I fell for it and believed what logic told me to be true.
Don't get me wrong, I'm as far from the tree-hugger type as it gets. But I have to admit, now I am skeptical of everything I've been told about the safety of the modern nuclear power plant. This isn't exactly some pre-cold war relic facility in the Ukraine, this is a modern Japanese facility.
How does this happen?
I think we need to have a second look at this stuff and start asking questions. This is our worst nightmare unfolding right before our eyes.
How do we put these newfound fears to rest? I've spent years laughing at the wackos who claimed this would happen, now look at me... I'm wondering if this will happen in my own back yard one day.
> How do we put these newfound fears to rest?
There is no safety in this world.
There is only you and your faith in God.
If you have faith, there is nothing to worry about.
If you have no faith, you are on your own ... good luck.
Well, I worked in the field of nuclear reactor safety for over 10 years, and safety requirements have evolved over time.
Towards the end of the building boom here in the USA (mid 80s) the plants were designed with safety elements that could not easily be retrofitted into older plants. I suspect it was the same way in Japan.
The focus on safety is what drove the cost of nuclear-generated electricity from “too cheap to meter” to “not worth the cost right now”
As for being a “modern” plant, I understand this plant in Japan was a 1st generation design commercial BWR (boiling water reactor) which would mean late 60’s to mid 70’s. It probably didn’t have too many years left before shutdown.
There are a number of BWRs built in the USA during the same time frame (including the TVA reactors at Brown’s Ferry, which is about 10 miles from my house) but I don’t know how the Japanese design compares to US plants. I suspect this Japanese plant was either designed by GE, who designed many/all of the BWRs here in the US, or was a licensed copy of the GE design finished out by another company.
As for putting your fears to rest, I suspect far more people will die from the earthquake, tsunami, and fires than from anything done by this reactor.
How many people die from the effects of burning coal for electricity or heat? How many people drown in their tub, get killed by lightning, choke on food or have a cut cause a fatal infection? In all these cases, many more than killed by nuclear power.
Face it. Life is a fatal disease.