It’s been a long couple of weeks, covering the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Many of the posts I’ve written on the subject have been posted late at night / early in the morning (reflecting daytime where the events are occurring, and my work schedule). I’ve compiled this post, to help those of you interested, to help find them.
If you have a question you want answered, put it in the comments of this post, and I’ll try to get to it.
3/12/2011
Explosion at Fukushima Nuclear Plant, Cesium Detected
3/14/2011
Don’t Panic
Geiger Counter Readings Rise in Tokyo
3/15/2011
What’s on Fire at the Fukushima Reactor?
Will Radioactive Particles from the Leaking Reactor Reach Washington State?
3/16/2011
“We believe that radiation levels are extremely high” (A discussion of acute radiation injury)
3/17/2011
Video from a Helicopter Flyover of the Fukushima Plant
The Health Effects of Radioactive Isotopes from Fukushima
3/20/2011
Radiation from Fukushima, in Seattle
3/24/2011
How Radiation Is Measured
3/27/2011
Radiation From Fukushima, in Seattle, Tells the Story
(You might also be interested in my earlier series (circa 2008) on nuclear power, including the physics of nuclear power, how nuclear power plants work, radiation, nuclear waste, a review of the prior nuclear plant disasters, and future nuclear power plant designs.)
Thanks, Jonathan. Your coverage has been exemplary, and I don’t mean that as just “good”, but in that it should be an example to every media outlet of how to cover complex science material. No one else comes close.
Thanks for the summary. I was going to write you separately with my question, but I’ll just post it here.
This whole thing, thinking about the risks we’re worried about over here, has got me to wondering what are we completely overlooking? The tsunami, on top of the earthquake damage, must have uncovered and broken up all sorts of incredibly toxic crap, from poisonous to radioactive, in fuel tanks, electronics factories, hospitals and clinics, vehicles, pesticide tanks, etc etc. Then thoroughly mixed about and deposited everywhere. I haven’t heard anything about that yet. It seems to me this would be a greater immediate threat, to more people.
Or, would the volume of water in the tsunami have diluted it so greatly, and then pulled it out to sea, further dilluting it, that it’s not that great a threat?
It seems there would still be a lot of noxious crap left behind?
I was happy just to have Charles off the story, but you’ve far exceeded that.
Speaking of Charles is he still mainlining those creepy liquid vitamins?
OK, so I’m going to Japan in a few months–I’ll be hundreds of miles south of Tokyo–and my concern is with the food and water supply. The physics of all of it is beyond me, but will there be a danger of radioactive contamination months from now? (Assuming of course that the plant is finally under control and contained by then.)
I don’t know if you will read this but if you do, here are my questions:
I am supposed to travel to Japan for about a month this summer (July). My main location will be Sapporo on the North Island. 1.) I believe Sapporo is pretty far from where all the shit has gone down, but considering that radiation has traveled all the way to Seattle, do you expect higher background radiation levels there as well? 2.) Assuming nothing way worse happens, will radiation levels in Japan be lower/back to normal by the summer? 3.) Can a higher-than-normal background radiation level (even if it’s way too low to cause radiation poisoning) put me at greater risk for cancer in the future?
Thank you!
Can’t remember if it was on slog or somewhere else, but I read the CANDU reactor uses unenriched uranium and the reaction requires the heavy water so will naturally stop if the water boils away. Why isn’t this the design everyone is using? Is there a another downside which outweighs the safety advantages?
Where does/can the water that has been pumped in to cool the rods gone/go? Where can it POSSIBLY go but outside the plant? TEPCO and the Japanese government both seems to be nonplussed on this issue. Also, is it rational (or just an excuse) that they claim they don’t know where the contaminated water came from that the workers walked in?
Really ignorant question: Why don’t they simply give up the impossible and dump cement on these reactors, since they will be unuseable in the future?
@7 The nuclear fuel can heat up to several thousand degrees on its own, depending on the kind of fuel. That kind of heat will melt through most anything you could considering smothering the plant with. Also the stuff remains radioactive for thousands of years longer than cement stays cement. Cement will eventually dissolve but the radioactive waste won’t get significantly safer by that time.