Presentation

First, we will show a four minute video that describes what happened, how it happened, and how it works. (Video here)

Next, we will ask anyone who would like to if they'd like to sign a petition to get the UN involved (Petition here).

As that is being passed around, we will show a picture of the world and ask where everyone thinks the farthest the radiation has gone, then show these pictures. The first one is from March of 2012, and the second is a more recent picture.

We will discuss the severity of the issue, and also how it could hurt us - all the way in MA - in the near future.

Next, we will do a short quiz with cool/interesting/disturbing facts.

By the end of our presentation, the class will know more about how the radiation disaster at Fukushima happened and how much of an issue it is today, also how we can help the cause. 

Nuclear Disaster Ecology Outline

Unfortunately, nuclear disasters have occurred since being established as a source of power, bringing awareness to the dangers of using this method of power, but have yet to put an end to this dangerous method. Although the damage has been done, and will undoubtedly scar our earth forever, we must remain hopeful that as a society we will learn from our mistakes.
 
Listed in our web is a basic explanation of how nuclear reactors create power along with the consequential events that have gone down as the worst nuclear disasters in history. These include Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and the most devastating and recent, Fukushima. Each of these events highlight the risk posed when dealing with such dangerous operations. Negligence, greed, and ignorance have induced such devastation. We encourage all to take time and look into these events in detail.
For Further information on Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, investigate these links below.

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Chernobyl-Accident/#.UngSl3Qo7IU

IF THE SEVERITY OF THIS ISSUE HAS NOT
YET RESONATED, PERHAPS THIS VISUAL
WILL OPEN YOUR EYES!

Fukushima Update

Rather being on the front page of every major publication, the common citizen barely hears of Fukushima. Two and a half years later, this crisis is still alive, and some believe, far from a permanent resolution. Struggling to gain control over the escalading leak situation, TEPCO has recently acknowledged for the first time that groundwater was carrying radioactive isotopes into the ocean. Tell us something we don’t know already! A rise in groundwater is a result of TEPCO trying to pump water beneath the reactors underground in attempt to cool the fusion cores believed to be sunken bellow. As a result this water must go somewhere; unfortunately it is finding seems to the nearby ocean at a more exceeding pace originally induced by the structural damage on the reactors.

Within the last month in a half, Japan has committed to constructing a 300 million dollar “Ice Wall” around the site, in an attempt to barricade all cores and radioactive waste alike. It is great to see an attempt to suffocate the spill, but scientists and engineers believe this is an unrealistic solution.

 Ken Buesseler has recently denied the notion of this wall being a long term solution saying “There are some engineering proposals to try and divert the water, or block the water. It’s very hard to dam a river because it’s going to go around the dam or over the dam. They’re having the same problems between the reactors and the ocean, and now they’re talking about even larger engineering structures. One kilometer ice dams, freezing the soil essentially to divert water around the site. That might reduce the total number of tanks you’d need, it doesn’t necessarily stop the leaks at all because they still would be applying water to cool those reactors” Ken Buesseler, Senior Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

THE SCARY REALITY

Most importantly engineers must pacify this deadly leak. Alarmingly the last two and a half years has resulted in 83,000 evacuees still unable to return home. Even more alarming is the estimated 300 tons of contaminated water that is flowing into the ocean every day. 300 Tons! Obviously this is an immediate and devastating concern. It gets worse. Potentially the worst has yet to come.

Three reactor cores are missing, meaning they are believed to have sunk deep beneath the ground below.

Radiated water has been leaking from the plant in mass quantities for 2.5 years at a pace of roughly 300 tons a day. With the attempted cooling of the cores underground the flow of radioactive water has been increased…

Eleven thousand spent nuclear fuel rods, perhaps the most dangerous things ever created by humans, are stored at the plant and need to be removed, 1,533 of those are in a very precarious and dangerous position. Each of these three could result in dramatic radiation events, unlike any radiation exposure humans have ever experienced. If the extraction where to go wrong, an apocalyptic like event would possibly ensue. Roughly 40 million citizens would have to be evacuated from nearby Tokyo.

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/19547-fukushima-a-global-threat-that-requires-a-global-response

 

http://enenews.com/senior-scientist-fukushima-giant-ice-wall-make-worse-radioactive-release-ocean-saltwater-intrusion-side-effects-good-all-audio

 

KAITLYNN AND JOE TAKE ACTION





Being that many have no idea what is transpiring of the Fukushima issue on the other side of the world, we have both decided that posting our blog on our Facebooks could prove to be effective. Having others spread the word through theirs as well, will only spread the awareness of this burning issue..
We stumbled across a petition on facebook asking the UN to intervene. We ask that everyone participates for a good cause!

https://www.facebook.com/fukushimapetition






 

Joe's Interview

I thought it would be interesting to interview my uncle Adam, whom is one of the more keen people I have ever met when it comes to current events regarding politics and burning issues globally.


Q : How do you feel about what has transpired around the Fukushima controversy since the earthquake in 2011?

A: Humans and Mother Nature can concoct powerful formulas for disaster. It is tragic but not surprising that the government would lie about such a damaging concept. It has brought to light the incredibly high radiation levels at even undamaged Nuclear facilities and highlighted the governments misleading the masses about the true amounts of radiation levels around the world.

Q: Why is not surprising that the government would lie?

A: A prime agenda in government is to ensure the people are calm. Panic would outbreak if the truth about the radiation not only at Fukushima, but across the globe was released. I think these levels are higher than what is reported, and studies have shown this to be alarmingly true.

Q: How can these truths be placed under the public spotlight.

A: Unfortunately government controls major media outlets so the only way I can see there being a drastic movement is if independent studies are continually conducted and backed by a heavily funded private organizations. These studies have happened, and have shown discrepancies in radiation numbers compared to what the government is reporting at all nuclear sights.

Q: What do you think the future source of power is in our world?

A: Ideally wind turbines would be the most environmentally appeasing, but it is unrealistic being the sensitive budget, and blind eye being turned when looking at the conflicts we are creating on our deteriorating planet. Natural Gas is my best guess.




It was interesting to hear my Uncle's take on radiation levels across the globe at undamaged plants. He feels we are being lied to consistently throughout the years, which if true is frightening. Not noted in our discussion, but he mentioned  the Chernobyl Disaster 1986, another major nuclear disaster involving an enormous explosion in Ukraine, in which first begin sparking research on radiation levels that eventually ended up forgotten in todays time. Hopefully, Fukushima will not be forgotten twenty years from now...

Educate yourself on Chernobyl Further!  http://environment.about.com/od/chernobyl/p/chernobyl.htm

Kaitlynn's Interview

I chose to interview my friend Marissa Campbell about the issue. I've been talking to her a lot and I haven't heard anything from her about environmental issues, so I was curious. After interviewing her, I found that she had no idea about Fukushima and that she had only heard about it. Here's the interview:
Me(Kaitlynn): What do you know about Fukushima?
Marissa: Nothing really. Heard of it. I don't have any true knowledge of it.
Me: Okay, so Fukushima is a city in Japan which had different nuclear plants. Three of them blew up at once almost one right after the other. The people around are still suffering from it, and the radiation is absolutely awful. After the explosion some of our navy tried to sail past fukushima and they took in 2 months worth of radiation in 10 minutes.
Marissa: Oh gosh.
Me: What do you know about nuclear power?
Marissa: I believe that it can easily harm humans. I don't pay attention to these things because of my small interest in them.
Me: What do you know about the pros and cons of nuclear power?
Marissa: It can help people. It can harm people and the area surrounding it.
Me: Do you know how it can help people, and how it can harm people and the area surrounding it?
Marissa: Nope.
Me: Okay, so it can help people because, despite it actually being extremely dangerous, it's clean energy. There's no gas involved, or burning or anything like that. It's basically forcing nuclei apart, then cooling them down with water and that produces steam. It harms people when it gets out of hand and can't be controlled and explodes. It can also harm the people who are involved with keeping it under control. As it released very, very little radiation but if you're right next to it, it's a lot worse than outside of the building. So, is nuclear power worth it?
Marissa: Yes and no. Yes, because it could help us save energy. No because of the damage it can cause to us and the world around us.
Me: What can we do instead of nuclear power to stay clean?
Marissa: Try to get people to commit to a cleaner lifestyle.
Me: So before I can ask my next question, I need to tell you about how the government handled the situation. The Japanese government spent a lot of time cleaning up the explosion without telling the people and worrying them. They cleaned as much as they could before they told the people, then there were more explosions and they had to tell them immediately. After hearing more about Fukushima, do you think they handled the situation well?
Marissa: No. They should have told people right away.
Me: How could they have handled the situation better?
Marissa: By telling people right away and making sure of their safety and by taking more precautions.
Me: Were you in favor of nuclear power before you heard about Fukushima?
Marissa: I didn't know much about it to form an opinion.
Me: Are you in favor of nuclear power after hearing about Fukushima?
Marissa: If they are able to do a better job of controlling it, yes. If not, no.
Me: What should people do in order to make nuclear power safer?
Marissa: Take whatever precautions necessary and give people more information beforehand.

My Reaction:

I thought it was really interesting how little Marissa knew about the issue I've heard so much about. It just goes to show how much some people don't know about it, and other important issues. I think that the more people know about the issue the more people will care enough to help stabilize nuclear power.

Fukushima

Fukushima is a city in Japan that held nuclear power. After an earthquake, the nuclear plant was under a state of emergency as it caused the cooling system to become dysfunctional. In a nuclear power plant, the cooling system is vital to everything involving the plant, and the world outside the plant. Cool water enters the reactor, and it goes through a constant loop. It cools off the building, and turns to steam. Then it moves and becomes water again, and cools down again then moved back to cool down the building. Without this system, the reactor would overheat, causing leaks or explosions, even. Nuclear power is extremely unstable and inconsistent.

The government told everyone it would not leak, but they still evacuated for safety precaution. Since then, they have began work on restoring the cooling system, but it's very difficult work. The first power plant exploded due to the makeshift cool down system not working,you can find the effects and more here. There was a second blast at the first power plant, and there was a lot of radiation released. A US aircraft carrier passed by the power plant and the people on the deck have been recorded to have received a month's worth of radiation in an hour.

After this explosion it is clear that nuclear power can be a huge issue. The radiation released is unbelievable, and "if inhaled or swallowed, will concentrate in the thyroid gland where it can accumulate and cause cancer in a few years. Low doses can reduce the activity of the gland, and make it produce lower levels of hormones. The Threat is more serious in children, who have more active thyroids" (Ian Sample). 

Since then, limits of nuclear power have been discussed, and those who have been informed are against using nuclear power. But the public is not completely informed, and most do not see a problem. Most people do not see how much radiation is released, or that radiation is being released at all and, therefore, are completely okay with nuclear power and feel that it should be used for everything.

Kaitlynn's View:

I did a lot of research on this topic. In high school, my Environmental Chemistry class spent a great deal of time on Fukushima and what was currently happening in the world because of it. I've always found these things interesting, and I enjoy learning about it. It's just so surprising that one minor thing can cause such a huge chain reaction, and such a huge impact of people, not only in japan, but also on the other side of the world.

Joe's View:

It is mind boggling that TEPCO (Japanese Power Company) would not only locate this plant on the coast, but  not even take all preventative measures needed to prevent a devastating mishap. In the event of a natural disaster such as a serious earthquake that could set off tsunamis, which by the way, are common in this region, there needs to be more attention to detail and preparation especially focusing on an already dangerous radiation/uranium abundant nuclear power plant in an already poor location, no matter what the price. Yes there were back up generators that failed due to excessive water damage. Is it just me, or should of been a backup to the backup, and just maybe another backup generator. One of the richest corporations in the world can not develop technology to cover there own risk therefore acknowledging the environment around them? Should there of been more thought and funds allocated toward some form of an emergency coolant system in event of a tsunami disabling power?  A prime example of a big corporation cutting serious corners as a result of greed, unfortunately, a the expensive of the environment, similar to BP before the oil crisis in the gulf......
 I encourage all of you to look further into the Fukushima disaster and how it could of been prevented, radiation and its risks to society, and the ramifications of Fukushima  and its future risk.

http://www.livescience.com/39067-fukushima-radiation-5-things-to-know.html

http://www.newscientist.com/special/fukushima-crisis

 

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/fukushima