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

Tue Mar 15 11:03:51 CDT 2011

Does anyone know why they are so slow in filling up the reactor with water?
What is the catch?

D.Okkalides
THEAGENEION Anticancer Hospital
Thessaloniki
Greece

----- 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: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 3:54 PM
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Quest for the good report about Japan crisis.

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
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list
>>
>> Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood 
>> the RadSafe rules. These can be found at: 
>> http://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html
>>
>> For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings 
>> visit: http://health.phys.iit.edu
>> Notice:  This e-mail message, together with any attachments, contains
>> information of Merck & Co., Inc. (One Merck Drive, Whitehouse Station,
>> New Jersey, USA 08889), and/or its affiliates Direct contact information
>> for affiliates is available at
>> http://www.merck.com/contact/contacts.html) that may be confidential,
>> proprietary copyrighted and/or legally privileged. It is intended solely
>> for the use of the individual or entity named on this message. If you are
>> not the intended recipient, and have received this message in error,
>> please notify us immediately by reply e-mail and then delete it from
>> your system.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list
>>
>> Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood 
>> the RadSafe rules. These can be found at: 
>> http://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html
>>
>> For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings 
>> visit: http://health.phys.iit.edu
> _______________________________________________
> You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list
>
> Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood 
> the RadSafe rules. These can be found at: 
> http://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html
>
> For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings 
> visit: http://health.phys.iit.edu
>
> _______________________________________________
> You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list
>
> Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood 
> the RadSafe rules. These can be found at: 
> http://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html
>
> For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings 
> visit: http://health.phys.iit.edu

_______________________________________________
You are currently subscribed to the RadSafe mailing list

Before posting a message to RadSafe be sure to have read and understood the 
RadSafe rules. These can be found at: 
http://health.phys.iit.edu/radsaferules.html

For information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe and other settings visit: 
http://health.phys.iit.edu