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Title: You Can STOP WORRYING ABOUT A RADIATION DISASTER IN JAPAN -- Here's Why
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URL Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-reactors-pose-no-risk-2011-3-1
Published: Mar 15, 2011
Author: BI Nuclear Expert
Post Date: 2011-03-15 12:04:02 by christine
Keywords: None
Views: 773
Comments: 84
This was originally posted as a comment on Japan Death Toll Climbs Astronomically As Nuclear Crisis Spreads. UPDATE: We have learned that this was written by Dr. Josef Oehmen, a research scientist at MIT. It was originally posted here. I repeat, there was and will *not* be any significant release of radioactivity from the damaged Japanese reactors. By "significant" I mean a level of radiation of more than what you would receive on - say - a long distance flight, or drinking a glass of beer that comes from certain areas with high levels of natural background radiation. I have been reading every news release on the incident since the earthquake. There has not been one single report that was accurate and free of errors (and part of that problem is also a weakness in the Japanese crisis communication). By “not free of errors” I do not refer to tendentious anti-nuclear journalism – that is quite normal these days. By “not free of errors” I mean blatant errors regarding physics and natural law, as well as gross misinterpretation of facts, due to an obvious lack of fundamental and basic understanding of the way nuclear reactors are build and operated. I have read a 3 page report on CNN where every single paragraph contained an error. We will have to cover some fundamentals, before we get into what is going on. The plants at Fukushima are so called Boiling Water Reactors, or BWR for short. Boiling Water Reactors are similar to a pressure cooker. The nuclear fuel heats water, the water boils and creates steam, the steam then drives turbines that create the electricity, and the steam is then cooled and condensed back to water, and the water send back to be heated by the nuclear fuel. The pressure cooker operates at about 250 °C. The nuclear fuel is uranium oxide. Uranium oxide is a ceramic with a very high melting point of about 3000 °C. The fuel is manufactured in pellets (think little cylinders the size of Lego bricks). Those pieces are then put into a long tube made of Zircaloy with a melting point of 2200 °C, and sealed tight. The assembly is called a fuel rod. These fuel rods are then put together to form larger packages, and a number of these packages are then put into the reactor. All these packages together are referred to as “the core”. The Zircaloy casing is the first containment. It separates the radioactive fuel from the rest of the world. The core is then placed in the “pressure vessels”. That is the pressure cooker we talked about before. The pressure vessels is the second containment. This is one sturdy piece of a pot, designed to safely contain the core for temperatures several hundred °C. That covers the scenarios where cooling can be restored at some point. The entire “hardware” of the nuclear reactor – the pressure vessel and all pipes, pumps, coolant (water) reserves, are then encased in the third containment. The third containment is a hermetically (air tight) sealed, very thick bubble of the strongest steel. The third containment is designed, built and tested for one single purpose: To contain, indefinitely, a complete core meltdown. For that purpose, a large and thick concrete basin is cast under the pressure vessel (the second containment), which is filled with graphite, all inside the third containment. This is the so-called "core catcher". If the core melts and the pressure vessel bursts (and eventually melts), it will catch the molten fuel and everything else. It is built in such a way that the nuclear fuel will be spread out, so it can cool down. This third containment is then surrounded by the reactor building. The reactor building is an outer shell that is supposed to keep the weather out, but nothing in. (this is the part that was damaged in the explosion, but more to that later). Fundamentals of nuclear reactions: The uranium fuel generates heat by nuclear fission. Big uranium atoms are split into smaller atoms. That generates heat plus neutrons (one of the particles that forms an atom). When the neutron hits another uranium atom, that splits, generating more neutrons and so on. That is called the nuclear chain reaction. Now, just packing a lot of fuel rods next to each other would quickly lead to overheating and after about 45 minutes to a melting of the fuel rods. It is worth mentioning at this point that the nuclear fuel in a reactor can *never* cause a nuclear explosion the type of a nuclear bomb. Building a nuclear bomb is actually quite difficult (ask Iran). In Chernobyl, the explosion was caused by excessive pressure buildup, hydrogen explosion and rupture of all containments, propelling molten core material into the environment (a “dirty bomb”). Why that did not and will not happen in Japan, further below. In order to control the nuclear chain reaction, the reactor operators use so-called “moderator rods”. The moderator rods absorb the neutrons and kill the chain reaction instantaneously. A nuclear reactor is built in such a way, that when operating normally, you take out all the moderator rods. The coolant water then takes away the heat (and converts it into steam and electricity) at the same rate as the core produces it. And you have a lot of leeway around the standard operating point of 250°C. The challenge is that after inserting the rods and stopping the chain reaction, the core still keeps producing heat. The uranium “stopped” the chain reaction. But a number of intermediate radioactive elements are created by the uranium during its fission process, most notably Cesium and Iodine isotopes, i.e. radioactive versions of these elements that will eventually split up into smaller atoms and not be radioactive anymore. Those elements keep decaying and producing heat. Because they are not regenerated any longer from the uranium (the uranium stopped decaying after the moderator rods were put in), they get less and less, and so the core cools down over a matter of days, until those intermediate radioactive elements are used up. This residual heat is causing the headaches right now. So the first “type” of radioactive material is the uranium in the fuel rods, plus the intermediate radioactive elements that the uranium splits into, also inside the fuel rod (Cesium and Iodine). There is a second type of radioactive material created, outside the fuel rods. The big main difference up front: Those radioactive materials have a very short half-life, that means that they decay very fast and split into non-radioactive materials. By fast I mean seconds. So if these radioactive materials are released into the environment, yes, radioactivity was released, but no, it is not dangerous, at all. Why? By the time you spelled “R-A-D-I-O-N-U-C-L-I-D-E”, they will be harmless, because they will have split up into non radioactive elements. Those radioactive elements are N-16, the radioactive isotope (or version) of nitrogen (air). The others are noble gases such as Xenon. But where do they come from? When the uranium splits, it generates a neutron (see above). Most of these neutrons will hit other uranium atoms and keep the nuclear chain reaction going. But some will leave the fuel rod and hit the water molecules, or the air that is in the water. Then, a non-radioactive element can “capture” the neutron. It becomes radioactive. As described above, it will quickly (seconds) get rid again of the neutron to return to its former beautiful self. This second “type” of radiation is very important when we talk about the radioactivity being released into the environment later on. What happened at Fukushima I will try to summarize the main facts. The earthquake that hit Japan was 7 times more powerful than the worst earthquake the nuclear power plant was built for (the Richter scale works logarithmically; the difference between the 8.2 that the plants were built for and the 8.9 that happened is 7 times, not 0.7). So the first hooray for Japanese engineering, everything held up. When the earthquake hit with 8.9, the nuclear reactors all went into automatic shutdown. Within seconds after the earthquake started, the moderator rods had been inserted into the core and nuclear chain reaction of the uranium stopped. Now, the cooling system has to carry away the residual heat. The residual heat load is about 3% of the heat load under normal operating conditions. The earthquake destroyed the external power supply of the nuclear reactor. That is one of the most serious accidents for a nuclear power plant, and accordingly, a “plant black out” receives a lot of attention when designing backup systems. The power is needed to keep the coolant pumps working. Since the power plant had been shut down, it cannot produce any electricity by itself any more. Things were going well for an hour. One set of multiple sets of emergency Diesel power generators kicked in and provided the electricity that was needed. Then the Tsunami came, much bigger than people had expected when building the power plant (see above, factor 7). The tsunami took out all multiple sets of backup Diesel generators. When designing a nuclear power plant, engineers follow a philosophy called “Defense of Depth”. That means that you first build everything to withstand the worst catastrophe you can imagine, and then design the plant in such a way that it can still handle one system failure (that you thought could never happen) after the other. A tsunami taking out all backup power in one swift strike is such a scenario. The last line of defense is putting everything into the third containment (see above), that will keep everything, whatever the mess, moderator rods in our out, core molten or not, inside the reactor. When the diesel generators were gone, the reactor operators switched to emergency battery power. The batteries were designed as one of the backups to the backups, to provide power for cooling the core for 8 hours. And they did. Within the 8 hours, another power source had to be found and connected to the power plant. The power grid was down due to the earthquake. The diesel generators were destroyed by the tsunami. So mobile diesel generators were trucked in. This is where things started to go seriously wrong. The external power generators could not be connected to the power plant (the plugs did not fit). So after the batteries ran out, the residual heat could not be carried away any more. At this point the plant operators begin to follow emergency procedures that are in place for a “loss of cooling event”. It is again a step along the “Depth of Defense” lines. The power to the cooling systems should never have failed completely, but it did, so they “retreat” to the next line of defense. All of this, however shocking it seems to us, is part of the day-to-day training you go through as an operator, right through to managing a core meltdown. It was at this stage that people started to talk about core meltdown. Because at the end of the day, if cooling cannot be restored, the core will eventually melt (after hours or days), and the last line of defense, the core catcher and third containment, would come into play. But the goal at this stage was to manage the core while it was heating up, and ensure that the first containment (the Zircaloy tubes that contains the nuclear fuel), as well as the second containment (our pressure cooker) remain intact and operational for as long as possible, to give the engineers time to fix the cooling systems. Because cooling the core is such a big deal, the reactor has a number of cooling systems, each in multiple versions (the reactor water cleanup system, the decay heat removal, the reactor core isolating cooling, the standby liquid cooling system, and the emergency core cooling system). Which one failed when or did not fail is not clear at this point in time. So imagine our pressure cooker on the stove, heat on low, but on. The operators use whatever cooling system capacity they have to get rid of as much heat as possible, but the pressure starts building up. The priority now is to maintain integrity of the first containment (keep temperature of the fuel rods below 2200°C), as well as the second containment, the pressure cooker. In order to maintain integrity of the pressure cooker (the second containment), the pressure has to be released from time to time. Because the ability to do that in an emergency is so important, the reactor has 11 pressure release valves. The operators now started venting steam from time to time to control the pressure. The temperature at this stage was about 550°C. This is when the reports about “radiation leakage” starting coming in. I believe I explained above why venting the steam is theoretically the same as releasing radiation into the environment, but why it was and is not dangerous. The radioactive nitrogen as well as the noble gases do not pose a threat to human health. At some stage during this venting, the explosion occurred. The explosion took place outside of the third containment (our “last line of defense”), and the reactor building. Remember that the reactor building has no function in keeping the radioactivity contained. It is not entirely clear yet what has happened, but this is the likely scenario: The operators decided to vent the steam from the pressure vessel not directly into the environment, but into the space between the third containment and the reactor building (to give the radioactivity in the steam more time to subside). The problem is that at the high temperatures that the core had reached at this stage, water molecules can “disassociate” into oxygen and hydrogen – an explosive mixture. And it did explode, outside the third containment, damaging the reactor building around. It was that sort of explosion, but inside the pressure vessel (because it was badly designed and not managed properly by the operators) that lead to the explosion of Chernobyl. This was never a risk at Fukushima. The problem of hydrogen-oxygen formation is one of the biggies when you design a power plant (if you are not Soviet, that is), so the reactor is build and operated in a way it cannot happen inside the containment. It happened outside, which was not intended but a possible scenario and OK, because it did not pose a risk for the containment. So the pressure was under control, as steam was vented. Now, if you keep boiling your pot, the problem is that the water level will keep falling and falling. The core is covered by several meters of water in order to allow for some time to pass (hours, days) before it gets exposed. Once the rods start to be exposed at the top, the exposed parts will reach the critical temperature of 2200 °C after about 45 minutes. This is when the first containment, the Zircaloy tube, would fail. And this started to happen. The cooling could not be restored before there was some (very limited, but still) damage to the casing of some of the fuel. The nuclear material itself was still intact, but the surrounding Zircaloy shell had started melting. What happened now is that some of the byproducts of the uranium decay - radioactive Cesium and Iodine - started to mix with the steam. The big problem, uranium, was still under control, because the uranium oxide rods were good until 3000 °C. It is confirmed that a very small amount of Cesium and Iodine was measured in the steam that was released into the atmosphere. It seems this was the “go signal” for a major plan B. The small amounts of Cesium that were measured told the operators that the first containment on one of the rods somewhere was about to give. The Plan A had been to restore one of the regular cooling systems to the core. Why that failed is unclear. One plausible explanation is that the tsunami also took away / polluted all the clean water needed for the regular cooling systems. The water used in the cooling system is very clean, demineralized (like distilled) water. The reason to use pure water is the above mentioned activation by the neutrons from the Uranium: Pure water does not get activated much, so stays practically radioactive-free. Dirt or salt in the water will absorb the neutrons quicker, becoming more radioactive. This has no effect whatsoever on the core - it does not care what it is cooled by. But it makes life more difficult for the operators and mechanics when they have to deal with activated (i.e. slightly radioactive) water. But Plan A had failed - cooling systems down or additional clean water unavailable - so Plan B came into effect. This is what it looks like happened: In order to prevent a core meltdown, the operators started to use sea water to cool the core. I am not quite sure if they flooded our pressure cooker with it (the second containment), or if they flooded the third containment, immersing the pressure cooker. But that is not relevant for us. The point is that the nuclear fuel has now been cooled down. Because the chain reaction has been stopped a long time ago, there is only very little residual heat being produced now. The large amount of cooling water that has been used is sufficient to take up that heat. Because it is a lot of water, the core does not produce sufficient heat any more to produce any significant pressure. Also, boric acid has been added to the seawater. Boric acid is "liquid control rod". Whatever decay is still going on, the Boron will capture the neutrons and further speed up the cooling down of the core. The plant came close to a core meltdown. Here is the worst-case scenario that was avoided: If the seawater could not have been used for treatment, the operators would have continued to vent the water steam to avoid pressure buildup. The third containment would then have been completely sealed to allow the core meltdown to happen without releasing radioactive material. After the meltdown, there would have been a waiting period for the intermediate radioactive materials to decay inside the reactor, and all radioactive particles to settle on a surface inside the containment. The cooling system would have been restored eventually, and the molten core cooled to a manageable temperature. The containment would have been cleaned up on the inside. Then a messy job of removing the molten core from the containment would have begun, packing the (now solid again) fuel bit by bit into transportation containers to be shipped to processing plants. Depending on the damage, the block of the plant would then either be repaired or dismantled.
Poster Comment: Another perspective~ I have to say that after all TEOTWAWKI hoopla at the time of the GOM disaster, which didn't materialize, I am a lot less concerned about this than I would have been otherwise.
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#44. To: FormerLurker (#24)
Nuclear Officials May Spray Japanese Power Plant With Water by Helicopter - FoxNews.com Nuclear officials say they may seek U.S. and Japanese military help to spray water from helicopters into an overheating spent fuel storage pool at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. Tokyo Electric Power says it may use helicopters because of the risk of radiation contamination from approaching the pool directly. Air drops may also be more effective. Japanese officials told the IAEA that the reactor fire was in a storage pond and that "radioactivity is being released directly into the atmosphere." Long after the fire was extinguished, a Japanese official said the pool, where used nuclear fuel is kept cool, might be boiling. "We cannot deny the possibility of water boiling" in the pool, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, an official with the economy ministry, which oversees nuclear safety.
U.S. Drug Stores Report Sudden Increase in Potassium Iodide Sales - FoxNews.com One drug supplier says it has sold 250,000 anti-radiation pills to people in the U.S. concerned about possible exposure from Japanese nuclear reactors. Troy Jones, president of Nukepills.com, said his company sold out over the weekend of potassium iodide pills, which prevent against radiation poisoning of the thyroid gland. Jones, in an interview with FoxNews.com, said that the pills were sold to dozens of U.S. pharmacies, corporations, hospitals and nuclear labs.
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake linky linky
deleted
The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one. "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Ben Franklin
LOL!
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits. Albert Einstein
Now Eric, Eric, what did I write? Where did I go wrong? Son, I am disappoint... I said: I'll take the word of someone with real credentials over someone posting on a forum that doesn't know what the fuck he is babbling about, or some reporter that doesn't check his facts, or an editor that picks a sexy headline in order to sell papers or fill up airtime. Emphasis added.
#45. To: Original_Intent (#26)
#46. To: All (#35)
#47. To: PSUSA, All (#32)
#48. To: Original_Intent (#22)
Don't vurry hour resident representiteef uff der guffermint is here to set us straight.
Lord Acton
OsamaBinGoldstein
#49. To: Eric Stratton (#47)
OK, so then, you're prepared to take the word of all of the legitimately credentialed "people of false science" re: "Global Warming," 9/11, banking & finance (because surely business degrees would fall under the same category), social sciences (minorities), etc. then.
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files
ruin everything, including sig lines.
#50. To: TwentyTwelve (#34)
Well, isn't that special. But I suspect they would claim, if anyone sued them, that they can't be held liable for "acts of God." The quake and tsunami may indeed be "acts of God" but I seriously doubt he told anyone to put nuclear power plants on known fault lines.
Chaucer Holdings Plc, one of the world’s biggest insurers of nuclear risk, said it did not expect any big claims because the Japanese Nuclear Act of 1961 absolves nuclear plant operators of liability from damage caused by major natural disasters.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.
Lord Acton
He (Gordon Duff) also implies that forcibly removing Obama, a Constitution-hating, on-the-down-low, crackhead Communist, is an attack on America, Mom, and apple pie. I swear these military people are worse than useless. Just look around at the condition of the country and tell me if they have fulfilled their oaths to protect the nation from all enemies foreign and domestic.
OsamaBinGoldstein
The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits. Albert Einstein
#51. To: PSUSA (#49)
deleted
The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one.
"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Ben Franklin
#52. To: Eric Stratton (#51)
I'm SHOCKED!
I think you've missed my overall point.
#53. To: titorite (#46)
dicey stuff on that linky-linky Winds over Japan: Winds at Japan Power Plants Should Send Radiation out to Sea By Meghan Evans, Meteorologist Following Friday's major earthquake east of Japan, fears were raised of radiations leaks and nuclear meltdowns at power plants. Radiation was reported to be leaking over the weekend from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from one of the reactors that had lost its cooling system. CNN reports that a cooling system of a second reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant failed on Sunday, forcing officials to expand the evacuation zone of surrounding residents from 10 km to 20 km (6 miles to 12 miles). Complicating matters, a second hydrogen explosion occurred at the plant early Monday. A man holds his baby as they are scanned for levels of radiation in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Sunday, March 13, 2011. Friday's quake and tsunami damaged two nuclear reactors at a power plant in the prefecture, and at least one of them appeared to be going through a partial meltdown, raising fears of a radiation leak. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) A state of emergency was declared on Sunday at a nuclear power plant in Onagawa, Japan, as well. Excessive radiation levels have been recorded following Friday's earthquake, according to the United Nations' atomic watchdog agency. Three reactor units at the Onagawa plant are being watched and controlled for radiation leaks and possible meltdown. The wind direction may impact where the radiation goes both at a local level and even across the globe. The wind direction at both of these locations are similar since the Onagawa power plant is located just to the northeast of Fukushima power plant. "The exact direction of the winds would have to be known at the time of the release of a large amount of radiation to understand exactly where the radiation would go," according to Expert Senior Global Meteorologist Jim Andrews. It is unknown when a large release of radiation would occur, if at all, at this point. "You can calculate how long the release of a radiation would take to cross the Pacific from Japan to the U.S. by choosing different speeds that the radioactive particles might be moving and using the direct distance between given locations- say Sendai, Japan, and Seattle, Wash.," Andrews added. However, even that calculation may not reflect how long the particle would take to cross the Pacific, since it would not likely cross the ocean in a direct path. This is the case because the wind flow is often a complicated pattern. A typical wind trajectory across the Pacific is westerly, since there is often a large dome of high pressure over the central Pacific and an area of low pressure in the Gulf of Alaska. Any storm systems moving across the Pacific would add kinks in the westerly flow that would make the path of a particle crossing the Pacific longer. "In other words, it would be a very intricate and difficult calculation," said Andrews. On a local level, it is easier to break down the direction of the wind. On Monday, the winds at the Fukushima power plant and the Onagawa power plant will generally be out of the north to northwest. So, the wind flow will still be directed offshore into the Pacific. This would be a protective wind that would blow most of the radiation out to sea. The wind direction will switch to an onshore direction Monday night into Tuesday, threatening to send the radiation toward the population. "We are getting into the time of year where onshore winds occur most often," said Andrews. This is not good news, since an onshore direction would blow most of the radiation toward populated areas. An added threat is that with higher elevations just about 4 miles inland from the power plants, if a temperature inversion sets up in the atmosphere, radiation could be trapped. Authorities have warned residents to keep windows and doors closed and air-conditioning fans switched off to eliminate the intake of air from outside. Calculated time for radioactive particles to cross the Pacific from the power plants in Japan to big West Coast cities if the particles take a direct path and move at a speed of 20 mph: Cities Est. Distance (miles) Est. Time to Cross Pacific (days)
Mar 14, 2011; 9:26 AM ET
Anchorage 3,457 7
Honolulu 3,847 8
Seattle 4,792 10
Los Angeles 5,477
It is a violation of Natural Law to use this document in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.
#54. To: Original_Intent (#52)
deleted
The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one.
"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Ben Franklin
#55. To: TwentyTwelve (#44)
Tokyo Electric Power says it may use helicopters because of the risk of radiation contamination from approaching the pool directly. Air drops may also be more effective. Air drops of sprayed water may also be more effective than what? Dry ice? Doubtful.
Nuclear officials say they may seek U.S. and Japanese military help to spray water from helicopters into an overheating spent fuel storage pool at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
#56. To: GreyLmist (#55)
Tokyo Electric Power says it may use helicopters because of the risk of radiation contamination from approaching the pool directly. Air drops may also be more effective. Air drops of sprayed water may also be more effective than what? Dry ice? Doubtful. They don't know what they are doing. It is out of control.
Nuclear officials say they may seek U.S. and Japanese military help to spray water from helicopters into an overheating spent fuel storage pool at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.
#57. To: GreyLmist (#55)
LOL -- hosted.ap.org/dynamic/sto...EARTHQUAKE_CHU?SITE=CALAK Mar 15, 2:31 PM EDT Energy chief: US will learn from Japan disaster WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration's most vocal advocate for nuclear power said Tuesday that the nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan will eventually help the United States strengthen safety at its 104 reactors. Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a House panel that "the American people should have full confidence that the United States has rigorous safety regulations in place to ensure that our nuclear power is generated safely and responsibly." But he said that the administration "is committed to learning from Japan's experience." Chu said the initial step is to help the Japanese government cool down the damaged reactors and to stop the leaking radiation. After the reactors are secure, he said, the next step would be to understand what happened, and then assess whether U.S. reactors have similar vulnerabilities. Under questioning, he said that reactors in the U.S. are designed above what would be required to withstand a worst-case earthquake and tsunami. The Energy Department has sent 34 people and 17,150 pounds of equipment to Japan to help monitor and assess the situation at a Japanese nuclear plant damaged by the earthquake and tsunami. Chu said he was up early Tuesday morning evaluating atmospheric models produced by his department's national laboratories that predict where radiation could migrate. © 2011 The Associated Press.
#58. To: christine (#0)
Japan nuclear safety agency says Fukushima No. 4 reactor roof is cracked.
#59. To: TwentyTwelve, All (#45)
One drug supplier says it has sold 250,000 anti-radiation pills to people in the U.S. concerned about possible exposure from Japanese nuclear reactors. Troy Jones, president of Nukepills.com, said his company sold out over the weekend of potassium iodide pills, which prevent against radiation poisoning of the thyroid gland. Jones, in an interview with FoxNews.com, said that the pills were sold to dozens of U.S. pharmacies, corporations, hospitals and nuclear labs. DON'T Take Potassium Iodide Unless You Are Exposed to Radiation But taking potassium iodide when there is no radiation can actually damage the thyroid gland ... at least in some individuals. A doctor told me that potassium iodide is given to people with hyperthyroid disease in order to partially kill the thyroid - i.e. to lower thyroid function. Just FYI posted yesterday at whatreallyhappened.com.
U.S. Drug Stores Report Sudden Increase in Potassium Iodide Sales - FoxNews.com
People know that it's good to take potassium iodide to protect against radiation, to help protect against thyroid cancer (potassium iodide does not protect any other organs).
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
#60. To: GreyLmist (#59)
I agree.
DON'T Take Potassium Iodide Unless You Are Exposed to Radiation
#61. To: TwentyTwelve, All (#57) (Edited)
If nuclear energy plants are basically steampower generators, I think the lesson to be learned is that we don't really need to risk atomic catastrophes at all -- unless the object is not energy production but byproducts for weapons and DU artillery or armor. Solar rays could probably be directed through a magnifying glass to heat the water to a boiling temperature cleanly, effectively, cost-efficiently, and much safer. Want to cool it down? Simply cover the magnifying glass to block the rays.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a House panel that "the American people should have full confidence that the United States has rigorous safety regulations in place to ensure that our nuclear power is generated safely and responsibly." But he said that the administration "is committed to learning from Japan's experience."
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
#62. To: christine (#0)
Truckers beware. I've heard tell of a route called "the jinx run" because every trucker that was assigned to it died of cancer.
a messy job of removing the molten core from the containment would have begun, packing the (now solid again) fuel bit by bit into transportation containers to be shipped to processing plants.
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
#63. To: christine (#0)
The Corexit is still there, bound with the oil at the bottom of the gulf. I still would not eat any seafood from that area. BP could have used safer oil dispersing chemicals but chose Corexit because it was the cheapest. BP should go bankrupt and the people responsible for putting Corexit in the gulf put in jail for the rest of their lifes. This article is very good news if true. I see no reason why it isn't true. If he is lying then it will only be a matter of time before the world knows it.
I have to say that after all TEOTWAWKI hoopla at the time of the GOM disaster, which didn't materialize, I am a lot less concerned about this than I would have been otherwise.
God is always good!
#64. To: GreyLmist, TwentyTwelve (#59)
I think it'd be more prudent to say don't take them unless you are ABOUT to be exposed to radiation. If you wait till you are already being exposed, it might be a bit late to do anything about it. So yeah, don't take them unless there is an imminent threat of exposure, ie. several hours away from definite exposure.
DON'T Take Potassium Iodide Unless You Are Exposed to Radiation
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
#65. To: FormerLurker (#64)
I think it'd be more prudent to say don't take them unless you are ABOUT to be exposed to radiation. If you wait till you are already being exposed, it might be a bit late to do anything about it. So yeah, don't take them unless there is an imminent threat of exposure, ie. several hours away from definite exposure. Good advice.
DON'T Take Potassium Iodide Unless You Are Exposed to Radiation
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"They're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time." -- Col. Puller, USMC
#66. To: christine, all (#0)
DISINFORMATION.
The main research interest of Dr. Josef Oehmen is risk management in the value chain, with a special focus on lean product development. Risk management allows companies to design and achieve the optimal risk-return balance in their portfolio of activities, successfully take entrepreneurial risks, increase their performance, and focus their attention on where it is needed most.
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#67. To: Esso, all (#66)
mitnse.com/ MIT NSE Nuclear Information Hub The article is printed there, along with updates.
DISINFORMATION.
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ruin everything, including sig lines.
#68. To: christine (#0)
He's lying. The USS Ronald Reagan admitted to radiation levels 720 times above normal background radiation 100 miles NE of the plant. It was likely much higher than what they're admitting to. Like this piece of drivel that is so chock full o' lies and disinformation it makes me sick. Lie. Christ. Government stooge to the Nth degree. I can't go on wading trough this sewer.
I repeat, there was and will *not* be any significant release of radioactivity from the damaged Japanese reactors.
I have been reading every news release on the incident since the earthquake. There has not been one single report that was accurate and free of errors
The nuclear fuel is uranium oxide.
Building a nuclear bomb is actually quite difficult (ask Iran).
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#69. To: PSUSA (#67) (Edited)
You believe what you want to. The guy is a lying little jewy government stooge spreading disinformation. He knows about as much of what's going on as my 85 year old mother.
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#70. To: Esso (#69)
That could very well be true. I really don't know. Time will tell. All I know is that I am sick and fucking tired of people crying wolf. Every goddamn time there is a disaster, this shit starts all over again. .
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#71. To: Esso (#69)
New fire reported at Fukushima reactor No. 4 Update at 6:01 p.m. ET: Citing the Japanese government, CBS News tweets that flames are rising from the reactor. (Note that the CBS is apparently relying on an Associated Press report.) Original report: Another fire has erupted at the crippled No. 4 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, NHK TV is reporting. The fire was reported about an hour ago, at 5:45 a.m. Wednesday local time (4:45 p.m. ET Tuesday). No other details yet. The new blaze occurred following efforts to extinguish an earlier fire in the pool containing spent-fuel rods, which ignited after being exposed to air.
It is a violation of Natural Law to use this document in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.
#72. To: PSUSA (#70) (Edited)
Personally, I am sick and fucking tired of government lies. The reason people are frightened is that they know the government is more than willing to sacrifice them rather than tell the truth. What I do know is that the radiation releases have been massive every time they vent the pressure to atmosphere to keep the containments from bursting. If they don't let the gas out, they can't get the water in. The trade winds will carry it up along the northern Allutians and southeast Alaska, down the Pacific Northwest and across the lower 48 states. If I was in the Pacific Northwest, and had kids, I'd be shipping them as far southeast as I could get them. Probably Florida. Now. This is going to affect developing children the most. Over 40, not so much.
All I know is that I am sick and fucking tired of people crying wolf.
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#73. To: christine (#0) (Edited)
This guy is NOT a nuclear expert, you can start worrying again. Damn, a MIT researcher in "FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT" should not make such blatant statements without being an expert.
God is always good!
#74. To: randge (#71)
I am not sure TEP is just totally incompetent or nuclear reactors are not near as safe as I thought they were. I think it is a little of both. It is kind of like watching the three stooges at work here, they don't seem to know what the heck they are doing.
God is always good!
#75. To: RickyJ (#74)
4um: Fukushima: Mark 1 Nuclear Reactor Design Caused GE Scientist To Quit In Protest
I am not sure TEP is just totally incompetent or nuclear reactors are not near as safe as I thought they were.
#76. To: Esso, 4 (#72)
I agree with that. But, people make mistakes when they are frightened because they cannot think straight. And there are people that prey on that fright; they take advantage of the situation for their own ends. You and others say that .gov lies. Fair enough because I say it too. So tell me, when governments say that the situation is critical, like the French .gov just did (it's posted here), why do people who otherwise distrust .govs then believe it? I'll tell you why. It's because people cherry-pick. If it fits their beliefs then they will believe it. If it doesn't fit, they call it disinfo. I cherry-pick too. Everyone does. Not too many will admit it. IMO people need to take a step back and look hard at the situation, and think critically. People are not doing that. They are beginning to panic. .
The reason people are frightened is that they know the government is more than willing to sacrifice them rather than tell the truth.
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ruin everything, including sig lines.
#77. To: christine, ALL (#0)
4um: Debunking a viral blog post on the nuke threat
#78. To: TwentyTwelve, christine, Original_Intent, PSUSA, All (#77)
I think this self-proclaimed expert can kiss his reputation goodbye. I wonder how MIT will deal with this individual who uses their name to promote his own misguided beliefs?
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
#79. To: FormerLurker (#78)
Epic bump with flawless timing!
#80. To: FormerLurker (#78) (Edited)
The same way they have dealt with the kikenvermin Noam Chomsky. From Wiki: "Chomsky was influenced also by being a part of a Hebrew-based, Zionist organization, as well as by hanging around anarchist bookstores."
. I wonder how MIT will deal with this individual who uses their name to promote his own misguided beliefs?
__________________________________________________________
"This man is Jesus,” shouted one man, spilling his Guinness as Barack Obama began his inaugural address. “When will he come to Kenya to save us?"
-Schweizerische Schuetzenzeitung (Swiss Shooting Federation) April, 1941
#81. To: FormerLurker (#78) (Edited)
Last I checked Thomas, Jet Fuel and Pancakes, Eager still worked there. MIT is so pwned by the CIA that they are no longer credible as an institution. They lie like the whores they are.
I think this self-proclaimed expert can kiss his reputation goodbye. I wonder how MIT will deal with this individual who uses their name to promote his own misguided beliefs?
#82. To: FormerLurker (#78)
SOmewhere I posted a link where MIT ran his post on their site, or one of their sites. So they are using him too. I still take a wait and see approach. I dont trust the MSM, or the "alternative" media, or .gov, because they will all put spin on stories, or flat out lie, for their own ends. Right now it's a local disaster. .
I think this self-proclaimed expert can kiss his reputation goodbye. I wonder how MIT will deal with this individual who uses their name to promote his own misguided beliefs?
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ruin everything, including sig lines.
#83. To: PSUSA (#82)
But don't you at least admit the guy is a real idiot? Look at what he wrote.. By "significant" I mean a level of radiation of more than what you would receive on - say - a long distance flight, or drinking a glass of beer that comes from certain areas with high levels of natural background radiation. I repeat, there was and will *not* be any significant release of radioactivity from the damaged Japanese reactors.
"The real deal is this: the ‘royalty’ controlling the court, the ones with the power, the ones with the ability to make a difference, with the ability to change our course, the ones who will live in infamy if we pass the tipping points, are the captains of industry, CEOs in fossil fuel companies such as EXXON/Mobil, automobile manufacturers, utilities, all of the leaders who have placed short-term profit above the fate of the planet and the well-being of our children." - James Hansen
#84. To: FormerLurker (#83)
A real idiot? I'd just say that he was wrong. At least that is the consensus, from what I read. We'll see who was closer to predicting the real outcome after it's all said and done. He might be closer than the "we're all going to bake" gloom and doomers. .
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