Japan nuclear plant

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Don't Fire Up Nuclear Plants Without Robots

William Saletan: They must be resistant to radiation and ready to go

(Newser) - An easy first lesson is emerging from Japan's nuclear mess: No nuclear reactors should be in operation anywhere unless they have robots ready to fend off disaster, writes William Saletan in Slate . He's not talking about run-of-the-mill robots that replace humans at menial tasks. He means expensive, radiation-resistant robots that...

Japan Gets Power Lines Hooked Up at Plant

But it will be days before they can test all the cooling systems

(Newser) - A potential milestone in Japan's efforts to get the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant under control: Workers have for the first time connected all six reactors to power lines, a development that could finally revive the plant's cooling systems, reports the AP . The caveat: They won't turn the juice back on to...

Radioactive Milk a Threat —if You Drink 58K Cups

Heath officials blowing things way out of proportion in Japan: researcher

(Newser) - Japan is finding elevated radiation levels in milk, spinach, and water —scary, right? Richard Knox at NPR sits down with RPI health physicist Peter Caracappa to crunch some numbers about what those levels mean. The gist:
  • The max radiation a US nuclear worker is allowed to be exposed to
...

Regulators Ignored Warning Signs at Fukushima

Despite noted problems, an extension was granted for oldest reactor

(Newser) - Government regulators were concerned about the oldest reactor at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant—but still approved a 10-year extension for reactor No. 1, just a month before the devastating earthquake and tsunami that landed the country in its current nuclear crisis. A report from the regulatory committee noted...

Japan Nuclear Pool Near Boiling Point

Work resumes at stricken plant

(Newser) - Workers resumed efforts to bring Japan's Fukushima nuclear complex under control today but a pool for storing spent fuel at the plant has presented yet another problem, AP reports. A nuclear safety official says the pool is heating up and temperatures are at or near the boiling point. The pool...

Many Chinese Salt-Buyers Want Their Money Back

But some stores say 'tough luck'

(Newser) - All those panicked consumers in China who bought all the salt off store shelves ? Yeah, they'd like their money back now. "I regret it very much. I will never behave this silly anymore," says one woman who was refused a refund for the four-year supply she purchased....

Workers Evacuated From Japan Nuclear Plant

Smoke rises from damaged reactor

(Newser) - Workers at Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant were evacuated again today after smoke rose from one of the damaged reactors, the AP reports. The cause of the smoke was not yet clear. Earlier today, a village about 20 miles from the plant was advised by the Health Ministry its tap...

Japan Makes Progress Stabilizing Nuclear Plant

Fukushima Dai-ichi gets some of its cooling functions back

(Newser) - The latest news from Japan's Fukushima Dia-ichi plant has a rare note of optimism—tempered with plenty of don't-get-your-hopes-up-too-high sentiment. The biggest bright spot is that workers have apparently restored power to the cooling systems of two reactors, Units 5 and 6, reports the Wall Street Journal . Those units posed...

Japan Finds Radiation in Water, Milk, Spinach

But official cautions that levels not high enough to affects humans

(Newser) - Japan has detected elevated radiation levels in spinach and milk in the prefecture containing its foundering Fukushima nuclear plant and a neighboring prefecture, reports the Wall Street Journal . Milk produced roughly 30 miles away from the plant had around five times the normal amount of radioactive material iodine-131, while spinach...

Japan Admits Response Fell Short

'In hindsight, we could have moved a little quicker,' says spokesman

(Newser) - As Japan continues its struggle to get the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant under control, a government spokesman acknowledged that the initial response to the earthquake and tsunami was lacking, reports AP . "In hindsight, we could have moved a little quicker in assessing the situation and coordinating all that information and...

Chernobyl Victims Still Face Greater Cancer Risk

Study's timing amid Japan nuclear crisis pure coincidence

(Newser) - It’s been almost a quarter of a century, but kids who consumed contaminated milk or affected cheese soon after the Chernobyl crisis still face a heightened thyroid cancer risk, a study finds. Researchers have kept tabs on 12,500 subjects who were under 18 and lived near Chernobyl when...

Japan Nuclear Plant Solution: Bury It?

Crisis continues as authorities rush to cool reactors by any means necessary

(Newser) - Japan is considering burying its troubled nuclear plant in sand and concrete—the same move made in Chernobyl 25 years ago, Reuters reports. “It is not impossible to encase the reactors in concrete. But our priority right now is to try and cool them down first,” said an...

Experts Fear Alarming Crack in Reactor Pool

Engineers may face unprecedented nuclear problem

(Newser) - The situation at Japan's stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex may be even more dire than realized, according to American nuclear experts. Authorities at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission suspect that a crack or hole has developed in the floor or wall of a spent fuel pool at the complex, which will...

US Launches Safety Review of All 104 Nuke Plants

As do other countries, like China

(Newser) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is launching a comprehensive review of all 104 reactors in America. Other countries, including China, are taking similar steps as the Japan nuclear crisis unfolds. President Obama called for the review yesterday as he assured Americans that they are unlikely to face harmful radiation from the...

Japan Nearly Done With Back-Up Power Line

It could restart plant's cooling system; Nikkei opens strong

(Newser) - In Japan, this might qualify as good news on the nuclear front: The UN nuclear agency says the situation is "very serious" but that it hasn't gotten much worse over the last 24 hours, reports the Voice of America . And in another glimmer of hope, officials say they're close...

Japan Has Robots All Over —Except at Nuke Plant

Humans are still being asked to risk their lives

(Newser) - Japan has built robots for all kinds of distinctly human tasks—from playing instruments to officiating at weddings—but none have been used in this nuclear mess, notes Reuters . Instead, humans are still being asked to risk their lives. Robots are common elsewhere in the nuclear industry, so what gives?...

Fukushima Plant Worker: 'Please Stop Attacking Us'

My coworkers are putting their lives on the line, she says

(Newser) - Michiko Otsuki is sick of people ripping on Tokyo Electric Power Co. Otsuki is one of the workers who evacuated from the Fukushima nuclear plant on Monday, and afterward she took to her blog to give the people she left behind there a voice. “People have been flaming Tepco,...

'48 Hours to Worse Than Chernobyl'


 '48 Hours to Worse 
 Than Chernobyl' 
UPDATED
Mar 17, 2011 7:54 AM CDT

'48 Hours to Worse Than Chernobyl'

The Japanese have lost control, officials warn

(Newser) - Officials around the world are increasingly concerned that Japan's mounting nuclear disaster is out of control. "It would be hard to describe how alarming this is right now," an American official tells ABC News . He warns that unless Japan can get all of its crippled nuclear plants under...

Traces of Radiation to Reach US Friday

UN charts radiation plume

(Newser) - A plume of radiation from stricken Japanese nuclear reactors is crossing the Pacific and will be detectable in southern California by tomorrow, according to a United Nations forecast. Experts stress that the radiation in the plume will be extremely diluted and will, at worst, have very minor health consequences for...

Pentagon, State Offer to Evacuate Tokyo Residents

Evacuation offered to families of US personnel

(Newser) - US authorities have offered to evacuate the family members of State Department and Pentagon personnel from a large area of Japan, including Tokyo. As radiation from stricken nuclear reactors spreads, a travel alert has been issued warning American citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Japan and urging Americans already in...

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