Japan nuke plant event update #1

[ensho]

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php


Situation Update No. 1
On 10.10.2009 at 03:50 GMT+2


A nuclear power worker was exposed to radioactive water from a reactor being decommissioned here on Thursday, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) said. At around 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, workers at Fugen Nuclear Power Station found that about 70 milliliters of radioactive heavy water had leaked from the reactor, according to the JAEA, prior to its recovery from a piece of test equipment. The amount of radiation that leaked was approximately 1,000 times the upper limit of 3.7 million becquerel set by government standards. One of the workers was exposed to radiation after inhaling 0.21-millisievert tritium. However, there was no radiation leaked outside the plant. The accident was reported to the government regulator, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, on Friday.
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wonder how the worker who inhaled tritium is doing.

[thunder rising]

1. For 'mericans that 2.37 oz of stuff leaked and a worker inhaled a months allowance of bad stuff

[clear eye]

2. Does anyone know where Japan disposes of its nuclear waste?

They get around 1/3 of their electricity from nukes. Can't imagine how that crowded island nation finds anywhere to put it.

[Statistical]

3. They have a facility in Rokkasho.

Vitrification = mixing waste with molten glass to seal it. The waste is sealed in glass and placed in steel barrels.

[clear eye]

4. Thanks.

I was wondering if maybe they exported it or put it in deep ocean trenches or something.

[ensho]

5. glass doesn't repell things nuclear and shouldn't it be lead/concrete

barrels?

[Statistical]

6. The glass doesn't stop radiation if that is what you are asking.

That isn't the purposes of vitrification.

The waste will still need to be stored somewhere long term. The purpose of the glass it to prevent interaction between the waste & elements (no leaking barrels, no water seeping past nuclear waste).

The perfect system would be something like

1) waste mixed w/ molten glass to create a long lasting solid object for easy transport and immunity from elements.
2) multiple barrels cataloged and placed into casks weighing 20-30tons each.
3) casks stored someplace that is geologically insensitive, deep underground, and secure.