~がんばれ、にっぽん~ Ganbare Nippon

日本のために、いま私たちができること

Level 7 Fukushima Nuclear Plant Evaluation

2011-04-17 | Japan News
The level that indicates the damage of the Fukushima Nuclear Plant rose from Level 5 to Level 7 on 12 April. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) examines the level according to the following data.

1. Damage of the nuclear facility
2. Quantity of the radiation emission
3. Number of people who have been exposed to the radiation


Each level indicates a damage or phenomenon
Level 7 Serious Accident *Chernobyl / Fukushima
Level 6 Large Accident
Level 5 Accident that risks objects outside the facilities
*Three Mile Island
Level 4 Accident that does NOT risk anything outside the facilities
Level 3 Significant disorder phenomenon
Level 2 Disorder phenomenon
Level 1 Deviation
Level 0 Some influence on safety


The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency announced that the situation of the reactors 1, 2 and 3 was at Level 5. This is the same as that of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979. The fuels were damaged and there were some radiation leaks too. Residents near the plant were also evacuated. However, the cooling system of Three Mile Island was stabilised straight after that and the problem was solved within a week.

On the contrary, the accident at No.1 Fukushima plant is expanding and the fuels at Reactor 1 have been 70% damaged. Also, it is assumed that some used fuels at Reactor 4 have been damaged too. Therefore, the influence of the radiation has become significant and the level 5 has been raised to Level 7.

The No. 1 Fukushima plant accident has been estimated at a lower level than the accident in Chernobyl. It is because the quality of these two accidents is different in many ways. In Chernobyl, the main accident was the explosions of the reactor cores, which are more serious than hydrogen explosions of the house where reactors were placed. The explosion of the reactor cores in Chernobyl emitted a massive dose of radiation, which was 10 times more than that of the Fukushima plant. Also it is less likely that there will be explosions of the reactor cores like Chernobyl in Fukushima as far as the cooling of the reactor cores will remain stable.

At the same time, ongoing after-shocks are making consistent cooling difficult and the disposal of the polluted water is making slow progress. In order not to repeat the Chernobyl accident, it is essential for the government to take urgent measures towards solving the problem.

12 April, 2011
NHK Kabun Blog ‘Science & Culture’
http://www9.nhk.or.jp/kabun-blog/100/78196.html