‘Worse than Chernobyl’

[thewiseguy]

Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe Escalates in Japan – ‘Worse than Chernobyl’

The Institute for Public Accuracy issued the following statement by nuclear expert, Kevin Kamp, about the risk of nuclear disaster in post-Earthquake Japan: “The electrical grid is down. The emergency diesel generators have been damaged. The multi-reactor Fukushima atomic power plant is now relying on battery power, which will only last around eight hours. The danger is, the very thermally hot reactor cores at the plant must be continuously cooled for 24 to 48 hours. Without any electricity, the pumps won’t be able to pump water through the hot reactor cores to cool them. Once electricity is lost, the irradiated nuclear fuel could begin to melt down. If the containment systems fail, a catastrophic radioactivity release to the environment could occur.”

http://blogs.forbes.com/williampentland/2011/03/11/risk-of-nuclear-catastrophe-escalates-in-japan-worse-than-chernobyl/

This is not good at all...

[Kurovski]

1. What are the tablets that help protect from radiation damage?

Iodide, dine,? Whatever, I hope people are passing them around.

[PA Democrat]

6. potassium iodide.

[WheelWalker]

15. I often get that confused with potassium cyanide,

which may also be indicated in cases of severe radiation poisoning.

:sarcasm: ON EDIT: "Red pill or blue pill. Well, what will it be?"

[hlthe2b]

62. Well, that's a positive thought....

Of course today is the day a high school kid survived jumping the Golden Gate Bridge on a dare-- and with barely a scratch (I do so hope he bought a lottery ticket afterwards)....:shrug:

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

91. I hadn't heard

And he is from my county:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42019177/ns/us_news-weird_news/

[certainot]

94. if the first one doesn't work the second one may be in order

[rug]

35. They're only useful when you're hiding under a schooldesk.

[WinkyDink]

46. Yo! Flashback! (But don't forget: ca. 1954 wasn't far from....Hiroshima.)

[Mojorabbit]

57. I remember doing that as a child in school drills! nt

[Kievan Rus]

86. Children in Poland were given potassium iodide after Chernobyl

[Holly_Hobby]

9. Potassium Iodide

http://www.ki4u.com/

http://www.ki4u.com/guide.htm

[Poboy]

11. Potassium Iodide

[Shining Jack]

19. Potasside iodium.

D'Oh! I mean Potassium Iodide.

[uppityperson]

20. They ONLY protect your thyroid from uptaking the radiation

It does nothing to protect the rest of you

[Kurovski]

32. An important distinction.

My grandmother died of thyroid cancer. Never flew, never had an xray. She lived her whole life mear steel mills and coke plants. (no folks, not "cocA COLA")

[cliffordu]

82. Coke plants?? So, she was Bolivian, then......

(sorry, couldn't help it....)

:rofl:

[Kurovski]

109. Why yes! She WAS Bolivian...

:spank: :D

[KittyWampus]

84. if you do not have access to that eat sea vegetable. Kombu, wakame etc.

[Earth_First]

2. Here is to the absolute best possible situation ocurring...

Damn, I hope this doesn't get any worse.

I'll be following this closely, thanks for the link...

[thewiseguy]

4. Reuters: Snap analysis: Japan may have hours to prevent nuclear meltdown

[thewiseguy]

3. Radiation 1,000 times above normal in nuclear plant, Kyodo reports

[Codeine]

5. which is still a very low figure nt

[meow mix]

36. so low figures are deadly huh. plant operator just died

as well as your argument to continue this madness

[thewiseguy]

7. Report: Radioactive material may have leaked from Japanese reactor

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.nuclear/index.html

[thewiseguy]

10. Japan's Kyodo News Agency said that radioactive substances may have seeped out of the Fukushima

[PhillySane]

8. I suggest

if you live on the west coast, stock up on food and water supplies and be prepared to stay inside for a very long time.

[backwoodsbob]

13. can we stop the nucular hyperbole

we are at this point talking MANY if's and maybes and coulds.

People in the western usa don't need to stock up on canned goods and hide in bunkers.

[ixion]

16. yet

[PhillySane]

18. Don't bet on that

You've got five reactors that will be releasing contaminated steam into the jetstream. Better safe than sorry.

[Union Scribe]

88. We should actually encourage it.

If the dumb people are in their basements hiding from Godzilla, the rest of us can enjoy lighter traffic and an overall more pleasant life.

[jannyk]

24. and don't forget the Duct Tape!

I live on the NW Pacific coastline in an old log cabin. It's so drafty that staying inside would be of no help whatsoever. Will it be better to duct tape all the gaps in the logs (1800 sq ft), or should we just stick a strip over our mouths and noses?

[PhillySane]

26. go underground

those shelters in the 50's were no joke

[Xithras]

65. The weather may help alleviate that worry.

The question isn't the jet stream, but prevailing surface winds. Radioactive materials aren't naturally buoyant within our atmosphere without an external driver (radiation travels long distances from nuclear blast sites, for example, because the massive heat from the blast itself lifts the radiation into the upper atmosphere). Without an external driver, the dispersion of any radiation will be determined by surface winds, which a quick check shows are blowing north to south at the moment in Japan. Any massive radiation leaks would probably end up out over the Phillipine Sea.

This has happened before. You may recall that the radiation released from the Chernobyl blast tracked north to northwest, a direction OPPOSITE of the jet stream and Earths generally prevailing high level winds. This happened simply because the release didn't have the energy to push any substantial amount of radiation into the upper atmosphere. While some of it DID eventually make it into the upper atmosphere, and was detected weeks later as far away as Canada, the levels were low enough to be considered harmless.

[taught_me_patience]

83. It's four thousand miles away

I think we're ok on the west coast. You should relax a bit.

[thewiseguy]

12. Now residents within 10 km of Fukushima Nuclear Power Station No 1 asked to evacuate. Letting steam

[thewiseguy]

14. Another update just keeps getting worse...

Kyodo says Japanese nuclear agency informs the industry minister that the "failsafe" cooling system at Fukushima no. 2 has failed.

[thewiseguy]

17. officials say radiation may already have been released at Fukushima

[thewiseguy]

21. Japan says radiation levels surged outside nuclear plant. Government is expanding evacuation area

[thewiseguy]

22. FLASH: Steps have begun to release pressure at the Fukushima nuclear reactor : Japan official

[thewiseguy]

23. A nuclear plant controlroom operator died, reportedly trying to contain a radiation leak

[WinkyDink]

47. A hero.

[Fleshdancer]

63. I agree 100%

May this person be celebrated as the hero s/he is.

[thewiseguy]

25. The coolant water's temperature had reached boiling temperature, the Kyodo agency reported

[thewiseguy]

27. Attempts to cool reactor at northern plant are 'not going as planned' - official via NHK

[Sonoman]

28. These are Gen4 reactors. Chernobyl will look like Kindergarten.

The potential damage is unimaginable.

The drift across Asia and Europe is the stuff of Armageddon wet dreams.

Horrific.

Sonoman

[MattSh]

108. uhh,

Weather patterns in the northern hemisphere tend to go from west to east. Like most of the time.

[Lucinda]

29. Thank you...and thanks for keeping this updated

It's much appreciated.

[thewiseguy]

30. unofficial reports floating around of death(s) at the Fukushima #2 nuclear reactor

[thewiseguy]

31. Tokyo Electric Power has released small amount of radioactive vapor from malfunctioning nuclear plan

[YellowRubberDuckie]

33. Thanks...

But now I'm terrified. :scared:

[thewiseguy]

34. Secretary: Air release from nuclear power plant being "controlled". No immediate threat to life

[thewiseguy]

37. URGENT: Thousands Flee After Failures at Japan Nuclear Plants

[thewiseguy]

38. Radioactive steam is being released into the air at the two nuclear plants in Japan

[Luminous Animal]

39. Where are you getting your updates?

[thewiseguy]

41. I am following on Twitter, posting material from news agencies here

[Luminous Animal]

45. Thank you for your reply and for doing this.

[cottonseed]

90. Vaporized water can be radio active?

[jtrockville]

110. If the water had been used to cool the nuclear fuel rods, then yes.

I'm far from an expert. I'm just reading between the lines. This is from a few hours ago:

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/radiation-leaks-after-japan-n-plant-blast/428315/

...

Naoto Sekimura, a professor at Tokyo University, told NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, that “only a small portion of the fuel has been melted. But the plant is shut down already, and being cooled down. Most of the fuel is contained in the plant case, so I would like to ask people to be calm.” Failure of the cooling systems allowed pressure to build up beyond the design capacity of the reactors. Small amounts of radioactive vapour were expected to be released into the atmosphere to prevent damage to the containment systems, safety officials said. They said that the levels of radiation were not large enough to threaten the health of people outside the plants, and that the evacuations had been ordered as a precaution.

...

[thewiseguy]

40. NY Times: Japan officials say radiation likely to leak from nuclear plants

[thewiseguy]

42. Pressure inside the Fukushima nuclear reactor may have risen to 2.1 times the designed capacity

According to Reuters citing Japanese trade minister. This is spiraling out of control...

[thewiseguy]

43. CNN breaking news: Reactor cooling water above standard boiling point

Oh my god...

[jillan]

44. Oh Jeez... this is unreal.

[Horse with no Name]

50. anytime "cooling water">"boiling point"

it doesn't take a nuclear physicist to realize this cannot be good.

[Tx4obama]

48. Everyone pour a glass of wine, light up a cigarette, and relax.

From the minute we are born dying is in our future.

[WheelWalker]

73. ...ask not for whom the Wheel turns...

[Horse with no Name]

49. Even better--the nuclear expert on Rachel just said

that the government officials haven't been completely forthcoming and have held back some facts today.
Things are probably worse than they are reporting. (paraphrased)

[thewiseguy]

51. I have been on this for like 1 hour and it has been bad news after bad news

There has not been one single piece of good news. And we are dealing with two or more Nuclear reactors in crisis....

I think I am going to go and do something else. This is just too scary right now.

[Horse with no Name]

52. One thing for certain

we are all sitting ducks to a nuclear accident.

There really isn't much we can do.

[thewiseguy]

53. New York Times: 2 workers now missing from one of the nuclear plants involved

Rest in peace I guess... :(

[rdking647]

54. the key part of the statement is

IF the containment systems fail. there is no evidence that that is happening

[thewiseguy]

55. There are reports of radioactive leakage outside the facility

[TheMightyFavog]

59. Don't the containment vessels have automatic release valves to relieve excess pressure?

Perhaps the "leaks" are just these valves venting.

[babydollhead]

56. thank you.

[suffragette]

58. Account from Danny Eudy via phone call to his wife

He was working at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7468582.html

She said her husband was inside the nuclear plant when the earthquake started and continued with such force that it tossed people around. Light fixtures on the ceiling collapsed, broken glass fell and heavy cranes were swinging. Workers rushed to get the crane operators to safety, she said.

"Halfway through, the lights went out - they were in the dark trying to get out and evacuate," she said.

Danny Eudy cut his feet while trying to change his shoes to flee the plant. "It was slowing him down, but they didn't stop - they were still grabbing who they could to pull out anybody, everybody, to go, to get out," his wife said. "They knew this was an emergency, get out."

At some point, her husband saw a large wall of water. "He said if it would have been a little bit sooner, that he would have been caught in it and swept out to sea like everything else he saw in front of him - the buildings, the cars, the shops, just everything just going by, just gone," she said. "He said the little fishing town was gone - parts of everything just flowing, just going by, unbelievable, just flowing in this huge water."



CTVBC also has a report on their website.
Can't figure out how to post a direct link.
Go to: http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110311/japan-earthquake-110311/20110311?hub=BritishColumbiaHome
Look on right in video box and scroll until you see:

TV News Channel: Janie Eudy from Pineville, LA. (this title is blue)
2:00 p.m. ET: The wife of a man who was evacuated from a nuclear in power plant in Japan details her husband's experience. Eudy says he fears some co-workers were swept away by the tsunami.
Click on that title and video rt of reporter talking to Janie Eudy on phone about this will play.

[thewiseguy]

60. Just in: Japan PM says people within 10km of nuclear plant must evacuate; Kyodo agency says

[fittosurvive]

61. ‘Worse than Chernobyl’...? Is overly dramatic.

[Chris_Texas]

64. God damn guys, CHILL the fuck out

You sound like a teapartier who has spotted what just might possibly be a muslim.

Of course the media is finding the scariest sounding guys they can, that's what they do. And the people who actually do know what's really going on are busy at the moment. Let them work.

[thewiseguy]

66. Fuel rod exposed above cooling water level at Fukushima Nuclear Plant-NHK TV

I do not know what that means...

[Paradoxical]

67. Coolant levels have dropped to below the top of the reactor core.

The fuel is now exposed to the air inside of the reactor containment building.

[thewiseguy]

68. Thanks

[meow mix]

71. yeah everything fine

your litte babies are about to go critical. real fucking brilliant

[Paradoxical]

75. You don't know much about nuclear reactions do you?

[Statistical]

81. Water moderated reactors can not go critical with control rods in place. n/t

[Paradoxical]

89. I don't think people understand the difference between fast and slow

nuclear reactions and how they are related to neutron travel.

[suffragette]

72. Searched and saw this

I'm like you, not my area of expertise.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-11/japan-reactor-damaged-in-quake-may-need-to-vent-radiation-official-says.html

“The worst thing that could happen is that the core gets exposed and starts to melt,” said Robert Alvarez, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, formerly a senior policy adviser at the U.S. Department of Energy under President Bill Clinton and a U.S. Senate staff expert on nuclear weapons.

Exactly what might happen is unknown, because no GE boiling water reactor has ever melted down, he said.

“It’s not this stuff turning into gloop and burning a hole down into the earth,” Alvarez said. “You have a lot of other stuff going on such as fires and possible explosions that could breach the containment.”

~~~

At 700 degrees to 1,000 degrees Celsius, the zirconium metal cladding the uranium fuel would catch fire, he said. The coolant water would disintegrate into the potentially explosive elements, hydrogen and oxygen.




Whether that is about part of the core being exposed or a certain amount of it being exposed isn't specified, but it doesn't sound good.

[thewiseguy]

69. Pressure release halted due to radio activity- NHK TV

[meow mix]

70. thanks for this thread to offset the nukeapologists rationalizing and lying

and at such a dreadful time. they really are beyond the pale

[originalpckelly]

74. Who was on the radio?

:shrug:

[thewiseguy]

76. Sorry, the radioactive steam release was halted due to high radioactivity

They were probably releasing a higher amount of radioactivity that they were wishing

[WheelWalker]

87. That was Donna Summer nt

[thewiseguy]

77. Engineers are trying to open a second valve but can not get to it due to high radioactivity

[thewiseguy]

78. TEPCO SAYS SMALL AMOUNT OF RADIOACTIVITY LEAKED FROM FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI

[thewiseguy]

79. TEPCO's website does not load up for me

[originalpckelly]

80. I think that's a Texas small, not a Japanese small.

We'll probably come to find that out later.

They aren't being forthright.

[WheelWalker]

85. I'll second voice that. +1

[thewiseguy]

92. and a Big explosion...

[meow mix]

93. Three civilians in Fukushima diagnosed with radiation poisoning. Were outside awaiting rescue near

near plant at time of explosion - NHK

[Hannah Bell]

95. LINK?

[meow mix]

96. this ones all over the place. im not going to do everything for you

fuck its one of the biggest twitter trends atm, for crying out loud. if your just going to remain ignorant im going to qyuit responding to you

[Hannah Bell]

100. your second hand reports about unverified twitter posts aren't useful.

If you want to be taken seriously, link.

[meow mix]

97. Dr. Michio Kaku "Japan nuclear disaster is a "Chernobyl " in the making"

[rdking647]

101. not possible

this is a light water reactor. a chernobyl is physically not possible

[meow mix]

98. Japanese chief cabinet secretary confirms radiation leakage occured from explosion

[meow mix]

99. Update: ARD News is reporting that Japan Gov will now neither confirm or deny 'possible' meltdown.

[meow mix]

102. 190 people likely got exposed to radiation in Fukushima

[meow mix]

103. 300,000 people evacuated from homes in northern Japan as govt increases exclusion zone around Fuku

[meow mix]

104. Japan nuclear blast spurs 60,000-strong rally in Stuttgart demanding closure of Germany nuke plants

[meow mix]

105. Emergency Earthquake Warning issued - Niigata, Kantou, Koushin, Fukushima, Hokuriku

[meow mix]

106. It is expected to take between five and ten hours to fill the reactor core with sea water

ten days to complete the process.

[meow mix]

107. another rundown... (link)

Red Alert: Nuclear Meltdown at Quake-Damaged Japanese Plant

http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20110312-red-alert-nuclear-meltdown-quake-damaged-japanese-plant