Posted on 03/16/2011 1:12:42 PM PDT by AnAmericanAbroad
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The chief of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday that all the water is gone from one of the spent fuel pools at Japan's most troubled nuclear plant, but Japanese officials denied it. If NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko is correct, this would mean there's nothing to stop the fuel rods from getting hotter and ultimately melting down. Read more at source.
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
Prayers up.
The latest I’ve seen is that they are bulldozing a path through all of the debris to get fire engines/water cannons close enough to lob streams of water into the pool.
First the European and now the American poobahs err on this? Somehow I doubt it.
They’ve been working to restore power to the plant. I believe they will get a handle on it.
Even if they don’t, I don’t think this is a catastrophe for anyplace other than Fukushima and the surrounding area.
Of course one has to ask, where did the pool water go?
It was irradiated yes? Probably into the ocean?
Even if all 4 meltdown (God forbid) it will STILL be a localized event. There is NO REASON to panic. There is no POINT in panicking. The site is going to have to be cleaned up, and those working at the plant will ahve to take measures to protect themselves while working there. But a National Panic in Japan is STUPID. Do some research on Nuclear power, nuclear radiation exposure, and also look at Nuclear Terrorism, because a LOT of research has been done with that point in mind. You will feel better.
Look at it this way, how many HUNDREDS of thousands of people die every year in Auto crashes? Are you going to outlaw or ban cars? Because they are FAR deadlier than Nuclear radiation is, yet we consider the hazards cars present as ACCEPTABLE. Think about it in context for a bit ok?
STOP buying into media or other fear increasing hype.
I would assume it evaporates from all the heat produced. That’s why they have to keep adding more.
I agree. Hopefully, the Japanese can get a handle on all of this before TSHTF, but even if TSHTF, TS will be largely localized to the Fukushima/surrounding area. At least, I certainly hope so. But it’s disquieting, one must admit. First the EU nuke head said he’s expecting an “imminent catastrophe”, or something to that effect (though he later backtracked), and now the NRC is saying something quite similar. Interesting times, that’s for sure.
I wonder how much culture is involved in this meltdown? Has pertinent info not been passed up the chain in an attempt to save face?
I still can’t believe the proper parts could not be delivered in time to prevent this all from happening.
"Jaczko did not say Wednesday how the information was obtained, but the NRC and U.S. Department of Energy both have experts on site at the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex of six reactors. He said the spent fuel pool of the complex's Unit 4 reactor has lost water."
The water evaporates in the form of steam. It will be dispersed by the atmosphere and through the oceans as is drops out of the atmosphere.
Stop and think for a moment, what is the environment like at the Bikini Atol? After all those weapons tests. Or the Nevada desert.
Exactly.
Chernyobl is a totally different case, the reactor was utterly unshielded. Even when it was operating normally, it was irraditing the workers at the plant.
Submarine service members live and work with not only a serious nuclear reactor, but also with nuclear weapons. It IS a hazard, but this is one that can be mitigated.
Damaged pool, water leaked out?
Heat of rods more intense than expected, water boiled away?
In desparation, they rerouted/siphoned the water to another reactor when it was perceived to be a bigger problem?
What panic? I think all of us are just trying to get information while trying to sort through the hundreds of messages telling us not to panic. Sheesh.
I hope they got the proper permits to destroy the delicate ecosystem with bulldozers...
I recall a huge fire a few years back around , over, and on the Hanford area in SE Washington that eventually burned like 240,000 acres and threatend all of the old Dept. of Defense plutonium producing reactors, and facilities and the states only commercial reactor. It was caused by a farmer and at the same time a semi truck hauling a large dozer came up on it. However the dozer operator was not allowed to get his rig off the truck and cut a fire line around the then infant blaze because of the designated naional scenic wildlife area and some pinhead bureacrat that had been contacted said no... It cost millions to fight the fire and damages to private properties.
Of course when the private parties went to get money from Uncle Sugar they were told sorry, so they sued and were told in court that they had no standing to recover costs against the federal government...
Does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?
Call me cynical, but what would a "community organizer" do differently?
Gregory Jaczko holds a PhD in particle physics from the University of Wisconsin (Madison). According to his Wikipedia page, he "sees the nuclear power industry critically."
Here's a little more about Dr. Jaczko:
Jaczko was a Congressional Science Fellow in the office of U.S. Representative Edward Markey, in Washington, D.C., on the basis of an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship. He also worked as an adjunct professor for science and policy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.Source.Later on, he advised the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on issues regarding nuclear power, and served as appropriations director for U.S. Senator Harry Reid and as Reid's science policy advisor
There is no point in panicking. But withholding or ignoring the truth for the good of the public will only make it worse.
I’m not anti-nuclear, but nobody knows exactly what affect previous accidents have actually had on the general population’s health, so I don’t really buy the “it’s perfectly safe, move along” mentality. I seem to recall many of the same people saying NOTHING bad was going to happen here.
The bigger deal here at this point is that new nuclear power is dead for the next 100-1000 years.
I don’t believe a containment floor will hold much longer than 24 hours in a full meltdown - so if they’re trying to ‘avoid panic’ - lying might NOT be the best tactic...
Why would you need to sort through the messages? Particularly when the messages are correct?
Ther is no need to stock up OR take KI pills. Those workign at the plants should ahve them, but the rest.... well I think giving them out to the residents around the plant at this point is literally premature considering the side effects of the things.
The press is still hyping the danger, and there are numbers of peoply buying into that.
The more specific information people have the more they will realize that there is no need to take action at this time. As far as I can tell, and I am a Junior in Emergency and Disaster management (straight A student I might add) so I have a LOT of information available to me, the Japanese government is handeling this as well as possible with the exception of the KI Pills they are handing out. Those in general are unnecessary.
The Japanese on the whole seem to be doing an EXEMPLARY job. I mean truely exceptional. What they are dealing with is a Katrina sized set of 3 separate disasters. Any one of these is a disaster in and of itself, and they are to be seriously and profoundly recognized for their overall response. What they are up against is impossible to encompass as one whole event by any one person. It is MASSIVE. Truly.
Recovery is what they are by and large facing now (Except for Fukashima, that is still ongoing). The Recovery is going to be long and slow. God bless em.
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