Update
Japan public broadcaster NHK just reported the country's Defense Ministry had sent a unit that specializes in dealing with radioactive contamination to a command post near the stricken plant.
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Update
Japan public broadcaster NHK just reported the country's Defense Ministry had sent a unit that specializes in dealing with radioactive contamination to a command post near the stricken plant.
Appears the situation at the powerplant has somewhat been stabilized and the radiation levels have dropped quite near to normal levels.
Quote:
microsievert levels measured around 23:45 local time were around 3-4 (prev. high 1015, then 70.5)
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapc...japan.nuclear/
Some great info for those in the nuclear industry. Because of the Cesium release there is confirmed core damage. Japan's design can't explode like Chernobyl, so this is the first stages of core damage. It will be quite a while before we really know how badly the damage is. I'm not completely sure how Japan's nuclear plants are made. If they are anything like here in the USA, a containment building contains the nuclear reactor. In the event that there is complete and permanent damage to a nuclear reactor, the containment building is meant to keep all the radiation inside the containment building for something like 1000 years. The walls of the containment building are 4+ feet thick steel and concrete. The containment buildings are designed to take a beating beyond comprehension.
Yeah I wonder if it was the containment building walls that blew out here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KknHV...feature=relmfu
I guess we need choppers to fly around the other side to actually see just what blew up there.
The jap. govt and the company said it was just the outer walls of the building that were destroyed due to a hydrogen explosion and that the containment vessel is still intact or only slightly damaged.
Seriously, I would GTFO. I would not be able to stay so calm when there are such cracks!Quote:
Originally Posted by fellix_bg
Yea it almost looked like it had been a scene from a movie.... especially when the ground was swaying at the big cracks looked creepy.Quote:
Originally Posted by FischOderAal
Yes sure, id take there news anyday rather then form reporters that sit 5000km away and have there butt as source. :ROTF:Quote:
Originally Posted by Don_Dan
:eek: I would have to leave, NOW!Quote:
Originally Posted by fellix_bg
God Bless Japan
All I can say is "I hope not" that would be extraordinarily bad... I'd expect if that were it then radiation levels would skyrocket like crazy around the plant.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckeye
It was not the containment.. just the housing of the containment.
They're now saying that a meltdown may be underway. :S
Yea I would be careful with what I'd bring up in situations like this, the last thing we need is bringing up false info to the table, although I doubt any1 took that picture seriously.
BTW here's some image showing locations of the aftershocks... now that's quite a lot of them... http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...ONSHU,%20JAPAN :s
Indeed, 750 rad = 7,5 gray... 100% lethal dosis...Quote:
Originally Posted by spoof
Yeah the erath there is still shaking like mad.... again a 6.3 in the last hour...
great another plant :banana::banana::banana::banana:ed... and another reactor in fukushima.Quote:
08:34 13 MarchBREAKING NEWS: Another nuclear reactor in process of releasing radioactive steam: Edano
07:56 13 MarchNEWS ADVISORY: 15 people near Fukushima nuke plants exposed to radioactivity
07:31 13 MarchNEWS ADVISORY: 6th reactor at Fukushima nuke plant loses cooling functions
07:27 13 MarchNEWS ADVISORY: Pirates arrested by Japanese authorities arrive in Japan
My first priority would be to leave the area or the country. With so many after shocks over 5 I would be in shear agony knowing that no place or structure is safe. Sure, the structure may hold up for a while with the big one that hit, but time after time being hammered by the large after shocks is scary to think about.
I think the crappy thing about the reports is the Cesium detected in the atmosphere. To me, that suggests something serious.
news update
Now the press is reporting that Unit 3 at Fukushima CAN NOT BE COOLED:eek:
This is bigger than any tsunami or earthquake, this wont be local/isolated to Japan. Lets hope it can be sorted.
Just found out my friends sister is 40km from the Fukushima and cant get anywhere...
:(The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said Sunday that 15 people were found to have been contaminated at a hospital located within 10 km from the No. 1 reactor. Edano said there was a possibility that nine people who fled on a bus had been exposed to radioactivity.
Another reactor at Fukushima nuke plant loses cooling functions
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77230.html
So what are they gonna do with this nuclear plant as a whole, I know even if they stop the operation of the reactors they'll need to be cooled down for quite a while but it almost sounds like they still attempt to use it for producing electricity from the other reactors or is that just my imagination? I know it's important to have electricity running (for example hospitals) but when several reactors start having cooling system malfunctions you start wondering... I'm sure people would want to be on the safe side not risking any serious nuclear meltdowns whatever consequences it may have turning off the whole plant.
Can't seem to find any reports stating what their decisions are with it really other than mentioning the problems it has.
The reactor was slated to be decommissioned on the 23rd of this month.Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD
Yea I also noticed that but I wonder if they'd concider shutting it down earlier now, I mean it's just 10 days until that and with the problems it's got currently it seems like very logical decision to me at least but yea I don't know of the exact consequences that would have to shut it down earlier than planned ofc but would be interesting to get more info about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by nameless?
There is no way that the gona operate it again, if there is even only a partial meltdown that practically means the fule rods are no rods anymore but just a clump of molten uranium and zircon and steel.Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD
If you want to know what will happen, look up the three miles island accident in the usa. Basically they need to clean up, and if they decide get rid of the reactor container itself it will cost them billions.
The top government spokesman said TEPCO has begun new cooling operations to fill the reactor with sea water and pour in boric acid to prevent an occurrence of criticality, noting it may take several hours to inject water into the reactor.Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD
In addition, it will take about 10 days to fill the container with sea water, he said. There is a great possibility that the reactor will be decommissioned as the injection of sea water containing salt and impure substances will make it difficult to operate it safely again, experts say.
Afaik most nuclear power plants have been shut down after the earthquake for safety measures. However, it takes a lot of time and energy to cool these plants down (perverted, I know) and really "turn them off".Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD
Also iIrc it was known that reactor #1, #2 and #4 of Fukushima 1 had problems with the cooling system.
For what i read, they are releasing steam from the reactor ...
Jeez ... :x
This really sucks ... what i really can't understand is how they didn't prevent this kind of situations to create some kind of redundancy for the backup generators ... :x
Given that there is a good chance that the fuel bundle has now at least partially melted and they've been dumping sea water and boron into the reactor to cool it and slow the reaction, there is no way that the thing will ever operate again.Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD
What are they doing with the sea water that leaves the reactor? I mean, they just can't keep injecting water. In order to cool the reactor, hot water has to leave it.
Where are they depositing this hot, radioactive water?
El Maņo... that's why they made 20km security perimeter ... steam must go out ... :x
If the water is being dumped into Pacific... :S :S
This is global.
The core of a nuclear reactor damaged by Friday’s massive earthquake has partially melted, Japan’s nuclear safety agency said, and the company that runs the plant is pouring seawater into the reactor in an attempt to cool it and prevent it from going critical.
Yea this is probably something they will discuss about if there's need to make a backup system for the backup generators or something and at least some improvements/changes. In an area prone to earthquakes this strong it may possibly not be a bad thing in the long run even if it'll ofc lead to extra costs but perhaps most other plants have a more safe backup system as this one's very old now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Postmodum
Do you really mean that they are simply allowing into the atmosphere water that has been in direct contact with a melting nuclear reactor???Quote:
Originally Posted by Postmodum
God bless us all if you are correct man.
I thought that the steam they vented belongs to the secondary loop, not to the primary one dedicated to cool the reactor.
RPG, yes ... but in an area of high seismic activity with high probabilities of tsunami's ... ( well, even the word was created by the japanese ) ... with nuclear plants installed in the coast line ... i mean ...
what i read is that the backup generators were damaged by the tsunami ... not the earthquake itself ...
:(
I'm sure the positioning of the plants play a huge role. :p: Yes at the coast but you would probably not want it to stay at "sea-level" though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Postmodum
... at least, economically speaking ;)
The sea water does NOT make direct contact with the highly radioactive fuel rods. Hence why they have stated that the steam and sea water are only mildly radioactive.
The secondary loop has failed, so whatever they vent has been in direct contact with core. Correct me if im wrong
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...llante.svg.png
edit: 13/16 loop (the cooling loop/clean loop) isnt working and they have to introduce seawater directly to 1 (the container/core), i really cant see a way this is good :(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_Water_Reactor
If i read it correctly the steam had be in contact with fuel rods since it was a result of the vaporization of the cold water cooling the fuel rods ... and now basically the blue loop disappeared ... and that steam must go out or it will just blow do to pressure .... or am i wrong?
When steam pressure builds up in the reactor vessel, it stops some of the emergency cooling systems working, and so some of the steam is released into the containment vessel.Quote:
Originally Posted by El Maņo
However, according to World Nuclear News, an industry newsletter, this caused pressure in the containment vessel to rise to twice the intended operating level, so the decision was taken to vent some of this into the atmosphere.
No they only fill the era surrding the pressure container (which contains the fule rods), no direct contact with the highly radioactive primary coolant is made.Quote:
Originally Posted by anubis
This cant really help much, its an isolated container - so cooling it from the outside wont help at all? Unless it has already been breached..Quote:
Originally Posted by Hornet331
edit : And the talk about the venting - what did they vent then but the contents of the container? Which is highly radioactive if im not mistaken.
another "Big aftershock right now. Screen shaking as I type."
How bad is it compared to the big one on Friday? Hope you're doing okay.Quote:
Originally Posted by dctokyo
Be strong, Japan.
Not as bad, this one was very short 20 seconds, the one on Friday lasted over 5 minutesQuote:
Originally Posted by Halo_003
Meh, not looking goodQuote:
BREAKING NEWS: Radiation surpasses legal limit in Fukushima No. 1 plant premises: TEPCO
http://www.infowars.com/tsunami-warn...-quake-to-9-1/
So, it was a 9.1....
Japan is getting quite a lot of aftershocks by the looks of things!Quote:
Originally Posted by dctokyo
Japan believes that a meltdown has occurred. What's worse is that a second meltdown may occur.
From CNN.
Wow. Literally one every 3-10 minutes.Quote:
Originally Posted by [200]
What a tragedy, the earthquakes laid enough pain on the Japanese people already, now they must endure a nuclear disaster. Very very sad to see everything happening over there.
Miah man, good to see you're OK :up:
Not only this but several of the aftershocks are nearly as powerful as the initial quake that rocked Haiti...Quote:
Originally Posted by SKYMTL
Here is the localized list -
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquak...140_40_eqs.php
I'll try to fill you guys in on some info since I work at a nuclear plant...
In the event of an emergency the containment building is meant to keep all the bad radiation inside. So far it looks like the building is still intact, which is great news. backup diesel generators onsite are supposed to power giant pumps that can pump water into the reactor from various sources. These sources are a bunch of tanks, the ocean, and the reactor itself. Once enough water has been pumped into the reactor then the system is realigned to provide a cooling path. Water is pumped out of the reactor, cooled, then pumped back in. If the reactor vessel were to crack, or something else happened that prevents the reactor from holding water inside it, then the plant is designed such that water is pumped into the reactor and comes out wherever the hole is. Then the containment building will start to fill with water. Once the containment building is filled completely then water is pumped from inside the containment building back into the reactor.
The key to preventing reactor damage is keeping water inside the core. As long as you can keep water in the core there will be no damage. This is a key characteristic of all nuclear power plants.
Currently, it sounds like there is no pure water available, so seawater is being pumped into the reactor. It isn't clear whether water is leaking out somewhere or just being vented. But the fact that water is being pumped into the reactor is the best news you could hear. It means that the amount of core damage is now under control. In the end, it looks like the worst is already over and all that is left is going to be keeping the pumps running until the reactor is completely cool(could be weeks or months) and then cleaning up the mess.
There's alot of sensationalism going on in the news. It's incredibly difficult to get any kinds of facts or solid numbers to figure out how bad it is. Honestly, if I lived close to the plant I wouldn't want to be there right now(mostly because there's so little data as to what is actually going on), but I'm convinced that in a few weeks it won't be as dire as the media says it is.
Thanks Josh
If you could explain just what was that, that blew up ?
The blast was major in my eyes and it took the whole top of the building off. Surely that causes major damage to the containment building itself ?
news update
more bad news, A partial meltdown is likely under way at second quake-stricken nuclear reactor:(
also
At the Fukushima No. 1 plant, a different reactor partially melted Saturday and operations to fill the reactor with sea water for emergency cooling continued Sunday to prevent an occurrence of criticality, but the utility also reported another rise in radiation surpassing the legal limit in the morning.
Chief Cabinet secretary Yukio Edano told an urgent press conference that the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., has confirmed there is no damage to the steel container housing the reactor, although the 3:36 p.m. explosion resulted in the roof and the walls of the building housing the reactor's container being blown away.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckeye
This puzzles me a bit as well, although I think I read it was because of the hydrogen created from the reactor was released because of over pressure and then ignited when it met Oxygen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckeye
Official NHK WORLD TV live on USTREAM.
NHK WORLD TV is an English language 24-hour international news and information channel.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv
Please, Earth, stop doing that... :(
Hydrogen is often used to cool the turbine generator. If it had been leaking(would anyone be surprised if some pipes burst?) then a spark would level the building. The turbine building is usually close to the containment building, but is not designed to be pressurized. I think that the building that is shown in the videos exploding was the turbine building.
The turbine buildings are often kept at a very slight vacuum so that any cracks in concrete(concrete is not always airtight and can be very porous), doors opening, etc sucks air into the turbine building. This provides the benefit of all air leaving the building only one way.. through HEPA filters. This is to help prevent any possible radioactive particles from escaping into the environment.
If a nuclear reactor gets hot enough the water will split back into hydrogen and oxygen(electrolysis). I'd expect that in an emergency if they have to vent the reactor, they vent it to the turbine building and then blow the air out through the HEPA filters into the environment. This would minimize the release to the environment. Of course, if you vent enough hydrogen and get a spark, you could level the building.
My guess is they vented to the turbine building and a spark ignited the hydrogen. You get a spectacular blast but it doesn't provide any indicator as to the status of the reactor.
One thing is for sure. If you destroy the turbine building, you'll likely never make any electricity again. The turbine generator is quite expensive ;). Of course, since core damage has likely occurred it's unlikely they'd even try to make electricity again anyway.
Edit:
One other thing i'd like to say...
The people at the plants are literally heroes. They're working hard despite possibly not knowing if their families are still alive, their homes are still there, etc. I'm sure some of them are grieving for lost ones and yet still expected to perform their job. Imagine the kind of stress on their shoulders right now. On top of that they're being exposed to large doses of radiation. It is possible that some of them may be exposed to lethal doses of radiation to protect the general public. Pray for the workers that may be sacrificing themselves.
Thanks Josh for that explantion :up:
i just realized something...its a good thing my country didn't approve of a nuclear power plant...we're also in the ring o fire...and im sure my country couldn't respond to this nuclear possible meltdown scenarios
hopefully our super jap bros handle the nuke problems well..
i thought a us ship was suppose to be there by now....
From what I hear (NBC news) the military already has a ship there with supplies as well as airlifting food and supplies to areas affected.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hondacity
They are literally risking their lives saving the Earth right now. Heros.Quote:
Originally Posted by josh1980
:up::bows::bows::bows::bows::bows::bows::bows:
Thanks Mark :)Quote:
Originally Posted by G H Z
Thanks again everyone for your prayers, I went and got my wife today, so we're all back together, safe and sound :up:
Thanks josh1980 for sharing all this info with us :up:
Very very sad for what happened in japan . japanese people really should be strong . Just after earthquake and tsunami , another chernobyl occured :(:( really really sad .
Don't know exactly but hope replacing of fusion based reactors cause less disaster of nuclear power in the future .
good to hear our Japanese friends are ok
terrible event this as well as NZ :(
I watch every day morning news at czech idnesweb...hope, not only problem with the reactor (hot) will be fixed.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geiger..._medium=social - if you want a quick way of checking if there's been any serious reactor leakages, at least it would show an increase in CPM, as it is now around 12.xx cpm that's perfectly normal levels (10~20 is usually concidered natural levels of radioactivity).
Mia... glad you're ok man! :) I'm always trying to talk with all my japanese friends but i had not luck so far :( kind of worried ...
They are now planning on scheduling blackouts for outer areas of Tokyo starting tomorrow by different regions on a 3hr basis by rotating around the areas. They are sure handling things quick and nicely over there with all these press conferences and decisions made on a short time period etc.
Those decisions were predefined long time ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD
It's called social defense.
Good to hear Mia :)Quote:
Originally Posted by miahallen
A vulcano has become active in Japan as well... Just hit the news. So sickening what these people have to endure. My prayers are with them.
Source: http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpre...ent-explosion/
1. earthquake
2. tsunami
3. nuclear accident
4. volcanic outburst ???
whatīs next - gozilla??? :D
thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by josh1980
the water was all gone since it avaporated, as it couldnt be cooled, and then was vented into the air or escaped when the pressure tank blew, which is what tore the roof off, right?
so now they use sea water to cool the reactor which is good, but what happens to the sea water? how do they cool it? or is it just evaporating and escaping just as the original cooling water did? :confused:
sure you dont know, but im curious what your thoughts are...
and yeah i think this is way overhyped by the media...
what do you think about the monitoring stations around the plant picking up massive radiation and detecting radioactive caesium and iodine? doesnt that mean the core has at least a minor leak? how else could those have escaped into the environment? through the cooling system??
Well, if the loops can't be completed then I guess that the vapor simply goes away...Quote:
Originally Posted by saaya
Just had a Japanese friend check in.
He's ok (lives just NE of Tokyo) but he has family up near the north east coast and no news on them :(
He says it's a warzone up there.
Stay strong all you guys who are affected by this and survived... the days ahead are going to be very hard.
Best wishes from the UK.
Biker.
the seawater containing bor acid (which is only used when u actually want to stop a meltdown) will evapor into the air. there is no way to fill it into a closed cooling cycle, also there should be no reason to do so, if the cooling cycle is still closed. so we have to expect the core to be open.Quote:
Originally Posted by saaya
i donīt think that media is overhyping this at all. think of tschernobyl 25yrs ago. michail gorbatschow was informed of the meltdown by sweden, not his own people.
Toughts and prayers to everyone in Japan and for those that have families there . Be strong and don't give up .
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
The heat of the nuclear reaction caused the creation of hydrogen und that's what exploded. Knallgas, kennste doch noch aus der Schule :pQuote:
Originally Posted by saaya
Thanks for the information, josh, really appreciate it! :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by josh1980
Woah, scary stuff :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by fellix_bg
Glad to hear you're all right! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by miahallen
:up::up::up::up::up:Quote:
Originally Posted by josh1980
guys check out the before and after photos here
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...sunami.html?hp
devastating :(
Here's some other pics too http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/ja...eforeafter.htm
Sick to see whole villages gone. :s
It is... I keep getting myself worked up about the villages and farms levelled and thinking about the people @ the fukushima plant... Do they have families/houses to go back to after battling the disaster? Or their lives have been levelled too?Quote:
Originally Posted by RPGWiZaRD
Is bloody awful really... I try to keep sombre thoughts at bay and have hopeful and positive thoughts instead, but they creep back in... :(
Been keeping tabs on the reactor situation that the Japanese have been handling. Sounds to me like they're doing everything correct to keep the cores in check. Better to release some radioactive steam and save the core than suffer a catastrophic core meltdown. Or two as it seems to be :(
All cooling systems have failed. The tsunami destroyed the backup diesel generators that would circulate the cooling loops that exchange heat with the water in direct contact with the core. The battery backups were drained I believe early Saturday morning to prevent a meltdown of the cladding that contains the pellets of uranium oxide.Quote:
Originally Posted by saaya
They've been venting steam to reduce pressures within the pressure vessel of the reactor. They began adding dirty sea water when they had vented off enough distilled water that the fuel rods were being exposed. The exposed rods, without any cooling from the surrounding water, would reach temperatures capable of melting the cladding due to residual fission reactions from the radioactive byproducts from uranium fission.
My understanding is at this point they are cooling the few MW of residual heat and cooling the core. The explosion that occurred earlier was due water disassociating into hydrogen and oxygen at high temperatures within the core. Rumor is the operators were venting the core steam into the building in an attempt to let any of the short-lived isotopes to stabilize. The biggest concern is if any fuel rods melted you could end up with cesium and iodine particles in the steam.
I wouldn't go grab a beer near the reactor but this thing won't blow up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadDias
Chernobyl was a catastrophic screw up by an inexperienced crew on an unstable reactor design. My understanding is that at Chernobyl the operators were attempting a test to see if the plant could sustain a complete power failure to the cooling systems and survive the gap between power failure and the emergency generators coming online. Long story short they removed all the neutron moderation rods, water flashed to steam as the core temperature spiked, the water, now being steam, was no longer absorbing neutrons which caused the core to spike even further. This massive spike in temperatures caused the water residing in the core to flash to steam and literally blew the lid off the structure. This wouldn't have happened if they hadn't removed all the moderation rods in an attempt to ramp up heat production..
The best comparison I've heard of is the Japanese meltdow is basically a Three Mile Island situation. Partial but contained meltdown with the release of some short lived radioactive gas/steam. The core is shutdown and they are just dealing with residual heat. They aren't dealing with a gigantic core spiking in thermal output.
edit: I should note that all of this is just from my casual research of the current situation and nuclear power design in general. I have zero formal education on nuclear power but I sometimes wish I did :D
When it first happened and the reported number of dead was around 40, i was relieved and thought that that was it.. Now it could be thousands and whole villages have been wiped out. Hopefully the nuclear plant's situation will not worsen because then the devastation will reach a different scale, if thats possible.
As long as the main radioactive elements remain in the enclosure, the situation shouldn't be that bad.
Chernobyl as most of Russias nuclear reactors were actually producing "material" for bombs, the power production was just a by-product.
Thats why the meltdown and radioactive waste were on the level they were. The Japanese reactors are way-way cleaner.
Earthquake --> Tsunami --> Nuclear Disaster --> Volcanic Activity = OMG how unlucky can you get!!! Sympathies to Japan and it's occupants from myself and everyone at NRNL.
+1 only disaster left is if North Korea's Kim Jong ill invadesQuote:
Originally Posted by SabreWulf69
New footage of moment tsunami hit
Like a living nightmare!
That's wierd, I was told a completely diff story about Chernobyl.
What I was told when I was young is they were scheduled to shut down the reactor, then got a phone call to keep it running (being greedy), so they lowered the rod back in place and it got stuck mid way and within min's it went critical.
Anyways there was supposedly an eruption at Hawaii's Kilauea a few days ago.
Which isn't out of the ordinary.
I mentioned this a day or 2 ago that I thought it might happen because of the recent earthquake activity.
I haven't looked at the maps in a long time now.
Can't see them now, the only thing I can do is look up on the list, seems the us has been become a bit more active in earthquakes but nothing major.
Hopefully we don't see any more volcano's start up...
Anyways I heard it could take up to a year to get power restored to the rest of japan.
As a side note, alot of people seem to think it's funny what's happening in japan.
:(
It's not not gonna help the usa economy just because a richer country then us is having a hard time people's...
Stay strong and survive. Toughts and prayers to everyone in Japan.
Humour is a well known mechanism to cope with situations that are just too awful to assimilate.Quote:
Originally Posted by NEOAethyr
However that doesn't make it funny.
Hope I'm making sense here.
However, I don't know if this is what you're talking about or you mean that some people find this disaster funny in the sense of "hilarious and entertaining"...
Japans greatest tragedy since WWII. Despite being one of the most advanced countries the world it's still utterly powerless facing natures fury :(
Here's a good article that explains the current status of the reactors and various possibilities of what the future could hold.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,3403230.story
@Gomeler- Your explanation for chernobyl is pretty accurate. Good enough for those not in the industry looking for the simple explanation. You are also correct that the issues in Japan more closely resemble 3 mile island than Chernobyl.