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Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

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Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#151
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing with radioactivity is: it may be invisible but it is luckily very well detectable. Gamma ray spectrometers are super sensitive but that does not mean the detected levels are actually posing a threat to humans.

It depends what you mean by radioactivity. There are particles that rarely ever interact with matter, like the neutrinos, and are virtually impossible to detect except in highly sensitive experimental conditions.

I think in the context of the conversations it's obvious that we're talking about the kinds of radiation that are dangerous to animals (including humans)

Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#152
post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One might argue that’s a price you pay when murdering innocent civilians in land that isn’t yours, no?

Not to be a apologist of what Russia is doing (really really against the current invasion/occupation) but from what we've seen around social media, it's not clear that the actual soldiers on the ground understand that they aren't "liberating" the Ukrainians from actual Nazis. They are fed misinformation on a daily basis and at least some of them see themselves as the "good guys". It does not excuse anything really, b…

I have no compassion for the Russians invading Ukraine, it wouldn't be a terrible at all if they all keeled over dead in an instant due to Big Daddy In The Sky doing something right for once.

Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#153
post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to be a apologist of what Russia is doing (really really against the current invasion/occupation) but from what we've seen around social media, it's not clear that the actual soldiers on the ground understand that they aren't "liberating" the Ukrainians from actual Nazis. They are fed misinformation on a daily basis and at least some of them see themselves as the "good guys". It does not excuse anything really, b…

Eh, the soldiers know... it's for "power", against nato, and to get a bit more of the land. Look at every past conflict, every american soldier in iraq knew, that they were going in to get the oil, everything else was just propaganda for the taxpayers.

For further clarification this is NOT a war to stop NATO expansion as Ukraine was no where near that and it could have been stopped diplomatically. This is a war started by a dictator who has aims to restore the USSR before he kills over or is deposed in the next 10 to 15 years. This war is about nothing more than Putin's ego. Just for clarification.

Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#154
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing with radioactivity is: it may be invisible but it is luckily very well detectable. Gamma ray spectrometers are super sensitive but that does not mean the detected levels are actually posing a threat to humans.

It depends what you mean by radioactivity. There are particles that rarely ever interact with matter, like the neutrinos, and are virtually impossible to detect except in highly sensitive experimental conditions.

Sure. The nice thing with these particles is that they do not cause any health concern. Luckily, because we are constantly bombarded with billions of them.

What is relevant here is either alpha (stopped by a couple of cm of air), beta (stopped by a sheet of plastic, heavy clothing, or a couple of micrometers of metal) and gamma radiation. These are the radiations we measure to monitor fallout.

Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#155
post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to be a apologist of what Russia is doing (really really against the current invasion/occupation) but from what we've seen around social media, it's not clear that the actual soldiers on the ground understand that they aren't "liberating" the Ukrainians from actual Nazis. They are fed misinformation on a daily basis and at least some of them see themselves as the "good guys". It does not excuse anything really, b…

Eh, the soldiers know... it's for "power", against nato, and to get a bit more of the land. Look at every past conflict, every american soldier in iraq knew, that they were going in to get the oil, everything else was just propaganda for the taxpayers.

> Look at every past conflict, every american soldier in iraq knew, that they were going in to get the oil, everything else was just propaganda for the taxpayers.

What do folks exactly mean by "get the oil" because it certainly wasn't for domestic consumption. About 72% of US foreign oil comes from Canada and Mexico - mostly Canada. The rest, a broad smattering of countries without any meaningful concentration. Iraq accounts for only 3%. Considering the cost of the Iraq war was $2T that's a heck of a price to pay for just not that much oil. [1]

If America just wanted oil would it not go for the single largest proven reserves of oil on the entire planet, in Venezeula, and deposit some freedom there? The government there is equally hostile, and particularly unstable. In Civ parlance, the warmonger penalty would be low. [2]

[1] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-produc...

[2] https://www.worldometers.info/oil/oil-reserves-by-country/

Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#156
post #72
post #3

Russians came from Belarus and with their tanks disrupt the radioactive soil and create dust [1]. The internal systems and the reactors themselves are in nominal state without changes. 1. https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-says-chernobyl-radia...

So, the Russian soldiers are all probably breathing this dust and their equipment will spread it to where ever they deploy in Ukraine? That doesn't sound good at all.

The danger is mostly for themselves. Bringing tiny amounts of dust with them is not a huge problem. However, having alpha emitters in your lung and intestines because you breathed, drank and ate in a contaminated environment is a death sentence.

Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#157
post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to be a apologist of what Russia is doing (really really against the current invasion/occupation) but from what we've seen around social media, it's not clear that the actual soldiers on the ground understand that they aren't "liberating" the Ukrainians from actual Nazis. They are fed misinformation on a daily basis and at least some of them see themselves as the "good guys". It does not excuse anything really, b…

Eh, the soldiers know... it's for "power", against nato, and to get a bit more of the land. Look at every past conflict, every american soldier in iraq knew, that they were going in to get the oil, everything else was just propaganda for the taxpayers.

The Russians know. They are not stupid. Also, more than half of all of Russia's army has been concentrated along the border. There is no way they were thinking they were going to a picnic.

Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#158

What strategic purpose would taking Chernobyl have other than maybe securing the site and preventing someone from blowing a hole in the sarcophagus?

Primarily roads and solid surfaces through the area allows Russians an easier way to invade in order to murder innocent Ukrainians.

Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#159
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You hold a position to launch attacks from that are hard to counter attack. Setup your artillery there and they can’t just shell the area back out of fear of causing a nuclear disaster. IMO, the UN should have stepped in and taken control of the nuclear zone. There is a global risk here.

From some russian sources I’ve read that Chernobyl has been taken by Belarus soldiers, not russians. Because Belarus guys are sensitive to anything going on around Chernobyl and want to secure the site.

They are working as puppets for the Russians so they're essentially Russian invaders for the 90% estimation.

Re: Radiation spikes in Chernobyl

#160
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The last reactor to shutdown was Unit 3 in December 2000. The whole facility has been undergoing cleanup and decommissioning since. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Nuclear_Power_Plant#...

Drifting slightly off topic but it always seemed amazing to me that they kept the other reactors running even in the immediate aftermath of the Unit 4 explosion. Literally just down the hall, units 1, 2, and 3 ran for years afterwards. These were all manually controlled reactors that needed humans in the control room. No "working from home "on these.

Blacking out a good portion of the country for years while other power plants were being built probably wasn't an option if they could more or less keep the others running.
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