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<blockquote data-quote="Rob Timmerman" data-source="post: 24065" data-attributes="member: 172">Re: Attempting to bring clarity to the nuclear problems facing JapanExcellent summary, Phil.For those looking for some more background on the pros and cons of some of the different containment designs, check out this memo from the AEC <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/greeninc/hanauer.pdf" target="_blank">http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/greeninc/hanauer.pdf</a>For some perspective, consider that this is a 40+ year old power station.&nbsp; If this were a coal or hydro plant with the same generating capacity, there likely would have been similar (if not worse) damage and loss of life.&nbsp; Making a generating station arbitrarily safe is an exercise in risk analysis and design, with exponentially increasing costs, but ultimately, the regulators and designers need to choose what class of events the plant needs to survive (1000 year?&nbsp; 100000 year?&nbsp; Direct strike by a large meteorite?).&nbsp; The mass media and public need to do their part by not engaging in hysteria over OMG RADIATION! (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose</a>).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Rob Timmerman, post: 24065, member: 172"] Re: Attempting to bring clarity to the nuclear problems facing Japan Excellent summary, Phil. For those looking for some more background on the pros and cons of some of the different containment designs, check out this memo from the AEC [url]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/greeninc/hanauer.pdf[/url] For some perspective, consider that this is a 40+ year old power station. If this were a coal or hydro plant with the same generating capacity, there likely would have been similar (if not worse) damage and loss of life. Making a generating station arbitrarily safe is an exercise in risk analysis and design, with exponentially increasing costs, but ultimately, the regulators and designers need to choose what class of events the plant needs to survive (1000 year? 100000 year? Direct strike by a large meteorite?). The mass media and public need to do their part by not engaging in hysteria over OMG RADIATION! (see [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_equivalent_dose[/url]). [/QUOTE]

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