Fukushima site still emitting massive radiation plumes; Reactor 4 in bad state; World in ‘huge trouble’ says US nuclear analyst
May 3 2012
At a recent US congressional delegation trip to Japan Oregon Senator Ron Wyden observed with his own eyes the horrific consequences of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The Fukushima disaster has received scant reporting from the global mainstream media in recent months. The gravity of the damage was apparently so severe that he has now written a letter to Ichiro Fujisaki Ambassador of Japan. Senator Wyden petitioned for more to be done and offered any additional support and assistance that might help contain and remedy the situation as soon as possible. It is not known what the Japanese government reaction to the letter was.
The senator’s letter is seen by many experts see as the ominous writing on the wall for the grave severity of the situation. And offers a disturbing view into what is really going on in Japan that the mainstream media is consciously ignoring. While mentioning the fact that all four of the affected reactors are still “badly damaged” Sen. Wyden appears to suggest in his letter that Reactor 4 which has reportedly been on the verge of total collapse for many months now could be nearing catastrophic implosion.
Christina Consolo an award-winning biomedical photographer and host of Nuked Radio claims that Reactor 4 has remained in such poor shape that even a very minor earthquake could easily level the building dispersing the fuel from more than 1500 unused fuel rods into the environment. And with Reactor 4 still filled with the highest levels of radioactive MOX and other fuels the consequences of this potential collapse could be far worse than anything that has happened thus far as a result of the earthquake and tsunami.
“Sitting at the top of Reactor 4 in a pool that is cracked leaking and precarious even without an earthquake are 1565 fuel rods (give or take a few) some of them ‘fresh fuel’ that was ready to go into the reactor on the morning of March 11 when the earthquake and tsunami hit” writes Consolo. “If they are MOX fuel containing six percent plutonium one fuel rod has the potential to kill 2.89 billion people.”
Senator Wyden is also requesting that U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Gregory Jaczko assess how much more further assistance their agencies can provide to help Japan and the entire world prevent a nuclear catastrophe of truly Biblical proportions. Senator Wyden’s letter is quite graphic in his assessment.
“The scope of damage to the plants and to the surrounding area was far beyond what I expected and the scope of the challenges to the utility owner the government of Japan and to the people of the region are daunting” wrote Sen. Wyden in his letter dated April 16 2012. “The precarious status of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear units and the risk presented by the enormous inventory of radioactive materials and spent fuel in the event of further earthquake threats should be of concern to all and a focus of greater international support and assistance.”