MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

“The situation at the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in northeastern Japan ‘has worsened considerably,’ the Institute for Science and International Security said in a statement released Tuesday.

Referring to fresh explosions that occurred earlier in the day at the site and problems in a pool storing spent nuclear fuel rods, the Washington-based think tank said, ‘This accident can no longer be viewed as a level 4 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Events scale that ranks events from 1 to 7.’

Noting that a level 4 incident involves ‘only local radiological consequences,’ it said the ongoing crisis is ‘now closer to a level 6, and it may unfortunately reach a level 7’ — a worst case scenario with extensive health and environmental consequences.

‘The international community should increase assistance to Japan to both contain the emergency at the reactors and to address the wider contamination. We need to find a solution together,’ it said.”  Source.

“The operator of Japan’s stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant says a fire has broken out again at its No. 4 reactor unit.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Hajimi Motujuku says the blaze erupted early Wednesday in the outer housing of the reactor’s containment vessel. Fire fighters are trying to put out the flames. Japan’s nuclear safety agency also confirmed the fire, whose cause was not immediately known.

On Tuesday, a fire broke out in the reactor’s fuel storage pond – an area where used nuclear fuel is kept cool – causing radioactivity to be released into the atmosphere.”  Read more.

• Radiation leaking directly into the air from stricken Fukushima nuclear plant
• Power station has now suffered three reactor explosions and one fire
• Radiation levels up to ten times higher than normal in Tokyo
• Experts warn of cancer risk
• Stock markets in chaos as Nikkei plummets 10.5% in one day

“A nuclear crisis at the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant deepened Tuesday as fresh explosions occurred at the site and its operator said water in a pool storing spent nuclear fuel rods may be boiling, an ominous sign for the release of high-level radioactive materials from the fuel.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the water level in the pool storing the spent fuel rods at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant’s No. 4 reactor may have dropped, exposing the rods.

The firm said it has not yet confirmed the current water level or water temperature in the pool and will try to pour water into the facility from Wednesday through holes that were created following an explosion earlier Tuesday in the walls of the building that houses the reactor.

Unless the spent fuel rods are cooled down, they could be damaged and emit radioactive substances. The government’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency urged TEPCO to inject water into the pool soon to prevent heating of the fuel rods.

TEPCO said Tuesday night that its workers were unable to remain in the central control room at the Fukushima No. 1 plant due to high radiation levels and retreated to a remote site to monitor data on the reactors.”  Read more.

“The Fukushima reactor building that exploded March 12 is one of a series of identical General Electric reactors constructed in Japan and the US. In this reactor design, the used nuclear fuel rods are stored in pools of water at the top of the reactor building. These “spent” rods are still highly radioactive: the radioactivity is so great the rods must be stored in water so they do not combust. The explosion at Fukushima Daiichi reactor unit 1 apparently destroyed at least one wall and the roof of the building: some reports stated the roof had collapsed into the building.

Two days later, the nearby building containing the plutonium-uranium (MOX) fueled Fuksuhima Daichii reactor unit 3 exploded. So why bother about the rubble of reactor No 1? The WaPo quotes a nuclear engineer who knows the answer:” Read more.

“Seventeen U.S. Navy crew members have been contaminated with low-levels of radiation during disaster relief missions in Japan, military officials said Monday.

The radioactivity was detected when the service members returned to the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan aboard three helicopters. They were treated with soap and water and their clothes were discarded.

‘No further contamination was detected,’ the military said.

The helicopters were also decontaminated.” Read more.

“A hydrogen explosion occurred at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Dai-Ichi No. 3 reactor at 11:01 a.m. local time today, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said…

On March 12 a hydrogen leak caused a blast that destroyed the walls of the No. 1 reactor. Four workers were injured in the explosion, while no damage was reported to the container holding the reactor’s radioactive core, according to Tokyo Electric…”  Read more.

“… Hebrew University Professor Menachem Luria, an expert on air quality and poisoning, told Channel 2 on Saturday: ‘This is very worrying. There is no doubt that we have not seen anything like this in years, perhaps ever since nuclear experiments were conducted in the atmosphere in the 1950s. From what we can gather, this disaster is even more dangerous than Chernobyl, both from the standpoint of the population’s exposure to radioactive material and the spread of radioactive contamination in the area.’

Luria continued: ‘Once there is an uncontrollable heating up, the nuclear fuel undergoes a metamorphosis into the gaseous phase. Since we are talking about metals and solid items, they turn into particles that are capable of traveling great distances. They can wander thousands of kilometers.’ …”  Read more.

“Around 200,000 people have been evacuated from near two Japanese nuclear power stations as fear spreads of radiation exposure.

The evacuations were ordered after nine people showed signs of possible exposure to radiation at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plants.

An official from the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told a news conference that up to 160 people may have suffered radiation exposure.” Read more.

“Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Sunday another reactor of its quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plants had lost its cooling functions, while at least 15 people at a nearby hospital were found to have been exposed to radioactivity.

The utility supplier notified the government early Sunday morning that the No. 3 reactor at the No. 1 Fukushima plant had lost the ability to cool the reactor core. The reactor is now in the process of releasing radioactive steam, according to top government spokesman Yukio Edano.

It was the sixth reactor overall at the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 plants to undergo cooling failure since the massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami struck Japan on Friday.” Read more.