CHERNOBYL !!!

[susieq]

This topic is not 'technical' as such, but becasue it is 'topical' being twenty years to the day (yesterday, actually I think) I have made a link to this:

http://www.wonuc.org/xfiles/chern_02.html 

Chernobyl, the real story

I have hunted around and tried to find the 'original' story but can't seem to really decide on which is the 'original' so hope this will suffice.

[SensoVision]

just read the article and I don't agree with this position. Of coruse a lot of noise was appeared because of paranoia, but according to this article it seems that this area is even healthier place to live than anythere else and people who had worked there also feel  very good. If this man really thinks so I would propose him to move to Chernobyl land is free there and you can pick any house which you want... if he wouldn't brave enough to do so and ruin his health he had no right to say such things!

I don't believe much either to scientists or to medical statistic as I've seen how such data is arranged in our country so before taking any info to belief you had to filter it. From what I know many more people are suffering from cancer now than before (it was told by friend of family who is doctor working in oncology hospital and I trust her opinion more than to those things posted in news...

Also radioactively contaminated materials are circulating around our country and maybe in your country as well... if you've seen video reports from Chernobyl you'll see that all things from flats have disappeared it was stolen and later sold on the markets(I guess). Another person I know who is ecology overseer in the local port(I've worked with him when sailed on pilot boat) told me that they had several cases when cargo especially metal was radioactive(he controlling every cargo which arrive to local port).

So I believe that such articles and reports was simply created to calm down public opinion on this problem and let governments which previously guaranteed cash for reactor shelter reconstruction to save their funds. FUI reactor shield is just piece of metal which freely let  snow  and water in and out(you can read about this in National Geographic and other sources) and if it got heavy load of snow it could be damaged even more...
If no new shelter would be build soon it's reported that current one would fall and let all radiation to go in atmosphere again(wonder if opinion of people writing such articles would change than?).

Sorry I didn't mean to be rough, but this person's story really make me mad as I'm living in Ukraine and believe that know more than he tells.

[Queen Bee]

I have heard about this. I'm hesitant to believe much of what conspiracy theorists and the like have to offer. It's easy for them to distort the facts and arrive at outstanding conclusions-- Especially when it can't be invalidated.

[SensoVision]

Last week we've got rumors circulating about there was some accident on one of Ukrainian nuclear power stations, which was immediately denied by authorities and media... here is the story:
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11539131&PageNum=0

No emergencies at South Ukraine Nuclear Plant – press service
17.05.2007, 20.17
ODESSA, May 17 (Itar-Tass) -- There have been no emergencies at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant, its press service told Itar-Tass on Thursday following media reports the NPP’s alarm system had been activated and sirens switched on.

“There was a scheduled, routine test of the alarm system,” the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant said. “Currently three power units are in operation and all equipment functions as expected.”

The Ukrainian Emergency Situations Ministry’s press-service has said that no violations of the parameters and conditions of any of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants had occurred according to the information available on May 17. The radiation situation on the premises and surrounding areas has undergone no change and remains at normal levels.

Of Ukraine’s 15 nuclear power reactors the first one at the Zaporozhyie NPP, third at the Rovno NPP and first at the Khmelnitsky NPP are suspended for routine repairs and maintenance.

First I've believed and thought that it was just propaganda trick but... Today I've got information from first hands that some cities as Mikolaev and Odessa(both not very far from us) got streets cleaned for few days with water(it's not common thing here) because of accident, and just few hours later I've saw on news report from South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant that there was one reactor stopped because of flaw in secondary water contour which doesn't contact directly with reactor... (Check for attached picture)
Now when you know both things would you believe to people who said few days ago that there was no accident at all and there was no radioactive contamination? I've got feeling that someone trying to hide real details of accident just like it was with Chernobyl.

Wonder what really happen and if there was big leakage or not? Guess we'll know it with time... And this story proves once again that rumors always have some truth in them...(I actually read in book about management that in office only rumors about personal relations are usually not accurate, but regarding other things they in 90% tend to be truth, guess that in real life it's almost the same).

Now I'm definitely going to collect some money in order to buy Geiger counter to control radioactive level around and take preventive measures if necessary.

[Andy]

You should start selling Geiger counters in your area or from a web site. Anyway, I hope you don't get problems with the water being contaminated etc.

[SensoVision]

Actually it's a problem to get Geiger counter, selling them doesn't help as they cost small fortune here(at least two-three minimal salaries) so most people wouldn't be able to buy them anyway, and those who have enough money could buy those from big shops, also from what I know I need to be licensed to sell devices like this so it would probably cause me more expenses than revenue In the past I remember that government promise to sell affordable devices but they never appeared on the market...

BTW I've heard that in Japan after Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing control over radiation reach highest level and there are wide selection of portable counters and even watches, although they doesn't exported to other countries for some reason or at least I didn't find them. I wonder if you seen any devices in your area, maybe you'll help me in buying one if they cost cheaper there?

You should start selling Geiger counters in your area or from a web site. Anyway, I hope you don't get problems with the water being contaminated etc.

Thanks! I hope it's just minor accident and wouldn't lead to anything serious.
From what I know Dnepr was contaminated long ago and it's not cleanest river on the Earth, we could switch our watering system to use water from artesian wells but it cost money and seems that none cares about it.
BTW here is article about how floods near Chernobyl contaminate water of rivers including Dnepr.

[Andy]

I'll ask my wife to do a search on google.co.jp but I don't think this is a concern in Japan. Although there is an old nuclear power plant not far from where I live. Hopefully someone more switched on than Homer Simpson is regulating the control rods 

[SensoVision]

I'll ask my wife to do a search on google.co.jp but I don't think this is a concern in Japan

thanks! I would appreciate this!

Hopefully someone more switched on than Homer Simpson is regulating the control rods  Grin

yeah, Homer has it's way of dealing with NPP

[SensoVision]

Andy, don't wish to scare you but I've just read list of accidents on NPP in the world and most of them seems to happen in Japan, here is document: http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=ru_en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rian.ru%2Fspravka%2F20051216%2F42518874.html
Here is original article in Russian: http://www.rian.ru/spravka/20051216/42518874.html
Anyway most of them aren't seems to be very serious or at least it said so, and high amount of accidents could be explained that people in Japan tell the truth to public rather than hiding facts like it happened in other countries...

[mic_comte]

 I just read this article. So, if you believe what they say, it is not a big problem to have a nuclear power plant exploding in your neighbourhood... Then I don't understand why people are so scared about nuclear power.

 I think the author of this article should expose himself to the same amount of radiations than what the ukrainian people faced around Tchernobyl in 1986, during the same amount of time, and in front of witnesses. If he does that, he will prove us he is honnest (but even so I won't believe what he says).

[Andy]

The electricity was missing a few cycles today and last night causing our computers to reset. So maybe a problem at the nuclear power plant?

A nuclear power plant is not going to explode like a nuclear weapon so I would be quickly hitting the road to get far away if it were to blow.

In Japan, the head of a company normally bows their head in shame even when some lunatic employee went berserk and there was nothing they could have done about it. There is a lot of corruption in Japan so I would expect most problems to be hidden from the public.

[mic_comte]

 I think that in Japan, like in western countries, the power plants are not build as they were in USSR.
 The problem of Tchernobyl power plant and other power plants on the same model is that the cooling water was put in contact with radioactive material. So, when this cooling water got to hot and burst into the atmosphere, it spread a lot of radioactivity with it.

 This would not be the case if such an accident would happen in Europe, Japan or the US, because over there, nuclear plants are built in suche a way that the cooling water is never in contact with radioactivity. This doesn't mean it is 100% safe, but the risk of contamination is much lower.

[SensoVision]

I just read this article. So, if you believe what they say, it is not a big problem to have a nuclear power plant exploding in your neighbourhood... Then I don't understand why people are so scared about nuclear power.

 I think the author of this article should expose himself to the same amount of radiations than what the ukrainian people faced around Tchernobyl in 1986, during the same amount of time, and in front of witnesses. If he does that, he will prove us he is honnest (but even so I won't believe what he says).

Thanks for your feedback mic_comte, it's good to know that other people have same opinion about this article. According to statistic people here in Ukraine suffering from radiation as leukaemia, cancer and other radiation related diseases... 

In Japan, the head of a company normally bows their head in shame even when some lunatic employee went berserk and there was nothing they could have done about it. There is a lot of corruption in Japan so I would expect most problems to be hidden from the public.

I never supposed that in Japan exist corruption especially in the light of directors blowing their heads when something bad was uncovered...