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I don't know why Japan can get away with this for so long. I remember when the Chernobyl disaster happened, Soviet Union was shamed to death by all western medi

I don't know why Japan can get away with this for so long. I remember when the Chernobyl disaster happened, Soviet Union was shamed to death by all western media for years. I had high respect for the Russians for their great efforts to contain the damage. A great many of red army soldiers died when building a concrete substrate underneath the ruined reactor, which prevented the underground water from being contaminated by radioactive pollution. In contrast, the Japan government hasn't been capable to do this for the past two years, which is apparently irresponsible and shockingly incompetent.

yxhuvud 13y ago
Japan is getting away with it because there is no radioactive rain impacting other countries.
- hkmurakami 13y ago
  I guess it helps that the winds blow from west to east (i.e. straight into the ocean where the next country is ~8000 miles away)
  - 205guy 13y ago
    3800 miles and the next country is ... USA (Hawaii). However, both winds and water currents tend to go north of Hawaii, so it is more like 5200 miles on the great circle to California.
- reirob 13y ago
  This might be, but at the same time the problem is not resolved and contained as it was in Chernobyl. "We have three 100-ton melted fuel blobs underground, but where exactly they are located, no one knows. Whatever 'barriers' TEPCO has put in place so far have failed. Efforts to decontaminate radioactive water have failed. Robots have failed. Camera equipment and temperature gauges...failed. Decontamination of surrounding cities has failed. " [..] "If and when the corium reaches the Tokyo aquifer, serious and expedient discussions will have to take place about evacuating 40 million people" Considering these future threats have not been resolved in any way I must say I respect for Soviet Unions reaction in Chernobyl case. EDIT: Quotes taken from article linked in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6232104 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6232104

yxhuvud 13y ago

Japan is getting away with it because there is no radioactive rain impacting other countries.

hkmurakami 13y ago
I guess it helps that the winds blow from west to east (i.e. straight into the ocean where the next country is ~8000 miles away)
- 205guy 13y ago
  3800 miles and the next country is ... USA (Hawaii). However, both winds and water currents tend to go north of Hawaii, so it is more like 5200 miles on the great circle to California.
reirob 13y ago
This might be, but at the same time the problem is not resolved and contained as it was in Chernobyl. "We have three 100-ton melted fuel blobs underground, but where exactly they are located, no one knows. Whatever 'barriers' TEPCO has put in place so far have failed. Efforts to decontaminate radioactive water have failed. Robots have failed. Camera equipment and temperature gauges...failed. Decontamination of surrounding cities has failed. " [..] "If and when the corium reaches the Tokyo aquifer, serious and expedient discussions will have to take place about evacuating 40 million people" Considering these future threats have not been resolved in any way I must say I respect for Soviet Unions reaction in Chernobyl case. EDIT: Quotes taken from article linked in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6232104 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6232104