Nuclear Panic

Today's painting, Fukushima Daiichi

People are prone to panic with new technologies.  No one complains when 10,000 people died coal mining. last year in China, or about the real increase in deaths from lung disease from surfer dioxide and other particulates the coal burning plants kick out.

But if there is a tiny leak that isn't actually dangerous to public health and people pull out their hair an howl.

I do not mean to that say I am pro-nuclear energy, or weapons.  I am not.

I am just saying people panic, and dangers are most often overblown.

All that being said, today I reached my tipping point today.  I am afraid.

I do not think Tokyo is about to to be consumed in a fireball of hell, but for the first time I start to fear that there is a real possibility that we will be exposed to radioactive cesium and Iodine, and god help us, something worse.  From what the NY Times says they are really in deep trouble up in Fukushima. they have had multiple meltdowns of fuel rods, and it looks like one breach of a containment tank.  It is possible that it will soon be too dangerous for anyone to be in or near the nuclear sites to continue trying these last ditch efforts to contain the problem.  What then?

Real Bad.

The wind mostly keeps blowing it all toward California, but it did shift once today for a few hours.  Tokyo radiation levels went up 20 times normal.  Not dangerous, but it does give an indication what could happen if all hell breaks loose up there and then the wind changes and blows towards us again.

It then becomes the worst case.

Short time should tell, in the next 3 days or so.  But so far every bit of news from up there has been bad.  It could get worse fast.

What should I do?  I have kids here.  Worse than that about 10 million people have kids here.