Below the jump, please find today’s FEPC info sheet.
I wanted to pass along two other items of interest, which perhaps ought to inform the stories we are going to start seeing over the next couple of days as the situation continues to worsen.  First, my friend Mike Levi wrote an excellent blog post about the challenges in being a policy expert without pretending to be either a reactor safety expert or radiation health expert.  I struggle with the same issue of wanting to provide accurate, clear information without pretending to be something I am not.
Second, Laurie Garret reminds us, in the context of the fight between the NRC and the Government of Japan, that Japan “is desperately balancing on the fine line between providing an appropriate sense of urgency to propel mass evacuations from designated areas, while heading off mass panic across the nation.”  An important responsibility of governments is to provide information without inducing a panic that could harm more people than radiation levels.
In another context, we know that the panic caused by a dirty bomb is likely to be more lethal than the device itself.  I think we can apply that insight in this case, without denying that the current disaster at Fukushima is a serious local risk to health and the environment with the real and growing possibility of wider consequences.

Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake
The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) Washington DC Office
As of 10:00AM (EST), March 30, 2011
  • Radiation Levels
o      On March 30, it was announced that radioactive nuclide I-131 was detected from the seawater sampled near the seawater discharge point of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station at 1:55PM on March 29. The level of concentration was approximately 3,355 times higher than the maximum permissible water concentration set by the government.
o      At 6:30PM on March 30, radiation level at main gate (approximately 3,281 feet from Unit 2 reactor building) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: 159 micro Sv/hour.
o      At 6:30PM on March 30, radiation level at west gate (approximately 3,609 feet from Unit 2 reactor building) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station: 106.3 micro Sv/hour.
o      Measurement results of environmental radioactivity level around Fukushima Nuclear Power Station announced at 7:00PM on March 30 are shown in the attached PDF file. English version is available at:    http://www.mext.go.jp/english/radioactivity_level/detail/1304082.htm
o      For comparison, a human receives 2,400 micro Sv per year from natural radiation in the form of sunlight, radon, and other sources. One chest CT scan generates 6,900 micro Sv per scan.
  • Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 reactor
o      At 7:30AM on March 29, transferring the water found at the turbine building to the condenser was suspended because the water level of the condenser became almost full. (Correction of the previous day’s report that stated as of 3:00PM on March 29, transferring the water found at the turbine building to the condenser continues.)
o      At 1:00PM on March 30, pressure inside the reactor core: 0.34MPa.
o      At 1:00PM on March 30, water level inside the reactor core: 1.6 meters below the top of the fuel rods.
o      At 1:00PM on March 30, pressure inside the primary containment vessel: 0.23MPaabs.
o      At 1:00PM on March 30, the temperature of the reactor vessel measured at the water supply nozzle: 518.2 degrees Fahrenheit
o      As of 4:00PM on March 30, the injection of freshwater into the reactor core continues.
  • Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2 reactor
o      At 4:45PM on March 29, preparation work to recover and transfer the water found at the turbine commenced.
o      At 1:00PM on March 30, the temperature of the spent fuel pool: 118.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
o      At 1:00PM on March 30, pressure inside the reactor core: -0.023MPa.
o      At 1:00PM on March 30, water level inside the reactor core: 1.5 meters below the top of the fuel rods.
o      At 1:00PM on March 30, pressure inside the primary containment vessel: 0.1MPaabs.
o      As of 4:00PM on March 30, the injection of freshwater into the reactor core continues.
o      As of 7:00PM on March 30, approximately 96 tons of water in total has been injected into the spent fuel storage pool.
  • Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 reactor
o      At 1:30PM on March 30, pressure inside the reactor core: 0.018MPa.
o      At 1:30PM on March 30, water level inside the reactor core: 1.85 meters below the top of the fuel rods.
o      At 1:30PM on March 30, pressure inside the primary containment vessel: 0.1064MPaabs.
o      As of 4:00PM on March 30, the injection of freshwater into the reactor core continues.
o      As of 7:00PM on March 30, approximately 4,697 tons of water in total has been shot to the spent fuel storage pool.
  • Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 reactor
o      At 2:04PM on March 30, TEPCO began to shoot water aimed at the spent fuel pool, with a specialized vehicle normally used for pumping concrete.
o      As of 7:00PM on March 30, approximately 960 tons of water in total has been shot to the spent fuel storage pool.
  • Fukushima Daiichi Unit 5 reactor
o      At 2:00PM on March 30, the temperature of the spent fuel pool: 99.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Fukushima Daiichi Unit 6 reactor
o      At 2:00PM on March 30, the temperature of the spent fuel pool: 79.7 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Fukushima Daiichi Common Spent Fuel Pool
o      At 8:30AM on March 29, the temperature of the spent fuel pool: 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
o      As of 7:00PM on March 30, approximately 130 tons of water in total has been injected to the spent fuel storage pool.
Our official sources are:
  • Office of The Prime Minister of Japan
  • Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA)
  • Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Press Releases
  • Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)