antiaircraft Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 So with all the ruckus that's been raised over the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, it's becoming pretty clear that a lot of people don't understand what's going on, and have no idea how much or how little risk there is from the associated radiation. I thought I'd help point a few more people to this very handy chart compiled by Randall Munroe of xkcd, which helps put the whole incident in context, and shows just how badly this is being blown out of proportion. It's probably a still a good read if you're already familiar with the subject too. ;) Just remember: compared to what's already happened, the very worst case scenario from Fukushima is just a drop in the ocean. Japan has already suffered catastrophic damage from this earthquake and the resulting tsunami. There are hundreds of thousands of people who actually need help. The world needs to let Japan's engineers do their job, and focus on dealing with the real disaster. Quote
Olivia_D Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 Wow. That's really scary. I've never seen a chart like that before. I wonder if the melt-down is as bad as or worse than the Three Mile Island meltdown. It's so tragic. I'm not surprized that so many people are so afraid of radiation poisoning. :sad01_anim: Quote
Manta Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 Wow. That's really scary. I've never seen a chart like that before. I wonder if the melt-down is as bad as or worse than the Three Mile Island meltdown. It's so tragic. I'm not surprized that so many people are so afraid of radiation poisoning. :sad01_anim: How is that scary at all? :worried: The chart is saying that the amount of radiation absorbed from a day around the plant is fractional compared to what will kill you. :rolleyes_anim: Also thanks for the heads-up Theo! Randall Munroe always makes the best flowcharts :laughingsmiley: Quote
hrtbrk Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 No kidding. I remember the day after the earthquake, CNN was going on and on about how "critical" this radiation leak was and they were getting an expert on to speak. As soon as the expert came on to talk, the first thing he said was that it was not serious at all and to not worry, but to focus on the big picture of what just happened. The anchors faces were like this because it was NOT what they wanted to hear: :mellow: Scare tactics... Quote
Manta Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 No kidding. I remember the day after the earthquake, CNN was going on and on about how "critical" this radiation leak was and they were getting an expert on to speak. As soon as the expert came on to talk, the first thing he said was that it was not serious at all and to not worry, but to focus on the big picture of what just happened. The anchors faces were like this because it was NOT what they wanted to hear: :mellow: Scare tactics... hahahaha that's wonderful :laughingsmiley: It's really disgusting how the media is always trying to cause hysteria rather than calm people down and get things under control... Quote
d.Lia Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 On this topic, I'd like to share by Hank Green of Vlogbrothers fame. I think it covers quite well the basics anyone would need to know about radiation and what's happening at Fukushima. Quote
McChickenwing Posted March 26, 2011 Posted March 26, 2011 Wow.... We're all gonna have tails by the end of this... Quote
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