Monday, March 14, 2011

TEXT HOAX ON NUCLEAR RADIATION, CONFLICTING REPORTS

TEXT HOAX ON NUCLEAR RADIATION…Many people were victimized by text messages “advising everyone to stay indoors and wear raincoats if you are outside, after nuclear radiation from the Fukushima Nuclear Plant had reached the Philippines.”

These text hoaxes spread like “tsunami’ in the country and Capizenos were not spared by this nasty rumors created by people with sick mind.

The fear-mongering text message also advise people to “ Swab neck skin with betadine where thyroid is, radiation hits thyroid first.”

Actually , text messages spreading rumors of alleged radiation contamination in the country started the other day after similar explosion at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant occurred Saturday at the plant's nuclear reactor No.  1, injuring four workers, causing mass evacuations and destroying much of the outer building.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said that there is no truth to text rumors that radiation from a nuclear plant in Japan has reached the Philippines, and the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI)'s routine daily radiation monitoring in the environment showed the level of radiation in the environment has remained stable since the Fukushima incident in Japan.

DOST advised the public not to believe rumors currently spreading through text messages, emails, the Internet, and other means of communication.

Scientists also emphasized that there is no immediate danger of nuclear radiation in the Philippines since the wind direction from Japan is towards the east and not towards the Philippines.

In fact, Russian which is also Japan’s neighbor,  reported normal radiation levels in the country's Far East on Monday and Moscow said there was no reason to evacuate residents following a second explosion at a Japanese nuclear plant.

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WHAT’S THE REAL SCENARIO ? …There are conflicting accounts and reports with regards to the real situation of the quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.

This was after the second hydrogen explosion in three days rocked the stricken Japanese nuclear plant yesterday afternoon, sending a massive cloud of smoke into the air and injuring 11 plant workers.

According to the UN atomic watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),  "Radiation dose rate measurements observed at four locations around the Fukushima Nuclear plant's perimeter over a 16-hour period on 13 March were all normal."

"All four units automatically shut down on March 11. All units have off-site power and water levels in all units are stable. Though preparations have been made to do so, there has been no venting to control pressure at any of the plant's units.", IAEA said on Monday.

The Vienna-based watchdog also said that, “plant operator TEPCO had been able to restore a residual heat remover system at unit 1 and plant workers at units 2 and 4 are working to restore residual heat removal systems. Unit 3 is in a safe, cold shutdown.”

Hours after the second explosion, the U.S. said it had shifted its offshore forces away from the plant after detecting low levels of radiation.

According to news reports, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan was about 100 miles (160 kilometers) offshore when it detected the radiation, which U.S. officials said was about the same as one month's normal exposure to natural background radiation in the environment.

On the other hand, Kyodo News Agency in its report said , “ The fuel rods at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant's No. 2 reactor were fully exposed at one point after its cooling functions failed, indicating the critical situation of the reactor's core beginning to melt due to overheating. “

Similar cooling down efforts have been taken at the plant's No. 1 and No. 3 reactors and explosions occurred at both reactors in the process, blowing away the roofs and walls of the buildings that house the reactors.

Kyodo News feared that the No. 2 reactor will follow the same path of nuclear reactor No. 1 and nuclear reactor No. 3 that exploded yesterday .

To prevent a possible hydrogen explosion at the No. 2 reactor, TEPCO said it will look into opening a hole in the wall of the building that houses the reactor to release hydrogen.

Authorities has been using sea water to cool down the heated reactors after the power plant system failed due to the magnitude 8.9 earth quake that hit the country.

Operators knew the sea water flooding would cause a pressure buildup in the reactor containment vessel and potentially will lead to an explosion -  but felt they had no choice if they wanted to avoid a complete meltdown.

In the end, the hydrogen in the released steam mixed with oxygen in the atmosphere and set off the blast.

International experts say that  there are serious dangers on the quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plants  but little risk of a Chernobyl-style catastrophe.

Chernobyl, they note, had no containment shell around the reactor unlike the six nuclear reactors in Fukushima which has a 13-inches thick solid stainless steel casing.

Some analysts noted that after four days since the nuclear crisis began , the chemical reactions inside the reactor were not moving quickly toward a complete meltdown.

But despite official assurances, the whole world still expressed fear over the situation since conflicting information  are being reported.

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