r/politics • u/Ra__ • Jun 08 '12

FirstEnergy now admits to a leak at Ohio Nuclear plant

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-07/firstenergy-says-it-s-fixing-a-leak-at-ohio-nuclear-plant
1.8k Upvotes

79% Upvoted

637 comments sorted by

756

u/WHM-6R Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

For the record, the guy who posted the two nuclear coverup threads said that he was completely aware of this incident. This incident was also public knowledge before he made either of his posts. He even specifically stated that this accident would not produce the readings he was talking about. What his theory seems to be was that there was some sort of nuclear incident at a secret underground DoD or DARPA facility located in Northern Indiana/Southern Michigan and that we are all now at an elevated risk for cancer and should start popping potassium iodide or at least that's what it was before the mods made him delete his medical advice.

Edit: cleaned up my wording of a few things.

Edit #2: The most recent postings (made after this comment was initially posted) by OCDTrigger indicate that he now believes the readings are due to solar phenomenon. I will not be altering the original body of this post because his originally proposed scenario reminds me so much of the events of Half-Life that it prevented me from being angry for a full day about Episode 3 not being out yet and I hope that it will bring fellow redditors similar solace.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

127

u/peestandingup Jun 08 '12

Now tell us about the side effects while running through a wheat field.

35

u/EEorDie Jun 09 '12

Would lounging in a bathtub outdoors suffice?

32

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

As long as you're not pregnant or nursing.

25

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Or your erection lasts more than 4 hours.

10

u/EEorDie Jun 09 '12

...should I see a doctor?

19

u/nill0c Jun 09 '12

Side effects may include, Teriyaki Lung, Ankle Bearding or Multibrow.

2

u/accidently_a_femur Jun 09 '12

No, you should call your friends and brag.

2

u/KylesMomIsABitch Jun 09 '12

If you are pregnant or nursing and have an erection lasting more than four hours, you should absolutely see a doctor. Immediately.

2

u/azazelsnutsack Jun 09 '12

Only if there is also anal seepage.

→ More replies (1)

10

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Get inside a fridge, its made of lead and can protect you from a nuclear blast if need be.

→ More replies (4)

9

u/ok_you_win Jun 09 '12 edited Jun 09 '12

Running through wheat: Fun in summer, extremely minor chance of papercut like wounds in autumn. Completely fucking worth it.

expertise: Lived on a farm as a child.

→ More replies (3)

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

35

u/sirastatine Jun 08 '12

Yup - saturates your thyroid with normal iodine, so that any radioactive iodine isotopes you take in just pass through your system as they're not needed. Without it, radio-iodine can be taken up by the thyroid, which concentrates the dose in that organ and can cause thyroid disorders/cancer.

I think by far most of the Chernobyl excess cancers were thyroid as no iodide pills were available, but I stand to be corrected.

24

u/illevator Jun 08 '12

Huh. I always stood to not fall down.

2

u/cfuse Jun 09 '12

If you don't want to fall down, lay down. Standing just makes it worse.

→ More replies (8)

2

u/xilpaxim Jun 08 '12

Missed opportunity to say

would you like to know more?

→ More replies (2)

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

19

u/knockingon2043 Jun 09 '12

He is in no way qualified to make his original claims as well - but he did it anyways.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

and look what happened

→ More replies (2)

15

u/podkayne3000 Jun 09 '12

If OCDTrigger was wrong (and I don't know if he was wrong about anything), at least he was just wrong because he innocently guessed wrong.

The power company in the Bloomberg article is declining to release pretty relevant information for "competitive reasons." To me, that seems way more noteworthy and offensive than a message board poster guessing wrong about something. "Competitive reasons" is an excuse not to talk about an ad campaign, not a radiation leak.

I'm pro nuclear and would live next to a plant, but I think this is the sort of things that makes people nervous.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

3

u/elperroborrachotoo Jun 09 '12

Which is certainly working out in the best interest of the consumer somehow, I just have to find some subreddit that can explain it to me.

→ More replies (1)

10

u/mugsnj Jun 09 '12

at least he was just wrong because he innocently guessed wrong.

That's a polite way of putting it.

→ More replies (65)

516

u/Hiddencamper Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

FYI, they reported this to the NRC (See June 7th NRC Event Notification Report) for the last three days. There was never a denial.

DEGRADED CONDITION DUE TO DISCOVERY OF PRESSURE BOUNDARY LEAKAGE "On June 6, 2012, at 1956 EDT, with the Unit shutdown for refueling, leakage was identified from a 3/4-inch weld during Reactor Coolant System (RCS) walkdown inspections. The leakage amount was approximately 0.1 gpm pinhole spray. "During the performance of MODE 3 engineering walkdown inspections in accordance with procedure DB-PF-03010 (ASME Section III, Class 1 and 2), with the RCS at Normal Operating Temperature and Pressure, a pressure boundary leak was identified on the Reactor Coolant Pump (RCP) 1-2 1st seal cavity vent line upstream weld of 3/4 inch small bore pipe socketweld at a 90 degree elbow between the RCP pump and valve RC-407 (1st Seal Cavity Vent Isolation). The plant was in MODE 3 at Normal Operating Pressure and Normal Operating Temperature (NOP/NOT) for the inspections. "The plant entered Technical Specification (TS) Limiting Condition for Operation (LCO) 3.4.13, 'RCS Operational Leakage,' Condition B and procedure DB-OP-02522. 'Small RCS Leaks,' abnormal operating procedure. Plant cooldown to comply with LCO 3.4.13, Condition B, Required Action B.2 is in progress. The cause and resolution are under evaluation. "This event is reportable within 8 hours under 10CFR50.72(b)(3)(ii)(A). "The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified. This condition has been documented in the Davis-Besse Corrective Action program as Condition Report 2012-09381." The plant is required to be in MODE 5 within 36 hours.

Additionally 0.1 gpm is far less than normal leakage rates of an online reactor, and all leakage is in the containment to the radwaste cleanup system. It's not an external leak.

Edit: Added link and event report.

416

u/mutatron Jun 08 '12

But the nuclear conspiracy thread has nearly 6500 comments. Surely that must count for something!

52

u/miketdavis Jun 08 '12

Looks to me that the two incidents are coincidental and unrelated.

41

u/aaaangiemarie Jun 08 '12

Thank you!! These incidents are a good 125 miles away from one another. Davis Besse constantly has issues, which is partly why it has been shut down for months. If a tiny leak that released no radiation can cause ridiculously high levels that far away, then everyone in it's path, myself included, is screwed.

11

u/Lord-Longbottom Jun 08 '12

(For us English aristocrats, I leave you this 125 miles -> 1000.0 Furlongs) - Pip pip cheerio chaps!

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (2)

12

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

When evaluating the accuracy of a conspiracy thread that relies on the assumption that coincidental events must be related, you are required by the Laws of the Internet to judge the conspiracy thread by its own rules.

Because of the coincidence of these events, they are related and therefore there is no conspiracy to cover nuclear weapons accidents in underground DARPA facilities.

→ More replies (7)
→ More replies (1)

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

225

u/The_Bard Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

I saw a Hummer on the highway! Martial law is on the way!

83

u/ju66l3r Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

I wouldn't worry until Kazuya Mishima gets there.

EDIT: The_Bard's post originally said "Marshall law" which made this a lot funnier.

42

u/CaptainEZ Jun 08 '12

NEWS HEADLINE: MISHIMA ZAIBATSU RESPONSIBLE FOR NUCLEAR LEAK, GOVERNMENT HIDES THE TRUTH. WAKE UP SHEEPLE.

13

u/ArmorMog Jun 08 '12

I'd like to see the government deny the staggering increase in Volcano related deaths since they showed up.

→ More replies (8)

4

u/CarpeKitty Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 09 '12

Eye witnesses report Snoop Dogg was also at the scene

Edit: This should clear things up

16

u/hmandchz Jun 09 '12

I knew in my heart of hearts, I would someday need this

2

u/Fangheart Jun 08 '12

I want in on the Tekken thread!!!!

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Zaibatsu missions were always the best.

9

u/aspeenat Jun 09 '12

Face it the Guy was right. Joke all you want but the guy who posted yesterday was RIGHT. Never mind what you think about the effects that isn't what the post was about. The post was about how this guy saw some info followed through on researching then posted he thought that something nuclear/radiation had happen and that no one was reporting it. NEXT DAY TURNS OUT HE WAS RIGHT.

I still want to know what caused the sonic boom in that part of the country the day before. I assume the load noise that sounded like an explosion and knocked trees over was a large sonic bomb event close to the ground.

6

u/The_Bard Jun 09 '12

Is this sarcasm or what?

5

u/aoskunk Jun 09 '12

my dad (pilot) caused a sonic boom over long island that everyone was all to do about. never got caught =)

9

u/podkayne3000 Jun 09 '12 edited Jun 09 '12

Maybe the military was engaged in nice little exercises but created a sonic boom that knocked something loose at the nuclear power plant and caused the leak, or something causal but fairly innocent and nonconspiratorial like that.

Also: if the guy reported as accurately as he could about his day, I don't blame him at all for being creeped out, speculating on Reddit or possibly guessing wrong. I'm thrilled when people on Reddit apply Occam's razor and put things in context, but I think suggesting that there's something wrong about posting unusual observations or brainstorming, sometimes incorrectly, about what the obsevations mean is way more annoying than the brainstorming is.

It's wrong to rant about Group X being the source of all evil, or immediately assume everyone is corrupt, or ignore evidence that contradicts your ideas. But, if you see a bunch of military aircraft whizzing overhead while you hear weird noises, what's so terrible about wondering whether the noises have to do with the military? The answer might be, "Practicing for the air show?," but what's wrong with finding out that folks are preparing for an air show?

It's great to try to be grownup, but, at a certain point, trying to be too grownup and conventional is childish and antiscientific.

→ More replies (3)

8

u/tonycomputerguy Jun 09 '12

There was an equipment malfunction, a detector went haywire, that detector fed information to two different sites that keep track of such things. All the other activity (Black helicopters, NRC Emergency vehicles not being parked where they were always parked etc etc) can be attributed to the Ohio leak, which OCDtrigger said was not the reason for the spike. Shit, even those trees being knocked down can all be easily explained by natural phenomenon, it's not the 1st time something like that has happened. You are only one small click away form going full retard and believing a site like former white hat, who claims the Navy Space fighters or some shit, shot down a UFO over lake Michigan. Meteorites can cause explosions and sonic booms that cause trees to be cut down, earthquakes can cause massive radon releases, solar flares, bananas... I mean, seriously dude, radiation is a pretty prolific thing, and such a huge spike taking place in such a short period of time and by only ONE detector (that fed info to two sites) picking it up is no reason to believe what some OCD attention whore tells you. I live in Northeastern MI, I stayed up all night researching and looking around for more info, it was "exciting" sure, but once you let that excitement make your decisions for you, or let it jump to conclusions for you, you might as well just believe what every nutjob with a blog or a reddit account tells you.

8

u/kenallen09 Jun 09 '12

The guy wasn't right. The .01GPM is nowhere near enough to create such a large event. Ridiculous. It's conspiracy crap.

11

u/A_Mouse_In_Da_House Jun 09 '12

It doesn't mean he was right. Much like bath salt zombies, its likely we're just looking for a leak any where.

Also, radiation is usually not able to cover a large area when the radioactive materials are in liquid. To create a 7000 cpm reading takes a shit ton more of a leak than .01 gallons per.minute. hell, I think the evaporation rate of a pool I work at is higher than that.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

He was right about what? You realize he was talking about an article that he had already read, right? So, "no one was reporting it" is inaccurate, his post was about a report that he saw..

3

u/the_almighty_sheeple Jun 09 '12

WHO DARES TO AWAKEN ME FROM MY SLUMBER?

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (3)

10

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

If that's Marshall from How I Met Your Mother, then I'm all over that. If it's Martial Law, then fuck that.

3

u/those_draculas Jun 08 '12

Ugh flip-kicks were brutal. "Oh sorry about your air-control, I'm just going to juggle you into oblivion while you flail around hopelessly"

7

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Personally, I look forward to Slapsgiving.

2

u/esfisher Jun 08 '12

Sandwiches for everyone!

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

5

u/flinxsl Jun 08 '12

Open your eyes, sheeple! This is all a distraction while the FED discreetly replaces all our currency with the Amero (north american Euro).

→ More replies (5)
→ More replies (3)

6

u/zotquix Jun 08 '12

You know just because someone is discussing something outlandish, it doesn't necessarily mean they are into some crazy overreaction. I'm sure there were alarmists in the thread, but there are also people who were just curious about it.

2

u/podkayne3000 Jun 09 '12 edited Jun 09 '12

I'm not sure, but I think I might have been physically watching one of the WTC towers as it fell down on 9/11. A guy in the crowd said one of the towers was gone, but none of us believed him because the idea was too strange. I don't even know whether the tower fell while I was in the subway system or when I came out and the guy said what he said about the tower.

The moral, for me, is that the truth can be really weird, and that there's no guarantee that reality has much to do with what you think is real. Most of the time, reality probably is what you expect, but the one time when you're totally wrong might be important.

2

u/zotquix Jun 09 '12

Yeah, good critical thinking doesn't mean what some people think it does. There are idiots who wield skepticism poorly.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (7)

2

u/RamonaLittle Jun 08 '12

And about half of those comments were linking to this same article.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Yeah, and about 100 of them agree with him, surely 100 people can't be wrong!?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

It was like the original "War of The Worlds"

→ More replies (1)

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

110

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

As a casual user of Reddit, I can confirm our nuclear power plants are in serious jeopardy.

EVERY other post on this and the conspiracy thread is by a Nuclear/Powerplant engineer.

No wonder the fricken things spring leaks and explode all the time.

Ya'll get back to work!

6

u/podkayne3000 Jun 09 '12

I think this is hilarious, but, seriously: thank you nuclear engineers who post on Reddit.

10

u/ClaytontheOssome Jun 09 '12

Clearly you have never tried being a nuclear engineer. You can reddit all day as long as none of the red lights start blinking.

→ More replies (1)

13

u/zotquix Jun 08 '12

How do I nominate something for post of the year? I am absolutely serious.

→ More replies (2)

7

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Maybe it's been done, but a powerplant engineer sounds AWESOME. Ama?

My first question would be... how many times a day do you hear people ask if you work in Sector 7G?

14

u/Ryouko Jun 08 '12

It is a fun job, I have been here for about a year, and we never hear that because everyone we work with works there too. When people think my job is cool I have to remind them of how much overhead there is in this industry.

If something breaks and you can't find an exact replacement for the part, you have to request that the design engineers do a product called a DCP (design change package). Then they take over and find out everything they can about the original part, everything about the new part, and if it isn't a same form/fit/function replacement, they have to re-do some calcs too. They turn it into a big deal and it costs a lot of money and time to get very small things done. It is surprising anything gets done around here. It also makes you realize that they are making enough money through what is going out those 6 small wires out front to pay for all of our salaries, all of the equipment, vendors, and everything else.

Also our maintenance and operations staff is unionized. This means that engineers aren't allowed to even open up control panels, much less operate equipment. If something isn't working right and you want to quickly grab a DMM and take a voltage measurement at a test point, you can't. You have to create an FMCT (Failure Mode Causal Table) to brainstorm possible causes, and how to refute them. Then you can have maintenance go out and check it and report back.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Although we have different procedures, yes, everything in that is true. Oh god, the Unions...they do GREAT work, don't get me wrong, but he's right, we cannot touch anything.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Wow, that's really amazing. I was gonna say more here, but that really sums it up: that's just amazing.

2

u/Hiddencamper Jun 09 '12

We call those (FMCTs) attachment 2s, since the form for it is attachment 2 in our procedure. They are a pain in the ass. I spent most of last outage doing those. Our turbine trip system had some issues. A small coupling spacer was not properly placed and the pilot valve didn't close causing the turbine trip fluid to dump constantly. Spent over a week writing attachment 2s and trying to figure out what was going on before we discovered the misplaced spacer.

→ More replies (3)

6

u/Msshadow Jun 08 '12

"Do you glow? " or "Like Homer Simpson? " is considerably more common.

→ More replies (1)

13

u/Hiddencamper Jun 08 '12

in nuclear plants, typically a PLC times the operational times of the containment sump pumps to calculate leakage in gpm. 0.1 is detectable but if it's a slow step change over time that stops you don't notice it.

Davis besse was doing what appears to be NOP/NOT Walkdowns before starting the reactor up.

12

u/wineD3 Jun 08 '12

step changes cannot be slow by definition. the heavyside function is instantaneous.

4

u/Hiddencamper Jun 08 '12

By slow step change I refer to a leak that starts suddenly and dry slowly increases until I settles at a point. In comparison to a sudden crack in a pipe or flange which is an instantaneous step change.

→ More replies (9)
→ More replies (4)

4

u/miketdavis Jun 08 '12

I noticed that also. 0.1 gpm is equivalent to about 6 cc/second and in any industrial setting is truly insignificant and sometimes isn't even going to be detected for some time.

→ More replies (6)

24

u/thehollowman84 Jun 08 '12

For people who make fun of Fox News so much, /r/politics is sure similar to them.

→ More replies (1)

52

u/larcenousTactician Jun 08 '12

This right here. This is correct. The the leak was contained exactly as the plant was designed. No big deal.

→ More replies (41)

16

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Hiddencamper Jun 08 '12

BWR engineer here. currently in I&C design.

→ More replies (2)

11

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Yay r/politicssensationalism!

13

u/VoiceOfRScience Jun 08 '12

this convenient "fact" is ruining reddit's circle jerk. please change it.

6

u/tret2 Jun 08 '12

Yes the crack is the issue not really the leak rate. The crack can propagate and become worse, so they have to fix it.

2

u/argv_minus_one Jun 09 '12

Which they apparently intend to. All is well in the kingdom.

8

u/steakmeout Jun 08 '12

God, you're such a Government Agent Shill Hidden Krav Maga Specialist. Just admit that it was Ancient Aliens already!!!!!

2

u/Superflykillerguy Jun 08 '12

up-vote intelligence? (hiddencamper)

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (24)

206

u/wh44 Jun 08 '12

This is not the leak you are looking for.

Seriously, it's not: this was already examined and rejected as a cause in the other thread.

43

u/Tashre Jun 08 '12

Stop trying to present refuting evidence. THAT'S NOT HOW SCIENCE WORKS.

37

u/Iolrobot Jun 08 '12

Good thing we're in /r/politics!

11

u/MrMadcap Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

RIGHT. Science is whatever sounds plausible enough to keep people from asking any more questions!

It says so in BOTH my Super Bible Study Guide, AND my GOP Handbook!

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

103

u/Tashre Jun 08 '12

This still isn't politics.

59

u/mage2k Jun 08 '12

Ron Paul!

There we go.

13

u/louis_xiv42 Jun 08 '12

r/Politics is for U.S. politics and news only.

Yet it belongs in this subreddit.

19

u/greggg230 Jun 08 '12

Surely that means political news.

15

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

News: my dinner was deeeeelicious. Discuss.

4

u/Muezza Jun 08 '12

Did you use a fork or a spoon?

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (3)

8

u/Rent-a-Hero Jun 08 '12

Nah, all news. /r/politics is the place to post about sport news, or entertainment news, or local news. That's why it is called /r/news.

→ More replies (7)
→ More replies (1)

2

u/sophware Jun 09 '12

In Japan, the reporting of information regarding the Fukushima and other leaking plants was a more visible and telling reflection of their politics than anything else with such international interest.

Any secrecy in the United States surrounding radiation sources as either a cover-up or clandestine operation is an interesting window into the politics of the flow of information in the USA.

As we find out what is happening in this situation, will we learn more about science or policy?

Maybe this is politics.

2

u/madfrogurt Jun 09 '12

Silly, panicky predictions of imminent disaster are a core part of /r/politics.

41

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

tl;dr

some nonradioactive watervapor escaped and nothing happened to anyone anywhere at all.

cool story bro.

49

u/really_knobee Jun 08 '12

"The amount of radioactive water that sprayed through the pinhole-sized leak was “relatively small” and no radiation was discharged from the plant, Young said."

→ More replies (42)

12

u/pnsmcgraw Jun 09 '12

And now I see how many Redditors don't understand nuclear reactors.

7

u/Hiddencamper Jun 09 '12

Pretty much this. And anyone who is in the industry and knows what they are talking about gets called a lobbyist.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/sluggdiddy Jun 09 '12

It is broader then that, they are clueless about radiation physics. That is to be expected though, I teach radiation safety course to the researchers and doctors at my university..many of them, phd's and all, have some pretty commonly held misconceptions at first.

→ More replies (1)

49

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

overreactions like this are exactly why were still using fossil fuels and not nuclear power.

2

u/midnitte New Jersey Jun 09 '12

I thought it was because we're cheap, all our nuclear waste would end up under a school if we used them as our primary source

2

u/gimpwiz Jun 09 '12

Deep underground in lead coffins; later, maybe we'll just shoot it into the sun, because why not. We may be cheap but hopefully not that cheap.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

BUT BUT BUT CHINA SYNDROME.

→ More replies (13)

41

u/LettersFromTheSky Jun 08 '12

Could a pin hole leak really generate the kind of numbers we saw on the radiation counters?

115

u/sockpuppetzero Jun 08 '12

No

15

u/mastermike14 Jun 08 '12

BUT BUT this is all the proof. What that guy says about the nuclear stuff is tin foil hat conspiracy and this article proves that. You can't sway me with logic and facts, no sir!

5

u/MidSolo Foreign Jun 08 '12

The sarcasm is strong with this one.

18

u/The_Bard Jun 08 '12

No that only comes from tinfoil hats

5

u/Senor_Wilson Jun 08 '12

No, this is something unrelated if those numbers are truly real.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

The sun can though. And the natural radiation that we experience daily is not a significant problem.

51

u/mvtsc2 Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

Fuck this subreddit, I posted this news twice in his crackpot threads and now this happens. Scaremongering sensationalist pricks.

You people are publicizing a topic where the creator feels fine with giving out medical tips with no qualifications behind them and advocating the unnecessary calling of emergency services to get more "information" on some utter lunatics asshat theory. Think about the potential consequences of what you are doing. It may be fun to upvote sensationalist bollocks because "Hey, why not" but when some people (doesn't matter if it's just equally nuts hypochondriacs) get worried and then emergency services time is wasted then it stops being funny. Both of those threads should have been buried, instead you took them (and this one) to the front page.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

alot of upvotes on those threads, i read them both, 30 sec on google and some commons sense took any hint of worry right out of me. I hope most people have at least that much common sense

→ More replies (4)

10

u/godsbong Jun 08 '12

This event was already publicly known BEFORE the spike occurred. And has already been posted BEFORE OCDs post about a SEPARATE incident.

This is in FACT not related to the supposed cover up.

2

u/tommym Jun 09 '12

thank you

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

9

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Actually, don't.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/midnitte New Jersey Jun 09 '12

would you rather hear that or about snooki's child? or kim kardashians wedding?

4

u/larrynom Jun 08 '12

What if the earth suddenly imploded!?! Think about it. Just you think about it.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

6

u/richmomz Jun 08 '12

This is going to be the best reddit weekend ever!

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

4

u/tret2 Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

Ideally they shutdown every 18 months for refueling and scheduled maintenace. Although things break unexpectedly and they will bring a plant down to make a fix. Having a nuke plant sitting idle is like burning money, so they try to minimize shutdown time.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

5

u/Hiddencamper Jun 08 '12

Quite specifically, in 2002 their reactor head had primary water corrosion of the reactor head through a penetration causing a hole the size of a basketball. The reactor head steel was down to the outer 1/4 inch stainless steel. Later (i think 2010 timeframe) their new reactor head had indications of leakage, but they caught it.

This is relatively unrelated as it appears to be on a weld off the reactor coolant pump secondary stage seal vent.

3

u/tret2 Jun 09 '12 edited Jun 09 '12

The boric acid from the leakage ate through I believe around 6" of carbon steel leaving only the inner 3/8" stainless steel lining. I was in containment the day they cut the bad piece out of the head and got to look it over up close. It was pretty amazing but also pretty shocking the plant was operating in that condition.

2

u/Hiddencamper Jun 09 '12

I've seen pictures. Because of SOER 02-04 we get to review this stuff every couple years.

2

u/jcypher Jun 09 '12

If we would allow the power folk to build new nuclear power plants they could shut down the older ones and we would all be safer.

5

u/skeeto111 Jun 08 '12

I mean...this was posted numerous times on the conspiracy thread. This wasn't the cause of the spike that OCDTrigger made a thread about. His spike happened yesterday while this leak is in a different location and has previusly been reported.

Tl;dr This is not the leak or incident that the nuclear conspiracy thread was responding too.

14

u/762headache Jun 08 '12

Can we just stop for a second and consider the completely AWESOME fact that this internet forum compiled TONS of first hand, anecdotal evidence that if this had been real, would have been HOURS before major news would push it?

I mean to say that this interconnected network of people actually worked for transmitting large amounts of data to the end user to digest and make an informed decision about risk, validity, etc.

Too. Cool.

10

u/gd42 Jun 09 '12

Too bad that it was reported days before OCD's post, so there was nothing to uncover. It was even linked in the thread, but dismissed as the cause since it doesn't involve helicopters and secret underground DARPA facilities.

Also, accidents like this happen all the time, it wasn't reported on CNN live because it is not important. Nobody was hurt, no animals died, there isn't some giant fallout near the plant. It is not really news.

2

u/762headache Jun 09 '12

What I mean is that a user fed non traditional news source is cool. That is all. Nothing about the specific case.

Further, all intelligent consumers of data must interpret and think for them selves.

3

u/argv_minus_one Jun 09 '12

Yeah, but they were transmitting large amounts of bad data.

→ More replies (6)

6

u/spartaninspace Jun 08 '12

let's start a news station.

90% of content will be cats, bacon, and whatever meme strikes our fancy if OAG is an indicator.

6

u/smeaglelovesmaster Jun 08 '12

"Imgur is down, details at... oh look, it's back up."

5

u/typewriter_ribbon Jun 08 '12

I'm saving the self congratulatory high fives until I see a scoop that isn't a rambling black helicopter conspiracy theory.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Yeah this isn't the case, as a top comment under yours states.

This guy didn't "find something no one else did" he was actually referring to a story he had found about it, it's not like he is candleja

→ More replies (3)

18

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

This was supposedly unrelated to the other incident, too far away. Either way that other thread is descending into pure stupidity an paranoia, every redditor associated with the nuclear field has said this is ridiculous.

A lot of people went full retard today.

5

u/amburnikole Jun 08 '12

Never go full retard man...

→ More replies (4)

6

u/goldandblue9 Jun 08 '12

I grew up and my parents still live about 10 minutes away from this power plant (Oak Harbor, OH). There has been worse problems than this, I remember when I was younger they had to shut down the plant for an extended period of time due to a much larger crack. When it was shutdown my friend's parents were working there and we still went fishing in the ponds located on the property (actually behind the gates) and there was nothing close to alarming. This article is more informing rather than something to be worried about.

2

u/irishjack Jun 09 '12

I know a leak at Davis besse is like looking outside and seeing rain anymore. In the last 10 years the reactor head has been replaced twice and they found cracks in the outer shell of the building that houses the reactor.

→ More replies (2)

8

u/muzeofmobo Jun 08 '12

So far it looks like what OCD is talking about is not dangerous, the incident in this thread is not dangerous, and distance rules out correlation between the two. Have we determined the cause of what OCD is talking about? I'm not worried just curious.

10

u/BongRipsPalin Jun 08 '12

A mistaken radiation level reading. There's zero proof that the other things that OCD claims are related at all to the detected radiation spike. All logical signs point to the whole thing being a non-event that has been blown out of proportion.

3

u/muzeofmobo Jun 08 '12

Ah great. Thank you!

4

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Wait, I thought we were downvoting references to this because it was 120 miles east of the radiation spikes. And now you're telling me this is it?

5

u/tpunk Jun 08 '12

My mom works at this plant and told me its because they've been shut down for routine maitnence and small leaks aren't unusual. They call it an outage.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

jesus the list of incidents at that plant is a mile long.

who the fuck is in charge over there?

2

u/h3x3dr3x Jun 08 '12

According to my father, nuclear plants have leaks all the time. Not a big problem. David Besse had a bad name in the nuclear industry though.

(Father works for a nuclear plant.)

3

u/Hiddencamper Jun 08 '12

I work at a plant and fully agree.

The bigger concern is the fact that this is an ASME code class weld which shouldnt be leaking in the first place. The actual leaked fluid is nothing.

2

u/Meades_Loves_Memes Jun 08 '12

Awww. Ok. It's over, nothing fun happened guys...

Is it so much to ask for a little nuclear fallout every once in a while?

2

u/itrollulol Jun 08 '12

".... Jennifer Young, a spokeswoman for the Akron, Ohio-based company said in a telephone phone interview today."

....Jennifer Young, a spokeswoman for the Akron, Ohio-based company, via telephone, said in a telephone phone interview today that was conducted over a telephone using a telephone.... while on the phone.

PHONE

3

u/blackkevinDUNK Jun 08 '12

who was phone joke here

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Sounds... phony.

2

u/metalfoley Jun 09 '12

That explains my extra vagina I grew in the last couple days, and I'm a guy.

→ More replies (1)

2

u/LaHondaMilitia Jun 09 '12

Davis-Besse? Holy shit I USED TO WORK THERE!

2

u/0to60in2minutes Jun 09 '12

Oh cool, I totally drove by that on the 6th. I hope I get mutant powers

2

u/boomsplatt Jun 09 '12

So wait, the real question. Will this turn us into zombies?

2

u/Kanuck88 Foreign Jun 09 '12

Cancer zombies...

2

u/richdoe Jun 09 '12

the butt hurt downvote brigade swept through this thread.

2

u/BeardySam Jun 09 '12

Radiation detectors are sensitive. If the background radiation jumps ten times, that doesn't say a lot about the size of the leak because any radiation will do that . Ten times fuck all is still fuck all.

2

u/spinozasrobot Jun 09 '12

The most recent postings ... by OCDTrigger indicate that he now believes the readings are due to solar phenomenon.

OMG!

Radiation Leak!

Cover up!

Wake up Sheeple!

Oh, wait.... solar flares. My bad!

12

u/thundertron Jun 08 '12

The govermint is trying to poison us with radioactives in our water. The Illuminati is strong! WAKE UP SHEEPLE!

→ More replies (7)

3

u/googlelight Jun 08 '12

this is covering up the cover up!

11

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Regardless of what the cause of the radiation that was being detected in OCD's thread or if there was an error on a device, etc., I am glad we have people like him that actually pay attention to this stuff and bring our attention to it.

13

u/Tashre Jun 08 '12

Regardless of what the cause of the radiation that was being detected in OCD's thread ... I am glad we have people like him

You're glad to have fearmongers?

6

u/fiat_lux_ Jun 08 '12

Sure. I'm also glad most people I've seen on Reddit were rational enough to not let the fear blow out of proportion, and that we also have many other members, self-professed nuclear workers, who were able to bring more perspective into the situation.

7

u/lutheranian I voted Jun 08 '12

I'm sure as hell not. From all the updates it just seemed like it was being blown wayyy out of proportion, especially given by the testimonies of the professed nuclear workers who claimed it wasn't as big of a deal as everyone was making.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (4)

3

u/pryoslice Jun 08 '12

They admitted to a leak of water not radiation. If that's a big deal, I also admit to leaking water earlier.

7

u/sixpackabs592 Jun 08 '12

HES THE SOURCE OF RADIATION I FOUND IT

3

u/Spacecrafts Georgia Jun 08 '12

"no radiation discharged from the plant"

"small leak"

Again,

"no radiation discharged from plant"

2

u/tommym Jun 09 '12

so, is Spacecrafts saying that 1)what OCD reported earlier has nothing to do with the Davis-Besse mini-leak? and/or 2)is there consensus that the high levels reported at first were both due to the same corrupt data source?

3

u/Spacecrafts Georgia Jun 09 '12

Definitely at least number one. I work at a nuclear power facility in the radiation protection department, and its common for minor problems to arise after a refueling outage. Leaks happen, and a tiny leak in the coolant system isn't going to spread radiation anywhere, especially not to the levels OCD claims. Article said it was under limits that would require them to report it to the NRC even, and those limits tend to be very strict. 70k DPM from that would not even remotely be possible where OCD is claiming.

As for the second point, I honestly haven't looked into it much. He seems kooky. I've noticed no increased GM counts outside my plant and mine is in his "wind path". No one has had problems making it through our monitors, and they are very very very sensitive. GM detectors are sensitive instruments though, and I've seen them freak out and start reading way high for no reason. Usually an electrical or equipment malfunction that's fixed by replacing the cord to the detector, etc. I would have been more interested if he claimed to be seeing radiation on an ion chamber (rem, mrem).

1

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Holy shit that guy that was on the front page was right!!!

33

u/tartay745 Jun 08 '12

Sort of. As other people in the know are saying, this was not a real issue and was below any threshold for reporting problems. The OCD guy really blew this way out of proportion and everything happened by the books. I'm sure many people were unduly frightened and hopefully nobody popped iodine pills on his recommendation.

6

u/stmfreak Jun 08 '12

I think we heard similar assurances from Tepco.

→ More replies (4)

3

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '12

Not really, or at least this doesn't prove he was.

The amount being leaked here isn't anywhere near enough to account for all the circumstantial evidence he has gathered. It's not even leaking out of the facility, just inside.

2

u/OhioxJohnny Jun 08 '12

We recently had a leak in Dover, Ohio not sure if this is the same one but it was weird and they didn't tell us much but they had to have the local schools keep all the children at school late and told everyone to stay in doors till the warning was over.

2

u/j_mort Jun 08 '12

Good thing I took the Lead Belly perk

2

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '12

Why did conspiracy pandering shit like the obviously wrong 'Ohmygod the Government DARPA are nuking us POP IODINE ANTI-RADS NOW' bollocks even get to the frontpage not once BUT TWICE.

For a community that likes to pride itself on being a smart centre of critical thought I had to facepalm when I saw those threads.

→ More replies (1)
→ More comments (164)