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Fukushima- the unending ever ongoing mess

 
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Stout



Joined: 28 May 2011

PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 8:18 am    Post subject: Fukushima- the unending ever ongoing mess Reply with quote

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/tepco-reveals-new-contaminated-water-leak-at-fukushima-plant

TEPCO reveals new contaminated water leak at Fukushima plant
National Dec. 05, 2011 - 06:30PM JST ( 50 )
TOKYO �
Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Sunday that at least 45 tons of radioactive water have leaked from a desalination facility at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, and some of it may have reached the Pacific Ocean.

TEPCO said the trouble came in two stages, Fuji TV reported. In the morning, utility workers found that radioactive water was flooding a catchment next to a purification device. Officials said the device was then switched off, and the leak appeared to stop. But the company said it later discovered that leaked water was escaping through a crack in the catchment�s concrete wall and was reaching an external drainage ditch, Fuji reported.

Experts say that before the latest leak, the Fukushima accident had been responsible for the largest single release of radioactivity into the ocean, threatening wildlife and fisheries in the region. As much as 220 tons of water may now have leaked from the facility, according to a report in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper that cited TEPCO officials.

The water is believed to have contained up to one million times as much radioactive strontium as the maximum safe level set by the government, and about 300 times the safe level of radioactive cesium. Both are readily absorbed by living tissue and can greatly increase the risk of developing cancer.

TEPCO said it was exploring ways to stop the water from leaking through the crack and attempting to confirm whether contaminated water had reached the ocean, Fuji reported.
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Julius



Joined: 27 Jul 2006

PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 8:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the update.

What this means for all of us.. I have no idea.

I was surprised to see they're moving folks back into the off limits zone though.

Quote:
The water is believed to have contained up to one million times as much radioactive strontium as the maximum safe level set by the government, and about 300 times the safe level of radioactive cesium. Both are readily absorbed by living tissue and can greatly increase the risk of developing cancer.
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alwaysgood



Joined: 15 Aug 2011
Location: Changwon

PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 8:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The water is believed to have contained up to one million times as much radioactive strontium as the maximum safe level set by the government, and about 300 times the safe level of radioactive cesium.


Certainly not good, particularly for people in the area, but it will be diluted fairly quickly.

220 tons x 1,000,000 times max strontium = 220,000,000 tons (it will take this much clean water to dilute the strontium to safe levels)

There are about 15,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons of water in the world's oceans.

220,000,000 / 15,000,000,000,000,000,000 = 0.0000000000146667 (the fraction of the worlds oceans required to absorb the strontium)

That's 0.00000000146667%

Of course that would be with ocean strontium levels starting at 0, which they are not, but it should be in the ballpark. Unless I made a mistake, which I might have Embarassed
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Ineverlie&I'malwaysri



Joined: 09 Aug 2011

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

alwaysgood wrote:
Quote:
The water is believed to have contained up to one million times as much radioactive strontium as the maximum safe level set by the government, and about 300 times the safe level of radioactive cesium.


Certainly not good, particularly for people in the area, but it will be diluted fairly quickly.

220 tons x 1,000,000 times max strontium = 220,000,000 tons (it will take this much clean water to dilute the strontium to safe levels)

There are about 15,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons of water in the world's oceans.

220,000,000 / 15,000,000,000,000,000,000 = 0.0000000000146667 (the fraction of the worlds oceans required to absorb the strontium)

That's 0.00000000146667%

Of course that would be with ocean strontium levels starting at 0, which they are not, but it should be in the ballpark. Unless I made a mistake, which I might have Embarassed

Your math might be correct, but your characterization as "safe" is not. But before I even get to that, does your figure for the total of the world's water include that held in arctic and antarctic ice? If so, the levels in unfrozen water will increase since the strontium will not be dissipated into the ice. Anyway, in the first place, that is the amount of water needed just to get strontium down to the maximum allowable limit, a tad over which the levels would be unsafe. Then, that level is set too high to begin with. In fact, there is no "safe" level of strontium, as all radiation is cumulative. Next, the strontium will not immediately dissipate equally throughout all the world's water. At the source of the leak levels will be millions of times higher than in water far from it. Biota near the source, including humans, will be damaged fatally or severely and for a long time.

If you were trying to cheer us up, thanks; unfortunately, I'm still miserable. Crying or Very sad
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Julius



Joined: 27 Jul 2006

PostPosted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ineverlie&I'malwaysri wrote:
Next, the strontium will not immediately dissipate equally throughout all the world's water.


Or rather, it will accumulate in certain parts of the food chain.

I would expect e.g. whales and dolphins to start showing higher levels in their fat reserves.

If this gets them finally taken off the Japanese menu... then at least one good thing will have come of this.
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