The ‘China Syndrome’ refers to the most drastically severe meltdown a nuclear reactor could possibly achieve. In this case, the reactor would reach the highest level for a sustained period of time, resulting in the melting of its support infrastructure. The uranium in the core would behave in a similar manner to a delta-class fire, self-sustaining temperatures in excess of 2000°C. Since these temperatures would melt all materials around it, the reactor would sink due to gravity, effectively boring a hole through the reactor compartment’s floor. (Lapp, Ralph E. "Thoughts on nuclear plumbing." The New York Times, Dec. 12, 1971)
An explosion at the earthquake-damaged nuclear power plant in Okuma, Japan (Fukushima Daiichi) , appears to have led to a nuclear reactor meltdown, according to experts.
According to officials at the Department of Energy, a meltdown occurs when the control rods fail to contain the emissions and heat levels within the reactor which in turn rise to a point where the fuel itself melts. Generally temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit occur, causing uncontrolled radiation-generating reactions and making the reactor extremely hazardous.
While a serious condition, the initial meltdown does not necessarily mean a nuclear disaster. One expert tells the Law Enforcement Examiner that as long as the reactor’s core remains intact, the melted fuel can be dealt with. If the core breaches but the containment facility built around the core remains intact, the melted fuel can still be dealt with — typically entombed within specialized concrete — but the cost and difficulty of such containment increase.
The earthquake in Japan, in addition to damaging the ability of the control rods to regulate the fuel — and the reactor’s coolant system — appears to have damaged the containment facility. An expert in nuclear plant safety told the Law Enforcement Examiner that the current situation in Japan resembles the prelude to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Needless to say, all eyes are on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor including those of nuclear safety officials in the United States.
Originally, the Homeland Security Act was enacted in November 2002, creating the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve homeland security following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. But within its mandate is DHS must also address other emergencies under its all-hazard doctrine.
This includes protection and response to natural disasters (floods, earthquakes) or man-made disasters (terrorism, nuclear plant accidents). The 2002 act centralized the leadership of many homeland security activities under a single federal department and, accordingly, DHS has the dominant role in implementing this national strategy.
DHS has taken several actions to define national roles and responsibilities and capabilities for emergency preparedness efforts in key policy documents and has begun preparing for the upcoming transition between presidential administrations. DHS prepared initial versions of key policy documents that describe what should be done and by whom (National Response Plan in 2004), how it should be done (the National Incident Management System in 2004) and how well it should be done (the interim National Preparedness Goal in 2005).
DHS subsequently developed and issued revisions to these documents to improve and enhance its national-level policies, such as the National Preparedness Guidelines in 2007 which was the successor to the interim National Preparedness Goal. It also describes how DHS coordinates its response activities with other government or private sector organizations. In the event of an emergency at a nuclear power plant, that will mean working with the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Department of Energy is responsible for the safe operation of nuclear facilities and activities. To ensure safe operation, the Office of Health, Safety and Security’s Office of Nuclear Safety, Quality Assurance and Environment establishes nuclear safety and environmental protection requirements and expectations for the Department to ensure protection of workers and the public from the hazards associated with nuclear operations, and protection of the environment from the hazards associated with all Department through a combination of public rules and DOE directives.
DOE officials also work with non-government standards bodies to develop consensus standards that can be used to maintain and enhance the safety of facilities and activities.
The overall goal in nuclear safety enforcement is to improve nuclear safety performance throughout the Department’s programs, sites and contractors. This responsibility incorporates the congressional statutory mandate to apply sanctions for unsafe conditions that violate nuclear safety requirements for protecting workers and the public.
Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he’s a columnist for Examiner.com and New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he’s a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.He’s former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He’s also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He’s a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he’s syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.
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