Accident at Russian nuclear weapons plant:

  On 2/2024 local media in Izhevsk, Russia reported an explosion at the Votkinsk weapons factory, which produces nuclear weapons components and ballistic missiles for Iskander and Topol-M weapons systems. A few hours later these articles were removed and TASS reported that the blast was caused by "a scheduled test of rocket engines" that was "a planned event, not an emergency." Normally the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations mentions scheduled tests on its websites; this event had not been posted. Officially the ministry "does not confirm a powerful explosion at the Votkinsk plant near Izhevsk" and that "no socially significant incidents have occurred." No casualties were mentioned. Izhevsk is west of the Urals Mountains, about 750 miles (1,200 km) east of Moscow.

This was reported by Dr Glen Reeves in his Medical WMD Items of Interest Newsletter 9 February 2024.

Fukushima wastewater being released into the ocean

 

     On 11 March 2011 the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan caused a tsunami that resulted in catastrophic damage to the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan. This overwhelmed the emergency generators providing power to the cooling systems, causing three nuclear meltdowns, three hydrogen explosions, and release of large amounts of water contaminated with radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere and the Pacific Ocean. Because the reactors, though no longer operating, still require cooling and because groundwater has also filtered into the site and become contaminated, the 350 million gallons stored are nearing the capacity of the more than 1,000 tanks, so water has to be released. Many of the radioactive isotopes can be removed (except tritium), especially the more hazardous ones such as cesium-137 and strontium-90. However, to bring tritium levels down the water will have to be diluted, therefore requiring some of the stored water to be released; this will take several decades. 

The Japanese government has submitted its storage and release plans to the IAEA, which after peer review believes the plan to be "consistent with international safety standards." The IAEA intends to continue safety reviews throughout the discharge phase. Many disagree with their recommendations, but according to one expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, "their plan, unfortunately, is probably the least bad of a bunch of bad options." However, the government of China has nonetheless banned all Japanese seafood and agricultural products. China is the largest market for Japan's aquatic exports. The good news is that no fish or shellfish off the Pacific coast have radioactive contamination that would pose a risk to those who ate them.

Written by Glen Reeves MD 

Kharkiv nuclear research facility hit by shelling

      The Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology is intended for the research and production of radioisotopes for medical and industrial needs. It was hit by shelling of the laboratories and nearby buildings four weeks ago. The "good news" is that the newly built neutron source is always subcritical, and the inventory of radioactive material very low, thus reducing the risks of high amounts of radiation being released, according to the IAEA. The IAEA said that radiation levels at the Chernobyl site had reached 9.8 microsieverts/h, or roughly 86 millisieverts/y; IAEA safe level standards are 1 mSv/y for the general population and 20 mSv/y for radiation workers. A rule of thumb for increased risk of radiation-induced cancers is 5 per cent per Sievert, or 1 per cent for every 200 mSv. However, at these low levels the risk/dose ratio isn't linear and the algorithms don't include the dose rate.

Written by Glen Reeves MD

 

 

Russian Troops Suffer Acute Radiation Sickness After Digging Chernobyl Trenches

      ARS (acute radiation sickness or syndrome) is a collection of overlapping syndromes resulting from acute external whole body exposure to radiation of 1 Gy or more delivered over a short period of time. It occurs in four phases: prodromal signs and symptoms, primarily nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; a latent period of several days (depending inversely on dose) where symptoms improve or even temporarily disappear; manifest illness resulting from damage to the blood forming organs, GI tract, and/or cardiovascular/CNS systems; and recovery (hopefully) or death. Reportedly "several hundred" Russian soldiers became ill after digging trenches in contaminated soil and are now being treated in a special medical facility in Gomel, Belarus.

U.S. sources have confirmed that many Russian soldiers are withdrawing from the radiation zones around Chernobyl. However, it is probable that these withdrawals are due to operational maneuvers rather than for prevention of hundreds of actual ARS cases. Digging up contaminated soil certainly increases the risk of inhalation of radioactive particles, but this would cause mainly internal, not external, exposure. Skin contamination high enough to deliver such a dose to bone marrow and other deep tissues would have to cause severe burns, from the alpha and beta radiation components of the dust; this hasn't been reported. Digging trenches in radioactive soil, while certainly not good for one's health, is highly unlikely to create midplane tissue doses this high in this many people. 

Written by Glen Reeves MD

Threats and hazards to staff at Russian-seized Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP)

     Although the Chernobyl NPP stopped producing electricity around 2000, it still needs staff to keep cool water circulating over the spent fuel rods. Since the war cut the high-voltage power lines that normally, keep the NPP cooling system running, the staff have been held there at gunpoint working nonstop. There have been disagreements over what will happen if the pumps stop working: will the water boil, forming radioactive steam and then melting the fuel assemblies, or have the decades in storage cooled the fuel below the temperatures needed to cause a meltdown? 

A more probable and pressing radiation hazard is whether the outage will compromise the ventilation system, exposing the staff to higher levels of radiation. In any case, the staff being forced to do double duty (no relief staff for the second 12-hour shift), rapidly dwindling food supplies, lack of sleep, and armed Russian guards ready to shoot whoever tries to leave is severely stressing the staff to the point where someone may do something irrational.

Written by 

Glen I Reeves MD 

 

 Chernobyl nuclear power plant 

Japan may have to release tritium-contaminated water from Fukushima into the ocean.

     Unfortunately, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has nowhere else to store the over 250 million gallons of contaminated water from the cooling pipes used to keep fuel cores from melting after the tsunami from the Tohoku earthquate in 2011 destroyed the plant. The tritium is going to be released over a 10-year period.

      Most of the radioactive elements have already been removed or reduced to low levels by chemical treatment. The remaining isotope, tritium, emits a low-energy beta particle that goes less than a centimeter in air and cannot penetrate through the human epidermis. If ingested, however, it would irradiate the epithelial lining of the GI tract. Tritium is naturally formed by cosmic rays in the upper atmosphere and then rained out into surface waters. So far studies have failed to document carcinogenic effects from tritium; it is assumed nevertheless to be carcinogenic at high levels.

Saving Lives After a Nuclear Detonation

A presentation by Brooke Buddemeier, a Certified Health Physicist at Lawrence Livermore who is both a very knowledgeable scientist and an excellent speaker (with great presentation graphics), on the above topic. Using the archetypical 10 kt surface burst explosion in downtown Washington DC, he explains the consequences of and responses to such an event. The main point is that the first few minutes are the most critical for saving thousands of lives. The first sign is of course the bright flash, followed almost immediately by a "thump". This is from the shock wave, not to be confused with the blast wave that arrives several seconds or a couple of minutes later. If outdoors, lie down prone with feet toward the blast and cover your head with your hands. Then, once the blast wave passes, get inside the nearest structurally intact building. Go to the center of the building and into the basement if there is one. For a surface 10 kt detonation there is severe damage within half a mile (maximum pressure will be over 8 psi). The next zone of moderate damage extends out to a mile. There will be more survivors than fatalities in this zone, particularly if they get inside. (N.B. If indoors when the flash occurs, get away from the windows. At 1 to 3 miles from the device's hypocenter most will be uninjured aside from those impacted by flying glass and other objects. There will be temporary flash blindness lasting from 15 seconds to 1 minute for those who look at the fireball. If you're on the road, or walking near it, this could be bad. Flash blindness can occur out to 10 miles, or several miles farther if at night. But the greatest preventable danger will be from radioactive fallout. This is why it is imperative to get inside (same as in case of a tornado; get inside and head for the basement) and remain there for 12-24 hours. An AM/FM radio is important; towers outside the blast wave range will survive, and important safety instructions will be given. The higher the burst, the less the fallout (which is simply a mixture of dirt and debris from the ground surface with radioactive fission products). Note that increasing the yield of the bomb 10 times only doubles the range to effect. If you are contaminated by fallout, brush it off. Fallout is usually dry and dusty, not wet and sticky. The emitted radiation will lose half its intensity in the first hour, and 80% within the first day. Hence even a relatively poor shelter (e.g. one story home) can significantly decrease fatalities by 50% or more. The presentation lasts less than 25 minutes (including Q&A). Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EueJrCJ0CcU&feature=youtu.be