Japan's Nuclear Power Plants - update

This is an update to my previous post concerning Japan's Nuclear Power Plants.  Hence the name, geez, I sure am clever!

Things seem to be turning for the worse.  Japan's Prime Minister has publicly stated things are "Very grave."  The severity of the crisis has been escalated from a 4 to a 5 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. This means a "release of large quantities of radioactive material within an installation with a high probability of significant public exposure."  It is serious.  But let me be clear, there is absolutely no reason for American citizens to be worried for their own health from the disaster. 

I have a new resource everyone should read to stay on top of the whole disaster.  An excellent blog came to my attention from colleagues of mine from the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville [1].

Just like the previous post I made, everyone should read this: Plain English Nuclear.


It is exceptionally well documented and well written (albeit maybe a little long).

[1] note - I am not a nuclear engineer.  I do not have a stake in the nuclear power game.  I do interface with some nuclear engineering researchers, since my own research is in nuclear physics.  I just wanted to be clear about that, lest the few readers I have actually worry that I am not being as honest as possible.