[ RadSafe ] RadSafe Digest, Vol 919, Issue 1

[Thompson, Dewey L]

Terry

Well.  I agree with proviso.  I certainly have no problem with the concept of "Tsunami = Bad Juju", particularly for nuclear power plants.  

On the other hand, I suspect most of us had no clue that many of the supporting systems at the Fukushima installation were not constructed to be within a watertight area, nor that the nuclear regulatory function acted as it did.  

We in Radsafe (well, anyone working within the industry as well) certainly have a responsibility to identify safety issues that we perceive, and we have the responsibility to ensure the decision makers have the necessary facts and understanding necessary to make informed decisions.  

I wonder if ANYONE on Radsafe could have understood the particular risk issues at Fukushima prior to the accident.  

I wonder if there were any people within the Japanese organizations that had perceived these risks and communicated them to their higher ups?  If so, were the voices heard?  

THAT may well be the most telling lesson of Fukushima.

Dewey

PS.  Clayton.  Methinks your examples point more to the risks of regulators being too cozy than to the "western perception of regulatory theory".  

Dewey

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : 
DEWEY THOMPSON 
Staff HP
Radiation Protection Department
T 314.225.1061
F 573.676.4484
E DThompson3 at ameren.com


-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu [mailto:radsafe-bounces at health.phys.iit.edu] On Behalf Of Jeff Terry
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 1:04 PM
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] RadSafe Digest, Vol 919, Issue 1

I complete agree that the Fukushima incident was foreseeable. However, RadSafe missed the boat on that one, too. Searching the archives one year ago brought up posts on tsunamis going back as far as 2001. In fact, many were dismissive of the threat. 

One can search the archives and find numerous discussions on tsunamis, planes crashing into reactors, waste train crashes, terrorists, etc. How often do we look at these and offer recommendations. How often do we check on what ideas were proposed and see if any were implemented. 

Is it our responsibility to do this? I think that a lesson learned from Fukushima is that we are responsible for bringing these concerns forward and making sure that if credible that they are dealt with. 

Jeff

Jeff Terry
Assoc. 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


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