Fukushima is falling apart: are you ready?

reply to post by Unity_99

It didn't change much here last year but I didn't expect it to change so far inland. I haven't taken out my survey meter for about four months now. My brother borrowed it to check around his house about that time and I checked the snow around here but it was about normal. Things fluctuate around here because of the rock outcrops having some radioactivity to them. It goes up because of wind direction sometimes but unless you live right next to one of these outcrops it doesn't get really unsafe. I wish my geiger counter wasn't so noisy, I'd like to bring it into a grocery stores to check foods or department store to check out imports from asian countries. Maybe I don't really want to know anyway

reply to post by Blaine91555


Care to call her out in specifics, or should we just take your word for it?

By the way, there is no exaggeration or fear mongering in the statement by Ron Wyden.

Link to their source for those interested in what he actually said without the embelishment.

“The scope of damage to the plants and to the surrounding area was far beyond what I expected and the scope of the challenges to the utility owner, the government of Japan, and to the people of the region are daunting,” Wyden wrote in the letter. “The precarious status of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear units and the risk presented by the enormous inventory of radioactive materials and spent fuel in the event of further earthquake threats should be of concern to all and a focus of greater international support and assistance.”

Of course there is no mention of an "Extinction Level Event" (sorry, can't believe anyone stooped to that level of fear mongering). Only that they need to allow other people to help mitigate the problem to reduce risk.

You will also find that the levels of radiation reaching the US are hundreds if not thousands of times below the levels which would be more dangerous than normal background radiation.

You will find out as well that mutations caused by radiation take generations to appear and that to imply otherwise is an insult to the reader. Even at nuclear weapon test sites it took generations, even though the exposure was many magnitudes higher.

Over 180 flags. Doesn't anyone here care about factual information anymore?

reply to post by Blaine91555


Really?

There is more bad news from the stricken Fukushima nuclear site in Japan, where a probe of the only one of the three destroyed reactors where access is possible revealed still-deadly levels of radiation. Experts say the two others could be in even worse shape.

In the second such interior assessment since the disaster over a year ago detectors in reactor number two showed damage so severe special technology will need to be developed just to survive the harsh environment. Cleaning up is going to take decades.

Water levels inside the containment vessel that houses the radioactive core were also found to be way too low, despite continual pumping, although the water temperature indicates the fuel has been cooled.

Detected radiation levels of 70 seiverts an hour will kill a human after seven minutes of exposure, and are 10 times higher than experts had been hoping. Levels are even higher in reactors one and three

www.euronews.com...



Radiation so high even robots are not safe - yea nothing to worry about here move along

If they are MOX fuel, containing 6% plutonium, one fuel rod has the potential to kill 2.89 billion people.

endthelie.com...

No possible chance of extinction level event do you work for TEPCO?

reply to post by unityemissions


You first; post her qualifications and explain why she is fundraising and exaggerating in light of her source. You did read her profession correct? You do know that her training does not qualify her for anything remotely related to this correct? Those are simple facts.

Why does she need your money to buy equipment she's not qualified to use, when monitoring is already going on by those who are qualified and who are not begging for donations or embellishing facts to get your money.

"Extinction Level Event", get real here. That's utter nonsense.

The onus is on the claimant to prove their claims. I'm waiting for links to the readings that prove that we are all going to die. I assume people using terms like ELE know what that means? For the OP to be correct there would be millions or more correctly billions already dead or dying. I think my claim of it being exaggerated is proved simply by reading the OP, is it not?

As to this woman's qualifications, she lists her qualifications of which she has none.

Would a reasonable person get information say on brain cancer from a wildlife photographer? Sounds silly does it not? Same thing exactly.

That and Wyden engaged in no fear mongering. He simply said they should allow more help. He is a camera hound, so He'd be all over the news screaming about it if he believed what the author implied.

Anyway, prove to me she is qualified and that she personally needs to monitor what real experts are already monitoring and make a case for sending her money to do so.

As some theorists are saying that the earths core is hot because of radiation, why not dump all the waste at the subduction points on the globe, and let the earth keep the stuff until the radiation dies down, I believe that subducted materials take a quarter of a million years to surface through volcanoes, and the lava will lock in the material anyway.

reply to post by PageAlaCearl


No doubt a horror story is happening in Japan and they are not being entirely honest. That has nothing to do however with fear mongering for money, so an unqualified person can supposedly buy expensive gear to do a study they are not qualified to do. That and the fact that those who are qualified are already monitoring the levels and don't need to scare people for money.

Please read what I type instead of filling in the blanks. What's happening in Japan is very bad. My point was about the fear mongering site to scare people out of their money. I'm not downplaying the risk to Japan.

Fear Mongers always try and make it about them, just as in this case. Even though the real danger exists in the area where this is going on, they try to make it sound like those not at risk are in grave danger. In this case for money.

That site is the last place to get facts a person should go.

fukushima is like a slow motion car crash unfolding. the ultimate impact will likely be catastrophic. i can't see any solution. i recommend anyone to read 'on the beach' by neville shute, as a sobering account of a possible future scenario.

my 5cents worth. how do they contain or keep cool the highly enrich weapons grade plutonium in a nuke? why not do the same with less enriched powerplant stuff. how many days of current war money can solve the problem. I bet less than a week of what america spend currently on war. why does it seem every time something major horrific take place where many many lives are at stake george bush is in the same sentence?

reply to post by PutaMuerte


Eew, all those stars for a post someone made about giving up? It truly amazes me how easily defeated so many people have become. The post i'm replying to (page 1) is simply one person's declaration of surrender. To each their own, but I thought the people of ATS were more strong willed than the average sheep.

Originally posted by Blaine91555
reply to post by unityemissions

 

You first; post her qualifications and explain why she is fundraising and exaggerating in light of her source. You did read her profession correct? You do know that her training does not qualify her for anything remotely related to this correct? Those are simple facts.

You already posted her qualifications

Some of it is in line, such as investigative journalism. You don't have to be a professional in the nuclear industry to speak to professionals. Are you a professional What are YOUR credentials. Your accusations are preposterous!

Why does she need your money to buy equipment she's not qualified to use, when monitoring is already going on by those who are qualified and who are not begging for donations or embellishing facts to get your money.

"Extinction Level Event", get real here. That's utter nonsense.

Screw qualifications, if you can operate it..go to it! She doesn't need my money. I'm not sending it

As for your "utter nonsense"...prove it or shut it.

The onus is on the claimant to prove their claims.

Correct, and you made some claims. Back them up.

I'm waiting for links to the readings that prove that we are all going to die. I assume people using terms like ELE know what that means? For the OP to be correct there would be millions or more correctly billions already dead or dying.

Can you THINK?? The majority of the radiation has yet to hit the environment. Get real.

I think my claim of it being exaggerated is proved simply by reading the OP, is it not?

Nope. Not really. I don't listen to assholes just because, sorry.

As to this woman's qualifications, she lists her qualifications of which she has none.

You do realize you just used circular logic, right?

Would a reasonable person get information say on brain cancer from a wildlife photographer? Sounds silly does it not? Same thing exactly.

Yea, an individual can have but one profession....right.

That and Wyden engaged in no fear mongering. He simply said they should allow more help. He is a camera hound, so He'd be all over the news screaming about it if he believed what the author implied.

Just think about what you're saying. You're trusting a CONGRESSMAN over an investigate journalist, and saying that this CONgressman is to be trusted, and not the investigate journalist. So one is to be respected, and not the other? Why??

reply to post by unityemissions


Ask yourself, why no links to real monitoring information from those qualified to do so? A real "Investigative Journalist" would rely on real experts and cite them.

Journalism regarding photographing eyes, to be read by those photographing eyes, qualifies her to buy expensive monitoring equipment to monitor what is already being monitored by real experts how?

Follow the money. It will never lead you astray.

Like I said there is a horror story going on but it's in Japan and nearby and does not mean we need to send money to a person clearly taking advantage of peoples unfounded fears, thousands of miles away from the danger.

Originally posted by Blaine91555
reply to post by PageAlaCearl

 

No doubt a horror story is happening in Japan and they are not being entirely honest. That has nothing to do however with fear mongering for money, so an unqualified person can supposedly buy expensive gear to do a study they are not qualified to do. That and the fact that those who are qualified are already monitoring the levels and don't need to scare people for money.

Please read what I type instead of filling in the blanks. What's happening in Japan is very bad. My point was about the fear mongering site to scare people out of their money. I'm not downplaying the risk to Japan.

Fear Mongers always try and make it about them, just as in this case. Even though the real danger exists in the area where this is going on, they try to make it sound like those not at risk are in grave danger. In this case for money.

That site is the last place to get facts a person should go.

You seem to believe there is no threat to those outside of Japan...

Highest Radiation in LA
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Our last HEPA filter measurements January 22 produced some astonishing results. Doing a spot test on the Honeywell barrel-style filter and a Kenmore Plasmawave machine, we found radiation ~351% of normal background. The machines had been running for 42 days. The combined aggregate dust came in even hotter at 538% of normal background radiation at Radiation Station Santa Monica.

The California Highway Patrol considers anything over three times background, 300% of background and above, a trigger level to a hazardous materials situation.

www.enviroreporter.com...

All of Western US and most of East Coast, Midwest, Canada covered with airborne particles at various
www.abovetopsecret.com...

The following study appeared recently in the Journal of Environmental Radioactivity. A previous report 'New Study: Aerosolized plutonium from Fukushima detected in Europe — Spent fuel indicated' was based on the abstract available online at that time.

Lujanien_ e, G., et al., Radionuclides from the Fukushima accident in the air over Lithuania: measurement and modelling approaches, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity (2012), doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2011.12.004:

enenews.com...

There's lot of sources saying there's going to be problems world wide and I suspect the full scope of the dangers are not being told to the public.

Update:

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden's recent daylong field trip from Tokyo to the zone of Japan's nuclear devastation is worth at least a week in the telling. Bunny-suited with a breathing device for protection against radiation exposure, Wyden walked through the ruined Fukushima Dai-ichi complex and saw what few from the West have seen: another bomb waiting to go off.

The senator is not typically alarmist. But his field notes, followed by letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Energy Secretary Steven Chu, signal alarm. They paint a picture of extreme nuclear vulnerability, especially in Reactor No. 4, inactive at the time of the quake and tsunami but wrecked by explosion. The reactor now warehouses Fukushima's hottest inventory of radioactive fuel rods in a seismically jittery part of the world.

www.oregonlive.com...

What we learned the first time is that radioactivity leaks out quickly," he told The Oregonian Friday. "If (No. 4) ruptures now, it gets into the air, and that's very troubling to us in Oregon. This must not happen."

Prevailing winds pushed insignificant quantities of radioactive iodine-131 from Japan across the Pacific to the United States following the March 11, 2011, quake and tsunami. The delivery capacities of the ocean have been efficient as well, as The Oregonian's Charles Pope reported a California researcher discovering radioactive iodine in sea kelp reaching the U.S. coast after the incident.

You see the MAJOR concern is reactor 4, it came out in the Oregonian in Oregon and they are concerned as well, not just ATS fear mongering.

reply to post by PageAlaCearl



I thought only reactor 3 was MOX?
This is referencing reactor 2 which is LEU.

commons.wikimedia.org...:Fukushima_I_NPP_1975_reactors_1_to_4_crop_damage.png

Originally posted by doobydoll
If one fuel rod is capable of killing more than a couple billion souls then we've had it.

Nuclear power should be banned globally until we find a way to safely dispose of it's waste, it's just common sense really.

But when has common sense ever won against the mighty dollar my friend?

reply to post by Blaine91555


Well, she doesn't directly ask for funds in that article, but I saw a link at the top to nuke radio . It shows there has been just shy of $260 donated so far for her efforts. Big monies!!

I wonder how much energies it took her to set up the site, and keep it maintained each month?! She's probably making a good quarter to half dollar a day in profits or so..

As for the exaggeration, you know...you're probably right, but then we have underexaggerations from many of the officials, so perhaps it's best to try and integrate our best probable guess from a variety of sources?

Here's one that says there's enough cesium-137 to be equivalent to 85 times what was released in Chernobyl, and that is thought to have wiped out about a million people.

So whatever it is, it's really, really, really bad! Could it be enough to collapse civilization in a worse case scenario ?? Maybe so. Could it be on the order of an ELE? Probably not, unless it combined with as of yet unknown vectors to multiply the horrendous effects.

I get your point, and thank you for providing some counter-balancing thoughts. It's my job to do the same

Nuclear expert raises doubts about support columns under Spent Fuel Pool No.4 at Fukushima Daiichi

Securing the structure of the pool at Unit 4 was identified early on in the crisis, with support columns installed. But the survivability of these columns, if struck by a manor [sic] seismic event, must be doubted. A decision to build a new structure around the plant with heavy lift cranes is only the start of a long process that risks failure at numerous corners. All through this period and before the spent fuel is unloaded and put in secure casks the possibility will persist of loss of cooling water leading to an exothermic reaction that would lead to the release of a vast inventory of radioactive cesium and other radionuclides. The 50 mile evacuation zone recommended for U.S. citizens in the months after the Fukushima accident began would not be sufficient to protect Japan, including Metropolitan Tokyo, from potential devastation as a society. That was the information conveyed to Prime Minister Kan more than one year ago – and it remains the nightmare today

enenews.com...

The Highest Risk: Problems of Radiation at Reactor Unit 4, Fukushima Daiichi
japanfocus.org...

Work to reinforce No.4 reactor building starts soon, hoping done by August — To prevent bottom of spent fuel pool from falling out
enenews.com...

This last article from March 2011 "work starts soon" blah blah - still no reinforcement for reactor 4 and rumors of it leaking

Pipe leaks water from reactor 4 fuel pool
Kyodo

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Wednesday it has found radioactive coolant water leaking from a broken pipe in reactor 4 of the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, but it hasn't flowed outside the building.

The reactor's fuel rods are in the spent-fuel pool, as the reactor was offline for maintenance when the March 11 disaster struck. The leaked coolant water contains radioactive materials from the fuel pool.

According to Tepco, about 8.5 tons of water leaked onto the floor of the reactor 4 building at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. The leak was stopped 13 minutes later by closing a valve, officials said.

www.japantimes.co.jp...

fukushima is like a slow motion car crash unfolding. the ultimate impact will likely be catastrophic. i can't see any solution. i recommend anyone to read 'on the beach' by neville shute, as a sobering account of a possible future scenario.

Of course there is a solution, it just takes awhile to roll out. It will be cleaned up eventually. The issue is they are too proud / arrogant to accept foreign aid (or simply want to hide the level of disaster at the plant from as many as possible), and so are at risk of a very serious event if another earthquake and tsunami occurs before it's cleaned up. A small pile of rocks 30 feet above sea level is a laughable defense against what can obviously happen there with another disaster.

reply to post by doobydoll


one fuel rod could kill a billion people assuming the radioactive isotypes contained within it were spread in an even dosage among people,

This is being blown out of proportion,

This will not be the demise of humanity as we know it