• Question: What will happen if the nuclear powerplant in tokyo goes boom?

    Asked by brand0nheaney to Jamie, Jodie, Kat, Mark, Niamh on 18 Mar 2011 in Categories: . This question was also asked by annabelledaisy.
    • Photo: Jamie Pringle

      Jamie Pringle answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      Hello you two,

      Well Im not a nuclear physicist but I can tell you now that this would be very bad news, both locally and globally! I was young when the Chernobyl Disaster happened (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster) and that was really bad news, the radioactive cloud drifted over Western Europe, caused most of the UK hill sheep to be slaughtered as they were radioactive and has caused milions of deaths/ cancers and genetic abnormalities to the local and regional Ukranian population.

      Looking at the present news, the prevaling wind direction is going to the Pacific so at least that wont happen. But it will have really bad long term consequences for the population of Japan.

      Hopefully they are trying to contain the situation, at some health costs to the workers I should add.

      Not good!

    • Photo: Niamh Nic Daeid

      Niamh Nic Daeid answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      Hi BrandOnheaney

      Thanks for your question. Its hard to say really what the consequences are at this time. Like Jamie I remember the Chernobyl Disaster very well and a large scale release of radioactivity will have very serious effects for both the population and the environment in the area around the powerplant. I have friends who live in Tokyo so its a worrying time…

    • Photo: Mark Hill

      Mark Hill answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      Hi to brand0nheaney and annabelledaisy,

      I hate to think. I am listening to the experts, on the news, and it seems to me that they don’t know the answers either. I think that the engineers who are going into the plants, to try and fix things are really selfless and brave. I hope that they survive. Good luck to them, all those in Japan that are suffering and the world in general.

      Mark.

Comments

  • Photo: brand0nheaney

    brand0nheaney commented on :

    How bad will it be for us because I heard that we are more protected thanks to America and eastern Europe?

    • Photo: Jamie

      Jamie commented on :

      Hello BranOnheaney,

      It wont be bad for us as we are on the other side of the Earth, unless they have a full meltdown and a catastrophic explosion that would eject clouds of radioactive gas into the upper atmosphere. In that case, the winds would circulate this globally and we would have increased levels of radioactive exposure – but from the recent news I dont think that scenario is likely, fingers crossed!