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The Forum > Article Comments > What is going on at Fukushima? > Comments

What is going on at Fukushima? : Comments

By Tom Quirk, published 6/4/2011

Human deaths from the nuclear accident at Fukushima are likely to be rare, or non-existent.

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Everybody's alarmed. Why not? It's a serious situation. I'd be alarmed if there was a fire in a house in my street, but I wouldn't expect to burn to death. In terms of casualties ... none dead at Fukushima, and very likely it'll stay that way. Compared with ... how many people die worldwide each year in coal mining? A quarter million over the last two decades, I read somewhere. Nobody counts the dead who'd still be alive if they had sufficient technology to manage their environment rather than eat it. Electric power is central to prosperity, and prosperity reduces human fecundity. I'd like to see some scientist calculate the amount of CO2 saved by restricting population growth. Unfortunately, it's easier, and much more fun, to panic. The rule seems to be: when in trouble, or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. I just can't be bothered any more. Or, as Lazarus Long once remarked, it's amazing how much 'mature wisdom' resembles being too tired.
Posted by donkeygod, Thursday, 7 April 2011 9:02:59 PM
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Yes....and 300 hundred plus years.........and all will adapted in time........I hope so:)

Just dont build on fault-lines or as its well known.......The rim of fire.........I thought Japan and its people were smart?

I bet now their rethinking the whole deal:)

All Good For Australia.............not so good for NZ-land:), Greenland, and many others:) See! you can have unclear power in the right places, however, be smart enough to rocket all waste out to space:)

I mean....the earth is always moving....and what once was safe....in time, it wont be........and you young people will have to deal with it:)

Please think very carefully...........you wont get another chance.

LEA
Posted by Quantumleap, Thursday, 7 April 2011 10:52:10 PM
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AREVA report leaked, presented and interpreted by Gundersen:

http://fairewinds.com/content/closing-ranks-nrc-nuclear-industry-and-tepco-are-limiting-flow-information

Some statements:

Reactor two containment likely breached.
Reactor four, core melt in fresh air.
Clearly we are witnessing one of the greatest disasters in modern time.
But in public the nuclear renaissance continues to move forward.

(Not any more in Europe, there is an ever larger movement of "enraged citizens" -word of the year 2010 in Germany- that are very successful in seperating decision makers from their decision making power. Like the demise of Angela Merkel who has been overtaken by the Greens and where they even have a green premier in one of the states since some weeks.)
Posted by renysol, Friday, 8 April 2011 8:18:35 AM
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"Clearly we are witnessing one of the greatest disasters in modern time."

0 death's, 0 serious injuries so far from one of the greatest disasters in modern times.

There is no credible evidence to suggest that there is a major ongoing public health risk likely to lead to large numbers of deaths or illness. There is a risk from contamination that need's to be addressed and which may have a significant economic impact. There is a risk still to be determined to seafood.

Ten deadliest natural disasters of the past century (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_disasters)
Rank&; Maximum death toll; Event*; Location; Date;
1. 145,000–2,500,000 1931 China floods China 01931-11-01November 1931
2. 242,419-779,000 1976 Tangshan earthquake China 01976-07-01July 1976
3. 300,000-500,000 1970 Bhola cyclone East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) 01970-11-01November 1970
4. 234,000 1920 Haiyuan earthquake China 01920-12-01December 1920
5. 230,210+ 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami Indonesia 02004-12-01December 2004
6. 222,570[7] 2010 Haiti earthquake Haiti 02010-01-01January 2010
7. 142,000 1923 Great Kanto earthquake Japan 01923-09-01September 1923
8. 138,000+ 2008 Cyclone Nargis Myanmar 02008-05-01May 2008
9. 138,000 1991 Bangladesh cyclone Bangladesh 01991-04-01April 1991
10. 120,000 1948 Ashgabat earthquake Turkmenistan 01948-10-01October 1948

It's estimated that 1.6 million die annually as a result of using bio-mass fuelled stoves.

That's one of the big problems with this debate, it's clear that an industrial accident which has not killed a single person (and is unlikely to kill many if any) is worse that the deaths of hundred's of thousands (or millions) becauase it's nuclear, not because of the actual harm done.

R0bert
Posted by R0bert, Friday, 8 April 2011 10:21:40 AM
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Bless you, R0bert, for graphically putting Fukushima into perspective. The terror some people feel for nuclear power is intellectually on par with Haitian terror of magic — when cholera broke out, they initiated an urgent relief program by killing the witches who were spreading it. Caught several hundred in the act, according to news reports. There's no difference at all, really. It's a matter of belief: facts, science and reason have nothing to do with it. Some people believe witches can kill by conjuring cholera, others believe that Chernobyl killed millions and it's all been hushed up. Apparently quite a few are certain that Fukushima and Chernobyl are pretty much the same thing. You can't argue with that mindset — try, and the 'believers' assume you're part of a conspiracy to cover up The Truth. Truth is out there, of course ... if you bother to look, if you've an open mind. Jonathan Swift found The Truth quite some time ago, and he put it this way: 'There's none so blind as they that will not see.'
Posted by donkeygod, Friday, 8 April 2011 11:24:46 AM
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Cigarettes were ok, nobody died on the day of smoking them. Now we know differently. We are told 18,000 cigarette related deaths occur in Australia annually.

Maybe one day we will learn how 'stuff' leaking out of FGukushima and other similar situations has a fatal impact in years to come.

Which is the biggest industry, tobacco or nuclear? Similar dollar value and influence maybe?
Posted by JF Aus, Friday, 8 April 2011 2:06:38 PM
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