[ RadSafe ] Quest for the good report about Japan crisis.

Tue Mar 15 08:54:54 CDT 2011

NEI info copied here:

http://www.nei.org/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/

UPDATE AS OF 9:15 A.M. EDT, TUESDAY, MARCH 15:
Fukushima Daiichi
Units 1 and 3 at Fukushima Daiichi are stable and cooling is being maintained through seawater injection. Primary containment integrity has been maintained on both reactors.

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)reported an explosion in the suppression pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2, at 7:14 p.m. EDT on March 14. Reactor water level was reported to be at 2.7 meters below the top of the fuel. The pressure in the suppression pool decreased from 3 atmospheres to 1 atmosphere. Radiation readings at the site increased to 96 millirem per hour. 

Dose rates at Fukushima Daiichi as reported at 10:22 p.m. EDT on March 14 were:

Near Unit 3 reactor building 40 rem/hr
Near Unit 4 reactor building 10 rem/hr
At site boundary 821 millirem/hr.
Kitaibaraki (200 km south of site) 0.4 millirem/hr.

We are working on getting updated information on radiation and dose rates at and near the plant. 

Station personnel not directly supporting reactor recovery efforts have been evacuated, leaving approximately 50 staff members at the site. Operators are no longer in the main control room due to high radiation levels.

Safety relief valves were able to be re-opened and seawater injection into the reactor core was restarted around 1 a.m. EDT on March 15 and is continuing. 

At Unit 4 on March 14 at approximately 8:38 p.m. EDT, a fire was reported in the reactor building. It is believed to have been from a lube oil leak in a system that drives recirculation water pumps. Fire fighting efforts extinguished the fire. The roof of the reactor building was damaged.

Fukushima Daini
All four reactors at Fukushima Daini are being maintained with normal cooling using residual heat removal systems.

Jeff Terry
Asst. Professor of Physics
Life Science Bldg Rm 166
Illinois Institute of Technology
3101 S. Dearborn St. 
Chicago IL 60616
630-252-9708
terryj at iit.edu

On Mar 15, 2011, at 8:49 AM, Dustin G. Miller wrote:

> Check out this link to NEI for dose rates at distances that can be fairly well approximated.
> 
> http://www.nei.org/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/ 
> 
> Dustin G. Miller
> RSO/Health Physicist
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Jeff Terry
> Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 9:32 AM
> To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Quest for the good report about Japan crisis.
> 
> I wish that we had dose rates at a known distance from the reactors. 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Mar 15, 2011, at 8:26 AM, "Jean-Francois, Stephane" <stephane_jeanfrancois at merck.com> wrote:
> 
>> I think we are debating in vain and we all know it. You will never have a balanced report on a crisis as a balanced report is a subjective beast. For radsafers here, a balance report would evacuate emotions and stick to the facts with their frame of reference or even better, the actual situtaion is not that bad, considering the trigger etc, etc. Almost no HP is impressed by a nuclear power plant or nuclear power. But can we say the same about Joe and Jane Public even before this inceident ?  They are being fed with all kind of imagery, like this one in a local Montreal news paper http://www.montrealmirror.com/wp/2011/03/10/table-of-contents-march-10-2011-%e2%80%93-march-16-2011-vol-26-no-38/) reagding the vapor generator that are supposed to go from Canada to Sweeden by boat. Much ado about nothing would you say ?  Not for Joe and Jane Public.
>> 
>> You know that it is very difficult to persuade a person that is scared of something she of he don't understand or care to understand. As RSOs we know that a very difficult challenge is to explain to a pregnant woman the risks of working with radioisotopes or X-rays, even if she don't have a remote chance to exceed 1 mSv as a CEDE!!! Emotions is human and even on this list, I have seen my share of emotion from professionnals.
>> 
>> I think the trick to ensure that we don't fall only to our emotions is to put things into perspective.
>> 
>> - An earthquake that hits 9 on the Richter's scale AND a major Tsunami is a serious test of a nuclear power plant. 
>> - In 2 minutes, 10 000 persons of a village of 17 000 are now reported missing, presumed death. 
>> - Tokyo is still using nuclear electricity as we speak.
>> - We see ''live on TV'' a nuclear power plant exploding.
>> - Social networks and email are reporting anything, from anecdotal opinions to valuable scientific data.
>> 
>> It is not the time to debate about the good report or to minimize the events, our job is to explain calmly the difference between contamination and exposure (internal and external risk), the emergency procedures of a nuclear power plant, the difference between Tchernobyl and the current event and the effect of doses in layperson terms.
>> 
>> All the rest is vain, I am sorry to say.
>> 
>> 
>> _____________________________________________________________________________ 
>> Stéphane Jean-François, Eng., M. Env., CHP. | Manager, Environment and Health Physics 
>> Safety and Environment | Global Compliance
>> Merck  Canada Inc. | 16711 TransCanada Hwy. | Kirkland, QC, Canada H9H 3L1 
>> Office: #4-2-448 | P: 514-428-8695 | f:  514-428-8670 | 
>> stephane_jeanfrancois at merck.com 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Message d'origine-----
>> De : radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] De la part de ReuvenGmail
>> Envoyé : 15 mars 2011 02:32
>> À : radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu
>> Objet : Re: [ RadSafe ] RadSafe Digest, Vol 569, Issue 1
>> 
>> What kind of credential would satisfy you, Roger?
>> Why wouldn't you provide ABC, and us too, with your approved list of 
>> experts?
>> 
>> What expertise is required to confidently state that a colosal disaster 
>> fefell us all (not a "Issue" as many here are used to use...).
>> 
>> Reuven
>> 
>> =================================================================
>> 
>> Message: 7
>> Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:48:52 -0700
>> From: "Roger Helbig" <rhelbig at sfo.com>
>> Subject: [ RadSafe ] Tell ABC News to get some real experts
>> To: "'The International Radiation Protection \(Health Physics\)
>> Mailing List'" <radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>
>> Cc: ire-l <ire-l at lists.missouri.edu>
>> Message-ID: <sig.7055c63ada.019c01cbe2aa$c24e7330$46eb5990$@com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>> 
>> ABC News again had Joseph Cirincione President of the Ploughshares Fund as
>> their expert of choice on tonight's news - suggest you all write your local
>> ABC news station and get the network to get a genuine expert instead of an
>> activist with no scientific credentials
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Roger
>> 
>> 
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