Remembering the Horror of Chernobyl

Is nuclear power potentially dangerous? Sure it is. But we have to face that and design safer reactors. The Daiichi reactors require pumps (and a power source) to cool the reactors, which is the source of ALL the problems so far since the earthquake (the 9.0 Earthquake took out the primary power source, the tsunami took out the secondary). Modern reactors (like many in the US) use gravity or osmotic pressure to force water through, they do not require external power, although it is there for backup.

We have designs now that are theoretically hundreds of times safer than current reactors (like the pebble bed reactor) but every time something like this happens it puts moratoriums on building new plants and we end up using the same plants from the 70s in perpetuity. We need to realize that there is no free lunch when it comes to energy. Wind, solar, tidal power are 1-3% solutions at BEST. Most power we get now comes from coal or nuclear. Did you know that to create the same amount of energy, burning coal generates more radioactive waste than uranium? And at least the the radioactive waste in uranium CAN BE contained. Much of the radioactive waste from coal goes into the air. And if you think Global warming is a problem, you had better at least consider nuclear - which produces no CO2.

The economics are against it when you work out the total life cycle cost.
Infrastructure modifications that reduce energy consumption can be done nearly overnight.
In one year I cut my domestic BTU consumption by 1/2 for a cost of about $2000 and a reduction in operating cost of about 1/3.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/22/chernobyl-cleanup-survivors-message-for-japan-run-away-as-qui/


Natalia Manzurova, now 59, has suffered a variety of ailments since she worked at Chernobyl, but she says she is the only member of her team still alive.

What message do you have for Japan?
Run away as quickly as possible. Don't wait. Save yourself and don't rely on the government because the government lies. They don't want you to know the truth because the nuclear industry is so powerful.

When you were called to go to Chernobyl, did you know how bad it was there?
I had no idea and never knew the true scope until much later. It was all covered in secrecy. I went there as a professional because I was told to -- but if I was asked to liquidate such an accident today, I'd never agree. The sacrifices the Fukushima workers are making are too high because the nuclear industry was developed in such a way that the executives don't hold themselves accountable to the human beings who have to clean up a disaster. It's like nuclear slavery.

What was your first impression of Chernobyl?
It was like a war zone where a neutron bomb had gone off. I always felt I was in the middle of a war where the enemy was invisible. All the houses and buildings were intact with all the furniture, but there wasn't a single person left. Just deep silence everywhere. Sometimes I felt I was the only person alive on a strange planet. There are really no words to describe it.

What did your work as a liquidator entail?
First, we measured radiation levels and got vegetation samples to see how high the contamination was. Then bulldozers dug holes in the ground and we buried everything -- houses, animals, everything. There were some wild animals that were still alive, and we had to kill them and put them in the holes.

Were any pets left in the houses?
The people had only a few hours to leave, and they weren't allowed to take their dogs or cats with them. The radiation stays in animals' fur and they can't be cleaned, so they had to be abandoned. That's why people were crying when they left. All the animals left behind in the houses were like dried-out mummies. But we found one dog that was still alive.