Japan stops radioactive leaks into sea from reactor

[Viva_La_Revolution]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex said on Wednesday it had stopped leaks of contaminated water with high levels of radiation into the ocean.

Tokyo Electric Power engineers had been struggling to stop the leaks as they battle the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl after a earthquake and tsunami hit northeast Japan on March 11.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/05/us-japan-idUSTRE72A0SS20110405?WT.tsrc=Social%20Media&WT.z_smid=twtr-reuters_%20com&WT.z_smid_dest=Twitter

---

Translated from NHK

TEPCO stop polluted runoff

According to TEPCO, was followed in the facility, called pits and Unit 2 nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi, leaked into the sea water contaminated with radioactive material high concentrations below the pit, "Water" is called result of injecting drugs with special early morning of July 6 is that it stopped.

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww3.nhk.or.jp%2Fnews%2Fhtml%2F20110406%2Fk10015124481000.html

[MNBrewer]

1. Let's hope so, but I'm dubious

[abqmufc]

2. For now....

[villager]

3. Now to spend a mere few thousand years waiting out what's already been spilled!

:thumbsup:

[Journeyman]

4. . . . from the leaking crack they are certain about . . .

What's happening beneath the vessels, or out of the many numerous containment ponds, is anyone's guess . . .

[DCKit]

5. What y'all said.

I'm going to be opening cans of seafood in the dark from now on to see if it's glowing.

[DeSwiss]

6. K&R n/t

[KoKo]

7. The Translation is bad...from their English Site..Says "Appears to be Lessening

Leak at Fukushima appears to be lessening

The operator of the crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear plant has injected a hardening agent beneath a leaking concrete pit in a bid to stem the flow of highly radioactive water into the sea.

The firm says the leakage seems to be decreasing, following the infusion of the hardening agent.

The utility showed reporters a photo of the leak on Tuesday evening, saying it indicates such a decrease.

TEPCO said it will infuse another 1,500 liters of liquid glass.

Tokyo Electric Power Company started infusing liquid glass into gravel below the pit near the Number 2 reactor at 3 PM on Tuesday.

TEPCO spotted a crack in the pit 3 days ago while trying to find the source of the leakage of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean.

Since then, the utility has tried in vein to seal the pit with concrete, or to plug piping leading into it with a polymer mixture.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/05_h32.html

A test using a dye agent showed the possibility that the radioactive water is leaking from a cracked pipe, and then seeping through gravel into the concrete pit.

TEPCO is planning to board up the breached sections of an offshore dike to prevent the tainted water from spreading further into the sea.

It is also considering building underwater barriers at 3 locations, including one near a water intake for the Number 2 reactor.

Tuesday, April 05, 2011 20:24 +0900 (JST)

[rzemanfl]

8. What is "liquid glass?" Sodium silicate? n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. Reuters now has it.. I've updated the OP

[Peace Patriot]

10. Thank you for the clarification! The thing about water is that it's...water. It goes where it will.

It's kind of like fish, which swim where they will. And for that matter, air, which blows where it will.

The notion of mixing the most lethal of man-made toxins--such as plutonium--with water, fish and air--is INSANE.

Water is built in to the design of these lethal energy facilities, since tons and tons of it are needed to cool the reactors and their spent fuel tanks, to prevent meltdown and fire. And this particular facility was built right next to the ocean, with ocean fisheries ever vulnerable to just this kind of disaster. And, to cool some of these six reactors and spent fuel tubs, they had to suck up sea water and pour that it, in the process of which they sent radioactive clouds into the atmosphere and blew off the outer containment roofs of two of the reactors.

Water, fish, air--all involved, all horribly poisoned, all fast spreaders of radioactive materials to other areas.

The danger remains that out of control fire will engulf all six reactors and spent fuel tubs, sending all the lethal material in these plants into the atmosphere. Water is the only way to prevent this--but water is almost an equally fast conveyor of toxins.

---------------

The subjective statements--and lies--that this corporation has been allowed to foist on the public are appalling.

--

"The firm says the leakage seems to be decreasing, following the infusion of the hardening agent. // The utility showed reporters a photo of the leak on Tuesday evening, saying it indicates such a decrease."

--

On top of the sheer horror is this nuclear disaster is the sheer horror of the Japanese government, the U.S. government, other governments and UN deferring to this corporation. It is simply mind-boggling what has gone on here, and a very dark omen, indeed, with regard to the health and safety of human beings and the ecosystems on which we depend. We cannot count on ANYONE to preserve our lives and planet. All those in whom we have invested those responsibilities are bought. and. paid. for.

With the coming of the corporate-run 'TRADE SECRET' voting machines, spread like a plague all over the U.S., I realized that we are in incredibly serious trouble, as a country and a democracy--trouble that of course affects everyone in the world, because of U.S. power. I have thought of the Middle Ages, when the Roman Catholic Church operated much like our transnational corporations, with a pervasive propaganda machine to maintain and expand their power over people and over kings, governments and armies. The corporate 'religion' acts in much the same way--preventing people from even perceiving other options--and the transglobal corporation behaves much the same way, undermining and controlling local/national governments . But this horror in Japan is making me realize that our situation is much more like the Middle Ages than I was thinking of. It isn't just analogous. It is exactly the same in many ways. The leaders of capitalist-run countries DON'T DARE cross a powerful corporation--just like the kings of old didn't dare cross the Pope. It is a 'religious' taboo. EVEN IN THIS DIRE CIRCUMSTANCE--in which the corporation should have been seized by the government, and its officials put in jail, and in which a multinational effort of GOVERNMENTS should have been called upon, immediately, to address this horror of six reactors at risk or already melted down, they have not acted; they have deferred; they have permitted this corporation to try to save its billion dollar facility at the cost of workers' lives, the lives of people in the immediate neighborhood and in Japan in general, and the lives of all distant peoples who might be affected by this radiation, and the ecosystems on which they depend.

This is more than a nuclear power eye-opener. This is an eye-opener on the grave dangers of Corporate Rule. Our personal fates, and the fate of our Planet, is in PRIVATE HANDS, and NO GOVERNMENT as obeisant to corporate powers as ours is, and as the Japanese government is, will do anything to protect us and our planet that in any way curtails corporate PROFIT, corporate POWER and corporate DICTATION.

[barbtries]

13. this should be an OP

then i could kick it and recommend it to others.

[Octafish]

20. What barbtries said.

Every word for an outstanding analysis. Thank you for putting it into words, Peace Patriot.

[nickyt]

16. Agreed, 100%, this post should be an OP. One of the best posts I've ever read on DU.

Thank you, Peace Patriot, for your remarkable "take" on this horrific, never-ending scenario/situation/catastrophe - you've covered every aspect of it with extraordinary insight, plus you're one hell of an incredible writer to boot.

Thank you again for your astonishing insight and for the time and effort it must have taken you to write this -
Sandy

[mysterysoup]

17. Just like the BP oil spill.

Your comments reminded me of President Obama's deference to BP during the recent disaster in the Gulf.

From your post: "EVEN IN THIS DIRE CIRCUMSTANCE--in which the corporation should have been seized by the government, and its officials put in jail, and in which a multinational effort of GOVERNMENTS should have been called upon, immediately, to address this horror of six reactors at risk or already melted down, they have not acted; they have deferred; they have permitted this corporation to try to save its billion dollar facility at the cost of workers' lives, the lives of people in the immediate neighborhood."

Didn't the US government behave the same way with regard to the Gulf oil spill? Just as you said, "The leaders of capitalist-run countries DON'T DARE cross a powerful corporation...." That goes for President Obama, as well.

[iemitsu]

19. i agree.

a well thought out and articulated comparison that is very enlightening.

[lunatica]

23. Corporate rule, just like deferring to BP to clean their Gulf Oil Spill.

We still haven't a clue what harm has been wrought in the Gulf of Mexico.

[JJW]

15. Junk Shot

When all else fails, try the junk shot.

[Paradoxical]

11. This translation is terrible.

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

12. they may have stopped ONE leak. maybe.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. but then in the next breath they anounce "they will be dumping 10,000 tons of radioactive water into

the Pacific from reactors 5 and 6"

since when do they measure liquids in "tons"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W7uGvW8xvY

[unkachuck]

18. "...it had stopped leaks of contaminated water..."

....thank goodness....what was the radiation, 5,000,000 times over a safe level?....that can't be good.

....I predict, glow-in-the-dark fish and the return of Godzilla....

[Omaha Steve]

21. Japan nuclear plant plugs highly radioactive leak

Source: AP

By MALCOLM FOSTER and RYAN NAKASHIMA

TOKYO (AP) - Workers at Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant on Wednesday finally stemmed a tide of radiation that was pouring into the Pacific and exacerbating concerns over the safety of seafood, the operator said.

High levels of contamination have been measured at the shoreline of the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex in recent days, prompting the government to set limits for the first time on the amount of radiation permitted in fish.

While officials have said the crack in a maintenance pit plugged early Wednesday was the only one found, they have not explicitly ruled out that radioactive water is leaking into the sea from another point.

"Right now, just because the leak has stopped, we are not relieved yet," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano. "We are checking whether the leak has completely stopped, or whether there may be other leaks."

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110406/D9MDTC280.html

[stockholmer]

22. well, at least they had some progress even if "checking whether the leak has completely stopped"

:thumbsup: