4 replies to this topic

[wjfox]

Severe Nuclear Reactor Accidents Likely Every 10 to 20 Years, European Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (May 22, 2012) — Western Europe has the worldwide highest risk of radioactive contamination caused by major reactor accidents.

Catastrophic nuclear accidents such as the core meltdowns in Chernobyl and Fukushima are more likely to happen than previously assumed. Based on the operating hours of all civil nuclear reactors and the number of nuclear meltdowns that have occurred, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz have calculated that such events may occur once every 10 to 20 years (based on the current number of reactors) -- some 200 times more often than estimated in the past. The researchers also determined that, in the event of such a major accident, half of the radioactive caesium-137 would be spread over an area of more than 1,000 kilometres away from the nuclear reactor. Their results show that Western Europe is likely to be contaminated about once in 50 years by more than 40 kilobecquerel of caesium-137 per square meter.

http://www.scienceda...20522134942.htm

[Craven]

I'm not expert but this seems like huge bullshit spoken right out of ass. Statistic at it's worst.

[Logically Irrational]

This doesn't seem like it takes into account advances in technology, specifically fourth generation nuclear power. The method they used (determining the rate of accidents per certain amount of years), seems a gross oversimplification, since there are so many unpredictable factors.

[wjfox]

Yeah, it does seem a bit flawed. Thought I'd post it here anyway.

[Caiman]

Fukushima was a very specific type of case that is unlikely to occur almost anywhere else in the world too, so surely it's the type of event that should be excluded from this type of 'study'. Does appear to be another dose of anti-nuclear, paid for propaganda, indeed.