Afternoon Update

From NEI’s Japan Earthquake launch page:

UPDATE AS OF 2:30 PM EDT, MARCH 23:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has blocked the import of milk, milk products and fresh vegetables and fruits produced in areas surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. FDA is flagging all shipments from Japan to determine whether they originated from the affected area. The agency will test all food and feed shipments from areas near the plant.

Earlier, the Japanese government stopped the sale of raw milk, spinach and kakina (a local vegetable) from areas near the station.

Workers at the Daiichi site continue to inspect equipment to determine whether it can be connected to offsite power sources, which is now available from off-site sources at all six reactors. Off-site power has replaced the use of an emergency diesel generator to provide cooling to reactors 5 and 6, which had been shut down following the earthquake.

Seawater injection continues to cool reactors 1, 2 and 3, and seawater is being sprayed into the reactor 3 spent fuel pool. Water spray continues on the spent fuel pools at reactors 1, 3 and 4.
Radiation dose rates at the Daiichi site boundary continue to range from 1 to 3 millirem per hour.

NEI has also posted a new fact sheet, "Health Impacts of Iodine131."

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