[ RadSafe ] Japanese Reactors

[neilkeeney at aol.com]

Hey Jeff and Radsafers:

I would hesitate to assign any level of validity to third party data delivered via CNN unless it is the person translating for the Utility spokesman, the Incident Commander or a facsimile of the radiological data from the HpGe analysis documenting the time, place, form and event of the sample specimen.

Any hyperbole we originate here is likely to be established as indicative of the opinions of the "Scientific Community".  

For example, if any of you have participated in a refueling shutdown for a US Light Water Reactor that had experienced a pin-hole leak over the course of the previous operating cycle, you understand that the halogen series will likely be present upon breach of any primary system.

While this may be loosely considered to be 'fuel damage', you and and I understand this to be a nuisance level problem relating to fuel warranties, problems with TEDE ALARA for the workforce and so forth.  It's an occupational problem that you simply have to work through as a practical matter.  The Public doesn't get beyond the phrase 'fuel failure' in their considerations and, of course, the media are free (it's actually a part of their license) to hype these things into full blown reality-show dramatizations...

In this instance, it's possible a RV lifted or a safety lifted somewhere that yielded this as part of the isotopic mix. 

Prof. Lester may indeed be literally correct in asserting the presence of I-131 and, actually, I just don't watch the news that much, however, I would need the specific data on activity level and the origin of the sample specimen as well as confirmatory indicators prior to adjudicating the potential of core damage.

Besides... I'm currently in an old RV and don't have a bomb shelter... 

I feel great empathy for them for my fellow nuclear workers in Japan and I'm rooting for them as I'm sure you all are; let's help them as we can. 

Best Regards,

Neil Keeney
RRPT

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Terry <terryj at iit.edu>
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
Sent: Fri, Mar 11, 2011 9:05 pm
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Japanese Reactors


Hi All, 
I climbed out of the bomb shelter to check out CNN.
Prof. Richard Lester of MIT just reported on CNN that I-131 has been detected at 
ne of the Fukushima sites. 
 cannot find another report confirming this.  Has anyone else seen this 
eported?
This would indicate fuel failure.