Posted on 03/12/2011 8:16:13 AM PST by Chunga85
The Institute for Public Accuracy issued the following statement by nuclear expert, Kevin Kamp, about the risk of nuclear disaster in post-Earthquake Japan: “The electrical grid is down. The emergency diesel generators have been damaged. The multi-reactor Fukushima atomic power plant is now relying on battery power, which will only last around eight hours. The danger is, the very thermally hot reactor cores at the plant must be continuously cooled for 24 to 48 hours. Without any electricity, the pumps won’t be able to pump water through the hot reactor cores to cool them. Once electricity is lost, the irradiated nuclear fuel could begin to melt down. If the containment systems fail, a catastrophic radioactivity release to the environment could occur.”
“In addition to the reactor cores, the storage pool for highly radioactive irradiated nuclear fuel is also at risk. The pool cooling water must be continuously circulated. Without circulation, the still thermally hot irradiated nuclear fuel in the storage pools will begin to boil off the cooling water. Within a day or two, the pool’s water could completely boil away. Without cooling water, the irradiated nuclear fuel could spontaneously combust in an exothermic reaction. Since the storage pools are not located within containment, a catastrophic radioactivity release to the environment could occur. Up to 100 percent of the volatile radioactive Cesium-137 content of the pools could go up in flames and smoke, to blow downwind over large distances. Given the large quantity of irradiated nuclear fuel in the pool, the radioactivity release could be worse than the Chernobyl nuclear reactor catastrophe of 25 years ago.”
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.forbes.com ...
I suspect you're thinking of the movie "The China Syndrome," not anything having to do with actual physics or reality. Adequate cooling was restored to the TMI core by the evening of the same day of the accident.
Here's the extent of the core melting and damage as estimated by INL scientists following video inspection:
No breach of the containment vessel. None. Let alone the "bedrock below."
People still live in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and those suffered the completely uncontained release of the entire core inventory of a supercritical nuclear reaction, not just some moderately contaminated radioactive steam drifting downwind.
Wildlife is thriving in the Chernobyl exclusion zone - many call it a "paradox," but it's not a paradox if your premise is false.
The blogger indicates that the level at this location, at the time the photo was taken last June, was 2 millirems per hour, about half what astronauts living on the space station are exposed to.
Time will tell.
The next 24 hours are crucial.
Their opinions and conjectures can be safely discarded.
Laz...Caw here....is it right then that the fear is if there is a meltdown the containment steel area may or may not contain it...is that right?
Agree, and another 72 hours after that, too.
Bottom line is monitoring the situation, constantly.
Norm Solomon came under FBI scrutiny after he picketed for the desegregation of a Maryland apartment complex at age 14. As a high school senior, he drew further FBI surveillance for his efforts on behalf of the Montgomery County Student Alliance activist group. He became aware of their surveillance later, through a Freedom of Information request. He then attended Reed College but left before graduating. In Portland, Oregon, he was an activist against nuclear power and nuclear weapons and was a researcher for the Committee for U.S. Veterans of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He won the third prize for best news reporting, from Maryland-Delaware Press Association during his days there in 1970.
So, a long-term anti-nuclear activist creates a liberal activism group. Some clown described as a 'nuclear expert' spouts some crap about how this will be the end of the Universe.
And we're supposed to just swallow it?
Naw tanks.
just dont use leadsinkers or shot...dont want to contaminate the wildlife or environment...
When flaming chunks of radioactive fuel get violently exploded out of the core I’ll say it’s worse than Chernobyl.
Until then this is another TMI.
Let them eat lobster! (/s)
My church has “Healthy Summer Vacation” every year for children from the Chernobyl area to visit Berlin, even after all these years.
My wife and I discussed it and will be more involved with that when our daughter gets older, she is just 18 months today!
(I need to get back now to our little party.)
Their opinions and conjectures can be safely discarded.
In most cases, any entity or outfit with the term "Public" in the name is prima facie suspect and, more often than not, liberal in orientation:
I see. Let's wait until Rush Limbaugh weighs in on this. This will ensure everything being reported is accurate, more importantly, fits properly into the right political mold.
Someone else may have already responded to your comment. However, just in case they did not:
Sand cannot be circulated by installed systems.
You're right of course. I was referring to a case of total meltdown, roof blown off, open containment event such as happened at Chernobyl. In this case, that kind of access might not occur even if there is a complete meltdown.
That map is total bullsh*t. 100 megaton nukes dont release that much radiation.
The folks at Australian Radiation Service look legit.
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