In 2015, the 70th anniversary year of the first atomic bomb explosion, there were a number of documentaries on TV, primarily on PBS, about the atomic bomb and uranium in general.

 

The 'invention' of the atomic bomb probably compares only to the 'discovery' of fire in altering the course of human events. Of course neither event was an invention or discovery, but rather a realization of how to harness natural processes for the better. Or worse.

 

The PBS show 'Uranium: Twisting The Dragon's Tail' was really fascinating. It re-aired recently and I captured it. Way too much to recount in a post. But here's two items referenced in that show.

 

When uranium naturally degrades, it spawns 14 'daughter' elements, some of which you'll recognize such as radium, radon, and the last element in the chain... lead. Here is an exposition on that lineage.

 

You may also recall the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, and then the one in Fukushima after the earthquake and tsunami. Well, guess which one is still posing the greatest risk?

 

One other factoid. If you exhumed the bodies of anyone who died before 1945 you would find one big difference in the analysis of their bones. They wouldn't have any radioactive fallout material products in their bones.

 

We who are alive all do.

 

Addendum: Here is the complete decay chain.

Yeah, I'm not prone to tinfoil hat conspiracy thinking - or - anxiety for that matter, but I confess... I've been closely tracking the Fukushima event ever since it happened... and I have NEVER been convinced that it is anywhere near under control. These most recent articles coming out (confirming melt-through in Reactor 2) are downright chilling... and yet the coverage has been surprisingly scant and low-key. I mean, think about it: they just diagnosed this melt-through... NOW?? Because they couldn't even get close enough to that mess? And now that they know, they don't have the technology to do anything about it? WTF?? How is this not on every front page of every newspaper around the globe?

 

As I see it, here we are years later after the initial disaster, and yet the situation is still very much unfolding. We have no idea what might be the worst to come out of that initial event... and that's even if it never deviates from its current, glacier-like pace. When you figure it's still in one of the most seismically active areas in the world... one can easily imagine another earthquake and/or tsunami escalating the situation instantly into a much worse disaster than has already occurred. Ugh, it boggles my mind. I confess, it has turned me off to nuclear power big time. I just don't trust the arrogance of science coupled with the greed of big business to be in charge of such a potentially destructive force.

 

One other factoid. If you exhumed the bodies of anyone who died before 1945 you would find one big difference in the analysis of their bones. They wouldn't have any radioactive material in their bones.

 

We who are alive all do.

 

Addendum: Here is the complete decay chain.

 

 

I know what you mean, referencing radioactive material from the atomic blasts.

 

But those who died before 1945 still have radioactive material in their bones...Carbon 14 and Potassium 40, among others.

I know what you mean, referencing radioactive material from the atomic blasts.

 

But those who died before 1945 still have radioactive material in their bones...Carbon 14 and Potassium 40, among others.

You're right. I edited my post to indicate 'radioactive fallout material products'.

 

Of course. We've been doing carbon dating for decades.

Here is something more specific about what's going on and the elements involved.

 

Admittedly I can't testify to this author's competence. Take it for what is worth. Other stories with comparable facts have been published today.

Someone please explain to me how something with a half-life of half a million years (Strontium 90) suddenly decays so quickly so as to enable Hiroshima to become a bustling metropolis?  Maybe it was because it actually has a half-life of 28.8 years and we didn't realize it until well after '45??

 

Explain to me please how this world we live in has absorbed over 300+ above ground Nuke Tests (conducted by the US alone) and was able to "fix itself"?

 

Explain to me please how Tests Able and Baker didn't poison the entire Pacific Ocean & cause dead 3-eyed fish to wash-up all over the world?

 

I've watched every documentary that I know to exist on this subject, and I'm still not convinced that the situation in Japan will kill us all.  Let's all watch China Syndrome and scare the shit outta ourselves, lol!

I'm not saying Fukushima will kill us all, Smokin .50 - but I am arguing that the problem will undoubtedly have implications for human, animal and plant health as the problem is MUCH larger than people have realized.

 

You have to consider the scale. For instance, take the reports that came out in the summer of 2011 - where it was calculated that the cesium-137 released by Fukushima was already equivalent to that of 168 Hiroshima bombs. [ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8722400/Fukushima-caesium-leaks-equal-168-Hiroshimas.html ] True, it's not the same immediate destruction as a nuke going off... but consider... this is now nearly 6 years later... and that puppy has been leaking the whole time. So, how many Hiroshimas does it equal now in terms of radiation release?

 

And here's the kicker... keep in mind, we only just found out that it's now leaking FAR more radiation than it was back in 2011. So, all of those nuclear documentaries you've seen?... they were made prior to this latest knowledge. Again, I tend not to get caught up in alarmist thinking... but I do believe we are in completely unchartered waters with regards to this disaster and the lack of technology to contain it. The earthquake in 2016 may have made the situation far worse... but the truth is, it doesn't sound like "the experts" have a clue how long it's been spitting out these far higher levels of radiation.

 

IMO, all along this has been the biggest under-reported story of the decade... and it's still not getting the attention it should. I'm not convinced they're throwing enough effort at this. If they need special robots with robust, shielded electronics - and they apparently do need that - they should be harnessing the efforts of every company on the globe with expertise in that field. I'd feel better if I knew that was happening and at a rapid pace. I'm just really doubtful as so much of this situation was bungled from the get-go. Color me cynical.

Well, I'll take a crack at it.

Someone please explain to me how something with a half-life of half a million years (Strontium 90) suddenly decays so quickly so as to enable Hiroshima to become a bustling metropolis?  Maybe it was because it actually has a half-life of 28.8 years and we didn't realize it until well after '45?? Science doesn't understand everything correctly the first time around.

 

Explain to me please how this world we live in has absorbed over 300+ above ground Nuke Tests (conducted by the US alone) and was able to "fix itself"? Absorbing the results of those tests did not 'fix'' anything. The results were simply diluted to the point they're unnoticed. Some of that dilution is now in your bones. But you don't mind, because as far as you know it hasn't affected you.

 

Explain to me please how Tests Able and Baker didn't poison the entire Pacific Ocean & cause dead 3-eyed fish to wash-up all over the world? They simply weren't big enough, But they did render all those ships too radioactive to use, along with a couple hundred million tons of sea water.

 

I've watched every documentary that I know to exist on this subject, and I'm still not convinced that the situation in Japan will kill us all.  Let's all watch China Syndrome and scare the shit outta ourselves, lol! The situation in Japan probably won't kill us all. If they have another material release, depending on the circumstances it might just be a couple million. Or hundred million, depending on the wind direction or underground water flow.

For the record, I'm not a nuclear engineer or scientist (like Jimmy Carter). And I didn't put my post up to scare anyone or start a scientific argument. I just found the subject interesting. I'm not scared here in New Jersey. If I lived in Tokyo it might be a different story. There will be other earthquakes.

 

The one thing that is clear is that we have created and are creating elements in large quantities that "may be hazardous to your health" and that are impossible to manage once out of control. And Chernobyl has demonstrated that at least some problems may hang around a lot longer than 28.8 years.

 

But right now? We're fine.

Oyster creek is the exact same design as Fukushima.

Jus sayen

10x will chime in here about surface area, solubility and all the other variables.

10x will chime in here about surface area, solubility and all the other variables.

I wasn't going to chime in at all, and now I have to come up with something related to surface area? :-)

 

Other variables would include whether or not an isotope gets concentrated in the body and where (strontium goes for bone, iodine for the thyroid, tritium goes friggin' everywhere) and whether it is primarily an alpha, beta, or gamma emitter.

 

I didn't watch the video...was strontium 90 really once thought to have a half life of half a million years?

Bikini islanders have a problem with potassium. Smoking fiddy.

U put the lime in the coconut

I wasn't going to chime in at all, and now I have to come up with something related to surface area? :-)

 

Other variables would include whether or not an isotope gets concentrated in the body and where (strontium goes for bone, iodine for the thyroid, tritium goes friggin' everywhere) and whether it is primarily an alpha, beta, or gamma emitter.

 

I didn't watch the video...was strontium 90 really once thought to have a half life of half a million years?

I know what you mean; sometimes I'm reluctant to chime in on anything!

 

Since you mentioned alpha, beta and gamma, that was one thing I learned: that the three of them have very different effective distances and penetration capability. Alpha very short and not much. Beta longer and somewhat. Gamma... look out. That's why the 'Radium Girls' all got sick even though they were dealing with an alpha emitter, when radium obviously didn't bother Madame Curie et al. The Radium Girls swallowed it. So when it was decaying in their tissues and blood... pow! Cancer cells.

Hey, I'm that guy.

 

Knowledge is power

And RIF

Reading is fundamental