I Live In Westchester NY, and ever since the Nuclear power plant in Japan went into meltdown I've been pretty worried about what would happen if Indian Point went into meltdown. Now Hurricane Irene is coming, Is it strong enough to cause a meltdown? Thanks in advance
Nobody knows for sure. Anyone who gives a definitive yes or no at this point in time is only making an educated guess. What we do know for sure is that if any chain of events (including not being able to get diesel generators to cool the reactors) leads to a situation not foreseen in the worst-case scenario of the emergency plan (as in the case of Fukushima), then meltdown can occur. Can hurricane Irene cause a chain of events not expected in the Indian Point emergency plan? We don't know, but we hope not. However, if meltdown occurs for whatever reason, obviously it would not make sense to state, the situation in Japan shows how safe nuclear power is. Also, statements such as Fukushima has harmed no one and isn't expected to either only make sense within the context of acute radiation exposure as it is easy to observe if/when a person drops dead after being exposed to high levels in or near the plant. It is not possible to prove the effects of low-level, long-term, internal, localized radiation exposure from the Fukushima situation until enough time has passed and studies have been conducted, unfortunately. What we do know for sure is that it MAY cause harm - as evidenced by the evacuation zones and food bans. It is a fact that radiation levels in adults (breast milk in women) and children (thyroid) have increased. Also, increased nosebleeds, stubborn cases of diarrhoea, and flu-like symptoms in children are also being reported by doctors in Japan. As the Fukushima situation is no longer a headline story, the sites below are excellent resources to keep up with the latest developments. I hope this helps.
*They are protesting because nuclear power plants are dangerous! Not only if there is an earthquake, but the way they deal with the radiation doesn't work sometimes, and then it goes into our water supply. Also, if a truck with the used up elements spills or something, that spot could be radioactive for a long time because the elements they use have long half-lives.
No. A meltdown can happen when a reactor is not adequately cooled. At Indian Point, there are reserve diesel generators that are located 15 feet above the sea level. In the region, floods over 7 feet high never happened. At Fukushima, such generators were located low enough to be swamped by the tsunami. In case of simultaneous loss of its own power (reactor shutdown) and external power that may happen if high winds rip out the wires at the plant's switch yard, the coolant water can still be pumped through the reactor core. The pumps would be powered by diesel generators.
