The head of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission said this afternoon that radiation levels outside the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant are "extremely high," and much higher than the Japanese government has been saying.
More troubling, this situation has only gotten worse since last week's earthquake. It seems that once a nuclear power plant's internal safety mechanisms fail, there is very little that can be done from outside, which is why the Japanese government has been trying decidedly low-tech things like dousing the damaged reactors with sea water, fire hoses, and from helicopters. Additionally, workers can't get close enough because of the radiation. It's a recursive safety system and there's no way out--or in.
If the foregoing is accurate, it's a dangerously flawed--and dangerous--energy industry.
Header: M.C. Escher.
If the foregoing is accurate, it's a dangerously flawed--and dangerous--energy industry.
Header: M.C. Escher.
