A guide to radiation for the clueless...

Generali

.....like me.

http://xkcd.com/radiation/

So apparently you get more radiation exposure from eating a banana than living 50 miles from a nuclear power plant. Unless it gets it by a massive earthquake and tsunami of course*.


















*The nuclear power plant that is. I don't believe that earthquakes or tsunami have any impact on the radioactivity of bananas.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Workers have been evacuated from Japan's tsunami-stricken nuclear complex after grey smoke was seen rising from one of its reactors, a plant spokesman has said.
Tokyo Electric Power Company spokesman Hiroshi Aizawa said the firm is investigating after the smoke was seen rising from the spent fuel storage pool of Unit 3 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.
Officials have been battling to cool reactors and spent fuel pools to bring the radiation-leaking plant under control after it was damaged in the massive earthquake and tsunami which devastated north-east Japan on March 11.
The problem-plagued Unit 3 had already alarmed plant officials over the weekend with a sudden surge of pressure in its reactor core.

Lets think about that rise in pressure & how that can possibly happen....

1 - Increase in incoming pressure ie pumping in too much water at too high a pressure
2 - Partial collapse of reactor whilst still remaining air tight
3 - Internal fire or excessive temperature causing air to expand therefore increasing pressure......

mbga9pgf

Wasnt this the one that contained higher concentrations of Plutonium (fast breeder) and therefore is running hotter?

1984ReturnsForReal_2

mbga9pgf wrote: »

Wasnt this the one that contained higher concentrations of Plutonium (fast breeder) and therefore is running hotter?

No idea. But whatever it is its burning up air or just burning.

Unless of course we have the nuclear equivalent of the Keystone Cops dealing with it.

mbga9pgf

Reactor 3 IS a fast breeder MOX/Pu reactor. It looks as if they are managing to contain the others. Its just this one that is causing the main problems now. I wonder if they will end up using the others and encasing this one in concrete?

1984ReturnsForReal_2

mbga9pgf wrote: »

Reactor 3 IS a fast breeder MOX/Pu reactor. It looks as if they are managing to contain the others. Its just this one that is causing the main problems now. I wonder if they will end up using the others and encasing this one in concrete?

They are all dead & buried.

blueboy43

It does make you marvel at the bravery of the firefighters and the 'liquidators' at Chernobyl.

Likewise the people at Fukushima.

michaels

Have 5 and 6 had seawater pumped in as well then?

Not that I can imagine them wanting to work on the site anyway in the future but didn't some of the other reactors at Chernobyl continue in use for a few years?

I was wondering whether part of the problems is that they didn't just go for the Sea water option immediately in the hope that they could bring the plants back operational and that that caused some of the issues they now have?

Is the current fire probably the storage pool at reactor 3 which presumably has the plutonium rods in it?

1984ReturnsForReal wrote: »

They are all dead & buried.

ninky_2

there is a difference between radiation and radioactive isotopes (e.g. iodine 131 and cesium 137). whilst radiation levels may reduce relatively quickly radiocative isotopes once released get into the food chain and cause longterm health problems. radio active isotopes have now been detected in the food chain (and tap water). this is more of a longterm worry than radiation levels tbh.

ninky_2

the japanese govt have been saying the levels of radio active isotopes in tap water pose no immediate health risk. which is likely true. however they pose a massive longterm health risk.

this water is used to irrigate crops (already polluted by airborne isotopes). these crops are fed to animals which further concentrates the isotopes. humans then drink the milk / eat the meat from these animals which further concentrates these isotopes. these humans have also been continuing to use the tap water (for cooking, washing etc) as well as eating crops themselves.

wymondham

I've now gone off bananas!