# Nuclear meltdown! Holy Godzilla NOOOO!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 12, 2011, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389 "2011-03-12T08:19:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/121 "2011-03-12T21:07:41Z")
> [@](#): > > However, Stratfor, a company that provides global intelligence, said its nuclear science and engineering sources found statements the Unit 1 reactor container had not been breached “highly dubious. Reports of iodine and cesium outside the plant indicate the reactor’s containment structure has been breached,” it said There is a huge difference between a catastrophic breach that lets everything out, and simply venting excess pressure and letting a little bit of crap out so as to prevent a catastrophic breach. Venting is bad, but let’s not confuse it with a catastrophic breach. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/122 "2011-03-12T21:18:33Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > And acting like everybody else was an ignorant moron who can’t tell apart a fusion bomb, a nuclear plant, the sun, and radioactive decay in granite) I’m still not certain levdrakon does know the difference. (And Fat Man and Little Boy were fission bombs, FWIW) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/123 "2011-03-12T21:22:46Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > That’s a different issue. It’s not just that though. Beyond long term environmental damage, coal mining is itself dangerous and kills a lot of people each year. In the United States, from 2000-2009, 311 miners died in mine accidents. In China, from 2000-2009, 45,606 miners died in mine accidents. And that doesn’t count deaths later in life from black lung or other ailments. The most nuclear accident was Chernobyl, and about 50 people died from that, about the same amount of people who died in the US in 2006 from coal mining. Meanwhile, both mining and burning coal itself releases radiation in the form of radioactive radon, and by burning coal we’re exposed to more radiation than from nuclear power. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/124 "2011-03-12T21:30:43Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > And killing each year a large number of people, as a matter of fact. But saving a few more. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/125 "2011-03-12T21:33:14Z")
Miners die mostly because mine owners can make more profits by gutting worker safety,. They also can make out by paying fines rather than fixing the problems. Mining could be a lot safer. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/126 "2011-03-12T21:40:43Z")
Mining could be a lot safer if they didn’t need to do it. On the plus side, mining companies would no longer be making those evil profits and workers would no longer have to worry about getting injured or sick. On the negative side, governments would no longer be able to collect fines (rather than putting effective legislation and monitoring in place), and workers would starve because they have no jobs. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/127 "2011-03-12T21:46:23Z")
20 minutes ago > [@](#): > > A quake-hit Japanese nuclear plant reeling from an explosion at one of its reactors has also lost its emergency cooling system at another reactor, Japan’s nuclear power safety agency said on Sunday. > > The emergency cooling system is no longer functioning at the No.3 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility, requiring the facility to urgently secure a means to supply water to the reactor, an official of the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told a news conference. [http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-japan-quake-nuclear-cooling-idUSTRE72B3GI20110312](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-japan-quake-nuclear-cooling-idUSTRE72B3GI20110312) At some point I am going to start to be concerned. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/128 "2011-03-12T21:47:13Z")
What are they doing with the waste seawater they’re using to cool the core? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/129 "2011-03-12T21:47:20Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > Mining could be a lot safer if they didn’t need to do it. > On the plus side, mining companies would no longer be making those evil profits and workers would no longer have to worry about getting injured or sick. On the negative side, governments would no longer be able to collect fines (rather than putting effective legislation and monitoring in place), and workers would starve because they have no jobs. Interesting black and white world you live in. Safety means unemployment. Therefore you should be glad to risk your life at work. It does not cost that much to make a workplace safer. Many mines do it. Some try to cut every single dime they can because they are greedy and don’t care about their workers. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/130 "2011-03-12T21:54:37Z")
No, what I mean is that government has a role in ensuring that there is legislation in place and that it is being followed. eg, Hiring one ‘policeman’ to monitor 100 mining companies is stupid. It essentially says do what you want because we don’t care enough to ensure you are doing what we ask. People do what they are measured or rewarded on. A single company that spends all its profits on ensuring safety will quickly go out of business if every other company ignores safety. It is governments role to ensure everyone is following the same rules and only then can there be true competition between players who can fairly decide if the cost of playing in that market is worth the expense. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/131 "2011-03-12T21:59:41Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > What are they doing with the waste seawater they’re using to cool the core? Bottle it and export it as a High Energy Drink. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/132 "2011-03-12T22:04:58Z")
The reactor core is perfectly safe. There will be no release and nobody will be harmed. They are not worried at all but just went through the trouble of evacuating a 13 mile radius for fun. They randomly checked 3 of the patients brought in to hospitals in the area. They found elevated radiation levels. That too indicates absolutely nothing. All is well. there is nothing to see here. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/133 "2011-03-12T22:10:53Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Bottle it and export it as a High Energy Drink. It’s got electrolytes! ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/134 "2011-03-12T22:17:06Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > They found elevated radiation levels. They found the state of Kerala in India to have elevated radiation levels, too! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/135 "2011-03-12T22:17:59Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > It’s got electrolytes! It’s what plants _crave_. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/136 "2011-03-12T22:18:32Z")
Well you know, after a horrific natural disaster, you just evacuate 130,000 people just to “be safe”. No no, don’t use those resources to feed and house people with no homes, use them to move an entire community, even though there is no danger. And whatever you do, don’t measure the radiation levels or test everyone exposed. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/137 "2011-03-12T22:23:00Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > The reactor core is perfectly safe. There will be no release and nobody will be harmed. They are not worried at all but just went through the trouble of evacuating a 13 mile radius for fun. They randomly checked 3 of the patients brought in to hospitals in the area. They found elevated radiation levels. That too indicates absolutely nothing. > All is well. there is nothing to see here. **gonzo** , had you read the actual comments instead of the cartoon versions you’ve constructed in your head, you’d know that the reactor core is not “safe”; the reactor core is _fucked_, and will never be used for power generation ever again. What is not yet fucked, and has definitely maintained its integrity through the most dangerous and critical parts of this catastrophe, is the heavy steel containment vessel that’s keeping the \*fucked \*reactor core from leaking out into the Japanese country and seasides. “Elevated” radiation levels says nothing about scale. The radiation levels outside your local dentist’s office could be elevated depending on how and when she uses her xray equipment. In the case of your dentist, it’s not a problem. In this case, it _is_ a problem and despite your warped reading of comments here, no one is denying that, least of all Japanese authorities. It’s just not a problem at anywhere the same scale as many other ongoing catastrophes in Japan that have resulted from the earthquake and tsunami. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/138 "2011-03-12T22:24:55Z")
Up to [160 may have radiation](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-japan-quake-radiation-idUSTRE72B3IY20110312) exposure in Japan nuclear accident. From the article, > [@](#): > > Hiroshi Nakamura, an official from the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told a news conference today: “Duh. You ever heard of the sun? It’s got radiation too. Life wouldn’t be possible without it! Quit worrying!” ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/139 "2011-03-12T22:27:23Z")
xeno, methinks you’ve been wooshed by gonzo. ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389/140 "2011-03-12T22:30:22Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > xeno, methinks you’ve been wooshed by gonzo. Ah well. Won’t be the last time, I’m sure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-meltdown-holy-godzilla-noooo/574389.md?page=8)