Radiation Reaches California

[EMCE Hammer]

What a catastrophe. I wish I could thank the people who are on site trying to get things under control. They're the real world equivalent of Spock in Star Trek II, but there isn't going to be a happy ending.

[Doc]

I hope this will be a wake up call for everybody but I doubt it. It goes along with the going full tilt on the use of nonreplenishable fossil fuels.

Its like what part of "It will eventually run out" doesnt everybody understand? It doesnt matter if it is cheap now. (90 % of the world runs exclusivly on it)

We should really be working on the alternatives now instead of just using more and waiting till The S**t really hits the fan

[Doc]

I still can't believe that they blew through all of their backup plans, to the point where it made sense to call the cops. Seriously. Trucks with water cannons?

Imagine being the 911 operator on that call.

And think a minute. This water it not exclusivly going into containment vessles. Its washing over the entire facility and washing right back into the environment. (Outer buildings, drains, the parking lot, you name it.)

[jessica]

*sigh*

There is just no end to this tragedy.

Maybe there is...it just won't be happy and peachy.

[HardyGirl]

According to the reports, the back x-ray I'll be getting on Monday has more radiation than there is in the air. But none of this is the least bit funny, and those of you who are not on the West Coast shouldn't be making light of this. No one is immune to tragedy. And remember how scared we all were in the 80s about nuclear disaster? It's no joke and it can happen. Just happened a little later than any of us expected.

[Duncan]

According to the reports, the back x-ray I'll be getting on Monday has more radiation than there is in the air. But none of this is the least bit funny, and those of you who are not on the West Coast shouldn't be making light of this. No one is immune to tragedy. And remember how scared we all were in the 80s about nuclear disaster? It's no joke and it can happen. Just happened a little later than any of us expected.

Agreed, not funny at all. However, I think the most shocking part of it is that they really didn't have the necessary backups in place. I can't tell you how impressed I was to see video of the skyscrapers swaying during the quake, and hearing about the engineering & counter-weights. I just wish they'd applied the same creativity & diligence at the nuke plant before this all happened. Fire trucks with water cannons?

And as Arzak mentioned, a lot of brave workers will wind up paying with their health or lives.

[Doc]

Agreed, not funny at all. However, I think the most shocking part of it is that they really didn't have the necessary backups in place. I can't tell you how impressed I was to see video of the skyscrapers swaying during the quake, and hearing about the engineering & counter-weights. I just wish they'd applied the same creativity & diligence at the nuke plant before this all happened. Fire trucks with water cannons?

And as Arzak mentioned, a lot of brave workers will wind up paying with their health or lives.

Remember too the particle indeed will fall out of the air as they make their way here.... And fall right into the ocean. And the food chain.

[Duncan]

Remember too the particle indeed will fall out of the air as they make their way here.... And fall right into the ocean. And the food chain.

Not really looking forward to that.

From AP: "Japan said radiation levels in spinach and milk from farms near its tsunami-crippled nuclear complex exceeded government safety limits...from farms as far as 65 miles (100 kilometers) from the stricken plants, suggesting a wide area of nuclear contamination."

[Adam West]

This reminds me of two things...
1) My brother in law is a computational fluid dynamics engineer, who switched to land-based turbine work from aerospace a few years ago because he didn't want to leave his beach house So he works in power generation and of course one of his German parent company's standing practices is to have energy independence plans ready to roll in the off chance that the US would pull the trigger on infrastructure spending, so that they could competitively bid and be ready to work.
The current professional estimation is that the US could, through a combination of hydro, wind, and solar, be completely independent of foreign energy requirements within ten years using only existing technology (no research, no breakthroughs, just scaling-up). The cost was estimated (spread out over ten years) to total about 1/4th (that should have read 1/2) of one year's military spending

Which is what dollar amount? If this statement is true private companies looking to make a profit would be all over this. I'm not trying to start a controversy...just look at things from a logical perspective. If hydro, wind, and solar was the answer then a company would be doing it and be profitable.

[Adam West]

As a side note, for those of you freaking out....do your research on the Chernobyl disaster and radiation effects. I think you will find that it isn't as scary as suggested. If it is reaching the West Coast of the U.S. it is so small that it even isn't a concern.

[Doc]

As a side note, for those of you freaking out....do your research on the Chernobyl disaster and radiation effects. I think you will find that it isn't as scary as suggested. If it is reaching the West Coast of the U.S. it is so small that it even isn't a concern.

Think you should do a little reaserch. Everything I read stated cancer rates and birth defects shot throught the roof. Supposedly the town around Chernobly is still uninhabitable...

Unless of coarse you get info from Glen Beck. Then the whole nuclear thing is just hype..

[MIB41]

I don't think there will ever be any levels of radiation high enough to impact the health of the California population. Plus that situation with reactor #4 is greatly improved now. So any exposure to radiation will be minimal. It's the milk you might want to pass on...

[Type3Toys]

The whole point of my thread was to illustrate how what happens in a country 1000's of miles away can impact the entire world in not only a negitive way but in a positive way.
Not only that, but this also serves as a reminder that as humans, we are all guest's here, equal in greatness, equal in minutness.

[MIB41]

That is very true John. And a good point to make. We all share the same environment, no matter where we live. If it's happening to Japan, it is happening to us.

[Type3Toys]

That is very true John. And a good point to make. We all share the same environment, no matter where we live. If it's happening to Japan, it is happening to us.

BINGO!