PAGASA: LPA near Japan saves PHL from radiation

A low-pressure area (LPA) near Japan may save the Philippines from any radiation from a quake-crippled nuclear power plant there, state weather forecasters said on Monday. Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather bureau chief Robert Sawi said winds from Japan are also going eastward, away from the Philippines. "Ang high-pressure area at low-pressure area na dumadaan sa nasabing lugar, yan ang pinaka-savior natin. Sa ngayon may dumadaan na low-pressure area sa Japan. So most likely yan ang magdadala ng hangin papalayo sa ating bansa," Sawi said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (The high-pressure area and the low-pressure area that are passing through the said area, those are what will save us. Fears of radiation reaching the Philippines from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan have persisted since a magnitude-9 quake and tsunami damaged the plant on March 11. However, Sawi said there is very little chance for such a scenario. He said their trajectory models still indicate that the winds would bring the radiation toward the Pacific, toward Russia and the west coast of the United States. "Talagang pinanindigan pa rin natin ang una nating pronouncement napakaliit ng chance mapunta sa atin ang fallout na yan ... Base sa ating monitoring dahil sa PAGASA, hangin ang ating mino-monitor, ang hangin ay papunta sa Pacific at medyo palayo sa atin ang nasabing radiation effect," he said. "In case may bagyo mabubuo sa Pacific, still papalayo ito. Napakalayo ng Japan sa ating lugar ," he added. Positive developments Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Commission noted "positive developments" on the Fukushima nuclear emergency but said the situation remains "very serious." "There have been some positive developments in the last 24 hours, but the overall situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains very serious," said Graham Andrew, Special Adviser to the IAEA Director General on Scientific and Technical Affairs, said Sunday night (Manila time). Andrew confirmed measurements indicating that in some areas, Iodine-131 in milk and in freshly grown leafy vegetables, such as spinach and spring onions, "is significantly above the levels set by Japan for restricting consumption of these food products." He said efforts to restore electrical power to the site continue even as off-site electrical power had been connected to the local substation for Unit 2 Sunday. Work is continuing under difficult conditions to connect power from the substation to the reactor building, he said. Andrew said seawater is still being injected into the reactor pressure vessels of Units 1, 2 and 3, while water injection is not needed for Unit 4 as the reactor is in outage. "White smoke or vapour from Unit 3 is still being observed, but it is less intense than on previous days. Spraying of the reactor building with water is in progress. Following an initial rise in pressure in the Unit 3 reactor pressure vessel, plans were made to vent the vessel should it become necessary. However, from information recently provided by NISA they have decided not to vent as the vessel pressure has started to reduce," he said. Andrew said the situation in the reactor spent fuel pools is relatively stable, but is still of concern. He said spraying of water into the pool of Unit 4 started Sunday, even as the IAEA still lacks data on water levels and temperatures at the spent fuel pools at Units 1, 2, 3 and 4. Andrew said a positive development is that cooling has been restored to the reactor pressure vessels in Units 5 and 6. He said temperatures in the spent fuel pools at these two units, which had been rising in the last few days, have now fallen significantly to around 40 degrees Celsius from a maximum of about 69 degrees Saturday. Two diesel generators, one for each Unit, are providing electricity. Also, he said radiation levels in major Japanese cities have not changed significantly since Saturday and remain below those which are dangerous to human health. The IAEA radiation monitoring team took additional measurements yesterday between Tokyo and locations up to 150 km from the Fukushima site. Dose rates were typically a few microsieverts per hour compared to a typical background level of around 0.1 microsieverts per hour. From the measurements taken within the exclusion zone, no significant alpha radiation has been detected so far. An IAEA monitoring team indicated contamination on the ground at a location 50 to 70 km from the Fukushima site. Grass and other samples have also been taken by the team from various locations in the Fukushima Prefecture for analysis. "In the coming days, the IAEA monitoring team plans to take measurements at the same locations monitored by the Japanese authorities. This will assist in the validation of measurements. The IAEA is sending additional monitoring experts to Japan to supplement its capabilities in the field," Andrew said. – VVP, GMA News