Oh fuck. Tokyo electric power company... Reuters just tweeted...

[Javaman]

#Tokyo Electric Power Co. reporting they have lost control of pressure in No. 1 & 2 nuclear reactors with temps rising - Reuters

no link yet

[crim son]

1. Oh fuck is right. n/t

[somone]

2. Very bad news if true

[Pharaoh]

4. Fuck!

[MrCoffee]

3. I've lost count...how many cores are we talking about now?

Fukushima 1 - 1 reactor

Fukushima 2 - 3 reactors

Fukushima Daini - ?

These are three seperate plants, correct?

[bluecoat_fan]

11. Also pools of spent fuel that could catch fire releasing Cesium-127 into the air

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x277707

Too much info, there should be a thread just for these nuke palnts.

[Kennah]

5. Here's one

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/11/us-japan-quake-tepco-daini-idUSTRE72A8GM20110311

[JuniperLea]

6. God help us...

I hope it doesn't get into the jetstream... we're all fucked.

[Poll_Blind]

10. I'm in Oregon and I fear we would be catching that shit right in the teeth.

PB

[JuniperLea]

30. I have family in WA...

I was thinking the same thing.

Be safe... sounds hollow... damn... there really are no words for what I'm feeling right now. So much and so many at stake.

[Qanisqineq]

31. I'm in Korea

eeeek! :scared:

[Javaman]

7. Update...

Discovery suggests radioactive steam could spread around plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. - kyodo news

[elfin]

8. Soooo - nuclear energy destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki--

-- and is now poised to have a calamitous effect on them AND the world??

Usually, I like irony. Now do not like it at all.

[Botany]

9. update

(Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power (9501.T) said it had lost its ability to control pressure in some of the reactors of a second
nuclear power plant at its quake-hit Fukushima facility in northeastern Japan.

Pressure is stable inside the reactors but rising in the containment vessels, a spokesman said, although he did not know if there
would be a need to release pressure at the plant at this point, which would involve a release of radiation. (Reporting by Osamu
Tsukimori; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Edmund Klamann)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/11/japan-quake-tepco-daini-idUSLHE7EB02320110311

********************

They will have to let out radioactive steam to contain the pressure. Which is better than a china syndrome melt down but still it is
a release of toxins into the environment.

Just remember "Nuclear power; Safe, Cheap, and Clean"

[tekisui]

16. Gulf Oil leak last year, potential nuclear fallout this year. Let's go clean!

[Kennah]

12. Planetwide evacuation order pending

[PhillySane]

36. Too bad

they just cancelled the Space Shuttle. Fuck.

[Shagbark Hickory]

13. Dubya Em Deez .

[adigal]

14. I seems we get warnings, if we listen

Obama approved offshore drilling. The BP spill happened, and backed us off. Even some Dems are now touting nuclear power. And we have this fear. I pray it's ok, but I would not be surprised if it weren't.

[PhillySane]

38. We protested the shit out of nuclear in the 70's

Now you know why. Three Mile Island was no joke,

[Luminous Animal]

40. Given that the industry PR is winning, it appears that we are supposed to protest forever

[PhillySane]

41. Well

Unfortunately, PR doesn't hold a candle to reality. Three Mile Island and Chernobyl woke a lot of people up. Sad, but it may take something catastrophic to get the word out.

[riverwalker]

15. Jet Stream --> West Coast of US

I do not think we are being told everything.

[hifiguy]

17. And the Japanese are the best in the world with this sort of stuff

One more argument against more nukes here.

Man, I hope they get this under control w/o anyone getting hurt or a massive release of radiation. :scared:

[MrCoffee]

18. According to the Guardian, the Japanese govt ordered the valves open on Daiichi No 1

see 11pm GMT


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/11/japan-tsunami-earthquake-live-coverage

[Chris_Texas]

19. There is absolutely no reason to be as freeked out as some of you sound.

[AlabamaLibrul]

20. most people think failing systems at nuclear power plants is a BFD n/t

[Liberal Veteran]

26. Some people are just worrywarts.

It's not like anything bad could happen. Right?

(crickets)

[MrCoffee]

21. No, but this is

The cooling system failed at three reactors of the quake-hit Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant Saturday, the operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

The company, which has already scrambled to deal with radiation leaks at its Fukushima No. 1 plant, notified the industry ministry that the failsafe system at the No. 2 plant stopped functioning as the temperature of coolant water has topped 100 C.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/11/japan-tsunami-earthquake-live-coverage

[Systematic Chaos]

23. See my post below.

Good god almighty.

[AtheistCrusader]

28. Hey hey hey stop that.

This is fun to watch.

[Systematic Chaos]

22. Yanno...SERIOUSLY!

Modern nuclear power plants are built to withstand a lot.

It's a given that even they won't be able to whistle on through an almost 9.0 fucking earthquake without bad things happening.

But I must ask: Where is all the fucking outrage as fossil fuel refinery after fossil fuel refinery literally explodes, and releases millions of tons of radioactive soot into the air?

Good luck convincing me that the death toll from the refinery explosions won't be many times higher than whatever radioactivity gets released from the nuclear plants.

Misguided hysteria much, people? :banghead:

[hifiguy]

24. Tnx for the info.

A good chill pill for all of us.

[Maru Kitteh]

25. THANK YOU! n/t

[Botany]

27. Thyroid Cancer .... it sooo over hyped

[Systematic Chaos]

33. Pollution Causes 40 Percent Of Deaths Worldwide, Study Finds

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070813162438.htm

ScienceDaily (Aug. 14, 2007) — About 40 percent of deaths worldwide are caused by water, air and soil pollution, concludes a Cornell researcher. Such environmental degradation, coupled with the growth in world population, are major causes behind the rapid increase in human diseases, which the World Health Organization has recently reported. Both factors contribute to the malnourishment and disease susceptibility of 3.7 billion people, he says.

<snip>

Among the study's other main points:

Air pollution from smoke and various chemicals kills 3 million people a year. In the United States alone about 3 million tons of toxic chemicals are released into the environment -- contributing to cancer, birth defects, immune system defects and many other serious health problems.

<snip>

"A growing number of people lack basic needs, like pure water and ample food. They become more susceptible to diseases driven by malnourishment, and air, water and soil pollutants," Pimentel concludes. He and his co-authors call for comprehensive and fair population policies and more conservation of environmental resources that support human life.



Chernobyl is a walk in the park compared to how many millions die from mostly fossil fuel-based air pollution every year.

And while we're at it, care to tell me how many reactors using the Chernobyl design are operating today?

The Chernobyl disaster was all but a guarantee. Today's reactor designs are orders of magnitude safer. Capiche?

[Javaman]

29. time and place. now is neither the time nor place. nt

[Systematic Chaos]

32. With all due respect, it certainly is the time and place.

The death rates from fossil fuel pollution have been posted in Environment/Energy more times than I can count.

Until people are every bit as outraged by all those exploding refineries as they are about all this "what if" and "maybe" total fucking bullshit about the reactors, then I simply will not sit idly by and not challenge it.

Think what you want of me. I'm honestly not trying to be an asshole here. I just think that this discussion needs representation by more than one side.

[Javaman]

34. with all due respect...

you are now blocked.

[Systematic Chaos]

35. Oh noes!

:eyes:

[walldude]

37. Modern Nuclear Plants...

Well this one was built almost 40 years ago. You know before the invention of the cell phone, the vcr, anti-lock brakes, the home computer.

But hey as long as it doesn't affect us it's all good right? I mean Chernobyl was nothing to worry about.

[amandabeech]

39. Is that you NNadir? n/t

[leeroysphitz]

42. Well, I hope this experience hasn't put any of you off flying.

Statistically speaking, it's still the safest way to travel...

[PhillySane]

43. If you have meltdowns at two, three, four, or five reactors

You are talking about something we've never experienced before on this planet. Yes, I agree that the refinery fires are extremely bad. But they probably will not create long term effects. Not on the scale of five reactor meltdowns. Here's a link to the nuclear event scale. Chernobyl was the only number 7 event to ever occur.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Nuclear_Event_Scale

[defendandprotect]

44. kr