Japanese reactor crisis

Martina · 03-19-2011, 02:19 AM

Questions for our science geek:

So are 5 and 6 getting water circulation by way of generator power? i just read that the generators are configured to do that. i am confused.

i also read that TEPCO said not to be optimistic about the pumps working in 2. Then there is 4, which is leaking. And there is no more likelihood that the pumps will be working in1, 3 and 4.

If they are indeep pumping, does the fact that the pumps are working in 5 and 6 mean anything re the other units? i feel like i am doing a close reading of all this and am still not getting it. Some of it is the science, some of it is the fact that there is so much confusion, and some of it is obviously the rotten communication coming from TEPCO and the Japanese government. Even the journalism is weak. i can't see why there isn't some story laying out the possible scenarios. Is it that people just don't know?

So i finally found mention of what would happen if the cooling systems are not functional. People would have to go in and fix or replace them. Is that doable without it being a suicide mission?

i don't understand why unit 4 has a 4 rating while 1, 2, and 3 have a 5. Is it because 4 was shut down before the earthquake hit so there is no fuel in the reactor? It seems like the fact that the unit 4's pool is leaking poses a more immediate danger. i read that if those fuel pellets fall in a heap, fission could resume and that pure water can accelerate fission. i read that the reason they are concentrating on 2 is the radioactive steam that keeps coming out, but at least that means there is water in there. Clearly the pool at 4 may have next to no water inside it. How long can that go on without stuff happening?

So again this is something i have pieced together -- and i am so annoyed that i keep having to do this -- but the mox in some of the spent fuel rods in unit 3 is not a problem because plutonium is so heavy that it is unlikely to disperse in the air and because it won't aggregate enough to explode?

Martina · 03-19-2011, 02:48 AM

i just read that a residual-heat removal pump at unit 5 has been started. That is good news.

AtLast · 03-19-2011, 03:16 AM

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/18/134658...clear-Reactors

There is a podcast as well as the transcript.

Guests-

David Lochbaum, director, Nuclear Safety Project, Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, Mass.

David J. Brenner, director, Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.

Charles D. Ferguson, president, Federation of American Scientists, Washington, D.C.

Joe Palca, science correspondent, NPR, Washington, D.C.

Gayla · 03-19-2011, 03:54 AM

Listening to ABC News on the radio on the way home yesterday and the lead story at the top of the hour was, "Radiation to hit the West Coast within 48 hours!"

They had a reporter talking to a radiation expert something or other here in Seattle who said - yes, there is a small possibility that some type of radiation may arrive on the west coast within the next two days but it's highly unlikely that the amount will be any larger than what we are exposed to every day.

Then they went back to the anchor guy who said - that was so and so at the Univ. of Washington, confirming that radiation from Japan will arrive on the West Coast in 48 hours!

While listening to that, I realized that even if large amounts of radiation come flying across the water, there really isn't anything I can do anyway. I refuse to live, the way I did for a few days, as if the sky is falling. I will pay attention to the people who know things and if they say to panic, I'll panic. In the mean time, I'm much more interested in the other news coming out of Japan right now.

AtLast · 03-19-2011, 05:47 AM

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar...e-nrc-20110318

Japan nuclear crisis could last for weeks, U.S. nuclear official says

AtLast · 03-19-2011, 01:29 PM

http://www.huliq.com/12079/radiation...e-including-us

The big news coming from Japan is the tainted food supply from high radiation levels found in farm products in the area around the damaged nuclear power plant. The threat of radiation contamination to food supplies is not only prompting testing in Japan, but around the world testing for radiation is going on, including here in the US.

Japanese officials have confirmed that some of their farm products around the area of the nuclear power plant have been contaminated with radiation. Yukio Edano, the Chief Cabinet Secretary is considering limiting shipments of farm products from the affected areas, and reports there is no immediate health risks.

Lam ching-wan, a chemical pathologist at the University of Hong Kong School of Medicine said that Japan should seriously think about restricting any shipments of agricultural products in the area of the nuclear power plants in Japan, according to an article on the Bloomberg website.

Radiation has been discovered in tap water in Tokyo and other areas of Japan that are over 100 miles away from the nuclear power plant, according to Fox News this morning. Milk and spinach are the first two farm products in Japan discovered with high levels of radiation in them today, with the testing continuing around the region of the nuclear plant.

California officials are screening milk from grass eating cows in the state for signs of radiation contamination. Officials continue to stress that there is no health risk from the radiation that drifted into California from Japan’s faltering nuclear power plants.

Food imports from Japan are being screened for possible radiation in South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore. In the US, anything coming from Japan is being screened for radiation today, according to Fox News.

Airline passengers are also being screened for radiation with some small amounts found on passengers landing in two US airports yesterday.

L.A. is seeing a surge in people buying up supplies of food, water purification tablets and iodine pills. Another item that is flying off the shelves at health food stores is kelp. People are buying this believing that its iodine content will help protect the thyroid from radiation exposure.

The threat of radiation exposure frightens many people because it is something that is invisible. Other than using a radiation detecting instrument, there is no way to know where the radiation is going or where it has been. The US imports goods from all over the world, including from Japan, and this just adds to the worries of the public that radioactive products will make its way into the food chain.

The FDA is screening not only the food, but anything that comes from Japan today and is still assuring Americans that there is no public health risk. US officials do not expect any radiation in high levels to come into the United States, whether it be from the air or anything imported into the country for consumers.

Linus · 03-20-2011, 03:50 PM

03-19-2011, 03:16 AM	#3
AtLast Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Woman Preferred Pronoun?: HER - SHE Relationship Status: Relating Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: CA & AZ I'm a Snowbird Posts: 5,408 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,826 Thanked 10,827 Times in 3,199 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	From NPR - "Science Friday" http://www.npr.org/2011/03/18/134658...clear-Reactors There is a podcast as well as the transcript. Guests- David Lochbaum, director, Nuclear Safety Project, Union of Concerned Scientists, Cambridge, Mass. David J. Brenner, director, Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University, New York, N.Y. Charles D. Ferguson, president, Federation of American Scientists, Washington, D.C. Joe Palca, science correspondent, NPR, Washington, D.C.

03-20-2011, 03:50 PM	#7
Linus The Planet's Technical Bubba How Do You Identify?: FTM Preferred Pronoun?: He/Him/Geek Relationship Status: Married to my forever! Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 5,440 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 2,929 Thanked 10,727 Times in 3,172 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	__________________ Personal Blog \|\| [] \|\| Cigar Blog "We become Human Doings instead of Human Beings." -- Ram Dass

03-19-2011, 02:19 AM	#1
Martina Senior Member How Do You Identify?: * Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: * Posts: 4,999 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 13,409 Thanked 18,284 Times in 4,167 Posts Rep Power: 21474854	Questions for our science geek: So are 5 and 6 getting water circulation by way of generator power? i just read that the generators are configured to do that. i am confused. i also read that TEPCO said not to be optimistic about the pumps working in 2. Then there is 4, which is leaking. And there is no more likelihood that the pumps will be working in1, 3 and 4. If they are indeep pumping, does the fact that the pumps are working in 5 and 6 mean anything re the other units? i feel like i am doing a close reading of all this and am still not getting it. Some of it is the science, some of it is the fact that there is so much confusion, and some of it is obviously the rotten communication coming from TEPCO and the Japanese government. Even the journalism is weak. i can't see why there isn't some story laying out the possible scenarios. Is it that people just don't know? So i finally found mention of what would happen if the cooling systems are not functional. People would have to go in and fix or replace them. Is that doable without it being a suicide mission? i don't understand why unit 4 has a 4 rating while 1, 2, and 3 have a 5. Is it because 4 was shut down before the earthquake hit so there is no fuel in the reactor? It seems like the fact that the unit 4's pool is leaking poses a more immediate danger. i read that if those fuel pellets fall in a heap, fission could resume and that pure water can accelerate fission. i read that the reason they are concentrating on 2 is the radioactive steam that keeps coming out, but at least that means there is water in there. Clearly the pool at 4 may have next to no water inside it. How long can that go on without stuff happening? So again this is something i have pieced together -- and i am so annoyed that i keep having to do this -- but the mox in some of the spent fuel rods in unit 3 is not a problem because plutonium is so heavy that it is unlikely to disperse in the air and because it won't aggregate enough to explode?

03-19-2011, 02:48 AM	#2
Martina Senior Member How Do You Identify?: * Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: * Posts: 4,999 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 13,409 Thanked 18,284 Times in 4,167 Posts Rep Power: 21474854	i just read that a residual-heat removal pump at unit 5 has been started. That is good news.

03-19-2011, 03:54 AM	#4
Gayla Timed Out How Do You Identify?: Kinky Butch Top Preferred Pronoun?: I'm not picky Relationship Status: She makes me dance like a fool and forget how to breathe. Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: SF CA Posts: 3,229 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 877 Thanked 7,077 Times in 1,966 Posts Rep Power: 0	Listening to ABC News on the radio on the way home yesterday and the lead story at the top of the hour was, "Radiation to hit the West Coast within 48 hours!" They had a reporter talking to a radiation expert something or other here in Seattle who said - yes, there is a small possibility that some type of radiation may arrive on the west coast within the next two days but it's highly unlikely that the amount will be any larger than what we are exposed to every day. Then they went back to the anchor guy who said - that was so and so at the Univ. of Washington, confirming that radiation from Japan will arrive on the West Coast in 48 hours! While listening to that, I realized that even if large amounts of radiation come flying across the water, there really isn't anything I can do anyway. I refuse to live, the way I did for a few days, as if the sky is falling. I will pay attention to the people who know things and if they say to panic, I'll panic. In the mean time, I'm much more interested in the other news coming out of Japan right now.

03-19-2011, 05:47 AM	#5
AtLast Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Woman Preferred Pronoun?: HER - SHE Relationship Status: Relating Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: CA & AZ I'm a Snowbird Posts: 5,408 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,826 Thanked 10,827 Times in 3,199 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar...e-nrc-20110318 Japan nuclear crisis could last for weeks, U.S. nuclear official says

03-19-2011, 01:29 PM	#6
AtLast Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Woman Preferred Pronoun?: HER - SHE Relationship Status: Relating Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: CA & AZ I'm a Snowbird Posts: 5,408 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,826 Thanked 10,827 Times in 3,199 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	http://www.huliq.com/12079/radiation...e-including-us The big news coming from Japan is the tainted food supply from high radiation levels found in farm products in the area around the damaged nuclear power plant. The threat of radiation contamination to food supplies is not only prompting testing in Japan, but around the world testing for radiation is going on, including here in the US. Japanese officials have confirmed that some of their farm products around the area of the nuclear power plant have been contaminated with radiation. Yukio Edano, the Chief Cabinet Secretary is considering limiting shipments of farm products from the affected areas, and reports there is no immediate health risks. Lam ching-wan, a chemical pathologist at the University of Hong Kong School of Medicine said that Japan should seriously think about restricting any shipments of agricultural products in the area of the nuclear power plants in Japan, according to an article on the Bloomberg website. Radiation has been discovered in tap water in Tokyo and other areas of Japan that are over 100 miles away from the nuclear power plant, according to Fox News this morning. Milk and spinach are the first two farm products in Japan discovered with high levels of radiation in them today, with the testing continuing around the region of the nuclear plant. California officials are screening milk from grass eating cows in the state for signs of radiation contamination. Officials continue to stress that there is no health risk from the radiation that drifted into California from Japan’s faltering nuclear power plants. Food imports from Japan are being screened for possible radiation in South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore. In the US, anything coming from Japan is being screened for radiation today, according to Fox News. Airline passengers are also being screened for radiation with some small amounts found on passengers landing in two US airports yesterday. L.A. is seeing a surge in people buying up supplies of food, water purification tablets and iodine pills. Another item that is flying off the shelves at health food stores is kelp. People are buying this believing that its iodine content will help protect the thyroid from radiation exposure. The threat of radiation exposure frightens many people because it is something that is invisible. Other than using a radiation detecting instrument, there is no way to know where the radiation is going or where it has been. The US imports goods from all over the world, including from Japan, and this just adds to the worries of the public that radioactive products will make its way into the food chain. The FDA is screening not only the food, but anything that comes from Japan today and is still assuring Americans that there is no public health risk. US officials do not expect any radiation in high levels to come into the United States, whether it be from the air or anything imported into the country for consumers.