rafter
Since 1999
thank you. You have been so helpful on this thread with your knowledge.
DISASTER Fukushima Reactor Disaster: MAIN THREAD - Five Year Anniversary
- Thread starter Red Baron
- Start date
thank you. You have been so helpful on this thread with your knowledge.
Reborn
Seeking Aslan's Country
Kinda OT but yet not:
While we watch and search for more news about Japan's nuclear reactors I just wanted to note that I'd seen a news update yesterday mentioning that Hawaii tsunami damages jumped to tens of millions of dollars. Obviously Hawaii isn't dealing with anything like Japan at this time but we have TB2K members there and some have family and friends there too. If anyone is interested there is an interesting video interview linked below from the 13th. Throughout the interview, scenes of the tsunami damages can be viewed.
VIDEO: Hawaii County mayor's Kona tsunami damage update
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2011/03/13/video-hawaii-county-mayors-kona-tsunami-damage-update/
While we watch and search for more news about Japan's nuclear reactors I just wanted to note that I'd seen a news update yesterday mentioning that Hawaii tsunami damages jumped to tens of millions of dollars. Obviously Hawaii isn't dealing with anything like Japan at this time but we have TB2K members there and some have family and friends there too. If anyone is interested there is an interesting video interview linked below from the 13th. Throughout the interview, scenes of the tsunami damages can be viewed.
VIDEO: Hawaii County mayor's Kona tsunami damage update
http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2011/03/13/video-hawaii-county-mayors-kona-tsunami-damage-update/
rafter
Since 1999
CNN while ago showed the Tokyo airport which is packed with people trying to get out.
Found on Drudge.
Rats fleeing the sinking ship..
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42105046
Foreign bankers flee Tokyo as nuclear crisis deepens
Published: Wednesday, 16 Mar 2011 | 5:54 AM ET Text Size
Twitter LinkedInMore Share
By Nachum Kaplan and Denny Thomas
(Reuters) - Foreign bankers are fleeing Tokyo as Japan's nuclear crisis worsens, scrambling for commercial and charter flights out of the country and into other major cities in the region.
BNP Paribas <BNPP.PA>, Standard Chartered <STAN.L> and Morgan Stanley <MS.N> were among the banks whose staff have left since Friday's earthquake and tsunami, and now a nuclear plant disaster, according to industry sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
Expatriate staff at most foreign banks in Tokyo make up a small portion of the total, by some estimates less than 10 percent. But many are often in senior positions so their departure can have a significant impact.
And while Japan's investment banking market is famously tough, it's an essential place for large banks to be and can produce hefty fees.
"The foreign banker presence on the ground in Tokyo now is very thin and depending on how long it takes them to return there could be lasting implications of that," said one banker. "Every time there's a washout of foreigners in Japan they never quite return in the same numbers."
With bankers joining the growing exodus, private jet operators reported a surge in demand for evacuation flights which sent prices surging as much as a quarter. One jet operator said the cost of flying 14 people to Hong Kong from Tokyo was more than $160,000.
"I got a request yesterday to fly 14 people from Tokyo to Hong Kong, 5 hour 5 minutes trip. They did not care about price," said Jackie Wu, COO of Hong Kong Jet, a newly established private jet subsidiary of China's HNA Group.
RADIATION FEARS
Radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear power plant spread panic across the country, emptying out Tokyo's normally bustling streets. Scores of flights to the city were halted and embassies warned citizens to leave or avoid the region.
The Tokyo-based International Bankers Association (IBA), which represents 16 major investment banks, issued a statement on Tuesday saying that none of them had closed business or ordered evacuations.
"We are watching the situation as it unfolds, but right now, it's business as usual," Christopher Knight, Japan CEO for Standard Chartered, told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that his office was staffed and open.
Other banks, including Citigroup <C.N>, J.P. Morgan <JPM.N> and Morgan Stanley, also told Reuters that business was operating as usual.
While Japan markets remained open, and banks were indeed open, many financial professionals, particularly those from outside Japan, were doing everything they could to get out of the country.
IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication, spoke with 14 bankers from the bond syndicate and equities desks of Citigroup, J.P. Morgan, Deutsche Bank <DBKGn.DE>, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch <BAC.N> and BNP Paribas who had fled for the safety of Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul through the week or were trying to get out.
Foreign bankers choosing to remain in Tokyo and Japanese bankers said that it was anything but business as usual at the moment with communications patchy, rolling blackouts, thinly-manned desks and so many people looking to leave.
"It's been almost impossible to get hold of investors since the quake hit," said one syndicate banker at a U.S. house from the safety of Hong Kong.
While the banks were not officially relocating people, they were accommodating employees and their families who wanted to leave.
"At the end of the day, it's the employees choice whether they flee or stay back," a banker at a European investment bank said. Asked who was taking up the option to leave, he said: "Who isn't? Everyone is trying to get out. Wouldn't you?"
SIMILAR TO SARS
Several bankers compared the situation to the outbreak of SARS in 2003. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) emerged in southern China in 2002, swept through Guangdong province and Hong Kong before spreading globally in 2003. It infected some 8,000 people and killed around 800, which prompted hordes of foreign professionals to leave Hong Kong.
Morgan Stanley had moved its credit team out of Tokyo, a person with knowledge of the matter told IFR. Morgan Stanley's spokesman denied the bank had moved any staff out of Japan.
BNP Paribas has moved about 10 people away from Japan for business continuity purposes out of a staff of about 900, according to the bank's spokesman, Daniel Boyd.
A number of senior Standard Chartered staff left Japan on Saturday morning for Hong Kong and Singapore, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said.
"We have contingency plans and if the situation changes this may involve moving some staff to other locations as needed to ensure business continuity," a Citi spokesman said.
A J.P. Morgan spokeswoman said "no business, teams or desks had been relocated" out of Japan.
The low foreign banker presence in Tokyo has also been exacerbated by many bankers on business trips abroad not returning to Tokyo. "If you're a Japan banker that's just done a trip to Mumbai, you can bet they're calling their home base to see if they can stay a while longer," another banker told Reuters.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Rogers; Stephen Aldred, Elzio Barreto, Kelvin Soh and Haruya Ida; Editing by Michael Flaherty and Lincoln Feast)
Copyright 2011 Reuters. Click for restrictions.
Found on Drudge.
Rats fleeing the sinking ship..
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42105046
Foreign bankers flee Tokyo as nuclear crisis deepens
Published: Wednesday, 16 Mar 2011 | 5:54 AM ET Text Size
Twitter LinkedInMore Share
By Nachum Kaplan and Denny Thomas
(Reuters) - Foreign bankers are fleeing Tokyo as Japan's nuclear crisis worsens, scrambling for commercial and charter flights out of the country and into other major cities in the region.
BNP Paribas <BNPP.PA>, Standard Chartered <STAN.L> and Morgan Stanley <MS.N> were among the banks whose staff have left since Friday's earthquake and tsunami, and now a nuclear plant disaster, according to industry sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
Expatriate staff at most foreign banks in Tokyo make up a small portion of the total, by some estimates less than 10 percent. But many are often in senior positions so their departure can have a significant impact.
And while Japan's investment banking market is famously tough, it's an essential place for large banks to be and can produce hefty fees.
"The foreign banker presence on the ground in Tokyo now is very thin and depending on how long it takes them to return there could be lasting implications of that," said one banker. "Every time there's a washout of foreigners in Japan they never quite return in the same numbers."
With bankers joining the growing exodus, private jet operators reported a surge in demand for evacuation flights which sent prices surging as much as a quarter. One jet operator said the cost of flying 14 people to Hong Kong from Tokyo was more than $160,000.
"I got a request yesterday to fly 14 people from Tokyo to Hong Kong, 5 hour 5 minutes trip. They did not care about price," said Jackie Wu, COO of Hong Kong Jet, a newly established private jet subsidiary of China's HNA Group.
RADIATION FEARS
Radiation leaking from a crippled nuclear power plant spread panic across the country, emptying out Tokyo's normally bustling streets. Scores of flights to the city were halted and embassies warned citizens to leave or avoid the region.
The Tokyo-based International Bankers Association (IBA), which represents 16 major investment banks, issued a statement on Tuesday saying that none of them had closed business or ordered evacuations.
"We are watching the situation as it unfolds, but right now, it's business as usual," Christopher Knight, Japan CEO for Standard Chartered, told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that his office was staffed and open.
Other banks, including Citigroup <C.N>, J.P. Morgan <JPM.N> and Morgan Stanley, also told Reuters that business was operating as usual.
While Japan markets remained open, and banks were indeed open, many financial professionals, particularly those from outside Japan, were doing everything they could to get out of the country.
IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication, spoke with 14 bankers from the bond syndicate and equities desks of Citigroup, J.P. Morgan, Deutsche Bank <DBKGn.DE>, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America-Merrill Lynch <BAC.N> and BNP Paribas who had fled for the safety of Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul through the week or were trying to get out.
Foreign bankers choosing to remain in Tokyo and Japanese bankers said that it was anything but business as usual at the moment with communications patchy, rolling blackouts, thinly-manned desks and so many people looking to leave.
"It's been almost impossible to get hold of investors since the quake hit," said one syndicate banker at a U.S. house from the safety of Hong Kong.
While the banks were not officially relocating people, they were accommodating employees and their families who wanted to leave.
"At the end of the day, it's the employees choice whether they flee or stay back," a banker at a European investment bank said. Asked who was taking up the option to leave, he said: "Who isn't? Everyone is trying to get out. Wouldn't you?"
SIMILAR TO SARS
Several bankers compared the situation to the outbreak of SARS in 2003. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) emerged in southern China in 2002, swept through Guangdong province and Hong Kong before spreading globally in 2003. It infected some 8,000 people and killed around 800, which prompted hordes of foreign professionals to leave Hong Kong.
Morgan Stanley had moved its credit team out of Tokyo, a person with knowledge of the matter told IFR. Morgan Stanley's spokesman denied the bank had moved any staff out of Japan.
BNP Paribas has moved about 10 people away from Japan for business continuity purposes out of a staff of about 900, according to the bank's spokesman, Daniel Boyd.
A number of senior Standard Chartered staff left Japan on Saturday morning for Hong Kong and Singapore, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said.
"We have contingency plans and if the situation changes this may involve moving some staff to other locations as needed to ensure business continuity," a Citi spokesman said.
A J.P. Morgan spokeswoman said "no business, teams or desks had been relocated" out of Japan.
The low foreign banker presence in Tokyo has also been exacerbated by many bankers on business trips abroad not returning to Tokyo. "If you're a Japan banker that's just done a trip to Mumbai, you can bet they're calling their home base to see if they can stay a while longer," another banker told Reuters.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Rogers; Stephen Aldred, Elzio Barreto, Kelvin Soh and Haruya Ida; Editing by Michael Flaherty and Lincoln Feast)
Copyright 2011 Reuters. Click for restrictions.
rafter
Since 1999
Thanks I have been wanting to see what happened there, and there has been nothing on the news. I love Kona!
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
parse these careful statements and things not looking good
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
1535: French Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet has said "the worse case scenario is possible, and even probable, around the Fukushima plant," Reuters reports.
1529: More from the IAEA. Its latest briefing says that officials are preparing to spray water onto reactor four and possibly three. "Some debris on the ground from the 14 March explosion at Unit 3 may need to be removed before the spraying can begin." [ ya think? ]
1525: The EU's energy chief Guenther Oettinger has said that in the coming hours "there could be further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island". He told the European Parliament the Fukushima nuclear site was "effectively out of control". "The cooling systems did not work, and as a result we are somewhere between a disaster and a major disaster." [ HEADS UP !!! ]
1520: The IAEA says the Japanese authorities "have reported concerns about the condition of the spent nuclear fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 and Unit 4". The pools are where the still-radioactive fuel rods are kept after they have completed their useful life in the reactor.
1516: Mr Chu said there were conflicting reports coming from Japan. The US teams who have travelled there are not only assisting the Japanese, but also ensuring that the US can secure its own measurements of what is happening, he said. [ in other words, USA conducting own verification, not believing lies ]
1515: US Energy Secretary Steven Chu has described events at the Fukushima plant as "appearing to be more serious than Three Mile Island". How much worse was not clear, he said, adding that it was very hard to tell how bad things were on the ground.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
1535: French Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet has said "the worse case scenario is possible, and even probable, around the Fukushima plant," Reuters reports.
1529: More from the IAEA. Its latest briefing says that officials are preparing to spray water onto reactor four and possibly three. "Some debris on the ground from the 14 March explosion at Unit 3 may need to be removed before the spraying can begin." [ ya think? ]
1525: The EU's energy chief Guenther Oettinger has said that in the coming hours "there could be further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island". He told the European Parliament the Fukushima nuclear site was "effectively out of control". "The cooling systems did not work, and as a result we are somewhere between a disaster and a major disaster." [ HEADS UP !!! ]
1520: The IAEA says the Japanese authorities "have reported concerns about the condition of the spent nuclear fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 and Unit 4". The pools are where the still-radioactive fuel rods are kept after they have completed their useful life in the reactor.
1516: Mr Chu said there were conflicting reports coming from Japan. The US teams who have travelled there are not only assisting the Japanese, but also ensuring that the US can secure its own measurements of what is happening, he said. [ in other words, USA conducting own verification, not believing lies ]
1515: US Energy Secretary Steven Chu has described events at the Fukushima plant as "appearing to be more serious than Three Mile Island". How much worse was not clear, he said, adding that it was very hard to tell how bad things were on the ground.
Hansa44
Justine Case
And this is why it's so important to have your preps ready NOW! People are starting to panic. All over the world and especially on the west coast right now. Pills and geiger counters are sold out. The next thing to go will probably be food and water to shelter in place. This will cause a huge drain on food and water in this country.
And that could easily snowball for the rest of the country.
And that could easily snowball for the rest of the country.
mt4design
Has No Life - Lives on TB
The realization that people are working at that plant knowing full well they will DIE in an effort to contain the problem should speak volumes about just how dire things are.
The realization that the Japanese Emperor has come out to give a statement regarding the situation should speak volumes about just how dire the situation really is for not just the local area around the plant but for the entire nation of Japan.
The move by Russia and China to begin evacuating their citizens from not just Japan but from areas within their own territories that might be affected should speak volumes to the dangers of the situation.
But, more than anything, momentum has had this disaster on a downward spiral ever since it began and with each passing hour the situation gets worse rather than improving.
So, realizing that, the only question I have is where is the bottom?
I do have another question, "When do I start heading east?" But, realistically, how east can I get to make it even matter?
Mike
The realization that the Japanese Emperor has come out to give a statement regarding the situation should speak volumes about just how dire the situation really is for not just the local area around the plant but for the entire nation of Japan.
The move by Russia and China to begin evacuating their citizens from not just Japan but from areas within their own territories that might be affected should speak volumes to the dangers of the situation.
But, more than anything, momentum has had this disaster on a downward spiral ever since it began and with each passing hour the situation gets worse rather than improving.
So, realizing that, the only question I have is where is the bottom?
I do have another question, "When do I start heading east?" But, realistically, how east can I get to make it even matter?
Mike
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
bears repeating
******* The EU's energy chief Guenther Oettinger has said that in the coming hours "there could be further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island". He told the European Parliament the Fukushima nuclear site was "effectively out of control". "The cooling systems did not work, and as a result we are somewhere between a disaster and a major disaster." *******
******* The EU's energy chief Guenther Oettinger has said that in the coming hours "there could be further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island". He told the European Parliament the Fukushima nuclear site was "effectively out of control". "The cooling systems did not work, and as a result we are somewhere between a disaster and a major disaster." *******
So in your mind, the government (ANY government) would never lie to the people nor suppress information in order to keep control?
Hfcomms
EN66iq
No,
But you don't do yourself or anyone here any good by flying off the deep end either. There is no mechanism of transport to get the radiation from over there to over here in a meaningful amount even in a worse case scenario. In order for that to happen you need vast quantites of irriadiated particulate matter to be thrust high into the stratosphere to make the the trip across the trans-pacific corridor. A ground burst nuclear weapon will do it. A reactor melting down (even several of them) won't do it. Will any of the radiation from Japan make it to the U.S.? Yes, of it will. A minute amount will not be washed out of the low levels by precipitation and will eventually make it on the lower air currents over here. A bigger threat will be fresh food stuffs that are importated from Japan or seafood from the ocean off the Japanese coast. But that has to be particulate matter which is sticking to the food and is primarily beta radiation which can be washed off. I have to believe after this event that any foods from Japan and the area are to be closely monitored.
I used to do nuclear fallout plotting. We would get updated weather every 12 hours from the metorlogists with a lot of different variables and then we would have to plot simulated nuclear weapon detonations both airbursts and surface bursts. We would plot the fallout contours on the maps so we would know what countour is gettting 100/Cgy per hour, what contour 50/Cgy hr ect. We would then develop safe survey routes in and out of the contaminated areas to make sure minimal dosing to the survery teams and develop a turnback dose for them to egress out of the area if they run across unexpected contamination. We then also knew how to decontaminate personnel and equipment.
What people can do besides the snide remark of sitting under a tree and praying is to educate themselves, read the materials like the link I provided and realize that your making this a lot worse for yourself than it needs to be. People fear what they do not understand. Once you get up to speed on these things there is no need to fear it and even when the time comes (not if, but when) when parts of this nation do face real nuclear fallout that they can survive it and it doesn't have to be the end of the world for them. It's all 'prepping', is it not?
And the last comment which I make many times is we have had nuclear detonations in this nation from above ground testing and a number of those shots were ground burst weapons which threw particulate matter high up into the atmosphere and some of that did indeed 'fall out' on American citizens. Nobody was close enough to those tests that they curled up their feet and died. There was quite a pronounced cancer spike in the many years after the testing and we know more now than what we did then. No need to fear, no need to panic. In the event something like that happens here you prep for it like you do anything else. That book I referenced will show you how just about anyone can build a short term fallout shelter from materials on hand if it ever becomes necessary to take shelter in the U.S. True knowledge is empowerment.
Isn't Timbomb 2000 all about "panic"? Isn't it frequented by people who want to be prepared for the worst case scenario?
Haven't I read about "bugging out" time here?
But now we point the finger at people in Japan for leaving their communities due to a worst case scenario? Is this "panic" or being prepared or taking steps to avoid the worst case scenario?
The people of Japan have showed admirable restraint in dealing with this tragedy. I laud them, I pray for them.
A 9.0 EARTHQUAKE is a worst case scenario. A TSUNAMI is a worse case scenario. There are buildings, including the power plant that did survive during the earthquake and tsunami. It was the peripheral support systems, the back up systems that could not deal with the situation. And it was not just one system but all 3 systems of cooling.
It is nice to sit thousands of miles away and do the blame and finger pointing game. No one could have been prepared for these events. Do you really think we would have been? (or have been i.e. Katrina)?
Do something for these people, whatever you can: a donation of $, food, clothing, prayer.
Haven't I read about "bugging out" time here?
But now we point the finger at people in Japan for leaving their communities due to a worst case scenario? Is this "panic" or being prepared or taking steps to avoid the worst case scenario?
The people of Japan have showed admirable restraint in dealing with this tragedy. I laud them, I pray for them.
A 9.0 EARTHQUAKE is a worst case scenario. A TSUNAMI is a worse case scenario. There are buildings, including the power plant that did survive during the earthquake and tsunami. It was the peripheral support systems, the back up systems that could not deal with the situation. And it was not just one system but all 3 systems of cooling.
It is nice to sit thousands of miles away and do the blame and finger pointing game. No one could have been prepared for these events. Do you really think we would have been? (or have been i.e. Katrina)?
Do something for these people, whatever you can: a donation of $, food, clothing, prayer.
CTFIREBATTCHIEF
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Good advice HFC and in my opinion, right on the money. Stay aware, keep informed, read between the lines of the stuff that is being offered up for public consumption and keep your options open.
Jeffrey Thomason
Inactive
Woah, where did you get that? Of course they would. What I'm saying is that in this case they can't keep the truth from being known no matter how hard they try. There are too many independent observers that can get the radiation readings. It's like saying the government can hide that the sky changed to a deep fuchsia. Anyone can go outside and look.
If those rods burn, and if radioactivity gets airborne, we will know within minutes, and there's not a damn thing any government can do about it.
What if there's some manner of major fire at the plant that does somehow inject a lot of crud into the jetstream - maybe not all at once, but over a prolonged period of time? Say, if the spent fuel pool catches fire in a big way? I don't know how likely that is, but as its never happened before, nobody else can say with certainty either. There's a lot more material in those pools than were released by above ground testing, apparently
I'm far from panicking; I always figured that something on this order would happen within my lifetime, so it's not a "Black Swan" event for me. I'm not even going to debate it anymore, as that would be time lost from keeping my own house in order. I'm preparing rationally for that 1% chance that something does make it here.
I'm far from panicking; I always figured that something on this order would happen within my lifetime, so it's not a "Black Swan" event for me. I'm not even going to debate it anymore, as that would be time lost from keeping my own house in order. I'm preparing rationally for that 1% chance that something does make it here.
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia...oversight-greed-preceded-Japan-nuclear-crisis
By Stephen Kurczy, Staff writer / March 16, 2011
Reports: Lax oversight, 'greed' preceded Japan nuclear crisis
Reports suggest that greed within the worldwide nuclear industry, combined with an insufficient UN watchdog and lax oversight of Japan's nuclear plants, contributed to the Japan nuclear crisis.
As Japan races to control a nuclear crisis in the wake of Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami, the country's sterling image as one of the nations most prepared to prevent and manage a disaster of this magnitude is being tarnished.
Reports are emerging that both the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency and the Japanese government failed to properly ensure the safety of country's nuclear power industry.
The reports are challenging the recent refrain that the world's No. 3 economy couldn't have done better and once again highlighting how poor government oversight of an industry that allegedly cut corners to turn higher profits can spawn an environmental disaster.
Just as the BP oil spill one year ago heaped scrutiny on the United State's Minerals Management Service, harshly criticized for lax drilling oversight and cozy ties with the oil industry, the nuclear crisis in Japan is shining a light on that nation's safety practices.
Design flaws in nuclear reactor containment vessels?
Four out of six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (also known as Fukushima I) have now suffered explosions or fires since a March 11 earthquake and tsunami devastated the region and knocked out electricity at the plant, which caused cooling systems to fail and reactors to suffer at least partial meltdowns.
Two of those reactor containment vessels may now have cracked and appear to be releasing radioactive steam. Their designer, General Electric, is now feeling heat for marketing the reactor despite safety concerns dating back three decades. Indeed, just as the BP oil spill drew scrutiny on several multinational companies, the crisis in Japan is underscoring a "flat world" where responsibility – along with environmental and economic fallout – spreads across oceans.
Russian nuclear accident specialist Iouli Andreev, who as director of the Soviet Spetsatom clean-up agency helped in the efforts 25 years ago to clean up Chernobyl, has lashed out against the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and private corporations for failing to heed lessons from that 1986 nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine.
"After Chernobyl all the force of the nuclear industry was directed to hide this event, for not creating damage to their reputation. The Chernobyl experience was not studied properly because who has money for studying? Only industry," he told Reuters in an interview published Tuesday.
Reports that plant operator TEPCO cut corners
Dr. Andreev said the sequence of events at Japan's Fukushima I suggested that the plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), may have put profit before safety. The fire that broke out Tuesday in reactor No. 4's fuel storage pond may have been caused by a desire to conserve space and money, he suggested.
"The Japanese were very greedy and they used every square inch of the space. But when you have a dense placing of spent fuel in the basin you have a high possibility of fire if the water is removed from the basin," Andreev told Reuters.
TEPCO has come under fire in the past for falsifying safety records at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. In 2002, according to The Wall Street Journal, TEPCO admitted to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency that it had falsified the results of safety tests on the No. 1 reactor.
This was only one in a string of scandals and coverups to mar the Asia's biggest utility company. In 2007, the company initially said there was no release of radiation after an earthquake damaged its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, but later admitted that radioactive water spilled into the Sea of Japan.
And less than a year ago, on June 17, a reactor at Fukushima I lost electricity and saw a dangerous drop in cooling water, Bloomberg reported. TEPCO's president failed to adequately investigate to prevent the current crisis, said Iwaki City council member Kazuyoshi Sato.
“Tokyo Electric and the government’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency had too much faith and confidence in the safety of the plant and were lax in their response,” Mr. Sato told Bloomberg News.
Cozy relations within industry
But if the plant was lax in its response, where was the government agency whose job is to enforce safety regulations? Indeed, seemingly cozy relations within the nuclear industry between regulators and operators are now also under the spotlight.
TEPCO and the Japanese government have partnered in the past to market nuclear power. In August, TEPCO's chairman joined the head of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry on a trip to Vietnam to promote the sale of Japanese nuclear power plants. (Vietnam later chose TEPCO.)
Japan's nuclear crisis: A timeline of key events
Andreev, the Russian scientist, has also accused the IAEA of being too close with corporations. "This is only a fake organization because every organization which depends on the nuclear industry – and the IAEA depends on the nuclear industry – cannot perform properly."
IAEA officials defended the agency, saying this characterization showed a misunderstanding of their mandate. "The agency can facilitate the creation of a standard but cannot enforce that standard," one anonymous official told The Guardian. The IAEA is dependent on member states for voluntary compliance and control of information.
Two Japanese members of the IAEA have specifically been targeted.
Yukiya Amano, a Japanese diplomat named deputy director general for the IAEA's Department of Nuclear Safety and Security in 2009, has been lambasted for apparent delays in issuing crisis updates. Mr. Amano's predecessor, Tomihiro Taniguchi, was criticized by the US more than two years ago for being "weak" on safety practices.
"[Tomihiro] Taniguchi has been a weak manager and advocate, particularly with respect to confronting Japan's own safety practices, and he is a particular disappointment to the United States for his unloved-step-child treatment of the Office of Nuclear Security," the US State Department said in a secret cable that was released to The Guardian by the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks.
American company General Electric (GE) has also come under fire for its design of the damaged nuclear reactors at Fukushima I.
As early as 1972, American regulators considered discontinuing GE's Mark 1 system, according to The New York Times. "Among the concerns cited was the smaller containment design, which was more susceptible to explosion and rupture from a buildup in hydrogen – a situation that may have unfolded at the Fukushima Daiichi plant," according to the article.
The ban idea was nixed because of the industry's preference for the design. Today in the US, 23 reactors at 16 locations still use the Mark 1 design, according to the antinuclear power Nuclear Information and Resource Service (pdf). The nonprofit has released documents dating back to 1972 on its website.
"The concern has been there all along that this containment building was not strong enough and the pressure containment system was not robust enough to prevent an explosion," Director Michael Mariotte said in a statement.
While the world's biggest nuclear-equipment supplier has maintained that its containment vessels are reliable, three GE employees quit in 1975 in protest over safety concerns around GE's so-called Mark 1 reactor containment vessel. Resigned employee Dale Bridenbaugh told ABC News that the rapid loss of cooling water in a reactor, as has happened now in Japan, "could tear the containment apart and create an uncontrolled release."
By Stephen Kurczy, Staff writer / March 16, 2011
Reports: Lax oversight, 'greed' preceded Japan nuclear crisis
Reports suggest that greed within the worldwide nuclear industry, combined with an insufficient UN watchdog and lax oversight of Japan's nuclear plants, contributed to the Japan nuclear crisis.
As Japan races to control a nuclear crisis in the wake of Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami, the country's sterling image as one of the nations most prepared to prevent and manage a disaster of this magnitude is being tarnished.
Reports are emerging that both the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency and the Japanese government failed to properly ensure the safety of country's nuclear power industry.
The reports are challenging the recent refrain that the world's No. 3 economy couldn't have done better and once again highlighting how poor government oversight of an industry that allegedly cut corners to turn higher profits can spawn an environmental disaster.
Just as the BP oil spill one year ago heaped scrutiny on the United State's Minerals Management Service, harshly criticized for lax drilling oversight and cozy ties with the oil industry, the nuclear crisis in Japan is shining a light on that nation's safety practices.
Design flaws in nuclear reactor containment vessels?
Four out of six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (also known as Fukushima I) have now suffered explosions or fires since a March 11 earthquake and tsunami devastated the region and knocked out electricity at the plant, which caused cooling systems to fail and reactors to suffer at least partial meltdowns.
Two of those reactor containment vessels may now have cracked and appear to be releasing radioactive steam. Their designer, General Electric, is now feeling heat for marketing the reactor despite safety concerns dating back three decades. Indeed, just as the BP oil spill drew scrutiny on several multinational companies, the crisis in Japan is underscoring a "flat world" where responsibility – along with environmental and economic fallout – spreads across oceans.
Russian nuclear accident specialist Iouli Andreev, who as director of the Soviet Spetsatom clean-up agency helped in the efforts 25 years ago to clean up Chernobyl, has lashed out against the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and private corporations for failing to heed lessons from that 1986 nuclear catastrophe in Ukraine.
"After Chernobyl all the force of the nuclear industry was directed to hide this event, for not creating damage to their reputation. The Chernobyl experience was not studied properly because who has money for studying? Only industry," he told Reuters in an interview published Tuesday.
Reports that plant operator TEPCO cut corners
Dr. Andreev said the sequence of events at Japan's Fukushima I suggested that the plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), may have put profit before safety. The fire that broke out Tuesday in reactor No. 4's fuel storage pond may have been caused by a desire to conserve space and money, he suggested.
"The Japanese were very greedy and they used every square inch of the space. But when you have a dense placing of spent fuel in the basin you have a high possibility of fire if the water is removed from the basin," Andreev told Reuters.
TEPCO has come under fire in the past for falsifying safety records at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. In 2002, according to The Wall Street Journal, TEPCO admitted to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency that it had falsified the results of safety tests on the No. 1 reactor.
This was only one in a string of scandals and coverups to mar the Asia's biggest utility company. In 2007, the company initially said there was no release of radiation after an earthquake damaged its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, but later admitted that radioactive water spilled into the Sea of Japan.
And less than a year ago, on June 17, a reactor at Fukushima I lost electricity and saw a dangerous drop in cooling water, Bloomberg reported. TEPCO's president failed to adequately investigate to prevent the current crisis, said Iwaki City council member Kazuyoshi Sato.
“Tokyo Electric and the government’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency had too much faith and confidence in the safety of the plant and were lax in their response,” Mr. Sato told Bloomberg News.
Cozy relations within industry
But if the plant was lax in its response, where was the government agency whose job is to enforce safety regulations? Indeed, seemingly cozy relations within the nuclear industry between regulators and operators are now also under the spotlight.
TEPCO and the Japanese government have partnered in the past to market nuclear power. In August, TEPCO's chairman joined the head of Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry on a trip to Vietnam to promote the sale of Japanese nuclear power plants. (Vietnam later chose TEPCO.)
Japan's nuclear crisis: A timeline of key events
Andreev, the Russian scientist, has also accused the IAEA of being too close with corporations. "This is only a fake organization because every organization which depends on the nuclear industry – and the IAEA depends on the nuclear industry – cannot perform properly."
IAEA officials defended the agency, saying this characterization showed a misunderstanding of their mandate. "The agency can facilitate the creation of a standard but cannot enforce that standard," one anonymous official told The Guardian. The IAEA is dependent on member states for voluntary compliance and control of information.
Two Japanese members of the IAEA have specifically been targeted.
Yukiya Amano, a Japanese diplomat named deputy director general for the IAEA's Department of Nuclear Safety and Security in 2009, has been lambasted for apparent delays in issuing crisis updates. Mr. Amano's predecessor, Tomihiro Taniguchi, was criticized by the US more than two years ago for being "weak" on safety practices.
"[Tomihiro] Taniguchi has been a weak manager and advocate, particularly with respect to confronting Japan's own safety practices, and he is a particular disappointment to the United States for his unloved-step-child treatment of the Office of Nuclear Security," the US State Department said in a secret cable that was released to The Guardian by the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks.
American company General Electric (GE) has also come under fire for its design of the damaged nuclear reactors at Fukushima I.
As early as 1972, American regulators considered discontinuing GE's Mark 1 system, according to The New York Times. "Among the concerns cited was the smaller containment design, which was more susceptible to explosion and rupture from a buildup in hydrogen – a situation that may have unfolded at the Fukushima Daiichi plant," according to the article.
The ban idea was nixed because of the industry's preference for the design. Today in the US, 23 reactors at 16 locations still use the Mark 1 design, according to the antinuclear power Nuclear Information and Resource Service (pdf). The nonprofit has released documents dating back to 1972 on its website.
"The concern has been there all along that this containment building was not strong enough and the pressure containment system was not robust enough to prevent an explosion," Director Michael Mariotte said in a statement.
While the world's biggest nuclear-equipment supplier has maintained that its containment vessels are reliable, three GE employees quit in 1975 in protest over safety concerns around GE's so-called Mark 1 reactor containment vessel. Resigned employee Dale Bridenbaugh told ABC News that the rapid loss of cooling water in a reactor, as has happened now in Japan, "could tear the containment apart and create an uncontrolled release."
amazon
Veteran Member
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/sm/custom/fe703593f0.jpg
Does anyone know why there are no firetrucks or anything around this plant at the time of this pic? Date of pic was 3/16 I think.
Does anyone know why there are no firetrucks or anything around this plant at the time of this pic? Date of pic was 3/16 I think.
Woah, where did you get that? Of course they would. What I'm saying is that in this case they can't keep the truth from being known no matter how hard they try.
And I'm saying they CAN, if only for a little while. EVERYONE could see the sky turn fuchsia. Only a VERY FEW can directly monitor radiation.
You really are good at the strawman argument, aren't you? You get paid to do it?
Oh, and HFC? I'm not losing my cool AT ALL. I've merely speculated FROM THE BEGINNING, on what was really happening, and what the potential was for disaster. I dare you to find a thread that shows me "panicking". Feel free to post it....
And I'm saying they CAN, if only for a little while. EVERYONE could see the sky turn fuchsia. Only a VERY FEW can directly monitor radiation.
You really are good at the strawman argument, aren't you? You get paid to do it?
Oh, and HFC? I'm not losing my cool AT ALL. I've merely speculated FROM THE BEGINNING, on what was really happening, and what the potential was for disaster. I dare you to find a thread that shows me "panicking". Feel free to post it....
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
http://www.drudgereport.com/
PENTAGON: US FORCES NOT ALLOWED WITHIN 50 MILES OF CRIPPLED NUKE...
New plumes of smoke pour from Reactor No. 3...
PENTAGON: US FORCES NOT ALLOWED WITHIN 50 MILES OF CRIPPLED NUKE...
New plumes of smoke pour from Reactor No. 3...
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
1556: Kyodo is reporting new plumes of smoke coming from the building housing reactor three.
1555: Fukushima's operators, Tepco, have said they want the military to make another attempt at dumping water from a helicopter onto the damaged reactor on 17 March.
1549: However, no US military personnel have shown signs of radiation poisoning, officials say.
1548: The Pentagon said some US air crews in Japan have been given iodine tablets as a precautionary measure.
1545: The Pentagon has announced that US forces must stay 50 miles (80km) away from the Fukushima reactor unless they have specific authorisation, Reuters reports.
1556: Kyodo is reporting new plumes of smoke coming from the building housing reactor three.
1555: Fukushima's operators, Tepco, have said they want the military to make another attempt at dumping water from a helicopter onto the damaged reactor on 17 March.
1549: However, no US military personnel have shown signs of radiation poisoning, officials say.
1548: The Pentagon said some US air crews in Japan have been given iodine tablets as a precautionary measure.
1545: The Pentagon has announced that US forces must stay 50 miles (80km) away from the Fukushima reactor unless they have specific authorisation, Reuters reports.
Jeffrey Thomason
Inactive
Anyone who has purchased a Geiger counter can monitor the radiation, you have ads for companies on this forum that do just that. There are people in Japan that have done that, there are independent organizations that have done that. Are you telling me that NONE of the sites on this map would report increased radiation?
http://maps.google.co.jp/maps/ms?ie...d=208563616382231148377.00049e573a435697c55e5
If or when things go bad, we will know far quickly then at any point in our history.
You bring this up a lot... project much? Do you get paid to spread fear? Really, now.
If you think the government can suppress the reporting of increased radiation from every single private citizen that owns a Geiger counter in Japan, then you might as well turn off the TV, disconnect from the internet and get in the bunker now, because nothing is true.
amazon
Veteran Member
Here's some good pics;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...le-nuclear-disaster-hidden.html#ixzz1GmCccg4R
So what does this statement from the EU NRG guy mean?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...le-nuclear-disaster-hidden.html#ixzz1GmCccg4R
So what does this statement from the EU NRG guy mean?
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
It means it's gonna blow.
Sid Vicious
Veteran Member
Watch what the military does. If they evac dependants from Japan you can worry a bit. If military units in Japan get issued and start using MOPP level gear you can worry. If units on the westcoast evac and or get issued MOPP gear you can panic away.
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
1617: Mr Amano said he hoped to return from Japan with "firsthand information" and to address the issue of improving the flow of information to the IAEA, AP reports.
1615: IAEA chief Yukiya Amano has said the situations is "very serious". He has urged Japan to give more information, as he prepares to fly to the country./
1617: Mr Amano said he hoped to return from Japan with "firsthand information" and to address the issue of improving the flow of information to the IAEA, AP reports.
1615: IAEA chief Yukiya Amano has said the situations is "very serious". He has urged Japan to give more information, as he prepares to fly to the country./
Do you get paid to spread fear? Really, now.
*I* have never spread fear sir. As most anyone on this forum (who's been here any length of time) will tell you, I am usually the voice of reason here. I bring up your "paid" potential because you sound exactly like the people we've found here in the past who WERE here specifically to spread disinformation. (And no, that's not paranoia; we found out through legitimate means.) You are, IMO, very similar to those people. I distrust you. I distrust your motives.
*I* have never spread fear sir. As most anyone on this forum (who's been here any length of time) will tell you, I am usually the voice of reason here. I bring up your "paid" potential because you sound exactly like the people we've found here in the past who WERE here specifically to spread disinformation. (And no, that's not paranoia; we found out through legitimate means.) You are, IMO, very similar to those people. I distrust you. I distrust your motives.
Kyodo News: No. of missing people in Ishinomaki likely to hit around 10,000: mayor (23:30)
Wait. Is that a different town? A few days ago there was another city official from another city (I think?) that said they were missing 10K as well.
As bad as this nuke crisis is (may be), I think in the end it will pale in comparison to the loss of life and economic damage created by the EQ and tsunami.
Wait. Is that a different town? A few days ago there was another city official from another city (I think?) that said they were missing 10K as well.
As bad as this nuke crisis is (may be), I think in the end it will pale in comparison to the loss of life and economic damage created by the EQ and tsunami.
Jeffrey Thomason
Inactive
Jeffrey Thomason
Inactive
Quite a few posters here have seen me post for a while, feel free to ask around, I tend to try and keep a level head during these things. I also try to play Devil's Advocate now and then to try and keep the echo chamber that forums become from spiraling out of control.
My only motives are the truth.
The truth so far is bad enough.
Hansa44
Justine Case
Yes. They can. And unless you can get access to the MSM, your reports will not be told to the public. I also heard way back much of the internet service was cut off in Japan.
If you do have some pull and can get truthful info out your life will be threatened or your families to stfu until the ptb are ready for truthful info to be put out.
Even the people in Japan know their gov. is lying and want the truth told.
MDINMT
Veteran Member
All we have heard at each step of this disaster is that the next step is not possible and we should just quit panicing. At this rate in a couple weeks we will be hearing"well,yes,you are now sterile,but your chance of cancer is only 50%,QUIT PANICING!"
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
Stocks tanking, ppl read what Oettinger said,
Breaking: Stocks sank deeper into the red after EU's energy chief warned of "possible catastrophic events" in Japan
Diplomatic staff from all European embassies have been warned of catastrophic disaster in hours to come.
wsj, marketwatch
Well, the "conventional wisdom" is turning the tide and heading doomerish ... sounds like it will blow today ... stay tuned
Breaking: Stocks sank deeper into the red after EU's energy chief warned of "possible catastrophic events" in Japan
Diplomatic staff from all European embassies have been warned of catastrophic disaster in hours to come.
wsj, marketwatch
Well, the "conventional wisdom" is turning the tide and heading doomerish ... sounds like it will blow today ... stay tuned
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
1630: The EU is urging member states to check food imports from Japan for radiation, AFP reports.
1624: Mr Amano said: "At units four, five and six, which were not operating at the time of the earthquake, increased temperatures were observed at the spent fuel ponds. As far as radiation levels are concerned, those rates in Tokyo and other cities have increased very slightly but levels are not dangerous to human health."
1630: The EU is urging member states to check food imports from Japan for radiation, AFP reports.
1624: Mr Amano said: "At units four, five and six, which were not operating at the time of the earthquake, increased temperatures were observed at the spent fuel ponds. As far as radiation levels are concerned, those rates in Tokyo and other cities have increased very slightly but levels are not dangerous to human health."
Jeffrey Thomason
Inactive
Hansa44
Justine Case
http://www.businessinsider.com/fukushima-nuclear-plant-2011-3#ixzz1GmCjcsgW
NUKE CRISIS NEARS 'POSSIBLE CATASTROPHE': Fuel Rods Exposed In Reactors 4, 5 And 6; Four Reactor Units Have Core Damage
Joe Weisenthal | Mar. 16, 2011, 11:57 AM | 376,264 | 437
inShare.1,973 UPDATE 11:55: Fuel rods in reactors 4, 5, and 6 are now exposed and four reactor units have core damage, according to the IAEA (via Bloomberg).
The EU energy minister responsible for the earlier comments claims he got his information from the EU, IAEA, Japan, and media reports.
UPDATE 11:01 Horrible headline crossing the wires via RanSquawk: EU ENERGY CHIEF SAYS POSSIBLE CATASTROPHIC EVENT IN NEXT HOURS.
He's also -- and this is via Dow Jones -- calling the situation "out of control"
The market briefly got hammered by this but has already recovered.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/fukushima-nuclear-plant-2011-3#ixzz1GmVRMfTi
NUKE CRISIS NEARS 'POSSIBLE CATASTROPHE': Fuel Rods Exposed In Reactors 4, 5 And 6; Four Reactor Units Have Core Damage
Joe Weisenthal | Mar. 16, 2011, 11:57 AM | 376,264 | 437
inShare.1,973 UPDATE 11:55: Fuel rods in reactors 4, 5, and 6 are now exposed and four reactor units have core damage, according to the IAEA (via Bloomberg).
The EU energy minister responsible for the earlier comments claims he got his information from the EU, IAEA, Japan, and media reports.
UPDATE 11:01 Horrible headline crossing the wires via RanSquawk: EU ENERGY CHIEF SAYS POSSIBLE CATASTROPHIC EVENT IN NEXT HOURS.
He's also -- and this is via Dow Jones -- calling the situation "out of control"
The market briefly got hammered by this but has already recovered.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/fukushima-nuclear-plant-2011-3#ixzz1GmVRMfTi
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704662604576202003408046120.html
March 15, 2011, by William Mauldin
Russians Rush for Iodine Pills
MOSCOW—In Russia's Far East near Japan, residents bought up pills to ward off radioactive isotopes, and military units prepared to evacuate towns on concerns of nuclear fallout, even as the government insisted that radiation levels in Russia remain at safe levels.
The country's flagship airline, OAO Aeroflot, said it would check incoming aircraft from Tokyo for radiation at its hub in Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia's nuclear chief complained to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that his atomic experts, including a veteran of the Chernobyl disaster 25 years ago, haven't been permitted to enter Japan.
Russian military units stationed on the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, which are disputed with Japan, prepared for a possible evacuation because of the nuclear threat, only days after they were warned about the tsunami. The military also said it would help evacuate civilians from the islands, Interfax reported.
Japanese officials appeared to have regained some control of Japan's troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant Tuesday afternoon, at least for now, after spikes in radiation levels that followed a new explosion at one reactor and a fire at another earlier in the day put the nation on high alert.
As Russia and Ukraine prepare to mark the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl in April, many residents recall how little information the Soviet authorities released for days following the accident.
Some Russians living close to Japan decided not to wait for government warnings, and many visited pharmacies to buy iodine pills, believed to prevent the body from absorbing radioactive isotopes.
"There has definitely been a run on these kinds of medicines in the last two days," said a salesperson at a pharmacy in Vladivostok, adding that it had completely ran out of iodine tablets.
Dosimeters, which measure exposure to radiation, were also selling more quickly than usual.
"Yes, people are buying pharmaceuticals in the drugstores and dosimeters," said Alexei Rasputny, a reporter from the Novaya Gazeta newspaper in Vladivostok, Russia's main port on the Pacific. "But nobody is leaving, nobody is talking about that."
New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Radiation Oncologist-in-Chief Clifford Chao helps explain the health risks and symptoms that could result from a meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Northern Japan.
An emergency official in the Kuril Islands said that the "people who were evacuated in connection with the tsunami have already returned home some time ago."
Russia's easternmost regions reported steady radiation levels of between nine and 13 micro-Roentgens per hour, well within safe levels, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry. The wind in Sakhalin was blowing from the north toward Japan, opposing any release of radioactive materials.
Russia so far doesn't see a need to evacuate its diplomatic personnel from Japan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
March 15, 2011, by William Mauldin
Russians Rush for Iodine Pills
MOSCOW—In Russia's Far East near Japan, residents bought up pills to ward off radioactive isotopes, and military units prepared to evacuate towns on concerns of nuclear fallout, even as the government insisted that radiation levels in Russia remain at safe levels.
The country's flagship airline, OAO Aeroflot, said it would check incoming aircraft from Tokyo for radiation at its hub in Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia's nuclear chief complained to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that his atomic experts, including a veteran of the Chernobyl disaster 25 years ago, haven't been permitted to enter Japan.
Russian military units stationed on the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, which are disputed with Japan, prepared for a possible evacuation because of the nuclear threat, only days after they were warned about the tsunami. The military also said it would help evacuate civilians from the islands, Interfax reported.
Japanese officials appeared to have regained some control of Japan's troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant Tuesday afternoon, at least for now, after spikes in radiation levels that followed a new explosion at one reactor and a fire at another earlier in the day put the nation on high alert.
As Russia and Ukraine prepare to mark the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl in April, many residents recall how little information the Soviet authorities released for days following the accident.
Some Russians living close to Japan decided not to wait for government warnings, and many visited pharmacies to buy iodine pills, believed to prevent the body from absorbing radioactive isotopes.
"There has definitely been a run on these kinds of medicines in the last two days," said a salesperson at a pharmacy in Vladivostok, adding that it had completely ran out of iodine tablets.
Dosimeters, which measure exposure to radiation, were also selling more quickly than usual.
"Yes, people are buying pharmaceuticals in the drugstores and dosimeters," said Alexei Rasputny, a reporter from the Novaya Gazeta newspaper in Vladivostok, Russia's main port on the Pacific. "But nobody is leaving, nobody is talking about that."
New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Radiation Oncologist-in-Chief Clifford Chao helps explain the health risks and symptoms that could result from a meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Northern Japan.
An emergency official in the Kuril Islands said that the "people who were evacuated in connection with the tsunami have already returned home some time ago."
Russia's easternmost regions reported steady radiation levels of between nine and 13 micro-Roentgens per hour, well within safe levels, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry. The wind in Sakhalin was blowing from the north toward Japan, opposing any release of radioactive materials.
Russia so far doesn't see a need to evacuate its diplomatic personnel from Japan, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Hfcomms
EN66iq
Look back to what you posted on this very thread several hours ago Dennis. If your not panicking then your getting real close to knocking on panic's doorstep.
Those remarks are not the feelings of someone who has a good handle on this.
It would take a real nuclear detonation to do that. You need to have the kinetic energy behind it and then you need a lot of irriadiated material to be thrust high into the atmosphere. Burning fuel rods aren't going to do it and were not going to have a nuclear detonation no matter what happens. All those fuel rods are not weapons grade material...they aren't going to go 'boom' with a mushroom cloud.
For sake of argument however, what if a lot of radiation made it over here 'somehow' then depending on the amount there is would dictate your actions. Download a copy of that book 'Nuclear War Survival Skills' by Dr. Kerney who was closely affiliated with Dr. Edward Teller and you'll know what to do. Either scroll back a page and find the link or google on it and download the .pdf or ebook version. Almost anyone can make a field expedient fallout shelter with what is on hand if they know how to do it. There are many diagrams and photographs in the book of these shelters. It won't be necessary but it's good background information and if anyone feels that they just have to do something then it's a good start for you. It's non-technical and presented in a way average folk can understand.
Cascadians
Leska Emerald Adams
http://www.businessinsider.com/fukushima-nuclear-plant-2011-3#ixzz1GmVRMfTi
NUKE CRISIS ESCALATES: Fuel Rods In Reactors 4, 5, And 6 Exposed; Four Reactors Have Core Damage
NUKE CRISIS ESCALATES: Fuel Rods In Reactors 4, 5, And 6 Exposed; Four Reactors Have Core Damage
So "my nerves are shot" is me panicking? Wow, life must be REALLY odd at your house. Of course, everyone reacts differently. Some people get nervous, some people DO panic, and some people sit under a tree and pray for God to rapture them out....
