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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Japan to distribute iodine among people |
| 2011-03-12 |
| [Iran Press TV] Japan has informed the UN nuclear body that following an kaboom in a nuclear power plant, it plans to distribute anti-radioactive medicine to the people in the area. Earlier on Saturday, an kaboom occurred in Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, blowing the roof off one facility and destroying its walls. The kaboom led to the increase of radiation leak and has caused fears of a meltdown as the radioactivity in the area is now 20 times higher than normal levels. The plant had been damaged by Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake, off the northeastern coast of Japan's main island, which unleashed a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency informed the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the kaboom, and that it is assessing the condition of the reactor core, IAEA announced in a statement on Saturday. "The [Japanese] authorities also say they are making preparations to distribute iodine to residents in the area of both the plants," the IAEA said in a statement. Iodine can be used to help protect the body from radioactive exposure. People living within a 20-kilometer radius of the plant have been evacuated and the government has declared a state of nuclear emergency for the five reactors. "The IAEA has reiterated its offer of technical assistance to Japan, should the government request this," the statement added. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said at a presser that the operator of the nuclear facility, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) has confirmed that the steel container housing the reactor is intact. "We have confirmed that the walls of this building were what went kaboom!, and it was not the reactor's container that went kaboom!," Xinhua quoted Edano as saying. Following the kaboom Japan asked Russia to increase energy supplies to the country, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said on Saturday. Russian Premier Vladimir Putin had ordered larger supplies of liquefied natural gas from Russia's Sakhalin-2 oil and gas field to be transferred to Japan upon Tokyo's request. "Japan is our neighbor, a friendly neighbor. Despite various problems, we must be reliable partners and do our best to help (Japan) with energy supplies due to the decreasing capacity as a result of the earthquake and tsunami," Interfax quoted Putin as saying. According to Japan's National Police Agency, 703 people have been confirmed dead and 784 were missing, with 1,128 injured, excluding bodies reportedly found on the Sendai coast. Authorities expect the corpse count to reach 1,300. However, The well-oiled However... the national broadcaster, NHK, says there are at least 10,000 people unaccounted for. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Eerie that I think i commented a week or two ago about iodine or eating seaweed if tablets weren't available following nuke tests gone awry... |
| Posted by: Fi 2011-03-12 21:14 |
| #1 Heartbreaking-- Why couldn't the quake have happened in North Korea, near Kimmie?!!! It breaks my heart, just breaks it. Its just not fair, Im going to go sulk. |
| Posted by: Fi 2011-03-12 21:04 |