Background: I am an engineer, not a nuclear engineer, but I have studied nuclear topics in some detail including some specifics of reactor design. Also, I have been following this quite closely and have learned quite a lot during this incident.
I don't necessarily think that the media is *biased* on this issue, just profoudly poorly educated.
Japans problems are well past TMI. But there is still absolutely no cause for concern in the us and only minimal cause in Japan. Here's why.
Okay, saying "radiation has been released" is *meaningless*, it provides absolutely *no* information. Take for example the empty spent fuel ponds. spent fuel is a gamma emitter, but is chemically stable and doesn't melt down or fission. That means that when the pool goes empty, it becomes dangerous to approach, because the water shielding is gone, but presents virtually no danger to the environment because while it is irradiating the area, it *isn't* releasing radioactive *isotopes*.
The unpleasant part of the spet fuel pools is while the rods are *partially* underwater, during which time they *do* release some radioactive gasses, but those isotopes have very very short half-lives. so while it *can* be somewhat hazardous for a few miles downwind, it *never* poses a serious long-term threat or any threat at long distances.
Far far more dangerous would be breached and exposed cores. That's because the isotopes present only in the cores (strontium, caesium, like that) but that hasn't happened, nor will it, the core containment on any non-russian reactor is a remarkably robust structure, and while one of the ones in Japan is classed as "compromised", but there's a *huge* space between compromised and "breached". Additionally, there are other safety measures that have not come into play.
Additionally, the rare occasions on which the media reports have provided any solid facts (isotope measurements, actual radiation measures, like that) support my lack of concern. The highest readings reported to date at the plant gate are of the "if you stand here for a few weeks, it's the equivalent of a CT scan" levels.
There reeeeeaaaallly really is no cause for concern in the US.
no subject
I don't necessarily think that the media is *biased* on this issue, just profoudly poorly educated.
Japans problems are well past TMI. But there is still absolutely no cause for concern in the us and only minimal cause in Japan. Here's why.
Okay, saying "radiation has been released" is *meaningless*, it provides absolutely *no* information. Take for example the empty spent fuel ponds. spent fuel is a gamma emitter, but is chemically stable and doesn't melt down or fission. That means that when the pool goes empty, it becomes dangerous to approach, because the water shielding is gone, but presents virtually no danger to the environment because while it is irradiating the area, it *isn't* releasing radioactive *isotopes*.
The unpleasant part of the spet fuel pools is while the rods are *partially* underwater, during which time they *do* release some radioactive gasses, but those isotopes have very very short half-lives. so while it *can* be somewhat hazardous for a few miles downwind, it *never* poses a serious long-term threat or any threat at long distances.
Far far more dangerous would be breached and exposed cores. That's because the isotopes present only in the cores (strontium, caesium, like that) but that hasn't happened, nor will it, the core containment on any non-russian reactor is a remarkably robust structure, and while one of the ones in Japan is classed as "compromised", but there's a *huge* space between compromised and "breached". Additionally, there are other safety measures that have not come into play.
Additionally, the rare occasions on which the media reports have provided any solid facts (isotope measurements, actual radiation measures, like that) support my lack of concern. The highest readings reported to date at the plant gate are of the "if you stand here for a few weeks, it's the equivalent of a CT scan" levels.
There reeeeeaaaallly really is no cause for concern in the US.