Russia fires pose nuclear threat, death toll hits 50

[Raggz]

Source: Reuters

The Russian government warned on Thursday that the country's deadliest wildfires in nearly four decades posed a nuclear threat if they are not contained, as the death toll rose to 50 and the blazes continued to spread.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6741EQ._CH_.2400

---

Who would have thought that a fire could release radioactivity.

[maryf]

1. and people are pushing for more nuclear power plants...

when the damage from Chernobyl is far from finished...
K&R for importance...

Editted to WELCOME you to DU!!! good post!!

[defendandprotect]

4. Obama is pushing for more nuclear plants -- giving industry $36 BILLION in loan guarantees...

and we have to insure these things!!

PLUS -- the waste!!

[maryf]

6. It's nuts, crazy, psychotic, and just plain stupid...

no foresight either... :hi:

[defendandprotect]

10. At the least . . . !!

:hi:

[maryf]

20. duplicating but worth it...

this video is awesome and awful in the true sense;

http://blip.tv/file/1662914

[defendandprotect]

24. Saved it . . .

don't forget we also exploded a few nuclear weapons in outer space --

evidently trying to knock out the naughty Van Allen Radiation Belts

which interfere with space travel!!

[Raggz]

28. We nuked Mississipi twice

There were two underground tests there

[maryf]

36. did it show up on the map??

some bleeps were very quick...

[defendandprotect]

40. Wow . . . frightening . . . they used to announce those things, I think . . .

after they did the tests . . .

Wondering how they came upon selection of Mississippi?

Of course, all of those tests did no damage to nature -- atmosphere -- humans -- !!!

I remember a woman from the Bikini Islands who made this comment after

we nuked her home land with nuclear weapons testing ...

"Americans are really smart about really stupid things ..." -- !!!

[cstanleytech]

16. Not much of a fan of nuke power myself

since there is a safety risk and the disposal of the fuel can be an issue and I know solar has come a long way but has it come long enough and if not is there anything else that can meet our future needs for about the same price or less?

[defendandprotect]

25. Well, obviously, nothing else has a chance to come along or to "come a long way" ...

when there are such strong interests in private control over our natural resources --

Just controlling them doesn't either suit their needs -- they need to be used and purchased!!

These interests have long been very destructive to mass transportation -- destroying

trolley lines, etal after WWII -- and keeping gas guzzlers going.

PLUS the military uses 80% of the oil--- no oil/no wars!

That makes oil, as we can clearly see -- a "national security" issue --

Oil industry and its explorations have to be protected by Pentagon!

The risks of nuclear power plants and human error combined are not worth taking --

especially with the WASTE --

though they keep trying to feed the waste into useful objects -- like other weapons -

flatware and pots&pans!!

[Pavulon]

26. Care to back that 80% number..?(nt)

[applegrove]

2. Oh boy.

[maryf]

3. People really should read this from your op...

Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said heat from fires in the Bryansk region, which already has nuclear contamination from the Chernobyl disaster more than 20 years ago, could release harmful radioactive particles into the atmosphere.

[defendandprotect]

5. Was just going to post that --

Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu said heat from fires in the Bryansk region, which already has nuclear contamination from the Chernobyl disaster more than 20 years ago, could release harmful radioactive particles into the atmosphere.

"In the event of a fire there, radionuclides could rise (into the air) together with combustion particles, resulting in a new pollution zone," he said on state television, without going into detail.

[maryf]

7. without going into detail

sounds like here...details are terrifying!

[boppers]

13. Using the word "radioactive" terrifies people.

Providing details makes people less fearful, and thus, not as big of a story.

[maryf]

19. Here's a video map for you...the details are very scary, I think, all should see...

Really worth a watch, shows nuclear testing for the first 5 decades of it, and shows why the southwest is magenta on your map, it ain't natural there:

http://blip.tv/file/1662914

[boppers]

32. Well, the very first one was wrong, so I'm less inclined to trust the rest...

14% of the radiation in the southwest *is* man made, though.

[maryf]

37. pretty high percent...

did you watch the whole video? pretty wild in the late 60's,early 70's...

[boppers]

39. Yeah, pretty intense.

The soundtrack added to the surreality of it.

[spin]

8. The results of an environmental catastrophe linger for years ...

The oil gusher in the Gulf will cause problems for decades, despite what BP and our government tells us.

[maryf]

9. amen, nt.

[boppers]

11. ALL fires release radioactive materials. All of them.

That comes from living on a planet made, entirely, of radioactive materials, which are everywhere. They're called atoms.

The difference here is the concentration levels of materials more likely to decay very quickly.

edit: clarify atomic physics 101

[RandomThoughts]

12. Sad story, so much of the news and things like that on the news are not inspiring.

I wonder if the story is true?

I should just go have a beer, and stop reading these posts.






Oh yea, I don't have any beer money.

Going to just listen to some music for awhile instead.


Crank it up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnSbpPXlmvo



AC/DC - Thunderstruck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvoeeq-BH4w

[Psephos]

14. Yeah! Ashley crankin' it.... n/t

[MilesColtrane]

15. The strontium and caesium released during the accident haven't even decayed by half yet.

That poison is long-lived.

[maryf]

21. tons of info here on chernobyl...

http://www.richeast.org/htwm/CHERNOBYL/Chernobyl.html

we need another nuclear plant like we need another oil rig, another fracked gas well...

[Pavulon]

23. Unless jesus wills it, you have two choices..

coal or nuclear. There is NO WAY to generate the hundreds of gigawatts required to run the tristate area with solar power of wind.

The navy is 5000 reactor years between accidents. Nuclear power is quite safe and unlike wind or solar employees americans, not chinese nationals to high paid jobs.

[maryf]

33. Did you read the stuff on Chernobyl??? before you posted???nt.

[Spider Jerusalem]

30. So are you planning to give up driving, then?

And give up your computer, television, refrigerator, microwave, air conditioning?

Keep using energy, it has to come from somewhere. Oil, coal, or nuclear (none of the alternatives will replace these three). Or be prepared to make a drastic lifestyle change.

[maryf]

35. did you read the stuff on chernobyl?? nt

[RedCloud]

17. Another form of human inspired energy keeps on killing

I bet the sun has plenty of the energy we really need.

[maryf]

18. The wind too...

Thing is, they haven't figured out a way to profit a lot from either once the infrastructure is in place...
There won't be peak sun for millions of years, peak wind? probably never...

[Pavulon]

22. How does the sun generate energy, a windmills b proton proton fusion..

hmm. That big yellow thing is a reactor. Can you name one person killed in a civilian reactor facility in the US? Just one...

[Raggz]

29. Cars can't run on solar power

Solar is good for lots of things but we will never run our cars on it. Switching to electric cars means that we needs lots and lots of new electic power plants. These would probably be either coal or nuclear - solar is FAR too expensive. ($12 per gallon)

We could also give up driving like we now do.

Solar will never provide our transporation fuel. Ever hear of an 18 wheeler with a solar or electric engine?

[maryf]

34. there are lots of inventions out there...

One guy runs combustion engines on radio waves through water, cheap, free, and disappeared...no profit...

[apnu]

27. Crazy, Chernobyl rears its head again.

Article says there's a risk of stored material form Chernobyl.

(edited because I originally read it wrong)

[Raggz]

31. Coal power plants release more uranium than did Chernobyl

http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html

The difference between a coal and a nuclear power plant is that coal plants release a LOT more radioactivity than does nuclear. They also generate more radioactive waste. We call it "fly-ash" instead of nuclear waste.

[maryf]

38. the really crazy thing is without subsidy no one will invest in a nuclear power

plant, they just aren't cost effective...they really want them for the needed materials for weapons.

[defendandprotect]

41. It's not either or ... certainly NUCLEAR should be out by all means ...

and coal as well --

we have to stop the burning of fossil fuels -- !!

If we don't stop -- nature will stop us --

[G_j]

42. Wildfires could spread to region irradiated by Chernobyl disaster

Source: Russia Today

Wildfires could spread to region irradiated by Chernobyl disaster

Published 06 August, 2010, 08:35

Edited 07 August, 2010, 01:49

The Russian Emergencies Minister is warning of possible radiation risks, as wildfires approach closer to the area affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The main fear is that the fires, which are moving further south of Moscow toward the Bryansk region, could disturb and spread the contamination buried in the ground after the Chernobyl nuclear accident.

“Several laboratories are closely monitoring the situation in the Bryansk region – the territory which was contaminated following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster,” Emergencies minister Sergey Shoigu said. “If fires erupt there, there is a risk that radionuclide can be released into the air with other combustible gases, and more areas could become contaminated.”

Firefighters have been dispatched to the area to avert possible outbreaks. They have been battling hundreds of blazes across Central Russia, which have claimed fifty lives thus far.



Read more: http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-08-06/russia-wildfires-contamination-emergency.html

[Rosa Luxemburg]

43. that is not good news!!!

[Bobbieo]

44. It could be a monumental disaster!

[backscatter712]

45. Yikes! That would be Bad.

OK, not as bad as the Chernobyl disaster itself, but it would set off Geiger counters around the world and probably increase the cancer rate in Russia and Ukraine...

[mbperrin]

46. Gotta love that "green" nuke power.....

yeah