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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Fukushima No.3 reactor's container feared damaged |
| 2011-03-16 |
| The container of the No.3 reactor of the quake-hit Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant is feared to have been damaged and may have leaked radioactive steam Wednesday, emitting high-level radiation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. The radiation level briefly topped 6 milisievert per hour at the plant, the government's nucler safety agency said. Earlier in the day, a fire broke out again at the plant's No.4 reactor, where there was already a risk of leaks of high-level radioactive materials, but flames were no longer visible about 30 minutes later. Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the plant, said it considered spraying boric acid by helicopter to prevent the No.4 reactor's spent nuclear fuel rods from reaching criticality again, restarting a chain reaction. On Tuesday, the utility said water in a pool storing the spent fuel rods may be boiling and that its level may have dropped, exposing the rods. The government ordered the firm to inject water into the pool ''as soon as possible to avert a major nuclear disaster.'' Due to high radiation levels at the reactor, workers have been unable to pour water into the troubled pool. Difficult conditions have led the utility to evacuate around 730 of the 800 workers from the site, according to TEPCO. ''The possibility of recriticality is not zero,'' TEPCO said Wednesday as it announced the envisaged step to control the situation. Unless the spent fuel rods are cooled down, they could suffer damage and emit radioactive substances. An estimated 70 percent of the nuclear fuel rods have been damaged at the plant's No.1 reactor and 33 percent at the No.2 reactor, the firm said. |
| Posted by:Steve White |