Japan raises nuclear crisis to Chernobyl level

By Channel 4 News

The Fukushima incident is given the highest rating of 7, but the International Atomic Energy Agency says the amount of radiation at Chernobyl was 'far higher'.

Japan's decision to raise the severity level of its Fukushima nuclear accident to the highest notch of 7 does not mean it is comparable to Chernobyl, a senior IAEA official has said.

Denis Flory told a news conference: "This is a totally different accident." He said the amount of radiation released at Chernobyl in 1986 was far higher.

The World Health Organisation also said the risk to public health from the incident was no worse after a change in the disaster's status.

"Our public health assessment is the same today as it was yesterday," WHO spokesman Gergory Hartl said. "At the moment there is very little public health risk outside the 30-kilometre (evacuation) zone".

He said the higher severity rating was the result of combining the amounts of radiation leaking from three reactors and counting them as a single incident, he said.

On Tuesday, an official at Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency raised the Fukushima accident to a 7, the worst on the internationally recognised scale, due to the overall levels of radiation released into the air and sea.

As aftershocks continued to rock Japan, a major fire also broke out at the nuclear plant (pictured). Engineers managed to extinguish the blaze but its very existence is a blow to those hoping the reactors had been sufficiently cooled to avoid further problems.

Almost a month on from the earthquake and tsunami which devastated much of north east Japan and damaged the Fukushima plant, Japan also increased the evacuation zone around the plant in a sign of the severity of the accident.

As Japan struggles to contain the nuclear disaster, it is also still coping with the twin impact of 11 March earthquake and tsunami. Up to 28,000 people may have died, with 150,000 made homeless. The estimated cost stands at $300bn - the world's most expensive disaster.

Disaster still gathering pace 
Even whilst I was in the area around Fukushima three and a half weeks ago, the nuclear operators seemed vague, indistinct, even unwilling to admit what was actually happening, writes Jon Snow. 

Today I feel more forgiving, I suspect they simply did not know, and still do not know.

The exclusion zone is being expanded. Three communities beyond even twenty miles are to be evacuated this week…two more inside the zone have been told to pack up today. Twenty one workers at the plant have now exceeded the radiation levels any man is supposed to be able to tolerate without serious life threatening consequences.

The disaster that is Fukushima is still gathering pace...

Read more on Snowblog: disaster that is Fukushima still gathering pace