Japan nuclear crisis ebbing, U.S. experts say
Although the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is far from stabilized, evidence suggests that a complete meltdown is unlikely, Obama administration experts say. Meanwhile, a 7.1 aftershock rattles Japan, killing two and injuring more than 130.
Readers may be interested in this nugget buried in the LA Times article noted on this list. It raises the question of the scientific basis, for the recommendation by NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko for a 50 mile evacuation zone at Fukushima for American citizens.
“Separately, the staff of the NRC came under heavy questioning Thursday by the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, a panel of outside experts, academics and nuclear industry officials that provides guidance to the agency.
At a committee meeting, NRC officials were asked about the scientific basis for their agency's advice that Americans evacuate a 50-mile zone around the plant. NRC officials said they couldn't provide an explanation and would have to get back to the committee.
NRC officials were unavailable for comment afterward.”
From the Los Angeles Times:
ReplyDeleteAlthough the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has not yet been stabilized, there is no evidence that overheating during the last month has resulted in any melting of the reactor vessels or their containment structures, Obama administration officials said Thursday.
If that assessment is correct, then significant additional releases of radioactivity into the environment will be limited, and emergency crews should have a far better chance of preventing further damage to the plant's reactors.
The assessment, provided to The Times on background, suggests that the plant is unlikely to suffer a complete meltdown, in which uranium fuel gets so hot that it melts through the bottom of the reactor and containment vessels, spewing high-level radiation into the plant's underlying foundation.
"We are a long way from a point where anybody would say this is stable," a senior administration official said. "But it is not a runaway. For a long time, we will be at a declining level of risk."