Quote of the Day
History affords us many instances of the ruin of states, by the prosecution of measures ill suited to the temper and genius of their people. The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy... These measures never fail to create great and violent jealousies and animosities between the people favored and the people oppressed; whence a total separation of affections, interests, political obligations, and all manner of connections, by which the whole state is weakened.
Benjamin Franklin
New NEI Health and Radiation Webpage: Thumbs UP!
I want to take the opportunity to reprint quotes from "What the Experts Are Saying". These are quotes which you are NOT (or only rarely) hearing on Fox News Channel and other scaremongering US media outlets (including Drudge Report):
- "The fear is out of proportion to the actual risk right now. With regard to health effects, probably the largest effect will be psychological." - John Boice, Vanderbilt University epidemiologist (on CNN)
- "Fear dominates our intention. The earthquake and tsunami are over, but with nuclear energy, who knows? We are used to thinking of industrial accidents, but with nuclear we are talking about what could happen. I cut my teeth on Three Mile Island, because there was a sense that we almost lost the Eastern part of the U.S. The biggest health problem from Three Mile Island was fear, the anxiety and mental stress that people had." - Dr. Robert DuPont, Georgetown University professor of psychology (on NPR)
- "The fact that they can detect something doesn't mean it's harmful. It's important to understand that difference." - Richard Morin, American College of Radiology safety committee chair (in USA Today)
- "This is indeed a really serious event, but it has to be put in the context of the earthquake and tsunami which led to it - and which has been the direct cause of massive suffering, which is still continuing. Obviously there are threats from the nuclear power station, but they are limited and they are quantifiable. It's not a Chernobyl. ... One of the biggest risks from radiation is the psychological damage it causes. After events like the 1979 partial meltdown at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania, and the Chernobyl accident, there was substantial psychological trauma, even among people who were not affected, because there is such a fear of radiation and its long-term consequences." - David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the University of Cambridge (in New Scientist)
Fukushima Nuclear Incident Update
A TEPCO release explains with respect to the 2 workers yesterday hospitalized in the reactor 3 turbine room water contamination incidents, their leg skins had been contaminated and were cleaned (and presumably dressed); there is no diagnosis of beta ray damage, but the patients are being held under medical observation over the next few days as a precautionary measure.
NEI's updates:
- morning: I updated yesterday's post to briefly acknowledge FNC red-eye alerts. There is an ongoing investigation to undercover why 3 TEPCO partner employees laying a power cable in the turbine room were exposed to potentially dangerous levels of radiation standing in several inches of water. There were at least three potential leak sources accounting for how the water is contaminated: spent fuel pool; containment vessels; and/or connections/components in the reactor system beyond the reactor containment vessels. Various tests were in process to localize the leak source. Japanese recommended expanding the evaluation zone to 30 kilometers, not for radiation purposes but for supply logistics to the area. The US has made available two Navy barges full of freshwater, and the Japanese are setting up mechanisms to pipe the water to the Daiichi facility, i.e., to replace seawater injections into the units 1 through 3 containment vessels.
- afternoon: Reactor 1 has been switched from seawater to freshwater; the remaining two to follow tomorrow. Spraying to spent fuel pools 1 and 4, spent fuel pond 3 suspended because of radiation levels. Lighting is up in all reactor control rooms; several pumps and other equipment are damaged and must be repaired or replaced.
- evening: Tests have ruled out spent fuel pool water being the source of the reactor 3 turbine room standing water contamination (see above). Stability of reactor and drywall pressure seems to rule out any serious leak in the reactor vessel. Reactor 3 is now being injected with freshwater (vs. seawater), leaving Reactor 2 as the holdout to be completed tomorrow. (Freshwater is a preferred coolant.) Spraying at reactor 3 spent pools has resumed (as well as reactor 4's). The reactor 6 residual heat removal system is now off diesel generator and on electricity. Radiation dose rates at the Daiichi facility continue to drop. (Yeah, Fox News, it turns out those 3 or 4 special alerts in the 2AM EDT hour were much ado about nothing.) TEPCO has reminded its/its partners' employees to follow safety guidelines (in reference to yesterday's turbine room incident: see HS summary below).
The Hiroshima Syndrome blogger rants about the language being used by TEPCO publicists to describe events: for example, the term "evacuation" really means, from a Daiichi perspective, that the workers have temporarily moved away from a specific reactor (but remain on site) until radiation levels have fallen/stabilized. He, as a former Health Physics practitioner, then discusses the 3 subcontractors whom were exposed to high levels in the reactor 3 turbine room. The two workers treated for possible radiation burns to their feet were not wearing standard safety rubber coverings/boots--and stood in contaminated water for nearly an hour (increasing likelihood of burns). All three workers ignored dosimeter alarms, at least initially.
Songs for Japan: Thumbs UP!
iTunes is making available for download a special selection of 38 songs by some of the world's top music artists (including the late John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, U2, Elton John, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and others) for a very reasonable donation of $10. (iTunes also has a link available for separate donation to the Japanese Red Cross.) I have to cringe when I see heartless people post comments on the website questioning donations to the people of a developed nation, unlike a third-world nation; I can only imagine the heartbreaks of people whose families, homes, businesses, and/or jobs have been destroyed by unimaginable natural disasters. Many Americans each year experience heartaches associated with hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes and gratefully accept the assistance of the American Red Cross; sometimes people need a little help and time to get back on their feet and get their lives in order. God bless the generous: the contributing performers, the media companies, and the people whom donate; the Japanese are a beautiful, honorable, and industrious people, and I have no doubt about their eventual success in rebuilding Japan from these tragedies. As for the judgmental commentators: please donate your time and resources wherever you do see a need; questioning other people doing a righteous deed is a marker of incivility.
Political Humor
"According to Newsweek, 73 percent of Americans can’t say why we fought the Cold War. This sounds bad until you consider that no one in the White House can tell us why we’re fighting the Libya war." - Jay Leno
[And 100% of progressives can't remember why we fought the Revolutionary War... I guess most people understand why we are dropping bombs on an American ally, Pakistan, without declaring war, but when we try to jointly provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Japan Libya, it's a problem. No doubt they would approve of the military providing food and water to the orphans of innocent Libyan civilians murdered by Qaddafi's mercenaries...]
President Obama is doing business in Latin America this week. I guess regular America isn’t good enough for him anymore. - Jimmy Kimmel
[President Obama told the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff that he wants the US to be a good customer of Brazilian offshore oil. On the flight over he recognized some familiar oil rigs from the Gulf of Mexico which left after Obama's drilling moratorium. President Rousseff thanked President Obama for investing in Brazilian businesses and jobs.]
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
The Beach Boys/The Beatles, "Rock 'N Roll Music" An original Chuck Berry hit, this song has the distinction of being a rare remake hit separately for both The Beatles and the Beach Boys. It would be one of only 2 Top 10 hits for the Beach Boys since 1970. Nobody can argue with John Lennon's strong vocals, but there's something sunny and mellow about the Beach Boys' version
