A Nuclear Disaster's Deadliest Detail

I explored the Fukushima Exclusion Zone for 10 days in the April of 2023. While I was there I learned about the critical similarities and differences between the recent meltdowns in Japan and Chernobyl, and how to identify the deadliest aspect of a large-scale nuclear disaster. This is Part 2 of [EXPEDITION FUKUSHIMA].

00:00 Intro
00:44 Fuel and Fallout
05:27 Fractioning
11:47 Clean-up
16:38 Was it worth it?

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😎: Kyle
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[kylehill]

*Thanks for watching.*

CORRECTION: I may have made it seem like fission was still occurring inside Fukushima's damaged reactors. However, all reactors were successfully shut down. What melted the fuel was the "decay heat" of the fuel and fission products that is normally continuously removed by water on the pathway towards a full "cold shutdown."

[drum_titor]

My teacher once told us that half knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge at all. I thank you for filling the knowledge gap of the society about nuclear power and what it brings with it.

[Iknowtoomuchable]

"Hot particles in your area" is a notification that merits far more attention than one might assume.

[blametheghost]

Kyle Hill always makes me want to learn more about nuclear stuff whenever he release a a new video

[Artificial-Stupidity]

The words: "burning graphite" continue to send shivers down my spine more than 35 years later. It encapsulates just how catastrophic the situation was, having burning chunks of a reactor core scattered throughout the area.

[fairiedragon]

The fact that a particule the size of a few grains of salt can max out Geiger counter readings like that is fascinating and terrifying.

[dragonpaws]

I cannot thank you enough for making straightforward, well written, not overly dramatic or clickbait-y videos that thoroughly cover a topic in a way that lets me thoroughly understand them

[MinSredMash]

According to the 2008 UNSCEAR report available online, a typical Chernobyl hot particle has a diameter of around 6 microns and contains 100-1000 becquerels (decay events per second) of Plutonium isotopes, along with the other usual fission products. The dose from inhaling that much Plutonium could be around 50 mSv, similar to the yearly dose limit for a radiation worker. However, that dose would be spread out over the rest of your natural life, given the long half-lives involved.

However, the speck Kyle's group found is obviously much larger than 6 microns. If we assume that it weight the same as a grain of sand (0.004 grams), then it could contain over 70, 000 Bq of Plutonium. Worst case scenario puts the dose from inhaling that speck in the thousands of mSv. Certainly enough to cause localized burns of whatever lung tissue it ends up in contact with.


This is the only real reason that parts of the Zone will be considered uninhabitable for millennia. In 300 years when the Cesium and Strontium is gone, it won't be unsafe to go there, but things like agriculture and excavation will be fraught with risks.

[tedgood]

Quick note about something you said at 0:54. A nuclear reactor does not need to be in a critical state to meltdown. In fact, I'm pretty sure the reactors at Fukushima shut themselves down when the earthquake started. However, the fission products (some of which have short half-lives) continue to release energy into the system even after the reactor is make sub-critical by control rods. This extra energy released after shutdown is why emergency cooling systems are needed to keep a core cool even after a reactor shutdown.

[Mezzy]

As bad as Chernobyl was, the greatest damage it caused was to the public’s perception of nuclear power.

[pgr]

I have seen hot particles many times in Chernobyl and they're everywhere in the soil. That's what happens when you have a strong fire and dense smoke lifting tiny bits of the core into the atmosphere and then rain dumping them down onto the ground, washing them onto the soil off the non porous surfaces. Luckily they are widely spread enough not to be dangerous to humans over a short time but you can easily collect a few of them together in the space of a couple hours and you will see insanely high readings.

[raptordave]

Now we understand the dangers of radiation. Thanks Aquaman.

[tonep]

Kyle, I love how you get people to think logically about this subject. It’s all too easy to be emotional when dealing with an unseen and potentially deadly monster, and maybe that monster is actually just blown out of proportion sometimes.

[childofnewlight]

I live within what I always was told the "fallout" radius of at least one or two nuclear power plants. I always understood this to mean that if Chernobyl were to happen here or some other catastrophic accident, that'd likely mean my family and I would be goners. While I knew US designs and processes were far safer than Soviet designs, until I watched your videos I didn't quite understand what any of that actually meant. Also, the danger of being near a nuclear power plant is minimal. Living in Metro Detroit, there are far more industrial chemical plants which probably are a far greater threat to my health than our nuclear plants ever could be.

[DEADisBEAUTIFUL]

I love that I know I will learn a great deal without being overwhelmed with terminology that goes over my head when watching these videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us in understandable and “digestible” ways!

[JakeNeutronDj]

About the porous concrete capturing a lot of irradiated particles - as a fish keeper it reminds me of the filter materials we use that is very porous so microscopic beneficial bacteria clings to it. There is a DIY method where you use several times boiled concrete as a filter medium.

[Ancawikami]

I love this video and all of this series. They are informative and so relaxing. No clickbait, no over dramatisation, just relaxing facts. I can watch this all day :)

[sentinelav]

Kyle has this air of confidence about him that lets you know he's very sure of his ability, (and dashing hair I must say) but he totally earns it by producing not just some of the best YouTube content, but independent scientific journalism overall, available today. Keep getting it done lad, big ups from Australia ✌🇦🇺

[fugu]

The main reason for people dying in Fukusima wasnt the nuclear plant but rather the Tsunami waves and protectional walls that was too low to be useful.
People drowned in thousands but noone died because of the radiation.

[Ezmarii]

Thanks Kyle. I appreciate this series so far. I think most of the time you are 'preaching to the choir' for those of us who already follow and helping to further inform us or arm us with knowledge to inform our beloved near peers in our social circles. I hope your videos are discovered by new audience members every day!