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Japan faces nuclear meltdowns following last week’s tsunami

Adam Rosenberg By

japanmeltdown

Japan faces nuclear meltdown risks following last week's tsunami, caused by a 9.0 (upgraded from 8.9) earthquake off the country's eastern coast.

A state of emergency has been declared at six nuclear reactors in Japan — one of which is in the midst of a partial meltdown — following last week’s tsunami, according to the Associated Press. More than 170,000 people were evacuated over fears of the radioactive contamination that would follow a full meltdown at those locations.

Radiation levels briefly tipped past legal limits in the area around the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant following an explosion in one of the reactor cores. Workers are now racing to cool the core’s fuel rods and prevent a possible second explosion at another of the facility’s reactor units.

The tsunami was caused by a 9.0 earthquake that occurred on Friday off the eastern coast of Japan, one strong enough to shift the Earth’s axis by 6.5 inches, The Los Angeles Times reports. The Fukushima Dai-Chi plant’s Unit 1 experienced a hydrogen blast on Saturday in the wake of the natural disaster, after an attempt to relieve pressure in the core’s containment chamber resulted in an explosion. Officials are now using sea water mixed with boron, which disrupts nuclear chain reactions, to cool the overheating cores.

The lack of power is the key crisis being faced as efforts are underway to prevent a widespread nuclear disaster from occurring, physicist Ken Bergeron explained in a Saturday media briefing (via Scientific American).

“To keep that decay heat of the uranium from melting the core, you have to keep water on it. And the conventional sources of water, the electricity that provides the power for pumps, have failed. So they are using some very unusual methods of getting water into the core, they’re using steam-driven turbines—they’re operating off of the steam generated by the reactor itself.”

He further notes that this will all unfold “in a matter of days,” and that restoring power is “crucial” to bringing the plants back under control.

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Showing 33 comments

  1. Gil Cottrell at 7:24pm 14th March 2011 yeah.. and Nuclear is SOOO safe... NOT!! 200 year half life and a DEAD ZONE for 200 square miles around every plant that goes! Pretty much kills 1/2 of Japan for 400 years IF they don't get this under control. Think of 1000 Chernobyls if 5 or more of the 55 nuclear plants blow!!
  2. Gil Cottrell at 7:24pm 14th March 2011 yeah.. and Nuclear is SOOO safe... NOT!! 200 year half life and a DEAD ZONE for 200 square miles around every plant that goes! Pretty much kills 1/2 of Japan for 400 years IF they don't get this under control. Think of 1000 Chernobyls if 5 or more of the 55 nuclear plants blow!!
  3. Chris Johnson at 4:09pm 14th March 2011 I’m surprised at the number of people who are getting upset at DT's coverage of this event. It may not be "technology focused" but when you consider how big of an event this is, I think it’s only fair that all media outlets report on this at least once. If you want to argue that DT is a “tech” media only and it “isn’t CNN” then consider how much technology goes into nuclear power plants and the fail-safe systems behind them.I hate to say this but these comments somewhat show how selfish Americans can be: who knows what the death toll will be when it’s all said and done, but God forbid DT spends the time reporting on something other than the iPhone 5.Good job on the reporting, DT.
  4. Chris Johnson at 4:09pm 14th March 2011 I’m surprised at the number of people who are getting upset at DT's coverage of this event. It may not be "technology focused" but when you consider how big of an event this is, I think it’s only fair that all media outlets report on this at least once. If you want to argue that DT is a “tech” media only and it “isn’t CNN” then consider how much technology goes into nuclear power plants and the fail-safe systems behind them.I hate to say this but these comments somewhat show how selfish Americans can be: who knows what the death toll will be when it’s all said and done, but God forbid DT spends the time reporting on something other than the iPhone 5.Good job on the reporting, DT.
  5. Mohd Majid at 6:48am 14th March 2011 Wide scale disaster is a sign of the end times.http://www.twenty26.comThis website intends to raise awareness among the masses regarding the apocalyptic event that is predicted to occur in 2026. It has information regarding this event along with scientific and religious evidence.
  6. Mohd Majid at 6:48am 14th March 2011 Wide scale disaster is a sign of the end times.http://www.twenty26.comThis website intends to raise awareness among the masses regarding the apocalyptic event that is predicted to occur in 2026. It has information regarding this event along with scientific and religious evidence.
  7. Patrick Jaden at 1:03am 14th March 2011 You guys are pretty selfish. Japan manufactures and designs lots of electronics so how stupid do you look now? :)
  8. Patrick Jaden at 1:03am 14th March 2011 You guys are pretty selfish. Japan manufactures and designs lots of electronics so how stupid do you look now? :)
  9. Jesse Wilson at 11:23pm 13th March 2011 who's shima?
  10. Jesse Wilson at 11:23pm 13th March 2011 who's shima?
  11. Maxwell Evans at 11:08pm 13th March 2011 To me, I don't think it matters what kind of material it is. I think it shows concern. And at this point, everyone should be concerned.
  12. Maxwell Evans at 11:08pm 13th March 2011 To me, I don't think it matters what kind of material it is. I think it shows concern. And at this point, everyone should be concerned.
  13. Carsten Berggreen at 11:02pm 13th March 2011 Yeah, I just researched it a bit too. Sorry, but the article is still not DT materiale. I think the "Google People Finder" ought to be a DT article worth instead of facts from the actual story.
  14. Carsten Berggreen at 11:02pm 13th March 2011 Yeah, I just researched it a bit too. Sorry, but the article is still not DT materiale. I think the "Google People Finder" ought to be a DT article worth instead of facts from the actual story.
  15. Digital Trends at 10:58pm 13th March 2011 @Bradley - thanks man. We will rock here on out. @ Carsten - the quake was an 8.9 but was just upgraded to a 9.0 by Japan's Met Office.
  16. Digital Trends at 10:58pm 13th March 2011 @Bradley - thanks man. We will rock here on out. @ Carsten - the quake was an 8.9 but was just upgraded to a 9.0 by Japan's Met Office.
  17. Lucas Meyer at 10:17pm 13th March 2011 @carsten. its been upgraded to a 9. get ya facts.
  18. Bradley Wint at 9:59pm 13th March 2011 IMO... u all should not be comparing urself to that trash known as gizmodo
  19. Carsten Berggreen at 9:53pm 13th March 2011 Lastly the article was filled with wrong details as I recall it. The earthquake was 8.6 ... not 9... if this is Digital Trends way of handling "digital numbers" then I am out of here. That puts DT in a very unserious place in my mind at the moment.
  20. Digital Trends at 9:15pm 13th March 2011 Even Gizmodo is covering the Tsunami pretty hard: http://gizmodo.com/#!5781500/japan-quake-aftermath-remains-hellish-aftershocks-expected-towns-disappear-volcano-erupts/gallery/1 I think everyone is trying to jump on the bandwagon.
  21. Digital Trends at 9:15pm 13th March 2011 Even Gizmodo is covering the Tsunami pretty hard: http://gizmodo.com/#!5781500/japan-quake-aftermath-remains-hellish-aftershocks-expected-towns-disappear-volcano-erupts/gallery/1 I think everyone is trying to jump on the bandwagon.
  22. Digital Trends at 9:14pm 13th March 2011 http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-20042490-247.html?tag=topTechContentWrap;editorPicks
  23. Digital Trends at 9:14pm 13th March 2011 http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-20042490-247.html?tag=topTechContentWrap;editorPicks
  24. Digital Trends at 9:14pm 13th March 2011 Great idea Scott. I think the writers saw others like Cnet covering the nuclear issues and thought they needed to post something.
  25. Digital Trends at 9:14pm 13th March 2011 Great idea Scott. I think the writers saw others like Cnet covering the nuclear issues and thought they needed to post something.
  26. Scott Aron Bloom at 9:12pm 13th March 2011 Thank you.. I would like to see a DT article, on how the technology is helping people..For instance, FLIR from Oregon flying out to use there really cool IR systems to help find survivors
  27. Scott Aron Bloom at 9:12pm 13th March 2011 Thank you.. I would like to see a DT article, on how the technology is helping people..For instance, FLIR from Oregon flying out to use there really cool IR systems to help find survivors
  28. Digital Trends at 9:03pm 13th March 2011 You got it guys. I will tell the writers to cool it on the international news unless there is a tech spin related to it.
  29. Scott Aron Bloom at 9:01pm 13th March 2011 @Braden.. Thank! someone else is finally saying it..
  30. Braden Lee at 8:36pm 13th March 2011 actually DT, focus on digital related issues before I unsubscribe. you're not cnn.
  31. Bradley Wint at 8:31pm 13th March 2011 actually DT, please get updated news on the situation because the situation is already under control even though they are maintaining their lower level of alert.
  32. Sergei Mooha at 8:15pm 13th March 2011 This is bad
  33. Michael Stewart at 8:03pm 13th March 2011 @digital trends, cut out the middle men on the crap that's going on in japan.iaea.orgthe UN nuclear energy guys are the only real news feed on this.
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