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On March 12, a buildup of hydrogen caused an explosion in the turbine room at the Fukushima Daiichi Unit-1 reactor in Japan. The Japanese government is reporting that the reactor vessel is intact, but it is not known if the explosion caused any damage to it. The government is evacuating the 200,000 people living within 20 kilometers (12 miles) of the reactor and is also reported to be distributing potassium iodine pills to reduce the risk of thyroid cancer. In a desperate effort to prevent a nuclear meltdown, the reactor operator is flooding the reactor with seawater. For more information, listen to the March 12 press conference with nuclear experts, including PSR’s Dr. Ira Helfand. A transcipt is available here.
Background
On Friday March 11, the largest earthquake in Japanese history (8.9) hit the eastern coast of Japan, causing the shutdown of reactors at Fukushima nuclear power station. Backup power for the Fukushima Daiichi Unit-1 reactor failed after an hour likely due to flooding from the tsunami. Since then, the cooling system of at least one other reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi had also been reported lost, and problems with cooling have been reported with Fukushima Daini reactors. The lack of backup power puts the cooling system at risk. The cooling system keeps the extremely hot nuclear core from melting down, as well as the spent fuel rods in large pools from overheating and causing a fire.
Pressure in the Unit-1 reactor was reported to be 1000 times normal levels and the reactor operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., released some of the pressure by venting radioactive vapor from the containment structure. In addition, the radionuclide cesium has been reportedly found outside the reactor, which indicates that there has been some fuel damage.
Additional resources:
Japan Earthquake/Nuclear Power – How Big a Risk of Disaster?
FDA Iodine guidelines in radiological emergency
PSR will continue to update our site on the situation.
PSR Staff and Board Members Available for Media Calls re Medical Consequences of Japan’s Nuclear Reactor Accident:
Michele Boyd
Safe Energy Director
(202) 587-5242 (o)
(202) 494-0785 (c)
mboyd@psr.org
Ira Helfand, MD
Leeds, MA 01053
413-320-7829 (c)
413-584-5933 (h)
ihelfand@igc.org
Peter Wilk, MD
Executive Director
Washington, DC 20009
202-587-5240 (o)
703-402-0632 (c)
pwilk@psr.org
Robert Gould, MD
San Francisco, CA
408-972-7299 (w)
415-864-6758 (h)
415-407-8972 (cell)
415-407-8806 (cell)
707-677-0502 landline
rmgould1@yahoo.com
Richard Grady, MD
Seattle, WA 98115
206-601-2802 (m)
206 526-0551 (h)
206 987-2130 (o)
Richard.grady@seattlechildrens.org
Andy Kanter, MD, MPH
PSR President Elect
New York, NY 10033
Office: 212-305 4842
Cell: +646- 469 2421
andrew.kanter@dbmi.columbia.edu
andy_kanter@yahoo.com
akanter@imo-online.com
Jeff Patterson, DO
Madison, WI
608-256-3983 (h)
608-206-2101 (c)
jjpatter@wisc.edu
Hold political candidates accountable to their positions on federal loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors.
Tell your House member to defeat special subsidies for dangerous new nuclear reactors!
Video: Dr. Jeff Patterson on Democracy Now
PSR President Dr. Jeff Patterson discusses the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl Catastrophe. Read more »
Video: Atomic Age Symposium: Fukushima
PSR Board Member Dr. Jeff Patterson speaks on the dangers of nuclear power at the Atomic Age Symposium at University of Chicago. Read more »
The official report of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission from the National Diet of Japan (Executive Summary). Read more »
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