Radiation fears after Japan blast

Explosions at a Japanese quake-stricken nuclear plant have led to radiation levels that can affect human health, a senior Japanese official has said.(CANON Battery)

Prime Minister Naoto Kan has urged those living within 30km (18 miles) of the plant to stay indoors.
Earlier, reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was hit by a blast - the third reactor to explode in four days - leading to fears of a meltdown.
The crisis was sparked by a 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami on Friday.
Thousands of people are believed to have died.(CASIO Battery)
Exclusion zone
A fresh explosion rocked reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant - 250km (155 miles) north-east of Tokyo - in the early hours of Tuesday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said, "Now we are talking about levels that can impact human health."(NIKON Battery)

JAPAN NUCLEAR EMERGENCY

• Explosions in three reactors at Fukushima plant
• Fourth reactor on fire
• Containment chamber damaged at reactor 2
• Radiation levels at plant rise more than four fold
• 20km (12 mile) exclusion zone
• People living within 30km to stay indoors

He stressed that such levels were recorded at the plant and that the "further away you get from the power plant or reactor, the value should go down".(Dell laptop battery)

In his televised address, Prime Minister Kan said: "There is still a very high risk of more radiation coming out."
He added that the last remaining people within a 20km (12 mile) exclusion zone around the plant had to leave, and that those living between 20km and 30km from the site should remain indoors.
Radiation levels around Fukushima for one hour's exposure rose to eight times the legal limit for exposure in one year, said the plant's operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco).
The radiation reading at 0831 local time (2331 GMT) climbed to 8,217 microsieverts an hour from 1,941 about 40 minutes earlier, Tepco said. The annual legal limit is 1,000 microsieverts.

Japan's PM says there is a 'very high' risk of further radiation leaks( fujitsu battery )

Higher radiation levels were recorded on Tuesday south of Fukushima, Kyodo news agency reported.
The French embassy said low-level radioactive wind could reach Tokyo within hours.
Mr Kan also said a fire had broken out at the plant's reactor 4. It now appears to have been put out.
The high radiation levels prompted the BBC and a number of other international news organisations to withdraw staff from the quake area.(Laptop AC Adapter)
Shares on the Tokyo stock exchange have fallen more than 12%.
On Monday, a hydrogen blast at the Fukushima plant's reactor 3 was felt 40km (25 miles) away. It followed a blast at reactor 1 on Saturday.

All explosions have been preceded by cooling system breakdowns. Engineers are trying to prevent meltdowns by flooding the chambers of the nuclear reactors with sea water.
After the third explosion, officials said the containment vessel around reactor 2 had been damaged.
Complete devastation
Meanwhile, five days after the tsunami triggered by the earthquake, the relief operation is continuing.
The latest official death toll stands at about 2,400 - but some estimates suggest 10,000 may have been killed.
One of the worst-hit towns, Minamisanriku, is now just a scene of complete devastation, says the BBC's Rachel Harvey. ( hp battery )
Everything was flattened by the force of the tsunami, with only the town's hospital and a government building remaining, our correspondent says.
Thousands are still unaccounted for - including hundreds of tourists - while many remote towns and villages have not been reached.
The government has deployed 100,000 troops to lead the aid effort.(laptop battery )
The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice to warn against all non-essential travel to Tokyo and north-eastern Japan. British nationals and friends and relatives of those in Japan can contact the Foreign Office on +44(0) 20 7008 0000.(digital camera battery )
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