Of string quartets and nuclear reactors

A melt down is possible at the Vernon reactor. It is not passively safe the way new reactors are.

Multiple safety systems would have to fail. Notably though, the insertion of control rods if the reactor reaches a certain core temperature is automatic. No one needs to be awake at the controls to prevent a melt down. However, these safety systems could all fail, human failure would almost certainly play a role in the breakdown of some of these systems.

But a total meltdown requires many mistakes and simultaneous hardware failure. Also, an explosion such as one would have with a nuclear bomb, is not possible.

All US nuclear plants also have containment dome, making a release of radiation similar to Chernobyl impossible. Radiation could still be released through the cooling cycle, but there wouldn't be hot gases escaping from the reactor core directly into the atmosphere.

Three Mile Island demonstrated that even with many errors, US nuclear plants have safety measures such that a serious melt down, will in almost all cases result in nothing more than a serious financial loss for the plant operator.

Also keep in mind the relative risks, the averaged risk of deaths due to nuclear power vs. those of Coal power is a gigantic ratio. Coal power results in pollutants that kill tens of thousands of people every year, not one person has died in the US civilian nuclear industry.

But, if you really are worried about a melt-down, I'd recommend getting some Potassium Iodate. FEMA no longer stocks it since supposedly we are not under risk of nuclear attack. Personally I'd much sooner worry about North Korea nuking us than a US version of Chernobyl. Either way, it's good to have some KI on hand.

Andrew wrote:

A But, if you really are worried about a melt-down, I'd recommend getting some Potassium Iodate. FEMA no longer stocks it since supposedly we are not under risk of nuclear attack. Personally I'd much sooner worry about North Korea nuking us than a US version of Chernobyl. Either way, it's good to have some KI on hand.

KI is distributed withn the EPZ of nuclear power plants. But as long as you include enough iodine in your diet, you don't really need it.

Donnie wrote:

<quoted text>KI is distributed withn the EPZ of nuclear power plants. But as long as you include enough iodine in your diet, you don't really need it.

Interesting, didn't know that. You learn something new every day.

If there is real fallout though, you want to take in more KI than one gets through diet alone. You want massive amounts so reduce the amount of radioactive iodine you take it. The greater the ratio of non-radioactive to radioactive, the better off you are.

Andrew wrote:

<quoted text>
Interesting, didn't know that. You learn something new every day.
If there is real fallout though, you want to take in more KI than one gets through diet alone. You want massive amounts so reduce the amount of radioactive iodine you take it. The greater the ratio of non-radioactive to radioactive, the better off you are.

That is false. Once the thyroid is saturated with non-radioactive iodine, it won't take in any other iodine. Massive doses can be harmful to people's health. There is no medical or other scientific support for your false assertion.

Donnie wrote:

<quoted text>That is false. Once the thyroid is saturated with non-radioactive iodine, it won't take in any other iodine. Massive doses can be harmful to people's health. There is no medical or other scientific support for your false assertion.

Everything is a poison, the question is dosage.

You are certainly quite hostile in your assertions. I therefore checked to see if your assertions indeed had scientific support, and indeed they do not seem to. Perhaps you are relying on different sources then I found. I'm glad I checked however, otherwise I would have been operating under the assumption that your opinion on this matter represents scientific consensus, when it indeed does not.

The World Health Organizations "Guidelines for Iodine Prophylaxis following Nuclear Accidents" recommends 130mg for people over the age of twelve. The average Americans diet contains amounts of iodine measured in thousands of micrograms, therefore Iodine Prophylaxis is indeed still recommended. In Ireland stockpiles of Iodine continue to be maintained for the event of a nuclear attack.

Perhaps the World Health Organization as well as the Irish government is entirely wrong on this matter, but for the time being I will trust their opinion and would recommend others do so (over the opinion of some random person on online forums, no offense intended). If you have sources which support your opinion on this matter I would be interested to read them.

It is competition sort of thing. By supplementing the diet with stable iodine when I 131 is present, mass action rules. Since the supplement provides massive amounts of stable iodine very little radioactive iodine is taken up.

My question is, why worry about the need to protect against radioactive iodine? There are other dangers for which prophylaxis exist that have far greater probability of causing harm. We all need sharpen our skills at doing comparative risk assessment

John wrote:

It is competition sort of thing. By supplementing the diet with stable iodine when I 131 is present, mass action rules. Since the supplement provides massive amounts of stable iodine very little radioactive iodine is taken up.
My question is, why worry about the need to protect against radioactive iodine? There are other dangers for which prophylaxis exist that have far greater probability of causing harm. We all need sharpen our skills at doing comparative risk assessment

Oh, I'm not saying people should worry about it. It's a cheap way of protecting oneself against some of the first health problems which results from fallout. Why not?

Sure, if you don't have smoke detectors or something, that's a better first investment.

they have drunken potheads working in the CONTROL ROOM at Vermont Yankee and all they get is 3 days suspension and then they go back to work in the CONTROL ROOM at Vermont Yankee.

Vermont Yankee is a hip place to work. if more nuclear reactors ran like this, whats to worry about?

dave wrote:

they have drunken potheads working in the CONTROL ROOM at Vermont Yankee and all they get is 3 days suspension and then they go back to work in the CONTROL ROOM at Vermont Yankee.

Liar.

there where two articles in the Keene Sentinel. one was how a worker went to a party and "must have eaten some brownies" laced with pot. another was of a worker that had a BAC higher than what is allowed to report to work.
they both work in the Control Room it was reported about in the paper. both these happened within a one month span so im not a liar.

dave wrote:

there where two articles in the Keene Sentinel. one was how a worker went to a party and "must have eaten some brownies" laced with pot. another was of a worker that had a BAC higher than what is allowed to report to work.
they both work in the Control Room it was reported about in the paper. both these happened within a one month span so im not a liar.

Fair enough, anyone actually working in an engineering function should be fired if they are coming to work drunk. But having smoked pot on the weekend or at a party? Do you seriously think that endangers someone's ability to work on Monday? Right. These aren't drug enforcement agents.

I couldn't find the article. But if the guy is a janitor who works in the control room or a secretary, then fine. You don't need to a nuclear engineer to work in a control room any more than you need to a brain surgeon to work in an operating theater.

dave wrote:

(Drunk) and (brownies) happened within a one month span so im not a liar.

You said drunken potheads not drunks AND potheads.
Also, until you show evidence to the contrary, the so called "drunk" only had too high alcohol level in his blood. We don't know whether he was actually impaired - he might have been, but the onus to show that is on YOU.
So the correct wording is:
"Imbibers and potheads"
So you are a liar.

Show me, like those folks in Missouri say! At least they have a "system" check workers. You should applaud that.

i dont really care what anyone is on at VT. Yankee im just letting others out there know whats going on because it seems that this article was buried in the paper, but it still was reported.
the whole place can go into a full blown Chernobyl for all i care. and it will.