EDITORIAL: All relevant parties must join battle at Fukushima

Radiation readings around the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have been rising, following a chain of events, including fires and the release of radioactive steam, that has deepened the crisis.

All human and other resources of Japanese organizations should be mobilized to support the workers engaged in the risky work to contain the crisis.

In fresh developments, the spent fuel pools at the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at the plant became dangerously overheated.

Spent nuclear fuel is lower in temperature than fuel rods in reactors in operation. But spent fuel gets gradually hotter unless it is kept properly cooled in a pool filled with circulating water.

Such spent fuel pools are located within the same building that houses the reactors, but they are not closed structures like reactor containment vessels.

If the water in a spent fuel pool runs dry, the fuel rods are likely to melt from their own heat, bleeding radiation.

Workers are continuing the tough task of pouring seawater into the damaged Nos. 1 to 3 reactors to cool them.

The related buildings and equipment have been damaged by explosions and fires, causing sharp rises in radiation levels around them.

The workers engaged in the work to dump water on overheated fuel and extinguish fires must take turns at short intervals to minimize health damage from exposure to radiation.

Still, they are facing huge health risks and by now must be extremely exhausted.

The fact that the government has more than doubled the maximum level of radiation to which these workers are allowed to be exposed clearly indicates a shortage of manpower.

More should be done to figure out ways to support the ongoing fight to forestall a full-blown meltdown.

An operational headquarters to command the battle has been established within the head office of the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. The headquarters, led by Prime Minister Naoto Kan, should ensure effective integrated efforts by the government and the company to deal with this crisis.

The front-line of the battle, of course, must be manned by experts from TEPCO, which knows the ins and outs of the nuclear power plant.

But more cooperation from other electric power companies should be sought.

Already, in response to requests from TEPCO, other power companies have dispatched their engineers along with such equipment as power generation vehicles and chemical fire engines.

If necessary, TEPCO should seek more aid and support from other power utilities.

All companies in the industry must have technologies and expertise useful for measures to deal with the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, such as setting up a transmission line to the facility, which has been cut off from power since the devastating quake struck on Friday.

Some engineers have expressed their wish to offer their knowledge and experience to solve the crisis.

Note: The editorial is an updated version of an article written before the Self-Defense Forces' helicopters dumped water on the No. 3 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

TEPCO should also seek help from a wide range of business and other organizations to deal with this national crisis, including companies in other industries, like transportation firms, let alone manufacturers with plant building technology.

What is vital for such cooperation is effective sharing of information.

The Self-Defense Forces has been supporting the operation to cool down the reactors in response to TEPCO's request. But four SDF personnel were injured in an explosion at the No. 3 reactor at the facility.

This has created suspicions within the SDF that TEPCO may not be disclosing all relevant information.

The SDF is expected to play an important role in the efforts to avert the worst by carrying out the tough mission of pouring water into the No. 3 reactor from helicopters. It conducted the mission Thursday.

As various organizations join forces to carry out the dangerous work by using their technologies and expertise, it will become much more important than now to ensure that important information will be shared among all parties involved.

Organizations like the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan and the Atomic Energy Society of Japan should also be asked to provide their intellectual resources for the battle.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 17