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RE: the Times, the Post, and "reality"
FYI: The NY Times published an annoying article about nuclear utility
safety. See "Atomic Plant Casts a Pall on Paradise" May 13. Not much on
fact, plenty on emotion.
Hal Wood
SONGS Nuclear Oversight
"Dukelow, James S Jr"
<jim.dukelow@PNL.GOV> To: "'SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM'" <SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM>,
Sent by: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
owner-radsafe@list.van cc:
derbilt.edu Subject: RE: the Times, the Post, and "reality"
05/13/02 11:27 AM
Please respond to
"Dukelow, James S Jr"
Stewart Farber wrote:
-----Original Message-----
From: SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM [mailto:SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM]
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2002 10:43 AM
To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: Nuclear Terrorism - U.S. weighs July 4 threat
Radsafe:
The "news" article posted to Radsafe by Norman Cohen earlier today about
possible radiation related terrorism contained a lot of speculation but
only a few facts. Among the facts was the following excerpt. It's obvious
this article was published by the Washington Times and not the Washington
Post which would never admit to the following reality about the TMI
accident.
Stewart Farber
Consulting Public Health Scientist
email: SAFarberMSPH@cs.com
=====http://www.washtimes.com/national/20020513-8388828.htm
=========================================================
U.S. weighs July 4 threat
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
The TMI facility was the site of a serious nuclear accident in 1979. A
malfunction in a water system used for steam generators caused a meltdown
within a reactor core, setting off the release of radioactive gas. However,
despite a national frenzy of fear and speculation, there were no injuries
due
to radiation exposure.
========================================================
Jim Dukelow responds:
Well, the steam generators in the TMI plants transfer heat from the primary
to the secondary cooling system, generating steam on the secondary side,
which then goes to the steam turbines to power the generators that produce
the electricity.
Perhaps the reason the Washington Post would never say what the Times did
is that the Times was wrong and the Post has higher standards.
The fault in the TMI accident was in a pressurizer relief valve that failed
to reclose when it should have. The plant's steam generators were not
directly involved.
The Times' confusion is perhaps understandable, since the pressurizer
contains heating elements, which are used to augment the steam bubble at
the top of the pressurizer when the pressure in the primary system drops
below its set point.
On the other hand, it is pretty clear the Times' writer didn't know what he
was writing about, which is hardly good journalism.
Best regards.
Jim Dukelow
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Richland, WA
jim.dukelow@pnl.gov
These comments are mine and have not been reviewed and/or approved by my
management or by the U.S. Department of Energy.