Thursday Morning Update

From NEI’s Japan Earthquake launch page:

UPDATE AS OF 9:30 A.M. EDT, MARCH 24:

Two workers were hospitalized for radiation exposure Thursday, even as Tokyo Electric Power continued to make progress in stabilizing reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Three workers received radiation exposure of 17 to 18 rem from standing in contaminated water while laying cable in the reactor 3 turbine building, TEPCO said. One of the workers did not require hospitalization. The exposures were less than the 25 rem emergency dose limit established by the Japanese government.

External electric power was restored to reactor 1 and lights were on in the control room. Lighting was restored to the reactor 3 control room Wednesday. Electric power also has been connected to some of the instruments in all reactors except unit 3. While external electricity is available at all six units, it is not in wide use as workers inspect and repair cooling equipment before it can be energized. Reactors 5 and 6 have been safely shut down with cooling systems running on offsite power.

Seawater is being injected to cool the cores of reactors 1, 2 and 3. Workers continue to spray water into the spent fuel pools of reactors 3 and 4.

In Tokyo, the level of radioactive iodine in tap water has dropped to within safety limits Thursday. Yesterday, the Japanese government had advised against giving tap water to infants under one year old.

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