oh well.
Why you should not worry about Japan's nuclear reactor problems.
by beatthesystem 56 Replies latest social current
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freydo
Proverbs 29:20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him. -
Iamallcool
you are bible thumping on me?
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moshe
I have worked inside the primary containment of several BWR's - even changing out the low power radiation probes from underneath the reactor vessel during a shut down- how high was the radiation level at that time- when the rods were all inserted? I received a dose of 100 millirems in 30 minutes- the portable counter was going beep-beep once a second- I received my 1000 millrems in 10-12 jumps- then I was done for the quarter- so that equals 1 rem. They use different radiation measurment scale today- I need to convert that.
Nobody is talking about the secondary fuel rod pool which is inside the secondary containment area- the top of the reactor is unbolted and the rods are shifted from that pool to refuel the reactor and spent rods are stored in that pool until such time as they are safe to relocate (years) to an outside storage area. If those explosions and loss of cooling water damaged those rods so that they ruptured then the radiation will be too high for workers to repair anytime soon. I looked down in that pool many times and those rods are so hot they have bluish glow- it wouldn't take long for them to boil away the water if the cooling water is cut off. That sea water and radioactive steam has raised the background radiation to such high levels that it would be a suicide mission to work in that place- CEO's get the big bucks, send them in.
Also they say that some of their rods use a mixture of uranium and plutonium- bad stuff that plutonium.
Where is all that seawater going that is flooding the reactor- why it eventually goes back to the ocean and the fish will absorb that radiation- cesium and stronium? Plutonium- one speck can kill you. Radiation is bad stuff if it lands on the ground and goes into crops/ hay/ animal feed. The Japanese food chain is likely to have to deal with destroying food and animals to keep them out of the food supply.- You worry about some lead in your Chinese toys- you ain't seen nothing yet.
Also, the escaped radiation/contaminats is likely to be a heavy alpha particle emitter which is 20x more dangerous to the body than the same radiation you get from an X-ray- alpha radiation is bad stuff, if it is coming from inside your body!
I wish I could say more- 20 years ago I remembered more. In short, I don't believe this positive spin. the temperatures have gottten high enough to ruin electrical wires and motors inside the containment areas- the explosion has wrecked the controls, so they can't operate any machinery to remove the containment cap, either and remove the rods- assuming the rods can even be removed- warped and melted rods won't come out.
Those motor activated valves that remotely open and close valves for pipes from 4ft to 6inches all over the containemnt building probably don't work now or will fail when used a few times.(motors won't survive those temperatures for very long) Changing one of those valves would take the labor of 50 pipefitters/electricians working in shifts a couple days to replace- and that was when radiation levels were LOW.
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Sam Whiskey
BTS, thanks for the article and info.
And...there's Villabozo... posting his cute pictures.
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moshe
Just as I suspected- the problem is too much spent fuel stored outside the reactor containment vessel- there is plenty of reason to be afraid.
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"Estimates compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nuclear power watchdog group, suggested there were some 800 tons of spent fuel at the six reactors at Fukushima.
Unit 4, where some 250 tons of used fuel are stored, "remains a major safety concern," the Atomic Energy Agency said on Thursday. The group said it had no information about the current level of water in the spent fuel pool at reactor 4.
"No water temperature indication from the unit 4 spent fuel pool has been received since 14 March, when the temperature was 84 °C," the agency added. "No roof is in place."
A typical spent fuel pool temperature is kept below 25 °C under normal operating conditions.
On Friday, David Lochbaum, director of UCS's Nuclear Safety Project, told journalists that if the spent fuel problem wasn't brought under control, it could lead to a fire. Heat and smoke from the fire "would carry [radioactive materials] higher into the air," where it could enter the jet stream.
Partly based on how events at Chernobyl unfolded, the watchdog group's scientists suggested that the fallout would then extend to several hundred miles around the Fukushima site, with some radioactive "hotspots" further away. Currently, "there aren't many barriers between the [nuclear] material and the environment. It doesn't look like it's going to be a good outcome," said Dr. Lochbaum."
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beksbks
I keep hearing today, that the Japanese officials are essentially admitting that it's much worse than previously stated. They are now asking for help.
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beksbks
They are detecting very small increases in radioactivity in Cali.
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Snoozy
We have a very interesting place / event here called "Times Beach"...it too was considered safe at one time..buried nuclear waste..people getting sick . It was finally found out they had buried the waste in theh area. Right by the river! How stupid was that. Ending was they paid the people a small amount for compensation and relocation, dug up the dirt and buried it somewhere else. Now people use it as a beach area..
Point is I am sure the government knew about the waste ..
Same story today, I heard the radiation already hit California..
I have been around long enough and read enough to know how they cleverly hide and cover up harmful disasters..long enough that people don't have a clue why they are getting sick 30-,0 or even 50 years down the road and all of a sudden babies /animals with deformities are being born..
Snoozy..
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beksbks
Love Canal