Japan Quake

[bbobb]

Oh Shit

I'm fucking disgusted by the media's fearmongering of this. They word it in ways and play it up in ways that say OMG RADIATION WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE. Which is not even close to true. For example this bullshit from that article.

The boss of the company behind the devastated Japanese nuclear reactor today broke down in tears - as his country finally acknowledged the radiation spewing from the over-heating reactors and fuel rods was enough to kill some citizens

They leave out some PRETTY key information here. Yeah it's enough to kill some citizens. THE CITIZENS WHO HAVE BEEN INSIDE THE PLANT. It's not dangerous at all outside of a about 20-30 mile radius and probably never will be. At worst it may become dangerous in a 50 mile radius. Shit is fucking stupid.

[Opaque]

It's not dangerous at all outside of a about 20-30 mile radius and probably never will be.

Most people fail to understand that.

There is a nuclear plant near me and they released an updated evacuation plan and fallout map because of what's going on in Japan and their evacuation circle is only 10 miles with an additional 10 mile radius outside of that as a worse case scenario. I literally wouldn't have to worry about a fucking thing, but my local paper is trying to make us believe that the entire southern half of California would be in immediate danger if that joint melted.

[AstroBlue]

The Daily Mail is a rag, always ignore it. The journalist who doesn't know the difference between radioactive material and radiation is pretty funny though. But it's a mistake that is happening a lot, even though it's the equivalent of mixing a stove up with heat, or a speaker up with sound.

[Chemist]

Its a wonder that they let journalists cover material that they know nothing about. I am seeing things here in Canada about people stocking up on Iodine pills, or whatever that shit is that protects against radiation poisoning.

[Drewbacca]

Most people fail to understand that.

There is a nuclear plant near me and they released an updated evacuation plan and fallout map because of what's going on in Japan and their evacuation circle is only 10 miles with an additional 10 mile radius outside of that as a worse case scenario. I literally wouldn't have to worry about a fucking thing, but my local paper is trying to make us believe that the entire southern half of California would be in immediate danger if that joint melted.

I live in an area with 2 nuclear generation facilities nearby. The danger in nuclear energy comes from (surprise surprise) bad information and ignorance. People calling for humanity to end its need for nuclear energy are nitwits (we should be exploring all avenues). What we need is better facilities and updated tech. So when water gets in the power grid shit doesn't melt down. Build up your standards and practices through experience, not down through fear.

[AstroBlue]

Well we got like a choice in the next 500 years, nuclear reactors... or candles.

[arjue]

The Japanese reactor in question is also a very old and dated design, newer reactors are significantly more stable and will only continue to get safer as the designs improve.

[Diff-chan]

I'm not an expert on nuclear reactor design, but it's from the 1970's, and that's when most reactors in the US were built. We haven't had any new shit in a while.

What we need is better facilities and updated tech. So when water gets in the power grid shit doesn't melt down. Build up your standards and practices through experience, not down through fear.

No matter what you do, nuclear power is risky. I agree that the risk is worth it, but it's not like the fear is there for no reason.

The fact that Americans on the West Coast have cleared out the area of potassium iodine pills is because Americans are, as a general rule, afraid of their (our) own shadow. But that's not exactly news.

[Tones]

Yet the same people will drive home while talking on their cell phones, and stop by In-N-Out on the way. The hypothetical risks are sure scarier than reality!

[Fe 26]

Americans are not scared of slowly killing themselves in familiar ways. In fact, that is their favorite way to die.