Threat of Major Nuclear Accident in Japan Subsides

Threat of Major Nuclear Accident in Japan Subsides

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By Charlene Porter
Staff Writer

Washington - International experts provide hope that Japan is inching away from the brink of a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, severely damaged by the earthquake and resulting tsunami that pounded the nation's northeast coast March 11.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a report March 21 noting some positive steps toward cooling the plant's nuclear reactors, which last week became dangerously overheated due to the failure of systems required to keep the fuel core temperatures in check. Seawater is being pumped into the containment structures and appears to be keeping the situation under control, even while it remains "very serious," according to the IAEA.

Fears of overheating and a subsequent release of radioactive material into the atmosphere have been focused on fuel cores and on pools where spent fuel is stored, and the IAEA statement reports progress in both situations. Radiation levels are still higher than normal at the plant, but are declining from where they were several days ago.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is also keeping a close eye on efforts to contain damage at Fukushima, according to the agency's executive director, Bill Borchardt. "I would say optimistically that things appear to be on the verge of stabilizing," he said at a March 21 meeting in the Washington metro area. The NRC sent a team of its experts to Japan last week to monitor events at Fukushima.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has dispatched 10,000 sets of personal protective equipment to Japan from a USAID warehouse in the United States. The equipment includes suits, masks, gloves, decontamination bags, and other supplies designed to protect the wearer from a chemical, biological or nuclear accident.

Rumors and fear about the potential for radiation to disperse across Japan and beyond swept the region when efforts to contain the nuclear accident seemed uncertain last week. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported March 20 that "it seems unlikely that significant amounts of radiation will affect areas outside of Japan." The statement advised that people in the greater Pacific region could continue normal activities, and it did not recommend precautions.

"Exposure to radioactive material released from the affected facilities will be largely limited to the evacuation zone within Japan," the WHO statement said. The government of Japan evacuated the area 20 kilometers around the plant, and it urged people within 30 kilometers to stay indoors to prevent exposure to possible airborne radioactive particles.

Food inspectors are testing for radiation in a broad region around the Fukushima plant, and they have detected levels of iodine and cesium that exceed regulation levels, according to WHO. The Japanese government said the slightly elevated levels are not dangerous without ongoing exposure. Still, the Fukushima prefecture government is urging people not to eat produce grown within 30 kilometers of the nuclear plant, according to the Western Pacific Region office of WHO. The Ibaraki prefecture governor has stated that spinach from the prefecture will not be sold.

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE CONTINUES

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a situation report March 21 saying that 5.5 million meals have been provided to evacuation centers and hospitals. Blankets and diapers are being distributed by the hundreds of thousands, but weather, fuel shortages and severely damaged highways have impeded the delivery of supplies. The Disaster Assistance Relief Team deployed by USAID cites limited fuel supplies as the most significant challenge in aid delivery. Rain and cold weather have hampered transport and worsened conditions for tens of thousands being housed in facilities lacking heat and electrical power.

About 350,000 people remain in shelters. The government of Japan has 120,000 national emergency service personnel repairing infrastructure and distributing supplies. The count of dead and missing approaches 22,000, according to the OCHA report.

ENDS

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