Posted on 06/01/2007 4:19:46 PM PDT by RKV
Research now indicates that the enormous tanks holding discarded submarine fuel rods in the Andreeva Bay may explode at any time, creating a nuclear nightmare for Northern Europe.
Norway and other Western authorities have argued for years that the stockpile of highly radioactive nuclear waste on the Kola peninsula poses an environmental hazard to the local population and for Norway.
New research A new report from Rosatom, the Russian government's highest nuclear authority, shows that there is a grave danger that the stockpile can explode. For Norway the consequences could exceed the fallout from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, and no one knows how imminent the danger is - if it is a question of years - or hours.
"In the best case a small, limited explosion in just one of the stored rods can lead to radioactive contamination in a five-kilometer (three-mile) radius. In the worst case, such a single explosion could cause the entire tank facility to explode. We have no calculations for what that could lead to," Aleksandr Nikitin of environmental group Bellona told Aftenposten.
"It will at least, at a careful estimate, hit Northern Europe. There are enormous amounts of radioactivity stored in these tanks," said Nils Bøhmer, nuclear physicist and head of Bellona's Russian division.
Provisional storage In 1982/83 radioactive contamination began to leak from used fuel rods from the nuclear submarine reactors. These were stored in flimsy warehouses in the old navy installation at Andreeva Bay. Three large cement tanks became a hurried solution, housing a series of large metal pipes encased in concrete. The rods were carefully placed in these pipes.
This measure was intended as a provisional solution for four to five years, but nothing has happened since. Norwegian authorities partially financed a study involving several of Russia's foremost experts and institutes. In the end of 2006 a conclusion was reached, but the research has not been made public until now.
Nikitin came across the conclusions in the course of compiling a new Bellona report on the state of Andreeva Bay.
Salt water Nikitin and Igor Kudrik translate from the reports and explain. The large tanks, each containing 21,000 rods, are near the sea. Salt water has entered the tanks and lead to the rapid disintegration of the metal pipes. The salt water has then entered the pipes, breaking down the rods, releasing small uranium particles that fall to the bottom of the metal pipes.
"The conclusion of Rosatom is that when the amount of particles on the bottom reaches five to ten percent in relation to the amount of water, potentially explosive critical mass will occur," Kudrik said.
Rosatom uses the term "uncontrolled chain reaction" for what will occur.
Nikitin has had a prison term and a five year battle to be totally cleared of espionage charges by the Russian Supreme Court as his price for compiling Bellona's first report on radioactive contamination at Kola.
"These stockpiles and what they contain have been known to the world for over 15 years. Nothing is done. But now something must be done or uncontrolled events will take place of their own accord. The consequences will be more dramatic than we can imagine. Inaction for all these years has put us on top of a large nuclear bomb. We know where the 'gunpowder' is, but we don't know how long the fuse is," Nikitin said.
"Significantly greater pressure on Russia from its neighbors - and the entire world - is needed. The day it goes wrong, no one can say any longer that we did not know what would happen," Nikitin said.
No need to worry, Bush, the new world order big spender of tax payers money will bail them out before it is too late.
“The conclusion of Rosatom is that when the amount of particles on the bottom reaches five to ten percent in relation to the amount of water, potentially explosive critical mass will occur,” Kudrik said.
Rosatom uses the term “uncontrolled chain reaction” for what will occur.
China Syndrome.
An “uncontrolled chain reaction” in 60, that’s right,
SIXTY thousand fuel rods..........and not only do they not know when it could happen, they probably don’t have a way to KEEP it from happening, may be too unstable to recover and reprocess, oh joy.
Yep. That’s what I was afraid of. We pay to fix their problem while they keep selling weapons to our enemies, developing new missiles, etc.
Hey Algore, your GoreBull Warming has been upstaged! Now get off your carbon @$$ and go to visit Putin.
Pinkski!
It’s time the EU spend some of their euro’s.
Maybe I ought to buy some more...I only have a two week supply.
You are most likely right. The US will give them money to clean up their mess and then someone will cut a yellow ribbon and then five years later we will find the mess is still there and $510 million has evaporated in to the Russian Mafia’s (FSB, ummm KGB’s) hands. There will be no investigations and there will be no news coverage, just a dead issue.
I have some myself already and made my brother a birthday present of some more 2 years ago.
“The conclusion of Rosatom is that when the amount of particles on the bottom reaches five to ten percent in relation to the amount of water, potentially explosive critical mass will occur,” Kudrik said.
Ya know, maybe we could get Iranians to try this process, no messy centrifuges....
Good.
I gave everyone in my family a two week supply for Christmas. You never know.
He'll buy "carbon offsets" from Algore.
For any other type of contamination they are useless.
L
So they just practically built an uncontrolled nuclear reactor for storage. Don’t you just love commies?
I'm tired of splash, I want substance. 4 years of carter, 4 years of bush one, eight years of the commie duo and now 8 years of bush two has got me pretty well disgusted with splash. I want a President and Congress that have substance and want to serve me, not be my LEADER.
First close the borders, then round up all illegals and herd them north or south, take your pick, just get them the heck out of the US of A.
Then ask me for a contribution.
If I wanted a LEADER, I'd move to mexico or canada. I don't need no stinkin leaders!
Tell me more...
Well said. DITTO.
It works and it works well so long as you are exposed to a radioactive isotope of iodine such as iodine-131. Your thyroid preferentially absorbs the benign iodine and your body passes the radioactive form.
However, that's all it's good for. If you're exposed to any other radioactive substance PK is useless. All you'll do is load your thyroid with benign iodine while your body continues to absorb the cesium, strontium, plutonium, or whatever it is you happen to have been exposed to.
So taking PK when you've been exposed to something else could lead to a potentially lethal false sense of security.
Does that make sense?
L
This makes New Zealand’s “No Nuke” policy make perfect sense now, doesn’t it?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.