Biology Week 10: Cell Biology and Radioactivity
In my minds eye, I picture radioactive disaster as a cascade of toxic ions spewing into the atmosphere, bleeding into our water systems, maintaining integrity as it spreads. I imagine a pool of water and a droplet of blue food coloring- Initially, it remains concentrated in one area, but eventually there is a touch of blue throughout the pool. Agitation from wind, rain or swimming bodies will increase the rate of diffusion and allow small amounts of food coloring to escape the pool. If living bodies enter the pool, the blue will enter an orifice and exit the pool with its host. Extreme heat will cause blue gases to leak into the atmosphere and it is certain that the blue will ceaselessly spread beyond the parameters of the pool.
This blue food coloring analogy is how I imagine the aftermath of the Tsunami wreckage of the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant in 2011. It is said that nearly 80 of the Radioactive wreckage has ended up in the pacific, some of which has been detected in US and BC shores 4 years later. The idea that there is a way to "control" the spill is unrealistic. The Radioactive isotopes are sitting on the ocean floor awaiting a powerful storm to stir things up. They are passing along marine food chain and eventually inhabiting land dwellers. Consumers are local, national and international and these isotopes have impressive half lives. The leaks will spread and there is no true control.
Interestingly, there is a line drawn that distinguishes toxic levels and acceptable levels. As Larry Spears mentioned in biology class, bananas mistake radioactive isotopes for potassium left over from the nuclear testing in the 1950's. This is 'ok' because the levels are so low. But how much is too much? If radioactive ions remain stable, spread and hot us from several angles, such low levels will start to accumulate. We don't hear much about the potentially damaging radiation from our profitable smart phones chill in our pockets inches away from our our reproductive assets or lay bedside, sharing vibes with our brains tissue.
I do not rest assured with the notion that the threat of harmful radiation is under control. Yes, nuclear power is a "clean" electrical resource free of greenhouse emissions splitting uranium atoms to produce heat. However, the increase of extreme weather coupled with dicey international politics, poses a threat to the safety of these practices. There have been 57 recorded nuclear accidents since Chernobyl in 1986, which does not seem like a controlled set-up. All is well until it is not.
This blue food coloring analogy is how I imagine the aftermath of the Tsunami wreckage of the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant in 2011. It is said that nearly 80 of the Radioactive wreckage has ended up in the pacific, some of which has been detected in US and BC shores 4 years later. The idea that there is a way to "control" the spill is unrealistic. The Radioactive isotopes are sitting on the ocean floor awaiting a powerful storm to stir things up. They are passing along marine food chain and eventually inhabiting land dwellers. Consumers are local, national and international and these isotopes have impressive half lives. The leaks will spread and there is no true control.
Interestingly, there is a line drawn that distinguishes toxic levels and acceptable levels. As Larry Spears mentioned in biology class, bananas mistake radioactive isotopes for potassium left over from the nuclear testing in the 1950's. This is 'ok' because the levels are so low. But how much is too much? If radioactive ions remain stable, spread and hot us from several angles, such low levels will start to accumulate. We don't hear much about the potentially damaging radiation from our profitable smart phones chill in our pockets inches away from our our reproductive assets or lay bedside, sharing vibes with our brains tissue.
I do not rest assured with the notion that the threat of harmful radiation is under control. Yes, nuclear power is a "clean" electrical resource free of greenhouse emissions splitting uranium atoms to produce heat. However, the increase of extreme weather coupled with dicey international politics, poses a threat to the safety of these practices. There have been 57 recorded nuclear accidents since Chernobyl in 1986, which does not seem like a controlled set-up. All is well until it is not.
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