Topic: 8.9 earthquake hits Japan

[sirean_syan]

Huh. Well that's not good.

I guess I was being optimistic, but it's apparently good all these precautions/evacuations were undertaken. Sadly, that probably means that people knew how bad it was, but were covering it up while actually taking the necessary steps to protect people. At least they were moving people out.

[Quemaqua]

The whole thing worries me immensely.

[idolminds]

Wow, that sucks.

[Cobra951]

Scientists believe the amount of radiation released is only a tenth of what was released at Chernobyl, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, the chief spokesman for Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. But the levels for radioactive iodine and cesium that have been spewed into the air, water and soil around the plant are in the thousands of trillions of bequerels -- 15 times higher than the threshold for a top-scale event, according to figures released by the safety agency Tuesday morning.

  (From the main story)

The average age of the world's 443 nuclear reactors is 25 years, according to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report.

  From a linked article within the main story

All I see reaffirms my take since Chernobyl on our current approach to nuclear power.  Sad.

[scottws]

Well, that will put an end to any renewed interest in nuclear fission as a source of power.