Lava melting through the vessel? Greenpeace compares the Japan meltdown to this.
As Japan’s post earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear plant environmental crises pass the two month mark, ongoing events have been reported at regular intervals by Green Prophet, including news that measured radioactivity in seawater near the plant indicated radioactivity up to 1,250 times above normal. Yes we’re a site that focuses on the Middle East, but the Japan nuclear event is huge, and will affect all life on this planet. It now appears that at least one of the Fukushima Diiachi nuclear reactors, its No. 1 reactor, has indeed experienced an actual meltdown. This sobering reality, as reported in news media sources, including the Daily Telegraph.
TEPCO, one of Japan’s leading electrical power producers, now confirms that a meltdown occurred in Fuskushima’s No. 1 reactor . TEPCO plant engineers who entered the reactor area for the first time in several weeks saw that the top part of the reactors 13 feet fuel rods had been exposed to the air and had subsequently melted down.
The meltdown have resulted in the “molten pool” of radioactive fuel burning a hole in the bottom of the fuel rod containment vessel, causing highly radioactive water to leak out. A TEPCO spokesman, Junichi Matsumoto, was quoted as saying:”We will have to revise our plans. We cannot deny the possibility that a hole in the pressure vessel caused water to leak.”
Meanwhile the New York Times reports today that officials in Japan had been warned more than 10 years about the apocalyptic fate of its nuclear reactors, built without the means to withstand a power loss from an earthquake.
A Greenpeace spokesman added that the result could be like “lava melting through the vessel” causing the radiation leakage situation to escalate more rapidly.
Radiation leaking into the sea will endanger various forms of marine life, even seaweed, one of Japan’s staple food products.
High levels of radiation are still being monitored in the sea as well as in the “dead zone” surrounding the Fukushima plant. How this is affecting the environment has already been preciously reported, including the sad situation involving abandoned pets and other animals, especially dogs.
Feeding abandoned stray dogs near Fukushima
The revelations being made by TEPCO may only be the “tip of the iceburg” as far real situation is in the Fukushima plant. The Daily Telegraph article reported that thousands of farm animals still alive in the “dead zone” have been “culled” or destroyed; and that it is not clear what the fate has been for more than 5,800 dogs that were owned by people living in the area.
A few brave souls have risked their own health and safety to try to feed and rescue these animals. Their bravery is worth noting in light of the danger they face to do this.
The conclusion has resulted in Japanese officials beginning to reconsider the country’s dependence on nuclear energy. It can also serve as an example as to what could happen if nuclear power plants are built in parts of the world like the Middle East, where countries like Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Israel have considered building nuclear reactors to provide electricity, and Iran’s Bushear nuclear “power plant” ready to go “online”.
Read more on the Japan nuclear meltdown:
Japan Nuclear Meltdown Will Seriously Affect World Environment
As Japan Nuclear Plants Approach Meltdown, What can the Middle East Learn?
Japan Radioactivity in Seawater 1,250 Times Above Normal as Radiation Levels Approach Those of Chernobyl
Japan’s Nuclear “Dead Zone” Dogs and Cats
Japanese Risk all to Save Abandoned Pets
Author: Maurice Picow
Maurice Picow grew up in Oklahoma City, U.S.A., where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, Maurice embarked on a career as a real estate broker before making the decision to move to Israel. After arriving in Israel, he came involved in the insurance agency business and later in the moving and international relocation fields. Maurice became interested in writing news and commentary articles in the late 1990’s, and now writes feature articles for the The Jerusalem Post as well as being a regular contributor to Green Prophet. He has also written a non-fiction study on Islam, a two volume adventure novel, and is completing a romance novel about a forbidden love affair. Writing topics of particular interest for Green Prophet are those dealing with global warming and climate change, as well as clean technology - particularly electric cars.
Had the world went with the molten salt reactor, and especially, the liquid fluoride thorium reactor or LFTR, the world’s nuclear accidents would NOT have happened!
Please search LFTR then once you know that it is like a thousand times safer and better than the light water reactor aka conventional, tell everyone! It has been demonstrated and proven at ORNL and only needs a little bit of research to make it become the world’s best clean and rather cheap UNLIMITED energy choice.
LFTR and its type are the only hope (unless renewables and batteries/energy storage becomes like TEN times cheaper) because not only can they reverse global warming, they address the problems of fossil fueled depletion and economic chaos.