Spent Fuel Rods Drive Growing Fear Over Plant in Japan

[villager]

Source: NY Times

TOKYO — What passes for normal at the Fukushima Daiichi plant today would have caused shudders among even the most sanguine of experts before an earthquake and tsunami set off the world’s second most serious nuclear crisis after Chernobyl.

The public’s fears about the pool have grown in recent months as some scientists have warned that it has the most potential for setting off a new catastrophe, now that the three nuclear reactors that suffered meltdowns are in a more stable state, and as frequent quakes continue to rattle the region.

The worries picked up new traction in recent days after the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco, said it had found a slight bulge in one of the walls of the reactor building, stoking fears over the building’s safety.

To try to quell such worries, the government sent the environment and nuclear minister to the plant on Saturday, where he climbed a makeshift staircase in protective garb to look at the structure supporting the pool, which he said appeared sound. The minister, Goshi Hosono, added that although the government accepted Tepco’s assurances that reinforcement work had shored up the building, it ordered the company to conduct further studies because of the bulge.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/world/asia/concerns-grow-about-spent-fuel-rods-at-damaged-nuclear-plant-in-japan.html?_r=2

[Scuba]

1. "...second most serious nuclear crisis after Chernobyl."? Let's hope that's all it is.

[stonecutter357]

5. K&R...

It's not over it is still leaking.

[alfredo]

14. It's not over yet. It appears they've stabilized the patient in

Grave condition. They don't have a cure, and letting it die is unthinkable.

[ThomThom]

2. the world’s second most serious nuclear crisis after Chernobyl.

the question is ... How much more will it take to be number 1? I'm not sure it isn't already.

[TheWraith]

4. It's not. Actually, I'm not sure it's even number two.

Hanford was and probably still is a lot worse.

[valerief]

10. It doesn't mean it ranks second. It just means it happened AFTER Chernobyl. nt

[Peace Patriot]

16. Very sloppy writing from the New York Slimes! "After" is ambiguous.

You may be right that "after" means merely following Chernobyl in time, not "second worst," but it is impossible to tell for sure what the writer means. THAT is bad writing. We see bad writing (in addition to lies, distortion and propaganda) in the Corporate Press often enough, but, for some reason, this instance of it reminds me of multiple choice tests that I have taken, which are almost always badly written, and in which there are almost always at least two answers that could arguably be true, and/or, the question itself is unclear. There you sit with sometimes quite a lot at stake and no human recourse because the damned test was written by some unaccountable, private corporation with a boondoggle government contract, and you CAN'T ASK ANYONE, "what does this stupid, frigging test writer MEAN by 'after'?"

Multiple choice test:

Read the following paragraph and choose the correct answer:

What passes for normal at the Fukushima Daiichi plant today would have caused shudders among even the most sanguine of experts before an earthquake and tsunami set off the world’s second most serious nuclear crisis after Chernobyl.

1. What was the most serious nuclear crisis in the world?


a) The Cuban Missile Crisis.

b) Chernobyl.

c) Fukushima.

d) Hiroshima.

e) Dick Cheney's "lost" nukes.


2. How do nuclear experts express their apprehensions?


a) By crying.

b) By biting their fingernails.

c) By shuddering.

d) By eating chocolate.

e) By voting Republican.


3. What is the "new normal" as to the sanguinity of nuclear experts in nuclear disasters?


a) White lies.

b) Damned lies.

c) Whoppers.

d) Tangled webs.

e) "Alice in Wonderland."

-----------------

But you get my point. As with "nuclear disasters," so with "multiple choice tests": You have no human recourse once the thing has begun. And no amount "sanguine" "nuclear experts" will be able to help you graduate.

[kestrel91316]

3. The gift that keeps on giving......

[stonecutter357]

6. K&R...

[link to english.kyodonews.jp]

TEPCO 23, a radioactive substance emitted from Unit 1-3 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, has announced the most recent value of 1.07 becquerels per hour.

Increased from 60 million as of November and December Becquerel. TEPCO, along with the work, such as endoscopic examination under the Unit 2 containment vessel, which was seen on the dance because the radioactive material in the reactor building.

By Unit, the Unit 1 becquerel per hour 2,000,000 has been established to cover the building. Increasing by about 10 million Becquerel Unit 2 and Unit 3 was the same, as Becquerel 20 million, respectively, had the same 50 million becquerels. The site boundary due to additional emission Traced (Exposure) Estimated that the dose of 0.12 mSv per year.

[alfredo]

7. There are earth quakes off the shore east of Fukushima near every day.

sooner or later a large one will hit. Right now they are in the 4.5 to 5.0 in magnitude.

[magical thyme]

9. there is another fault zone within a few miles of Fukushima

which is overdue for a major quake. Scientists give it a 90% chance of I think 6.0 or greater within 3 years.

[alfredo]

11. Tell Newt, we need that moon colony now.

[SunSeeker]

12. DUzy!

[stonecutter357]

8. http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/f1-np/camera/index-j.html

very interesting webcam.

[happerbolic]

13. Good ol' tep cam...

...always showing how 'normal' the surroundings appear. Location, Location.

Make's me think of good old western towns facing nice immaculate store fronts toward the road through town. just don't pass down the alley to see what's behind all those structures!



Some good news: A few good universities are looking into radiation scrubbing through algal absorption - the more common pond version of the green algae which looks to help with cleaning the really dangerous radioactive strontium throw-off

http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/05/alga-was-known-to-selectively-absorb-radionuclides/

[boppers]

19. How come none of those plants in the picture have grown third heads?

Or turned into mutant attack monsters, killing the photographer?

[happerbolic]

20. too bad there isn't an index of time...

...we could go by. Wouldn't be surprising if those wild vines in the foreground turned strangler and was rushin' in on the poor fellow.

[Safetykitten]

15. Nothing to see here, move along.

[Andrewhawk]

17. Spam deleted by Paulie (MIR Team)

[boppers]

18. Yay for anti-intellectualism!

Well, it might at least provoke new ideas.

[Scairp]

21. Scary stuff

I do hope they can get this situation under control but it's been over a year and they are still struggling, plus the company lied so much during the initial meltdown that you cannot believe a word they say. Hard to believe in earthquake-prone Japan they couldn't manage to build a nuclear power plant that could withstand a natural disaster.