MIT report: don't reprocess spent fuel

We have seen that reactions after the Fukushima accident have led to calls for changes in nuclear waste policy.  Some have argued that the involvement of spent fuel pools in the Fukushima disaster argues for reprocessing or other approaches besides allowing spent reactor fuel to sit around indefinitely.  Others have argued that the plutonium leaking from the damaged Fukushima reactor that used MOX fuel shows we shouldn't reprocess.

A new MIT research study out today argues that after Fukushima we should revisit our entire nuclear waste strategy.  It states that there is no urgent need to reprocess, so the best course of action is to store waste in a temporary, stable, and regularly managed form and leave the option open of reprocessing decades in the future if uranium supplies dwindle. 

This is a new and different approach to the whole nuclear waste question.  Check out more details in this New York Times article.

“The minimum time given is ten years”

The "ten years" we're talking about here is the minimum time for dismantling the damaged Fukushima plant and cleaning up the site to a point where it is completely stable.

Read more about it in this IEEE Spectrum blog article.

Chernobyl 25th anniversary

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion that caused the worst nuclear accident the world has ever known.  A few interesting links:

Time Magazine photos of the abandoned town of Pripyat (housing for Chernobyl workers), 25 years later.

More pictures, from an Economist blog.

LA Times article on how there is still uncertainty about the long-term health effects of the disaster.

The Atlantic article on Chernobyl as a tourist attraction

Don't Go in the Park

In Fukushima City near Fukushima plant, children are only allowed to play in parks for up to one hour. Children also shouldn't go in the sand. Why not warn people to not go outside at all?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu-jeKB0-B8

-Oliver

Fukushima timeline and projected total radiation releases

Japanese authorities are claiming that the worst radiation releases are over, and that the leaks should decline over time so that the total radiation released by the Fukushima disaster remains close to 10% of what was released in Chernobyl.

But, they also say that it's going to take 3 months to stop the leaks, and 6 to 9 months to get to a fully safe "cold shutdown" state for the troubled reactors. 

Let's hope that nothing else goes seriously wrong (and there are no further earthquakes!) in this time period! 

Read more in this AFP article

russia/Mayak nuclear plant

full 32 min segment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbR00_W4gEo

-Alex

Readings for final homework assignment, plus extras

Here are the two required web readings for the final homework (#7):
1) "Fact sheet" on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/nptfact
2) New York Times article from last year on the Obama administration's "Nuclear Posture Review." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/world/06arms.html

It really is interesting and worthwhile to read the Nuclear Posture Review itself, or at least the "executive summary" at the beginning.  This document lays out U.S. nuclear policy in fairly clear language, although there is a lot of specialized vocabulary associated with nuclear policy issues.

Find the whole thing at:
http://www.defense.gov/npr/

Here come the robots...

Seriously!  Robots are now being used at Fukushima to take video and measure radiation levels within the most dangerous regions of the reactor buildings.  See video:

From this article by Popular Science.

Level 7!

Remember our discussion of the 7-level system for labeling nuclear incidents?  Remember how surprised we all were that Fukushima was being rated at level 5?  Well, they've raised the level all the way to 7, putting it on par with Chernobyl.  Estimates say the radioactivity released is already about 10% of Chernobyl and also that it doesn't show signs of stopping anytime soon, so it could in fact surpass the total release at Chernobyl.

Check out the news story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/world/asia/13japan.html

Town near nuclear plant rejects Japanese utility's 'token' offer

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/05/japan.nuclear.money/index.html?npt=NP1

Tokyo Electric Power Company began paying neighboring towns.
One town, Namie, refuses the "apology".

- Christine

Gallup poll: Americans aren't turning against nuclear power

Well, this little video isn't too convincing since it just involves a couple of questions.  But it does seem to hint that public opinion in the US hasn't changed dramatically because of the Fukushima disaster.

 Link to short Gallup poll video

(I have a hard time listening to this guy say "nuke-u-lar" so many times!  Ack!)

Japanese Officials Dumping Water 1 Million Times Safe Limit into the Ocean

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/05/japan.nuclear.reactors/index.html?hpt=T1

I think the title says it all

posted by Sam

Triage, monitoring and dose assessment for people exposed to ionising radiation following a malevolent act

interesting article from the Radiation Protection Dosimetry journal (http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/) about precautionary measures & existing protocols for handling radiation crises

-Bethany Schmitt

Abstract

The part played by individual monitoring within the context of the overall response to incidents involving the malevolent use of radiation or radioactive material is discussed. The main objectives of an individual monitoring programme are outlined, and types of malevolent use scenario briefly described. Some major challenges facing those with responsibilities for planning the monitoring response to such an incident are identified and discussed. These include the need for rapid selection and prioritisation of people for individual monitoring by means of an effective triage system; the need for rapid initiation of individual monitoring; problems associated with monitoring large numbers of people; the particular difficulties associated with incidents involving pure-beta and alpha-emitting radionuclides; the need for techniques that can provide retrospective estimates of external radiation exposures rapidly and the need for rapid interpretation of contamination monitoring data. The paper concludes with a brief review of assistance networks and relevant international projects planned or currently underway.

Full article

Readings for this week's Homework

The goal of the homework assignment this week is to explore the "pros and cons" of nuclear energy as a whole (see the handout posted to the portal).  You can use your own research for this, but here are some articles that can help get you started.

An Overview of Both Sides:

Wall Street Journal overview of both sides of the debate.  

Articles and Resources Promoting Nuclear Energy (Pro):

Essay by Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore supporting nuclear energy

Essay from World Nuclear Association's founder John Rich on "The Necessity of Nuclear Power"

Article from the World Nuclear Association on the safety of nuclear reactors (including updates related to Japan)

Collection of "myths and facts" articles from the Nuclear Energy Institute (an industry group)

Articles and Resources Against Nuclear Energy (Con):

Greenpeace anti-nuclear campaign website

Greenpeace briefing:  Nuclear is Not the Answer

Union of Concerned Scientists article arguing against a "nuclear renaissance"

Union of Concerned Scientists article arguing against subsidies for nuclear energy

An editorial reflecting on Fukushima and arguing nuclear is not viable largely due to its water dependence

"Jumpers Wanted"

Make $5000 a day working for TEPCO in the damaged reactor! Cool! As a "jumper," all you have to do is run in, complete some kind of task and then run out as quickly as possible. Fun!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/01/us-japan-quake-jumpers-idUSTRE7303C420110401

-sam york

Japen Nuclear Evacuation "will be long-term"

Officials say residents near the Fukushima plant face a long-term evacuation, as Japan begins an intensive search for missing quake victims.

11,500 people are confirmed dead by nearly 16,500 remain unaccounted for.

Article Link