Despite the recent explosion at the Japanese atomic power station “Fukusima-1”, the radiation background’s level in the Russian Far East is within the norm – from 10 to 17 microrentgens per hour (the maximum allowed level is 30 microrentgens per hour). At present, the local meteorological services are watching the situation with doubled attention and constantly reporting to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
A spokesperson for the Primorye region’s meteorological service Varvara Koridze says:
“Weathermen are predicting that in the nearest 24 hours, atmospheric fronts will move from Primorye towards Japan, not vice versa. I assure that we’re keeping a close watch on the situation. After the explosion, 32 meteorological stations of the Primorye region are measuring the radiation level every one hour.”
Russian experts also assure that the Japanese explosion cannot be even compared with the infamous Chernobyl event.
“At the Japanese atomic station, reactors are surrounded with water,” Deputy Director General of the company “Primtechnopolis” in Primorye Vitaly Aldanov says. “The station’s main buildings are protected with concrete covers, to minimize the emission of radiation in the case of an explosion.”
“The reactor may collide, the station’s active zones may fuse – still, even in this case, the radiation’s emission won’t be catastrophic. Unlike the Chernobyl reactor, the reactors at the Japanese station have no graphite delay mechanisms which can catch fire. There are only the nuclear fuel and water there. Water cannot burn, of course, and the nuclear fuel cannot go on fire by itself, even if the leaktighness is damaged.”
For the second day already, people in Primorye and on the Sakhalin Island have been bringing living flowers to Japanese consulates to commemorate the victims of the Japanese earthquake and leaving their commemorations in journals of memory. All over the Sakhalin Island, in churches, priests and people are praying to God to stop the disaster in Japan. One of the local mobile communication companies is offering free calls to the Russian embassy in Tokyo. Besides, in the city of Vladivostok, several posts have been opened from where people can phone for free to consulates’ workers who have satellite communication devices.
Meanwhile, in case of new calamities, the army in Primorye and Sakhalin is on combat alert. Medical workers are also ready to render first aid at any moment.