in the meantime, 70,000 people have been evacuated from an area within 12 miles of the dai-ichi plant and 140,000 more living within 120 miles of the facility have been told to stay inside. japan has imposed a no-fly zone over that area for commercial air traffic. the white house, meanwhile, says the u.s. is not calling on americans to leave tokyo because of radiation concerns. and u.s. officials say it's unlikely dangerous levels of radiation will reach hawaii or the u.s. mainland. we have extensive coverage of the disaster in japan beginning with harry smith on the nuclear crisis. >> reporter: after a day of sharp spikes, radiation levels at the earthquake stricken fukushima dai-ichi nuclear plant are said to be falling. but this morning there are reports of a new fire at the plant. people throughout japan are on edge. >> ( translated ): they say we are safe but it makes me wonder. it is really safe? >> reporter: japan's prime minister, naoto kan, tried to reassure his country but he said more radiation leaks are likely and ordered those in the danger zone to seal themselves indoors

the outer casing of dai-ichi's first reactor exploded saturday, but it's now dai-ichi's third reactor that poses the biggest danger. but officials say a problem at any of the reactors could set off a disastrous chain of events. >> there is still a possibility of explosion, says cabinet secretary yukio edano. while the picture painted is frightening, for many on the ground this blunt talk is a welcome break from the often conflicting information put out by agencies since the quake hit. they also seem to have no clear idea of how many people have been affected by the radiation, while reassuring people the radiation is not life threatening. >> "we were frightened, but the radiation turned out to be nothing to worry about," says this father visiting an evacuation center. others are more nervous. while the nuclear disaster dominates headlines, they'll do anything to get away. three days have passed since the nuclear plant was first damaged in the quake. its decline has led to growing anxiety, culminating in a three- hour wait to leave the area. while nearly 200,000 people have been evacuat

fire trucks sprayed water on reactor 3 at the fukushima dai- ichi. they raised the threat level to a level 5. it's believed reactor four may have a crack in its floor. that would make it more difficult to refill the coolant pool and the first hint of radiation turned up in sacramento. it was detected by equipment used to enforce the united united nation's test band. it was a billion times below the level of a health hazard. no other traces have shown up. >>> in tonight's edlines. talk aimed at moammar gadhafi from president obama saying the cease fire there must begin immediately. the u.n. security counsel authorized a no-fly zone yesterday. tomorrow leaders will hold an emergency meeting and military action in libya could begin within hours. >>> in yemen, snipers on rooftops opened fire on protesters in the capital. 46 people were killed, including children. the shootings represent a escalation in the crack down against the protesters. who want the president to stop down. >>> if the moon looks larger and brighter this weekend, there is a reason. it

. >> crews are working around the clock at the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant. the crews are working to reconnect electricity to the cooling system to cool the rods. other crews are spraying and dumping water on the nuclear few. smoke can be seen from building number 2 right now. the cause is not known but a explosion hit the building on tuesday. it is possible the cooling chamber is damaged. low levels of radiation have been detected beyond tokyo, which is 140 miles south of the nuclear power plant. u.s. is warning americans to leave the country and the government is offering voluntary evacuations. today president obama spoke about the situation in japan. this is video of president obama visiting the japanese embassy. the president wrote a message of condolences. he told americans not to worry about a nuclear plume causing damage in the u.s. >> we do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the united states, west coast, hyor alaska or u.s. territoryies. we do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the west coast, hawaii, alaska or u.s. teratoyy

authorities say radiation levels at the dai-ichi complex are under the legal limit but the u.s.s. "ronald reagan's" crew tells a sobering story. 17 were exposed to a month's worth of radiation during a one- hour search-and-rescue mission and had to undergo decontamination, though none were exposed to levels that would have made them sick. the entire carrier detected elevated radiation levels while stationed 100 miles away and since moved off to another area. before today's blast, those inside a 12-mile radius of the complex were told to stay indoors to avoid contamination, though few remained. instead, is it's a pass through point for many evacuees. this town located outside the evacuation zone has become home with a massive one-way traffic jam with all the vehicles headed north-- away from the faulty reactors. >> reporter: some are the option to escape, others have a duty to stay despite fears of a nuclear meltdown. japanese defenses for forces stationed in fukushima have been worked around the clock, delivering supplies to quake zone evacuees and monitoring damage inside the zon

these are the latest aerial images of the fukushima dai- ichi plant. they are continuing efforts to cool rods while a local power company is trying to restore electricity by cooling pumps. here's more. >> reporter: japanese officials say they will keep trying to cool reactor number 3 at the fukushima dai-ichi attempt even though little has been done. >> translator: in order to start the cooling, we've asked for water-drop operations and the spraying of water from the ground. >> reporter: engineers began looking at ways to get the power back on. officials hope the power is restored -- once the power is restored to the plant, the power will come back on. >> translator: the top priority is to cool down the storage fuel for number 4, number 4 units. >> reporter: meanwhile, several countries are urging their citizens to move across -- across from the area, about 50 miles from the nuclear plant, further than the 12 miles relative humiditied by japanese officials. u.s. government is going to provide japan with a drone and the idea is to give the japanese gove

reporter: this new video released today gives the clearest picture yet of the stricken fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant. >> what we're seeing is that the damage from the fires is very significant. >> reporter: today, japanese military helicopters with protective led-lined cockpits dumped water on reactor three, attempting to cool the nuclear fuel rods. but much of the water appeared to disperse in the wind. police and firefighters also brought in water cannons to douse the reactor but had to pull back after less than an hour when radiation levels became too high. reactors two and three have breaches in the containment vessel surrounding their molten nuclear cores. however, concern today focused on the spent fuel rods at unit three which, unless covered in water, could catch fire and spew radiation. officials now say the rods are almost completely exposed and are made up of a particularly harmful combination of uranium and plutonium called mox. >> it's very toxic. if you inhale plutonium or ingest it, it goes down into the body and it is the most powerful emitter of radioactivity ins

---la crisis en los reactores nucleares de la planta "dai-ichi" en la prefectura de "fukushima" contiÚa de cÍtica en estos momentos debido a un incendio en una de las vasijas de contencÓn. ---por ahora no se conoce si las llamas provocaron una fuga de material radioactivo, pero Í se detectaron altos niveles de radiacÓn debido a un incendio ocurrido ayer en el sistema que controal la presÓn de los reactores. ---sin tratar de causar Á nico, las autoridades le han pedido a unos 140-mil residentes que viven cerca de la central nuclear que se encierren en sus hogares, y sellen puertas y ventanas. ---tambÉn se han detectado niveles de radiacÓn elevados en tokio, a 170 millas de distancia, pero ahi el nivel de radiacion no representa un peligro. --aunque por ahora no ha ocurrido lo que los expertos conocen como una fusÓn nuclear en las plantas de energia atomica de jaÓn, este ya se considera el segundo peor accidente en la historia en su tipo. --y ahora hay temores de que algo similar ocurra en california. --Ías antes del terremoto, 10 legisladores de california enviaron una carta al departame

electricity is reconnected to all six connectors at the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear plants. a magnitude six quake struck northeast japan about four hours ago and has not cost any more damage. cooling could take days or even weeks in more buyers could break out the also today authorities said more than nine dozen people are dead. almost 14,000 people are still missing as a result of the quake and tsunami 11 days ago. >>> chilblains touchdown at the air force base and ken pritchett talk to people on board -- two planes touchdown at the air force base. >> reporter: 250 people, mostly women and children stepped on u.s. soil this afternoon following a harrowing 11 days in japan. >> i was actually more concerned with the radiation than the earthquake. >> reporter: that was a common threads among the passengers who have some connection with the department of defense. this woman and her son lived 25 miles south of tokyo peachey says the quake was scary and the unknowns about radiation were just as bad. >> the wind and how the plane was coming. today there was a chance at a coming ov

. >>> in japan, workers were evacuated for several hours at the fukushima dai-ichi plant. repairs on the cooling system will take 2-3 more days. were the delay comes as an official -- word comes as an official says the plan appears to be stabilizing be the official death toll hovers around 8600 people were 13,000 still missing. >>> a top official says japan's earthquake warning system likely save thousands of lives. the system can send a text or broadcast a warning as a quake hits that can reach people many miles away. the alert can give students enough time to get under desks. for more coverage of the quake, aftermath, and what is happening in napa, click the tab on our homepage at ktvu.com. >>> a san jose priest is on indefinite leave tonight after being accused of abuse. he is an associate pastor at saint cecilia's. pastors stumbled upon indications of an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old girl in the 19 70s when he was a sign to the church of the epiphany. the father has denied any misconduct and has served at several other parishes. >>> police have released

. -- at the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant in japan. high levels of radiation were also discovered in sea water off shore from the plant. as we told you, uc berkeley researchers who are monitoring found increased radiation and have been testing rain water and right now testing tap water. early testing on milk says increased radiation will not be harmful. >> smaller than the radioactive we find normally in milk. >> the human body is slightly radioactive. >>> in sacramento a committee approved a bill requiring online retailers to collect sales tax from buyers in california. it bill will increase state revenues. opponentsthog bill will put thousands of californians out of work. amazon and overstalk threatened to cut ties if the bill passes. >>> ebay agreed to buy gsi commerce. gsi provides interactive marketing services to companies. >>> the dow lost 23 points today. the nasdaq dropped 12. >> the tough questions pg&e faced about its lapses in safety records. >>> first look inside the fourth bore of the tunnel. >>> drying out and warming up

a partial meltdown is underway at unit number 3 inside the fukushima dai-ichi complex.n friday, unit number 1 exploded when they tried to avoid a fuel nuclear meltdown. that blast destroyed the house for a nuclear reactor, but not the reactor itself. >> although the air does contain some minimal reactive material, we believe it's a minimum level that does not affect human health. >> here in the bay area, people in the local japanese area are still awaiting word from their loved ones. >> reporter: fundraising efforts for disaster relief aid for the earthquake victims are well underway here in san francisco's japan town. this building, where we're standing is one of the first places in the neighborhood that started accepting donations. you can see the japanese cultural center of northern california has a banner up, letting people passing by, people in the neighborhood know that they can donate here. we have a list of organizations on our website, ktvu.com. the number of people reported dead, and the number of people still missing in japan continues to rise. meanwhile, her

. >> government and experts are considering but these four buildings at the fukushima-dai- ichi plant to stop the spread of the substances. >> a they will spray it with a synthetic resin to try to prevent radioactive dust from being blown away or being watched to see. in a refugee center outside of tokyo, the emperor and others visited the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. many of them have been holed up here for three weeks now and have stories to tell. >> happen all right, do these new containment measures hold up the prospect of containing the radiation at fukushima. i put that question earlier to a correspondent who joined us in north east japan. pitt -- " >> well, they are still trying to figure out what to do with contaminated water. the contamination levels exceed 3500 times the legal limit today. the president has been hospitalized in tokyo for fatigue and dizzy spells, and he was last seen in public the day after the tsunami, so it seems that there is some disorder within the country. also, we have been hearing about the car -- harsh conditions, some sleeping in stairw

found the abnormal levels of radiation in spinach and milk taken from farms near the fukashima dai-ichi power plant. more tests are now being done on other foods. if further radiation is detected, japanese officials say shipments of food from the area will be stopped. radioactive iodine is detected in the drinking water, as emergency crews continue and try to cool the reactors at the fukashima plant. >>> closer to home, california health officials say they will start screening milk produced in state for any signs of radiation. the freer is grass-eating cows could transmit radiation to their milk. health officials admit the tests are just a precaution. >>> radiation from the damaged plan in japan has now reached california. but experts continue to say there is no threat to the public. the environmental protection agency is keeping track of the radiation with a dozen different sites across the state, including one in san francisco. that is the machine on the roof of a building that monitors the air 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. officials say right now the radiation in the air is at a nor

coming up later for you -- more fears that the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear plant is raising radiation levels in the sea surrounding it. and a man undergoes a full face transplant. hello. colonel gaddafi's government in libya is telling reporters that foreign attacks that killed many people at ports and at the airport, which it describes as the series -- as a civilian airport. the government also says the last rebel stronghold in the west of the country has fallen to gaddafi loyalists. earlier, gaddafi troops were accused of firing on civilians. there is no doubt that a third night of bombardment is under way. this is the scene in the capitol. attacks on the first two nights were at a series of libyan targets, including colonel gaddafi's compound. but coalition leaders including president obama insisted the mission is not regime change. >> already in the war has come to the heart of the gaddafi's regime, to his own compound. we heard the hard, metallic flood of the missile strike as anti-aircraft firebreak the sky. in the low rumble of the explosion. it turned be building to rubble. --

12 de estos aparatos han detectado rastros de iÓtopos radioactivos que provienen de la planta "dai ichilpeo a japon el 11 de marzo. ---la radiacion se detecto en alaska, california, guam, hawaii, idaho, nevada y el estado de washington... tambien se encontraron niveles minusculos de "yodo 131" en sacramento, y en partes de carolina del norte, carolina del sur y florida. -- las autoridades mexicanas reforzaron sus medidas sanitarias ante un nuevo brote de la influenza h1-n1 en el estado fronterizo de chihuahua, donde se han confirmado cuatro muertes.-- sin embargo, los funcionarios de salud descartaron que el brote vaya a ser tan grave como el del 2009.-- luis escalera tiene Ás. ---el ex presidente de honduras, "manuel zelaya", ya puede volver al pais.---el juez "oscar chinchilla" anulo las Órdenes de captura en su contra, mismas que fueron emitidas despÉs de su derrocamiento por los delitos de falsificacÓn de documentos Úblicos, abuso de autoridad y fraude en perjuicio de la fe Ública y la administracÓn Ública. ---sin embargo, el ex mandatario todavia enfrenta dos procesos judiciales ba

. >>> operators say it should only be about a day to bring the fukushiima dai-ichi under reactor. smoke rose from two of the units, causing workers to evacuate. japanese are urging calm as they continue to investigate. >>> for the most part, tsunami survivors appear to be getting the bay civics. food, water and medical attention. most are keeping warm an code -- and keeping warm in in emergency shelters. many shelters have run out of medication for diabetes and high blood pressure. temporary housing is beginning to go up for the hundreds of thousands of people who lost their homes in that disaster. >>> it's been ten days since the tsunami quit santa cruz harbor. the crews pulled up what are believed to be the final two sailboats. one of them belonged to this woman's husband. she said it was heartbreaking to watch it be crushed an then be dumped. >> it wasn't a valuable boat. it meant so much to him. it meant the world to him. >> crews also used sonar equipment today to check for any debris. they expect to complete their survey of the harbor by tomorrow. >>> to the north now, the d

. >> government and experts are considering but thesefour buildings at the fukushima-dai- ichi plant to stop the spread of the substances. >> a they will spray it with a synthetic resin to try to prevent radioactive dust from being blown away or being watched to see. in a refugee center outside of tokyo, the emperor and others visited the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. many of them have been holed up here for three weeks now and have stories to tell. >> happen all right, do these new containment measures hold up the prospect of containing the radiation at fukushima. i put that question earlier to a correspondent who joined us in north east japan. pitt -- " >> well, they are still trying to figure out what to do with contaminated water. the contamination levels exceed 3500 times the legal limit today. the president has been hospitalized in tokyo for fatigue and dizzy spells, and he was last seen in public the day after the tsunami, so it seems that there is some disorder within the country. also, we have been hearing about the car -- harsh conditions, some sleeping in stairw

seawater near japan's fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant measured the highest radiation levels since tsunami crippled the plant nearly three weeks ago. seawater samples 300 yards away from the plant contained more than 3,300 times the legal limit for radioactive iodine. a nuclear official in tokyo voiced concern, but said it doesn't pose an iediate threat to public health. >> ( translated ): the readings are now higher, so we need to be vigilant and we have to make efforts to prevent any further leakage into the sea. but these numbers are in the same order of four digits as previous readings, and as i have said before, and have confirmed with the japan atomic energy commission, the area within 20 kilometers of the fukushima dai- ichi nuclear reactor has been evacuated and there is no fishing going on there. therefore it is unlikely to affect residents in the vicinity. >> sreenivasan: also today officials from tokyo electric power company publicly acknowledged for the first time that four of the plant's six reactors will be totally written off. the cost of decommissioning just one rea

europe's energy chief said japan's dai-ichi nuclear plant was "effectively out of control." the u.s. energy secretary said there was a "partial meltdown" there. additionally, americans within 50 miles of the area were urged to evacuate. >> susie: and tom, those warnings spooked u.s. stock investors, sending the major averages down sharply. but stocks rebounded slightly on word electric power may soon be restored to the crippled nuclear plant, preventing a full meltdown. looking at the numbers, the dow tumbled 242 points, the nasdaq fell 50 and the s&p 500 lost 25. joining us now, mohamed el-erian, c.e.o. and co- chief investment officer of pimco, the world's largest bond fund manager. hi, mohamed. >> hi, susie. >> susie: looks like the most serious question today is how bad is this nuclear situation in japan and what does it mean for japan and for us in the united states? >> that is a major question and a major uncertainty, susie, that's why the markets are so nervous. no one knows how bad it can get. everybody knows that there's a range of outcomes, and what the markets are

readings 10 million times higher than normal sent emergency workers scrambling from the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear plant on sunday. a correction soon followed as did the inevitable apology. >> i'm sorry for causing so much alarm. the number was wrong, this official says. the real reading is still high. 100,000 times higher than normal. and came from a pool of water in unit two. two workers had to be hospitalized on thursday for burns after stepping in similar pools of contaminated water. those pools are a problem in four of the complex's six reactors. primarily because no one knows what's causing them. top government officials suspect the seepage is from a cracked reactor core in one of the units. the prospects are not improving in a straight line and we've expected twists and turns chief cabinet secretary yukio edano says. the contaminated water is one of them. safety officials had planned to puferp the contaminated water to holding tanks inside the reactor but they are full. and until the radioactive water is removed from the plant's floor, workers cannot run new electric cables that are

in japan, engineers at the foot fishing the dai-ichi power plant lay new power plants that should be keeping the core cool. -- engineers at the fukishima power plant late new power lines to keep the for cool. the u.n. security council has approved a resolution for the creation of a no-fly zone to protect civilians in libya from attacks by colonel gaddafi's forces. the resolution calls for all necessary measures but it rules out the use of foreign ground troops. there were five abstentions including china and russia. french officials have said that military action could begin within hours although britain has cautioned against that suggestion. >> there was no opposition to the plan that britain, france, and lebanon had presented. significantly, both russia and china were among the five countries to abstain. afterwards, britain made clear why the government felt they had to act. >> the world should not stand by and accept gaddafi promised brutality against his own people. this is an expression of the resolve. this is a resolve by the arab league last weekend and measures to protect and

. >> reporter: helicopters carrying water buckles hovered over the fukushima dai-ichi power plant. the cabinet secretary says the problems are not simple enough to be fixed by water duchess. another fire and high radiation levels temporarily forced crews to leave the complex wednesday morning. but they were ordered to return several hours later. about 50 workers have been trying to cool fuel rods to prevent a nuclear meltdown. earlier in the day white smoke was seen rising from one of the reactors. thousands of worried residents are fleeing frustrated with the lack of information. >> it's very traumatic and the main thing is we don't know what to do. >> reporter: the united nations and the u.s. government have both sent teams of experts to japan to deal with the nuclear crisis. more than 90 governments are also providing humanitarian assistance. but hard-hit villages are getting snow and temperatures are below freezing. shelters are filled to capacity with the homeless. >> i have been here for five days. it's holding 1,000 to 2,000 people, all the schools turned into evacuation cen

radiation at the dai-ichi plant in fukushima got so high today they were forced to leave temporarily, but now they're back on the job. japan has raised the maximum radiation dose allowed for nuclear workers so they can deal with the crisis, but the head of the u.s. nuclear regulatory commission told congress today the doses those workers could be exposed to are potentially lethal in a short period of time. it's nearly six days now since the earthquake and tsunami killed at least 4,300 people and damaged the nuclear reactors. today, u.s. officials told americans within 50 miles of the plant to evacuate the area or stay indoors. that is two and a half times as wide as the danger zone established by the japanese. harry smith begins tonight's coverage of the disaster in japan. >> reporter: in a sign of how grave japan's crisis has become, the emperor, akihito, made an unprecedented television address, acknowledging that he is deeply worried, urging his subjects not to give up. it did little to calm a country increasingly distrustful, given the wave of conflicting reports and mixed message

. >> japan's nuclear reactors at fukashima dai-ichi continue this week to produce dangerous levels of railed agrees. exposed nuclear fuel rods emit radiation unless they are submerged. so workers are trying to contain the radiation by covering the expose ode fuel rods with water. japan's nuclear crisis has renewed a debate in the u.s. over what to do with spent nuclear fuel rods. currently, 145 million pounds every spent fuel is stored at 77 locations in the u.s., and 44 million pounds of additional spent fuel is added every year. this spent fuel is stored in tanks and most of the tanks are located right next to the nuclear reactors. the regulatory commission says that the system dealing with spent nuclear fuel is okay. >> right now we believe that spent fuel certainly can be stored safely and securely with the existing system. >> many americans want a single repository in a far-away place for the rods to be housed. but three decades the u.s. congress funded research on what to do with the rods. $13.5billion was spent on research. repeat, $13.5 billion on research! one burial site was

that causes a large explosion as we saw yesterday whether the radiation is coming from fukushima dai ichi reactor number one or number three or more locally it is a very important question to solve i would hazard to guess that it is coming from fukushima daiichi number one now there are different types of radiation being released into the atmosphere a good news is that a lot of the steam which exclaimed in the explosion from reactor number one building yesterday is relatively light isotopes these isotopes cannot really cause the long term damage to human health a more serious problem is that they have also detected isotopes of iodine and cesium in the area around the fukushima explosion or these are much heavier isotopes and that means that if they get into the human body or if they get into the soil with water supply they can cause long term radiation poisoning. all right the second reactor blast at a nuclear plant did not damage the reactors contain there were reports from japan saying the possibility of radioactive release remains low and eleven were hurt with those earlier missing all

burned spent fuel rods containing radioactive material inside the fourth reactor at fukushima dai-ichi nuclear plant located in one of the hardest hit areas. more than 200,000 people within a 20-kilometer radius of plant have been evacuated. and within 30 kilometers away they have been warned to not go outdoors. just 50 workers remain at the plant to carry out crucial cooling work. soul nuclear experts say the -- some nuclear experts say the situation may be too dangerous. >> you're accumulating now at rates where it's going to start impacting even the workers i think over a prolong period. >> reporter: also today a reported 5.8 to 6.0 earthquake aftershock hit an area. while it wasn't in danger of a tsunami, there are other concerns. >> those areas that have strong jolts, there is a high possibility of a landslide. >> the nuclear crisis in japan has touched off a scramble for potassium iodide in the bay area. the pills can prevent some radiation damage but there are mixed messages tonight on their usage. the u.s. surgeon general on a bay area tour suggested that it would be a good ide

crews at the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant were able to run power lines to all six reactor units. after running tests, the next step is to fire up the cooling system to the reactors, which have been overheating. concerns about contamination are spreading as traces of radiation are found in food and sea water. meanwhile, the vice chairman of japan's electric company visited a shelter to apologize to homeless fukushima residents. >>> and the u.s. military is considering whether to pull all of its servicemembers and their families from areas threat and by radiation. this morning, hundreds of military family members who voluntarily evacuated from japan arrived at travis air force base. the flights were arranged by the defense department. most of the parents and children have frightening memories of the quake. >> everybody was falling over. it was that strong. it was just -- it felt like the earth was ending. >> the military will continue these voluntary evactuations as long as needed. other evacuee flights have been arriving in seattle since saturday. >>> coming up, lots of barking o

. >> reporter: a dangerous spike in radiation levels forced workers out of the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant. but a short time later officials say the levels came back down and the operation resumed. crews have been desperately trying to cool the reactors since last week's earthquake and tsunami damaged the plant but a string of explosions and fires have made that job much more difficult. just yesterday, smoke billowed from one reactor after a blaze broke out. japanese officials insist there is no reason to panic but some residents aren't so sure. >> they say we are safe but it makes me wonder, is it really. >> reporter: here in tag sake less than 150 miles west of the nuclear plant people are going on with their lives but like many in their area, people wonder about the amount of radiation and where it's headed. in tokyo where low levels of radiation were detected, store shelves were wiped out after people stocked up. >> no water, no food. >> reporter: japan is fighting disaster on so many fronts. the earthquake, tsunami and humanitarian crisis, the growing nuclear nightmare and

for relatively small scale disaster as i mentioned only one out of a six reactors at fukushima dai ichi seems to have exploded or not the reactor itself or the building around it yes of course depending on the prevailing winds and the road and the sea conditions that radiation will be carried elsewhere in the worlds. i don't want to speculate without having more facts but i would personally like to be cautiously optimistic that given the nature of this reactor given the fact that it is a light water boiling water reactor cooled only by water without this radioactive material we don't know. it either not carried too far or that the effects of that damage will be will be contained and this from not be a situation comparable to charitable when radioactive dust clouds reached europe north america and japan is that the cost of it was me that say three tectonic plates it's definitely prone to earthquakes and you have a nuclear power plants for my first question is can it has been decided it's been designed to withstand such quakes and the second question is is the risk is that such a great ri

earthquake and tsunami and now new radiation leaks have been found in and around the fukushima dai-ichi plant. from tokyo, here's lucy craft. >> reporter: workers are scrambling after the discovery of more highly radioactive water around the fukushima nuclear plant. the pools of water must be drained to prevent further contamination of groundwater and sea water. meanwhile, soil samples around the plant have turned up trace amounts of plutonium used in reactor number three. however, officials insist the plutonium did not pose a health threat. in fact, some of it is decades old residue from nuclear weapons testing. the latest setbacks are fueling a collapse of confidence in the government's handling of the nuclear crisis, a scenario familiar to dr. robert gale, a leading authority on radiation accidents. >> i think that people don't... they don't necessarily trust... they certainly don't trust people from the company. they know that people from the government are really just reading out data they're given. it's not reasonable to expect a politician to have a fundamental understanding of r

russia that is if the wind doesn't change direction after radiation levels spiked at fukushima dai ichi nuclear watch at seventeen our weather stations across russia is to have been constantly carrying out checks we're now in the city of that is russia's largest for a city on the pacific ocean this city is only a part hundred seventy miles away from local residents are taking new chances. on top of official records are also more new story radiation levels on the road from the current situation many to go ahead and take their safety in their own hands that's why i'm buying the scones to watch your diet has been sold out at pharmacies across the city of lady bus stop and the cheapest geiger counter costs as much as seven hundred dollars but especially say it's not enough to just because that's a device you also need to be taught how to use it properly. this device to text gamma rays and x. rays and she also has an additional radiation detector the biggest problem in japan right now is the radiation dose in the air with this divorce you can detect the level of radiation on your clothes whe

atop the reactor containment so they're on the roof and right now the rooftop pools fukushima dai ichi one and three are looking to the surface of the pool with all this waste is looking up at the stars well actually they're looking up at the rising sun because it is morning there but you know if the accident as the accident continues to unfold certainly the the scope of the catastrophe could be international with no question we're particularly concerned though about unit three because it's powered by a plutonium oxide core box we like to call it pox rather than marks but it is in fact plutonium or oxide and if this start it has a lower melting temperature for one thing but if it goes certainly we should be having monitoring stations all in california tony and is the most toxic substance on earth one single atom of plutonium in your body can theoretically cause cancer i remember years ago talking to john gottman. back in the early seventy's i knew one of my he was that a brilliant man and he said. one ounce of plutonium is properly distributed which would be almost impossible to kill e

control of nuclear weapons materials in that country in light of the largest radiation detection at the ichi plant japan is dealing with what may well turn out to be one of the worst nuclear crises on record to share his expertise on that and that whole spectrum of situations mr alvarez joins me here in the studio robert alvarez welcome to the program thank you for having me on your show thanks for joining us you know people who have done things as consequential as you have in your life were really just popped out of nowhere i'm curious how did you get on this career path what brought you through to this one. well i mean you weren't bacteria facts were were cracked words. before i. joined in some for policy studies about eight years ago i was a senior policy adviser to the secretary of energy and i did that or six years and while at the energy department as you noted i you know did a lot of did several things to including. going to north korea and trying to secure the spent fuel there. was also involved in and strategic management of nuclear materials for the department. worker compensation

frightening discovery at japan's nuclear power plant, plutonium has been found at the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant. this could mean a turn for the worst. >> it has gotten out, either in the water or from a reactor core breach. it's not a good development. >> officials say water in a tunnel near the plant was found to contain radiation at 100,000 times normal levels. high levels were also discovered in sea water. the list of u.s. states reporting race amounts are growing with maryland and south carolina on the list. we should make it clear, that experts say the levels are so small they pose no threat. coming up, the latest on the impact here in the bay area. >> several genotype from a sworm of minor earthquakes. four earthquake struck near the geysers. according to the usgs the smallest was 1.0. no reports of injuries or damage. >>> the california public utilities commission held a hearing today to see if pg&e was in contempt. pg&e officials testified why they should not be held in contempt. if they vote to hold pg&e in contempt it agreed to a $3 million fine right away and anot

france ten years ago and only in the last hours we heard confirmation that unit two at fukushima dai ichi is also most suffering a cold feeling so we have three reactors on a site with six reactors half of them are effectively now scrapped and the question is what is happening to the fuel how much of it is malton or melted and it's continued to melt the japanese government recently in the last two hours have said these things going on the state is they're working on the basis that some of the fuel is continuing to melt and as you know the reporting that they're comping in seawater no into three of those reactors so that's a crisis at fukushima put her to just what i will let let let let's take off for a minute then just trying. for a second you know they're also telling us that the containment structure in reactor one where there seems to be the biggest problem the ongoing problem is still intact so that therefore means there's been no major nuclear incident there's no. there's several layers of containment the so-called. dry will continue and that's the outer structure but clearly a sect

last 30 minutes we've learned that smoke is now rising from reactor number 2 at the fukushima dai-ichy in japan. earlier this 0 morning -- early this morning, smoke started to react from number p -- from number 3. the smoke is a sign that overheaters are reacting. officials spent all weekend trying to keep the reactors cool by spraying sea water on them. and they are urging not to overreact to the radiation turning up in vegetables and some water supplies. >>> we have video of an 80-year- old woman and her 16-year-old grand son being rescued -- grandson being rescued. both were conscious but weak. they survived on the food in their refrigerator. is officials estimate the death toll will now exceed 18,000. it could take five years for japan to recover. >>> 7:18. today, the california senate holds a hearing about the lessons california can learn from california's quake and tsunami. this is part of tsunami and awareness and preparedness week. the hearing will focus on the safety of the nuclear power plants and natural gas pipelines. now, representatives from the san onofre and diablo plan

plutonium was detected at several spots outside the fukushima dai-ichi power plant, the first confirmedusly radioactive substance. officials said the traces of plutonium posed no immediate threat to public health. it can cause long-term damage and may be carcinogenic. the death toll has topped 11,000. the nuclear emergency highlights what is the medical-. few treatments are for radiation. there are newer developments including rapid testing that could spot doses with merely up in your part of blood and an injunction that has saved monkeys. >> mark: latest on the refinery [ male announcer ] hey michelle, whatcha doin'? i'm serving delicious athenos hummus to my friends. i've got -- [ male announcer ] that's great. let's see what yiayia thinks! you dress like a prostitute. did she just call me a pros-- [ male announcer ] noooo, yiayia would never do -- prostitute. [ male announcer ] never mind that, michelle. at least yiayia approves of you serving athenos hummus. mmmmmm! because only athenos is made the greek way, with 100% olive oil. athenos. maybe the only thing approved by yiayia. [ w