nuclear

In a dramatic escalation of Japan's nuclear crisis, officials warned of elevated radiation levels after another explosion and reactor fire rocked the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the third explosion in four days.

In a nationally televised statement reported by the Associated Press and other news agencies, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said radiation has spread from four reactors at the plant.

"The level seems very high, and there is still a very high risk of more radiation coming out," Kan said. "We are making every effort to prevent the leak from spreading. I know … Read more

Even as the world tensely monitors Japan's nuclear crisis, it's clear that nuclear power will face harsher public scrutiny and a re-evaluation of nuclear's expansion.

Last week's powerful earthquake and tsunami shut down the Fukushima Daiichi power plant and crippled the cooling systems at three reactors. According to reports, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company said that one of the cores, No. 2, has been temporarily exposed to air, risking a meltdown of the nuclear fuel or metal cladding around the fuel rods.

As Japanese officials deal with multiple crises from one of the five largest earthquakes … Read more

The fuel used in the Japanese nuclear reactor where an explosion occurred today is more volatile and toxic than the fuel used in the other reactors there, a Japanese nuclear expert warned.

At a press conference in Tokyo, Masashi Goto, who worked for Toshiba as a reactor researcher and designer, said the mixed oxide (MOX) fuel used in unit 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant contains plutonium, which is much more toxic than the fuel used in the other reactors.

MOX fuel is a mixture of uranium and plutonium reprocessed from spent uranium, and is sometimes involved in the … Read more

Anxiety over Japan's quake-crippled nuclear reactors has triggered calls from lawmakers and activists for review of U.S. energy policy and for brakes on expansion of domestic nuclear power.

President Barack Obama has urged expansion of nuclear power to help meet the country's energy demands, lower its dependence on imported fossil fuels and reduce its climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

But as engineers in Japan tried yesterday to avert a meltdown at three nuclear reactors following Friday's massive earthquake, some U.S. policy makers were re-evaluating their take on nuclear energy even as the industry itself offered assurances … Read more

Buildup of hydrogen gas at a Japanese nuclear reactor caused an explosion today, but as with an earlier explosion Saturday, the reactor's containment vessel remains intact, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

The explosion took place at the unit 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi at 11:01 a.m. local Japan time, the United Nations agency said in a statement. And Tokyo Electric Power, which operates the plant, said in its own statement, "The status of the plant and the impact of radioactive materials to the outside environment are presently under investigation.

"All personnel at the … Read more

The estimated death toll from Japan's crippling earthquake and tsunami was revised to more than 10,000 today as officials worked to prevent a nuclear disaster.

"The earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear incident have been the biggest crisis Japan has encountered in the 65 years since the end of World War II," Prime Minister Naoto Kan told a news conference today. "We're under scrutiny on whether we, the Japanese people, can overcome this crisis."

Some 200 bodies were recovered today, and the official death toll from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami stood at 1,… Read more

Updated throughout with new details at approximately 11:10 a.m. PT on Sunday.

A Saturday explosion at a closely monitored nuclear power plant in northern Japan and the expectation of another explosion at a second reactor are further distracting rescue efforts of thousands of stranded and missing in the aftermath of one of the largest earthquakes on record.

Officials initially reported that a meltdown at the first crippled reactor was not imminent, but on Sunday admitted that partial meltdowns may have occurred at two reactors, reported The New York Times. By Sunday afternoon local time, The Washington Post reported … Read more

Almost 3,000 residents near the Fukushima I nuclear power plant 170 miles northeast of Tokyo are evacuating the area after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake triggered a power outage that left a cooling system unable to supply water to cool the reactor. Radiation levels in the control room rose to 1,000 times above normal levels, Marketwatch reports.

Some radiation has now leaked outside the plant, Public Broadcaster NHK quoted nuclear safety officials as saying, with levels just outside the main gate measured eight times the normal level.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters that residents have been instructed … Read more

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--The MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory is a trip into the past and, if nuclear power grows in this country, perhaps a glimpse into the future.

A stone's throw from busy Massachusetts Avenue here is a large blue cylinder about the height of a two-story building, which houses the reactor, built with an attached research lab in 1958 at the dawn of the nuclear power industry.

The mission of the lab has changed over the years, most recently shifting its primary emphasis from medical research to experiments on new materials and fuels for nuclear power. Its director envisions … Read more