Japan Lifts Some Fukushima Exclusion Zones

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources East Asia (Kofu-shi, Japan)--The nuclear exclusion zone between 20 and 30 kilometers from Fukushima Daiichi was lifted this past weekend. Local residents will be allowed to return as soon as the government and local authorities confirm the safety of the region and proceed with radiation cleanup. The exclusion zone that immediately surrounds the power station within 20 kilometers, however, remains in effect. Local governments are taking steps to ensure the safety of residents during resettlement and have begun decontamination of buildings and have restarted public services.

According to an internal memo at Tokyo Electric Power Company Incorporated (TYO:9501) (TEPCO) (Tokyo), the company is currently investigating whether or not a hydrogen explosion occurred within the pressure vessel of Unit 2. An explosion-like sound occurred at Unit 2 on March 15, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Hydrogen explosions were recorded at units 1 and 3 on March 12 and March 15, respectively. Those explosions were the cause of extensive damage to both units' housings.

As of 5 p.m. on September 29, it was determined that the core temperatures of units 1 through 3 had fallen below 100 degrees Celsius. Unit 2's core temperature was the last to fall below the threshold when it dropped to 99.4 degrees Celsius. For cold shutdown to proceed, two conditions must be met: temperatures must drop below 100 degrees Celsius and the reactors must be in such a state that even if there is further trouble, the reactors will remain stable. Last month, the new prime minister announced that the cold shutdown plan had been pushed forward to December of this year, saying that cold shutdown was possible.

Plutonium isotopes have been found in six locations throughout Fukushima prefecture, including the areas of Futaba, Namie and Iidate. In general, the levels found were lower than those measured previously. In Namie, the highest concentration of Plutonium 238 found was four becquerels per square meter, roughly half of previously measured levels. However, levels of Plutonium 239 and 240 were higher than before, indicating that the accident has deposited more plutonium.

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