Japan's nuclear crisis a long way from over

 

Xinhua, March 26, 2011

Fortunately, Fukushima workers on Monday reconnected power lines to all six reactors, marking a critical first step in getting the overheated reactors under control after days of public anxiety. But much still needs to be done before electricity can be turned on. It is not clear what condition the equipment is in.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) admitted Friday it might take at least another month to achieve a cold shutdown of all reactors, when temperatures inside fall below boiling point and its cooling systems are back at atmospheric pressure.

"We are still in the process of assessing the damage at the plant, so we can't put a deadline on when the cooling operations will work again. It may take more than a month, " a TEPCO spokesman said.

The biggest worry for the public is radiation leaking from the reactors. Previously, in order to avoid damaging the reactors, the plant released the potentially devastating build up of pressure, with some radioactive particles emitted into the air.

According to the latest news, a possible breach has been found in No. 3 reactor, which might be a crack or a hole in the stainless steel chamber of the reactor core or in the spent fuel pool that is lined with several feet of reinforced concrete.

Suspicions of a possible breach were raised when two workers were exposed to radiation 10,000 times the normal level and suffered skin burns while dealing with an emergency at the No. 3 reactor.

The two workers, in their 20s and 30s, who were laying power cables with their feet submerged in the water of the turbine room at the troubled No. 3 reactor, sustained injuries, including skin burns caused by beta rays. This suggests the reactor or its spent nuclear fuel pool is damaged.

A total of 17 workers have been exposed to radiation exceeding 100 millisieverts since the March 11 earthquake.

Radioactive leaks were detected after a series of explosions and fires at four of the plant's six reactors and the government on Friday suggested residents living within a 20 to 30 kilometer distance of the stricken plant voluntarily evacuate the area.

The radiation leak from the plant has contaminated sea water, food produce, milk and water supplies in regions as far away as Tokyo, 240 km southwest of the plant.

However, some experts said, with continued follow-up measures, the situation was still under control. Judging from historical experience, the effects of the nuclear leak would be limited.

Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency currently only rates Fukushima at 5 out of 7 on its warning level, the same level as the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island.

Many international organizations also said people outside Japan need not worry about the health effects of the nuclear leak.