No immediate danger at Japanese nuclear plants.

[Statistical]

http://media.theage.com.au/no-immediate-danger-nuclear-expert-2229008.html

A video so I will summarize:
1) all plants shut down safely
2) no structural damage to containment at any plant reported
3) backup generators to run pumps at 2 plants are offline
4) reactor still being cooled.
5) emergency generators enroute to 2 plants lacking power

I know boring compared to the end of world talk but just thought I would share.

[gatorboy]

1. Considering how wrong the human race is 90% of the time I'll go with 6)

Wait and see.

[Rage for Order]

70. I'm going to file this one away, along with "Thank God it passed!"

:)

[meow mix]

2. you forgot to mention exposed fuel rods

fucking bs liars

[Statistical]

3. no fuel rods are exposed. None. n/t

[leftstreet]

4. Link? n/t

[HuckleB]

10. According to this, the possibility exists, but it hasn't happened yet.

"The major fear is that fuel rods, which create heat through a nuclear reaction, could become exposed and release radioactivity."

from: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/japan-vents-radioactive-steam-from-plants-20110312-1brv1.html

[Paradoxical]

17. Do you have a link claiming that they are exposed?

[jpak]

47. Yes they were - Core Damage Possible at Earthquake-Damaged Nuclear Plant (UPDATE 5)

http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2011/03/12/japanese-reactors-fine-after-7.2-magnitude-earthquake031101.aspx

UPDATED 2:00 AM EST -- Tokyo Electric Power Company officials reported that 1.7 meters of the 4.5 meter-long fuel rods at Fukushima Daiichi's Unit 1 may have been exposed to air as power problems in the coolant system cased water levels in the reactor to drop.

Media reports also indicated the utility has released irradiated steam from the reactor into the atmosphere to control pressure within the reactor and its containment vessel. The plant now faces the possibility of fuel damage as operators work to replace electrical systems and add coolant.

Early Saturday morning The Wall Street Journal quoted a Tepco spokesman as saying "if the water level remains at this level, the reactor core might be damaged, but we are now pouring water into the reactor to prevent it from happening."

Japanese officials also initiated atmospheric steam releases at the nearby Fukushima Daini plant.

<more>

and the fact the cesium and iodine were detected outside the reactor building clearly indicates cladding failure

yup

[SidDithers]

49. "May have been" is still not "Yes they were"...nt

Sid

[jpak]

51. Cesium + iodine = cladding failure

yup

[jpak]

52. 2nd LD Writethru: Radioactive cesium detected at Fukushima No. 1 nuke plant

http://www.istockanalyst.com/business/news/4964075/2nd-ld-writethru-radioactive-cesium-detected-at-fukushima-no-1-nuke-plant

TOKYO, Mar. 12, 2011 (Xinhua News Agency) -- The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Saturday that radioactive cesium has been detected at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

At a press conference, agency officials said that the detection indicates a reactor meltdown is occurring.

Workers were struggling to cool the facility and restart its quake-damaged diesel generators to avoid a total meltdown, officials said.

<more>

[darkstar3]

9. Link?

[SidDithers]

26. Link?...nt

Sid

[godai]

5. I don't understand the wishful thinking end of the world talk.

Except that some seem to be wanting a meltdown to sink US nuclear power as an option. Why do we need predictions? We'll know for sure in a day or two and it's looking not so bad, as far as the reactors.

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. What kind of shit is this, when predicting a disaster is the same as

wishing it to happen?

Do you have any idea how fucked up that is?

Put it this way -

"If George Bush gets his way we will be invading Iraq before April!"

"I don't understand the wishful thinking we are going to war talk."

WTF?

[Union Scribe]

7. No, there's a distinct "here it comes!" excitement in some posts.

Not saying they want people to die, but they are jumping to conclusions and citing the human virus and other end-timey bullshit that I thought was just for Rapture fans.

[SidDithers]

28. Yup...

yesterday we were "teetering on the edge of disaster" before any, any details were known.

Even DU has it's disaster junkies.

Sid

[Hannah Bell]

44. because this is a current emergency. not just some people talking politics.

[darkstar3]

8. So in other words, there was no way a Japanese nuclear reactor was going to fuck the Pacific Rim.

Thank you, now back to your regularly scheduled hysteria.

[HuckleB]

11. Huh?

:shrug:

[darkstar3]

13. What do you mean, huh?

Have you been reading some of these catastrophic thoughts threads?

[HuckleB]

20. I mean what is your post supposed to mean?

:shrug:

[BigBearJohn]

12. Thanks for the great news. I, for one, appreciate it. K/R

[jillan]

14. That is great news. I have to say I am impressed with the way Japan was able to react to everything

that happened today.

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. That is really funny.

Some asshole in DC saying there is no danger - obviously not, for HIM - and no radioactivity released, when immediately below him the screen says "Radioactive steam released from reactor".

[underseasurveyor]

16. that's not what's being reported on the news.

They're saying it's a red alert and that pressure is building because they can't cool it and it's very close to a melt down.

Apparently all plants were not shut down safely.

[Thunderstruck]

18. That's what I've heard on CNN in past little while, that pressure in one of the

reactors was twice it's design limit and building.

Sorry, don't recall who said it.

If what the OP posted is true, that's a very good thing and I'm putting a lot of mental kinetic energy behind those generators moving toward those plants.

[FedUpWithIt All]

19. Look at the top of the feed.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/

I very much want this to pass into a safe resolution.

[meow mix]

21. kick and unrec

[Cetacea]

22. lol

[Rex]

23. Thanks, I love all the pearl clutching going on by both groups.

Gaia is pleased.

[meow mix]

24. 300,000 evacuated now

hows that working for you?

[LAGC]

30. You can keep repeating that bullshit tweet, but it doesn't make it true.

According to the latest reports, the evacuation radius is only 10km, which affects 83,000 people at best.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclear/index.html?hpt=T1

It's merely a precautionary measure, but the situation is well under control.

[meow mix]

36. sorry pronuker person. you dont know what your talking about

as is usual with your ilk.

Evacuation Zone Around Fukushima 1 and 2 Extended from 10km Radius to 20km
http://www.interpressnews.ge/en/world/26188-evacuation-zone-around-fukushima-1-and-2-extended-from-10km-radius-to-20km.html

[LAGC]

39. Read my CNN link that I gave you.

Evacuations are only a standard precaution. It doesn't mean there is any real danger.

Radiation levels have been falling in recent hours.

[Thunderstruck]

65. CNN is your source? 'Nuf said.

[SidDithers]

31. Which doesn't contradict anything in the OP...nt

Sid

[Thunderstruck]

33. Yea. No reason to fret about an entire reactor building

disappearing into dust. That's normal.

[Hannah Bell]

37. the entire reactor building didn't disappear, as you can see from the pictures, the

steel frame is still in place.

[meow mix]

40. if you find those images comforting, seek help.

because you need some badly

[Hannah Bell]

67. sorry there was no massive death toll from an uncontrolled meltdown.

[Thunderstruck]

46. Oh, well, I stand corrected. Funny thing about that blast wave in the video...

it looks pretty powerful yet it didn't blast apart the steel super-structure.

I guess to have any real damage to that steel super-structure the building would have had to have simply collapsed, well...kinda like the World Trade Center did.

[SidDithers]

50. Ahhhh, you're a truther...

that explains a lot.

sid

[Thunderstruck]

53. No I'm not. And you're assuming I am explains a lot about you.

And calling other DUers names is against the rules. Also, commenting personally about a DUer, rather than the topic, is also against the rules.

[SidDithers]

25. K&R...nt

Sid

[Hannah Bell]

27. cooling turbine just delivered to fukushima, just reported here.

http://yokosonews.com/live

march 13, sun 12:47 in japan

[Turborama]

29. Radiation leaks from Japan's quake-hit nuclear plant

Latest Breaking News: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4767391

[Hannah Bell]

34. that is not current news. radiation levels have decreased & cooling turbine has

just been delivered.

live english-language monitoring of japanese media here:

http://yokosonews.com/live

power has resumed in tokyo; public transportation has been coming online since 17 hours ago. tokyo has resumed functioning. 5 people dead in tokyo due to collapse of ceiling of old building, dozen injured.

[Turborama]

38. Sat Mar 12, 2011 10:57am EST

Radiation leaks from Japan's quake-hit nuclear plant

By Chris Meyers and Kim Kyung-hoon
FUKUSHIMA, Japan | Sat Mar 12, 2011 10:57am EST

(Reuters) - Radiation leaked from Japan's earthquake-crippled nuclear plant on Saturday after a blast blew the roof off, and authorities prepared to distribute iodine to people in the vicinity to protect them from exposure.

The government insisted radiation levels were low because although the explosion severely damaged the main building of the plant, it had not affected the reactor core container.

Local media said three workers suffered radiation exposure at the plant in the wake of Friday's massive earthquake, which sent a 10-meter (33-foot) tsunami ripping through towns and cities across the northeast coast.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-japan-quake-idUSTRE72A0SS20110312

It might not have happened 5 minutes ago, but it did happen.

[Hannah Bell]

42. it's nearly a day old now. repeating it as though it's current just confuses

things.

[Turborama]

45. No it isn't

And it's not my fault if you get confused so easily.

[Hannah Bell]

54. the explosion occured at about 3:40 japan time saturday. it's now

it;s now 1:27 sunday in japan.

[Thunderstruck]

57. That's not even 12 hours, much less a full day.

[Turborama]

58. 10 hours ago, not a day. I know what time it happened because Japan is an hour ahead of where I live

And I was following the news as it happened.

The news about the radiation leak has obviously come out several hours after the explosion.

Which still doesn't mean it didn't happen.

[Turborama]

59. Oh, and this OP was started 13 hours ago, and they got it totally wrong.

There was a massive explosion.

[LAGC]

62. The pump system caused the explosion.

It wasn't a nuclear blast.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclear/index.html?hpt=T1

[Thunderstruck]

64. Nobody said it was a "nuclear blast".

[Turborama]

66. "massive explosion" is what I said. And there are reports of radiation leaking out

That was a very lame attempt to misrepresent what I said. I'll leave whether the two are linked or not as an open question.

[ensho]

32. I haven't seen any DUers saying 'its the end of the world'

could you give a link

[Upton]

35. K&R

[KittyWampus]

41. What you didn't confirm is whether radiation has been release, how much if any, and where

Because reading through raw feeds, it seems like radiation has most certainly been released (maybe not) and it's a question of how much.

[Hannah Bell]

43. there was a radiation release due to venting. this is the only release i've

seen confirmed.

going over it now here:

http://yokosonews.com/live

[Zorra]

48. Everything is fine. Nothing to see here. Don't panic.

Clear the area please, run along now, people have a job to do.

[fascisthunter]

55. lol... wrong, AGAIN

[Overseas]

56. Just a little explosion. Nothing to see here.

Yes I'm certain the brilliant Japanese engineers are doing their best to minimize their dangers. I am listening to live feeds of news from various countries about what is happening.

And I hope they will be able to contain things at just the leakage that has occurred so far.

But it is too early to declare things all settled and all danger neatly contained.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

60. The evacutation is just a holiday and the iodine distribtion just a dietary supplement.

Right?

[Thunderstruck]

61. But the radiation is decreasing after the explosion! It's all good...

[meow mix]

63. yeah, i dont know whats wrong with these people

nuke lobby is disgusting

[meow mix]

68. tower 3 cooling system fails

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

[krawhitham]

69. you really hit the nail on the head

[Turborama]

71. I'm sure you must have meant the WRONG nail

Yep, they hit that one real hard.

[Junkdrawer]

72. When the facts are against you, Lie Big....

Good Job. :sarcasm:

[madokie]

73. As I've been saying from day one here at the DU

the nuclear power industry can't be trusted to be honest about anything except maybe the day or the hour other than that nada

[meow mix]

74. welcome back

i thought your must have taken the gigantic brain over to help??