by johnk
Monday, Mar. 21, 2011 at 9:18 PM
There are news broadcasts on 18.2.
The news on channel 18.2 is mostly about the nuclear disaster. The broadcasts are in a mixture of Japanese and English.
Take the news with a grain of salt, as much of it is from NHK, the government news source.
Important to note is the distance of the reports from the power plant. Many of the stories seem to be in Tokyo, which is far from the nuclear disaster. What matters most is the radiation levels near the plant, and the condition of the plants.
Additionally, it's important to note that it was reported earlier that some plutonium was in use at the plant and stored in the nuclear waste. While cesium and iodine have relatively short half-lives, plutonium outlasts everything.
There's nothing reported about plutonium released into the environment, but I think there's a risk.
What has been reported is that some areas have seen snowfall, which is unusual for March. This is another hardship for an area already struck by a quake and tsunami, and possible radioactive risks.