Posted on 02/08/2017 5:03:45 PM PST by Enlightened1
The radiation levels at Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant are now at "unimaginable" levels. Adam Housley, who reported from the area in 2011 following the catastrophic triple-meltdown, said this morning that new fuel leaks have been discovered. He said the radiation levels - as high as 530 sieverts per hour - are now the highest they've been since 2011 when a tsunami hit the coastal reactor. "To put this in very simple terms. Four sieverts can kill a handful of people," he explained. He said that critics, including the U.S. military in 2011, have long questioned whether Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and officials have been providing accurate information on the severity of the radiation. TEPCO maintains that the radiation is confined to the site and not a risk to the public. It's expected to take at least $300 billion and four decades to fix it. Housley said small levels of radiation are still being detected off the coasts of California and Oregon and scientists fear it could get worse. "The worry is with 300 tons of radioactive water going into the Pacific every day, what is that doing to the Pacific Ocean?" said Housley. He added that critics are now questioning whether the radiation has been this severe all along.
(Excerpt) Read more at insider.foxnews.com ...
That’s why I mentioned that making drinking water out of seawater in CA is out of the question, but this is exactly what CA wanted to do at one time. CA must forget about the project altogether.
Given the choice, I would prefer to try to escape a nuclear power plant accident over getting nuked by a bomb. IIRC civilians close to ground zero in Hiroshima were instantly incinerated, and those a few miles away suffered longer agony with peeled of burned skins and other horrible long term effects of radiation exposure. I am not certain so many people near Fukushima suffered something similar.
When I worked at the lab where first sustained nuclear reaction in the world took place, there were reports of radio-active test specimens lying around the 5 square mile laboratory site during the years immediately following the initial successful chain reaction.
Radiation levels were reported (at the high end) as being 30 times greater than background levels. They were in the plume for five hours. That would be equivalent to (30 x 5 hours) or 150 hours, or 6.25 days of normal exposure.
It isn't credible that the small amount of extra exposure would result in numerous cancers.
If we know the mix of isotopes in the plume, we could consider what cancers are represented. Iodine 131 is a prime candidate for thyroid cancers, for example. But thyroid cancers are not mentioned.
If you believe the Navy is lying, (yes governments do lie) what is the motivation? Here is a summation of the Navy's response from the source you linked to:
“The DARWGs report on radiation exposure received by Fleet-based individuals, which was peer reviewed by a non-governmental council of subject matter experts, determined that the highest whole body dose to any U.S. fleet-based personnel during Operation Tomodachi is much lower than levels of radiation exposure associated with the occurrence of short or long-term health effects. For perspective, the worst-case radiation exposure for any U.S. fleet-based personnel during Operation Tomodachi is less than 25% of the average annual radiation exposure to a member of the U.S. public from natural sources of background radiation, such as the sun, rocks, and soil.”
This happened during the Obama regime, hardly a friend of the U.S. military, and hardly one to worry about spending a few more million when it has been borrowing trillions.
Why wouldn't President Obama wish to discredit the Navy and put the U.S. a bid deeper into debt?
The cores at Fukushima DaiIchi #2 and #3 have melted. #3 had a prompt criticality that blew MOX fuel all over eastern Japan. The MOX fuel was not authorized for use. The exposed reactor cores and fuel have continuously contaminated the air and ocean around the plant since March 11, 2011.
The principal hazard here is ingestion of radioactive material in the food chain. The material is being circulated in a shallow current around the Pacific ocean north of the equator. There isn't uniform mixing for the dilution that many falsely believe will render it harmless.
I've had some first hand experience with radiation poisoning that was intentional treatment for cancer in 1985. A linear accelerator pushed 300 RADs at a time for a total of 3000 RADs through my abdomen. Loss of hair, vomiting and diarrhea were outward symptoms. Destruction of the bone marrow in my lower spine and pelvis was monitored with blood tests before each radiation exposure. It took over 2 years to recover normal stamina for daily activities. My wife had 5000 RADs through her right breast for cancer. I can't recommend the experience, but I'm still alive. The difference is the radiation source shut off when the linear accelerator turned off. Only damaged cells from external exposure are a concern. I don't have radioactive cesium in my cells, plutonium/strontium in my bones or iodine in my thyroid from the treatment. No guarantee that I'm clear of that crap from my exposure on the west coast from Fukushima.
It's a big mess. Thus far, nobody has come up with a viable strategy to solve it.
You continue to conflate external exposure to radiation with ingestion of radioactive materials. It takes a significant amount of external exposure to do harm. Only a small amount ingested will be incorporated into the person exposed. The expression of damage will be proportional to the exposure. The sailors who were scrubbing down the exposed aircraft showed the earliest symptoms. The Navy intentionally represented only the cases of external exposure to a hot source in their reporting. That's intentional subterfuge to distract the uneducated from further examination.
As much as this topic interests me, I have software reviews to finish this evening.
Two points:
1. I hope the enormous volume of Pacific ocean will dilute the radioactive material sufficiently enough not to cause ill effects outside the Fukushima area.
2. So sorry about your exposure to medical radioactive stuff. Best luck for good health.
Hi, the massive vitrification facility here at Hanford is well on its way to initial operation; indications are that it will be a success. The steep learning curve that technology implementors have encountered has more to do with scaling laboratory processes to plant level than it does with suitability of technology. I’m sure that one could envision a sufficiently high level of radioactivity for which vitrification would be unsuitable but the type of nuclear waste to be processed is well understood and does not pose a threat to the glass encapsulation.
No guarantee that I’m clear of that crap from my exposure on the west coast from Fukushima. “
Good thing the Snake River doesn’t run backwards, eh?
I’m glad nuclear medicine had a positive outcome on you!
That’s why I thought you drop cement, then cover the cement with lead.
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