Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Status

[kumonokuma]

Hi Everyone!

 

I'm not sure if it's alright to post this in this forum, but the topic matter definitely has connections to nuclear physics, so I'm going to try asking my question anyhow. I'm considering studying abroad in Japan next year, in Kyoto specifically, but I have been harboring doubts in regards to radiation safety. There isn't that much reliable information online, no so-called "radiation maps" showing levels in various regions of the country, so I don't have much to base my decision on. My question is simple: do you think that radiation levels are safe in the Kyoto area? Travel, of course, hasn't been prohibited, in fact, the government and Japanese companies are paying people to travel to Japan (and for good reason, too, after such a rattling incident), but this is no indication of safety. I mean, if food is transported across the country, then it could potentially absorb radiation and deliver it to calmer regions (though aren't they typically supposed to measure radiation before they put the product up for sale?). Additionally, I'm kind of curious as to why they haven't been able to turn the reactor off yet. This article makes me wary: http://blogs.discove...rent-disasters/

 

At this point, would you recommend travel to Japan, and if not, how long do you suspect it would take before the situation becomes friendlier?

 

Thank you for your help! I admit to being no science major (though I used to be a biology major).

[swansont]

Absorbing radiation might cause some chemical damage to food, but it does not, in general, make the food radioactive. What you would have to worry about is if the food is contaminated, i.e. it contains radioactive material, and one would think that the government is screening for this.

 

The worry about the reactors not being shut down is probably because the fuel elements melted. If you get a "puddle" of fuel outside of the usual core area, (whether it has solidified or not) it is away from the area where the control rods can affect the neutron population and it could possibly achieve criticality. A nuclear explosion would not occur with such a geometry, but boiling water and a steam explosion, which would disperse more radioactive material, is a viable concern. If you read about borated water being pumped in, it's because B-10 absorbs neutrons, which would tend to stifle the chain reaction.

 

I can't make any sort of recommendation about travel, one way or the other.