Anyone old as me might remember the weird coincidence of the the release of a movie called "The China Syndrome" which is about a nuke melting down and about two weeks later, I think it was March of 1979, a partial meltdown occuring at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.
My first job after college was just post-three-mile island. I worked in an engineering group charged with the oversight of inspecting and retrofitting construction on a nuclear power plant that was mid-way in the construction process. We basically were going back and looking at everything - as small as every nut, bolt and weld that was already completed to ensure that there were no mistakes, as well as to reinspect everything that was being built. I spent several, very busy years working 12 hour days, as we had lots to do. It finally went on line and was one of the last in the US to do so. Fortunately, it is not near any ocean. Just as the country/world was relaxing and congressmen representing power companies, were suggesting that Three Mile Island was a fluke that could never happen again, anywhere on Earth, Chernobyl happened. I remember it clearly, because my contract was up and I was considering what to do. I iked physically making sure that power plants were safe - and having a job, but felt very sure that there should be no others built. Chernobyl ended all talk of nukes for decades - until eight or so years ago. I am one of the youngest out there - who are not retired - who have hands-on, nuke building experience. Much has been forgotten about why all nuke-building stopped. Believe me, part of the reason that it stopped was a trade-off; with no nukes being built to focus fears on, there was less press and it made nukes like San Onofre less newsworthy and more quickly forgotten. It only takes about 20 years for the memory to fade. This is a good example.
I am a bit rusty as I have been out of the field for so many years. However, you don't see The China Syndrome being rerun on movie channels, though it was a phenomenal movie (I saw it the week before the Three Mile Island accident). The impact of that movie, combined with Three Mile Island, put nukes on hold. Chernobyl killed it at least - until recently. I've actually looked at headhunter sites looking for people experienced with hands-on nuke building. The companies involved get people who have been working outside the states, building nukes; places with lower standards than the U.S. or Japan. If you ask me, those are scarier than those in the U.S., even with what we have here, especially on the West Coast.
About the exposion that blew the containment building; they are built to wistand great forse such as a jumbo jet colliding head-on with the building at full speed. That's force. It blew the top off. That's force an it had to move against the containment vessel, so there must be some damage to it. Should there be a big aftershock - like an 8.0 - then what might it do to the containment vessel? I aslo worry about the stress load that this quake has moved to adjacent, unbroken faults. What could happen to this situation should one of those faults break? Terrifying, if you consider the potential. Worse case scenario, but isn't that what the 8.9 quake + the tsunami 15 miinutes later would have been a week ago?
All I know is that the amounts of cesium sound more like a breach in the containment and possible exposed rods or if nothing else, a breach contaminating the cooling system. But, also having studied PR, you have to know that one of things that have to be taken into consideration when making announcements about potentially dangerous situations, is public reaction and panic.
Just my thoughts, but I have a feeling that this will soon become the worst nuclear disaster in history. I don't like the idea, but that is what seems to be forming here.
Stay safe,
Beth