Fukushima-Titrium level more than doubled in the harbor, in two weeks

reply to post by tinker9917


Well Gee, I didn't see this on CNN.
Maybe 60 Minutes will have the balls to
cover this story.

And The Story Is....Japan does not even have the slightest CLUE
on how to fix this problem.
Just remember, they haven't even secured all the fuel rods yet.
That is not only a National Security Issue, but a Global Security Issue as well.

S&F

reply to post by captaintyinknots

Screw Japan! They have been pussy footing around the problem for a LONG TIME now! They are more concerned with Saving Face and denial than taking care of this serious problem.... and a problem that wanders away with the ocean currents! THIS IS A WORLD PROBLEM! And WE here in the U.S. are on the other side of the current! This problem should be tackled by all countries, by the U.N. and by Pacific Nations especially, as the currents circle! This is NOT being treated as seriously as it should be! Hanford leaking, Fukushima, cracks in nuke plants.... everyone is worried about lawsuits, money, cost of dealing with it.... how does any of that even compare to the long lasting effects on our planet and children! If JAPAN won't deal with it, they should be invaded so it can be dealt with by people that give a crap about the future. Remember, Japanese society doesn't mind suicide if it saves Face or their "Honor". Can you say BANZAI !!!!!!! ?????

Originally posted by jaxnmarko
reply to post by captaintyinknots

 

Screw Japan! They have been pussy footing around the problem for a LONG TIME now! They are more concerned with Saving Face and denial than taking care of this serious problem.... and a problem that wanders away with the ocean currents! THIS IS A WORLD PROBLEM! And WE here in the U.S. are on the other side of the current! This problem should be tackled by all countries, by the U.N. and by Pacific Nations especially, as the currents circle! This is NOT being treated as seriously as it should be! Hanford leaking, Fukushima, cracks in nuke plants.... everyone is worried about lawsuits, money, cost of dealing with it.... how does any of that even compare to the long lasting effects on our planet and children! If JAPAN won't deal with it, they should be invaded so it can be dealt with by people that give a crap about the future. Remember, Japanese society doesn't mind suicide if it saves Face or their "Honor". Can you say BANZAI !!!!!!! ?????

I dont think saying "screw" anyone is the answer.

I have to ask, though. How would you deal with it? This is unprecedented. Its not like you can send in a cleanup crew to just mop it up.

So, you say "screw japan" for not "dealing with it". What would you have them do?

Start by building access tunnels using prefabricated blocks of lead lined concrete. Almost like a tunnel boring machine but above the ground. Or maybe even underground to get to the reactor foundations. Then ship in whatever components you need through those tunnels to seal up the reactor. It seems strange that one minute cleanup crews were able to reach part of the reactor complex like the control rooms, but not other parts.

There is only one thing I (just a normal English teacher) don't understand. Why on earth would a country that is well known to be on shaky grounds ( earthquakes, tsunamis) have nuclear reactors?

reply to post by Rainbowresidue


I think everyone is asking this question...

And Godzilla is born

Originally posted by Rainbowresidue
There is only one thing I (just a normal English teacher) don't understand. Why on earth would a country that is well known to be on shaky grounds ( earthquakes, tsunamis) have nuclear reactors?

Because they don't have the land area for large green energy options like solar/wind/geothermal (though with them being on the ring of fire I wonder how good geothermal would be) and nuclear despite the potential for absolutely massive events still causes less damage and health effects than other non green options like coal.

Nuclear isn't the best, but it's not the worst either. With the problems of Fukushima I'm having a really hard time defending nuclear but in the big picture it's still better than some of the other options, and that fact is downright scary. Although, I do wish the world would wise up and use thorium nuclear reactors instead.

Thanks for the update, this needs way more attention. If the levels have doubled in the harbor, are the fish being tested? This may be a dumb question but are people staying away from sushi like hamachi that comes from Japan?

thanks,
Sushi Lover

Originally posted by muzzleflash
Another thing, Tritium? Interesting!

I am under the influence of these witty physicists who told me that in reality we are dealing with possibly hundreds (maybe thousands?) of various isotopes that we can call "radioactive pollution" as a result of nuclear core meltdown. Many last very long periods, while others last very short or medium periods. Comparitively speaking of course.

From Tritium wiki:

Tritium (/ˈtrɪtiəm/ or /ˈtrɪʃiəm/; symbol T or 3H, also known as hydrogen-3) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.

Hydrogen (H) (Standard atomic mass: 1.00794 u) has three naturally occurring isotopes, sometimes denoted 1H, 2H, and 3H. Other, highly unstable nuclei (4H to 7H) have been synthesized in the laboratory but not observed in nature. The most stable radioisotope is tritium, with a half-life of 12.32 years. All heavier isotopes are synthetic and have a half-life less than a zeptosecond (10-21 second). Of these, 5H is the most stable, and the least stable isotope is 7H.[1][2]

Hydrogen is the only element that has different names for its isotopes in common use today. The 2H (or hydrogen-2) isotope is usually called deuterium, while the 3H (or hydrogen-3) isotope is usually called tritium. The symbols D and T (instead of 2H and 3H) are sometimes used for deuterium and tritium. The IUPAC states that while this use is common it is not preferred. The ordinary isotope of hydrogen, with no neutrons, is sometimes called "protium". (During the early study of radioactivity, some other heavy radioactive isotopes were given names – but such names are rarely used today).

From : Isotopes of Hydrogen

So where are the readings for the literally dozens of "polluting agents" that we could surmise came from this incident?

Giving us a reading of something that can last for decades isn't helping me much, instead I would like to see all read outs for all materials detected and concentration %. Especially short lived ones, because these can tell me the deeper story of what is happening recently (or not being detected to happen recently).

It binds with water - the human body (and all other bodies that I know of) are 70% water. Yippe-Kai-Yay. Atoms for Peace and all that crap.

Originally posted by stormcell
Start by building access tunnels using prefabricated blocks of lead lined concrete. Almost like a tunnel boring machine but above the ground. Or maybe even underground to get to the reactor foundations. Then ship in whatever components you need through those tunnels to seal up the reactor. It seems strange that one minute cleanup crews were able to reach part of the reactor complex like the control rooms, but not other parts.

Feeze the ground is the best idea so far - should have done it 2 years ago.

Watch "The Battle for Chernobyl" for a take on what this battle (if they ever get started) may look like. At least the Russians did something. - the Japanese - I just don't get it.

Originally posted by Aazadan

Originally posted by Rainbowresidue
There is only one thing I (just a normal English teacher) don't understand. Why on earth would a country that is well known to be on shaky grounds ( earthquakes, tsunamis) have nuclear reactors?

Because they don't have the land area for large green energy options like solar/wind/geothermal (though with them being on the ring of fire I wonder how good geothermal would be) and nuclear despite the potential for absolutely massive events still causes less damage and health effects than other non green options like coal.

They do have great potential for geothermal, all countries over the ring of fire have it. Also, for wind you don't really need land area, the stations can be set up in the ocean, the technology is already there.

And just FYI, Im not one of those anti nuclear power guys, I understand how important it is and will be for humanity, but it is clear that we still are not prepared for it. There are still way too many variables we still are not able to control (or which don't even understand or know they exist). So until then I would advice the nations of the world to focus on geothermal, solar, etc.

reply to post by FyreByrd


FyreByrd, thanks for the video link. I will watch it when I am not on deadline for an article on Fukushima. TEPCO rejected containment strategies, starting back in 2011; their reason was that they "could not afford" containment.

Japan is now moving ahead with geothermal power development. Before Naoto Kan left office, the Diet promised him they would pass legislation making development credits and other financial incentives available for geothermal, as well as simplifying the start-up process (legalities, red tape), which is otherwise considerable for geothermal because the best geothermal sites in Japan tend to be in protected beauty spots. That new legislation is now in effect. It's especially significant that geothermal is now first out of the gate because it is 24/7 baseload power, with minimal or perhaps zero pollution; a no-brainer, really, now that the enabling legislation exists.

Many in Japan are also proceeding with solar power development. The most interesting thing I learned recently about solar is that efforts are being made in the 3-D printing of solar cells or solar panels. Right now they're stuck, though, because of difficulties in replicating silicon.

There may be a great deal more tritium dumped into the ocean from Fukushima Daiichi in future, because their technology that removes radioactive isotopes from the excess water at that site cannot remove tritium.