A Good article from our friends over at ALERTSUSA.

com

Fukushima #4 Fuel Removal a Catastrophic Threat to N. America Nov 02, 2013 What ou Nee! To "#o$ Tok%o &lectric 'o$er Compa#% (T&'C)* has a##ou#ce! the% $ill soo# +e,i# attempti#, removal o- more tha# 1200 spe#t #uclear -uel assem+lies -rom a cooli#, pool more tha# 100 -eet a+ove ,rou#! at the severel% !ama,e! Fukushima #4 reactor. As previousl% reporte! +% Alerts./A Threat 0our#al o# multiple occasio#s, scie#tists $orl!$i!e have $ar#e! -or $ell over t$o %ears o- the ,lo+al !a#,ers a#! implicatio#s o- this process.
1# the case o- Fukushima .#it #4, the racks hol!i#, the -uel assem+lies $ere damaged and deformed!uri#, the earth2uake a#! e3plosio# i# 4arch o- 2011. The +uil!i#, is shattere!, structurall% u#sou#! a#! hi,hl% vul#era+le. 1# a!!itio#, spe#t #uclear -uel ca##ot +e simpl% li-te! i#to the air +% a cra#e. 1t must +e li-te! a#! tra#s-erre! at all times i# $ater a#! heavil% shiel!e! structures. 5uri#, the removal process, i- the -uel assem+lies touch, are !roppe! or +reak ope# there is pote#tial -or u#co#trolle! #uclear reactio#s a#! e3plosio#s to occur.

According to Robert Alvarez, former Senior Policy Adviser to the Secretary of Energy, Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Security and one of the nation's leading experts on spent fuel pools, "There is more than ! million curies of long lived radioactivity stored up in the spent fuel "ust #ithin this single pool$ %f another severe earth&ua'e #ere to stri'e causing the pool to drain, or some other event such as an explosion, it could result in a catastrophic radiological fire releasing nearly () times the amount of *s+( ! ,into the Earths atmosphere- as #as released .y the *herno.yl accident$ And that is "ust one of approximately /)) different types of radioactive isotopes that could potentially .e released$ According to Gregory Jaczko, former *hairman of 0$S$ Nuclear 1egulatory *ommission, the upcoming attempt to remove 2u'ushima 0nit 3 spent fuel is "unprecedented, the pool has significant structural damage and that the overall effort is very ris'y$" According to Arnie Gunderson, Sr$ Engineer at 2aire#inds Energy and a former nuclear industry executive #ith more than 3) years experience, "TEP*4 has already admitted that the .oron shields in the fuel rac's separating the fuel .undles have deteriorated$ These shields a.sor. neutrons and 'eep the the fuel cells su.critical$"

According to ale University !rofessor Emeritus "#arles !erro$ , a fre&uent author for the 5ulletin of Atomic Scientists, "This has me scared$" %n the event of an explosion, "To'yo #ould have to .e evacuated .ecause of cesium and other poisons that are there #ill spread very rapidly$ Even if the #ind is .lo#ing the other #ay it's going to .e monumental$" According to Shunichi Tana'a, 6apan's Nuclear 1egulatory *hairman, "% am much more #orried a.out this than contaminated #ater$" According to %ycle Sc#neider, an energy consultant and adviser to mem.ers of the European Parliament and the %nt'l Atomic Energy Agency, "A massive spent fuel fire #ould li'ely d#arf the current dimensions of the catastrophe and could exceed the radioactivity releases of *herno.yl do7ens of times$" 8is and other's concerns are not limited to 6apan$ An accident in this fuel removal process #ill have dramatic pu.lic health ramifications for the 0nited States and *anada many times #orse than the original 2u'ushima explosions and meltdo#ns$

%t must .e understood that the 0$S$ is directly do#n#ind$ %n a #orse case scenario you #ill have only a fe# days to ma'e any type of preparedness moves to protect yourself and family as prevailing #inds and #eather patterns carry air.orne contaminants to the East for rainout 9 fallout across N$ America$ And here is the 'ic'er: The fuel removal process is expected to ta'e many months, if not longer$ 5ut it has to .e done$ ;eaving the spent fuel in the damaged pool is not an option$ Readers need to give serious to consideration to t#e $arnings in t#is story. As re&eatedly referenced in t#e lead u& to t#is fuel removal effort' $e strongly urge you to do$nload t#e ( free nuclear emergency &re&aredness guides belo$ and actually read t#em. T#ey are $ritten for you by some of t#is nation)s most skilled and kno$ledgeable in t#e area of radiation safety and &re&aredness.

As #e reported "ust a fe# #ee's .ac', even the federal government is ma'ing plans for such a disaster #ith the recent emergency &urc#ase of tens of millions of dollars in medications to #el& combat radiation sickness. <hile they are not pu.lici7ing the move, this is your cue$ =ou don't #ant to .e caught loo'ing at your feet$ 6udging from the near non+existent mainstream ne#s coverage here in the 0$S$, the time for you to prepare is no#$ Alerts0SA monitors activities at the 2u'ushima facility /39!9 >? and #ill immediately notify service su.scri.ers of significant developments via text messages to their mo.ile devices$ Get t#e service. Stay *nformed. AlertsUSA.com