JAPAN NUCLEAR REACTOR MELTDOWN 2011 WINDOWS

'This will result in some radiation leakage, although at a level that won't affect peoples' health. The chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano told a news briefing: 'They are working on relieving pressure and pumping in water into the number three reactor. Workers in protective clothing were scanning people arriving at evacuation centres for radioactive exposure. Officials said radiation levels around the plant had breached saftey levels. Japan's nuclear safety agency said the number of people exposed to radiation could reach 160. Japan's prime minister, Naoto Kan, declared a state of emergency at the crippled unit and at its sister plant, the Fukushima Daini, as engineers tried frantically to determine whether the reactor had gone into meltdown. Scientists had detected eight times the normal radiation levels outside the facility and 1,000 times normal levels inside the affected unit's control room.

JAPAN NUCLEAR REACTOR MELTDOWN 2011 WINDOWS

Residents outside the zone were urged to stay inside, close doors and windows and turn off air conditioning.

Government officials revealed plans to distribute iodine tablets вЂ“ a treatment for radiation poisoning вЂ“ to locals while a 20km exclusion zone was set up round the plant. It was preparing to vent steam to relieve pressure in the reactor and the government had warned of a rise in radiation during the procedure.ДЇears of a nuclear fallout were first raised when a massive explosion rocked the Fukushima Daiichi atomic power plant following damage to the number one reactor in Friday's earthquake.ДЄ pall of grey-white smoke rose over the plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power, and it was reported that four workers had beenВ injured. It was believed the first explosion had been contained and disaster avoided.Д«ut on Sunday the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said radiation levels around the Fukushima Daiichi plant had risen above the safety limit and said the cooling system in the number three reactor had failed.

Japan nuclear reactor meltdown 2011