Fixing the banana
Fixing the banana
If dietary intake of K-40 is that detrimental to human life, let’s reduce it. Potassium (K), which is essential to life, occurs naturally in three weights: 39 (93.3%), 40 (0.0117%), and 41(6.7%). K-39 and K-41 are completely safe. K-40 is a radioactive isotope, with a 1.250 Billion Year half-life; which emits Beta particles and Gamma rays. http://www.ead.anl.gov/pub/doc/potassium.pdf
K-40 is associated with cell damage caused by the ionizing radiation that results from radioactive decay, with the general potential for subsequent cancer induction. The nuclear industry hides behind K-40 to justify environmental mahem and mass murder.
Perhaps, a better approach is to reduce the K-40 in the human diet. While biological processes do not differentiate between K-39, K-40 and K-41; industrial processes do. Isotope separation is a simple and relatively inexpensive chemical process when compared to cancer and death.
So, for example, the American Thyroid Association, USDA and EPA could push for reduced metabolic K-40 in pre-natal and children’s vitamins and an increase over the RDA of 150% to double. This simple expedient would reduce the K-40 biological content in babies by more than half, with no change in diet. The health initiative could be expanded to include all vitamins and then crop fertilizers. It will be relatively simple to remove more than 80% of K-40 from human tissue, within 10 years.
Bill Duff
Isotope Chemistry
Dr. Chivers,
It is indeed an honor.
Perhaps this bibliography will help to illustrate the subject matter.
“The rapid development of nuclear science has been paralleled by the growth of a new chemistry - - Isotope Chemistry.”
ISOTOPE SEPARATION AND ISOTOPE EXCHANGE
http://www.ornl.gov/info/reports/1959/3445603510699.pdf
G. M. Begun
A Bibliography with Abstracts
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY
operated by UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION for the U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
Dr. Chivers, The purity
Dr. Chivers,
The purity levels required for metabolic reduction of K-40 are less stringent than for weaponized transuranic isotopes. Plus, dietary isotope separation may not arouse the determined industrial sabotage of the USA, Israel and others.
Oh and by the way, please consider the reference cited above at:
http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/4907#comment-13949
Yes, the separation is
Yes, the separation is easier because the mass difference is greater but the energy required to produce any reasonable quantity, even with this mass difference, is immense. You can't beat physics: one has to produce a plasma and accelerate the particles to a relatively high energy in very small quantities. I have reviewed the literature and although there are alternatives, EMIS seems to be the best option. Berkeley scientists transplanted the calutron technology to Oakridge for the weapons program and other than gaseous diffusion, which is not viable for potassium, this is the only way to produce quantity.
Cryogenic distillation separation
Cryogenic distillation separation
http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/pa/News/080801.html
LANL Wednesday, August 8, 2001
Laboratory alliance to put "Made in America" stamp on stable isotopes
Lease agreements to be signed today between the Department of Energy, the Los Alamos Commerce and Development Corp. and Spectra Gases of New Jersey, will pave the way for a private company to begin producing the potentially life-saving stable isotopes of carbon-13 and oxygen-17 and oxygen-18 for the U.S. market. Production will occur at the Laboratory's ICON facility. ICON stands for Isotopes of Carbon, Oxygen and Nitrogen.
Los Alamos scientists pioneered the process of stable isotope production using the cryogenic distillation separation method in the late 1960s and the Laboratory produced isotopes for the national market until the late 1980s when the technology was transferred to the private sector.
Cryogenic Distillation
Cryogenic Distillation Separation is a method for gas separation. I am not aware of this process being used for isotopic potassium separation. Most likely because potassium is not a constituent in any gas (that I know of) at normal or low temperatures. This is also why gassous diffusion is also not a viable method.
Dr. Chivers, The difficulty
Dr. Chivers,
The difficulty is that: TEPCO, GE, Toshiba, Hitachi, Siemens, Areva et al have contaminated Honshu Island with EXTAbecquerels (10E18) of nuclear fallout which exploded into a hemispheric radionuclide storm. The nuclear ‘washout’ into the NW Pacific is likewise on the order of extabecquerels. Economic damages will run into the trillions (10E12) of dollars. The human costs are incalculable but include a spreading national epidemic of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) and a looming international cancer pandemic. Chernobyl was a 7, therefore, Fukushima would appear to set a new disaster level-8.
To this end, extraordinary public health measures are called for. It is somewhat disingenuous to quibble about look-up values such as the boiling point of potassium (1032 K) and the well-known commercial availability of isotope separation techniques.
These corporations have an obligation to 'make whole'. Their liability rightly remains 'unlimited' under Japanese, US and international law. They shall shortly be informed what they shall do.
This is just not correct.
This is just not correct. Worst case scenarios where the entire core is expelled into the atmosphere is just not realistic, nor is it helpful to quote these numbers. From all of my dealings with the Fukushima disaster, I have not seen evidence of a major breach of primary containment or a fission-type explosion.
I have attended talks in the past couple of weeks on the status and this is what we know so far: the reactor containment and support equipment seemed to survive the earthquake but the tsunami engulfed both the emergency diesel generators and associated switchgear. Without power, the core was left with only the steam-driven coolant pump that operates by a difference in pressure between the core and the suppression pond. The suppression pond heated up and eventually produced cavitation of the steam turbine pump thus increasing pressure of the entire system. The bleeding of steam to relieve pressure was supposed to vent outside the building but for some reason (unknown as of yet) vented within the building allowing hydrogen gas to buildup. The explosions experienced in plants one,two, and three were the result of hydrogen buildup and released a good deal of radioactive gases (mainly Cs137 and I131). Seawater and eventually freshwater was introduced to the system to cool the core and from all indications, the containment has remained in tact. From our measurements, we have determined that the release of gases are consistent with a reactor shutdown at the time of the earthquake and we have no indication that any of the spent fuel ponds overheated. In fact, cameras show that the spent fuel was not uncovered during these events and that the water remained in the pools.
Cleanup will be significant and the cost of the entire tragedy is in the $trillions. There have been more than 25,000 people who lost their lives during this event, mostly due to improper sea wall heights. The Japanese government, after the Indonesian tsunami, analyzed their sea wall infrastructure and determined that their walls were sufficient for a 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on this very fault line. They underestimated the amount of sea floor movement from such an earthquake, and due to this mistake in analysis, thousands of lives were lost.
We tend to have fear when anything nuclear is discussed but this fear is irrational in my estimation. We have lived through the Cold War with it's massive above ground and atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, Three-Mile Island, Chernobyl, and now Fukushima. During this time, literally millions of innocent people have died due to improper preparation to natural disasters, famine, and war. All resulting from improper governance. Further, people still take unnecessary risks to themselves and others by smoking or driving while impaired. The question is are your fears rationally placed? The risk that one will die from any of the aforementioned nuclear events are so minuscule compared to the risks we take take on a daily basis.
Listen, I am not a crazy scientist or a shill for the nuclear industry. I have kids and I care for the environment and lives of the people around me. The only difference between myself and most of the people on this forum is that I have worked around radiation and nuclear technology most of my life and I have a deep understanding of the risks involved. We tend to fear the unknown, the unseen, and the uncontrollable. My hope is that this forum brings some level of knowledge to those who wish to seek it. Unfortunately, there are others that wish to drive this irrationality to an extreme.
Dr. Chivers, Do you still
Dr. Chivers,
Do you still stand by the first part of this statement you made in July:
"From all of my dealings with the Fukushima disaster, I have not seen evidence of a major breach of primary containment or a fission-type explosion."
Have you seen enough evidence now of a major breach of primary containment?
How much more evidence do you need?
Dear Dchivers, I just wanted
Dear Dchivers,
I just wanted to pipe in here to let you know that you and the rest of the BRAWM team have enlightened myself and MANY others over the last few months. I imagine that at times this forum has generated a lot of frustration for everyone involved, especially for you folks. This above post should be a reminder to a few of the posters here...that you indeed are a living, breathing, caring human being. Thank you all for your sacrifices and efforts to shed some light on this painfully complex issue and THANK you for alleviating the terror that us parents have felt for OUR children due to a lack of understanding and inexperience.
Extabecqueral Releases
///
Daniel Chiver, Ph.D.,
Engineering
Berkeley, CA 94720-1730
Dr. Chiver, certainly, I hold you in high regard. I am not leveling any accusations, personal or professional. You have accurately related your briefings, or at least the unclassified portions of your briefings. You and BRAWM have a mission to achieve, and have been given sufficient information to get the job done.
On the other hand, I have no inclination to place any credence upon those who have briefed you. Without reciting the litany of information to the contrary; the IAEA and other somewhat objective sources, it is reasonable to conclude for the present that ‘containment is not achieved’ in Units 1, 2 or 3. And it is reasonably concluded that extabecquerals have been released into the atmosphere and NW Pacific Ocean.
IAEA's reports: http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html
http://www.slideshare.net/iaea/table-2-unit-2-reactor-fukushima-daiichi-...
I do not presently conclude that ‘The Worst Case Scenario’ has occurred in Fukushima. Far from it! That game is still afoot, particularly with respect to the teetering Unit-4 Spent Fuel Pool. A Unit-4 structural collapse would be very bad indeed.
There is nothing from the
There is nothing from the IAEA update that suggests anything different that what I have been briefed:
"TEPCO has reported that information obtained after calibration of the reactor water level gauges of Unit 1 shows that the actual water level in the Unit 1 reactor pressure vessel was lower than was indicated, showing that the fuel was completely uncovered. The results of provisional analysis show that fuel pellets melted and fell to the bottom of reactor pressure vessel at a relatively early stage in the accident."
TEPCO reported that "most part of the fuel is considered to be submerged in the bottom of reactor pressure vessel and some part exposed." TEPCO also reported that leakage of cooling water from the reactor pressure vessel is likely to have occurred. However, TEPCO considers that the actual damage to the reactor pressure vessel is limited, on the basis of the temperatures now being measured around the reactor pressure vessel."
The reactor pressure vessel is primary containment and there is no indication of a large release at this point.
Your second link is from a May action table which is quite stale. Unit 4 spent fuel pool is intact and water never drained. See here. The assumption was that the pool was uncovered because there was a hydrogen explosion within the unit 4 building and the reactor had just be completely de-fueled for overhaul and all of the spent fuel was in the pond cooling. Video has shown that to be a false assumption and now the theory is that hydrogen transported from unit 3 to unit 4 through a cross-connect vent line.
Finally: Our mission at BRAWM is truth, not speculation. We remain skeptical of all information we are given and we analyze the information the best we can with the data before us. Our plan is to communicate our data and analysis to the public with proper context. We continue to be UNFUNDED for this work and we are not beholden to any interests other than the public good.
5 Horsemen & Apocalypse
:
Dr. Chivers,
The Five Horsemen and the Apocalypse
The difficulty remains that: TEPCO, GE, Toshiba, Hitachi, Siemens, Areva et al have contaminated Honshu Island with EXTAbecquerels (10E18) of nuclear fallout which exploded into a hemispheric radionuclide storm. The nuclear ‘washout’ into the local water table and NW Pacific are likewise, each presumably on the order of extabecquerels. Dirct economic damages are accruing on the order of trillions (10E12) of dollars ($T). The human costs are incalculable but include a spreading national epidemic of Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) and a looming international cancer pandemic. Chernobyl was a 7; therefore, Fukushima would appear to set a new disaster level-8. .
These six firms have undermined sound public policy, the economy, environment and public health across the continents of Asia, North America and Europe. They have laid waste to land, air and water. They form a spectre not unlike the four horsemen (Pestilence, War, Famine & Death) and the Apocalypse; but with an additional mounted rider, armed with Poison. I daresay one need not be inclined toward a religious worldview; to regard the Fukushima (Level-8) nuclear disaster as approaching a Biblical scope of destruction.
Core containment is NOT achieved within Reactor-1, Reactor-2 or Reactor-3. Neither is containment achieved within their design defective, melted GE Mark-1 vessels nor within the foundations and fractured drywall superstructures.
who let the dog out
you win the award. there are five apolcalyptic horsemen and fukushima is conservatively an INES level 34 event.
pick a bale of cotton, pick a bale of hay.
What does Siemens have to do
What does Siemens have to do with anything?
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/n
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T101004003493.htm
Isotope Separation
While, we do not turn to Wikipedia for expert advice, neither is such web based contact rejected.
So for example, a decent enough description of isotope separation can be located here, for general reference purposes only.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotope_separation
There are three types of isotope separation techniques:
1) Those based directly on the atomic weight of the isotope.
2) Those based on the small differences in chemical reaction rates produced by different atomic weights.
3) Those based on properties not directly connected to atomic weight, such as nuclear resonances.