Japan: Nuke crisis wll take 6-9 Months to get under control

I was checking up on somnews on Japan ad just came cross this...6-9 months? why so long? thats alot more of the bad radition being released for a very long extended peiod of time...i had no idea that it wouldtake this long but then i think about how long it took for them to get the BP Oil spill under control and realize that this actually sounds like the lower end of their estimates and it will probably take a whole lot longer.....its sad to know that after everything that has happened to the people of Japan tat thy still continue to lie to them...

TOKYO - The operator of the crippled nuclear power plant leaking radiation in northern Japan announced a plan Sunday to bring the crisis under control within six to nine months and allow some evacuated residents to return to their homes."We sincerely apologize for causing troubles," Katsumata said. "We are doing our utmost to prevent the crisis from further worsening."

Prime Minister Naoto Kan, facing pressure both at home and abroad to resolve Japan's worst-ever nuclear power accident, directed Tokyo Electric Power Co. to draw up the plan."Given the conditions now, this is best that it could do," said Hidehiko Nishiyama of the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. "But it cannot be said that the reactor has stabilized."

"We sincerely apologize for causing troubles," Katsumata said. "We are doing our utmost to prevent the crisis from further worsening."The company is focusing first on cooling the reactors and spent fuel pools and reducing the level of leaking radiation, decontaminating water that has become radioactive, reducing the amount of radiation released into the atmosphere and soil, and lowering radiation levels in the evacuation area, he said.

Evacuees who have been forced to abandon their homes, jobs and in many cases their farms were unconvinced by TEPCO's plan.

"I don't believe a word they say," said Yukio Otsuka, 56, a private school owner whose home is about 3 miles from the facility.

Trade Minister Banri Kaieda said some evacuees might be able to return home within six to nine months. He urged TEPCO to beat that deadline, though it is clear the full cleanup will take years.

Officials reported late Saturday that radioactivity had again risen sharply in seawater near the plant, signaling the possibility of new leaks. Authorities have insisted the radioactivity will dissipate in the ocean and poses no immediate threat to sea creatures or people who might eat them. Most experts agree.Regardless, plant workers began dumping into the sea sandbags filled with sand and zeolite, a mineral that absorbs radioactive cesium, over the weekend to reduce radiation levels

In a show of support for a staunch American ally, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed admiration and sympathy for the Japanese as she visited Tokyo on Sunday."We pledge our steadfast support for you and your future recovery. We are very confident that Japan will demonstrate the resilience that we have seen during this crisis in the months ahead," Clinton said.

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Can you belive this rubbish

6 to 9 months when they cannot even tell us how much contamiation is leaking into the sea, being spewed into the air.

This is the best guess and is only a guess why do they not tell us the worst guess?

Because us little nothings do not need to know and probably do not want to know.

Their news blackout is working and most will sleep through this until we find a lump and accept that we spent to long in the sun.

Sundays is my time to unwind and have a drink but even after that I still find this fairy tale too much to take.

The Japanese are too polite to say is what I keep hearing. Well this affects the world and I aint polite.

This is not good enough and if TEPCO cannot handle it (painfully obvious) then get someone who can.

If no one can do better then scrap nuclear power as the world cannot pay the price for failure.

Cheap, clean and safe is a lie

Originally posted by gdaub23
I was checking up on somnews on Japan ad just came cross this...6-9 months? why so long? thats alot more of the bad radition being released for a very long extended peiod of time...i had no idea that it wouldtake this long

I've been estimating 6 months since about March 17th.

For one thing, they have to get radiation hardened robots in there to work on the site. There just aren't that many such robots. It might take months to make more, and working with robots is slow, they are getting better but still extremely limited in what they can do compared to humans.

And yes, 6 months is probably optimistic, that's just how long it will take to completely avert the total meltdown threat.

It will probably take over a decade of work or more to cleanup and decommission the site, and even after that, it may be off limits to the public like Chernobyl still is today.