Japan: "A Ray Of Hope"

The Japanese seem to be getting their reactors under control:

Before the evacuation this evening, workers had made progress to stabilize the overheated reactors and fuel storage pools at the plant over the weekend. In the afternoon Prime Minister Naoto Kan issued a cautiously encouraging statement regarding their progress.

"We haven’t yet escaped danger, but we’re starting to see a ray of hope that we’ll be able to escape,” he said.

Here's hoping.

Comments

[Threadkiller]

Their fortune is our misfortune. Shep is back in New York.

[daddy]

Obama's lost Shep.

[daddy]

Magrahi update:

WE don't know where Magrahi is tho he's been living in a swanky neighborhood in Libya and has been building another new home. Shep reports Magrahi has been taking fancy Limo's all over the country recently; 1 a Lamborgini and 1 a Hummer.

Interesting that Narciso and I have been trying over the last year to constantly get updates on Magahi, yet it is almost impossible to ever find any reports, yet now, soon as he is potentially in harms way, we suddenly find out all about his mansion and his new mansion and his Lamborghini Limo's etc.

What a coincidence that they just found all that stuff out.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Sigh. What's really happened is it went from "It could get lots worse but we don't think so" to "it could get lots worse, but we don't think so."

[maryrose]

No thanks to Obama. The Japanese probably think" We don't need no stinkin Muslim American POTUS to help us." He's all talk and no action anyway.

[Threadkiller]

Chaco, If the spent rods keep boiling off the water that is sprayed on them, why aren't they still used to create steam for power?

[daddy]

Charlie,

We just got an update from the company saying the current Japan situation is okay for us. Was sent these readings for the regions of Tokyo and Osaka we stay at:

1900 local 21Mar11 Japan

•Chiba: Average 0.048 µSv; Max 0.091; Min 0.030
•Tokyo: Average 0.070 µSv; Max 0.125; Min 0.044
•Kanagawa: Average 0.059 µSv; Max 0.083; Min 0.044
•Osaka: Average 0.045 µSv; Max 0.051; Min 0.042

Which I'm sure you can look at and see are no big deal.

It also included this: "There was a brief emission of radiation to the atmosphere on 21 March but all readings remain in a safe range. This raises the possibility of some emissions of radioactive particles to the air that may result in a short term increase in radiation levels at NRT, but all data and projections indicate total NRT radiation levels lower than Denver Colorado. Current winds support on-shore flow but the HYSPLIT forecast indicates very little vertical lifting and support a scenario of most if not all emissions settling to the ground within a short distance of Fukushima."

Sounds to me like the company is following your articles.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

NRT radiation levels lower than Denver Colorado.

AIIIIIIII!!! DOOOOOOOM!

Thanks, Daddy. Just for comparison, an abdominal CT is about 15 mSv, or 15_000 uSv.

(Dammit, typepad used to let me use greek letters, I swear.)

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Chaco, If the spent rods keep boiling off the water that is sprayed on them, why aren't they still used to create steam for power?

There've been some attempts to do that, but newly-removed rods are so hot radiologically they're a real pain in the ass to handle. That's one reason the spent-fuel rod pool is on top of the containment building: they don't have to move them far.

But the idea is used for radioisotope thermoelectric batteries.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

CHACO: My question the other night when we missed connecting was about something I heard said without any explanation. They were talking about about the Chernobyl solution of covering the spent rods or maybe the reactor, not clear, with sand and cement to seal them off. The "expert" said that had serious consequences in and of itself and that was why there was great reluctance to go that route. However, they never went on to explain why this measure might be more dangerous than the exposed rods. Why is this measure considered as dangerous or more so than having the damaged material left alone? I hope you understand my question as I'm not clear exactly how to ask since I'm just learning about this stuff.

[PD]

I posted this yesterday, but it's still handy for perspective:

radiation dose chart

[daddy]

PD,

Big thanks for posting that chart. I was able to find my Rad Badge readings and your chart helped me make sense of them and know I'm not glowing.

[PD]

Obama's lost Shep.

Now if only we could.

[Mark Folkestad]

Thanks for the chuckle, PD.

[Dave (in MA)]

King Crimson
October 13, 1995
Sun Plaza Hall
Sendai, Japan

Please note that the entire proceeds of this download will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society

The band are clearly having fun all the way through this lively concert 10 days into the Japanese tour. There are more than a few bumps here and there such as a bucking bronco version of Vrooom that occasionally threatens to unseat the players especially through a fairly indeterminate Fairy Fingers section; and there’s a hilarious moment after a cracking version of Indiscipline where the some of the group’s reading of the set-list is at variance with the others! Such entertaining false starts aside, it’s wholly a confident Frame By Frame takes up the slack encountered during the preceding Red, almost stealing the show from under everything else. An unusually rhythmic improv section during Thrak is worthwhile exploring as RF’s laser-beam lines score and hit the mark.

From these happier times in Sendai, our thoughts go out to all those affected by the Japanese earthquake

Listening to it now.

[AL]

Do not be so cocky. It is tons of difference between what radionuclides causes radiation.

Iodine 131 has half-life of about 8 days (means after 8 days only half of radioactive iodine remains, and after another 8 days only half of remaining half). It means after 80 days radiation will drop 1024 times, and in 160 days in about million times.

Naturally present radionuclides such as radium or radon are not accumulating in the body. Cesium-137 is equivalent in chemical properties to potassium, and does accumulate in the body. Most troubling is stroncium-90, which is chemically identical to calcium, accumulates in bones, and attacks most vulnerable to radiation human tissue – blood-creating bone marrow. Both radionuclides have half-life of 28/30 years, which makes them active enough to cause high level of radiation, and long-lasting enough to cause serious contamination.

That’s said, there is no chance that Fukushima blowout will cause death count or economical damage comparable to earthquake-tsunami devastation.

“…reason the spent-fuel rod pool is on top of the containment building…” is that GE engineers compromised safety to convenience.

[Threadkiller]

ChaCo, thanks for the answer on the spent rods. I had no idea on the RTG batteries. That is a cool link.

[glasater]

A very compelling article from an AP reporter:

1st Person: Rich Japan's misery stuns war reporter