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

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http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfe...actor-storage-pool-may-be-boiling/610901.html
The blurb is so small I have to paraphrase, so here goes:

A Japanese safety official has said that the water inside one of the nuclear reactor pools "may be" boiling. The spent rods are not being kept cool and that is why they "may be" boiling. The safety official declined comment on potential risks, and said that the plant operator is "considering what to do" about the problem.

So first it was on fire, now it's boiling. Is it just me, or is there something super surreal about a boiling nuclear pool? Hollywood ain't got nothing on nature.
 
"We have to monitor the situation closely, but the high concentration of radioactive material is not emitting constantly from the No. 4 reactor right now," he said.
Edano said readings at the gate at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday (2:30 am. ET) were 596.4 microsieverts per hour -- compared to a high reading of 11,930 microsieverts per hour at 9 a.m (8 p.m. ET Monday).
Analysts also have their eyes on reactors No. 5 and 6 at the plant, Edano said, where cooling systems were "not functioning well" and the temperature had dropped slightly Tuesday.
~snip~
U.S. Navy personnel began limiting outdoor activities and securing external ventilation systems after instruments aboard an aircraft carrier docked in Japan detected low levels of radioactivity from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the Navy said.
The USS George Washington was docked for maintenance in Yokosuka, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) from the plant, when instruments detected the radiation at 7 a.m. Tuesday (6 p.m. ET Monday), the Navy said in a statement.
"These measures are strictly precautionary in nature. We do not expect that any United States federal radiation exposure limits will be exceeded even if no precautionary measures are taken," the Navy said.
Radiation levels in Tokyo were twice the usual level on Tuesday but was too negligible to pose a health threat -- 0.809 microsieverts per hour, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/15/japan.nuclear.reactors/?hpt=T1
 
SOMA, Japan -- Dangerous levels of radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear plant forced Japan to order 140,000 people to seal themselves indoors Tuesday after an explosion and a fire dramatically escalated the crisis spawned by a deadly tsunami.
France's nuclear watchdog warns the situation at Fukushima's No. 1 nuclear plant now rates at six on a seven-point scale of gravity, according to AFP.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/0...s-radiation-leaking-atmosphere/#ixzz1GfaIFJrN
Click to expand...

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/0...ses-agency-says-radiation-leaking-atmosphere/
 
not_my_kids said:
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfe...actor-storage-pool-may-be-boiling/610901.html
The blurb is so small I have to paraphrase, so here goes:

A Japanese safety official has said that the water inside one of the nuclear reactor pools "may be" boiling. The spent rods are not being kept cool and that is why they "may be" boiling. The safety official declined comment on potential risks, and said that the plant operator is "considering what to do" about the problem.

So first it was on fire, now it's boiling. Is it just me, or is there something super surreal about a boiling nuclear pool? Hollywood ain't got nothing on nature.
Click to expand...

You cannot make this stuff up, and I find myself wanting to laugh - nervous relief I think.

At any rate, when he says "boiling", perhaps he means the water is boiling "away"? Once these spent rods are not covered with water, they will catch fire (or so I've heard) and then lots and lots of bad stuff will go into the air and go whichever way the wind is blowing, scattering "stuff" all over the place.

This is only MY take on it.

Ut oh, on GMA the guy says he has an emergency preparedness kit and medications - not necessarily for this disaster, but just to keep around. I can agree with keeping these things around, but right now it worries me that they're giving out all this information.
 
Trident said:
You cannot make this stuff up, and I find myself wanting to laugh - nervous relief I think.

At any rate, when he says "boiling", perhaps he means the water is boiling "away"? Once these spent rods are not covered with water, they will catch fire (or so I've heard) and then lots and lots of bad stuff will go into the air and go whichever way the wind is blowing, scattering "stuff" all over the place.

This is only MY take on it.

Ut oh, on GMA the guy says he has an emergency preparedness kit and medications - not necessarily for this disaster, but just to keep around. I can agree with keeping these things around, but right now it worries me that they're giving out all this information.
Click to expand...

I would have to agree with your take, and I hate to say it, but I did get a sort of morbid chuckle out of "considering what to do" about this newest issue. Ever seen Braveheart? Because what flashed through my mind is when they say to put their head between their legs and kiss their you know what's goodbye...I'm sure the plant operator has a better idea, but that's about all I'd be able to do right now.

There are others that say they would have dropped dead of sheer fright by now. At this point, I don't think my heart or my mind would have held up to the constant stress and panic that these poor people have to be going through every minute.
 
MSNBC saying it could be 6 months before the workers can access the worst hit areas of the plant in order to fully assess the damage.

That, to me, does not sound like a potentially dangerous amount of radiation. That sounds like a very dangerous amount of radiation.

Also reporting that that radiation is being blown over the ocean. Also, that 140,000 people have been ordered to seal themselves inside. (What about those that don't have an inside anymore?)
 
Radiation leaks from Japan nuke plant

A third explosion rocks a quake-ravaged nuclear power plant and the Japanese prime minister tells people in the area to stay indoors as experts warn this is the second most-dangerous leak in our planetâ?Ts history. NBCâ?Ts Robert Bazell reports from Tokyo.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42086346#42086346
 
Not meaning to be a purveyor of panic of doom and gloom, but I do have something to say.

First, I, personally, do not believe everything I hear. Me, and my children sat there, like sitting ducks when the Chernobyl cloud went over us. We lived up north, almost in a direct line from that cloud. No one really warned us or told us what to do. Possibly, as a consequence, my youngest child now has incurable cancer. Let me reiterate - we sat there like a bunch of stupid sheep, not knowing what to do.

Now, I realize most of the pundits are saying this won't affect us. Sounds good, and I pray that's the truth - who knows.

What I'm trying to say is this - check with your health department, doctor, pediatrician, ask what steps can be taken to protect your children, those whose thyroid glands are not fully developed yet. Yeah, I know they'll say, "don't worry, be happy," but the problem is your health and the health of your children is in the balance. There's still time, call around, find out, do not let your children suffer because you believed everything you heard.

Let me say in advance that I'm sorry to have to say this, and I only say this to spare someone, somewhere from the horrors that may be a possibility.

Sometimes I feel like John the Baptist.
 
I caught part of Nightline last night, and they showed in one area, the only sign of life was a horse standing at the side of the road, just staring them down...and all I could think of were the bands of wild horses that now run wild in Chernobyl and Pripyat.

Sorry, I'm tired and that was a random thought.
 
Obama Stands by Nuclear Power

WASHINGTON—Obama administration officials Monday brushed aside calls for a freeze on new U.S. nuclear power development, and sought to reassure the public the nation's nuclear facilities are safe and the threat of harmful radiation reaching U.S. soil from Japan is minimal.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703363904576200973216100488.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLETopStories

We should freeze new nuclear power plants until we better understand how to contain these meltdowns. What happens if an earthquake hits here in the U.S. near one of our nuclear sites if we're this worried about a meltdown this far away?
 
Well, here is what I am going to do - just because I feel I have to do something. I am going this afternoon and purchasing a few cases of water, making sure I have some rice and beans, and getting some extra Vitamin D. There are some studies that suggest Vitamin D may help protect against cancer. I would not take more than the recommended amount because that would be stupid. It can't hurt to take these few steps, and I will feel better for having done something.
 
A sliver of good news: Two Dogs Defy the Wave

"Two days after the earthquake, Mr. Kikuchi ventured out from the evacuation center where his family had reunited unharmed. He walked in rubber boots on the debris-covered roads still covered in floodwater with his feet sinking in the thick mud below.

When he finally got to the house, sidestepping a car that had shifted to block the entrance to the driveway, he could hear the barking.

"I was happy to see them because I had felt badly about leaving them behind," said Mr. Kikuchi. He gave them water, food and brought them inside after cleaning them up."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703363904576200571710073008.html
 
Regular iodine in controlled doses can help prevent radioactive iodine (one of the byproducts in the "possibly" boiling containment pool) from entering the body and attacking the thyroid. And always clean water, as much radioactive material passes through urine, and the more you clean the system, the more you flush out and dilute. MOO.
 
I saw some nuclear expert on MSNBC,and they asked him what would happen if the 50 workers decide to leave. The guy had difficulty even answering.He did not want to even say. All he said is that "difficult decisions would have to be made". What does that mean? Also the other guest who is with some nuclear watchdog group says,this is no longer a Japanese issue it is an International issue.
So how long until radiation gets to the US? Seriously, I want to know exactly what wll happen and exactly how long it will be until th ewind blows this way!! I'm seriously frightened for my friends and relatives on the West coast.
 
We can only hope this is a realistic assessment, but I will note it was written by a guy pushing for alternative energy:

Japan Does Not Face Another Chernobyl

"The containment structures appear to be working, and the latest reactor designs aren't vulnerable to the coolant problem at issue here."

"On all Generation II reactors—the ones currently in operation—the cooling water is circulated by electric pumps. The new Generation III reactors such as the AP1000 have a simplified "passive" cooling system where the water circulates by natural convection with no pumping required.

If the pumps are knocked out in a Generation II reactor—as they were at Fukushima Daiichi by the tsunami—the water in the cooling system can overheat and evaporate. The resulting steam increases internal pressure that must be vented. There was a small release of radioactive steam at Three Mile Island in 1979, and there have also been a few releases at Fukushima Daiichi. These produce radiation at about the level of one dental X-ray in the immediate vicinity and quickly dissipate.

If the coolant continues to evaporate, the water level can fall below the level of the fuel rods, exposing them. This will cause a meltdown, meaning the fuel rods melt to the bottom of the steel pressure vessel."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704893604576198421680697248.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read
 
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