| One extremely huge security risk that would | | | | its internal structure. Probably it would |
| come from a bird flu pandemic is nuclear | | | | create at least some instability and cause |
| power plants. | | | | volcanos and earthquakes. |
| | | | |
| Right now, about 17% of the world's | | | | A nuclear reactor meltdown is something no |
| electricity is produced by nuclear power | | | | sane person wants to happen. |
| plants. | | | | |
| | | | Unfortunately, there are some insane people |
| There're over 400 nuclear power plants | | | | out there -- including many islamo-fascists |
| currently in operation around the world -- | | | | who believe that their religion justifies any |
| over 100 of them in the United States alone. | | | | actions which kills infidels. As a note left |
| | | | by one of the Spanish train bombers reads: |
| The total varies a lot by country. France | | | | "You love life. We love death." |
| relies on nuclear power more than any other | | | | |
| country -- using nuclear power to generate | | | | Therefore, any country containing nuclear |
| 75% of the country's electricity. | | | | power plants must make protecting them their |
| | | | number one priority during a serious bird flu |
| The United States currently gets about 15% of | | | | pandemic. |
| its electricity from nuclear power. That is | | | | |
| an overall percentage. Your area may be much | | | | They must protect against accidental error |
| higher or lower. | | | | due to a shortage of trained personnel. Plus |
| | | | they must protect against deliberate damage |
| Although the construction of nuclear power | | | | from a terrorist group taking advantage of |
| plants has stopped in the United States and | | | | the bird flu pandemic. |
| almost all of Europe, due to concerns about | | | | |
| the safety of these plants and of what to do | | | | The level of the reaction in the core is |
| with the nuclear waste generated by them, | | | | adjusted by using control rods that absorb |
| it's continuing in Asia and some other areas. | | | | neutrons. If the fission reaction gets too |
| | | | strong, the people operating the plants must |
| Disclaimer: I was a anti-nuke activist at one | | | | insert enough control rods to reduce it. Or |
| time. I worked extensively on an electoral | | | | stop it when necessary. |
| petition drive which would have banned the | | | | |
| operation of nuclear power plants in the | | | | Plus, water is used to keep the core cool. |
| state of Missouri until there was a safe, | | | | |
| permanant storage facility for nuclear waste. | | | | One danger will be that the plant is not |
| That was 1980, not a good election to promote | | | | properly taken care of, due to death and |
| anything at all "liberal," so our proposal | | | | illness of employees. |
| failed to pass. | | | | |
| | | | Therefore, all nuclear power plant personnel |
| But it's possible we played at least a small | | | | should be kept isolated from the rest of the |
| part in Union Electric's decision to cancel | | | | population. If they've possibly been exposed |
| their proposed Calloway II nuclear power | | | | to bird flu, if possible they should remain |
| plant. | | | | in a quarantine for at least 5 days to make |
| | | | sure they're not infected, before being in |
| I used to be completely proud of that. Now, | | | | contact with the other people. |
| I'm not so sure. I haven't completely turned | | | | |
| around on this issue, as I have on so many I | | | | They should also receive all available |
| used to be a leftwing radical on. I recognize | | | | medical care. They should have their own |
| the world's great need for electricity. | | | | doctor and nurse and supply of antiviral |
| However, all the nuclear waste bothers me. | | | | medicines and nutritional supplements. |
| After all the half-life of plutonium is | | | | |
| 250,000 years. | | | | This includes nuclear plant security guards. |
| | | | |
| Of course, the greatest potential danger from | | | | In fact, extra guards should be sent to watch |
| a nuclear power plant is the meltdown of its | | | | over nuclear power plants to prevent |
| core. | | | | terrorists attacks. Even if they must come |
| | | | from military units. |
| The heart of a nuclear reactor is the core | | | | |
| where uranium enriched with U-235 sits. | | | | It might be impossible to quarantine these |
| | | | new security guards, so shifts should be kept |
| The U-235 is split, making it give off two or | | | | separated from each other to reduce the |
| three neutrons. If these neutrons strike | | | | chances that one of them will spread bird flu |
| other U-235 atoms, then they are split and | | | | to others. |
| the nuclear fission reaction continues as | | | | |
| long as there're atoms of U-235. | | | | The military unit surrounding the power plant |
| | | | should remain on the perimeter so there's no |
| This fission reaction gives off heat, which | | | | chance they spread an avian flu infection to |
| is used to heat water to steam, which turns a | | | | either the regular plant guards or other |
| turbine which creates electricity. | | | | plant workers. |
| | | | |
| So nuclear power is basically just a fancy | | | | If nuclear power plant personnel do start |
| way to boil water. | | | | coming down with bird flu or feel that they |
| | | | cannot maintain a critical reaction at a safe |
| If, on average, less than one neutron hits | | | | level, for any reason -- they should have |
| another U-235 atom, then the reaction is | | | | orders to shut the reactor down with control |
| called sub-critical and the reaction will die | | | | rods to prevent a meltdown. |
| out. | | | | |
| | | | Another weak point is that the plant must be |
| If, on average, one neutron hits one other | | | | supplied with enough water to keep the core |
| U-235 atom, then the reaction is called | | | | cool. Therefore, it's critical that this |
| critical and the reaction will continue. | | | | source of water be safeguarded against |
| Nuclear power plants maintain this level to | | | | problems caused either by bird flu death |
| generate a stable amount of heat to run the | | | | illness or terrorists. |
| turbine. | | | | |
| | | | It would also be a good idea to patrol the |
| If, on average, one neutron hits more than | | | | air space above the power plant. If well |
| one other U-235, then the reaction is called | | | | constructed, they should be strong enough to |
| supercritical. | | | | withstand a direct hit from a crashed |
| | | | airplane, but who wants to depend on that? |
| This is where it gets dangerous. Contrary to | | | | |
| what some fear, the core of a nuclear reactor | | | | Shipments of nuclear fuel to the power plant |
| can't go off like an atomic bomb -- the U-235 | | | | should be suspended if at all possible. |
| is not that much enriched. The fission | | | | |
| reaction can't become supercritical fast | | | | Shipments of nuclear waste from the power |
| enough to explode. | | | | plant should certainly be suspended for the |
| | | | duration of the bird flu pandemic. |
| However, it can continue to heat up until the | | | | |
| physical structure melts down and forms a | | | | Although it is desirable to keep the power |
| superdense, superheavy ball. So heavy and | | | | plant generating electricity throughout the |
| dense that theground is not strong enough to | | | | pandemic, it may be pointless. That's because |
| hold it, so it falls through the soil of the | | | | shortage of electric utility personnel during |
| Earth. In theory, it could go to the core of | | | | the pandemic could create massive electrical |
| the planet and keepon until it reaches the | | | | shortages throughout the grids anyway. |
| opposite side. | | | | |
| | | | If the power plant generates electricity but |
| Since the opposite side of the United States | | | | it doesn't benefit anyone because too many |
| is China, we call this this the China | | | | wires are down and can't be repaired, it's |
| Syndrome. | | | | smarter to just turn the plant down as far as |
| | | | possible -- and the people working there |
| This would release a tremendous amount of | | | | should just wait out the pandemic. |
| radioactivity. If you watch the movie The | | | | |
| China Syndrome you'll hear an expert say it | | | | During a bird flu pandemic, protecting |
| would render an area the size of Pennsylvania | | | | nuclear power plants must be a country's |
| uninhabitable for eons. | | | | number one priority. |
| | | | |
| The focus is usually on the area surrounding | | | | The H5N1 virus pandemic will kill many |
| the site of the former nuclear power plant, | | | | people, but certainly not everybody. And it |
| but I think that the hole left on the other | | | | will go away within 3 to 12 months. |
| side of the planet would also release a lot | | | | |
| of radioactivity. | | | | A nuclear power plant will kill everybody |
| | | | within many miles, and radiation will |
| I don't know whether anybody's ever asked | | | | continue as a health hazard for an |
| geologists how sending a superdense ball | | | | uncountable number of generations. |
| through the core of the planet would affect | | | | |