Re: the Wash. Times, the Post, and "reality"

[SAFarberMSPH@CS.COM]

Radsafe and Jim:


Nit picking the fine points of a PWR concerning the steam generators, pressurizer and reactor water level at TMI is  NOT the point of my post with the excerpt of  the Wash. Times article. It's no surprise the technical community can't communicate with the public.  While a scientist goes on at length explaining reactor design details to be completely accurate, the basic point is lost that the Time article admits:


A malfunction in a water system [at TMI] ..... 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. 

 


The US is facing a possibly act of radiation sabotage  from a dirty bomb that from a radiological viewpoint would most likely be trivial in its radiation health consequences. However, such an act would cause massive panic if the Norm's of the world have their way in scaring the pants off the public. This panic and disruption of life in America is what the terrorists threatening use of a so-called "dirty bomb" are after.


I would imagine that if a few buckets of wood ash from northern Florida [or Northern New England] with Cs-137 content of 20,000 to 25,000 pCi/kg of ash were spread across some  subway platforms in New York after setting off firecrackers, there would be public  panic and the subways of New York would be shut down for days. But the fact that several thousand tons of Cs-137 enriched woodash from a 50 MW[e] wood burning power plant in Burlington, Vermont is spread across the fields of organic food coops in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont mixed with manure to enrich the potassium content of soil each year causes no one the least bit of concern. Absurd? Yes. Organic food coops like Bread and Circus oppose "food irradiation" to prevent bacterial food contamination, but quietly spread elevated levels of fission products  on their fields from biomass burning which they consider a wonderful thing.


Criticicizing the Wash. Times on the trivial point of their mentioning the steam generators  vs. the pressurizer relief valve on the primary side only gets away from the important point which they were willing to put into print. Namely, a serious accident at a nuclear plant resulted in no offiste consequences due to radiation exposure.


Stewart Farber, MS Public Health

Consulting Scientist

email: SAFarberMSPH@cs.com


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In a message dated 5/13/02 11:29:33 AM Pacific Daylight Time, jim.dukelow@pnl.gov writes:



> 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.
>
>