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[Aqizzar]

It's not the absolute level of radiation that defines the category of disaster - Fukushima is still putting out less radiation than Cheronobyl in numerical terms.  The category defines the level of control over the spread at the reactor itself, level 7 (Chernobyl) basically meaning "no effective containment, radioactive material ejecting freely into the atmosphere, no immediate way to curtail the leak".  It could be 1 rad for all it matters, the point is, it's uncontrolled and open to the air.

[Darvi]

So it's like, "we won't mutate for the next 3 months, but we can't do anything about it either" ?

[Zangi]

Huh... so not as bad, guess we won't see some deathlands terraforming.

[Aqizzar]

Like I said, the category defines the loss of containment and risk of exposure, the present 7 being "no containment".  There is no level 8.

Bear in mind when reading about the spread of radiation from the plant, especially across the ocean, that radioactive material is really easy to detect.  It is true that there is no such thing as a "safe" level of radiation, but it's not binary by any means.  In the immediate aftermath, radiation levels in California were detected at "thousands" of times higher than normal.  However, we can detect radioactive particulate in the air - "fallout", the real threat of radioactive leaks - in the parts-per-billion.  If the normal radiation level is "nil", then thousands of times normal is still basically nil.

Fallout is the key, radioactive dirt and dust being spread on the wind.  It gets exponentially less "dangerous" as it spreads, and doesn't last forever.  Every living person on Earth has particulate from Chernobyl in the bodies right now.  That being said, the immediate area around Fukushima is definitely dangerous - they have an advantage of the prevailing winds mostly blowing out to sea, but it's still a serious problem, and the agricultural lands around the plant should probably be written off.

Likewise, when you hear about safe "evacuation" zones and exclusion zones, it should be obvious from the fact that they're always circular that it's really just guesswork.  If you've ever lit off fireworks, and thought you were standing too close but were probably safe three steps back, that's the same basic logic.  It's really a question of wind-spread and, for lack of a better word, political cover and educated guesses at safety.  After all, it's always safer to be farther away.

Live report I'm watching says that the official estimate of the radioactive material leak from Fukushima, presumably by the U.S. Navy vessels in the area since they're equipped for it but it wasn't clear, now says that Fukushima has over the course of the event released about 10% of the radioactive fallout of Chernobyl.  The problem is, Chernobyl was basically a one-time explosion and then a bad fire, while this thing is smoldering and boiling with no end in sight, so there's no upper limit on how bad it could eventually get.  That it's only managed 10% after a couple weeks sounds good, but who knows how it's going to end up.

[Starver]

That it's only managed 10% after a couple weeks sounds good, but who knows how it's going to end up.

It's nearer a month, even...  (At least since the quake/tsunami, but without looking up the chronology it wasn't more than a couple of days before "whoops, there goes the exterior structure!" was reported.

And considering the whole of Japan to be "dead for a generation" might be (certainly hopefully should be) slightly overstating.  It's a large island nation, not the size of 3MI.  There'll be problems in the local area, but problems with the whole of Japan are more Hollywood-scale events than probably anything like what even the most pessimistic experts expect could happen.

[Aqizzar]

It's nearer a month, even...

To the day.  For some reason I didn't want to think that, but there it is, one whole month later.

Those guys knew the risks when they started working there, and they knew the risks when they chose to stay behind.  They might die hideously fast or lingeringly slow deaths for this, but that, ladies and gentlemen, is what heroism looks like.  God rest ye engineers.

I am honestly shocked that they are still there.  I never even heard if they managed to get fresh water in to cool the piles, or if the operation is still reliant on fire-hoses blowing sea-water into the containers.

[Bouchart]

That it's only managed 10% after a couple weeks sounds good, but who knows how it's going to end up.

It's nearer a month, even...  (At least since the quake/tsunami, but without looking up the chronology it wasn't more than a couple of days before "whoops, there goes the exterior structure!" was reported.

And considering the whole of Japan to be "dead for a generation" might be (certainly hopefully should be) slightly overstating.  It's a large island nation, not the size of 3MI.  There'll be problems in the local area, but problems with the whole of Japan are more Hollywood-scale events than probably anything like what even the most pessimistic experts expect could happen.

The radiation alone doesn't render the place dead for a generation.  Poor demographics, near bankruptcy and all of the damage from the earthquake and tsunami along with this embarrassing radiation spill mean that Japan's best days are far behind them.

[nenjin]

You underestimate the value of foreign aid and investment. Compared to many other nations, the Japanese will get a lot of both and will willingly accept it.

I'm not saying their economy isn't going to take a huge hit, but I don't see Japan falling into the depths ala Akira Neo-Tokyo because of this.

Assuming this doesn't get worse, and a chunk of Japan doesn't melt off into the ocean, I expect they'll turn the whole area into a nature preserve/memorial by the time I'm 40.*

* contingent on the next 10 years of research to evaluate how toxic the land actually is.

[Nadaka]

The radiation alone doesn't render the place dead for a generation.  Poor demographics, near bankruptcy and all of the damage from the earthquake and tsunami along with this embarrassing radiation spill mean that Japan's best days are far behind them.

Japan has survived far worse and come out stronger.

[Aqizzar]

I'm not saying their economy isn't going to take a huge hit, but I don't see Japan falling into the depths ala Akira Neo-Tokyo because of this.

Assuming this doesn't get worse, and a chunk of Japan doesn't melt off into the ocean, I expect they'll turn the whole area into a nature preserve/memorial by the time I'm 40.*

Japan as a nation should eventually come out alright.  Everything outside of the actual earthquake area is basically fine, and Japan is way too big a foundation of the international market for private or government investors to let its economy fall to shambles.

Stalker: Shores of Fukushima might be a slightly more tangible concern.

[Neonivek]

Also big disasters can actually improve economies depending on how they are treated. Though I won't go further into this because it is morbid.

[Il Palazzo]

Stalker: Shores of Fukushima might be a slightly more tangible concern.

Yeah, exactly my thoughts. They might also revive the Gojira franchise.

[Duke 2.0]

Stalker: Shores of Fukushima might be a slightly more tangible concern.

Yeah, exactly my thoughts. They might also revive the Gojira franchise.

"Don't go near the water, Stalker. They say Kaijin take greedy Stalkers into the depths of lake Inawashiro."

And voiced entirely by people with gruff bad Japanese accents.

[Aqizzar]

We're horrible people for joking around with this, but it's no different from making an enjoyable fictional experience from the Chernobyl disaster.  25 years from now, it'll probably be a real thing.  Likely no where near that long.

[Neonivek]

We're horrible people for joking around with this.

There was a folk song about the sinking of the titanic. It is very upbeat.

So... no your not horrible people