nuclear-news

As Japan proposes to get bone marrow cells from workers, global nuclear industry prospec ts dim

If the past is any guide, the problems at Fukishima will slow or even freeze the construction of plants in many countries.

Walsh: Fukushima will slow or even freeze building of nuclear plants in many countries – In the Arena – CNN.com James Walsh, 2 April 11, TIME magazine reports that Japanese authorities have proposed, as a precautionary measure, the harvesting and banking of the stem cells from the bone marrow of workers at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Those cells could be transplanted back in workers who were exposed to too much radiation. How much danger are these workers in?
Of all the people in Japan, the plant workers face the greatest health risks. Absent an explosion inside the reactor vessel or leakage into the ground water, most of the radiation will remain in its most concentrated levels at or near the plant. ..
In response to the crisis, the government raised the legal limit of how much radiation the workers can be exposed to, so at a minimum, they are being exposed to more than they would normally.  This is dangerous work and the workers face extreme conditions of stress and deprivation.  It would not be surprising if there are acute radiation injuries in the weeks to come, but it will take years, even decades, before it will be possible to assess the long-term health effects…..

Prior to the Japanese nuclear accidents, most analysts expected nuclear energy to take on an increasingly larger role in energy supply, especially as countries seek to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuels such as oil.  Some experts were forecasting a “nuclear renaissance.” Here in the United States, where a new nuclear plant had not been built since the 1979 Three Mile Island Accident, preliminary permits had been granted for two new plants.

If the past is any guide, the problems at Fukishima will slow or even freeze the construction of plants in many countries.

The accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl had this effect, and the Japanese experience will likely have the same impact for two reasons.  The first is public perception.  It will be very difficult, at least in the near-term, to site new plants, as people will be worried about safety and security issues…

second reason is public policy.  Nuclear regulators in every country will want to learn whatever lessons can be gleaned from the Japanese experience before embarking on ambitious new plans to build nuclear plants, but those lessons may not be understood for quite some time.

The effect will be different in different countries.  More authoritarian countries, where public opinion matters less, may press on with their nuclear programs.   Still, even these countries may be forced to adjust their plans.  China is an authoritarian country and has a very aggressive plan for nuclear power, but this week Beijing announced it would reduce its goals for nuclear plants and shift more resources to solar and renewables……

Walsh: Fukushima will slow or even freeze building of nuclear plants in many countries – In the Arena – CNN.com Blogs

April 2, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | - Fukushima 2011, business and costs