Third Reactor at Fukushima Nuclear Plant Explodes

ABC ^ | March 14, 2011 | DAVID MUIR AND JESSICA HOPPER

[ArmstedFragg]

Nah, I’ll stick to communicating with those who are responsive. I usually give apparent trolls a chance or two, then just don’t bother after that.

[gandalftb]

Yes and no, depends on the type of exposure. True, alpha emitters like plutonium can't even penetrate skin, but we are not likely to be rolling around in it.

I was speaking of inhalation and radiological toxicity, not chemical toxicity. Plutonium particles of 10 microns or smaller are more likely to be inhaled. Hair is about 50 microns.

Also, this ain't no store-bought plutonium, it's an isotope, Pu-239.

The public overdose: .1 microgram (one - ten millionth of a gram) lifetime. Pu-239 is the only substance illegal to transport by air.

[dayglored]

> "Normal person? I'd use the word, UNINFORMED person. I lived within 25 miles of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania when it had a TOTAL meltdown. The redundant fail-safe mechanisms (containers within containers) CONTAINED the meltdown of ALL the rods. Not a single person was harmed in any way.

Since you are concerned with being properly informed, I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that the TMI accident resulted in the PARTIAL, not TOTAL meltdown, involving approximately HALF of the fuel.

You can read about it numerous places, but here's an easy and very clear explanation, with pictures:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident

...It was later found that about half the core had melted, and the cladding around 90% of the fuel rods had failed, with five feet of the core gone, and around 20 tons of uranium flowing to the bottom head of the pressure vessel, forming a mass of corium. The reactor vessel, the second level of containment after the cladding, maintained integrity and contained the damaged fuel with nearly all of the radioactive isotopes in the core.

I happened to be flying in a small private plane a day after the TMI accident, between upstate NY and Washington DC area, and flew within a few miles of the TMI facility. I got to view the cooling towers from a position downwind, which a day after the excitement was itself rather exciting.

It seemed a big deal at the time, and I grant I would have been nervous living downwind. But in retrospect, and by comparison to the Japanese situation, TMI was relatively small potatoes, that got used for political anti-nuke purposes and blown way out of proportion. IMO.

[Munz]

>I read somewhere that GE produced these Japanese nuke plants.<

they did, the Japanese are asking for GE to come in and help now

[Matchett-PI]

Thanks for setting me straight. It’s been a long time since I lived there and went through the hysteria in the media up there. The way they blew it up gave me the impression that it was a total meltdown with all the rods involved. That was back in the days when I was still stupid enough to believe the media headlines. :)

[Matchett-PI]

PS: I also lived within about 12 miles of where the world’s first full-scale atomic electric power plant devoted exclusively to peacetime uses went on line on 12/2/57 -— Shippingport, PA. On October 1, 1982, the reactor ceased operations after 25 years and was successfully decommissioned. It wasn’t as large as most nuclear power plants in operation today, however.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shippingport_Atomic_Power_Station

[wita]

None of us in our lifetime will see another nuke plant built in the US.

US Navy would be minus one of its basic means of propulsion, should nuke plants no longer be built.

I can certainly believe the statement, which may not be a bad thing, if reality becomes the bottom line. Coal fired is safe, reliable, cheap, (by comparison), quickly built, and needed, to use our own assets. Except for the US Navy. I can’t see them going back to coal tenders, but stranger things have happened.

[dayglored]

> Thanks for setting me straight. It’s been a long time since I lived there and went through the hysteria in the media up there. The way they blew it up gave me the impression that it was a total meltdown with all the rods involved. That was back in the days when I was still stupid enough to believe the media headlines. :)

Sure, no prob. :)

That was an interesting plane flight... another engineer brought a Geiger counter, and since the plane wasn't pressurized we were able to measure the increase in radiation as we flew downwind through the plume from the power plant. The level rose considerably, but did not get to a dangerous level for us, since we were just passing through. OTOH, if I was living in that area I would have been quite concerned, since the plant officials were not being straightforward and the government jerks were outright lying most of the time.

Things at the power plants have improved considerably since then. I wish the same could be said for the government jerks, but that's a different topic...

[Matchett-PI]

"Things at the power plants have improved considerably since then. I wish the same could be said for the government jerks, but that's a different topic..."

Exactly. They're the ones in the perpetually worse "meltdown". :)

[SteamShovel]

That manifests itself as you idiotically stating everything is okay as Nuclear Reactor buildings explode.

I never said everything is OK. I am also not an idiot. I do my best to come across as respectful of other individuals and give my take on things. That is all. Please be respectful of others too. Disrespect adds to the chaos at hand.

Rational fear is one thing. Yes I am concerned, but not in a panic.

I am using my brain, my mechanical engineering skills, power plant experience, nuclear plant experience, and common sense to filter what is happening to make sense of it.

Irrational fear is counterproductive and not helpful in emergency situations. There is a lot of that going around.