The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was horrific to watch unfold. It will take decades — and billions of dollars — to clean up, as more problems seem to emerge by the minute.
Most recently, Tepco announced that it’s still missing a large amount of spent fuel — in part because radiation remains so high that robots and other devices cannot function inside the plant to give workers a better picture of what’s going on.
The disaster and subsequent cleanup have attracted global attention, with many nations questioning whether they want to continue using nuclear power.
In the United States, Congress ordered the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a detailed study on the Fukushima disaster. The second part of that review was just released, and the results are ominous: The “devil’s scenario” that led to catastrophe at Fukushima could repeat itself on U.S. soil.
Worse yet, the NAS warns, the consequences of a Fukushima-like meltdown in the United States would be much more devastating than they were in Japan — a chilling thought.
There are two parts to the incredibly detailed study, which delves into precisely what happened at Fukushima and why the disaster occurred. Oddly enough, despite the chain of horrific events that led to a spectacular nuclear incident, it could have been worse.
The NAS found that a fortuitous leak in Unit 4′s reactor well actually kept the spent fuel pool cool covered long enough to prevent a devastating fire. But when it comes to nuclear power — with its tremendous possibilities for serious accidents — we cannot depend on random chance, the NAS warned.
A number of protective steps will be critical to avoid an American Fukushima.
In the report, the NAS lays out its recommendations for power plants in the U.S., starting with robust and redundant systems to monitor conditions inside of reactors in emergencies and maintain sufficient water levels.
In Fukushima, instrumentation that allowed plant workers to keep an eye on water…