Second hydrogen explosion in three days rocked a stricken Japanese nuclear plant on Monday

JAPAN TSUNAMI 2011

 

The second hydrogen explosion in three days rocked a stricken Japanese nuclear plant on Monday, sending a massive cloud of smoke into the air and injuring 11 workers

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan was about 100 miles (160 kilometers) offshore when it detected the radiation, which U.S. officials said was about the same as one month’s normal exposure to natural background radiation in the environment.

The inner containment shell surrounding the Unit 3 reactor was intact, Edano said, allaying some fears of the risk to the environment and public.

Takako Kitajima, a company official, said plant workers were preparing to inject sea water into the unit to cool the reactor, a move that could lead to an explosion there as well.

More than 180,000 people have evacuated the area in recent days, and up to 160 may have been exposed to radiation – pouring misery onto those already devastated by the twin disasters.

A complete meltdown – the melting of the radioactive core – could release radioactive contaminants into the environment and pose major, widespread health risks.

The U.N. nuclear agency said a state of emergency was also declared on Sunday at another complex, the Onagawa power plant, after higher—than—permitted levels of radiation were measured there.

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