Japan: 9.0 Earthquake-Tsunami-Nuclear Reactor Developments #2

[tehcloser]

I wonder, now that the 50 workers has been upped to 180, how many of those are suffering from radiation sickness already? Is THAT why they upped the number of people?

Finding out about those spent fuel pools being located on the upper levels of those containment buildings and now seeing those containment buildings are a mangled heap of twisted metal and concrete - what happened to those upper level pools? Better yet - what happened to all the spent fuel rods that were housed up there? I truly don't believe those spent rods are still on site - not with those two explosions we got to see!

WOO, I think there have been 180 all the time, they are just rotating them and we didn't know that until this AM.

 

[tehcloser]

NEWS ADVISORY: Water cannon vehicle arrives at Fukushima No. 1 plant to cool No. 4 reactor (00:17)
NEWS ADVISORY: Russia to evacuate diplomatic families from Japan from Friday (00:12)

http://english.kyodonews.jp/

 

[Quiche]

Weather hampers US relief flights over Japan


Quote: Poor flying weather Wednesday hampered U.S. efforts to aid victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami in a massive humanitarian mission already fraught with challenges.

The Pentagon was sending more equipment to help Japanese control the crisis at its troubled Fukushima nuclear plant, but had not been asked to use its troops there.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...bDcHtQ?docId=04ccfa056a7c4d6ea1ef378742cb3a05

 

[Wise Old Owl]

I think it takes a crew of 50 to do the minimal work there. That's why that number of 50 was first thrown out. But I also think that the original 50 got sick (or some of them did) and that's why its now 180 and they are "rotating" 50 in and out.

You can't tell me that radiation levels around those "heaps of rubble and nuclear fuel" are anywhere near safe. Hence the need to get more workers.

 

[Chiquita71]

IMHO: Beware Mixed Messages Even on matters of life and death everyone has their opinion.

but other experts say there is a low chance of Japan's radiation reaching the U.S. at dangerous levels.

U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin said last night stocking up is not an overreaction and it is right to be prepared as a precaution - in contrast to guidance from state officials.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...l-warns-prepared-radiation.html#ixzz1GmIjcFvo

Well, I can't get that iodine, are they gonna come and report on me and my crying? Will the radiation effect my pets? Remember during 911 when we were all supposed to go and get plastic to cover our windows and doors?

What good does it do to tell the people of Japan to "stay inside?" Cannot radiation go through walls? Conflicting messages, coming from all sides. Best to stay grounded.

As far as "stocking up" there are people around the world and in the united states who do not have the means to "stock up" on anything.

I wonder if the nuclear fall out dangers were told to the united states when we dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan during WWII? I wonder if the radiation from those bombs have gotten to the US yet?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon
Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, nuclear weapons have been detonated on over two thousand occasions for testing purposes and demonstrations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioactive_contamination
Radioactive contamination is typically the result of a spill or accident during the production or use of radionuclides (radioisotopes), an unstable nucleus which has excessive energy. Contamination may occur from radioactive gases, liquids or particles. For example, if a radionuclide used in nuclear medicine is accidentally spilled, the material could be spread by people as they walk around. Radioactive contamination may also be an inevitable result of certain processes, such as the release of radioactive xenon in nuclear fuel reprocessing. In cases that radioactive material cannot be contained, it may be diluted to safe concentrations. Nuclear fallout is the distribution of radioactive contamination by a nuclear explosion. For a discussion of environmental contamination by alpha emitters please see actinides in the environment. Containment is what differentiates radioactive material from radioactive contamination. Therefore, radioactive material in sealed and designated containers is not properly referred to as contamination, although the units of measurement might be the same.
(skip)
Radioactive contamination may exist on surfaces or in volumes of material or air. In a nuclear power plant, detection and measurement of radioactivity and contamination is often the job of a Certified Health Physicist.
(skip)
The biological effects of external exposure to radioactive contamination are generally the same as those from an external radiation source not involving radioactive materials, such as x-ray machines, and are dependent on the absorbed dose.

Category: Nuclear accidents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Nuclear_accidents

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_and_radiation_accidents


Jan 3 1961 Idaho Falls
Oct 5 1966 Township, Michigan
Dec 7 1975 Greitswald, East Germany
Feb 22 1977 Czechoslovakia

Mar 28 1979 Middle Town PA USA Three Mile Island Loss of coolant and partial meltdown.

Sept 15 1984 Athens Alabama
April 11 1986 Plymouth Massachusettes
Mar 31 1987 Delta Pennsylvania
Dec 19 1987 Lusby Maryland
Feb 20 1996 Waterford Connecticut
Sept 2 1996 Crystal Ricer Florida
Sept 30 1999 Ibaraki Prefecture Japan

Feb 16 2002 Oak Harbor Ohio
Aug 9 2004 Fukui Prefecture Japan
Mar 11 2011 Okuma Fukushima Japan
(end)

Serious Radiation accidents include:
1959, 1964, 1969 Los Angles California
1957 Soviet Union
1962 Mexico City, Mexico
1979 New Mexico, USA
1984 Morocco
1987 Goiania accident
2000 Samut Prakain
2010 Mayapuri India
(end)

I am off to look for a news report that explains why this situation is any worse or different than any others or if someone would like to clue me in...please. :tyou:

:waitasec:

 

[Trident]

Actually my Gamma used to tell us when we were little about the things she had seen and what did we think we would have seen by the time we got to be her age. We hoped it would be things like "flying cars"......sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Life is kinda funny in a way. I remember when there was no television; now I'm seeing the world being destroyed ON television. The good ole days were definitely better.

 

[Quiche]

I think the chart in the middle of this page indicates why this disaster rates, one 7 and one 6... this is a 6 and ongoing. moo


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_and_radiation_accidents


and of course, we have the jet stream, mo

 

[nursebeeme]

3.34pm: Japanese authorities have "reported concerns" about the condition of the spent nuclear fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 and Unit 4, the International Atomic Energy Agency has said.

Japanese Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa announced Wednesday that Special Defence Forces helicopters planned to drop water onto Unit 3, and officials are also preparing to spray water into Unit 4 from ground positions, and possibly later into Unit 3. Some debris on the ground from the 14 March explosion at Unit 3 may need to be removed before the spraying can begin.

The IAEA quote above is already a little out of date – while Japan had indeed planned to use helicopters, we heard earlier that this plan had to be abandoned due to radiation levels.

With the helicopters abandoned, plans are apparently now reliant on water cannon being deployed from ground level.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/16/japan-nuclear-crisis-tsunami-aftermath-live


bbm: that is what happened with chernobyl too... they had to do massive cleanup before the the sarchophagus was built/clean up completed... so now will 'human robots' enter for this cleanup? Will mechanical robots be able to do this cleanup without being affected like those did in 1986?

 

[tehcloser]

Any worse or different ?........I'd say the #1 reason, is that there are 6 freaking reactors in trouble!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Quiche]

Any worse or different ?........I'd say the #1 reason, is that there are 6 freaking reactors in trouble!!!!!!!!!!!!

...and tons of spent fuel.


Japan nuclear crisis: fire in fuel pools 'would raise radiation exposure'

Nuclear engineers turn attention to Fukushima plant's fuel pools, where there is more radioactive material in than in reactor core

Quote: "If the spent fuel pool is on fire, the chances of radioactivity getting to the public are very much higher," said David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

He said the unit's reactor core was emptied out into the spent fuel pool last year following a shutdown. "There is much more material there because there is at least one reactor core plus what there was to start with, and it is in a building that has a big hole in the side of it," he said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/mar/16/japan-nuclear-fire-fuel-pools-radiation

 

[nursebeeme]

what I want to know is what the heck happened to reactor #1... it seemed to be okay last night

 

[Chiquita71]

Any worse or different ?........I'd say the #1 reason, is that there are 6 freaking reactors in trouble!!!!!!!!!!!!

Respectfully Quoted tehcloser

I am a believer in facts, please excuse my need to understand. I ask then, do you know if this incident is worse than all those I listed (and the many more than would make the post a thread)in particular or combined?

Thank you.

 

[nursebeeme]

FLASH: IAEA head says core damage at units 1-3 of Japan's quake-hit nuclear plant confirmed, situation very serious

http://twitter.com/Reuters

EU Energy Commissioner warns of further catastrophe at Japan's nuclear site in the coming hours

 

[Quiche]

http://twitter.com/#!/REUTERSFLASH

U.S. forces in Japan not allowed within 50 miles of crippled nuclear reactor without special authorisation - Pentagon

IAEA head says situation at Japan's Daiichi nuclear power plant is very serious

 

[hockeymom]

Yep and it seems Michelle and the girls are with him!

http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/front-page/obamas-visit-to-brazil/

I just have no words.

Its probably spring break for the girls. Maybe there's a Carnival there!!! (I'm going to move my rant about this to political pavillion.

 

[nursebeeme]

Respectfully Quoted tehcloser

I am a believer in facts, please excuse my need to understand. I ask then, do you know if this incident is worse than all those I listed (and the many more than would make the post a thread)in particular or combined?

Thank you.

I am not teh but wanted to repost the link to the status of the six nuclear reactors... this is not like any past event imhoo...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/mar/16/japan-nuclear-crisis-tsunami-aftermath-live

 

[tehcloser]

Respectfully Quoted tehcloser

I am a believer in facts, please excuse my need to understand. I ask then, do you know if this incident is worse than all those I listed (and the many more than would make the post a thread)in particular or combined?

Thank you.

lol, no I don't know. What's worse is the "experts" don't know either. We have NEVER had a situation like this one. Facts are a wonderful thing. But to have facts, things have to be known......that's not the case here. We don't even KNOW what the radiation levels are at the plant, how do we go anywhere without KNOWING that? We don't KNOW if these things are in partial or full meltdown, we don't KNOW what all these spent fuel rods are doing.....the only thing we do know, at this point there are no FACTS. Hopefully we will get them.......but I'm not holding my breath. I can't imagine the fear that those poor people are feeling. I can't.

 

[nursebeeme]

I just have a very bad feeling today........

 

[Quiche]

adding this

Some U.S. air crews in Japan given potassium iodide tablets ahead of missions as a precaution against radiation - Pentagon

http://twitter.com/#!/REUTERSFLASH

 

[tehcloser]

I just have a very bad feeling today........

Me too Nursie, me too.