GOING NUCLEAR

By: Dr.GIOVANNI TAPANG

The writer, Dr. Tapang, is the chairperson of AGHAM-Advocates of Science and Technology for the People.

A Filipina cousin of mine who was living 70 kilometers away from the site of the Fukushima nuclear plant sent a message to me through the Internet asking advice on what her family could do about the nuclear accident. It struck me that even if the Philippine government has allayed fears about the direct effect of the nuclear accident, there are Filipinos that are going to be near the site of one of the biggest industrial disasters in record.

The continuing disasters in the Fukushima reactors in Northeastern Japan should prompt both the Japanese and Filipino governments to be transparent in reporting the incidents in order not to cause panic and disruption for both Japanese and Filipinos alike.

The problems in the Fuku-shima reactors range from fires, exposed fuel rods and potential cracks in the nuclear containment structures. The massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Friday last week caused the reactors to automatically shut down but cooling systems failed leading to the series of disasters that is still unresolved as of now.

There had already been radiation exposure of around 190 people nearby and the danger zone has been increased to 30 km from the plant site. The radioactive emissions range from isotopes of cesium and iodine as well as nitrogen and argon. Radioactive iodine can cause thyroid cancer especially in young people near the plant and cesium accumulates in tissue that could affect the individual later on.

A nuclear plant generates heat through nuclear reactions inside the reactor. In the Fukushima plants, this reactor is in contact with water, which then generates steam that powers the turbines for electricity.

The pump that circulates coolant within the reactor failed to operate after the earthquake. The reactor then continued to heat up despite the control rods that were in place to prevent runaway nuclear reactions.

The heat boiled away the water and corroded the coating and structure inside the reactor prompting a chemical reaction that produced hydrogen gas. The plant workers tried to vent it outside the reactor but the pressure was too great that the structure itself collapsed.

Workers then pumped in seawater with boric acid to cool down the reactor as well as to prevent further nuclear process to proceed.

For some plant units, such as Fukushima unit 2, the workers failed to fill the vessel due to failures in the seawater pump causing fears that the fuel rods could have melted. Explosions in the same unit caused damage in the suppression pool that could possibly release radioactive materials in the surroundings. Last Tuesday, March 15, Yukiya Amano from the IAEA said that there was “less than five percent” that there was a possibility of core damage to the No. 2 unit.

The same type of failure and explosion happened in Unit 3, which runs in the potentially more dangerous mixed uranium and plutonium oxide, or MOX fuel. Unit 4 had a fire, which affected the spent fuel pool, which stores fuel rods that were already used in the reactors. The workers in the plant are having difficulty in controlling the fires as well as in putting more water inside the pool.

Although Unit 5 and 6 were offline during the event, there are similar problems with cooling systems in these units and the roofs of the buildings were removed to prevent buildup of hydrogen inside the units.

These events could still escalate as the problems are still unresolved as of today. There are indications that this crisis could become greater than the Three Mile Island accident in 1979.

There should be available data for the public about three-day to five-day wind forecasts and the current level of radioactive emissions in the atmosphere. Without this information, it is easy for the public and the media to speculate about the possible effects of this nuclear accident. On the other hand, we are also urging citizens to be critical of information being received especially through SMS, social networks and e-mail regarding this matter. We should be responsible and not forward unverified information.

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute and the Department of Science and Technology should immediately launch a massive information campaign regarding these data and scenarios and tell the public the necessary interventions to mitigate any potential disaster. At the present, the IAEA has classified the nuclear emergency as level 4, which means that the accident has effects of a local nature.

The Department of Foreign Affairs should have clear plans in evacuating Filipinos that are in Japan especially those who are clamoring to be immediately sent home. Even if the emission cloud fails to reach our shores, the safety and security of Filipinos in the surrounding areas should be the top priority of the Aquino government.