The Fukushima 50

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/16/fukushima-50-stay-prevent-nuclear-meltdown/

Quote :

They are known as the Fukushima 50, the workers who stayed behind at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in order to prevent a meltdown in Japan.

Between 50 and 70 plant engineers -- who have not been identified and are being hailed as heroes -- continue to work around the clock in dangerous conditions, as hundreds of thousands have evacuated the area, fearing a meltdown.

Two of the workers are missing after an explosion and fire at the Unit 4 reactor, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Workers have since resumed operations, Reuters reports.

"The longer they stay, the more dangerous it becomes for them," Margaret Harding of the American Nuclear Society told CBS News.

The engineers are trying to cool nuclear reactors with seawater, while trying to avoid fires and explosions.

"You are the only ones who can resolve a crisis. Retreat is unthinkable," Japanese Prime Minister Naota Kan told them, the Financial Times reported.

The workers have exposed themselves to high doses of radiation, which could cause cancer.

"These workers, in a few hours, are getting fairly high doses I would say by contemporary standards for worker protection, and that's likely to pose some risks down the line," David Richardson, a professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, told the BBC. He added that the radiation the Fukushima 50 would receive in an hour is the same amount a U.S. nuclear worker would be exposed to over an entire career.

Last Friday's magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami have left 11,000 dead or missing.

Talk about having balls. I wish them the best of luck.

Brave men, no doubt, but I wonder if they've been as misled as the rest of us? When this is all over, there needs to an enquiry into how this 'minor' incident rapidly became a disaster.

ambler wrote:

Brave men, no doubt, but I wonder if they've been as misled as the rest of us? When this is all over, there needs to an enquiry into how this 'minor' incident rapidly became a disaster.

For one I think the news has been somewhat sensationalistic. All the headlines I read keep turning this into a nuclear safety discussion, when in fact the topic is earthquake safety. I mean, for frak's sake a 9.0 earthquake is gonna F*** with anything -- but when it knocks over a freeway we don't get protests about how unsafe freeways are.

If people want to reduce carbon emissions AND maintain their comfortable modern lifestyles, then nuclear is the best option.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

If people want to reduce carbon emissions AND maintain their comfortable modern lifestyles, then nuclear is the best option.

But not necessarily on the Ring of Fire. Case in point.

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

If people want to reduce carbon emissions AND maintain their comfortable modern lifestyles, then nuclear is the best option.

Pretty much. Unfortunately the zeitgeist on nuclear energy is still in the clutches of flower-children with their ideological hang-ups.

Sharky wrote:

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

If people want to reduce carbon emissions AND maintain their comfortable modern lifestyles, then nuclear is the best option.

But not necessarily on the Ring of Fire. Case in point.

True -- but that's also one of the reaons I have faith in the ability of the Japanese to handle this. They're a highly advanced first world nation and they live on a string of volcanoes on top of a fault line. They know this stuff, they're used to it, they'll be able to overcome it. It's not like Haiti where all of a sudden they need international hand-outs to survive.

Also -- ironic isn't it how Japan is one of the nations that most enthusiastically adopted nuclear power?

Japan can be F***ING weird at times but I have nothing but respect for them especially since this crisis. I salute the brave men giving their lives to prevent nuclear disaster.

I was working in the local pub the other day, when the news came on the TV. I overheard some bloke saying 'blimey, I better cancel my takeaway then!'

Nothing but respect for these gallant people who are trying to work under that pressure. I have a feeling they might not have another choice to do so, but again, there is still left in this world, sheer bravery amongst all costs.

Certainly this is amazing... the circumstances and the people who are able to step up to the plate and try to fix it.

Can someone tell me a bit about radiation though... Clearly, some radiation kills cancer (cancer treatments) and other kinds cause it (meltdowns). Just wondering if someone might be able to give me a link or two on the differences.

retrokitty wrote:

Certainly this is amazing... the circumstances and the people who are able to step up to the plate and try to fix it.

Can someone tell me a bit about radiation though... Clearly, some radiation kills cancer (cancer treatments) and other kinds cause it (meltdowns). Just wondering if someone might be able to give me a link or two on the differences.

This is a fairly informative article from The Examiner:

Quote :

What is often referred to as radiation poisoning or radiation sickness is actually called “Acute Radiation Syndrome” or “ARS” for short. Acute Radiation Syndrome indicates that someone has been exposed to a high level of radiation in a short period of time. This is opposed to chronic radiation exposure which would mean that someone has become sick as exposure to low levels of radiation over a longer period of time. With the situation surrounding the multiple explosions at the Fukushima Plant in Japan, and fears of a full blown nuclear catastrophe underway, many worldwide want to know what’s in store for those surrounding the nuclear plant, as well as the impact of long term radiation. On March 14, 2011, the third explosion at the Fukushima Plant occurred and reports of fire in a fourth reactor have been announced to mounting fears of widespread radiation poisoning.

Radiation is all around us and when we use it in limited amounts, it is generally safe. This is the case with radios, infrared lighting or even a microwave oven. These forms of radiation are called “non-ionizing” as they have a very low frequency and a long wave length. Due to their weak frequencies, they pose no harm to the human body.

Ionizing radiation is the form of radiation that can lead to Acute Radiation Syndrome. With ionizing radiation, the frequency waves are higher and can break down chemical bonds. Ionizing radiation is composed of extremely short wavelengths that can break electrons (or charged molecules) from an atom, creating two ions (charged particles). This creates one positively charged molecule and a free electron. There are three forms of ionizing radiation and these are alpha, beta and gamma. When the human body is exposed to ionizing radiation, changes occur at the cellular level.

Ionizing radiation causes cells to break down and the free electrons that are released during the process have been identified as carcinogenic. The impact exposure to ionizing radiation will have on the human body depends upon the length and intensity the person was subjected to the radiation. On March 14, 2011, 17 U.S. Navy crew members responded to the crisis in Japan and were exposed to radiation in the atmosphere. The crew members thoroughly washed themselves with soap and hot water to reduce contamination. At this point, no illnesses have been reported. If they were to become sick they would have suffered vomiting, diarrhea and possibly skin rashes immediately following contact.

There are two types of radiation sickness (chronic and acute); and these are referred to as stochastic and non-stochastic. Stochastic effects are associated with chronic radiation exposure and non-stochastic effects are the result of high level radiation exposure in a short amount of time. There is no doubt that the impact of radiation is directly related to the length and level of radiation exposure.

It’s important to realize that radiotherapy, such as chemotherapy, is composed of ionizing radiation. Those undergoing chemotherapy experience the same symptoms experienced by those with Acute Radiation Syndrome, however, those experiencing chemotherapy are under a doctor’s care; are monitored for adverse reactions and exposure to the treatment is on a scheduled basis. Symptoms of Acute Radiation Syndrome are as follow:

1. Changes in Blood Chemistry

2. Nausea

3. Fatigue

4. Vomiting

5. Hair Loss

6. Diarrhea

7. Destruction of the Intestinal Lining

8. Internal Bleeding

9. Central Nervous System Damage

10. Loss of Consciousness

11. Death

Each symptom is associated with the level of exposure; the list is measured from the smallest to greatest amount of rems (the increments by which ionizing radiation is measured). The symptoms of Acute Radiation Syndrome were accurately determined by monitoring the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There is no question that ionizing radiation causes cancer and disrupts the molecular components of cellular activity.

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Thank you... That was really informative. I have a friend who went through radiation therapy last fall. It worked wonders on his tumor but because the tumor between his vertebrae disappeared, and the vertebrae were like swiss cheese, he's needed rods put in to hold his spine. It's been four months and about 7 surgeries since the first surgery. His back won't heal because the radiation damaged the skin so much that the staples won't hold it together. They've finally done some plastic work and built up muscle underneath the wound. But the wound runs from the back of his neck down his spine about 13 inches.

So I was curious if what he went through was different from what goes on to people who are affected accidentally. It doesn't sound as if it's much different other than it being regulated and done with doctor's care.

Thanks again.

CJB wrote:

Fairbairn-Sykes wrote:

If people want to reduce carbon emissions AND maintain their comfortable modern lifestyles, then nuclear is the best option.

Pretty much. Unfortunately the zeitgeist on nuclear energy is still in the clutches of flower-children with their ideological hang-ups.

Good site here to keep on top of global warming trends. The polar bear article is frightening 8) http://www.ecoenquirer.com/polar-bear-heat.htm

In my hometown, every pharmacy ran out of iodine tablets last week because of these events. Have people started to overreact too much these days? I mean, there's over 7000 kilometres distance between Japan and Finland, so there's no chance for radiation to even reach over here.

Mr. Trevelyan wrote:

In my hometown, every pharmacy ran out of iodine tablets last week because of these events. Have people started to overreact too much these days? I mean, there's over 7000 kilometres distance between Japan and Finland, so there's no chance for radiation to even reach over here.

Blame the combination of an easily-riled populace and the general irresponsible and sensationalist reporting from the media.

Salomé wrote:

Mr. Trevelyan wrote:

In my hometown, every pharmacy ran out of iodine tablets last week because of these events. Have people started to overreact too much these days? I mean, there's over 7000 kilometres distance between Japan and Finland, so there's no chance for radiation to even reach over here.

Blame the combination of an easily-riled populace and the general irresponsible and sensationalist reporting from the media.

That's what I've been blaming all the time.