You Can STOP WORRYING ABOUT A RADIATION DISASTER IN JAPAN -- Here's Why

Business Insider ^ | March 13, 2011 | Dr. Josef Oehmen,

[TennTuxedo]

This was originally posted as a comment on Japan Death Toll Climbs Astronomically As Nuclear Crisis Spreads.

UPDATE: We have learned that this was written by Dr. Josef Oehmen, a research scientist at MIT. It was originally posted here.

I repeat, there was and will *not* be any significant release of radioactivity from the damaged Japanese reactors.

By "significant" I mean a level of radiation of more than what you would receive on - say - a long distance flight, or drinking a glass of beer that comes from certain areas with high levels of natural background radiation.

I have been reading every news release on the incident since the earthquake. There has not been one single report that was accurate and free of errors (and part of that problem is also a weakness in the Japanese crisis communication). By “not free of errors” I do not refer to tendentious anti-nuclear journalism – that is quite normal these days. By “not free of errors” I mean blatant errors regarding physics and natural law, as well as gross misinterpretation of facts, due to an obvious lack of fundamental and basic understanding of the way nuclear reactors are build and operated. I have read a 3 page report on CNN where every single paragraph contained an error.

We will have to cover some fundamentals, before we get into what is going on.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-reactors-pose-no-risk-2011-3-1#ixzz1Gd5cH32J

[BenKenobi]

Friendly wager? Over under on deaths in Japan due to radiation at 1.

[sefarkas]

Supposedly ...

Sorry, I thought I was being clear. Unit #3 was loaded with MOX fuel. The non-zero amount of Pu that MOX fuel starts with is either from retired weapons, or Pu extracted from spent fuel at the Japanese reprocessing facility. In any event, it is typical and normal for light-water-reactors to burn Pu during a fuel cycle. It is easier to fission Pu than U235 in the context of it takes less mass of Pu to create a critical (self-sustaining fission reaction) as compared to a self-sustaining Uranium process. In both cases, control rods with boron in them stop the fission reaction. The decay heat production rate is nearly the same with MOX fuel bundles and their Uranium cousins -- which is why they can be used in a commercial reactor without having to modify the reactor system.

[Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears]

Show of hands...how many of us know what the hell we’re talking about, as in we are actual nuclear scientists, and how many are at the mercy of the chicken-little press?

I’m in the latter camp. :-D

[Georgia Girl 2]

“Nor does nuclear power suffer natural gas explosions or coal mine disasters.”

What has that got to do with the power plants? Answer: Nothing.

[babygene]

I for one don’t give a crap about the communist state of California. Or their wine... If they dropped into the sea it would be sad, but it would be better for the rest of America.

[DB]

BenKenobi is now stuck in the position that the Japanese PM is just trying to scare people... He/She is so deeply dug in that no matter what happens now he/she can’t change course and admit perhaps he/she was wrong...

[Georgia Girl 2]

“Friendly wager? Over under on deaths in Japan due to radiation at 1.”

You don’t have to die next week to get a lethal dose of radiation and die a sucky death in 10 - 15 years. They were still dying in 1980 from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

[little jeremiah]

This guy knows nothing - nada - about nuclear reactors, power, engineering, nada.

MIT is having to disavow this guy in a sense. This stupid and meaningless article is all over the internet. Do a search on his publications (I did) and you’ll see why this article is absolutely useless and meaningless. Someone is paying him to write soothing pablum.

[sefarkas]

So YOU say everything is going to be OK?! Why then this??

Next week you will be posting about how the TSA is crap. You ought to recognize the government "doing something" to make it look like they are "doing something" even though the action is ineffective -- to be polite. The safest thing to do during a radiation release is to stay indoors and minimize the air exchange with the outside. Contamination (dust) includes radioactive material -- fleeing the area in your car, etc. will expose you to that dust more than staying inside. Radioactive gas dissipates quickly. The most common contaminants will decay to undetectable level in a few hours/days. The yellow clothes you see nuke plant workers wear is to keep the dust off their bodies (and to let them see large patches of dust if they bump into something). Minimizing their time covered with dust or in a contaminated environment will minimize the dosage -- but dosage will be non-zero in that sorta work.

[CaptSkip]

‘High’ radiation levels is incredibly vague...

Vague enough that if you could 'transport' over there via Star Trek technology, you would 'beam me down Scotty' into the hot zone to offer your advice?

Hummmmmm??

[DB]

Well the server you’re posting on would go with it...

And I have news for you, if what just happened to Japan were to happen in California, you’ll end up caring a whole lot...

[okie01]

What has that got to do with the power plants?

You don't recall the explosion at the natural gas-fired power plant in Connecticut a few months ago?

Connecticut Power Plant Blast

And, if you want coal-fired power plants, somebody has to mine the coal. And there will be fatal accidents.

[physcitech]

The biggest problem that I see with nuclear power generation is what to do with the spent fuel rods. They stay highly radioactive for a very long time. Nobody wants repositories in their back yard, even though safe storage facilities can be built.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

I’ll stop drinking milk when my cow and its milk glows.

Don’t you know that milk is good for you?

Didn’t you ever see the ad for milk featuring Monica Lewinsky with a milk ring around her lips. Oops.

Never mind!

[BenKenobi]

If someone were to pay for the flight and I were able to get the OK from my current boss, yeah, I’d go there and report. :)

[BenKenobi]

So I take it you don’t believe that there will be any imminent danger to any Japanese?

Thanks.

[BenKenobi]

One, I’m a he.

Two, if you’ve got something to say to me, you should ping me.

Three, I don’t believe that the Japanese premier is lying, I also don’t believe that what he’s said is the same as what you are claiming it means.

Four, I’m perfectly willing to admit that I’m wrong, when the facts show that I’m wrong.

[Georgia Girl 2]

“So I take it you don’t believe that there will be any imminent danger to any Japanese?”

Instead of having the last word on me why not keep up with the news flashes. The PM of Japan has just come on TV and told everyone there is significant radiation leaking from the Fukishimo reactor and everyone within 30 KM should stay inside so I would say that is probably iminent danger.

[DB]

“Three, I don’t believe that the Japanese premier is lying, I also don’t believe that what he’s said is the same as what you are claiming it means.”

Really.

Tell me, what did I claim it meant?

[BenKenobi]

How is that any different from my statement that anyone outside of a 50 mile radius of the plant is in no danger whatsoever?

30 kms is quite a bit less than 50 miles.