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Anastasia Balezdrova

The raised threat level of nuclear catastrophe at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima to the highest seventh degree under the International Nuclear Event Scale has raised concerns not only in Japan, but also worldwide. Many people wonder how, on the one hand, the company representative could state that the nuclear radiation from Fukushima could exceed the radiation emitted in 1986 and on the other hand, to argue that the accident in Japan is quite different from that at the Chernobyl plant. GRReporter asked the Professor of Nuclear Physics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Papastefanou to answer this and other issues related to the nuclear nightmare lasting in Japan for weeks.
 
Would you explain what the increased threat at the power plant in Fukushima from 5^th to 7^thdegree means in practice?

This is related to the amount of radiation released into the environment. It will become clear how serious the incident is much later, when all leakages are suspended and a final assessment of elements released by the reactors is made.
 
I think that they rushed to raise the level of threat of the accident to 7 in Japan. On the basis of official communications from the responsible people, a serious scientist can not accept today that this degree is real. Because if this is true, how could we assume that the released radiation is equal to only 10% compared to Chernobyl? There is a discrepancy in the information. If the first is true, then the second is wrong.

Could we talk about a new Chernobyl in the case of Fukushima?

The events suggest that it is possible to face such danger, and even a more serious nuclear accident. Furthermore, the information we receive is not sufficient to make a serious assessment.

There was one reactor in Chernobyl, and they are four here. What we know, in fact, is that the reactors are not cooled inside. I do not want to do a prophet, but when I see that Japan is not doing much or what is done yields no results, such a thought is not unusual. For now, however, I do not think it is quite possible.

Which radioactive isotopes were found in the radiation released so far?

Strontium 90 was found in the soil and the plants around the plant, but not in remote areas, although we have no information on the data recorded in them. They do not announce them. At first, they reported for radioactive iodine, then – for radioactive caesium and now – for radioactive strontium. The radioactive products of nuclear fission are about 25 in number. It is impossible not to be released the first time. There is no way of releasing one radioactive isotope and to stop the others. It is clear that they do not report these things not to panic the local population and the rest of the world.

Has the radiation reached Europe?

The radiation has reached everywhere. Isotopes of xenon have been found along the west coast of the USA. Various isotopes have been detected along the northeastern coast too. Iodine 131 and caesium 134 and 137 have been found in all European countries. Consequently, at least the northern hemisphere, where the air masses move in one direction, is completely affected by the nuclear radiation released by Fukushima.

Are the quantities dangerous, however?

The quantities are high especially in Japan, around Fukushima and the adjacent areas. Then, the clouds formed by the continuous leakage of radiation move and the air masses carry them to very large distances. Japan is in the middle of a very large ocean. So, there are no obstacles and the cloud that is over it could easily move. Apparently, there are draughts from the south to the north. This explains the fact that the radiation reached the North Pole very quickly. And let us not forget that, the movement of water in the Pacific Ocean is towards the North Pole. Thus, when the cloud continued to move it ended up over the Atlantic Ocean, having passed over Iceland. It has begun to dissipate there, because when the clouds move long distances they dissipate at a certain point. From that point on, the radiation has begun to spread by the method of diffusion both to the east and the west, to the USA and Europe and gradually onwards.

This means that it was not necessary a cloud to reach us. The radiation arrived through diffusion. It can reach many places in this way, but in particularly low quantity. This explains the fact that the level of radiation in Europe is low and, in fact, it is about a million times lower than the radiation in the area of the ​​plant.

Here is the difference compared with the accident at the Chernobyl plant, when the radiation over Greece was very high, at least a million times higher than that currently in Fukushima. This means that the situation there is serious, but here it is not. However, we should clarify that we are talking on the base of the amounts of radiation measured across Europe.

If, however, the technicians completely lose control and the release of radiation continues or if a reactor explodes and large quantities of radiation are released into the atmosphere, this would mean that the quantities that would move would be huge. But I personally do not believe that such a high radiation could reach us, compared to that which had come here after the explosion of the reactor in Chernobyl. I think this is very difficult, if not impossible to happen. But much higher amounts of radiation could reach us than those we have now.

However, we would like to believe that appropriate ways of solving the problem and limiting the threat would be found, because French nuclear experts from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and nuclear technologists from General Electric, the technology of which was used to build the 55 nuclear reactors in Japan, are already in Fukushima. But this is something we would expect. For now, the news coming from there are not good. For example, the International Atomic Energy Agency determined today (13:04) the general situation in Fukushima as very serious. This means that the works carried out yielded insignificant results and we do not know what to expect. No one must speak with assumptions in such cases.

Do you think that this whole situation would cause a serious global discussion on the use of nuclear energy?

I do not think it will happen. And that is because the nuclear lobby on the planet is very strong. The big nuclear and military industries produce reactors to sell them. And when they sell, they expect profits and other benefits. They are not startled by such accidents. Whether an accident would happen, which is always possible, does not concern them and they neither restrict the production, nor do the countries stop the installation of reactors. Let us not forget that the governments are subject to pressure from the nuclear lobby to install reactors, just because of the large profits they expect.

But even leaving that aside, the countries need huge quantities of energy. How could they produce such quantities otherwise? 6.85 billion people live in the world today and they will have reached 9 billion by 2030. And how could they be provided with electricity? Consequently, nuclear energy is a necessary evil.

Let me explain: I am for nuclear energy, but I can not ignore the failure of compliance with major requirements in the installation of a nuclear reactor in a country. The Japanese have 55 reactors, and you see that they are unable to cope with one incident. And they should be aware of these things from scratch. They should always be prepared and have the knowledge of what they must do in such a case. What they show now is a state of panic. They have raised their hands and wait for help "from above". Well, this does not seem very good. Whose side should I take in this case? Should I pretend that I do not see this?

But nuclear power will not be discontinued as it did not happen after the accident in Chernobyl. 25 years passed and the people forgot about it. If the accident in Japan had not happened on the 26^th of April, everyone would talk about the anniversary on the 25^th year from the explosion of the reactors in Chernobyl. I think it is ridiculous to talk about anniversary, when we talk about such a catastrophe for humanity. However, the today's crisis with the power plant in Fukushima also will be forgotten over time.