nuclear-news

Japanese govt admits that it underestimated Fukushima radiation

Adding to earlier evidence of initial government missteps, the report by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency says an unlucky combination of heavy rains and shifting winds meant that much of the airborne radioactive debris washed down over a broad area around the crippled plant. Before the changing weather, the radiation had been expected to drift over the Pacific Ocean, which would have posed less of a risk to public health, at least in the short term.

“Local residents would have stayed indoors and avoided radiation if they had been told about the dangers of the rainfall,” said Tetsuo Sawada, assistant professor of reactor engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

The Japanese government’s initial evacuation zone—after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out the plant’s cooling systems and caused core meltdowns—was within 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) of the stricken plant. But as the study highlights, radiation spread far beyond the 20-kilometer radius, with rainstorms contributing to the ground contamination.

According to the agency, the rain came on the worst possible day for plant operators—March 15, the day an explosion struck the plant’s No. 2 reactor, punching a large hole in the suppression chamber that is part of the primary containment vessel, the main shield for radiation releases. The gash allowed toxic air to leak into the atmosphere without check…..

Asked about the latest report, a spokesman for the nuclear-safety agency said the results appeared to be valid. “The radiation is likely to have spread as the JAEA analysis suggests,” Yoshinori Moriyama said. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903285704576558322378254428.html

September 9, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Japan