(In)Sanity…

Well, the Chicken Littles are out, doing their damnest to generate fear, paranoia and O.M.G we’re ALL gonna die when the US nuke plants meltdown in the 9.0 earthquake that will happen in 30 years or less… OR, we’re all gonna die from the nuclear radiation that is RIGHT NOW being spewed into the atmosphere from the Japanese reactors at Fukushima, cause they were designed wrong… yada, yada, yada… OR, see… our sailors are being killed by nuclear radiation trying to put out the fires… etc…

Well, here are the facts.

On Monday the Navy said it was repositioning ships after tests had detected low levels of radioactivity on 17 U.S. Navy helicopter crew members that had been conducting disaster relief missions in Japan. No further contamination was detected after the crew members washed with soap and water, the Navy said.

The Navy’s Monday statement, however, provided some perspective, noting that the maximum potential radiation dose received by ship personnel when it passed through the area was “less than the radiation exposure received from about one month of exposure to natural background radiation from sources such as rocks, soil, and the sun.”

And a few more facts…

The reactors were designed to withstand an 8.0-8.5 earthquake (which they did), what got them was the Tsunami, because they were already shutting the reactors down before the Tsunami took out the backup power.

A reactor is NOT a nuclear bomb, much less a ‘dirty’ bomb, and no it’s not worse than Chernobyl. And they DO know why the explosions are occuring; it is Hydrogen out gassing as a by product of the cooling of the rods in the reactor, and that is what is exploding since they have lost most of their power and can’t bleed the Hydrogen off normally.

And the released radiation is Caesium 137 at 0.4898 mSv/hour as of this afternoon. As of 15 March 2011, release totals were 30 mSv/h between the No. 2 and the No. 3 units, 400 mSv/h near No. 3 and 100 mSv/h near No. 4. The Health Minister indicated that “There is no doubt that unlike in the past, the figures are the level at which human health can be affected.”

Note: Radiation sickness typically occurs at about 1000 millisieverts total dose. Normal background radiation varies from place to place but is around 2.4 millisievert per year (or about 0.3 ยตSv/h).
Now granted LARGE amounts of CS-137 can affect you per the CDC, Small amounts of Cs-137 are present in the environment from weapons testing in the 1950s and 1960s, so people are exposed to some Cs-137 every day. However, Cs-137 is dangerous in the large, concentrated amounts found in radiation therapy units and industrial gauges.
If the Navy doesn’t consider it a risk at a range of less than 200nm, WHY are their runs on medications in Hawaii, Washington State, Oregon, and California???
Fear mongers plain and simple…

The REAL tragedy, which is being pretty well glossed over in this is the huge loss of life (probably will reach a total of about 100,000 people) and destruction to the Japanese infrastructure in Northern Honshu (which is only one of the Japanese Islands). Where are the Dems, Left Wingers and others screaming for aid to be provided like they were for Haiti???

Anyone???

Buelher???

/crickets/

I think it is because the Japanese are a successful culture, a major trading and military partner of the USA, and because they have used nuclear power for over 40 years (Now if ANY country should be paranoid, it should be Japan, but no- They learned, and provide over 1/3 of their total power with nuke plants and have for YEARS). Also, I think it is because they are not acting pitiful on TV, and are not playing to the international media; but are going about the business of rescuing people, helping others, picking up their lives, and OBTW, NOT looting…

Just like New Zealand, this doesn’t play well in the MSM, so they sensationalize it to the maximum they can.

Also the MSM is not happy they are not free to go anywhere they want, and actually have to get “approval” and carry enough food/water/gas to get to from the locations they are approved to go to.

Bottom line- This is truly a huge personal disaster for the Japanese people, and they will take years to recover, and they DO need our thoughts and prayers, and yes our help; but this is NOT a TEOTWAWKI nuclear disaster the MSM and the left wing loonies and Democrats here are pushing…

Do your own research, don’t fall for/believe much of what you are hearing on the MSM, and take what you do hear with a grain of salt…

Comments

(In)Sanity… — 21 Comments

  1. Yeah, it’s VERY annoying to see all the lamestream media screaming “zOMG!!! The country’s going to MELT DOWN!!!!” every time you turn around.
    These idiots wouldn’t know a reactor from diddly.

  2. Excellent post and it’s all true. I expect the hysteria to infect the entire US in a matter of hours.

  3. I have to admit, my image of a nuclear accident is more Chernobyl than Three Mile Island. I know intellectually that this event is localized, and the design and maintenance of Fukoshima is much better than Chernobyl. But it’s difficult to not react emotionally.

    And this is exactly what the MSM is preying on. What they’re banking on is that the majority of their audience won’t know how different the situations are, or won’t be able to control their emotions. The MSM plays them like a fiddle.

  4. I thought that building a power plant of any sort near water is a BAD idea. Electricity + Water never turns out to be a good thing, right?

    You brought up a very good point also concerning the lack of wanting to help like during the Haiti crisis. I wonder if there will be a televised fund raiser for the Japanese?

  5. First thing, being a former-NBC guy in the Army(what they not call CBNR), will the committee that names how we gauge the dosage of radiotion pick a scale. THe last last form was grays, which was formely rads,but is now millisievert.

    Just saying is all.

    As to the dangers here in the US, there is little. And the media and others are making little of nothing.

  6. If the Navy doesn’t consider it a risk at a range of less than 200nm…

    One thing to consider is that the people making the decision about the level of acceptable risk are unlikely to have to run that risk themselves. Other than that, I think you’re accurate and fairly representing both sides.

    I haven’t heard anyone explain just why the reactors weren’t shut down immediately after the earthquake. Certainly commercial media isn’t going to touch that question.

    I watched some bubble-headed bleached blond from CNN try to interview a representative from the NRC who turned out to be an inspector instead of a talking head. The man was completely unaffected by Carol’s emotion and the stupidity of her questions.

  7. Hi OldNFO, I’ve been reading your blog for a few months, it’s a good one so please keep going.

    I also hate the MM’s way of making everything out like it’s the end of the world, but I have to ask what point you are making with 1000mSv compared to 400mSv/hr argument? If you are attempting to imply that this is a safe level of radiation I believe you are incorrect.

    Damage to health from radiation damaged cells, which could cause long term illness, happens at lower doses than radiation sickness. I.E. You don’t have to get radiation sickness to have your health affected by radiation. Radiation sickness is when enough of your cells are so damaged that you can’t function properly in the short term.

    Thanks for the blog,

    Dave

  8. So, it is now 2 days after your post, and new information has come out.

    I am far from an expert in many things, with that said, there are a few questions that I have.

    To me I am seeing 3 things missing.

    1) I can’t help but to wonder why they have not helicoptered in generator(s)

    2) I would have thought that between Russia, Japan and the US there would be radiation hardened UMV’s to position the water hoses.

    3) And it may be there, the media is just not reporting it, but I am not seeing the same selfless save my country actions that we saw at Chernobyl. It seems to me, that if the radiation being emitted from the plant is bad enough that air craft can make a quick pass near the plant, things are bad.

    I fully support nuclear power, but just as we have moved on from Ford Pinto’s, we need to move on from (esp. early gen III reactors), and probably sooner as apposed to later.

    It is my understanding, if these where Gen IV or CANDU reactors, the only thing going on right now would be making sure the ponds stayed full of water.

    Sorry I digress.

    The one piece of the puzzle that has not been confirmed or denied is the potential meekness for Gen III BWR, the primary containment and coolant pipes supposedly can become brittle from radiation and heat/cool cycles. So yeah, the plant was design to handle a 8.0 40 years ago, but would the metal be able to handle an 8.0 now?

    And if the answer is no, then all the power/pumps in the world would not help.

    The sole mission is to keep the rods in the reactors and pools wet, let them cool naturally.

    The bet is, all the deficiencies will not matter if they can get everything cooled down and keep the rod casings from per longed exposure to the air.

    How much are the actions of the crews still being controlled by the administration of TEPCO?? If so, are they running the numbers (speaking of the Ford Pinto) instead of doing everything possible to stabilize the situation??

  9. Mad Jack- the 3 star making that decision is on the ground there, and his family is in Yokosuka.

    Scotch- The point I was trying to make (and didn’t do real well) is that the total radiation dose required for radiation sickness vs. the actual doses being seen are significantly different, and the odds of a significant level of radiation even getting to the US from the Japanese plants are very slim.

  10. well said!!!!!!!!

    Our news coverage isn’t quite TEOTWAWKI, thankfully … but that still hasn’t stopped the moonbats.

  11. OldNFO: Thanks for clarifying that, it’s a very valid point. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Dave

  12. Education is a good thing, and maybe I’m wrong and need educating, but-
    As I see it, the problem isn’t the reactors melting down…
    Never has been.
    The problem is the waste, which we STILL have no idea how to safely store for the time it is dangerous to human life.

    Recorded human history is what…
    75,000 or so years?
    Older civilizations have had a lifespan of something like 2000 years.

    The half-life of Uranium 235, which I think is what makes up the fuel rods for the Japanese reactors, is over 700 MILLION years.
    So if those spent-fuel pools heat up and catch fire, that radiation will be released to the atmosphere and the problem of how to approach them to safely control them becomes significant/potentially fatal (like Chernobyl).

    We’re told nuclear power is safe and cheap. Considering the length of time this waste will have to be safeguarded and kept cool, I have to ask…
    Cheap, compared to what?

  13. If we hadn’t signed that stupid agreement with the Russkies, we’d be recycling our spent uranium, instead of looking for someplace to hide it.
    Other countries recycle.
    For an interesting look at alternative radiation info:
    http://www.anncoulter.com/
    A GLOWING REPORT ON RADIATION

  14. Julie- Good point, y’all are a bit less biased than American media…

    Scotch- no problem…

    Greybeard- you are correct, as Ed B’s comment points out…

    Ed- Thanks and you’re right!

  15. You mean I spent all afternoon building a tinfoil doghouse for Barkley for nothing? ๐Ÿ™‚

    Having my big bro on a nuclear sub taught me a lot, enough to just laugh at the news reports.

  16. Watching the coverage and seeing the “typically stoic Japanese” plugging at taking care of business while the media goes berserk is a sight to behold. Even old Geraldo has been a bit out of it lately!

  17. Brigid- You know the ‘drill’ and Barkely would probably tear the dog house up just for fun ๐Ÿ™‚

    ORPO- Yep, it’s ‘fun’ to watch… both he and Anderson Cooper don’t know what to do.