Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has announced they will soon begin attempting removal of more than 1200 spent nuclear fuel assemblies from a cooling pool more than 100 feet above ground at the severely damaged Fukushima #4 reactor. As previously reported by AlertsUSA Threat Journal on multiple occasions, scientists worldwide have warned for well over two years of the global dangers and implications of this process.
In the case of Fukushima Unit #4, the racks holding the fuel assemblies weredamaged and deformed during the earthquake and explosion in March of 2011. The building is shattered, structurally unsound and highly vulnerable. In addition, spent nuclear fuel cannot be simply lifted into the air by a crane. It must be lifted and transferred at all times in water and heavily shielded structures.
During the removal process, if the fuel assemblies touch, are dropped or break open there is potential for uncontrolled nuclear reactions and explosions to occur.
According to Robert Alvarez, former Senior Policy Adviser to the Secretary of Energy, Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Security and one of the nation's leading experts on spent fuel pools, "There is more than 37 million curies of long lived radioactivity stored up in the spent fuel just within this single pool. If another severe earthquake were to strike causing the pool to drain, or some other event such as an explosion, it could result in a catastrophic radiological fire releasing nearly 10 times the amount of Cs-137 [into the Earths atmosphere] as was released by the Chernobyl accident.
And that is just one of approximately 200 different types of radioactive isotopes that could potentially be released.
According to Gregory Jaczko, former Chairman of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the upcoming attempt to remove Fukushima Unit 4 spent fuel is"unprecedented, the pool has significant structural damage and that the overall effort is very risky."
According to Arnie Gunderson, Sr. Engineer at Fairewinds Energy and a former nuclear industry executive with more than 40 years experience, "TEPCO has already admitted that the boron shields in the fuel racks separating the fuel bundles have deteriorated. These shields absorb neutrons and keep the the fuel cells subcritical."
According to Yale University Professor Emeritus Charles Perrow, a frequent author for the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, "This has me scared." In the event of an explosion, "Tokyo would have to be evacuated because of cesium and other poisons that are there will spread very rapidly. Even if the wind is blowing the other way it's going to be monumental."
According to Shunichi Tanaka, Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Chairman, "I am much more worried about this than contaminated water.”
According to Mycle Schneider, an energy consultant and adviser to members of the European Parliament and the Int'l Atomic Energy Agency, "A massive spent fuel fire would likely dwarf the current dimensions of the catastrophe and could exceed the radioactivity releases of Chernobyl dozens of times."
His and other's concerns are not limited to Japan. An accident in this fuel removal process will have dramatic public health ramifications for the United States and Canada many times worse than the original Fukushima explosions and meltdowns.
It must be understood that the U.S. is directly downwind. In a worse case scenario you will have only a few days to make any type of preparedness moves to protect yourself and family as prevailing winds and weather patterns carry airborne contaminants to the East for rainout / fallout across N. America.
And here is the kicker: The fuel removal process is expected to take many months, if not longer. But it has to be done. Leaving the spent fuel in the damaged pool is not an option.
Readers need to give serious to consideration to the warnings in this story. As repeatedly referenced in the lead up to this fuel removal effort, we strongly urge you to download the 3 free nuclear emergency preparedness guides below and actually read them. They are written for you by some of this nation's most skilled and knowledgeable in the area of radiation safety and preparedness.
As we reported just a few weeks back, even the federal government is making plans for such a disaster with the recent emergency purchase of tens of millions of dollars in medications to help combat radiation sickness. While they are not publicizing the move, this is your cue. You don't want to be caught looking at your feet. Judging from the near non-existent mainstream news coverage here in the U.S., the time for you to prepare is now.
Credit to Threat Journal
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