HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

April 7, 2011. Japanese officials pump nitrogen into reactor to prevent explosion

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima prefecture began injecting nitrogen into reactor no. 1 to prevent additional hydrogen blasts, local media said on April 7th. Blasts caused by the build-up of hydrogen gas happened in reactor no. 1, 2, and 3 since the March 11th earthquake and tsunami that devastated much of northeastern Japan. The pumping came a day - at 01:31 local time on April 7th (16:31 GMT on April 6th) after officials managed to plug a leak of radioactive water from the plant. The injection process is slated to take six days and would dramatically reduce the possibility of a hydrogen explosion. The hydrogen buildup was caused by low levels of cooling water, which expose fuel rods causing them to overheat. Engineers also considered pumping nitrogen into reactor no 2 and 3. Engineers also continued to pump some 11,500 tons of low-level radioactive seawater into the Pacific Ocean so that more radioactive water from reactor no 2 can be stored. While officials said the water posed no serious threat to humans and Tokyo promised compensation for the fishing industry, fishermen were angry about the move.