The most serious concerns in the Japan nuclear emergency now lie with Fukushima Daiichi reactors 1 and 3, both of which have lost cooling and have suffered explosions.
Click here to view reactor-by-reactor, system-by-system summary
The yellow indicates abnormal/unstable; red means damaged/nonfunctional/unsafe.
On the positive side, neither containment is judged to have been damaged. And reports are positive that emergency injection of seawater into the reactors with added boron is working. However, such an action will likely destroy the reactors because seawater is corrosive.
A chart published by the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum classifies the situation of each reactor by system, based on government and utility reports.
Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1:—Explosion on 12 March outside containment (but which did not damage containment vessel) injured four. Several people have been injured in other accidents and a few are being treated for radiation sickness. IAEA reports one worker died in a crane operation accident; four others were injured. Levels of radioactive Caesium 137 and Iodine 131 detected outside the reactor on 12 March subsided during the day. Seawater pumping began on 12 March; containment vented on 12 March.
Unit 2—Unit is shut down; primary cooling is not functional, but a backup system is working.
Unit 3—Hydrogen explosion outside containment injures 11 on 14 March; containment venting on 13 March. Borated seawater pumping began 13 March; containment judged undamaged on 13 March.
Units 4, 5, 6—in shutdown.
Click here to view reactor-by-reactor, system-by-system summary
The yellow indicates abnormal/unstable; red means damaged/nonfunctional/unsafe.
On the positive side, neither containment is judged to have been damaged. And reports are positive that emergency injection of seawater into the reactors with added boron is working. However, such an action will likely destroy the reactors because seawater is corrosive.
A chart published by the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum classifies the situation of each reactor by system, based on government and utility reports.
Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1:—Explosion on 12 March outside containment (but which did not damage containment vessel) injured four. Several people have been injured in other accidents and a few are being treated for radiation sickness. IAEA reports one worker died in a crane operation accident; four others were injured. Levels of radioactive Caesium 137 and Iodine 131 detected outside the reactor on 12 March subsided during the day. Seawater pumping began on 12 March; containment vented on 12 March.
Unit 2—Unit is shut down; primary cooling is not functional, but a backup system is working.
Unit 3—Hydrogen explosion outside containment injures 11 on 14 March; containment venting on 13 March. Borated seawater pumping began 13 March; containment judged undamaged on 13 March.
Units 4, 5, 6—in shutdown.
