Japan's Media Downplays Radiation & "Grey Smoke" at Fukushima 3/21/11
Channel: MsMilkytheclown
Date: 2011-03-21

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/21_14.html

The ministry is publishing levels of radiation and radioactive materials monitored on the ground, as well as in rain, tap water and the atmosphere.
http://www.mext.go.jp/english/radioactivity_level/detail/1303962.htm
The website also shows the science ministry's independent measurements of radiation near the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

As of 7 PM Sunday, radiation readings were slightly higher than normal in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture. But the ministry says the levels do not pose an immediate health hazard.

In Tokyo and six surrounding prefectures, trace amounts of radioactive iodine and cesium have been detected. Neither substance occurs naturally.

The information is available at: www.mext.go.jp

Monday, March 21, 2011 09:44 +0900 (JST)

Grey smoke from No.3 reactor subsided

The grey smoke seen coming from the troubled No.3 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Monday afternoon has subsided.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, evacuated its workers from the plant shortly after 4 PM.

The government's nuclear safety agency said the smoke, which turned black and grey, subsided about 2 hours later.

It also said water levels and pressure inside the reactor have registered no major changes.
The storage pool for spent nuclear fuel is located in the southeast part of the structure.
Radiation levels at a spot about 500 meters northwest of the reactor were 2,015 microsieverts per hour, almost unchanged from the figure measured before the smoke was seen.

Work was under way to restore external power to the No.4 reactor and regain its cooling functions. The nuclear safety agency said the work is unlikely to have caused a fire.

Smoke was also seen rising from another troubled reactor Monday evening.

The government's nuclear safety agency says it was informed that white smoke was apparently coming from a crack in the roof of the No.2 reactor structure at 6:20 PM.

Similar white smoke had been seen rising from the reactor previously.

On Sunday afternoon, work to inject 40 tons of seawater into the reactor's storage pool for spent nuclear fuel was carried out, taking about 2 hours.

Monday, March 21, 2011 21:08 +0900 (JST)

Restoring external power to Fukushima Daiichi

The Tokyo Electric Power Company has resumed work to restore external power to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, as part of its efforts to regain cooling functions.

This follows operations by the Tokyo Fire Department and Self-Defense Forces to douse the No.3 and No.4 reactors with water.

They ended their water-spraying operations to cool down the spent fuel rod pools on Monday morning.

External power was extended to the electricity distribution panels of the No.2 and No.5 reactors on Sunday, and power can now be supplied to reactors number 1, 2, 5, and 6.

In order to get the electricity back on at the No.2 reactor, the power company plans to check various measurement devices and lighting systems in the central control room -- the heart of the plant -- and check for electricity leakage in the battery charging room.

The No.3 and No.4 reactors, where high levels of radiation are forcing workers to exercise extreme caution, are scheduled to be connected to the electricity distribution panels on Tuesday.

The power company is doing everything it can to restore external power, which it sees as essential to regaining cooling functions for the reactor vessels and the spent fuel rod pools.

Radiation levels are dropping somewhat at Fukushima Daiichi plant. The government's nuclear safety agency says it will continue to monitor the situation carefully.

The Tokyo Fire Department poured water into the plant's Number 3 reactor for 6.5 hours on Sunday night in a continuing attempt to cool down a storage pool for spent fuel.

The Self-Defense Forces meanwhile shot water into the Number 4 reactor on Sunday, and again on Monday morning.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency says the operations appear to be paying off to a certain degree, with radiation levels showing a continuous decline since Sunday afternoon.

The agency has been monitoring data at a point about 500 meters northwest of the Number 3 reactor.

It says radiation readings stood at 2,670 microsieverts per hour as of 6:30 AM on Sunday.

It says the figure then rose briefly to 3,346 microsieverts at 2:50 PM on Sunday, but went down again to 2,319 microsieverts at 6:30 AM on Monday.

The agency says the brief jump in radiation could be due to the wind on Sunday afternoon. It says it will continue to closely monitor the situation.

Monday, March 21, 2011 17:46 +0900 (JST)

Radioactive materials detected in water