I take it back, there was an explosion, but it was no. 4, and now the f**ing thing is on fire.

It would appear CNN is catching up, I am hearing less discrepancies and old news.

Now it would appear no.3 reactor is feared that it might take damage from the problems at reactors next to it.

Thanks Ian for the verbal diarrhea. I find it informing and it gives an on-the-ground view.

Wanna hear a funny story? Iodine pills were sold out in many Finnish pharmacies yesterday. I'm not kidding. The distance between our capital and Fukushima is only 7650 kilometers/4750 miles...

That is pretty funny. Iodine pills are only much use for people living closer because the risk is from radioactive iodine which has a short half life. It is also much more of a consideration for kids as their thyroids are very active. You may know all this.

Yeah. Our newspapers have actually had stories today on what the iodine pills are meant for and that they are of no use here. Too bad there isn't any pharmacological products for sheer ignorance.

I watch MSNBC and they always say due to usage restriction they want show the video why? CNN at least show this. I pray this radiation will not spread all over and they can contain it.

Posted on the BBC news site 30 minutes ago:

"Radiation levels have fallen at Japan's earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the government says.

The announcement was made after a fire was extinguished at the plant."

I don't really believe that's terribly alarming amounts yet.

IIRC, a typical medical x-ray can be up to 900 mSv (milli), so that's less than half a chest X-ray per hour - of course the exposure does add up.

As for all of this significantly affecting the environment, about the only way that will happen is with a full blown meltdown of the core, and then only if it escapes the containment tomb. Containment systems are built with this in mind, the unknown of course being they've never been tested yet.

The core itself won't explode, the issue there is pressure building up and hydrogen igniting.

Otherwise the amounts of radiation released should dissipate quickly.

My dad had to spend several weeks a year at our Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant when he worked for the electric company. I went down there a lot, the guys that worked there loved to show me around and teach me about it. He's got pics of himself in the reactor building. I remember the control room was pretty overwhelming.

I don't I'll be posting here like I was but what we know has evolved considerably since what I see posted here by myself and others. Very possible cracks, very possible core meltdowns of 70% and 30%. Just measuring the radiation level is not enough, it is what particles are emitting the radiation. Some of them are radioactive for 200 years, some stay in the body for up to 30. I see no reason to downplay much at this point. It is the general opinion it is a six on the nuclear accident scale. Chernobyl was 7, Three Mile was 4 or 5.