Fukushima Nuclear Accident – a simple and accurate explanation

Bravenewclimate ^ | 13 March 2011 | Barry Brook

[Netizen]

Along with reliable sources such as the IAEA and WNN updates, there is an incredible amount of misinformation and hyperbole flying around the internet and media right now about the Fukushima nuclear reactor situation. In the BNC post Discussion Thread – Japanese nuclear reactors and the 11 March 2011 earthquake (and in the many comments that attend the top post), a lot of technical detail is provided, as well as regular updates. But what about a layman’s summary? How do most people get a grasp on what is happening, why, and what the consequences will be?

Below I reproduce a summary on the situation prepared by Dr Josef Oehmen, a research scientist at MIT, in Boston. He is a PhD Scientist, whose father has extensive experience in Germany’s nuclear industry. This was first posted by Jason Morgan earlier this evening, and he has kindly allowed me to reproduce it here. I think it is very important that this information be widely understood.

[raygun]

Oh, my bad. See this link instead:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2688347/posts?page=7#7

[likeme]

japan has hundreds of earthquakes a year. if a fire caused by a quake in the pool at unit 4 broke out & spread igniting the irradiated fuel throughout the nuclear site it would release an amount of cesium-137 equaling a doomsday load, 85 times more than the release at Chernobyl.