Blog · Page 143 of 228

April 7, 2011

UPDATE, 3:15 pm, Thursday, Today’s earthquake (which we have seen variously reported as between 7.1 and 7.9 in magnitude) has knocked out power in some sections of northeast Japan. The single-unit Higashidori Boiling Water Reactor and the Rokkasho reprocessing plant have lost offsite power and are running on emergency diesel generators. Offsite power may also have been lost to the three unit Onagawa nuclear complex, although there is a report that power remains for the reactors themselves, but not for the fuel pools and that those are relying upon emergency diesel generators.

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April 7, 2011

UPDATE, 12:30 pm, Thursday, A 7.1 earthquake struck northeast Japan about an hour ago (11:30 pm Japan time); workers were temporarily evacuated from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear site. There are no immediate reports of additional damage at the site.

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April 6, 2011

NIRS, Friends of the Earth, NC WARN and others file new legal challenge to AP 1000 reactor design in wake of Fukushima accident.

Link

April 6, 2011

UPDATE, 3:30 pm, Wednesday, The New York Times has an important front-page story today on a still-unreleased U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission assessment that indicates the situation at Fukushima remains extremely serious, that some of the measures Tepco and the Japanese government have taken have caused unanticipated repercussions and new problems—in particular new stresses placed on the containments that places their ability to withstand earthquake aftershocks in doubt, and ongoing concerns about the possibility of more hydrogen explosions at the site.

Link

April 5, 2011

UPDATE, 4:30 pm Tuesday, Japan’s NHK TV is reporting that a plant worker at Fukushima Daiichi says that radiation levels inside the reactors buildings of Units 1-3 are “immeasurable”—so high that their radiation monitors have been rendered useless. The report states that levels of 10 rems/hour have been measured even outside the buildings.

Link

April 5, 2011

UPDATE, 11:00 am, Tuesday, The Los Angeles Times is reporting that radioactive Iodine-131 has been measured in seawater near Fukushima at 7.5 million times the legal limit. Perhaps even more worrisome is that radioactive Cesium-137 has been measured at more than 1 million times the limit. The Cesium is likely to lodge in sediment in the region and remain a factor for marine life and fishing for perhaps centuries.

Link

April 4, 2011

UPDATE, 10:30 am, Monday, Japan’s government has acknowledged the obvious: that it will be months before the Fukushima nuclear crisis can be considered under control, and likely there will continue to be radiation releases for an extended period.

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April 1, 2011

Important new study from Germany’s IPPNW on the ongoing health consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe.

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April 1, 2011

Serious Security Issues at MOX Plutonium Factory Recognized by Regulators. Press Release.

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April 1, 2011

A Post-Fukushima Program for Increased Nuclear Security and Safety in the US. A 10-point grassroots program to improve nuclear safety and hasten the transition to a nuclear-free carbon-free energy future. Organizations wishing to sign on to this program should send their information to nirs@nirs.org. Individuals wishing to support this program can sign a petition here.

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