Japanese Earthquake Tsunami TV Coverage 11th March, 2011.

[Freakzilla]

^^^ Bush's Fault, of course.^^^

[Omphalos]

I hope there's some cool stuff, like robots and handheld computers in all of that.

[Freakzilla]

Godzilla is hiding underneath it.

[A Thing of Eternity]

^^^ Bush's Fault, of course.^^^

Nah, not even he was capable of controlling earthquakes.


RIGHT?!

[Freakzilla]

http://news.yahoo.com/japan-reactor-res ... 09246.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

TOKYO (AP) — Radioactive particles associated with nuclear fission have been detected at Japan's tsunami-damaged atomic power plant, officials said Wednesday, suggesting one of its reactors could have a new problem.

The fresh concerns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear facility came as a reactor in southern Japan was restarted and brought back online, marking a first since the March 11 disaster created an outcry over the safety of Japan's nuclear power sites.

Utility officials said gas from inside the Fukushima plant's No. 2 reactor indicated the presence of radioactive xenon, which could be the byproduct of unexpected nuclear fission. Boric acid was injected through a cooling pipe as a precaution because it can counteract nuclear reactions.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, said there was no rise in the reactor's temperature or pressure. The company said the radioactive materials had not reached the point when nuclear reactions are self-sustaining and the detection of the xenon would have no major impact on workers' efforts to keep the reactor cool and stable.

Because the half-life of the isotopes detected is short, the xenon was likely created recently. But officials said the level was so low that further tests would be required to confirm the measurements were not an error.

"We have confirmed that the reactor is stable and we don't believe this will have any impact on our future work," said TEPCO spokesman Osamu Yokokura. He said no radiation leaks outside the plant were detected.

Hiroyuki Imari, a spokesman with the Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency, said the detection of the gas was not believed to indicate a major problem, but its cause was being investigated.

The plant is the site of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. A 12-mile (20-kilometer) exclusion zone has been in effect since the earthquake and tsunami crippled the facility northeast of Tokyo, sending three of its reactors into meltdowns, touching off fires and triggering several explosions.

TEPCO had reported significant progress toward stabilizing the facility, saying that it has essentially reached a "cold shutdown," meaning the temperatures at the reactors are constant and controlled.

Even so, a Japanese government panel says it will take at least 30 years to safely decommission the facility.

The Fukushima disaster has severely impacted Japan's nuclear power supply.

Forty-three of Japan's 54 reactors are now suspended for inspections or mechanical troubles and public opposition to restarting them since the disaster has cast doubts on the nation's overall nuclear future.

Before the tsunami, Japan relied on nuclear power for about one-third of its electricity. If power companies cannot win local approval, which is required to restart reactors shut down for glitches or inspections, all of Japan's plants could be offline by next May.

But, in a first since the disaster, a nuclear reactor in southern Japan has resumed operation after a monthlong shutdown for a technical problem. A reactor in Hokkaido, northern Japan, was brought back online in August, but it had not been completely shut down and was out of commercial service only for a regular inspection.

The Kyushu Electric Power Co. says No. 4 reactor at the Genkai nuclear power plant in southern Japan restarted late Tuesday and was generating electricity Wednesday. It automatically shut down Oct. 4 following an abnormality in a steam condenser, but that didn't cause any radiation leaks or injuries.

The reactor will be closed again in January for routine inspections.

[Freakzilla]

Japanese Official Drinks Water From Nuclear Plant

[SandRider]

that's a new game show over there, huh ?

[Freakzilla]

Not for long!

Don't drink the radioactive xenon!

[SandChigger]

Or breathe it.

Xenon... it's a gas gas gas!

[Freakzilla]

Or breathe it.

Xenon... it's a gas gas gas!

I was assuming it was getting into the water, too. Was the water that guy drank what they were using to cool the reactors?

[SandChigger]

And I was just going on the mention in the article of the gas being detected.

Eeew... I hope that's not the water he was drinking... but then some of them do tend to go for more imaginative forms of suicide!

(I think it was normal drinking water from the affected area, that normal people would be drinking. )

[Freakzilla]

Well, that's good news. Maybe he won't turn into a giant monster.

[SandChigger]

Yeah... but think how epic it would be if he did!

[Freakzilla]

Hell, that's why I thought it was in the news!

[Freakzilla]

Speaking of, the revamped "Asimo" design helped with a robotic arm used at Fukushima.

[Freakzilla]

Japan’s Tsunami Debris Washes Ashore in America

[Freakzilla]

I called it!

Scientists find mutant butterflies exposed to Fukushima fallout

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology- ... 36176.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

By Tecca | Today in Tech – Tue, Aug 14, 2012

In the wake of last year's massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, the Fukushima nuclear power plant on the country's northeast coast barely avoided a complete meltdown. Tens of thousands of residents were displaced and officials assured the world that the release of harmful radiation posed little threat. Now a new paper published in Scientific Reports has found that this is likely far from the truth, as at least one species of butterfly from the surrounding area has suffered major damage stemming from radiation exposure.
According to the report, mutations caused by Fukushima radiation had affected 12% of adult pale grass blue butterflies in the surrounding area two months after the March 2011 disaster. When they mated, these butterflies produced an offspring with an 18% mutation rate. In the next generation, mutations were found in 34% of the insects born. When scientists returns to Fukushima in September 2011, the adult butterflies they collected displayed a 28% mutation rate and their offspring had a whopping 58% mutation rate.
Butterflies affected by the radiation have suffered genetic damage resulting in malformed wings, legs, antennae, and eyes. In addition, their trademark spotted markings have completely disappeared as the mutation rate has increased.
Scientists involved in the research say that their findings show the need for detailed studies of other insects and animals living near Fukushima. They believe the impact on humans is likely far less severe due to our higher resilience to radiation, but their discoveries nevertheless shed new light on the real fallout from this horrible disaster.

[SandChigger]

I've started to grow a tail, it seems...

[Eyes High]

Pics are it hasn't happened.

[Freakzilla]

Pics are it hasn't happened.

I was thinking the same thing but I'm glad you said it.