nuclear safety officials in Japan fear the core of a reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have cracked, causing a leak of high levels of radiation.

The government's chief spokesman, Yukio Edano, said 130,000 residents in the area had been encouraged to leave to improve their quality of life, not because their health was at risk.

On Thursday, three workers were exposed to radiation after stepping in contaminated water in the turbine building of the No 3 reactor. They were trying to cool the crippled reactor when the accident occurred.

"The contaminated water had 10,000 times the amount of radiation as would be found in water circulating from a normally operating reactor," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for Japan's nuclear safety agency. "It is possible that there is damage to the reactor."
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WTFFF??????????????

[Selatius]

1. As long as the water doesn't evaporate or boil away into the atmosphere.

If it got up into the air, the consequences would be dire for anything downwind of the crippled power station.

[tavalon]

2. Mr. Edano is a skilled prevaricator

Yeah, getting away from a nuclear meltdown will likely improve the lives of the people living there but it's also a baldfaced lie.

[malaise]

4. I'm still shaking my head from that line n/t

[Dennis Donovan]

3. Fukushima weather for next 24 hrs calling for winds from NE...

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Fukushima+Japan+JAXX0010

This will push anything coming from the reactors to the SW - towards Tokyo.

[drm604]

5. "encouraged to leave to improve their quality of life, not because their health was at risk"

WTF does that mean? The weather's better elsewhere? They'll make more money? How does radiation impact on your quality of life while not impacting your health?

[malaise]

6. Let's hope something 'got lost' in the translation

Otherwise...shakes head again

[drm604]

7. I don't think much got lost in translation.

It sounds like typical feel good spin to me.

[malaise]

8. It makes no sense

to me

[drm604]

9. Right. Typical feel good spin.

It's not supposed to make sense.

[Overseas]

10. So sad. So dangerous.

And still in our country the cruel GOP will fight against green technologies to reduce our dependence on oil and nuclear.