Plutonium is a substance that’s emitted when the temperature is high, and it’s also heavy and so does not leak out easily. So if plutonium has emerged from the reactor, that tells us something about the damage to the fuel. And if it has breached the original containment system, it underlines the gravity and seriousness of this accident.Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency deputy director Hidehiko Nishiyama • Discussing what the finding of plutonium in the ground near the Fukushima reactors means. No, that doesn’t sound very good at all. In other news, France sent over some of their most knowledgable nuclear experts to help out the Japanese. The surrender-prone European nation is also the one most dependent on nuclear energy. source (via • follow)
![producermatthew:
The ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan has caused broadcasters in Germany, Switzerland and Austria to yank several episodes of “The Simpsons.”Two episodes of the popular FOX television program that center around nuclear incidents have been pulled from German broadcaster ProSieben.Episode 66, Marge Gets a Job, has a scene in which two scientists die of radiation poisoning, while episode 346, On a Clear Day I Can’t See My Sister, contains several jokes between characters about nuclear meltdowns.The topic of nuclear power is difficult to avoid in The Simpsons as the main character, Homer Simpson, works in the nuclear power plant that energizes Springfield, the town where the show is set.The Simpsons Executive Producer Al Jean told Entertainment Weekly the decision to pull the episodes were “completely understandable.”An episode that featured The Simpsons in New York City was briefly pulled from syndication and international airing after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. Homer Versus the City of New York contained a scene in which the family vehicle was booted in-between the two former towers of the World Trade Center. [Gothamist]
D’oh!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lis60prIOM1qz5ew6o1_500.gif)
The ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan has caused broadcasters in Germany, Switzerland and Austria to yank several episodes of “The Simpsons.”
Two episodes of the popular FOX television program that center around nuclear incidents have been pulled from German broadcaster ProSieben.
Episode 66, Marge Gets a Job, has a scene in which two scientists die of radiation poisoning, while episode 346, On a Clear Day I Can’t See My Sister, contains several jokes between characters about nuclear meltdowns.
The topic of nuclear power is difficult to avoid in The Simpsons as the main character, Homer Simpson, works in the nuclear power plant that energizes Springfield, the town where the show is set.
The Simpsons Executive Producer Al Jean told Entertainment Weekly the decision to pull the episodes were “completely understandable.”
An episode that featured The Simpsons in New York City was briefly pulled from syndication and international airing after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. Homer Versus the City of New York contained a scene in which the family vehicle was booted in-between the two former towers of the World Trade Center. [Gothamist]
D’oh!
The trench is located outside the building and the water contains radioactive materials. There is normally no water found in this area so it is difficult to compare this to normal levels.TEPCO spokesperson Hiro Hasegawa • Discussing the finding of highly-radioactive water inside of a trench, outside of the Fukushima No. 2 reactor. The level matches the 1,000 millisievert level found inside the No. 2 reactor yesterday. “But we do not believe it is leaking into the ocean,” Hasegawa continued. “We are now working out where the cause of the leak is and finding ways to remove the water as soon as possible.” source (via • follow)
swagandpassion asks: I plan on going on a study abroad program to China [Beijing] this May...will radiation be an issue?
» We say: Honestly, it shouldn’t be. Really, it’s only an issue within a 20 km radius, and only trace amounts of radiation have been found outside of Japan.
The drinking water supply in Massachusetts is unaffected by this short-term, slight elevation in radiation.Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach • Discussing the “OMG OMG WE GONNA DIE” revelation that there is radiation in some Massachusetts rainwater resulting from the Fukushima crisis. Friends, this is not Chernobyl. Ain’t nothing to be afraid of. Auerbach knows the deal. source (via • follow)
It was just pitch black. It was the middle of the night and all we had to see with were our own head torches. We could see smoke and vapour coming up from the reactor. Everything else had failed, so they called us in to pump seawater to try to cool the thing. We don’t even work for the government, but for the city of Tokyo. They were desperate. They must have been on their last legs.Fukushima crew leader Kazuhiko Fukudome • Describing what he saw as a member of the “Fukushima Fifty.” Fukudome was tracked down by The Daily Telegraph, who got the first interview with the once-anonymous crew of workers. We recommend you read the whole thing, but we’re sure you will after you read Fukudome’s description of the inside of the plant: “It was far worse than I expected. Everything was covered in rubble,” he said. Harrowing. (via Josh Sternberg) source (via • follow)
EDIT: According to the article, they’re working on getting an accurate reading again. They just know it’s not 1,000 millisieverts per hour, or 10 million times its normal level. Once we hear what it is, we’ll post.
(thanks isuree)
» Progress, but no end in sight: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano had these vaguely calming words about the incident: “We are preventing the situation from worsening — we’ve restored power and pumped in fresh water — and making basic steps toward improvement,” he said, “but there is still no room for complacency.” There are good and bad parts about the overall situation right now — while aftershocks are starting to tail off, radiation levels in seawater miles away are very high, but are said to be of little threat to those eating seafood from the ocean. Still, though …
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Don’t consider the situation at Fukushima settled just yet. That’s the message that Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, in his first statements on the matter in over a week, would like to make clear. ”We are making efforts to prevent it from getting worse, but I feel we cannot become complacent,” he said. “We must continue to be on our guard.” Kan’s comments come in the wake of high instability at some of the plants — yesterday, two workers got radiation burns on their feet while working on Fukushima’s No. 3 unit, which is the most dangerous of the bunch due to its use of a mixture of uranium and plutonium. The situation led to fresh concerns about whether there might be a leak in that reactor. TEPCO officials are still looking for the cause of the high radiation levels. source
Japan Nuclear Crisis: What About The Plutonium MOX?
The media tells us that things are looking much better now in regard to the Japan nuclear crisis and we should all relax about the damaged nuclear reactors in Fukushima.
Yet, there is something bothering us in London which makes it difficult for us to relax completely…
If the smoke billowing from the Fukushima reactor 3, amongst other reactors, does indeed contain plutonium, then this nuclear crisis has exposed Japan and the world to a much more extreme danger than the one originally envisaged. If so, we all ought to know about it. There should be some more specific investigations in regard to the contents.
Plutonium is one of the most lethal known health hazards.
See also 3/17: “Plutonium is the heaviest primordial element”
Proliferation and safety problems of MOX use
Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel | image source
This article, written by a risk assessment group, is purely speculative (and a couple days old), but The Guardian has been concerned about this too: “The condition of the No 3 unit is of particular concern as it contains plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel and would release highly toxic plutonium in the event of a meltdown.” Worth noting, but take with a grain of salt.
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