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Engineers Risk Their Lives

Posted March 25, 2011 8:02 AM

Working in a dark, cramped, and radioactive environment, a select few engineers volunteered to work at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant facility in an effort to rein in the nuclear crisis caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. In doing so, they placed the "greater good" ahead of their personal safety. What do you think of their sacrifice?

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ronseto
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#1

Re: Engineers Risk Their Lives

03/25/2011 5:45 PM

Having worked in nuclear power, I can aplaud these self-sacrificing engineers for their work. I had to go inside reactor rooms on submarines where you received your allowable monthly dose of radiation in 1/2 hour. Not much can be accomplished in 1/2 hour, so I'm sure these engineers are taking grave risks.

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Re: Engineers Risk Their Lives

03/26/2011 3:42 AM

Not only nuclear environment but in HV environment too people risk lives.

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Re: Engineers Risk Their Lives

03/26/2011 11:13 AM

It would be good to know what sorts of protective gear these brave volunteers could use, as well as the exposures to which they might be subjected. I haven't ever worked around significant radioactivity, but as an older guy I would have no reproductive issues, nor would I worry much about effects more than say thirty years away. This is not to underrate the dangers of radioactive exposure, but the tsunami has killed 10,000 or so, and has made hundreds of thousands homeless. But as yet I haven't heard a confirmed account of any nuclear fatalities or even sicknesses. I suspect there are some, and that there may be more. I hope not, but it seems to me that much attention is being paid to a minor but worrisome issue, while everyone ignores the confirmed deaths and destructions from the earthquake/tsunami.

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pnaban
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Re: Engineers Risk Their Lives

03/26/2011 11:23 PM

Protective wear won't save you in mine and oil rig disasters

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Re: Engineers Risk Their Lives

03/27/2011 10:45 PM

I would imagine that I'd be willing to take the 25 rem if I were there. With a good and productive reason and with the dose minimized to the extent practical. No acute effects from that, and at my age... very little long term risk.

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#4

Re: Engineers Risk Their Lives

03/26/2011 12:36 PM

It's chicken for Japanese, compared to what they did in WW2. The KAMIKAZE style, that's one hell of loyalty to the motherland.

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euhodos
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#6
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Re: Engineers Risk Their Lives

03/27/2011 12:20 AM

Please tell us you are being sarcastic, if you are.

Otherwise, thanks for your honesty - perhaps someone somewhere might appreciate it - but you might consider forgiveness and compassion as superior measures of humanity.

Humanity, I'm assuming, being a "loyalty" to which you might STILL adhere after all these post-WW2 years...

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Re: Engineers Risk Their Lives

03/28/2011 1:13 PM

Not at all that sarcastic, actually. I always admired these people. In all of ASIA they are the most disciplined, very hard working, detailed in procedures, loyal friend & artistic.

And big fans to music like me as well, most importantly


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#9

Re: Engineers Risk Their Lives

04/04/2011 9:07 AM

It would be good to know what sorts of protective gear these brave volunteers could use,

Well you can protect aganist particulate contamination but not gamma. I have recieved > 10 rem in recovering industrial radioactive sources and it all comes down to time, distance and shielding.

Personally i have a great deal of respect for the techs and engineers that go into a live reactor to save the lives of others.

Ron

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