25 Years Later...

[SubwayGuy]

25 years after the Chernobyl accident the Japanese nuclear reactor situation actually has a striking similarity.

 

Aside from the massive explosion at the beginning that marked Chernobyl (which didn't happen in Japan), a lot of the issues are actually the same.

 

One of the Japanese reactors is currently possibly leaking radioactive spent fuel towards the ground. This can eat its way down into the ground, where it is a threat to contaminate the ground water, which will affect many surrounding areas and make the habitat unlivable.

 

This exact situation nearly happened in Chernobyl and it took the lives of thousands of people to stop it, but Chernobyl's explosion was so bad that the radioactivity released has made the area near the old plant unlivable STILL - 25 years later.

 

Chernobyl is one of the most improperly reported and poorly taught incidents in world history (at least I've always thought that in school). One of the lessons of that disaster was that as in 9/11, first responders are never given full information about the hazards of the place. I suspect the same will be true in Japan. Another was the credibility gap between leaders and the public. The Japanese people have behaved admirably in this crisis but you have to shake your head when a public figure says that despite radioactivity levels of 1250x what is normal in the nearby water to the plant that "people are safe if they stay inside"

 

One of the lasting effects of Chernobyl was an increase in radiation related death and disease not just in the Ukraine, but all across Europe and Asia, and possibly even northern Canada as well with the release of radioactivity (even though leaders of those countries deny the effects). The threat of a widespread release from the Japanese reactor is very real and impacts everyone. One of the other lasting effects was the genetic mutations of people and their children (born or unborn), and local wildlife as a result of the exposure.

 

While the question on everyone's minds seems to be "can they recover from the quake/tsunami" the devastation from the reactor leak, if it is not controlled threatens to overshadow all of that...and not just in Japan.

 

The chemicals being discussed have very lengthy half lives...their radioactivity will remain for a long time if it escapes.

 

And the problems from Chernobyl are not over. They are rebuilding the capsule that encloses the exposed radiation since after 25 years it is decaying. The entire region near it is still highly radioactive and food and water have to be checked constantly. Seems it will be similar in Japan too.

 

I know there is an emphasis on looking for green fuels and the like but before nuclear can continue as a power source. It's likely the world will still be dealing with Chernobyl issues for the next 500 years or more. Japan may well be next on that list.

 

For more on the history of the Chernobyl accident, see the video:

 

 

[SoSpectacular]

April 26, 1986... I remember when I first saw this on Seconds from Disaster, SMH... Oh well... let's not forget about K19, the Widowmaker!

[Joel Up Front]

Only there was no earthquake in Ukraine...

 

Still don't really trust nuclear fuel. At least all that happens if a refinery catches fire is... fire.

[Shortline Bus]

April 26, 1986... I remember when I first saw this on Seconds from Disaster, SMH... Oh well... let's not forget about K19, the Widowmaker!

 

Hey not to get off topic. Spectacular your profiles states you are 21 years of age and yet that other disaster

occured in 1986.

 

Unless it's a mistake you were not around in 1986. I was in 7th grade. The US/Western Media did not found out how bad and tragic it was till years later. This was in the final years of the USSR empire who tried to down play it.:eek:

[Guest lance25]

Perhaps he looked up the incident recently. With all these nuclear meltdown fears in the news lately and all the comparisons to [Three] Mile Island and Chernobyl, I'm sure many people have researched said meltdowns recently.

[Nova RTS 9147]

Hey not to get off topic. Spectacular your profiles states you are 21 years of age and yet that other disaster

occured in 1986.

 

Unless it's a mistake you were not around in 1986. I was in 7th grade. The US/Western Media did not found out how bad and tragic it was till years later. This was in the final years of the USSR empire who tried to down play it.:eek:

 

He said he remembers when he first saw it on Seconds from disaster (which first aired in 2004), not the incident itself.

[Grand Concourse]

Great Nat Geo episode. That series was pretty good.

There was an Animal planet special [well airs exclusively on HD theater] called Chernobyl, life in the dead zone about the animals that lives in the abandoned area.

[SoSpectacular]

Hey not to get off topic. Spectacular your profiles states you are 21 years of age and yet that other disaster

occured in 1986.

 

Unless it's a mistake you were not around in 1986. I was in 7th grade. The US/Western Media did not found out how bad and tragic it was till years later. This was in the final years of the USSR empire who tried to down play it.:eek:

 

Yeah, Seconds From Disaster was a show on National Geographic not too long ago, it recapped past disasters and tracked down the exact causes through scientific experimentation and research, it is correct that this episode aired in 2004, when I first found out about this accident, it's nice to know how you don't find certain things in your school textbooks and you stumble across them through other methods...

[Grand Concourse]

Heh, who says tv just rots your brain?

[SubwayGuy]

Heh, who says tv just rots your brain?

 

The video I posted in the OP is proof that not all of it rots your brain.

 

Again...25 years later Chernobyl area is uninhabitable. Could you imagine if the area around Fukushima was to become the same? That would be two huge contaminated radioactive sites that would continue being radioactive WELL BEYOND our lifetimes, and would require significant future costs to maintain enclosures to prevent the spread of radiation to the broader public.

[SubwayGuy]

Side note: Trace amounts of radioactive Iodine-131 have been spotted as far east of Japan as Nevada (in Las Vegas).

 

As I said before, this is a huge health hazard. Small amounts of radioactive material can come to the ground in rain, etc. as well as contaminate the air.

 

I-131 is a unique circumstance because it causes more damage in small doses than larger ones (which typically finish killing the cells that would otherwise develop cancer).

 

Of course, your trustworthy government says this is no big deal and nothing to worry about, but I don't think so.

[Grand Concourse]

*warning, possible conspiracy 'tin hat' paranoia, etc. rant

 

"What better way for population control than to let the sheep die off?" Government helping the people? Ha!

[SubwayGuy]

Still dont believe its approaching Chernobyl level crisis?

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110401/ts_yblog_thelookout/japan-nuke-workers-have-committed-themselves-to-die-if-necessary

 

This is EXACTLY what the workers who went into Chernobyl were asked to do. Those that went in knew it was likely a death sentence.

 

The working class ´minions´ sent to do the bidding of the wealthy to save them and everyone else from a crisis...but especially them...

[Guest lance25]

Unfortunately, I had a feeling it would come to this. A couple of days (it might have been a week) after the quake, when it really hit the fan, there was some guy on CNN (possibly from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, I can't recall the details) saying exactly that so this tragedy doesn't get worse.

[Roadcruiser1]

One of the main differences that is seen between Chernobyl, and Fukushima is that the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant actually has or had containment buildings which is damaged due to the hydrogen build up in the reactors. Chernobyl had no containment vessel so once the reactor starts melting down there is nothing that prevents it from releasing it's deadly cargo. Once a nuclear power plant like Chernobyl starts melting down there is nothing you can do to stop it, or prevent it from releasing radiation into the environment.

 

Oh yeah since you guys are curious Iodine 137 which is right now floating above our heads has a strength life of 8 days. Every 8 days Iodine 137 weakens by half. In fact it weakens every 8 days. So right now the Iodine 137 is weak. The main worry should be Cesium. Cesium if it does reach us has a strength life of 30 years. So every 30 years the Cesium would weaken by half, but that is a long time. Cesium is dangerous, because it could be carried by the wind, and rain, and it would fall on the grasses, and plants, and when an animal like a cow eats the grass it becomes contaminated. Everything including the meat, and milk would be contaminated with Cesium. This is why in Chernoybl 25 years later people still get cancer, and they still get radiation related sicknesses. It's due to the Cesium.

[SubwayGuy]

One of the main differences that is seen between Chernobyl, and Fukushima is that the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant actually has or had containment buildings which is damaged due to the hydrogen build up in the reactors. Chernobyl had no containment vessel so once the reactor starts melting down there is nothing that prevents it from releasing it's deadly cargo. Once a nuclear power plant like Chernobyl starts melting down there is nothing you can do to stop it, or prevent it from releasing radiation into the environment.

 

Oh yeah since you guys are curious Iodine 137 which is right now floating above our heads has a strength life of 8 days. Every 8 days Iodine 137 weakens by half. In fact it weakens every 8 days. So right now the Iodine 137 is weak. The main worry should be Cesium. Cesium if it does reach us has a strength life of 30 years. So every 30 years the Cesium would weaken by half, but that is a long time. Cesium is dangerous, because it could be carried by the wind, and rain, and it would fall on the grasses, and plants, and when an animal like a cow eats the grass it becomes contaminated. Everything including the meat, and milk would be contaminated with Cesium. This is why in Chernoybl 25 years later people still get cancer, and they still get radiation related sicknesses. It's due to the Cesium.

 

The reactor is breached, and the containment wall may be well holding the radioactive corium formed during the meltdown, but the evidence of radioactivity in nearby water is a huge issue, as well as the air samples indicating heightened radioactivity. Naturally, in response to this, nuclear authorities are considering raising the thresholds on what the acceptable levels of radiation are, so as to avoid panic (ie rather than doing something about it). If the radioactive water enters the ground water, it's hazardous. The one thing that keeps this from not being as potentially disastrous as Chernobyl is that thankfully the highly radioactive elements are safe from touching the groundwater directly, which would cause a second (more massive) explosion and the release of infinitely more chemicals into the air.

 

Cesium is a serious concern but iodine causes thyroid cancer and is more dangerous in low quantity than high quantity in many cases. In low quantity, in attacks many of the cells and causes thyroid cancer. In higher doses, it kills the cells outright which while it has adverse health effects, does not directly lead to the thyroid cancer a smaller dose does. Iodine is still something to be worried about.

[MTARegional Bus]

The 50 people at Fukushima plan are so brave,They are truly heroes and are making a sacrifice of their health and inevitably their lives to do what they can for their nation. They're sacrificing everything, paying the ultimate price, for the good of others.

 

Those people are true heroes in every sense of the word. , May God be with them

 

[SubwayGuy]

As another update, this crisis has finally been correctly reclassified as a Level 7 nuclear incident, marking this and Chernobyl as the only ones in history:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_earthquake

 

Evacuation zone has also been expanded to approx. 12 miles, and it's unlikely people will ever live there again for a very long time.

[Grand Concourse]

Since it was their plant, I wonder if GE should be held partly responsible for the damages?

[Joe]

I've read a few reports dating back to when the reactor was installed claiming that it was an already-outdated design. Surely GE couldn't be held responsible for operating the plant (since they only designed the reactor) but i'm curious if a Japanese court would hold them liable as engineers.

[Grand Concourse]

True, I think that's what I meant to say rather than having the blame on mostly GE.