Japanese lack of trust

["Bolling, Jason E" <bollingje@ports.usec.com>]

I'm not sure that is accurate.  The processing accident was a nuclear

criticality that sent a sufficient neutron flux through those two operators

that they saw the "blue flash" inside their eyeballs.  (Cherenkov radiation

from the ocular fluid.)  The management of JCO (with buy-in from the

government) had previously stated that there was no possible way a

criticality could occur at this facility.  The safety culture was so relaxed

that the operators' dosimeters were left in another building.  Estimated

dose levels had to be obtained through measurements of how activated various

elements on/in their bodies became.  (Sodium in their blood, nickel in their

pocket change, etc.)  In my opinion, the Japanese lack of trust is based on

the absolute fact that the government and the company lied and two men died.



Their first lie was when they said it couldn't happen.  The second lie was

when JCO illegally changed their operating methods to allow over 7 batches

of 18% enriched uranium nitrate solution to be placed in the same container.

(The operation had been performed successfully when used with ~5% enriched

material.  Nobody at the plant knew enough about criticality safety to think

there would be a problem just because the enrichment had gone up.)



There were further mistakes (I won't call them lies) when the company failed

to notify the local government for 45 minutes after the accident started.

Then it was many hours before the local government announced the accident to

the people living within 150 meters of the on-going critical reaction.  Many

more hours passed before the evacuation order was given.



After 20 hours, the reaction was stopped.  Unfortunately for Hisachi Ouchi

and Masato Shinohara the agony was just beginning.  Hisachi Ouchi died

almost three months later, just four days before Christmas.  As you all

know, his death was one of the worst kinds of acute radiation poisoning the

human body can be exposed to.  (Not enough radiation to kill immediately,

just enough to lead to an agonizing death from multiple organ failure.)

Masato Shinohara was slightly further away from the initial burst and

received slightly less radiation, but he too, succumbed to complications

from the devastation the neutron flux had done to his body.  He died seven

months after the accident.



So...  Now the Japanese nuclear operators are admitting more lies.  While it

appears that the incidents that were covered up were not safety significant,

I can understand why the Japanese public is getting a little upset at the

situation.



I fear these Japanese problems do not bode well for their or our future.



Just my opinion,



Jason Bolling

Nuclear Criticality Safety

Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant





-----Original Message-----

From: Jacobus, John (OD/ORS) [mailto:jacobusj@ors.od.nih.gov]

Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 8:59 AM

To: 'M Nivas'; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

Subject: RE: Japan shuts down Nuke





It is interesting that the Japanese lack of trust is based on a processing

accident that involved enriched fuel, and not from a nuclear power reactor

accident, like TMI where there was no injuries of deaths, and off-site

exposures were minuscule.



-- John 



John Jacobus, MS

Certified Health Physicist 

3050 Traymore Lane

Bowie, MD  20715-2024



E-mail:  jenday1@email.msn.com (H)      



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