On Saturday, November 12th, journalists were allowed for the first time to enter the now defunct Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility. After an 8-month hiatus, the three dozen journalists traveled ground-level by bus, in which radiation readings, expectedly, rose as they neared the facility. Those on board the buses were ordered to wear a protective suit, two pairs of gloves, two sets of plastic booties over their feet, and a radiation detector. During the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan that killed more than 15,000 people, the plant suffered major damage when three of the reactors overheated, setting off a chain of events that eventually lead to a massive explosion, exposing a large amount of radioactive material in the air. Due to the tsunami that occurred afterwards, the emergency generators that would usually act to cool the reactors subsequently disabled. The grounds, as stated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), contained more than 90,000 tons of water, laced with radioactive material. Tokyo Electric spokesman Tetsuya Terasawa stated that vast progress has been made to contain the facility. Plans that had been made to built a seventh and eighth reactor were cancelled earlier this year.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/12/world/asia/japan-nuclear-reactor/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
By...:: Lauren Marie De Guzman
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