"In Japan Reactor Failings, Danger Signs for the U.S.
By HIROKO TABUCHI, KEITH BRADSHER and MATTHEW L. WALD
Published: May 17, 2011
TOKYO — Emergency vents that American officials have said would prevent devastating hydrogen explosions at nuclear plants in the United States were put to the test in Japan — and failed to work, according to experts and officials with the company that operates the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant."...American officials had said early on that reactors in the United States would be safe from such disasters because they were equipped with new, stronger venting systems. But Tokyo Electric Power Company, which runs the plant, now says that Fukushima Daiichi had installed the same vents years ago.
Which makes Common Sense wonder about this recent news item:
US power plants would be 'kept safe' after 'extreme' events: NRCCommon Sense has commented previously about nuclear power and safety. Here we have those with a vested interest in nuclear power saying "don't worry be happy" we're safer and those that have just experienced a level 5 nuclear disaster, the most serious kind, noting "hey guys we made those changes and they didn't work." So who do you think common sense suggest we believe, the people who have studied the problem or the people trying to clean up after the problem occurred? Common Sense thinks that the reality of experience trumps paper every day.Washington (Platts)--16May2011/413 pm EDT/2013 GMT
US nuclear power plants "would be kept safe" even in the event of "extreme events" like those that struck Japan's Fukushima 1 nuclear plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said based on the findings of recent inspections.
The agency Friday said it is in the process of releasing reports documenting its inspections of the plants' "abilities to deal with power losses or damage to large areas of a reactor site following extreme events."
No comments:
Post a Comment