That ignition spread to the radioactive rods and caused large volumes of radioactive smoke to be released into the atmosphere.
7. What is the cause of the Japan incident?
In Japan, a combination of natural disasters was responsible: a major earthquake triggered a Tsunami that interrupted the electric power supply to the plant. Because the plant's emergency backup generator was not built on high ground, the flood waters also wiped it out. Without electrical power, the plant could not maintain the water supply necessary to cool the control rods or the spent control rods stored in pools in the reactor and they all ignited when they became exposed to the air.
8. What are the potential or actual effects to humans and the environment?
The immediate consequences include radiation poisoning of anybody exposed to the radioactive material released into the air and to the radioactive environment at the plant. The longer-term effects include radioactive contamination through...
What could be done in the future to keep this from happening again?
To prevent Chernobyl-types of disasters, nuclear reactor cooling systems must be better designed and nuclear plant personnel better trained. To prevent the type of situation ongoing in Japan, nuclear reactors should never be built anywhere near earthquake faults or known high-risk flood zones. Additionally, backup power generators must be better located and protected from the same types of risks that could disable primary power systems.
Sources Consulted
Attfield, R. (2003). Environmental Ethics: An Overview for the Twenty-First Century.
Cambridge, UK: Polity.
Rennie, R. (2003). The Facts on File Dictionary of Atomic and Nuclear Physics. New York: Checkmark Books.
