Situation grave at world's largest nuclear plant

do we need to have many of these plants in America?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/18/92527/0219

by Deep Harm
Wed Jul 18, 2007 at 06:25:27 AM PDT
The world's largest nuclear plant, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, experienced a fire and damage after two earthquakes on Monday. Accounts of the damage worsen with each new report, and now data indicate that the plant sits directly over a fault line. The plant's seven reactors are currently shut down, but keeping them safely shut down will be difficult. If technicians cannot keep cooling water flowing to the radioactive cores, those could overheat, resulting in a meltdown and massive release of radiation. The head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has urged Japanese authorities to investigate the accident fully.



Duct knocked out of place in major vent; possible leak of radioactive cobalt-60 and chromium-51 from five of the plant's reactors.
Water leak inside buildings housing all seven reactors.
Malfunctioning of water intake screening pump at two reactors.
Blowout panel knocked down at turbine buildings at two reactors.
Oil leak from low-activation transformer waste oil pipes at two reactors.
Loss in water-tight seal at reactor core cooling system.
Water leaks from diesel generator facility, burst extinguisher pipe, burst condenser valve and filtration tank.
Broken connections and broken bolt at electric transformer.
Loss of power at control center for liquid waste disposal facility.
Oil leaks from damaged transformer and magnetic transformer facility.
Oil leak at reactor water supply pump facility.
Disrupted electrical connection at magnetic transformer facility.
Cracks in embankment of water intake facility.
Air and oil leaks at switching stations.
Land under parts of plant turned to mud in quake-caused process known as liquefaction.

There are a couple of things you actually want to build on top of a fault. Bush's house and CHeney's house! He he he!

But, we can choose to just keep burning coal. There are always choices.

and pray to the Goddess there won't be any strong aftershocks...

Any negative public-health implications remain purely in the realm of speculation and/or innuendo.

is also speculation.

9 people died in building collapses, another 1,000 were injured, hundreds are now homeless and a good 10,000 were left without water or power.

Not that anybody seems to give a fuck unless there's radioactivity involved, but I thought I'd mention it.

:scared:

Sorry, I don't have the Kanji for it.

--p!

and what are the consequences if even a small fraction of that material is released into the environment????

Fear mongering indeed...

If administered via a spider bite.

In Japan, releases of radiation usually do not create superheros. Generally they are responsibile for monster formation.

I cannot believe that a technical person like yourself has not grasped this given the international prominence of Godzilla and Rodan and the Monster Zero.

It is covered in peer reviewed journals.

Please see, for instance, Tanaka, T., Int. J. of Radioactive Mutants and Monsters, Vol 8, No. 21, pp 89-144 (1955) "Bayesan Modular Form Approximation to Gamma Ray Intensity and Casuality Relationships and Mutagenic Induced Revivication of Psuedo-Triassic Species in the Sea of Japan: A Plastic Curve Statistical Analysis of Observed Incidences."

See also Tanaka's now famous review article in Tetragens Vol 13, 34, pp 55-144 (1987). "Post Mothra Theory of Radiomonster Induction: A Review."

They are in the undamaged containment systems.

The consequences if even a small fraction of that material is released into the environment?(???)

We know pretty well how nuclear radiation works. Provide a particular number, and we have a good idea what to expect -- except that we routinely overestimate the damage in order to err on the side of caution.

"It's only a matter of time before the next reactor blows!" But it's also only a matter of time before al-Qaeda attacks us again. It's only a matter of time until your kid takes drugs and gets AIDS. It's only a matter of time until the Communists are marching on Avenue of the Americas, gleefully bayoneting Christians who don't renounce Jesus Christ. And it's only a matter of time before the next hundred-km asteroid plows into the globe like a cosmic cannonball.

We can't live in fear. Caution is always healthy, but paranoia is not.

--p!

I'd tell you, but you're not very good with numbers and there is essentially a zero probability that you would understand it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=103672&mesg_id=103711

The reported volume was >1000 liters...

http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=292574

TEPCO has not released the quantities of radionuclides released during this accident.

You know nothing...

http://www.tepco.co.jp/cc/press/07071604-j.html

It's just that nobody at Greenpeace reads Japanese, so it hasn't filtered down to you yet.

That's the equivalent of 25 smoke alarms, to put a little perspective on things: Naturally, everything in the sea of Japan is turning into a mutant zombie at this very moment.

edit: In case you're worried about the date, they've confirmed the amount here

恐れの販売

If your fonts are up to it. :)

Okay, I recognize "go" ... or is it "no" ... ?

--p!

As in, "I'm so terrified of nuclear power I think I've just raised the fear level to Code Brown"

(hint for the etymologically challenged :))

The IAEA better not investigate my car - I'll be in deep shit. I'll be blogged about on DK and written about by Greenpeace and turn everyone in the Wairarapa into a giant fucking brain-eating mutant.

full of used PCs, gloves, used tools, but who knows. The term low level nuclear waste covers a lot of territory. Heck, my husband spent a year digging up cannisters of "low level waste" in a pit the Navy left in Connecticut (preparing for green fielding) some of the cannisters had traces of U-238 and U-235 in them and he picked up more dose getting an x-ray for his teeth than he did doing that. Yes, the amount leaked into the sea was 50% higher than originally reported, but from what I have read it was 1 billionth of what is allowed.

Is nuclear safe -- no, but no major power generation is, but it is well regulated - yes. The issues in Japan are not huge but raise good questions. What happened there will only help lower the risks and help make nuclear even safer.

I'm planning on a few thousand more.

You got a problem with them?

n/t