What we essentially have is a smoking ruin sporadically spewing out radioactive bursts. Japanese authorities are kind of like dears in headlights not knowing which way to turn. They seem just dumbfounded.
What we think we know:
The Japanese government have warned of a grave nuclear incident on a number of occasions.
The status of the reactors, fuel pools and dispersion of radioactive materials continues to get worse, not better.
There are perhaps 7 or 8 reactor loads of fuel in play compared with a single load at Chernobyl and 4 or 5 of those are outside of containment in badly damaged spent fuel pools.
Reports suggests that daily release of radioactive 131I and 137Cs is running at around 73% and 60% of Chernobyl respectively.
The Chernobyl fire burned for 8 to 10 days whilst Fukushima Dai-ichi has been emitting radioactive material for around 15 days with no end in sight.
There is a 30 km exclusion zone in place and thousands of residents have become refugees with little prospect of returning home in the near future.
Also;
The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday reported finding elevated levels of iodine-131, a product of nuclear fission, in rainwater in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The levels exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) permitted in drinking water, but EPA continues to assure the public there is no need for alarm:
“It is important to note that the corresponding MCL for iodine-131 was calculated based on long-term chronic exposures over the course of a lifetime – 70 years. The levels seen in rainwater are expected to be relatively short in duration,” the agency states in a FAQ that accompanied yesterday’s brief news release.
“In both cases these are levels above the normal background levels historically reported in these areas.”
EPA said it is receiving “verbal reports” of higher levels of radiation in rainwater samples from other states as well, and that Americans should continue to expect short-term contamination of rainwater as radioactive isotopes spread through the atmosphere from Japan.
Forbes
Which leads to this:
Government Responds to Nuclear Accident by Trying to Raise Acceptable Radiation Levels and Pretending that Radiation is Good For Us
