News Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, & Nuclear Disaster

[Thunder Chicken]

Interesting - I just realized that the GE BWR-3 & -4 reactors in the Fukushima plant are the same as those used in two local (to me) plants: Pilgrim 1 and Vermont Yankee.

 

[Stevodoran]

An 80 year old woman and a 16 year old boy were just found.

 

[Belisarius]

Cairan talks about conflicting information. If you go to NHK right now you'll see the following headlines:

No gases to be released from No. 3 reactor
Gases to be vented from No.3 reactor

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20_31.html

 

[Urwumpe]

Well, just like the pressure should be dropping if cooling is successful, but in reality the pressure is increasing again in the latest reports.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Ok, old classic brain bleach:

YouTube - Extra 3 - Keine Angst vor dem Atom

Oi, my brain! You win Urwumpe!

 

[Wishbone]

Monday sees intensified efforts at radiation measurement by Russian planes, helos and ships (http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=437978, http://www.rian.ru/jpquake_effect/20110321/356179863.html)

3 Mi-8 helicopters, 2 Su-27 fighters, and an An-12 flying lab and 26 ships are conducting radiation measurement at Sakhalin, Kamchatka and in the Khabarovsk region. NOTE: the source does NOT say they will sample air for radio-isotope study. I am not sure Mi-8's or Su-27s will venture into the international waters. Still, it is better than nothing.

EDIT: to give some context re: the state of civil defense preparations in Russia, http://kp.ru/online/news/852998/ says radiation sensors were airlifted from Moscow to Sakhalin via Khabarovsk.

EDIT #2: clarified the types of planes. At least it is nice that one rad recon plane is still in use. However, using Su-27s for rad monitoring is IMHO really outrageous.

 

[Belisarius]

Saw a rad-hardened US Army FOX vehicle being loaded onto a cargo plane and heard that US Army vehicles were on the scene in Fukushima (forgotten the source, sorry)

An excellent 10 minute BBC radio report about the 1999 Tokaimura nuclear accident here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00fc7th

 

[SiberianTiger]

However, using Su-27s for rad monitoring is IMHO really outrageous.

Why, if it presents an opportunity for the air force pilots to train themselves?

 

[Wishbone]

Train in what? Mock air-to-air combat with JASDF? One doesn't use a machine gun to hammer nails. What about de-contamination for the plane if it does get into the plume?

 

[SiberianTiger]

What about de-contamination for the plane if it does get into the plume?

I guess it simpler to wash a Su-27 than an An-12, no?

 

[Belisarius]

Looks like the burial of the spent fuel pool is getting under way:

On Monday, an official with Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency told reporters that tests are expected to be conducted in the afternoon on how to use what he called a "concrete pump engine."
The engine would pump a mix of mortar and water into the reactor's spent nuclear fuel pool and containment vessel, the official said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/21/japan.nuclear.reactors/?hpt=T2

 

[SiberianTiger]

On humanitarian side, the true scale of casualties suffered by Japan is uncovering:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/21/japan-earthquake-death-toll-18000

The human and financial cost of the tsunami continues to rise, after police estimates showed more than 18,000 people have died in the disaster and the World Bank said it may cost Japan as much as £145bn to repair the damage.

...

Attention is turning to the humanitarian crisis on Japan's north-east coast and the cost of the cleanup and reconstruction operations.

The World Bank said that it could take Japan five years, and cost between £75bn and £145bn – equivalent to 4% of Japan's GDP – to overcome the catastrophe, while private insurers face a combined bill of up to $33bn.

"Damage to housing and infrastructure has been unprecedented," the bank said. "Growth should pick up though in subsequent quarters as reconstruction efforts, which could last five years, accelerate." The bank said damage from the tsunami could also affect trade in the region.

The price of some Japanese-made memory chips have risen 20% because of disruption to production lines, while car plants in Asia face shortages of auto parts. "Disruption to production networks, especially in automotive and electronics industries, could continue to pose problems," the World Bank said. "Japan is a major producer of parts, components and capital goods which supply east Asia's production chains."

While hundreds of workers battle to render the nuclear plant safe, Japan continues to count its dead. Police estimates show more than about 18,400 died – 10,500 in Miyagi prefecture alone. A further 452,000 people are living in shelters. "It is very distressing as we recover more bodies day after day," said police spokesman Hitoshi Sugawara.

 

[Belisarius]

While the politicians play politics-as-usual games:

LDP resists 'grand coalition'

Prime Minister Naoto Kan's recent request for Liberal Democratic Party leader Sadakazu Tanigaki to join the Cabinet has provoked a backlash from the largest opposition party, which views Kan's move as an effort to use the national crisis to support the survival of his administration.

The LDP intends to keep a certain distance from the Kan administration and offer its support only by making proposals regarding measures to cope with the calamity of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami through such channels as a joint disaster countermeasure conference of the government and political parties, sources said...

The LDP sees that partnership with the DPJ will work negatively in unified local elections in April.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110320003127.htm

 

[Wishbone]

IAEA DG Yukio Amano (http://www.iaea.org/press/?p=1546)

During my visit, the Agency's on-the-ground support to Japan became operational. It consists of three main elements.
First, a senior Agency official has been deployed in Japan to coordinate our assistance activities.
Second, the Japanese authorities agreed to the designation of two IAEA liaison officers, now in place, who are working closely with NISA 24 hours per day.
Third, the Agency's radiation monitoring team has begun sending back measurements to Vienna, including from locations close to the Fukushima site. Additional staff will fly out from Vienna shortly to strengthen the team.

I have been reminded about the recent habit of NISA and MEXT to report radiation levels after the steam has been allowed to drift away...

Who needs the talk about "failed states" like Sudan when there are such notorious examples as Russia (e.g. unable to evacuate casualties from Domodedovo) and Japan.

 

[Belisarius]

Must say the IEAE reports have become much more informative since they got their boots on the ground and haven't had to rely on patchy Japanese info.

http://www.iaea.org/press/?p=1537#more-1537

Curious about one thing: the recommended iodine doses:

Baby 12.5 mg

1 mo.-3 yrs. 25mg

3-13 yrs. 38mg

13-40 yrs. 76mg

40+ yrs. Not necessary

So when you're 39 years old you need 76mg and when your 40th birthday comes round you don't need any.
Can anyone explain that to a 40+ yrs old guy? Is my thyroid now inactive or what?

 

[Cairan]

The cruel point is that statistically, after 40, you -probably- won't get thyroid cancer in your remaining lifetime because a) your metabolism gets slower and b) your remaining lifespan is shorter than those younger. Of course, this is a completely arbitrary cut-off point.

I have a copy of the Nuclear War Survival Skills here and it is advised that IF it is ABSOLUTELY necessary to leave a shelter while the rads levels are still quite high, but not high enough for acute poisoning, that the OLDEST people in the shelter take turns to go out, with the young adults and children keeping it to a minimum of exposure. Same holds true for the months and years after for outdoor work.

 

[RGClark]

Fire trucks are being used to spray water on the spent fuel rods which are not contained within containment vessels. But ever since the disaster, water hoses meant for fire fighting purposes at the plant have been used to cool the reactor cores, which are within containment vessels. How does this water get to the reactor core? Is it pumped into the cooling pipes that would normally be used by the cooling system?


Bob Clark

 

[Belisarius]

The cruel point is that statistically, after 40, you -probably- won't get thyroid cancer in your remaining lifetime because a) your metabolism gets slower and b) your remaining lifespan is shorter than those younger.

Oh... I'll just use my walking frame to hobble off out into the snow now. I may be some time.

 

[Firby]

I cant even imagine the destruction that it did. I hope that the nuclear power plant doesn't
make another chernobyl... :uhh:

 

[Urwumpe]

On every reactor, there are fill and drain connections, since it is obvious that they can't be delivered with water included.