福島第一原発 あらゆる冷却手段を活用せよ

Do whatever it takes to cool N-reactors
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Mar. 19, 2011)
福島第一原発　あらゆる冷却手段を活用せよ（3月18日付・読売社説）

Herculean efforts are being made at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant to prevent leaks of radioactive material from spreading.
　福島第一原子力発電所では、放射能拡散を防ぐための懸命な作業が続けられている。

Self-Defense Forces helicopters on Thursday dumped seawater on one reactor at the plant, while water cannon trucks also blasted water at the reactor's spent fuel rod pool to cool it down. Efforts to restore power at the plant are continuing.
　自衛隊の輸送ヘリから海水が投下された。地上から放水も始まった。電力を回復させる作業も続けられている。

We hope the SDF officials, police officers and power plant workers involved in the highly dangerous task of cooling the damaged nuclear reactors and spent fuel rods will safely accomplish their mission.
　危険な作業に取り組む自衛官や警察官、発電所員らの安全を確保しながら、何としても原子炉や使用済み核燃料の冷却を成功させてもらいたい。

The plant has six nuclear reactors. The nuclear cores at the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 reactors are not being cooled sufficiently.
　現場では敷地内にある６基の原子炉のうち、１号機から３号機で炉心の冷却が不十分なままだ。

Meanwhile, cooling functions at the storage pools for spent fuel rods at reactors Nos. 3 and 4 have failed, raising fears that this fuel might overheat.
　加えて、３、４号機では、使用済み核燃料の貯蔵プールの冷却機能が止まり、冷却水減少による核燃料の過熱が心配されている。

In the worst-case scenario, the nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel would break down, possibly causing leakage of radioactive materials. The situation remains critical.
　最悪の場合、原子炉や核燃料が壊れ、放射性物質が漏出しかねない。依然として、危機的な状況が続いている。

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Daunting task

Using helicopters to dump seawater on the reactor was a desperate attempt to cool the storage pool.
　海水投下は、貯蔵プールの冷却を目指した苦肉の策だ。

The helicopters can only carry a limited amount of water; they would have to make more than 100 flyovers to fill the 12-meter-deep storage pool.
　投下できる水量は限られ、深さ約１２メートルの貯蔵プールを満たすには１００回以上の飛行が必要とされる。

The helicopter crews also risk being exposed to high levels of radiation when they fly over the reactors.
搭乗員らが、使用済み核燃料の真上を飛行する際に大量の放射線を浴びる危険性もある。

The water cannon trucks of the Metropolitan Police Department and the SDF will only have a limited effect. But by using various means at their disposal, the authorities are trying to prevent the situation from deteriorating.
　警視庁や自衛隊の放水車による放水も、効果は限定的だが、いくつもの手段を使うことで事態の悪化を食い止めようとしている。

Despite the incredible efforts being made, they do not appear to be turning the situation around.
　現場は最大限の努力を続けているが、手詰まり感は否めない。

The government has sought advice from nuclear power experts in dealing with the worsening problem. However, we think it might have to tap the expertise of specialists in other fields and the industrial sector to help bring the situation under control.
　政府は原子力の専門家の意見を聞きながら対応を検討してきた。今後はもう少し広く、他の分野の専門家や産業界の知恵を借り、終息を目指すべきだろう。

For instance, mobile water-spraying equipment used to fight fires at industrial complexes could be utilized to shoot water at the storage pool. These devices can spray large volumes of seawater higher and farther than the methods deployed so far.
　例えば、貯蔵プールへの注水には、コンビナート火災消火のため各地に配備されている移動式の放水装置を使えないだろうか。より高く、より遠くへ、大量の海水を飛ばせる。

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Evacuees need more help

As the serious situation drags on, criticism of the government's response is rising.
　事態の長期化に伴い、政府の対応に批判も高まっている。

Residents living within a 20-kilometer radius of the plant were ordered to evacuate, while people living between 20 kilometers and 30 kilometers away were urged to stay indoors.
　このトラブルで、原発周辺の半径２０キロ以内の住民には避難、２０～３０キロの住民には屋内退避が指示された。

Many Fukushima residents have fled the prefecture in the past few days, and finding places that can accommodate these evacuees has become a pressing task.
福島県外へ退避する人たちも多く、受け入れ先が課題だ。

Food and heating fuel are piling up but not reaching people directly affected by the quake.
　深刻なのは、関係住民への暖房用燃料や食料の提供が滞っていることだ。

Some patients who were evacuated from hospitals near the nuclear plant have died due to a lack of medicine, and other causes, at facilities where they were taking shelter.
　原発近隣の病院から避難した患者が、避難先施設で医薬品不足などから死亡した例もある。

The prefecture is running out of daily necessities because some truck drivers are hesitant to transport goods to the stricken region.
　福島県内への物資輸送をためらう運転手もおり、県内では生活必需品も枯渇している。

Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato has called on the government, which issued the evacuation orders, to come up with measures to care for people who have left and those who are afraid to venture out their homes.
　知事は、避難を指示した政府に早急な改善策を求めている。

Everything must be done to prevent these people from falling victim to secondary disasters.
二次災害を何としても防ぎたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 18, 2011)
（2011年3月18日01時26分 読売新聞）