Nuclear Reactor Meltdown has Occured

[Collector]

I have been at work for the last 13 hours and have not been able to stay very up to date on the events with the natural disaster, and the reactors but I am gathering thing are still out of hand there. I feel worried for those folks over there, many have missing family members and loved ones, and they are now confined to their homes most have no communication to the outside. It has got to be brutal for those who want to to look for their spouses, children and others and are not able to do so. I hope and pray that they can at least get these reactors under control soon. We need some good news from there!

 

[Wifezilla]

Your at more risk from the food you eat then a whiff of air coming over from Japan.

"VANCOUVER - Despite the growing severity of the nuclear incident in Japan, the radioactivity released into the atmosphere from a nuclear power plant crippled by the earthquake and tsunami should not be a concern in British Columbia.

Japanese authorities informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday night that radioactivity was being released directly into the atmosphere. Radiation dose rates as high as 400 millisievert per hour were detected at the nuclear plant, although these levels have since fallen, the IAEA said in an update.

Jean-Claude Brodovitch, a senior lecturer in nuclear chemistry at Simon Fraser University, said the main risk is from radioactive iodine, which has a very short half-life and would be very diluted if it was to travel here from Japan.

"Even if there is a serious release in Japan, whatever would come here would be extremely diluted," Brodovitch said. "Iodine has a one-week half-life, so in two weeks it would be gone. It would take a couple days to get here, depending on the wind.

It's a serious concern, but really only in the immediate neighbourhood of the event, within 20 or 30 kilometres."

However, in 1986, radioactive iodine fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear incident was detected in seaweed in B.C. waters, Brodovitch told The Sun in an interview.

"If we picked up something here, it travelled around the globe," Brodovitch said.

Iodine-131 is absorbed by the thyroid and is associated with thyroid cancer. Potassium iodide pills are used to saturate the thyroid with iodine so that it won't absorb the radioactive iodine.

The Japanese government has distributed potassium iodide pills, but no decision has yet been taken on their administration, the IAEA said in an update.

Brodovitch said British Columbians would be better off spending their money on a new earthquake kit, because the odds are much higher that an earthquake will hit B.C. than that the radiation fallout from Japan will have any ill effects on their health."

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/technol...on+scientist/4445241/story.html#ixzz1GiN7gOPA

 

[FarmerChick]

yeah it good for all you to say, "Hey let's just sit back and wait!". But it's gonna hit us first.

LOL Gina
you slay me....all will be OK....I am reading up and truly it seems that the distance is a huge factor to help the USA.

 

[Dunkopf]

The pool where they store the spent rods for that facility has reached levels over 800 deg. I assume they're talking Celsius since most countries use Celsius. It actually caught on fire and they are concerned that the rods will actually get hot enough to catch fire themselves. They're not sure why the pool caught on fire. Maybe someone from the media threw some gas on them to invoke fear or something.

I would be interested to know where the seawater is going to. I would assume that most of it evaporates. If that's the case where does the steam go?

The international community is somewhat upset at the Japanese govt for what little info they are actually giving out. The NRC has sent a team over at the Japanese govt's request to help troubleshoot the situation. The headlines this morning were that it was now at a level 7. Of course it keeps going up and down.

We are a long way from Japan. Hopefully what a lot of experts are saying about dissipation is correct. Hey, Obama said we were okay. That's either good or really really bad.

At any rate I feel bad for Japan. The tsunami was bad enough. Now they have to worry about people dying in 20 years from radiation exposure and a bunch of deformed babies. First we nuke them, then they nuke themselves.

I also heard that plant was built by GE. I wonder if it's one of the ones I worked on. I used to assemble and wire control room cabinets for GE NED. Got laid off a couple years after Three Mile Island. The whole industry went into the toilet after that. All contracts canceled and they didn't even have internet or talk radio back then.

 

[Dunkopf]

This morning ABC had a HS teacher on giving expert opinion on the incident. Made me laugh.

 

[mrbstephens]

Oh, so living on Long Island is a pretty darn good thing for me right now. Should I worry too, or am I in the clear?

 

[Dunkopf]

I would direct all questions to the NRC. You are probably in one of the best places though. I would be more worried about high housing cost if I was you.

 

[mrbstephens]

I would direct all questions to the NRC. You are probably in one of the best places though. I would be more worried about high housing cost if I was you.

High enough as it is! My property taxes are $7,100 for my .43 piece of property with my little house on it. BTW........I'm selling.

 

[chickenone]

This morning ABC had a HS teacher on giving expert opinion on the incident. Made me laugh.

Clearly, all of the experts are here.

 

[Boogity]

Clearly.

The one that is the worst is NBC. I wonder how they find their way to work each morning.