I get that this site is for nuclear enthusiasts and careerists but I'm still going to ask a few pointed questions:
1)How do y'all feel about the workers role as "jumper", also known as "liquidator" in the case of serious accidents? I understand they burned thru about 700,000 of them during the Chernobyl mitigation efforts. How many will it take to clear the radioactive rubble from 3 reactor meltdowns (with exploded buildings) and 5 spent fuel pools? What will be the cumulative dose and DNA damage to those of reproductive age?
2) Should it have been foreseen that building 6 reactors within a few feet of each other on a site with a history of major seismic activity might lead to future problems? That if one reactor explodes it will now be difficult to deal with the rest? That, even if the reactors survive the immediate quake, guess what causes tsunamis?
3) Is it reasonable for the world to depend on an energy source that has regular intermittant accidents that spread radioactive particles worldwide? Should we trust the nuclear industry that says it won't happen here, again?
4) How much do nuclear workers understand about the crucial difference between external and internal radiation dose? Do they realize that there has been a long running effort to confuse this issue and minimize consequential health effects by the industry and it's promoters?
1. These are very good and serious questions, some of which I have raised myself. The workers, by law will be limited to 25 REM/year. In Japan, I believe that is a floating year. The same jumpers will be used over and over again. We used jumpers in this country for steam generator work. The BIER model claims there will be 1 cancer death for every 10,000 person REM. So if 1,000 jumpers make 2 dives of 25 REM each or 50 Rem, that would be a total of 50,000 Rem, or 5 cancer deaths. So if 700,000 jumpers worked 2 years, that would be 3,500 cancer deaths for clean up.
2. I agree they are built too close. But they are very safe for the accidents they planned for. TMI, Chernobyl, and Fukishima were all accidents we were assured would never happen. When I was at David-Besse, I found out they built the plant in a 100 year flood zone. I scratched my head. They deliberately built a plant in an area that doesn't stay above water all the time. Why? They got a good deal on the land. I work in the industry, but I won't defend its stupidity.
3. You talk as if spewing radioactive particles across the globe is a bad thing as if this is the only planet we can live on.
4. Let's be honest on this one. The nuclear industry doesn't confuse internal and external dose any more, they consider it all the same. In fact they preach hormesis, i.e that a little dose is healthy for you. I personally don't trust any industry that comes out and claims that their product is "natural." Nor does the industry recognize that chronic dose can destroy a cell with less dose than an acute dose because the cell doesn't have the time to recover without getting zapped again. This there is a constant flow of OH ions to the cell membrane which destroys it. In an acute dose, the cell forms more OH ions, but they can't all get to the cell membrane. They can recombine before they do damage. By making internal and external dose all the same, the industry saves tons of money in outage costs. It is a scam and most of us who have been around long enough know it is a scam. But the nuclear industry has its controlling body, the NRC in the palm of its hand. Now the DOE is a different story. Most workers don't like that fact that they can take something home with them. It is my job to make fun of them so they will.
