Radiation Levels Surge Outside Two Nuclear Plants in Japan

OH - BTW - most ALL of USA reactors are approaching 40 or older than 40 years - many have been granted license extensions up to 60 years - IMHO we will here have an accident based on aged components - the utilities are also proud of the ability to steam these plants at 90% + capacity - steaming the guts out to make $$$$$.

MB:

Trying to avoid panicking you. You and your daughter are in our prayers. According to this latest report 140,000 have been evacuated from around the Power Stations.

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Hundreds Confirmed Dead in Japan as Aftershocks, Meltdown Fears Hamper Search Efforts

Published March 12, 2011

| FoxNews.com


IWAKI, Japan – A blast at a Japanese power station Saturday leveled a building housing its reactor and stoked fears of a nuclear meltdown, as officials searched for thousands of people missing more than a day after a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Nearly 140,000 people have been evacuated around from areas near two nuclear power plants, the International Atomic Energy Agency told Reuters.

"Evacuations around both affected nuclear plants have begun," the IAEA said in a statement to Reuters.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/12/shaking-smoke-seen-japanese-nuclear-plant-facing-possible-meltdown/#ixzz1GQM8ExLe

Thanks. It seems that news is so slow. A person just has to have faith and patience. We wish that we did not know so much about Chernobyl.

They just declared a State of Emergency at the Second Reactor.
And the news says now that it is over 170,000 evacuated.

Tell her to get iodine. I am sure it is hard to get news there. Just in case?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 09904.html


Health risks could include specific types of cancers, stillbirths and acute radiation syndrome if a full meltdown occurs, experts said. Of particular concern are three chemicals that can be released from nuclear facilities that mimic substances the body naturally uses, such as iodine and potassium. These chemicals are radioactive Iodine, Cesium and Strontium-90, said Dr. Chesser.

Problems to the thyroid are of particular concern. The thyroid gland doesn't differentiate between radioactive iodine and the normal kind, which it uses to produce hormones and function normally. Adolescents, whose bodies are quickly growing, are at particular risk. In addition, the effects can be long-term: Dr. Chesser said that following the nuclear explosion in Chernobyl, thyroid cancers started to significantly increase only seven years after exposure.

To mitigate that risk, people can take iodine tablets that saturate the organ and make it unnecessary to absorb the radioactive iodine. Dr. Chesser also recommended that people stay indoors as much as possible.

deltamrey I sure appreciate your commentary. Nothing like an informed source to keep all this in perspective. What I'm gleaning from this is that any nuclear plant built proximal to the ocean must have a backup power source that is insulated from marine incursion. The same obviously applies to the fuel source. Surely engineering such a backup system is not a major task. Given the potential dangers associated with nuclear power, the mandates ought to be that such safeguards can not be short-changed.

I was also most interested in reading about the hydrogen produced as a reaction byproduct. Is enough produced so it could be used as a fuel source for hydrogen powered vehicles? If commercial nuc plants want to make money, this is another possibility?

High gas prices don't seem like such a big deal now, do they?

What else comes to mind is nuclear plant environment. Earlier I spoke about nuclear plants proximal to oceans. Now I want to consider nuclear plants proximal to major plate tectonic boundaries. Japan , as you all already know, is proximal to a complex suture zone of several tectonic plates. As such the construction of nuclear plants in Japan are much riskier than say Tennessee where there is little or no seismic activity. I wonder if we can even construct nuclear power plants capable of withstanding earth faulting? I imagine that Japan mapped fault zones prior to nuclear plant construction, but this does not mean new faults can not develop, though the chances appear low.

Such musings aside, the latest headlines speculate a meltdown is taking place. Things are going from bad to worse. Any more thoughts on this deltamrey?

1. Plants are required to have offsite backup power AND onsite power for emergencies - typically diesel Generators. These generators are routinely tested to be sure they are operable. BUT the Japanese built these plants with the diesels at sea level - they gone - and offsite power is obviously also gone. Batteries are also installed but with no way to charge and the demand on the batteries - dead area. I visited these plants in 1991 when we were studying best practices worldwide to put into our new plants. ALL nuclear power plants in commercial use MUST have backup electrical power.....

2. Earthquake design criteria are factored into the design of all plants depending on its location. In this case the 8.9 was obviously not a consideration. They did not design for this monster quake. BUT that sais there is risk to build in most places in Japan- or NO CAL.

3. A melting may have already happened - Cesium is a prevalent fission product and it has been detected as reported on the site- and maybe outside - that usually means fuel cladding has melted AND escaped out of the containment - probably during containment venting.

4. The volumes of H2 are to low for commercial reclamation - and who would use it anyway in any appreciable amount ??

BTW - I believe this first core is partially melted.......the second may well be in danger.