BBC: 2.45am PST- Holes in Wall of Concrete Shell - Reactor #4 Plus...

[jannyk]

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0935: Japan's nuclear safety agency has said there are two holes of 8 sq m (86 sq feet) in a wall of the outer building of the number 4 reactor after an explosion there, Reuters reports.

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0938: A spent nuclear fuel pool at Fukushima's number 4 reactor may be boiling and its water level falling, Kyodo news agency is reporting. - This one we'll wait for a 2nd source - but it was reported earlier there were problems with a spent fuel pool.

and, because we need it:

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0854: Official says rescuers have pulled a 70-year-old woman from the rubble four days after the tsunami, AP reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

1. BBC: Problems w/ fuel storage pools confirmed :(

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1000: A Japanese nuclear safety official has confirmed reports that the water inside the waste fuel storage pool for the number 4 Fukushima reactor may be boiling, AP reports. Hidehiko Nishiyama refused to comment on the potential risks from the rising temperatures caused by a failure of cooling systems and said the plant's operator was considering what to do about the problem.

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0840: The WHO also says it has not received a request for help from Japan, but its radiation experts are on standby, Reuters says.




http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

4. UN: Prevailing winds now blowing it out to ocean

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1012: The UN's weather agency says Japanese winds are dispersing radioactive material over the ocean, and there is no danger for Japan or the region for now, Reuters reports.

[kristopher]

9. That needs verification by an independent agency.

[aquart]

2. Thanks. And yes, I do need it.

[jannyk]

3. BBC: Opinion Piece - no immediate danger outside the 'zone'

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1007: Andy Szymanski and Matt Alt, writing on Altjapan blog, say: "This is a fluid situation, and an environmental disaster around the reactor site, but Tokyo residents and those outside of the evacuation zone do not seem to be in immediate danger as of this writing. The people in the most danger are the workers inside the plant. By exposing themselves to higher than normal radiation levels, they are sacrificing their health to keep the rest of us safe, and are the unsung heroes of this potential
crisis."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[FBaggins]

5. Not unsung for long

Especially if they're able to hold it all together.

[jannyk]

6. BBC: re rad levels and seriousness

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1038: The radiation dosages of up to 400 millisieverts per hour recorded at the Fukushima plant "are levels that you have to take very seriously indeed to ensure you avoid immediate health effects", Professor Richard Wakeford from the Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester tells the BBC World Service. He says Japanese authorities will be imposing a ban on food and drink from the area and issuing iodine tablets to block the intake of radioactive iodine from the thyroid.

[jannyk]

7. Putin to re-evaluate nuke energy

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1041: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's nuclear agency to carry out a review of the future of the atomic energy sector in the country in the wake of the Japanese earthquake, AFP news agency reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

8. German Foreign Minister calls Japan situation 'apocalypse'

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1057: Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle says that what we are witnessing in Japan is an "apocalypse". He says the international community must do everything it can to help Japan and adds it may shift Europe's approach to nuclear power: "After what happened in Japan it cannot be business as usual. This has consequences not only for Germany's energy policy but it will also have consequences for the international community's stance as well as the debate in Europe, and that's how we will now approach it."

[jannyk]

10. Update per CNIC Press Conference 4am PST (ongoing)

Firstly, there are SIX reactors at Fukushima Daiiichi. 4,5&6 were offline at the time of the quake. Current status of each:

#1 ok - not good but ok.
#3 ok - same as above
#5 all quiet so far
#6 same as #5
#2 Volatile and dangerous. Not imminent, but could cause damage to 1 & 3
#4 Two holes in concrete casing. Each hole 8m x 8m (64 sq m each - huge) Fire, suspected to be from Hydrogen build up earlier today - now extinguished. Suspect 'Sloshing' from earthquake/aftershocks, and/or all pumps/water/attention being directed to 1,2 & 3 and spent fuel pools being left to fend for themselves as they appeared totally stable. Fire/explosion at this reactor was a big surprise.

Now talking about rad levels and I'll post more as it comes across. Feed here:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/videonews-com-live

[jannyk]

11. More from CNIC Presser

Reactor # 1 Designed/Built by GE (yes, our own General Electric).

Then...Japanese took design, studied it, modified it and built 2 thru 6 themselves using #1 as a template. Seems widely known that Toshiba built remainder but Gotuh tonight refused to confirm. IEEE reporter seemed surprised at lack of confirmation.

[thereismore]

20. It would be ironic if the biggest disaster turned out to be spent fuel rods, not reactors. nt

[jannyk]

12. BBC: PM pissed at TEPco

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1107: Prime Minister Naoto Kan has strongly criticised the Tokyo Electric Power Company for its handling of the Fukushima No 1 nuclear plant, according to Japan's Kyodo news. "The TV reported an explosion. But nothing was said to the premier's office for about an hour," a Kyodo News reporter overheard Mr Kan saying during a meeting with company executives. "What the hell is going on?"

[Hubert Flottz]

13. Good job...K&R

The spent fuel is some very nasty stuff.

[jannyk]

14. Der Speigel Article: 'Nuclear Power in Germany Finished'

The nuclear catastrophe in Japan has sparked an international debate on nuclear energy -- one that is especially fierce in Germany. After Fukushima, it can no longer be viewed as an energy source for the future. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is bound to alter her pro-nuclear stance....

...After the earthquake and tsunami in Japan followed by the ever-worsening stream of terrible news relating to the countries nuclear power facilities, even the last remaining advocates of the technology must realize that we can't go on like this. It is over. Done. Finished. Nuclear energy cannot be controlled by humans, no matter how good the arguments might be in its favor. The danger of disaster is real, and it can happen at any time -- even in a super high-tech country like Japan. And it could also happen here in Germany. A sense of security when it comes to atomic reactors is no longer possible. Not anywhere.

The earthquake in Japan is emerging as a decisive turning point in the history of nuclear technology. People learn from experience, and the lesson is clear: Not everything that is technically possible is a good thing. New ways need to be found to cover the energy needs of a growing population. And people need to move faster on this issue than they have so far.

More at link:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,750763,00.html

[jtrockville]

21. ^ smart move. Of course Germany is well on their way with solar.

We could be well on our way to renewable energy too.

[jannyk]

15. Rad levels spike (weds am Japan)

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1336: Levels of radiation in Tokyo spiked on Wednesday morning to around 20 times normal levels, according a spokesman for Tokyo's Metropolitan Government, quoted by the Japan Times. Shintaro Ishihara, said though raised they would not cause health problems.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[thereismore]

22. They would not cause health problems? Really? What a fucking liar. There may be

health problems later, which is the nature of the beast, but hey, you can't prove your cancer is due to radiation!

[tavalon]

23. Yep,

I'm a downwinder. I was born in Las Vegas and spent my first year in Beatty, NV in the early 60s. So far, my thyroid is dying, but not cancerous. So far. That's the rub - radiation sickness is easy to correlate, later health problems not so much.

[jannyk]

16. Low levels of radiation detected Yokosuka US Base

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1355: The US military has detected low levels of radiation at its Yokosuka base, south of Tokyo, Reuters reports.
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1359: The US Army has recommended that personnel and families at the base - and at the Atsugi air base - take precautions, says Reuters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

17. China mass evacuating citizens and more US Navyy test positive.

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1422: China is organising a mass evacuation of its citizens from north-east Japan, the Associated Press reports. The Chinese embassy said it was sending buses to collect its nationals from Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Iwate prefectures, "due to the seriousness of and uncertainty surrounding the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant at present".

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1430: The US Navy says more of its personnel are testing positive for low-level radiation, but its relief efforts will continue, Reuters reports.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

18. IAEA fear more serious leaks + 30mile No Fly zone around Fukushima

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1436: The IAEA says Monday's blast at Fukushima may have affected the integrity of the containment vessel - there are fears of more serious radioactive leaks if happen.
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1439: A 30km (18 mile) no-fly zone is in place around Fukushima, says the IAEA.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jannyk]

19. TEPCo may dump water from helicopter

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1456: Tepco says it may start pouring water from a helicopter over Fukushima Daiichi's reactor four in the next few days, to cool the spent-fuel pool.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698