Image via Wikipediahttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_earthquakeTOKYO – Two weeks after an earthquake and tsunami triggered a crisis at a nuclear plant, the facility is still not under control, and the government said Friday there is a suspected breach at a reactor. That means radioactive contamination at the plant is more serious than once thought.
Japanese leaders defended their decision not to evacuate people from a wider area around the plant, insisting they are safe if they stay indoors. But officials also said residents may want to voluntarily move to areas with better facilities, since supplies in the tsunami-devastated region are running short.
The escalation in the nuclear plant crisis came as the death toll from the quake and tsunami passed the grim milestone of 10,000 on Friday. Across the battered northeast coast, hundreds of thousands of people whose homes were destroyed still have no power, no hot meals and, in many cases, no showers for 14 days.
The uncertain nuclear situation halted work at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex, where authorities have been scrambling to stop the overheated facility from leaking dangerous radiation. Low levels of radiation have been seeping out since the March 11 quake and tsunami knocked out the plant's cooling system, but a breach could mean a much larger release of contaminants. The most likely consequence would be contamination of the groundwater.
More from MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42265669#42265669
Radiation found on one of the Aircraft carriers helping Japan out.
Does the level of radiation in the world, the background level, move up even if ever so slightly? Does it ever subside? Will the background level continue to increase due to mankind's activities? Can it even if in theory exceed the level humanity can tolerate? Are we on a suicide mission? Can Solar, Wave, Wind, Hydro, Tidal, Geothermal sources of electrical energy satisfy mankind? Why do Americans burn foreign oil, they cannot afford, and run up deficits they will never be able to pay? Can thorium replace uranium as fuel for reactors? What are the advantages? Why does China spend so much researching this?
ReplyDelete