Submarine USS Houston (SSN-713) leaked radioactive discharge into the ocean beginning in March 2008. The radioactive leakage is thought to be the result of a faulty valve. The Navy did not give specifics about the valve or the radioactive discharge, saying only the radioactivity was in the microcurie range. A microcurie is one millionth of a curie or 37 thousand decaying atoms per second. - toocan
The USS Houston is one of 62 Los Angeles class submarines. Here is a diagram from a paper by Chunyan Ma and Frank von Hippel. I wonder how it is even possible for anything radioactive to get out of the system.
Water containing a small amount of radiation leaked from a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine that stopped by Japan earlier this year, the U.S. Navy and Japanese government said on Saturday, prompting calls by civic groups for full disclosure.
The leak, which was too small to have any impact on the environment, was found during an inspection of the nuclear-powered Houston in Hawaii, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said, citing information provided by the U.S. government.
"The amounts were very, very, very small and were not of the sort that would affect the human body or the environment," Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura told a news conference.
The incident comes at a time when the United States has been trying to allay fears over the planned stationing of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington in Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks.
A civic group opposed to the deployment of the George Washington said the leak raises doubts about the safety of the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered vessels.
"The claim...that the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered vessels are safe and are not susceptible to radiation leaks has completely broken down," Masahiko Goto, a lawyer representing the group said in a statement.
Goto called on the U.S. Navy to disclose the causes of the radiation leak and urged the Japanese government to seek complete disclosure.
Many Japanese are sensitive about the use of nuclear power by military forces. The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki came under nuclear attack from the United States at the end of World War Two in August 1945. - yahoo
Some locals worried. Seeking full disclosure.
4 comments:
Just mention that word and people freak out. Never mind that we get more radiation exposure standing in the sun for a few minutes than was released in this leak. *sigh* Not that I want to drink or swim in that water but still...
Gee Xeno, who would think Nadar is nuclear physicist? He's peoples' (well, I guess if people = consumer then ...) advocate (who's currently running for the presidency - in case anyone didn't know.)
Bruce: "Just mention that word and people freak out" and rightly so!
Unlike sunlight, radioactive isotopes accumulate in our environment. It takes a long time before they become harmless. The more leaks the greater the treat to our health. Remember Chernobyl? That was one source. There are other sources, other leaks, in the US, as well. (Don't let any apologist from the US nuclear industry fool you!)
Whatever the source, it's the radioactive particles that cause harm to the DNA structure in the nucleus of the cells in our body. Remember DNA? It's responsible for cellular replication. Once that goes kilter we're in trouble. Things like cell death or unwanted cellular replication - i.e. cancer - occur.
So, people are justified to "freak out" when they hear about a leak of radioactivity anywhere in the world. There are, after all, ocean currents and trade winds that carry radioactive particles anywhere and everywhere.
Indeed, Xeno but why do we have to add more to what is already in our natural environment causing even greater risk by the continued use of nuclear energy - there will always be accidents. That is unavoidable. Soon or later there will be another Chernobyl. By the way, radioactive isotopes don't have to break the skin if they enter the food chain and consumed.
Yes, true. My theory is that there are so many billions of humans on the planet now that the value of individual lives (and the need for caution) in our collective consciousness has sunk too low.
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