Tag: fallout

Map comparison Visual Summary (via Not all alleged is apparent…)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I’ve loved maps since I was a little boy. Unfortunately today’s map is something of a downer, a comparison of the Cesium fallout from the two disasters.

I didn’t say it wasn’t depressing.

James Pilant

From Not all alleged is apparent ….

Map comparison Visual Summary To conclude the series of blogposts on the topic of comparing the color-maps of Cesium fallout levels from Chernobyl with the map showing this for Fukushima’s ongoing nuclear disaster, here’s my visual summary: … Read More

via Not all alleged is apparent…

Barack Obama – a President for the nuclear industry (via nuclear-news)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I’ll let the article speak for itself and you decide.

James Pilant

Barack Obama - a President for the nuclear industry One of Obama’s largest campaign donors since 2003 has been the Exelon Corporation, a nuclear power company. Obama’s former chief of staff, David Axelrod, previously worked as a consultant for Exelon. As a state Senator in Illinois, Obama skillfully played both sides of the nuclear debate, but ultimately did the industry’s political dirty work after a leak at an Exelon plant was exposed, causing public outrage. Obama put forward a bill requiring l … Read More

via nuclear-news

Shake and bake (via The Mex Files) – Mexican Meltdown!?

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Apparently not all current nuclear problems are in Japan. Mexico too has nuclear power and it does not seem to prosper there.

This is a fascinating article which was very much a surprise to me. But that’s the great pleasure of the thousands of internet sites – the opportunity to learn.

James Pilant

Yikes… yesterday’s 6.5 – 6.7 Richter scale earthquake in Veracruz State (felt throughout the southern and eastern parts of the country, but certainly not here on the northwest coast) did only “minor” damage to Mexico’s one and only nuclear power plant… or so we’re being told. Laguna Verde is “only” twenty plus years old, and has supposedly been being upgraded the last few years.  Officially it has a good safety record, although, just over a w … Read More

via The Mex Files

Even if you don’t oppose nuclear power, questions have to be asked and things need to be rectified PDQ (via Eslkevin’s Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I really enjoyed this blog.

I think we can all join in the thoughts enunciated in the letter sent below to nuclear regulators in the United States.

It’s a call to learn from the Japanese disaster and to address the problem of nuclear waste.

James Pilant

Dear Kevin, On the morning of March 11, I watched with horror as the news came in from Japan about the tragic earthquake and tsunami and their many victims. The power outage at a Japanese nuclear power plant was a footnote to these first reports, so it was hard to comprehend that the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl was underway. Over the last four weeks, the workers at the Fukushima nuclear power facility have acted heroically to g … Read More

via Eslkevin’s Blog

ALLOWING A SCIENTIST (rather than a politician) TO SPEAK (via Eslkevin’s Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I found this provocative.

I believe our blogging friend wanted that effect.

Why don’t you see if it has that effect on you?

James Pilant

Can We Produce Enough Energy with Green Sources or Must We Rely on Coal, Oil, and Nuclear? Ask a Scientist – April 2011 J. Fishman from Scottsdale, AZ, asks “Can we produce enough energy by using green sources, such as wind and solar power, or must we continue to rely on coal, oil, and/or nuclear energy?” and is answered by Jeff Deyette, Assistant Director of Energy Research and Analysis. In the past year we’ve seen too many examples of just how … Read More

via Eslkevin’s Blog

Strong aftershock rattles disaster-weary Japan (via Mannaismayaadventure’s Blog)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Excellent news story well illustrated.

Look at it if only to observe the beautiful layout of the blog.

James Pilant

Strong aftershock rattles disaster-weary Japan Strong aftershock rattles disaster-weary Japan By JAY ALABASTER and TOMOKO A. HOSAKA, Associated Press – Thu Apr 7, 7:07 pm ET SENDAI, Japan – A big aftershock rocked quake-weary Japan late Thursday, rattling nerves as it knocked out power to the northern part of the country and prompted tsunami warnings that were later canceled. The quake was initially measured at magnitude-7.4, though the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., later downgrade … Read More

via Mannaismayaadventure’s Blog

Emails from Fukushima workers reveal mental strain (via NewScientist)

On By southwerkIn business ethics

You’ll want to read this one. It’s kind of poignant.

Probably more than a few of you have been curious as to what the workers are going through. Here’s an idea.

James Pilant

From the NewScientist –

At one point up to 600 of them were living in a building on the grounds of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, without adequate food or sleep. The Fukushima workers – the men and women working round the clock to prevent the reactors deteriorating further – have been at the centre of world media attention, and now a trickle of emails and web postings from them is emerging.

Japan nuclear evacuation ‘will be long-term’ (via BBC News)

On By southwerkIn business ethics
Courtesy of Bethesda Software

This is incredible. We now have a nuclear zone where people will not be able to live for what must be at least years.

How much land are we talking about? Probably at least the twenty kilometer evacuation zone around the plant. That’s 1,256 square kilometers. Could it include some or all of the ten kilometer zone beyond that? If it does that’s 2,826 square kilometers. What if it keeps spreading? Your guess is as good as mine.

However, the radiation leakage is probably going to decide how much has to be evacuated for how long.

This is the part the advocates of nuclear power never seem to talk about, hundreds of square miles of what was once habitable land off limits to humans save for “safe” exposure times. Essentially a wasteland.

And this crisis is far from over.

James Pilant

From BBC News –

More than 70,000 people have been evacuated from a 20km (12-mile) evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Another 136,000 people who live in a 10km zone beyond that have been encouraged by the authorities to leave or to stay indoors.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the evacuation would be a “long-term” operation.

“So therefore, we are giving instructions on how to proceed with the continuation of children’s’ education, and the employment of people who are unable to work because of the evacuation order,” he said.

Highly radioactive water continues to leak at the plant; for the first time it has been found in groundwater 15m below reactor 1.

From further down –

The authorities are resisting calls from the UN’s atomic agency to expand the exclusion zone around the plant, after it found safe radiation limits had been exceeded at the village of Iitate, 40km away.

In case you are curious, that’s 5024 square kilometers.

Does Arnold Gundersen Have the Answers On the Nuclear Crisis in Japan?

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Mr. Gunderson has a lot to say about the crisis at the reactors in Japan. I saw one of his videos today for the first time. I am impressed. However, first impressions are not always accurate. If any of my kind readers have any opinion or knowledge about Mr. Gunderson or his organization, Fairewinds Associates, I want you to tell me.

Here are two videos. One is from yesterday and the other is from a network show.

James Pilant

On the Rachel Maddow Show –

Radiation from Japan Disaster reaches 14 U.S. States – EPA Report (via NBC)

On By southwerkIn business ethics2 Comments

Of course, we don’t know the whole story. The United States’ EPA monitoring stations were only partially functioning. Does this make you feel that the U.S. government is taking nuclear safety seriously?

James Pilant