One of six tsunami-crippled nuclear reactors appeared to stabilize yesterday as Japan discovered the first food contaminated by radiation and raced to restore power to the stricken power plant to prevent a greater catastrophe.
Engineers reported some rare success after fire trucks sprayed water for about three hours on reactor No. 3, widely considered the most dangerous at the ravaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex because of its use of highly toxic plutonium.
“The situation there is stabilizing somewhat,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference.
Engineers earlier attached a power cable to the outside of the mangled plant in a desperate attempt to get water pumps going that would cool overheating fuel rods and prevent a deadly radiation leak.
They hope that electricity will start to flow by today to four reactors in the complex about 240km north of Tokyo.
Edano said radiation levels in milk from a Fukushima farm about 30km from the plant and spinach grown in Ibaraki, a neighboring prefecture, exceeded limits set by the government, the first known case of contamination since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that set off the crisis.
However, Edano said these higher radiation levels still posed a health risk.
Officials connected a power cable to the No. 2 reactor and plan to test power in reactors No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 today.
Working inside a 20km evacuation zone at Fukushima, nearly 300 engineers got a second diesel generator attached to reactor No. 6 working, the nuclear safety agency said. They used the power to restart cooling pumps at the No. 5 reactor.
“TEPCO [Tokyo Electric Power Co] has connected the -external transmission line with the receiving point of the plant and confirmed that electricity can be supplied,” the plant’s operator, TEPCO said in a statement.
Nearly 1.5km of cable is being laid before engineers try to crank up the coolers at reactor No. 2, followed by Nos. 1, 3 and 4 this weekend, company officials said.
“If they are successful in getting the cooling infrastructure up and running, that will be a significant step forward in establishing stability,” said Eric Moore, a nuclear power expert at US-based FocalPoint Consulting Group.
Underlining authorities’ desperation, fire trucks sprayed water overnight in a crude tactic to cool reactor No. 3, considered the most critical because of its use of mixed oxides, or mox, containing both uranium and highly toxic plutonium.
Health officials and the UN atomic watchdog have said radiation levels in the capital Tokyo were not harmful, but the city has seen an exodus of tourists, expatriates and many Japanese, who fear a blast of radioactive material.
Officials asked people in the 20km “take cover” zone to follow some directives when going outside: Drive, don’t walk. Wear a mask. Wear long sleeves. Don’t go out in the rain.
Though there has been alarm around the world, experts say dangerous levels of radiation are unlikely to spread to other nations.
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