Fukushima and Radiation Leaks

As a person who has lived around nuclear reactors through his growing years and being the son of one of the scientists closely involved in the development of the Indian Nuclear program, I felt I should comment on the scare the media is generating about the Japanese reactors especially after the many discussions that I had with my father as well as the very low understanding that I see around me among my friends and colleagues.

First, there is no danger of a nuclear explosion. The control rods tripped in as soon as power was lost, and the nuclear reaction was shutdown. However, there is still considerable residual heat in the core, and that's what the operators are trying to deal with. There has been very little actual radiation release; only slightly above the UN allowed dose for the general public of a maximum of 100mRem which also states that the maximum safe radiation for an adult is 5000mRems (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1994/safe-0105.html) comparison, the average person receives around 350 mRem per year from background radiation, then you add to that the dental and medical x-rays. For people living on and near the beaches of Kerala get exposed to radiation levels in excess of 10 times that of the world average. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2317269.stm). This however is not NEWS! The Highest recorded radiation level at the Fukushima Daiichi site was 155.7 millirem. Radiation levels were subsequently reduced to 4.4 millirem after the after the containment was flooded.

The radiation concern for someone living near the plant would be to inhale any radioactive products that get released, but that would be a very very small concern for the releases they've had so far. As long as the operators can keep the primary containment pressures below the design pressure there is no major radiation risk even for people in the area. The operators have been doing this (without interactions with media)so far, and should be able to continue.

The worst case scenario is they can't control the pressure and the primary containment ruptures at some point and there would be uncontrolled release of radiation from the area of the rupture. The release would still be expected to be much less than say, Chernobyl . If they can continue to do what they've been doing, the danger will subside as the residual heat is removed. The reactors have already been injected with seawater. The most likely scenario is to just bottle it up, let it sit for a few years for the internal radiation to die down, then hire someone like Bechtel to come in and clean it up.

Most reactors in India are not this type, known as a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR). All the reactors in India are known as Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR). Each has it's proponents but many believe the PWR is safer because of it's massive containment structure and some additional safety features. The new generation PWR's are even more passive and safe. The design is understood by those on the inside, so it is surprising that not one of them have come forward on National TV or otherwise and stated these facts.

I will make one prediction.. ...the resurgent Indian nuclear industry will be strangled... ...again. The media will whip up the nuclear bogey and the projects under consideration will be shelved for several years. It is well established that the nuclear industry is safer than the oil and gas industry. About every year or two, we have some unit down on the ship channel blow up and kill people; But that's (oil and gas) pretty familiar to most folks, so it's accepted, like driving a car and knowing you could be killed in an accident.

What about the massive Shell oil spill in the gulf of Mexico? Shall we therefore stop all offshore oil exploration in India and increase our dependence on oil imports?

The result of the above is we'll continue to import oil and gas from unstable countries that don't like us. We'll continue the reliance on foreign oil, since we lack a national energy policy, and the backbone to create one. We’ll continue to pay a larger and larger share of our monthly paycheck for energy needs !



Vinod Mathews