Pick-Up-Sticks

Like a moth drawn to a flame, one is drawn to the slow motion disaster known as Fukushima,  an ongoing catastrophe that could end our short term residency on planet earth.

Specifically, the greatest short-term threat to humanity is from the fuel pools at Fukushima.

If one of the pools collapsed or caught fire, it could have severe adverse impacts not only on Japan … but the rest of the world, including the United States.   Indeed, a Senator called it a national security concern for the U.S.:

The radiation caused by the failure of the spent fuel pools in the event of another earthquake could reach the West Coast within days. That absolutely makes the safe containment and protection of this spent fuel a security issue for the United States.

Nuclear expert Arnie Gundersen and physician Helen Caldicott have both said that people should evacuate the Northern Hemisphere if one of the Fukushima fuel pools collapses. Gundersen said:

Move south of the equator if that ever happened, I think that’s probably the lesson there.

Former U.N. adviser Akio Matsumura calls removing the radioactive materials from the Fukushima fuel pools “an issue of human survival”.

So the stakes in decommissioning the fuel pools are high, indeed.

What's even more terrifying is the fact a magnitude 7 earthquake (all that's needed to bring down the fuel pools @ Fukushima) hitting Japan within the next 3 years is estimated to be 95%, which could be the closest thing to a done deal regarding the most serious threat mankind has ever faced during his tenure on a tiny planet we call home.

Pick-up-Sticks, a game requiring mental dexterity and physical skill under pressure, is basically what has to be done at Fukushima but with the added fun of having to pick up thousands of damaged rods loaded into damaged racks, which reside in a deteriorating, water filled environment in danger of collapsing at any moment. Adding to this rosy scenario are the absolute requirements that said rods must remain in water at all times (or they will explode) and cannot touch one another in any way, shape or fashion (or they will explode) because if they do either, uncontrolled fission will ensue, thus making Chernobyl a walk in the park.

Factoids: Carefully plucking more than 1,500 brittle and potentially damaged fuel assemblies from the plant’s unstable Reactor No. 4 is expected to take about a year, and will be seen as a test of Tokyo Electric Power Co’s ability to move ahead with decommissioning the whole facility – a task likely to take decades and cost tens of billions of dollars.

If the rods – there are 50-70 in each of the assemblies, which weigh around 300 kg (660 pounds) and are 4.5 metres (15 feet) long – are exposed to air or if they break, huge amounts of radioactive gases could be released into the atmosphere.

Addendum: This is a picture showing the impact the earthquake and tsnuami had on Reactor 4's spent fuel rod pool building. Reassuring, right?

Needless to say, the rods in the pool no longer look like this.

But rather like this.

Any question as to why Fukushima is a fubar beyond description?