Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident in Japan INFORMATION BULLETIN No. 8 (19 March 2011 Update as of 2:00 PM)
Details
The DOST-PNRI continues to closely monitor the situation at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The situation, while unstable, is under control and not worsening.
Power lines from the electric grid have been connected to the reactors with ongoing efforts to start the cooling pumps, which would greatly improve the situation.
Daily modeling studies indicate that the radiological plume is still to the Pacific Coast direction, northeast of Japan, and therefore will not affect the Philippines in the next three (3) days.
DOST-PNRI calculations show that even if the plume reaches the Philippine territory, the dose is still below the allowable limit for the public and is considered safe.
Results of the monitoring team by the IAEA show no traces of radioactive iodine and cesium in Tokyo. The radiation levels measured in Tokyo and in nearby cities remain not harmful to human health.
Current radiation dose rate at the Fukushima site remains around 0.3 mSv/hr. World Health Organization (WHO) authorities have stated that people outside the 30-km zone are safe.
The International Civil Aviation Organization, in consultation with the IAEA and a number of other international organizations, said that international flights and maritime operations can continue normal operations into and out of Japan’s major airports and sea ports and there is no medical basis for imposing additional measures to protect passengers.
Evacuation is kept within the 20-km radius while sheltering remains at 30-km radius from the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants.
The assessment of the accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants has been uprated by the Japanese Authorities from Level 4 to Level 5 under the International Nuclear Events Scale (INES). Level 5 is defined as an "accident with wider consequences". Level 5 has the same classification as the Three Mile Island accident, while the Chernobyl accident was at Level 7 and very unlikely to happen in this situation.
For the latest information on on-site and off-site radiological situations about the Fukushima accident, please access the following websites:
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) website (www.iaea.org); and
For reporting of nuclear/radiological emergencies, you may contact the Radiological Impact Assessment Section/Nuclear Response Support Center of the PNRI through (632) 929-6011 to 19 local 285 or 311
