Darwinism is going to be put to the test over the next century or two. Those who can survive a planet with radioactive air, water, and food are going to be selected for future survival.
ABC is reporting that it may be 100 years before the Fukushima fuel rods have cooled enough to be removed.
http://www.abc.net.au/...
...But one expert says the radiation leaks will be ongoing and it could take 50 to 100 years before the nuclear fuel rods have completely cooled and been removed.
"As the water leaks out, you keep on pouring water in, so this leak will go on for ever," said Dr John Price, a former member of the Safety Policy Unit at the UK's National Nuclear Corporation.
"There has to be some way of dealing with it. The water is connecting in tunnels and concrete-lined pits at the moment and the question is whether they can pump it back.
"The final thing is that the reactors will have to be closed and the fuel removed, and that is 50 to 100 years away."...
Another expert claims the situation is "stable."
...Both experts agree capping the damaged reactors with concrete is not an option...
Levels of radioactive iodine-131 in the Pacific off the plant have been recorded at a new high of 4,385 times the legal limit...
Water will have to keep being added and will continue to leak. Choose your bad or worse scenario for this.
Tainted groundwater near the plant has just been tested at 10,000 time normal.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/...
...The water apparently came from around the turbine building near the plant's Unit 1. But the implication of the finding remains unclear — the spokesman for TEPCO says the company doesn't believe any drinking water supply is affected so it's not yet a health concern.
New readings on Thursday also showed radiation levels rising in the ocean near the plant. Officials were also debating whether to broaden the evacuation zone around the tsunami-damaged facility because of a report showing elevated radiation levels in a village outside the current evacuation zone...
Several sources are reporting the workers at Fukushima fully expect to die either in the short term from radiation sickness or in the longer term from cancer.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...
And some are reporting that Japan's nuclear refugees may never go home.
http://www.earthweek.com/...
Okay--I had my radioactive coffee this morning, and just picked up my radioactive milk at the grocery store. I'm planting my radioactive garden and will catch my radioactive fish this summer.
Fortunately for me there is still much left in life that is good here in Alaska. As for the new babies and the young of the world, hard to say.
The sun is shining, the tide is in, and the birds are singing. They aren't wasting their time worrying about the future. We humans are the ones burdened with both the knowledge and the responsibility for the animals and for the upcoming generations.
I'm going out and am going to soak up the goodness of spring, but I'm not going to stick my head in the sand about what's going on in this world. I appreciate Daily Kos and opportunity to connect with so many good folks who care enough to pay attention and take action whenever possible.
In the meantime, Business Week reports Abu Dhabi plans to go nuclear.
http://www.businessweek.com/...