21.03.2011 • News

Crisis in Japan: One Week On

This is a satellite image of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant taken on March...
This is a satellite image of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant taken on March 18. (©DigitalGlobe)

Following are main developments after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeast Japan and crippled a nuclear power station, raising the risk of uncontrolled radiation.

• Official death toll from earthquake and tsunami 8,450 with 12,931 missing. Police say more than 15,000 feared dead in Miyagi prefecture alone.

• IAEA says some positive developments but overall situation remains very serious.

• Japan's nuclear safety agency says it sees risk of radioactive dust being inhaled by workers at stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, but there are no signs that has happened yet.

• Reactors at the Daiichi nuclear power plant are showing some improvement but the situation remains uncertain, Tetsuro Fukuyama, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary, says.

• Nuclear safety agency says pressure is rising in the most damaged No. 3 reactor and workers there are considering whether to release pressure by venting. It says it does not believe much water from the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors is seeping underground.

• Engineers have re-established power cables to the Nos. 1, 5 and 6 reactors, and plan to start testing systems soon. Electricity restored at No. 2 reactor.

• If engineers are unable to cool the reactor, the last option would be entombing the plant with concrete and sand to prevent a catastrophic radiation leak, the method used at Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986.

• Large supplementary budgets are needed by June to help with reconstruction, senior ruling party lawmaker Jun Azumi says.

• Tests detect radiation above the national safety level in spinach and milk produced near the Fukushima plant. A sample of tap water from Tokyo shows a tiny level of radioactive.

• The health ministry said that radiation levels exceeded safety standards in Fukushima and nearby Ibaraki prefecture. It said it had prohibited the sale of raw milk from Fukushima prefecture.

• Japan's health ministry has urged some residents near the stricken nuclear plant to refrain from drinking tap water after high levels of radioactive iodine were detected, Kyodo news agency says.

• IAEA says food contamination is "a very localized phenomenon at the moment as far as we know" and that food produced in other countries had not been affected.

• Light northwesterly winds and rains are forecast for the area around quake-stricken nuclear reactors on the northeast coast of Japan, the weather agency said on Monday. Wind expected to change to change to light southeasterlies towards Tuesday.

• The earthquake and tsunami will depress growth briefly before reconstruction kicks off and gives the beleaguered economy a boost, the World Bank says in a report.

Special Issue

Circular Plastics Economy
Explore the Future of Plastics

Circular Plastics Economy

This special CHEManager issue explores the industry’s pivotal shift towards a more sustainable, circular plastics value chain. Readers will find expert analysis and real-world solutions for today’s most pressing recycling and regulatory challenges.

Article

The State of the US Specialty Chemicals Industry
Reshaping Specialty Chemicals Manufacturing

The State of the US Specialty Chemicals Industry

SOCMA's Jenn Klein examines how specialty chemical manufacturers — the invisible backbone behind pharmaceuticals, electronics, agriculture, and energy — are navigating supply chain shifts, policy uncertainty, and constant change while remaining resilient, disciplined, and focused on execution.

most read