Let us be clear. Compared to the real disaster at hand, the hypothetical threat from the nuclear stations is zero. The reactors in question were all shut down four days ago. The control rods have been inserted, and the cores have been salted with boron. It is physically impossible for them to sustain a fission reaction of any kind at this point, let alone cause another Chernobyl. Only the fission-byproduct decay heat remains, and it is fading fast as the short half-life material (which accounts for most of the radioactivity) performs its decay reactions and ceases to exist. At this point, the total heating power in the reactors is only about 0.3 percent of what it was when the reactors were operating. That means that a system previously capable of generating 1,300 megawatts of heat would now yield 4 megawatts thermal — about the same as that emitted by a dozen 100-horsepower automobile engines. The Japanese engineers can certainly deal with that with water cooling. And even if they were to stop, there just isn’t enough heating power in the system anymore to generate a dangerous plume of radioactive materials, which is doubly impossible at this point since all the more active short half-life stuff is already gone.
No, the threat does not come from the power plant, but from panic spread by press misinformation. After Three Mile Island, the press spread hysteria as well, but at least there conditions in the rest of society were normal, and so the only victim of the press campaign was the nuclear industry.
But there is a real emergency in Japan right now, of epic proportions, which has to be dealt with as effectively as possible. That emergency is not nuclear radiation, but the need to rescue the trapped and the injured, shield the homeless from the elements, and to prevent an epidemic. In this case, panic induced by press misinformation could cause the deaths of multitudes of people, both by inducing them to take unwise actions, as well by scaring away those who might otherwise try to rescue them.
By diverting people from the real emergency at hand, this radiation scare could kill thousands.
You really think that rescue operations in Japan are being taken away from the earthquake and tsunami efforts?
Seriously.
Thank you for posting- I think the concern is more over the spent fuel rods emitting radiation. No one expects a nuclear explosion- not possible given the circumstances.
Theres a lot to consider- and experts abound on all sides. All we can do is watch, learn and pray.
Last I heard, they only had 50 workers onsite and looks like they may be pulling those soon because of the increasing radiation.
I know if I was a survivor out in the ruble someplace, I'd rather wait a little longer for rescue than receive a dusting of radioactive fallout.
Can't be repeated often enough, in my opinion. Mark Levin is making the same point, as I type this.
The excerpt you posted is excellent, and should be posted frequently. Any chance you can post the link to it?
Are we talking about:
to the north Daiichi aka Fukushima I (6 units with most systems failed and apparently at some stage of fuel rod melt and spent fuel storage pools uncooled and one burning) At least two of these units are offline in shut-down mode but if the fuel rods are out and the pools are heating up (as reports suggest) units 5 and 6 may go the way of unit 4 and catch fire. The uncontained fuel rods seem to pose a greater risk for unconstrained emission of radioactivity than the reactors.
or
to the south Daini aka Fukushima II (4 units and all systems functioning and shut down in an orderly manner)
It appears to me that most of the statement from NRO is bogus BS or at least some degree of that.
This has TMI beat all to heck and gone because no matter how you slice it there are more units in equally bad shape and worse since TMI had working systems and it was pilot error that caused the partial melt of the fuel rod containers there.
At some point this seems likely to exceed Chernobyl if not only for the percentage of the nation of Japan it will contaminate.
No sky falling here but a reality check is that 50 persons in the contaminated plant that is at least partially on fire with systems failed and radiation present are tasked to save the day with.... not much to work with. I see this as lost but waiting on the end of the game already.
Are we talking about:
to the north Daiichi aka Fukushima I (6 units with most systems failed and apparently at some stage of fuel rod melt and spent fuel storage pools uncooled and one burning) At least two of these units are offline in shut-down mode but if the fuel rods are out and the pools are heating up (as reports suggest) units 5 and 6 may go the way of unit 4 and catch fire. The uncontained fuel rods seem to pose a greater risk for unconstrained emission of radioactivity than the reactors.
or
to the south Daini aka Fukushima II (4 units and all systems functioning and shut down in an orderly manner)
It appears to me that most of the statement from NRO is bogus BS or at least some degree of that.
This has TMI beat all to heck and gone because no matter how you slice it there are more units in equally bad shape and worse since TMI had working systems and it was pilot error that caused the partial melt of the fuel rod containers there.
At some point this seems likely to exceed Chernobyl if not only for the percentage of the nation of Japan it will contaminate.
No sky falling here but a reality check is that 50 persons in the contaminated plant that is at least partially on fire with systems failed and radiation present are tasked to save the day with.... not much to work with. I see this as lost but waiting on the end of the game already.
Wish I will be proven completely wrong.