The European Tribune is a forum for thoughtful dialogue of European and international issues. You are invited to post comments and your own articles.
Please REGISTER to post.
iodine-131 is being released at daily levels 73 per cent of those seen after the 1986 disaster. The daily amount of caesium-137 released from Fukushima Daiichi is around 60 per cent of the amount released from Chernobyl.
Now, rate of emission is one thing; duration is another: but how long did Chernobyl emit radioactive smoke? *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
rate of emission is one thing; duration is another: but how long did Chernobyl emit radioactive smoke?
Because of the Soviet lack of transparency it was possible for them to send in firefighters without telling them what they were working on. It was also possible for the authorities to start evacuating Pripyat within 48 hours, before Forsmark in Sweden raised the alert due to the radiation levels. It was also possible for the Soviets to deploy thousands of "liquidators" to do the cleanup after the fire was out.
Here we have a situation where safety of emergency workers is taken seriously and information flows relatively openly, which probably results in slower crisis response and contamination over longer times.
Compare the incident of the Japanese workers wading ankle-deep in radioactive water with the Chernobyl firefighters. So, in what may be my last act of "advising", I'll advise you to cut the jargon. -- My old PhD advisor, to me, 26/2/11
No, only the secondary fires, the graphite moderator fire in the reactor "continued to burn for many days". I found this: Chernobyl - A breakdown of communication between scientists and the public
After ten hours of trying to put the fire out with water it was apparent that this would not work. For over a week helicopters dumped lead and sand onto the smoldering reactor in an attempt to extinguish the fire. This to did not work. Nitrogen was next used to cool the fire and deprive it of oxygen. Finally on May the sixth the fire was brought under control.
That's ten days then.
And, fortunately, also the timely evacuation of poulations from the areas affected by the fallout. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
The fires were extinguished by 05:00, but many firefighters received high doses of radiation. The fire inside Reactor No. 4 continued to burn until 10 May 1986
Chapter II The release, dispersion and deposition of radionuclides - Chernobyl: Assessment of Radiological and Health Impact
The release pattern over time is well illustrated in Figure 3 (Bu93). The initial large release was principally due to the mechanical fragmentation of the fuel during the explosion. It contained mainly the more volatile radionuclides such as noble gases, iodines and some caesium. The second large release between day 7 and day 10 was associated with the high temperatures reached in the core melt. The sharp drop in releases after ten days may have been due to a rapid cooling of the fuel as the core debris melted through the lower shield and interacted with other material in the reactor. Although further releases probably occurred after 6 May, these are not thought to have been large....Although the releases were considerably reduced on 5 and 6 May (days 9 and 10) after the accident), continuing low-level releases occurred in the following week and for up to 40 days after the accident, particularly on 15 and 16 may, attributable to continuing outbreaks of fires or to hot areas in the reactor. These later releases can be correlated with increased concentrations of radionuclides in air measured at Kiev and Vilnius.
...Although the releases were considerably reduced on 5 and 6 May (days 9 and 10) after the accident), continuing low-level releases occurred in the following week and for up to 40 days after the accident, particularly on 15 and 16 may, attributable to continuing outbreaks of fires or to hot areas in the reactor. These later releases can be correlated with increased concentrations of radionuclides in air measured at Kiev and Vilnius.
by Frank Schnittger - Dec 3 2 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Dec 2 2 comments
by gmoke - Nov 28
by Frank Schnittger - Nov 21 10 comments
by gmoke - Nov 12 6 comments
by Oui - Dec 8
by Oui - Dec 716 comments
by Oui - Dec 5
by Frank Schnittger - Dec 32 comments
by Oui - Dec 214 comments
by Frank Schnittger - Dec 22 comments
by Oui - Dec 26 comments
by Oui - Dec 112 comments
by Oui - Dec 14 comments
by Oui - Nov 306 comments
by Oui - Nov 289 comments
by Oui - Nov 276 comments
by gmoke - Nov 26
by Oui - Nov 268 comments
by Oui - Nov 26
by Oui - Nov 2513 comments
by Oui - Nov 2318 comments
by Oui - Nov 22
by Oui - Nov 222 comments