Yeah I knew that the explosions were hydrogen related. I was under the impression the rods still werent cooled though? That's why they're still trying water?
I remember reading one of the reactors had a crack before back in 89? I believe it was. TEPCO tried to hide it from the IAEA.
Well as I said before, water is pretty much the most effective coolant that can be used in the amounts they need. The rods aren't anywhere close to being cooled, but there's no way they can get any hotter than they currently are. And I don't know the specifics of the safety concerns, but I know that its certainly not a cutting-edge nuclear plant.
So all that being said, fear of nuclear power is mostly a collection of misconceptions and primordial emotional responses. Coal power is far more dangerous and harmful (I did not even begin to talk about the CO2 emissions of coal power), but it doesn't make headlines so the general public doesn't really fear coal power as it does nuclear power. Coal is an invisible killer that most people do not even know of.
The irony is that coal-powered factories and power stations in Ohio have been proven to infuse the atmosphere and land here in Pennsylvania with far more radiation than any of our nuclear plants. To my knowledge, nuclear plants give off nothing above natural radiation levels, which is what you'd find from the sun. My dad works in the reactors for fourteen hours every day and he leaves the plant every day without even the slightest hint of radiation on him.
This is a simple case of the media's long stance of demonizing nuclear power due to, as you said, common misconceptions, and then exploiting it for web hits and station stats. I can't tell you how many people I know off the top of my head that actually thought the steam that comes out of coolant towers was stuffed with radiation. I laugh every time I hear it. Anything that escapes from the plant, such as steam, either does not even touch the fuel rods (or the chassis) in the first place or is so thoroughly purified you could give it to your children.
But I guess The Simpsons is factual or something. I'm sure they put a lot of research into getting the sludge-green ooze color just right.
Is this scenario being downplayed? Exactly the opposite. I think it's getting more coverage than the Gulf oil spill, and that was far more destructive and harmful to the environment and mankind.
That may make the situation worse if he containment housing were to actually split. Radiation would leak more easily into the water table. But I don't know, sounds like an oversize great idea in hindsight.
“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” - Albert Einstein
Tokyo (CNN) -- Japanese authorities Tuesday "provisionally" declared the country's nuclear accident a level-7 event on the international scale for nuclear disasters -- the highest level -- putting it on par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency announced the new level Tuesday morning. It had previously been at 5.
Regulators have determined the amount of radioactive iodine released by the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was at least 15 times the volume needed to reach the top of the International Nuclear Event Scale, the agency said. That figure is still about 10 percent of the amount released at Chernobyl, they said.
"I want to say something but I'll keep it to myself I guess and leave this useless post behind to make you aware that there WAS something... "
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
Well, thats in terms of radiation released, which, don't get me wrong, is obviously an important factor. But there was no explosion involved, and a rating of 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale just means 'Major Accident' which obviously leaves a lot of room as to exactly how serious the event is. Despite the comparison, I doubt the current Japanese crisis will end up being as serious as Chernobyl.
7 is as high as the scale goes, in fact the readings are 15 time enough to top that scale.
Regulators have determined the amount of radioactive iodine released by the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was at least 15 times the volume needed to reach the top of the International Nuclear Event Scale
Sure it may not be as bad as chernobyl yet, but it's not getting any better there. Just a week or two ago they were saying there was nothing to worry about. Now it's a level 7, 15 times over.
Yes I have read about people hyping the anti radiation drugs, that's sad but this is still really serious. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.
Sure isn't going to get any better any time soon unless they abort the plant, I'm not familiar with witch they do this. Either way as of now they've even abandoned the suicidal volunteer deal (They said under the allowed annual radiation exposure was absorbed by the volunteer's. I still call it suicide, cancer is what they have to worry about, but immune system failure which is what short term radiation exposure does to kill you, ANYWAY..) and moved in robots to do the work, which means less getting done in all reality.
“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” - Albert Einstein
Chances are some of them were, I think at first there were 50, a good amount being terminal. Since then I think more have went in without such pubisity.
“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” - Albert Einstein
It is, however, still at 1/10 of the nuclear waste release of Chernobyl, and the tests have proved that radiation is steadily decreasing. The radiation is still limited to the immediate area of the facility and the evacuated area.
Please understand that a level seven nuclear crisis DOES NOT mean that it is anywhere near as bad as Chernobyl. It simply means that it has passed a benchmark radiation level in the immediate area of ground zero as sanctioned by the government.
In addition, they have reported that the plant is steadily coming back under control.
To date, no one has yet died of radiation poisoning from this accident. The culprits are still the earthquake, this month's aftershock, and the tsunami, which combined left over a hundred and fifty people dislocated and (if my memory serves me correctly from NPR) around ten thousand dead.
Even if the workers that were bound by contract to work through the accident on-site (yes, it's their job; this is in my dad's contract and we've talked about this possibility as a family) do tragically succumb to the effects of radiation overdose, it will only be a handful of people that needed to be essentially at the closest possible point to the nuclear disaster.
Even if this accident results in, I don't know, ten deaths, it completely pales in significance to the actual events which destroyed the lives and families of thousands. Yes, it's effects are gruesome, but the majority of people are allowing nuclear hysteria to cloud out the larger picture. This nuclear accident is nothing to what has already been done. If you think it is, then you have been brainwashed by media whose only real goal is to make record viewership.
I remember reading one of the reactors had a crack before back in 89? I believe it was. TEPCO tried to hide it from the IAEA.
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The irony is that coal-powered factories and power stations in Ohio have been proven to infuse the atmosphere and land here in Pennsylvania with far more radiation than any of our nuclear plants. To my knowledge, nuclear plants give off nothing above natural radiation levels, which is what you'd find from the sun. My dad works in the reactors for fourteen hours every day and he leaves the plant every day without even the slightest hint of radiation on him.
This is a simple case of the media's long stance of demonizing nuclear power due to, as you said, common misconceptions, and then exploiting it for web hits and station stats. I can't tell you how many people I know off the top of my head that actually thought the steam that comes out of coolant towers was stuffed with radiation. I laugh every time I hear it. Anything that escapes from the plant, such as steam, either does not even touch the fuel rods (or the chassis) in the first place or is so thoroughly purified you could give it to your children.
But I guess The Simpsons is factual or something. I'm sure they put a lot of research into getting the sludge-green ooze color just right.
Is this scenario being downplayed? Exactly the opposite. I think it's getting more coverage than the Gulf oil spill, and that was far more destructive and harmful to the environment and mankind.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/11/japan.nuclear.reactors/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1
Seems to only be getting worse.
It sure does. FDA warns of drug scams that play on radiation fear
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_earthquake
-Equinox
"We're like the downtown of the Diablo related internet lol"
-Winged
Find any Diablo news? Contact me or anyone else on the news team.
DiabloFans: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Live Chat
Sure it may not be as bad as chernobyl yet, but it's not getting any better there. Just a week or two ago they were saying there was nothing to worry about. Now it's a level 7, 15 times over.
Yes I have read about people hyping the anti radiation drugs, that's sad but this is still really serious. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.
This thread was made back around when it first started and they were saying there was nothing to worry about.
It is, however, still at 1/10 of the nuclear waste release of Chernobyl, and the tests have proved that radiation is steadily decreasing. The radiation is still limited to the immediate area of the facility and the evacuated area.
Please understand that a level seven nuclear crisis DOES NOT mean that it is anywhere near as bad as Chernobyl. It simply means that it has passed a benchmark radiation level in the immediate area of ground zero as sanctioned by the government.
In addition, they have reported that the plant is steadily coming back under control.
To date, no one has yet died of radiation poisoning from this accident. The culprits are still the earthquake, this month's aftershock, and the tsunami, which combined left over a hundred and fifty people dislocated and (if my memory serves me correctly from NPR) around ten thousand dead.
Even if the workers that were bound by contract to work through the accident on-site (yes, it's their job; this is in my dad's contract and we've talked about this possibility as a family) do tragically succumb to the effects of radiation overdose, it will only be a handful of people that needed to be essentially at the closest possible point to the nuclear disaster.
Even if this accident results in, I don't know, ten deaths, it completely pales in significance to the actual events which destroyed the lives and families of thousands. Yes, it's effects are gruesome, but the majority of people are allowing nuclear hysteria to cloud out the larger picture. This nuclear accident is nothing to what has already been done. If you think it is, then you have been brainwashed by media whose only real goal is to make record viewership.