NUCLEAR DISASTERElaina Powell

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? Fukushima Daiichi is a nuclear power plant

in Japan. On March 11, 2011, the plant was hit by a

tsunami caused by the Tohoku earthquake. The power source of three of the reactors

were damaged. They were unable to effectively use the

Residual Heat Removal systems to cool the reactors for three days.

Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale

EVENTS

Event Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3Loss of AC

power + 51 min + 54 min + 52 min

Loss of cooling + 1 hour + 70 hours + 36 hoursWater level

down to top of fuel*

+ 3 hours + 74 hours + 42 hours

Core damage starts* + 4 hours + 77 hours + 44 hoursReactor

pressure vessel damage*

+11 hours uncertain uncertain

Fire pumps with fresh water + 15 hours   + 43 hoursHydrogen

explosion (not confirmed for

unit 2)

+ 25 hoursservice floor

+ 87 hourssuppression

chamber+ 68 hoursservice floor

Fire pumps with seawater + 28 hours + 77 hours + 46 hours

Off-site electrical supply + 11-15 days

Fresh water cooling + 14-15 days

WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED AFTER THAT?  iodine-131,  caesium-137, Cs-134 20 km radius around the plant was

evacuated, around 300,000 people 310 square miles declared uninhabitable. 1,600 deaths caused by the evacuation. The surrounding area is still radioactive Clean up is proving to be pointless. Contamination of the soil and water, both

important common resources, around the plant, causing severe heath issues in the wildlife population.

E

LET’S POINT FINGERS (NOT THAT ONE, YOU IDIOTS) The finger was not pointed at Mother

Nature, but at the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPC)

Much of the damage could be blamed on insufficient safety measures and equipment.

An example of this is the backup power systems.

TEPC gracefully accepted the fault, and even compensated for the damages caused to property by the radiation and evacuation.

WHAT THE HECK DID THE GOVERNMENT DO? Before Fukushima’s big “oops,” the Japanese

Government wanted to expand the share of nuclear power… Now, not so much.

Now they are reducing the use of nuclear power.

38 plants closed, only 2 left open! The public goes Anti-nuke!  "By shattering the government's long-pitched

safety myth about nuclear power, the crisis dramatically raised public awareness about energy use and sparked strong anti-nuclear sentiment". -The Japan Times

SO, BASICALLY… WHAT THE HECK?!? The nuclear power plant went boom because

they weren’t prepared for the weather. Grossness and radiation spilled everywhere,

and everyone within 20 km had to be evacuated.

The water supply and marine life is useless… Actually, that whole area sucks.

The company owned up and admitted it was their bad.

The country shut almost all of their nuclear plants and got power elsewhere.

The public of Japan began an Anti-nuclear movement.

WHAT THE HECK IS THIS CRAP?!?

http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/environmental-health-policy-institute/responses/costs-and-consequences-of-fukushima.html

http://world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Fukushima-Accident/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster

http://www.lee.k12.nc.us/cms/lib03/NC01001912/Centricity/Domain/701/Rubric%20for%2020th%20Century%20Environmental%20Disasters%20Presentations.pdf

http://rt.com/news/japan-nuclear-crisis-blame-053/

http://www.siemens.com/press/pool/de/feature/2012/corporate/2012-03-energiewende/factsheet-e.pdf

*Bonus*