Is there a role for nuclear energy?

[Outlaw Yogi]

Japan says battle to save nuclear reactors has failed
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/ma ... ors-failed

Japanese officials have conceded that the battle to salvage four crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been lost.

The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said the reactors would be scrapped, and warned the operation to contain the nuclear crisis, well into its third week, could last months...

... The firm's chairman, Tsunehisa Katsumata, said it had "no choice" but to scrap the Nos 1-4 reactors, but held out hope that the remaining two could continue to operate. It is the first time the company has admitted that at least part of the plant will have to be decommissioned.

On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suggested widening the 30-km exclusion zone around the plant after finding that radiation levels at a village 40km from the plant exceeded the criteria for evacuation.

Citizen Action in Japan Prevented Larger Plutonium Disaster at Fukushima Reactor 3
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2011/03/31-5

Japanese citizen groups successfully resisted the use of MOX fuel at Fukushima-Daiichi for a decade. MOX fuel was not loaded into the reactor until August 21, 2010 and the reactor began operation on September 18, 2010. Consequently, all the MOX fuel remains in the core and none of it had yet been transferred to the unprotected fuel pool.

“If the citizen groups had not been successful, there would have been a 33% load of MOX at Fukushima Daiichi 3 instead of the current 5% and there would have been MOX in the spent fuel pool,” said Kamps. “The activists have saved countless lives by preventing what might have been a worse disaster than is already taking place.”

[Outlaw Yogi]

Radiation Found In San Francisco, CA Tap Water — Rainwater Radiation 18,100% Above Drinking Water Limit
http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/0 ... its-13014/

Despite countless reassurances that no harmful levels of radiation from the Japan nuclear fallout would hit the US from the EPA, the University of Berkley in California is now reporting that rainwater in San Francisco water has now been detected at levels 18,100% above federal drinking water standards.

Japan's Nuclear Refugees May Never Go Home
http://www.earthweek.com/2011/ew110401/ew110401a.html

Some of those who have evacuated are facing the realization that the nuclear contamination is so severe and lingering that they will probably not be able to go home within their lifetimes. The same may be true for their children, and for their children’s children.

[Viking King.]

Not good at all, however, it was expected to occur with natural wind currents.

[Outlaw Yogi]

Crews 'facing 100-year battle' at Fukushima
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011 ... 179487.htm

... one expert says the radiation leaks will be ongoing and it could take 50 to 100 years before the nuclear fuel rods have completely cooled and been removed.

Levels of radioactive iodine-131 in the Pacific off the plant have been recorded at a new high of 4,385 times the legal limit.

TEPCO has already vowed to dismantle the four reactors at the centre of the world's worst atomic accident in 25 years, but now Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan says the Fukushima plant must be scrapped.

[harvey]

There's so many experts, one expert says this whilst another expert says quite the opposite.


And then another person gets it all stuffed up and forgets that this was caused by an earthquake, a natural event.

[Outlaw Yogi]

Paid opinions from experts still on nuke industry payroll can be discounted.

Wouldn't matter what caused the reactor dramas, if terrorists had taken out the coolant system with an RPG or mortas (+ blown the back up pump generators) the result would be the same.

[harvey]

Paid opinions from experts still on nuke industry payroll can be discounted.

Wouldn't matter what caused the reactor dramas, if terrorists had taken out the coolant system with an RPG or mortas (+ blown the back up pump generators) the result would be the same.

Just like the drunken driver raming a car into a crowd. It wouldnt matter what sought of car he/she were driving, the result would still be the same.

[Outlaw Yogi]

So running reactors is like drunk driving?

[harvey]

So reactors are run by drunk drivers?

Do try and keep up.

[Outlaw Yogi]

Pro nukers can't keep up, they're half a century behind everyone else.
Nuke power is a dud technology.