Emergency Situation At Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant in Toms River, NJ

From The New York Times :

Dangerous Water Levels at Nuclear Plant

Rising water threatened the cooling system at the Oyster Creek nuclear plant, in Toms River, N.J., on Monday night. The plant declared an alert at 8:45 p.m., which is the second-lowest level of the four-tier emergency scale established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The water level was more than six feet above normal. At seven feet, the plant would lose the ability to cool its spent fuel pool in the normal fashion, according to Neil Sheehan, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The plant would probably have to switch to using fire hoses to pump in extra water to make up for evaporation, Mr. Sheehan said, because it could no longer pull water out of Barnegat Bay and circulate it through a heat exchanger, to cool the water in the pool.

If ordinary cooling ceased, the pool would take 25 hours to reach the boiling point, he said, giving the operators ample time to take corrective steps. The reactor itself has been shut since Oct. 22 for refueling, so it is relatively cool.

Alerts are declared a handful of times every year among the 104 power reactors around the country.

So far, no reactors in Sandy’s path have been forced by the hurricane to shut down, although one in Waterford, Conn., Millstone 3, has lowered its power output to 75 percent. The operator said this was done to assist the New England grid, which would be destabilized if the reactor shut down suddenly from full power, and also to reduce the chance that it would automatically shut down; at 75 percent, Millstone 3 could withstand the loss of a pump without having to close.

Several other reactors in the region are now closed for refueling, which is ordinarily carried out in the spring or fall, when electricity demand is low.

Separately, FOX News reported about safety concerns with the nuclear power plant at Indian Point.

At, Fukushima, Fake Dosimeter Readings Lead To Excessive Worker Radiation Exposure

Build-Up, a subcontractor to the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, used lead to fake dosimeter readings at Fukushima plant

From The Asahi Shimbun :

Workers at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant were ordered to cover their dosimeters with lead plates to keep radiation doses low enough to continue working under dangerous conditions, the Asahi Shimbun has learned.

Some refused the orders. Others raised questions about their safety and the legality of the practice. But the man in charge, a senior official of a subcontractor of Tokyo Electric Power Co., warned them that they would lose their jobs--and any chance of employment at other nuclear plants--if they failed to comply.

The pocket-sized dosimeters sound an alarm when they detect high radiation levels. A worker who has been exposed to an accumulated dose of 50 millisieverts within a year must stop working and stay away from the area for a certain period of time.

The 54-year-old senior official at Build-Up, a midsize construction company based in Fukushima Prefecture, worked out a system to ensure the dosimeters would not reach the limit, according to the workers. It included having the workers themselves build the lead cover that would prevent the radiation from reaching the dosimeters.

The president of Build-Up acknowledged on July 21 that the senior official had nine people work at the nuclear plant for about three hours on Dec. 1 with their dosimeters shielded by the lead plates.

The senior official, who acted as a site foreman, initially denied giving such instructions. But he later admitted to his actions over the phone to the Build-Up president.

A number of the workers explained the process in detail. And one of them provided The Asahi Shimbun with a recording of a meeting the Build-Up foreman had with defiant workers on the night of Dec. 2 at an inn in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, where the workers stayed.

The conversation shows the foreman growing increasingly agitated by the workers’ refusal to rig their dosimeters.

The workers’ job was to wind insulating material around hoses of a treatment system for radioactive water near the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 reactor buildings of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima plant, assigned the task to Tokyo Energy and Systems Inc., a TEPCO group company, which then subcontracted part of the work to Build-Up.

The 10 or so workers organized for the task included Build-Up employees and others dispatched by brokers from various parts of Japan.

According to workers, about half of the team assembled in an area of the nuclear plant on Nov. 30, where the Build-Up foreman presented a lead plate about 1 square meter in size and several millimeters thick.

He ordered the workers to draw lines on the plate and cut out pieces using special scissors. The workers then used vises and hammers to reshape the pieces so that they would cover the front, sides and bottom of their personal dosimeters.

On Dec. 1, the Build-Up foreman instructed the team members to cover their dosimeters with the lead plates. But three of the workers refused, prompting the boss to hold a meeting with them on Dec. 2.

‘YOU CAN'T MAKE LIVING WHEN THE DOSE RUNS OUT’

The Build-Up foreman denied the conversation took place. But the defiant workers said the recording of the meeting is accurate.

According to the recording, the foreman said, “Everybody who works for nuclear plants know that the limit is 50 millisieverts per year. If you get exposed to a lot of radiation, you will reach that limit in less than a year. It could run out in three or four months."

He continued: "You can't live by nuclear plants around the year unless you take care of your own radiation doses. You simply can't go and work somewhere else when you are not allowed to work for nuclear plants. You can no longer make a living when the dose runs out. Do you understand that? The 50 millisieverts just keeps running out."

One of the workers tried to interject, saying, "As for me, this is something that we shouldn't do ... ."

But the foreman interrupted, saying: "I know only too well that we shouldn't do that. If you don't want to do so, you don't have to."

Another worker gave his opinion: "I think this is almost a crime."

The foreman retorted: "Did I ever coerce you? I am just saying, 'Please do it if you can convince yourself to do it for your own sake.'”

The foreman also supervises work projects at other nuclear plants in Japan. He said in the recording that he could not allow all the doses at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant to be used up.

The workers said the foreman likely wanted all of the workers to use the lead shields to prevent wide variations in the readings on the dosimeters.

At the meeting, they continued to demand an explanation on why they had to use the lead covers.

"Unless you use a lead shield, you can no longer work when the dose is up," the foreman emphasized.

"YOU ARE NOT CUT OUT FOR WORKING AT NUCLEAR PLANTS"

The foreman also recalled a preliminary inspection made in late November by Build-Up staff near the No. 1 through No. 4 reactor buildings. The area was still littered with debris from the hydrogen explosions of March last year, and the foreman said his personal dosimeter began beeping.

"I realized at once that (the radiation levels) were high. I decided, at my own discretion, that we should do that when we work in that area."

The workers said they were convinced that "do that" meant rigging the dosimeters.

The foreman also indicated he had faked his own radiation dose readings in the past. "I have done so before in order to take care of my doses," he said.

His words were still not enough to persuade the workers, so he adopted a tougher tone.

"Perhaps you are not cut out for working at nuclear plants," he said. "Go back to your hometown and do some other job."

Both sides remained far apart during the one-hour talk. The three workers quit their jobs and returned to their hometowns the following day.

But the other workers complied.

‘MAKE SURE NOBODY SEES WHAT YOU ARE DOING’

TEPCO records show that one Build-Up worker was exposed to more than 10 millisieverts of radiation in December alone, placing him near the top percentile among the approximately 5,000 people who worked at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant at the time. However, he was believed to have used a lead shield over his dosimeter, meaning he was likely exposed to even larger doses of radiation.

According to the Build-Up workers, on Dec. 1, they changed into protective suits at the J-Village, a soccer stadium 20 kilometers south of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant that is used as a relay base for workers. They said the Build-Up foreman then issued instructions.

"Today, we will enter areas of high radiation levels. We will wear the lead boxes," he said.

The foreman told the workers to take a bus to the Main Anti-Earthquake Building on the premises of the nuclear plant, where they would receive TEPCO's dosimeters. They were to put the devices in their breast pockets beneath their protection suits and change into a vehicle for exclusive use by Build-Up staff.

Once inside the Build-Up vehicle, each worker would be given a lead cover. The workers were to rip their protection suits, cover their personal dosimeters with the lead sheaths and cover the tears in their protective suits with tape.

"Make sure nobody sees what you are doing," he told each worker. "Did you understand? You'll do so, won't you?"

However, the three workers surprised the foreman by rejecting his orders.

"I am not forcing you. Go back if you don't want to do so," he said. He walked toward the bus bound for the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant with the other workers who agreed to follow his instructions.

The foreman picked one man from the team and told him to drive the defiant workers to the lodging in Iwaki.

"No other company wants to work in areas with high radiation levels," the driver told the workers during the ride. "That's why that kind of work ends up in the hands of Build-Up. But you can make good money that way."

(This article was written by Jun Sato, Chiaki Fujimori, Miki Aoki, Tamiyuki Kihara and Takayuki Kihara.)

Radiation from Japan Has Been Found in U.S. Milk

Low levels of Japanese Fukushima Radiation Found in U.S. milk ; Government Says, ''Don't Worry, Be Happy!''

What is being described as ''very low levels'' of radiation in the form of radioactive Iodine-131 have been detected in milk samples from Washington state, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday, but U.S. federal officials were desperate to downplay any concern over the safety of the U.S. food supply.

"Radiation is all around us in our daily lives, and these findings are a miniscule amount compared to what people experience every day," Patricia Hansen, senior scientist at the FDA, was quoted by the Associated Press. "A person would be exposed to low levels of radiation on a round-trip cross-country flight, watching television, and even from construction materials."

The radioactive milk sample, which was taken on only one point in time, on March 25, 2011, in Spokane, Washington, does not yet provide any long-term, conclusive results of the ongoing radiation leaks from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The AP report declared that the level of radiation was supposedly so small that it was ''5,000 times below levels of concern set by the FDA, including levels set for infants and children.''

Meanwhile, if radiation is being detected in milk from Washington state, how long before it is reported to be detected in other agriculture, such as apples, which Washington state is famous for growing ? How long before radiation-contaminated apples make their way into baby food, like canned apple sauce or apple juice ? (It has been widely reported that infants are extremely vulnerable to radioactive Iodine.)

Is your hair mysteriously falling out ? Is your sushi glowing in the dark ? Is your baby's first tooth falling out ? The EPA and FDA say, ''Don't worry, be happy !''

In Japan, Radiation Is Detected In Its Food Supply ; Need For Safe Food To Be Exported To Japan

Update : Associated Press : Radiation now discovered in Tokyo's tap water supply

OP-ED : Japan Finds High Radiation in Spinach, Milk Near Nuke Plant

The Japanese government has detected abnormal levels of radioactive materials in spinach and milk in Fukushima and Ibaraki, two prefectures near the doomed Fukushima nuclear power plant.

So far, only spinach and milk have tested positive for above-average radiation (whatever that means). But if radiation can be found in milk, it should certainly already be showing up in beef. And if it is showing up in spinach, what about other vegetables or fruits ? What is more, with the radioactive plume blowing out over the Pacific Ocean, seafood would naturally also be exposed to nuclear radiation.

Meanwhile, the tainted Japanese food supply is already causing growing concerns outside of Japan, especially in countries, which import food from Japan.

"As uncertainty remains, countries that import Japanese food are on alert for possible contamination. Those nearby, such as Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Singapore and parts of China, have begun screening the imported Japanese food for radiation, and Italy has banned all Japanese food imports outright. Tuesday, the European Union issued an alert recommending radiation checks on all imports that have come out of Japan since March 15. Contaminated food continues to emit radiation -- the stronger the level of radiation, the longer it lasts. Any exposure to radiation increases the risk of cancer."

Based on these early concerns, the world should begin a program to export food to Japan, to prevent the nuclear radiation survivors from being exposed to anymore radioactivity from domestically-produced food.

NRC Issues Warnings About Spent-Fuel Pool, Evacuation Zone in Japan

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Issues Dire Nuclear Warning about Japan ; Radiation Levels Are So High That Evacuation Zone Should Be Larger.

Earlier today, the top nuclear regulator in the United States said that the Fukushima nuclear power plant was more dangerous than being described by the Japanese government.

''Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said the spent-fuel pools at Fukushima Daiichi's Unit 4 reactor may be empty and a crack may be present in the spent-fuel pool for the No. 3 reactor. Without proper cooling, spent-fuel rods will continue to heat and potentially ignite, dispersing radioactive elements and making an already complicated situation evermore difficult to contain.''

More information about the NRC's statement from earlier today :

''... 'We believe that there is no water in the spent-fuel pool known as No. 4, and I would say that it is my great hope that the information that we have is not accurate,' Mr. Jaczko added. 'I would hope for the sake of everyone that the situation is not at the state that we think it is.'

''Meanwhile, Tokyo Electric Power Co., the nuclear plant operator, denied Jaczko's assessment, saying that the "condition is stable" at Unit 4, according to the AP.'' ...

Not only is the U.S. nuclear regulator issuing a more dire warning about the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, but the U.S. is also calling for a larger evacuation area in Japan.

Should America be on Nuclear Radiation Alert ?

America on radiation alert: Japan faces world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl as experts warn fallout may reach U.S.

Wind currents at 30,000 feet could carry a nuclear cloud across the Pacific Ocean, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission admits that it is ''quite possible'' that radiation could reach the U.S., with California ''monitoring situation closely,'' according to The Daily Mail.

"Fears that America could be hit by the nuclear fallout from the Japan earthquake have dramatically increased as workers prepared to abandon a reactor crippled by the earthquake and tsunami ..." in Fukushima, Japan.

"Right now it's quite possible that there could be some radiation floating over the United States,' said Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman David McIntyre, according to The Daily Mail. Other pertinent parts of The Daily Mail report :

"The wind direction for the time being seems to point the (nuclear) pollution towards the Pacific," Andre-Claude Lacoste, of the French Nuclear Safety Authority, told AFP.

The NRC downplayed the threat to Americans, however. Mr McIntyre told the AFP: "We don't think that it would be particularly harmful... even in a worst case scenario."

"We see a very low likelihood, a very low probability that there is any possibility of harmful radiation levels in the United States or in Hawaii or in any other U.S. territories," added an NRC statement.

Read the full report : America on radiation alert: Japan faces world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl as experts warn fallout may reach U.S.

New (Hydrogen) Explosion At Fukushima Unit 3 Reactor (March 14)

New (Hydrogen) Explosion At Fukushima Number 3 Reactor (March 14)

March 14, 2011: A new explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant at the number 3 reactor.

From an AP Wire Story : "Japan’s chief cabinet secretary says a hydrogen explosion has occurred at Unit 3 of Japan’s stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. The blast was similar to an earlier one at a different unit of the facility. AP journalists felt the explosion 30 miles (50 kilometers) away."

Video credit : ProducerMatthew

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Toll Underreported

Updated : Official Death Toll Reported to be 1,217

Two Days After the 8.9 Magnitude Earthquake and Tsunamis, the True Extent of the Disaster in Japan is Yet Unknown.

Rescue teams from various countries, including the United States, Great Britain, and numerous other countries, have set out for Japan, to join what is being described as the ''colossal'' effort to rescue survivors of the tripple tragedies of the earthquake, tsunami, and the resulting nuclear emergencies.

Reports of food shortages in Japan continue to grow, not only as a result of the damage to stores, but to transportation and distribution systems.

One emotional story that demonstrates the large scale loss of life is the often-repeated news report that as many as 10,000 people are reported to be missing in the port town of Minamisanriku, after the tsunami swept away large portions of the town.

Adding to the rescue and recovery efforts is the concern about the nuclear emergency taking place at the Fukushami nuclear power plants. The New York Times is finally catching up to the severity of the nuclear fears.

''The emergency appeared to be the worst involving a nuclear plant since the Chernobyl disaster 25 years ago. The developments at two separate nuclear plants prompted the evacuation of more than 200,000 people. Japanese officials said they had also ordered up the largest mobilization of their Self-Defense Forces since World War II to assist in the relief effort.

''On Saturday, Japanese officials took the extraordinary step of flooding the crippled No. 1 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, 170 miles north of Tokyo, with seawater in a last-ditch effort to avoid a nuclear meltdown. That came after an explosion caused by hydrogen that tore the outer wall and roof off the building housing the reactor, although the steel containment of the reactor remained in place.

''Then on Sunday, cooling failed at a second reactor — No. 3 — and core melting was presumed at both, said the top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano. An explosion could also rock the No. 3 reactor, Mr. Edano warned, because of a buildup of hydrogen within the reactor.''

The official death toll, reported to be as low as 800 people, is unrealistic in the face of the evidence of disaster in the coastal town and villages following the dangerous tsunami.

Another example of the underreporting of the extent of the damage is the growing reality that Japan is facing a nuclear emergency. Although more than 200,000 people have been evacuated from danger zones around two atomic facilities in Fukushima, Japanese media and government officials keep insisting that few people have been hospitalised as as result of radiation exposure. And the events at the Fukushima nuclear power plants continue to be irresponsibly described as possible''partial meltdowns,'' in spite of the facts that one nuclear reactor exploded on Saturday and the desperate efforts to cool the damaged nuclear reactor cores at the troubled nuclear power plants with sea water.

Nobody knows what Japan's plans are, in order to keep people safe, should a nuclear meltdown happen.

Meanwhile, the divergence in reporting doesn't end with the fallout of the disaster. Even the size of the earthquake is in dispute. The Associated Press has reported that the Meteorological Agency in Japan upgraded the magnitude of Friday's catastrophic earthquake to 9.0 from its earlier measurement of 8.8. By comparison, the U.S. Geological Survey had measured the earthquake at magnitude 8.9 -- leaving that measurement unchanged as of Sunday.

IAEA Japan Fukushima Videos

Breaking news :

• Second U.S. aircraft carrier, 175 miles away from doomed nuclear power plant, detects radiation
• Reuters : ''Minute Levels'' of Radiation Detected in Tokyo
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise
• USA Today : Blast rocks Fukushima reactor No. 2 ; radioactive leak feared
• CNN : Tests detect radioactivity on 17 U.S. Navy crew members in Japan
• YouTube.com - New (Hydrogen) Explosion At Fukushima Number 3 Reactor (March 14)
• CNN reported on Sunday that nuclear meltdown may be underway
• IAEA issues YouTube video statement

Background :

• Excellent explanation on the nuclear danger currently facing Japan : Potential Meltdown in Japan Spotlights Insanity of Nuclear Power

Youtube.com - IAEA Director General Briefs Member States and Media on Nuclear Safety in Japan

At 17.45 CET on 14 March 2011, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano convened a technical briefing on the consequences of the twin natural disasters for nuclear safety in Japan.

---

Youtube.com - IAEA Director General's Video Update on Tsunami and Earthquake Emergency Response

[12 March 2011, 2000 CET] - IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano released a YouTube video statement on the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. Director General Amano noted the current effort to prevent further damage to Unit 1 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The text portion of the YouTube video indicated that the IAEA was using emergency communication channels to exchange verified, official information between Japan and other IAEA Member States, as well has been coördinating the delivery of international assistance, should Japan or other affected countries request emergency relief.

Japan nuclear meltdown may be underway, CNN reports

Breaking news :

• Second U.S. aircraft carrier, 175 miles away from doomed nuclear power plant, detects radiation
• America on radiation alert: Japan faces world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl as experts warn fallout may reach U.S.
• Reuters : ''Minute Levels'' of Radiation Detected in Tokyo
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise

Update : CNN is reporting that spent nuclear fuel rods may have burned in the last disaster to strike the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.

Tokyo (CNN) -- Spent fuel rods containing radioactive material may have burned in Tuesday's fire at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant -- causing a spike in radiation levels, the plant's owner said.

The blaze started Tuesday morning but was later extinguished, Tokyo Electric Power Company said. It was unclear how much radioactive material may have been emitted, or what kind of health threat that could pose.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Tuesday afternoon that radiation readings at the plant's front gate had returned to a level that would not cause "harm to human health."

Japanese officials earlier told the International Atomic Energy Agency that radioactivity was "being released directly into the atmosphere" during the fire, according to a statement from the UN watchdog organization.

---

Official: ''We see the possibility of a meltdown''

12 March 2011 Update : CNN reports that a nuclear meltdown "may be underway" at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Conflicting reports confuse the real danger that Japan may be facing. An official with Japan's nuclear safety agency announced that a risk of meltdown exists. MIT scientist Jim Walsch said on the CNN news program hosted by Wolf Blitzer that it is too soon to tell if a meltdown is happening. When confronted on live television earlier this evening about the meltdown danger, Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki denied that any meltdown was underway.

Image Source : Twitter. Image Date : 12 March 2011 6:08 pm New York Time

"There was a concern about this reactor. We have confirmed that there was a blowup but it was not a blowup of reactor nor container. It was a blowup of the outer building so there was no leakage of the radioactive material," Ambassador Fujisaki told Mr. Blitzer.

Following is the initial CNN breaking news brief :

[5:48 p.m. ET, 7:48 a.m. Tokyo] A meltdown may be under way at one of Fukushima Daiichi's nuclear power reactors, an official with Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency told CNN Sunday.

A meltdown is a catastrophic failure of the reactor core, with a potential for widespread radiation release. However, Toshiro Bannai, director of the agency's international affairs office, expressed confidence that efforts to control the crisis would prove successful.

Meanwhile, a second reactor at the same facility failed shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday, the Tokyo Electric Power Company said, according to TV Asahi. The power company said it was having difficulty cooling the reactor and may need to release radioactive steam in order to relieve pressure.

A nuclear disaster, indeed, does loom in Japan, as a second nuclear reactor has failed. So far, the most notable official response by Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has been the expansion of the evacuation zone around Fukushima from 10 to 20 kilometers.

---

Related Stories

• Reuters : ''Minute Levels'' of Radiation Detected in Tokyo
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise
• USA Today : Blast rocks Fukushima reactor No. 2 ; radioactive leak feared
• CNN : Tests detect radioactivity on 17 U.S. Navy crew members in Japan
• YouTube.com - New (Hydrogen) Explosion At Fukushima Number 3 Reactor (March 14)
• CNN : Japanese authorities rush to save lives, avert nuclear crisis.
• Wires/NYPost/Twitter : ''Fukushima I'' (aka ''Fukushima Daiichi'') nuclear power plant had explosion Saturday ; meltdown suspected at one nuclear reactor core ; venting radioactive steam from 2 of 6 cores
• NYPost (via Twitter) : ''Fukushima II'' (aka ''Fukushima Daini'') nuclear power plant is having pressure issues with 3 of 4 reactors

Japan nuclear meltdown risk

Breaking news :

• Second U.S. aircraft carrier, 175 miles away from doomed nuclear power plant, detects radiation
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise
• USA Today : Blast rocks Fukushima reactor No. 2 ; radioactive leak feared
• YouTube.com - Hydrogen Explosion At Fukushima Number 3 Reactor (March 14)
• CNN reports that nuclear meltdown may be underway

In apparent desperation to prevent a nuclear meltdown, Tokyo Electric Power plans to use sea water to cool down the nuclear reactor at the Fukushima power plant. The drastic sea water plan may not be working.

Japanese authorities are in a race against time to secure the integrity of the nuclear reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, following a large explosion earlier today.

The large 8.9 magnitude earthquake on Friday in Japan had caused extensive damaged to the Fukushima power plant, leading to the failure of the reactor's critical cooling system. Prior to the explosion, nuclear engineers had been releasing steam from the cooling system in an emergency effort to relieve pressure.

Although some press is reporting that the release of radiation is decreasing, Yahoo! news is reporting that the attempt to use sea water is a sign that Japanese nuclear authorities are scrambling to find a solution to prevent a major nuclear disaster.

"They are working furiously to find a solution to cool the core," said Mark Hibbs, a senior associate at the Nuclear Policy Program for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Nuclear agency officials said Japan was injecting sea water into the core — an indication, Hibbs said, of "how serious the problem is and how the Japanese had to resort to unusual and improvised solutions to cool the reactor core."

In a subsequent report, The New York Times provided clarity about the last-ditch effort to use sea water to cool the nuclear reactor core : ''... ocean water is likely to permanently disable the reactor.''

Is Los Angeles At Risk For Radiation Exposure Following Japanese Nuclear Power Plant Explosion ?

UPDATED : Breaking news :

• NYTimes : Finally, ''Scientists'' Predict Japanese Radiation Plume
• Second U.S. aircraft carrier, 175 miles away from doomed nuclear power plant, detects radiation
• America on radiation alert: Japan faces world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl as experts warn fallout may reach U.S.
• Reuters : ''Minute Levels'' of Radiation Detected in Tokyo
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise

UPDATED AND CORRECTED ! Concern for the safety for U.S. cities like Los Angeles following Japan's nuclear plant explosion.

In the latest news report, The Daily Mail reports that the "Nuclear Regulatory Commission admits it is 'quite possible' radiation could reach the U.S." Plus, given that Pacific Ocean jet stream moves wind currents from Japan to the West Coast of the United States, should there be any U.S. public health advisories issued for at-risk cities, like Los Angeles ?

Even as David McIntyre, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said, "Right now it's quite possible that there could be some radiation floating over the United States," the NRC "downplayed the threat to Americans," however. Mr McIntyre told the AFP: "We don't think that it would be particularly harmful... even in a worst case scenario," according to The Daily Mail.

Japanese government authorities are issuing emergency orders, advising residents to follow safety procedures and take other precautions following the nuclear power plant explosion in Fukushima. Residents within the immediate Fukushima radius are being told to stay indoors, turn off air conditioners, and avoid drinking tap water.

In The Los Angeles Times, news so far has centered around any lessons to be learned from the Japan earthquake itself, not from the damage to energy infrastructure, like to nuclear power plants, for example.

Thus far, the Japanese government has not issued radiation risk warnings to other countries. As of Saturday evening Japanese local time, an evacuation perimeter of 20 kilometers around the Fukushima nuclear power plant. On the RT news channel, a correspondent has reminded viewers that the Soviet government suppressed for several days the truth about the dangerous radiation levels following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown.

No announcement have yet to be made about any emergency preparedness plans for residents in Los Angeles, or other major U.S. West Coast cities.

---

Related updates :

• Reuters : ''Minute Levels'' of Radiation Detected in Tokyo
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise
• USA Today : Blast rocks Fukushima reactor No. 2 ; radioactive leak feared
• CNN : Tests detect radioactivity on 17 U.S. Navy crew members in Japan
• YouTube.com - New (Hydrogen) Explosion At Fukushima Number 3 Reactor (March 14)
• CNN reported on Sunday that nuclear meltdown may be underway
• IAEA issues YouTube video statement

Video : At Japanese Nuclear Power Plant, A Large Explosion Took Place On Saturday

Breaking news : CNN reports that nuclear meltdown may be underway.

News video from Japan, showing the nuclear power plant explosion at Fukushima, Japan.

New YouTube video of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant explosion from Japanese news program. Video Credit : ProducerMatthew.

One day after the explosion, an image was broadcast by Sky News of the explosive damage to the ''Fukushima I'' (aka ''Fukushima Daiichi'') nuclear power plant. In the highlight bubble below, one can see the skeletal remains of the building's structure.

The risk to the public is very severe in Japan. Authorities have ordered an evacuation area spreading 20 kilometers around the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Supplemental reports indicate that residents in close proximity of the Fukushima nuclear power plant have been ordered to avoid drinking tap water.

Risk of exposure to the U.S. West Coast by radiation from Japan nuclear power plant explosion

UPDATED : Breaking news :

• NYTimes : Finally, ''Scientists'' Predict Japanese Radiation Plume
• Second U.S. aircraft carrier, 175 miles away from doomed nuclear power plant, detects radiation
• America on radiation alert: Japan faces world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl as experts warn fallout may reach U.S.
• Reuters : ''Minute Levels'' of Radiation Detected in Tokyo
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise

CORRECTED ! Could a risk exist of nuclear radiation danger to the U.S. West Coast following the Japanese nuclear power plant explosion ?

In the latest news report, The Daily Mail reports that the "Nuclear Regulatory Commission admits it is 'quite possible' radiation could reach the U.S."

If the nuclear power plant explosion in Fukushima, Japan, generates large amounts of nuclear fallout, then people living in the West Coast of the United States could be exposed to nuclear radiation, if radiation enters the Pacific Ocean jet stream.

Indeed, "The wind direction for the time being seems to point the (nuclear) pollution towards the Pacific," Andre-Claude Lacoste, of the French Nuclear Safety Authority, told AFP, according to The Daily Mail.

Conceivably, some amount of radiation would reach islands in the Pacific Ocean, such as Hawaii, followed by the West Coasts of Canada and the United States. Large U.S. West Coast cities, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, would be at risk.

It is not yet known if scientists with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have issued any emergency advisories in the United States. Even as David McIntyre, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said, "Right now it's quite possible that there could be some radiation floating over the United States," the NRC "downplayed the threat to Americans," however. Mr McIntyre told the AFP: "We don't think that it would be particularly harmful... even in a worst case scenario," according to The Daily Mail.

People living along the West Coast of the United States seemed to have largely escaped mass damage from the tsunami following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan. Now, the dangerous new threat facing the U.S. West Coast is radiation exposure.

---

Related stories :

• Reuters : ''Minute Levels'' of Radiation Detected in Tokyo
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise
• USA Today : Blast rocks Fukushima reactor No. 2 ; radioactive leak feared
• CNN : Tests detect radioactivity on 17 U.S. Navy crew members in Japan
• YouTube.com - New (Hydrogen) Explosion At Fukushima Number 3 Reactor (March 14)
• CNN reported on Sunday that nuclear meltdown may be underway
• IAEA issues YouTube video statement

Japan nuclear fallout map -- it started out as a hoax, but could it turn out to be true ? At least, as it concerns the direction of any fallout ?

UPDATED : Breaking news :

• NYTimes : Finally, ''Scientists'' Predict Japanese Radiation Plume
• Second U.S. aircraft carrier, 175 miles away from doomed nuclear power plant, detects radiation
• America on radiation alert: Japan faces world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl as experts warn fallout may reach U.S.
• Reuters : ''Minute Levels'' of Radiation Detected in Tokyo
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise

UPDATED ! No official link-back can be found to the Japan fallout forecast map. (The graphic has been removed, but it can be seen by clicking on the preceding link.) Further research indicates that the graphic was a hoax. Nevertheless, the direction indicated on the map is consistent with the Pacific Ocean jet stream and with a forecast by an Austrian meteorological model. There is no way to confirm the rad level predictions. (A ''rad'' is a measured unit of absorbed radiation dose.) Furthermore, comments to this blog post suggest that the trade or prevailing winds, such as the westerlies, would carry any nuclear radiation particles, not the jet stream. No contradiction, though, suggests that the direction of the map was incorrect. In fact, nuclear radiation is already being detected by the U.S. Navy down wind from the site of the nuclear power plant explosions. In the latest news report, The Daily Mail reports that the "Nuclear Regulatory Commission admits it is 'quite possible' radiation could reach the U.S."

Early on Saturday morning (New York Time), a suspicious map circulated on the Internet. The map was exposed to be a hoax, because the rad levels were unrealistic, and there was no official link-back to the map. But with several explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, could nuclear meltdown occur ? And could wind currents carry dangerous levels of radioactivity ?

The suspicious map, bearing the logo of Australian Radiation Services, indicated that exposure to radiation following a likely nuclear fallout from the nuclear power plant explosion in Fukushima, Japan, could reach the West Coast of the United States within 6 to 10 days time. While the map may appear suspicious, the direction of the spread is consistent with the Pacific Ocean jet stream and/or trade or prevailing winds. And if the rad levels were wrong, has a scientist issued any realistic levels of radiation that would be spread by wind currents in the event of a nuclear meltdown at Fukushima ? Confirmation that nuclear radioactivity is now in the wind currents comes from The New York Daily News : "The U.S. 7th Fleet, positioned about 100 miles northeast of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to deliver aid to Japan's coastal region, moved its ships further away due to 'airborne radioactivity' and contamination found on its planes." Making the worst case scenario -- a nuclear meltdown -- all the more likely is the fact that employees at the Fukushima nuclear power plant have abandoned their posts and fled their responsibilities -- this comes after a third explosion at the doomed power plant.

Even as David McIntyre, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said, "Right now it's quite possible that there could be some radiation floating over the United States," the NRC "downplayed the threat to Americans," however. Mr McIntyre told the AFP: "We don't think that it would be particularly harmful... even in a worst case scenario," according to The Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, here is a YouTube video of the first nuclear power plant explosion at Fukushima from a Japanese news program. It shows what could be white smoke and/or steam rising from the building as a result of the nuclear power plant explosion. Video Credit : ProducerMatthew.

Separately, supplemental reports have come in that the Japanese government has imposed an evacuation area spreading 20 kilometers around the nuclear power plant in Fukushima. Prior to the explosion, energy scientists had been managing the nuclear emergency at the power plant by releasing steam, to relieve pressure in the cooling system. One risk from releasing steam is that critical water in the cooling system is lost ; if too much water is lost, there is a depletion in the cooling system, thereby leading to a risk of exposing the core, leading, in turn, to a nuclear meltdown.

Apparently, radiation would be carried across the Pacific Ocean by the wind currents, such as the jet stream. Scientists have not yet determined the amount of radiation that has been released by the nuclear power plant explosion. So far, the only information available is coming from nations nearer to Japan. United States government officials have yet to make any risk assessments in connection with radiation exposure.

Fukushima is approximately 150 miles north from Tokyo. Residents within the immediate Fukushima radius are being told to stay indoors, turn off air conditioners, and avoid drinking tap water. It is not yet known what nuclear emergency advisories are being made, or preparations being taken, at other large large cities in Japan. Later on Saturday, however, there was news that the company that operates the power plant planned to use sea water to cool down the reactor's core, and it was also reported that authorities were planning for the distribution of Iodine to residents. (Iodine can be taken to prevent the absorption of radiation by the thyroid, reported MSNBC.)

---

Related updates :

• Reuters : ''Minute Levels'' of Radiation Detected in Tokyo
• NYTimes : Employees abandon Fukushima power plant ; Japan Faces Potential Nuclear Disaster as Radiation Levels Rise
• USA Today : Blast rocks Fukushima reactor No. 2 ; radioactive leak feared
• CNN : Tests detect radioactivity on 17 U.S. Navy crew members in Japan
• YouTube.com - New (Hydrogen) Explosion At Fukushima Number 3 Reactor (March 14)
• CNN reported on Sunday that nuclear meltdown may be underway
• IAEA issues YouTube video statement

---

[Updated Monday, 14 March 2011 9:20 am EDT] : Whereas the original photograph that circulated last weekend was not an official map, the forecast direction where wind currents would carry airborne radioactivity is generally consistent with the jet stream and the westerly wind currents over the Pacific Ocean. Tom Costello, an NBC News correspondent for The Today Show, predicted that nuclear radiation would be carried by wind currents over the Pacific Ocean, but would ''dissipate'' over the ocean, presumably before any radioactivity would reach the U.S. West Coast. No scientific evidence was given to support that radioactivity would completely dissipate, however.