Earthquake in Japan

[ampersand]

and who the f**k builds a nuclear plant on an earthquake plate!

[Snufflebutt]

Saw this on twitter earlier (paraphrasing)

"The headline you won't see today; 'Millions saved by clever engineering and Japanese building refulationd', but it's what happened"

As bad as it is, it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

[ampersand]

See: Haiti

As for building nuclear reactors on earthquake plates - the whole of japan is on, or near, an earthquake plate - theres 7 nuclear plants in Japan IIRC.I reckon you'd find that the reality of not having nuclear power in Japan would persuade most that it's worth the risk (and its worth saying, it has been alright up until now, and even now the authorities are saying the reactor is in tact)

[rhysieg]

some amazing before and after pictures here, and clearly whole towns were wiped out. the slider on each picture is great...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

the death toll has got to significantly rise from what it is at the minute (2000+ confirmed dead, sadly i see the death toll being more like 10000+)

[worm]

If an earthquake hits Tokyo head on it will wipe it out. Millions dead.

[Ed209]

There's been another explosion at the Nuclear power plant, raising the fears that meltdown is actually going to happen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12733393

If anyone can save the situation then I'm sure the Japanese can, but it has just taken a significant turn for the worst.

[Ed209]

Rubbish. It's well equipped for earthquakes. Natural disasters take hardly any lives compared to civil disorganisation.

[ampersand]

There's been another explosion at the Nuclear power plant, raising the fears that meltdown is actually going to happen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12733393

If anyone can save the situation then I'm sure the Japanese can, but it has just taken a significant turn for the worst.

[Jaybles]

Quite a photo!!

My sympathies go to this poor girl

Edited March 14, 2011 by Jaybles

[chappiepunk]

f**k man that looks awful

[worm]

There's been another explosion at the Nuclear power plant, raising the fears that meltdown is actually going to happen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12733393

If anyone can save the situation then I'm sure the Japanese can, but it has just taken a significant turn for the worst.

[chappiepunk]

That says balls all. An explosion at a nuclear reactor is like spit on a BBQ.

[Ed209]

That says balls all. An explosion at a nuclear reactor is like spit on a BBQ.

[chappiepunk]

Cheers worm, a well informed safety assessment

Basically, on a normal day, the nuclear reactions take place inside big steel cylinders. The reactions are really, really hot. Enough to melt through steel. A nuclear meltdown is when the reacting nuclear material melts through the steel and escapes. This is normally avoided by pumping water round the reactors to keep them cool.

When the earthquake happened it f**ked the water pumping system. Meaning the cooling stopped.

Earthquakes are obviously in the little black book of problems that can happen, so they had a system whereby they would pump sea water instead, which is what they've been doing. However this latest explosion (and i have to admit, I don't know why this has happened), disrupted this emergency cooling system, meaning the reactors were without cooling for a couple of hours. They got the water going again in time apparently. But japanese news is reporting they've just had *another* explosion there in the last hour. If they can't keep those reactors cooled then they'll go into meltdown.

Where's superman when you need him

[worm]

Cheers worm, a well informed safety assessment

Edited March 15, 2011 by worm

[ampersand]

and what exactly do the bbc sell who're saying these exact same words?

[saratink]

If there's a nuclear explosion, would it damage the whole world?

[worm]

facts like radiation is leaking into the atmosphere...?

Edited March 15, 2011 by worm

[worm]

and what exactly do the bbc sell who're saying these exact same words?

[themuel]

Yeah, that one sells well too. Radiation leaks into the atmosphere when you put your microwave on. The facts relate to the significance of the radiation in the atmosphere, not to the notion that there is radiation in the atmosphere.

[worm]

The radiation in the atmosphere in the area is now very significant so I don't really know what point you are trying to make.

Edited March 15, 2011 by worm

[chappiepunk]

well there was Chernobyl, which most of us survived

and this one (for now) doesn't look like being anywhere near as big

[rabid]

well there was Chernobyl, which most of us survived

and this one (for now) doesn't look like being anywhere near as big

[RABun]

Japan also announced a 30-km no-fly zone around the reactors to prevent planes spreading the radiation further afield.

Radiation levels around Fukushima for one hour's exposure rose to eight times the legal limit for exposure in one year, said the plant's operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco).

The International Atomic Energy Agency said after Tuesday's blast that radiation dosages of up to 400 millisieverts per hour had been recorded at the site.

Exposure to over 100 millisieverts a year is a level which can lead to cancer, according to the World Nuclear Association.

[worm]

why is it bollocks?

Edited March 15, 2011 by worm