NHK...

Re the brave wo/men...

Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission has expressed concerns about internal radiation exposure for workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

High levels of radioactive substances have been detected in the bodies of 2 workers at the plant.

After a meeting on Monday, commission member Shizuyo Kusumi told reporters that the organization had concerns about whether protective masks can fully protect workers from internal exposure.

She added that the commission would study the two cases based on data to be sent from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

Another member, Osamu Oyamada, noted the need for comprehensive management of the work environment, saying a better environment should be in place before the summer.

He also said consideration should be given to the effects of the summer heat on workers' health, while keeping radiation exposure to a minimum.

Monday, May 30, 2011 18:44 +0900 (JST)

A broken pump has been replaced at the Number 5 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, and the temperature inside the reactor has started to decline.

The reactor has been in a state of cold shutdown.

An employee patrolling the facility noticed around 9 PM on Saturday that the pump was not working.

The pump sends sea water to the cooling system of the reactor and the spent fuel storage pool. Its failure caused the water temperature inside the reactor to rise from 68 degrees Celsius at 9 PM on Saturday to 94 degrees at noon on Sunday. The water temperature inside the spent fuel storage pool rose from 41 to 46 degrees.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates the plant, began replacing the failed pump at 8 AM on Sunday, and restored the cooling functions before 1 PM.

The water temperature inside the reactor reached 94.8 degrees before the work was completed. It fell to 76.5 degrees by 2 PM, and the temperature of the spent fuel storage pool has also stabilized.

The utility says it will investigate the cause of the failure, as it continues to monitor the temperatures inside the reactor and the pool.

TEPCO did not release information on the trouble and the repair work until Sunday morning.

TEPCO senior official Junichi Matsumoto said on Sunday the company did not start repair work until Sunday morning due to safety concerns.

He said TEPCO told the government and the prefecture about the problems on Saturday night.

Matsumoto added that the company will make efforts to tell the public about troubles as early as possible.

Monday, May 30, 2011 06:05 +0900 (JST)

And there are more stories but I think I'll stop posting these unless it's sommat "outstanding" on accounta it just is getting "more like the same" as time goes on.

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has suspended some of its outdoor work due to heavy rain and strong winds caused by a tropical storm.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it is watching closely to ensure that contaminated water in reactor buildings and elsewhere do not flow outside as the water levels have been rising because of the rain.

It has been raining since Sunday in the areas around the Fukushima plant.

The utility has stopped spraying chemicals to prevent radioactive dust from spreading. It is also considering suspending work to remove debris.

It has piled up sandbags to prevent rain from getting inside electrical facility buildings to ensure the reactor cooling systems continue to function.

TEPCO has also secured a giant storage barge that was deployed to contain contaminated water to a quay.

Monday, May 30, 2011 12:51 +0900 (JST)

Lets hope that barge doesn't have too much crap in it if it gets meesed up.