# Rantings about stupid nuclear reporting, and I want to bitchslap somebody, also other crap **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077 "2011-03-26T19:11:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/281 "2011-03-29T03:43:56Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Your small potatoes will be radioactive. All potatoes are radioactive. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/282 "2011-03-29T03:51:06Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > All potatoes are radioactive. But not all radioactivity comes from potatoes. ---
**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 29, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/283 "2011-03-29T03:55:14Z")
> [@matt](#): > > I have seen what was reported in your link to IB Times. Ah, I probably didn’t link to the information on chlorine-38 and iodine-134. But hell, somebody would just say it was trolling or something, so I sort of don’t give a shit. Besides, nothing we say is going to change a fucking thing there. I’m still hoping for somebody to pull a rabbit out of a hat and the whole thing is over. ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/284 "2011-03-29T04:03:12Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I’m about 95% sure at this point that the OP is just having some fun trolling all of us with this stuff. He’s making bullshit up faster than people can even respond to it. I’m not sure he’s trolling, yet. I think he’s possibly young and probably quite smart: maybe a little too used to being the smartest person in the room most of the time. He has good knowledge in some areas and glaring holes in others, and is very good at making unwarranted leaps of logic. For example, his IB Times link says they found silver 108 in the turbine hall water. Silver 108 is a very low-yield fission product with a listed half-life of only 2.4 minutes, so it’s a kind-of justified leap to claim that there’s a fissioning reactor leaking somewhere. However, there’s two problems with this. Firstly, the chances of a fissioning reactor being undetected are rather small. Fissioning reactors release a LOT of heat, way more than the decay heat they’ve been struggling to deal with for the past couple of weeks. **FX** would probably wave this away by claiming the Japanese authorities know about it but are covering it up. Secondly, silver 108 has a longer lived nuclear isomer, silver 108m, with a half life of around 130 YEARS, and this is also produced as a fission product and decays to silver 108. So the short-lived silver 108 is continuously being generated by the slow decay of silver 108m, and is absolutely not evidence of an ongoing fission reaction. There are a few other errors in the IB Times article: Cobalt 76 does not seem to actually exist and technetium 99 has a half life of over 200,000 years, not hours as claimed (but it’s isomer, Tc 99m does have a half life of 6 hours. It’s almost as if the writer picked the shorter-lived isomers deliberately for some reason…) Cites: silver 108 isotopes: [Chemical Elements.com - Silver (Ag)](http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/ag.html) Silver 108 and silver 108m being produced in reactors: [http://www.springerlink.com/content/t6w7386325765n34/](http://www.springerlink.com/content/t6w7386325765n34/) And just for interest, silver 108m left over in seawater from the Bikini atoll bomb tests: [Silver-108m in Biota and Sediments at Bikini and Eniwetok Atolls | Nature](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v230/n5294/abs/230450a0.html) ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/285 "2011-03-29T04:05:27Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > But not all radioactivity comes from potatoes. Unless all you live around is potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/286 "2011-03-29T04:07:04Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > Ah, I probably didn’t link to the information on chlorine-38 and iodine-134. But hell, somebody would just say it was trolling or something, so I sort of don’t give a shit. Besides, nothing we say is going to change a fucking thing there. > > I’m still hoping for somebody to pull a rabbit out of a hat and the whole thing is over. Nobody is going to say posting a link to information is trolling. They _may_ dispute the information. Or they may learn something. That is normal here. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/287 "2011-03-29T04:09:19Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Free translation: “My shit is getting wrecked HARDCORE in this debate.” Speaking of hard core, there is evidence that the radioactivity is evidence of a core breech. It is not spent fuel rods. It is much worse. ---
**Author:** ![matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/288 "2011-03-29T04:25:28Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Speaking of hard core, there is evidence that the radioactivity is evidence of a core breech. It is not spent fuel rods. It is much worse. If you’re talking about short-lived isotopes in the turbine hall water, read up a couple of posts above. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/289 "2011-03-29T04:59:54Z")
Actually, I think he’s mixing up a real event with a star trek episode. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/290 "2011-03-29T05:03:28Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Speaking of hard core, there is evidence that the radioactivity is evidence of a core breech. It is not spent fuel rods. It is much worse. No one is questioning a partial meltdown has occurred. What we ARE saying is that’s not an especially big deal, if we’re trying to discuss the actual radioactive release that’s happening. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/291 "2011-03-29T05:09:25Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > No one is questioning a partial meltdown has occurred. What we ARE saying is that’s not an especially big deal, if we’re trying to discuss the actual radioactive release that’s happening. Right cesium and plutonium are like mothers milk. It is a very big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/292 "2011-03-29T05:19:08Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Right cesium and plutonium are like mothers milk. > It is a very big deal. I will repeat what I said upthread: If your post doesn’t include hard data, preferably measured in Sieverts and/or Becquerels, then you are not contributing. Do any of you have ANY cites contradicting the IAEA reports of radiation levels and current threat? I would curl up in bed with a subcritical lump of plutonium, wrapped in aluminum foil, for a goddamn year. Plutonium’s danger level is HIGHLY dependent on form, quantity, and exposure method. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/293 "2011-03-29T05:50:54Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > No one is questioning a partial meltdown has occurred. What we ARE saying is that’s not an especially big deal, if we’re trying to discuss the actual radioactive release that’s happening. A meltdown that has occurred is a big deal, partial or otherwise. Just ask the shareholders or people evacuated. A meltdown that has not occurred is just a hypothetical risk. The difference is the entirety of the problem. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/294 "2011-03-29T12:54:49Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Unless all you live around is potatoes. In Socialist Japan potatoes nuke you! ---
**Author:** ![Nadir](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nadir/32/7302_2.png) [@Nadir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nadir)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/295 "2011-03-29T12:59:34Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > A meltdown that has occurred is a big deal, partial or otherwise. How the “big deal” is presently characterized in the media and in threads like this all over the Internet today and the ultimate consequences directly related to the Daii Chi plants by the time this is all over with are two very different things. Believe it or not. 🆒 It’s not even leading the news today. I just depends on whether you are an informed realist, or an anti-nuke alarmist, stoking fear of the unknown. ---
**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 29, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/296 "2011-03-29T14:07:01Z")
> [@matt](#): > > Nobody is going to say posting a link to information is trolling. They _may_ dispute the information. Or they may learn something. That is normal here. Well, they couldn’t ‘say’ it here, but they could certainly write it. It seems you can write almost anything (carefully staying in bounds of the rules of course). ---
**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 29, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/297 "2011-03-29T14:14:27Z")
> [@](#): > > “As the result of finding plutonium and finding a high density of radiated water, it’s clear that the fuel has melted,” said government spokesman Yukio Edano said. That’s been clear to some people for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/298 "2011-03-29T14:23:42Z")
I have radioactive isotopes in my drinking water [RIGHT NOW!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotope_geochemistry) Aaaghhhhh! Why isn’t the press reporting on this? Coverup? ---
**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 29, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/299 "2011-03-29T14:32:30Z")
> [@](#): > > ``` > Reactor 1: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas explosion. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor > > ``` > > · Reactor 2: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas blast; containment damage suspected. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor and adjoining tunnel > > · Reactor 3: Damage to the core from cooling problems. Building holed by gas blast; containment damage possible. Spent fuel pond partly refilled with water after running low. Highly radioactive water detected in reactor > > · Reactor 4: Reactor shut down prior to quake. Fires and explosion in spent fuel pond; water level partly restored [http://www.pennenergy.com/index/power/display/7799751658/articles/pennenergy/power/nuclear/2011/march/Japan.html](http://www.pennenergy.com/index/power/display/7799751658/articles/pennenergy/power/nuclear/2011/march/Japan.html) I don’t blame the official reports from being careful and sticking to what they know. But it is exactly that, the not knowing that gets my fuel rods overheated. If the same disaster occurred in the US, would the level of idiocy be the same? Is this some Japanese clusterfuck mentality? Or is it worldwide? There is no way to really tell at the moment. Is it that nobody has any equipment? Or that the Japanese have refused any help? What is the real deal? At first, I was almost sure that they (the officials, the people who are in charge, whoever that actually might be) were just being assholes, not telling anybody anything, and of course they knew. Then, it really started looking like they actually didn’t know. Now, it seems either they really don’t know, or they are the hugest assholes on the planet. Maybe it’s both. Normal people, even the ones that think nuclear is a needed (but dangerous) means of electrical generation, **even they find it hard to believe** that nobody anywhere is prepared to deal with this shit. Not just that there is no plan, but there is no technology to deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077/300 "2011-03-29T15:51:56Z")
There is talk that Japan is thinking of nationalizing the nuclear plants. That is a wise first step. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantings-about-stupid-nuclear-reporting-and-i-want-to-bitchslap-somebody-also-other-crap/576077.md?page=16)